Dust and Echoes (RWBY/Halo)

Chapter 11: A Brave New World

[~][~]

UNSC Everest, Valliant-Class Super-Heavy Cruisier

Geosynchronous Orbit, Remnant, Oum System

December 18th, 2540, 1700 (UNSC Military Calendar)

John-117 only felt the full extent of his injuries after they got back onto the Everest. With his adrenaline finally wearing off, his entire body felt as though it was on fire. Every slight movement sent pain shooting through him, and he was more than certain that he would need weeks of recovery to get back into the fight. Linda was in the best condition out of Blue Team, with only a few bruises for her trouble, and Kelly was in a similar situation to him. Fred was by far the most seriously wounded out of them all, and the Master Chief could only watch as Fred was wheeled away to the medical bay, where his extensive injuries would have to be dealt with immediately.

"How is he?" John asked as he watched the doctors work on Fred through the observation window.

"Sierra-104 has suffered from three broken ribs, a ruptured kidney, extensive internal bleeding, as well as a partially collapsed lung," Hannibal revealed, speaking through John's MJOLNIR. "His right shoulder is also dislocated, and many of his ligaments and tendons have suffered damage."

"How long will recovery take?"

"My estimate is roughly two months," Hannibal replied, and John couldn't help but frown and clench his fist. Sensing his distress, Hannibal added, "You mustn't blame yourself, Master Chief. As far as I'm concerned, you did the best you could do in your situation. Haki Felt was, by all accounts, a highly accomplished and deadly ex-Huntress, and might I remind you that we've never faced a being with Aura before today."

"My 'best' resulted in my SPARTANs almost dying," John countered. "The only reason why we are even alive is because Haki didn't take us seriously. Had she done so from the beginning, or had been of sound mind, we wouldn't have stood a chance."

"Correct, but she didn't. That was a fatal mistake on her part, and even when she started taking you seriously, you were still able to overwhelm her despite her statistical superiority," Hannibal pointed out. "It's almost like fighting the Covenant, in a way."

John supposed that Hannibal had a point, if at a vastly different scale. The Covenant, when compared to humanity at large, had all the advantages. Their technology, from weapons and space travel to simple communications, was centuries ahead of anything the UNSC had. Their soldiers, especially the higher ranking species like Elites, Brutes, and Hunters, were stronger than humans were. Even Grunts, if properly motivated, were easily capable of disemboweling a marine, and Drones were able to lift a fully equipped soldier into the air by their own power. Then there were the sheer numbers the Covenant were able to throw at humanity. They were seemingly endless, while humanity lost millions, sometimes billions, each and every year.

Yet despite all of these inherent advantages, the Covenant had one crucial weakness: they weren't using them properly. Most of their soldiers were poorly trained, their commanders using outdated tactics with a blind insistence on what they felt was honorable that allowed a skilled human commander to turn the tide to their favor. This was most obvious on the ground, where humanity often won their engagements with the Covenant, albeit with heavy casualties. Afterwards, the Covenant would often retreat back into space, where they held the absolute advantage before promptly glassing the planet from orbit, making the entire effort pointless in the end. But even in space there were ways for humanity to sometimes counter them. Admiral Cole himself had faced the Covenant dozens of times over the past fifteen years, and had never lost a battle.

The SPARTANs trying to fight Haki Felt was a similarly lopsided battle. Haki had clearly been stronger, faster, and more durable than anyone on Blue Team. It was something both she and the SPARTANs were able to recognize, which is where her downfall began. While Blue Team, after their initial retreat, learned from their encounter and adjusted accordingly, Haki remained fixated on her clear superiority, allowing her insane bloodlust to take hold. Had John been in her situation, he either wouldn't have let them escape in the first place or he would have fallen back to avoid capture, but she didn't. Instead, she pointlessly went after them, where Blue Team was able to, with much effort, put her down.

Regardless of the ultimate outcome of their first engagement with a Huntress, John knew that were they to ever fight another Huntsman or Huntress again, they could not afford to tread lightly. First, they would need to know every single thing they could about them, from their history and personality to their weapon and semblance. Then, they would need to field at least a full team of SPARTANs, or dozens of ODSTs and marines, just to even the odds, and even that wouldn't be enough. Instead of attempting to take down a Huntsman in close to medium range with their standard equipment, they would arm themselves with Spartan Lasers, Stanchions, and other such heavy weaponry and attempt an assassination from several kilometers away. If that wasn't an option and they had to get close, then they would bring in air and ground support, such as Warthogs and Hornets. Finally, much like how they killed Haki, luring the Huntsman or Huntress into a trap had proven to be effective, a tactic that John felt would be their best overall.

That was really what it all boiled down to. Much like facing the Covenant, brute force wouldn't win the day. It would only be through clever tactics and strategy that they could achieve victory, and John vowed that should they ever be put into that position again, their victory would be much clearer.

At the same time, his thoughts drifted to the horizon. If he and his SPARTANs, the best the UNSC had to offer, had experienced so much trouble against a single mentally ill Huntress, how would the Covenant fare? It was a question that he knew without a shred of doubt that both Doctor Halsey and Admiral Cole were asking and keen on getting answers to. John wished them the best of luck, because he knew that after today, the best chance humanity had at surviving the Covenant's relentless onslaught was somehow being able to tap into the strengths Aura and Dust provided. Whether that be learning how to use it themselves, or bringing Remnant into the fold. He supposed, based off of testimony from Sergeant Graves, that the latter was far more likely. Apparently, Atlesian doctors and even the headmaster of Beacon Academy had attempted to 'unlock' the sergeant's Aura, but all of their attempts failed.

That wouldn't stop ONI, of course. He knew firsthand just how far they were willing to go if they deemed it necessary for humanity's survival. While John didn't regret his life turning out the way it did, he recognized the inherent injustice inflicted upon him and his SPARTANs. Part of him supposed he should hate the UNSC and Doctor Halsey for what they did to them, but he didn't. None of the SPARTAN-IIs did, for while they may have lost their chance at a normal life, becoming SPARTANs gave them purpose. John didn't believe in fate or destiny, but at the same time he couldn't help but feel how serendipitous it was that the SPARTAN-IIs finished their training and augmentations just before the Covenant began their onslaught. Had ONI, Doctor Halsey, Chief Mendez, or anyone associated with the SPARTAN-II Program not conscripted them, humanity would have lost their greatest weapon so far against the aliens.

He wondered if it was another serendipitous occasion that they found Remnant here and now, when the Covenant were well on their way towards glassing the Inner Colonies much like they had done to the Outer Colonies. Remnant may only be a single planet with less than one billion people, but only thirty-three SPARTANs were able to hold the Covenant back this long. What happens if you add a couple hundred, if not thousands, of warriors stronger than SPARTANs? John eagerly anticipated finding the answer to that question.

"Master Chief, before we can debrief you, I insist that you also submit yourself to a proper medical examination," Hannibal insisted.

John didn't respond, instead nodding and turning around to walk into an empty medical bay, where specialists were waiting to carefully remove his MJOLNIR Mk. IV armor. As each piece was taken off, he saw for the first time just how extensive the damage was, and he couldn't help but sadly frown. His MJOLNIR was like a second skin, and seeing it so badly damaged only served to remind him of just how close his brush with death was. John resolved himself to learn from this experience, and allowed the medical examination to continue unabated.


Amity Colosseum

Vytal Island, Kingdom of Vale, Sanus

December 18th, 2540, 1830 Hours (UNSC Military Calendar)

"Haki Felt is…dead?" Professor Ozpin asked, slightly disbelieving of the news.

"Indeed, she is," Doctor Halsey repeated herself. "My team attempted to nonlethally apprehend her for interrogation, but she…resisted. Put up quite the effort in doing so before they were forced to put her down."

"I see," General Ironwood said, rubbing his chin. "Well, I suppose that is good news, if slightly disappointing. A capture and interrogation would have been preferable."

"Haki had been one of our most wanted criminals for years," Professor Theodore added, crossing his bare arms over his chest. "Every one of our attempts to capture her had failed. I suppose this really was the only way it was ever going to end."

"She certainly left us with no choice," Halsey stated, frowning slightly. The fact that her SPARTANs nearly died in the attempt was, admittedly, a stinging blow to her pride, but she forced herself to remain objective. Besides, she was already planning on making sure that never happened again.

"If I may, Doctor Halsey, was your team able to ascertain what Haki's semblance was?" Professor Rumpole asked. Halsey nodded then adjusted her glasses before reading over the debriefing sent to her once again.

"It was apparently," Halsey stopped to release a put-upon sigh, feeling a migraine coming on once again, "some kind of temporal reversion field in a small area around her."

"She had a Semblance that strong?" Glynda asked, raising her eyebrow slightly. "No wonder she escaped justice for so long."

Halsey stared at the professor silently for a few moments, then quietly said, "You aren't surprised by this. This is something normal to you."

"Time-based semblances are indeed rare," Professor Ozpin admitted, "and are often above average in their power and utility, but they aren't unheard of."

Halsey remained silent, her eyelid twitching slightly before she groaned and pinched her nose. She then declared, "Of course, your people are capable of breaking the laws of physics on a whim. Why not?"

Professor Ozpin couldn't help but chuckle, then pointed out, "To be fair, Doctor, your people do have FTL. We honestly thought that was impossible."

"Slipspace is based on science," Halsey insisted. "Not whatever magic Aura runs off of."

"Aura is not magic," Ozpin pointedly countered.

"I beg your pardon?"

"It's not. Neither Aura nor Dust are considered to be magic to us."

"Please, by all means, enlighten me on the difference," Halsey requested. Ozpin straightened himself, almost as though he had given this exact conversation before, and part of Halsey suspected that he had.

"Magic, according to our legends and ancient tales, is unquantifiable. It has no true limits, no barriers, and it can do practically anything the user wants, so long as they know how to properly use it," Ozpin explained. "In contrast, we know exactly what Aura and Dust can do and, more importantly, what their limitations are. For example, Burn Dust can only produce fire and heat, and to create said fire or heat, the Dust must be consumed. Semblances are another example, although much more varied. They are formed from the individual's Aura and personality, and use their Aura as fuel. Once someone runs out of Aura, their Semblance is no longer usable."

"To summarize, Doctor Halsey," Pietro happily added, "Aura and Dust have understandable and universal rules and laws that govern them just like the natural world. Rules that can be manipulated and stretched, of course, but still followed at all times."

Halsey stared at them for a moment. She wanted to do nothing other than groan, feeling that their explanation was wildly incorrect, but at the same time she could understand where their logic was coming from. It only added to her frustration, which the others were clearly noticing. While most were more than willing to drop the subject and move on, it appeared that Doctor Watts wasn't so willing and he eagerly leaned forward to add his two cents into the discussion.

"Honestly, Doctor, your Slipspace might as well be magic," Doctor Watts stated, causing Halsey to shoot her attention towards him. "I mean, ripping open a portal to another dimension with different physical laws and traversing said dimension to cross interstellar distances is hardly any less magical than drawing on the power of our souls. Especially since traversing Slipspace apparently affects the passage of time as well."

"Kindly do not attempt to compare using machines designed using the application of highly advanced physics to reversing the flow of time by thinking about it real hard," Halsey forcibly demanded. "They are two entirely different things."

Doctor Watts was momentarily taken aback by Halsey's forceful retort. It was clear to her that the smug scientist wasn't used to someone calling him out like she did, and he frowned at her for a moment before clearing his throat and raising his hands placatingly. He then said, "Of course. I meant no disrespect, Doctor Halsey. I must admit, while I do not fully understand Slipspace, I am very eager to learn."

"None taken," Halsey replied, then sighed to herself and collected her thoughts.

Aura, Dust, and Semblances still seemed like magic to her, but at the same time she knew that appearances were deceiving. What seemed like magic today was highly, highly likely to instead operate on some hitherto unknown field of science that was just begging to be understood. Halsey swore that she was going to be the one to crack it, to sufficiently analyze the fantastical compounds and abilities to where they went back to being science rather than magic. Both for her mental stability, and more importantly, to find ways to replicate it.

"Still, my mind keeps going back to Haki and her Semblance," Ozpin admitted, frowning slightly. "The fact that her Semblance could reverse the flow of time around her is…disturbingly telling."

"How so?" Halsey asked, and Professor Lionheart cleared his throat before answering.

"As my colleague suggested earlier, Semblances are unique to the individual," the lion faunus stated. "We don't know exactly whether Semblances are affected by the person or the other way around, but we have found a connection between a Semblance and an individual's personality. Haki's Semblance is no different."

"If she could reverse the time around her, yet return back to normal time soon after…" Ozpin softly said, "it almost seems as though she wants to take something back but deep down she knows she can't."

The other Remnantians pondered Ozpin's words, but Halsey remained neutral. As far as she was concerned, the death of Haki Felt wasn't a tragedy, but rather a necessary deed. She was too far gone and had done too much, and everyone was better off without her. That wasn't to say that they were done with her. The UNSC had managed to recover her corpse, mangled as it was, from the battlefield. It was heavily damaged, but they had worked with less before. Perhaps they might be able to glean some knowledge from it. So far, the only thing they managed to learn was that Haki's neural pathways were heavily degraded, with copious amounts of Lightning Dust in her system. Halsey might not be an expert in Dust, not yet at least, but even she could find the connection.

Haki Felt had undoubtedly been exposed to Lightning Dust over the course of years, and over time her nervous system was disrupted by the Dust's electrical impulses. It would have started as harmless twitching of the extremities, but then turned into spasms and perhaps seizures before finally reaching the brain. Once there, her neurons and glia degraded, resulting in her schizophrenia. Judging by the extent of the brain damage, Halsey estimated that Haki, even if she hadn't decided that attacking the SPARTANs was a good idea, only had a few more years left in her life. Ten at most, assuming she stopped what she had been doing immediately and gotten proper treatment. Which the UNSC would have provided had they captured her, after taking her to the Midnight Facility.

"In any case," General Ironwood cut through the silence, looking at Doctor Halsey, "you have our thanks for bringing her to justice. Do you by any chance have the body?"

"Unfortunately, no. We had to use explosives," Halsey answered. The delegates cringed, clearly imagining the messy aftermath, but Ozpin looked at her suspiciously. Halsey stared right back, and the two focused only on each other before the Headmaster, still looking right at her, began to speak.

"I see. Well, I suppose it can't be helped," Ozpin admitted. Halsey nodded, but before the meeting could finally end and she could return back to the Everest and her SPARTANs, she had one more question to ask.

"There's one more thing," Halsey stated, causing everyone to focus on her again. "Before she died, when she began to realize that she wasn't going to make it, Haki Felt mentioned a 'she' who would punish her for her failure. In all likelihood, it was simply her sick mind playing tricks with her, but on the off chance it isn't…do any of you know whom she might be referring to?"

Halsey could feel the temperature drop several degrees, specifically from a few select people. Most, including General Ironwood, Doctor Watts, Doctor Polendina, Ghira Belladonna, and others looked at her in confusion. They clearly had no idea what she was talking about, but Halsey wasn't focused on them. Instead, she was focusing on the headmasters and their direct subordinates, all of whom had shared looks of recognition with each other. They only lasted a split second, but it was enough for Halsey to see it all the same.

"Ah, I may be able to answer that," Professor Lionheart spoke up, his voice slightly cowed as Halsey shot her attention towards him. "After Haki murdered her team and fled Haven Academy, it was discovered that she had joined the Cult of the Ash Bride."

"'Cult of the Ash Bride?'" Halsey asked, studying every feature of the faunus' face.

"A religious movement," Ozpin explained. "They believe that their goddess, the titular Ash Bride, has a divine, almost royal, connection to the Grimm, and that by worshipping her they may be spared the Grimm's wrath. The vast, vast majority are completely harmless, but some are driven to…extremes to prove their devotion."

"So, a religious extremist?" Halsey asked, and Ozpin nodded.

"I believe so, yes. Either her mind had degraded to the point where she truly believed she had met her goddess, or more likely she was found by someone who was more than willing to take advantage of her and her faith. Who that person might be, I do not know, but in any case it is clear that her faith was taken advantage of to make her do some truly heinous acts."

"My people are more than aware of that truth," Halsey admitted, her voice holding a slight saddened edge to it. At the same time, she knew that Ozpin was, if not necessarily lying, then definitely not telling the full truth. He and the other headmasters were hiding something, and she was going to find out what it was eventually. There was more to this than met the eye, but at the moment she was content with letting them keep their secrets.

"Well then, I suppose I should be going," Halsey stated. "Admiral Cole should be back shortly. Thank you for your hospitality."

"The honor is ours, Doctor," Ghira declared, giving her a soft smile. Halsey nodded back, then turned around and walked out of the conference room, flanked by two ODSTs. Until the doors finally closed behind her, Halsey could feel the intensity of Ozpin's attention focused squarely on her.

If there was one thing Catherine Halsey had learned during this entire conference, it was this: there was something deeper going on in Remnant, something just out of sight. Something that this 'Professor Ozpin' was deeply involved in. She didn't care how long it took, but she was going to find exactly what it was.


Qrow Branwen watched as the UNSC forces packed up their equipment and began to retire back to their base. The first day of the First Contact Summit was now officially over, but that didn't mean the entire event was concluded. Normal diplomatic summits between the kingdoms took several days, at least, to cover everything they wanted on top of the pomp and circumstance, as well as the simple logistical back-and-forth. This summit was obviously on an entirely different scale, and although it was ad hoc on the UNSC's perspective, it was being treated with the utmost care and diligence. He suspected that it would be at least a week before both sides were comfortable enough to end before the actual UNSC diplomats arrived, at which point summits lasting months, if not years, would begin.

Of course, the Grimm attack had undoubtedly thrown a wrench into everybody's plans, which was why the delegates were leaving for the night to return to Vale before coming back in the morning. Everyone wanted to make sure that the entire island was secure before starting things back up again.

"So, you guys fight those things on the regular?" Sergeant Johnson asked, and Qrow nodded while leaning against a tree.

"Yep. It's what I was trained for, actually," Qrow admitted while taking a drink from his flask, and Johnson nodded while taking a huff of his cigar.

"Well I certainly wasn't. Those were some tough bastards, but they weren't a match for some mean, green muscle," Johnson replied, giving a soft chuckle that Qrow couldn't help but roll his eyes at. Johnson then took out his cigar and looked at Qrow, then said, "It's been nice talkin' to ya, Branwen, but I gotta head out. I'll see you around."

"Sure," Qrow replied, watching as Johnson put out his cigar and walked away, his bulky assault rifle strapped to the magnetic holster on his back. The marine sergeant rejoined his squad then walked into the base, which was apparently a temporary fortification built around a massive armored vehicle called an Elephant. Johnson waved one last time to Qrow as he went inside, the doors sealing shut behind him. Only then did Qrow sigh and put away his flask, then he got off the tree and walked away with his hands in his pockets.

Overall, Qrow had to admit that his opinions on the UNSC were mixed. They seemed far too militarized to his liking, to an even greater degree than Atlas. Sure, he had only met their military, but from what Ozpin had managed to feed him, the UEG and the UNSC were quite intertwined politically, culturally, and economically. So he felt fairly confident that his assessment was accurate, at least to a certain extent. He also didn't like how secretive they tried to be, first with their initial encounters, then with whatever the Covenant was as well as those super soldiers he saw fighting, and killing, Haki Felt.

But, at the same time, he had to acknowledge that the UNSC's soldiers were genuinely brave and honorable people. Even without Aura nor any experience in fighting them, they held their ground against the Grimm's onslaught. They protected each other and Qrow's own people with no hesitation, standing tall and proud in spite of the odds being stacked against them. He even saw this with the super soldiers, who easily recognized how outmatched they were, yet instead of breaking they managed to do something no one on Remnant had done before and killed Haki. Qrow also had to admit that he actually liked Sergeant Johnson, although he was still convinced he would most likely never see him again once all this was over. But, if he did, he wouldn't mind going out for drinks with the guy. Seemed like he'd be a fun person to be around.

Qrow's thoughts were then interrupted as he found his way to where the main leaders were gathering. Most of the delegates were leaving, making sure their belongings were in order before hopping into Bullheads and flying off. Only the Headmasters, Glynda and Rumpole, and General Ironwood were left, all of whom were waiting patiently on him.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. That Johnson guy wouldn't leave me alone," Qrow declared, coming to a stop in front of them.

"Yes, my men have been reporting that he's a very personable individual," Ironwood added. "They were quite impressed with him and enjoyed his company."

"He was easy to get along with, I'll tell you that. Probably why the UNSC chose him to be in charge of their forces down here."

"That seems to be an apt observation," Ozpin stated, giving a soft nod. Then his expression hardened, and he asked, "Were you able to see anything?"

"You mean the fight against Haki? Then yeah, I saw it," Qrow answered, taking another drink from his flask.

From the corner of his eye, he saw both Glynda and Ironwood grimace at the guzzling of alcohol during what was perhaps the most important and momentous occasion in Remnant's history, but he didn't really care. Besides, he only started drinking after they started to leave. It wasn't like he was drunk during the meeting. That would have been stupid.

"Well? What happened?" Professor Lionheart asked. Qrow put away his flask and nodded, then took a short breath before starting.

"I missed the first part of the fight," the veteran Huntsman admitted, "but from what I saw, it wasn't pretty. There were four tracks in the snow leading up the mountain, where they caught up to Haki just above the tree line. They surrounded her on all sides then, I assume, tried to arrest her. She didn't like that and a fight broke out, which ended with at least one of the soldiers assigned to capture her being wounded."

"Which matches up with what Doctor Halsey said," Glynda said, rubbing her chin. The others nodded, subtly giving Qrow permission to continue.

"They retreated towards the coast, with the wounded soldier being carried by another, given the fact that four tracks went in while three went out. Haki apparently rested for a few minutes before following them after incinerating what I assume was her scroll," Qrow added, then frowned and shook his head. "By the time I tracked them down to an ancient ruin, following the gunshots, Haki was already confronting them again.

"Here's where things get interesting, though." Qrow raised his finger. "I was expecting Haki to be fighting four ODSTs, with one of them being wounded or dead, but they weren't ODSTs and all four were still fighting. The soldiers that the UNSC sent after Haki Felt weren't like their regular troops. They were wearing this kind of…fully encased power armor, far more advanced than anything I'd ever seen before. Remnant or otherwise. It allowed them to keep up with her and tank her blows, and I could see that they didn't need my help."

"You didn't help them?" General Ironwood asked, and Qrow nodded.

"If they were losing, I was going to. In fact, my plan was to help them, but when I got there they were winning and Haki was losing her damn mind because she knew it," Qrow insisted. "So I decided to sit back and watch from a good vantage point where they couldn't see me, and where I could jump in if things went south. Towards the end, I almost did, but they managed to turn things around."

"How?" Professor Rumpole asked.

"From the looks of it, they caught on to how Haki's semblance worked. When she panicked and started burning it out, they used grenades to put her into position then all four shot her at the same time. Then she was blown up by the last grenade, which I don't think they intended to happen."

"I see," Ozpin softly said, nodding at Qrow's words. He then asked, "What happened to her body?"

"From what I could see, it was pretty mangled. Hardly recognizable, really, but they still took it up with them when UNSC reinforcements arrived."

"Hmm," Ozpin hummed, rubbing his chin and frowning softly. "They told us that they killed her with explosives, but led us to believe that Haki's body was completely destroyed. That appears to have been a half-truth."

"It appears so," Ironwood said, his frown deeper. He then sighed, and added, "Regardless, there are far more pressing matters to attend to than the fate of a terrorist's body. Namely, those soldiers you observed. What can you tell us about them, Branwen?"

Qrow frowned and scrunched his eyes, then answered, "They were…weird, to say the least. There were four of them, two men and two women. At least, I think that's what they were. The armor they wore made it difficult to tell, but two of them were noticeably slimmer. As with the rest of the UNSC's soldiers, they didn't have any Aura, but they were strong. Fast, too. Far stronger and faster than any human being without Aura had any right to be. Almost as strong as a Huntsman, actually. I saw one of them get punted through a standing stone, collapsing the entire thing, but she got back up and started firing her shotgun at Haki like it never even happened. I don't know if their armor made them that strong or if there was something else going on, but it was clear that these soldiers were enhanced in some way."

"Are you saying the UNSC has super soldiers?" Ozpin asked, raising an eyebrow, and Qrow nodded.

"Classified super soldiers, actually. Almost as soon as Haki died and UNSC reinforcements arrived, they ushered them off before any of our people could see them. The UNSC did not want us to know they existed. But that's not the concerning part. What concerns me is how those soldiers acted."

"In what way? Were they unprofessional?" Ironwood, but Qrow shook his head.

"No, just the opposite. They were so professional, they were outright emotionless. Before I saw one of them bleeding out the abdomen, I thought they were robots. There wasn't any nervous fidgeting, no displays of fear or pain. I didn't even see anger. It was like they didn't even have emotions at all."

Ozpin and the others looked at Qrow for a moment, then shared concerned glances among each other. Qrow was right there with them. The idea of humans being more like robots than actual people was highly concerning, to put it lightly. It raised all kinds of questions, ones that likely didn't have very pleasant answers. The fact that the UNSC didn't want people to know that these super soldiers existed only added to his worry.

"I see," Ozpin finally broke the silence, adjusting his glasses. "Thank you for the information, Qrow. Is there anything else you wish to report?"

"No, nothing else," Qrow answered with a small shrug.

"Then I suppose all we can do now is wait and see what happens next," Ozpin declared, looking at everyone. "I think that I speak for everyone when I say that the course of Remnant's history has been forever altered after today. What comes next, I do not know, but I think it will serve everyone good to return home and recuperate for the time being."

"I'll drink to that," Qrow remarked, taking another swig of his flask in emphasis.

"You'll drink to anything," Glynda stated through lidded eyes, but Qrow merely shrugged. Glynda Goodwitch rolled her eyes and released an exasperated sigh, trying her best to ignore the subtle smirk Qrow gave her.

Everyone readily agreed all the same, feeling tired and weary after a day that felt like years. The headmasters bid each other farewell, with Ozpin staying behind everyone else to converse with General ironwood privately. Qrow had a feeling he knew what the conversation would be about, but he wasn't going to pry. Right now, all he wanted was to get back to Tai and his nieces.

When Ozpin finally returned to Qrow and Glynda, they got onto a Bullhead and flew straight from Vytal Island to the city of Vale. They watched as the two UNSC ships returned to orbit at the same time, the strength of their thrusters causing the Bullhead to shake and wobble slightly. It wasn't enough to be alarming, more annoying than anything else.

Qrow said goodbye to his colleagues once they arrived at Vale, where he immediately hopped onto yet another flight, this time heading straight to Patch Island. The main dock was once again swarming with activity, mostly clustered around a central media station were VNN was being broadcasted, detailing the press released information of the first contact meeting. He ignored all of that and made a beeline out of the small town and into a dirt road that led towards the center of the island.

Following the dirt road, he split off down another path towards the Xiao Long household. Once he got in sight of it, he smiled and let out a relieved sigh, then walked up the steps towards the front door. He only managed to knock once before the door was flung open, and he let himself be tackled to the ground by a small red blur that wrapped herself around his torso and refused to let go.

"UNCLE QROW!" Ruby screamed into his chest before looking up at him and giving a wide, toothy smile. Before Qrow could even get a word in, Ruby continued at the top of her lungs, "DID YOU MEET AN ALIEN?! WHAT ARE THEY LIKE?! ARE THEY REALLY JUST PEOPLE?! DO THEY-?!"

"Ruby, get off him so he can breathe," Taiyang Xiao Long called out, entering the frame with Yang by his legs. Ruby looked up at her father and pouted, but after Tai gave her a stern look, she complied all the same. Tai then chuckled and helped his teammate to his feet, patting him on the shoulder before leading him inside.

"Here, let me get you a drink," Tai said as he walked to the refrigerator and opened it. He pulled out two beer bottles, one of which he kept for himself while the other was offered to Qrow, who happily took it.

"Thanks, Tai," Qrow said as he took a short pull from his bottle, then wiped his lips of the foam and placed the bottle down. He noticed how everyone was focused entirely on him, and he knew the exact reason why.

He decided to take Ruby's earlier questions as his starting point, and he answered, "Yes, I did meet aliens. They're like us, in more ways than one. Friendly enough, I suppose, but they do like their guns. Reminds me of Atlas, but in space. And yeah, they really are just humans from another planet."

"Whoa…" both Ruby and Yang breathed out in rapturous awe towards their uncle, who couldn't help but chuckle.

"I saw on the news there was a Grimm attack," Taiyang started, leaning forward on the table.

"Yeah. Couple people got hurt, but we managed to fight them off."

"Well, duh! 'Cuz you were there!" Yang insisted, smiling proudly at Qrow. He chuckled again and ruffled her hair, prompting the young blonde to angrily swat his hands away, then cross her arms and pout.

"Are they nice?" Ruby gently asked. Qrow and the others looked at her for a moment, then Qrow nodded.

"Yeah, they're nice, Ruby."

Ruby smiled at the news, then declared, "That's great! I can't wait to meet one!"

"Aren't we getting a little ahead of ourselves, sis?" Yang teasingly asked.

"No!" Ruby insisted. "I told you, Yang, I want to become friends with an alien! Sure, they're just us from space, but that makes it so much easier!"

"Please, you'll just get scared."

"Oh, like you weren't scared?"

"I wasn't scared!"

"Yes you were! You were hiding behind dad the whole time!"

"Nah-uh!"

"Yeah-huh!"

"They've been like this for the past month," Taiyang tiredly explained to Qrow as Ruby and Yang continued their childish argument.

"I can imagine," Qrow dryly replied, taking another drink from his beer bottle. Tai nodded, then leaned closer to Qrow in order to whisper into his ear.

"What do you think's going to happen?" he asked, and Qrow paused for a moment.

"I honestly don't know," Qrow admitted.

He truly didn't know what was going to happen next, whether it would be good for Remnant or bad. There was one thing he knew, though. Whatever new world was born from this event, Ruby and Yang were going to have to live in it, and with the Brothers as his witnesses, was going to make sure it was a good one.


UNSC Everest, Valliant-Class Super-Heavy Cruisier

Geosynchronous Orbit, Remnant, Oum System

December 25th, 2540, 1900 (UNSC Military Calendar)

After a grueling week of non-stop talks and ad hoc diplomacy, the First Contact Summit between the UNSC and Remnant's kingdoms was now officially over. Diplomats were going home, prefabricated buildings removed or demolished if needed, and UNSC soldiers were returning to the Everest, the Iroquois, and the Paris. Of those three ships, only two would be turning home. Admiral Cole had managed to negotiate an agreement to let the Paris remain in orbit so that a more long-term UNSC presence could be established. In return, the Paris's forces, coordinated by Sergeant Johnson, would assist Remnant in repelling any and all hostile Grimm activity. The Iroquois would be returning to Reach, which was where it was originally going before they were redirected to Remnant, while the Everest was going straight to Earth.

The Dusk would also be remaining in system, but Remnant didn't need to know that. Part of Admiral Cole wondered if yet more ONI prowlers had arrived, but he had learned not to ask and just let ONI do its job.

"All marine and naval personnel are now in cryogenic suspension, Admiral," Hannibal reported, popping back into existence from the bridge's holotank.

"Thank you, Hannibal. Prepare my personal pod, I'll be in there momentarily," he ordered.

"At once, Admiral," Hannibal replied, giving a crisp nod before receding back into the holotank. Vice Admiral Preston Cole then turned to the only other inhabitant in the bridge, who was staring intensely at him.

"I take it you will not be joining us, Doctor?" Admiral Cole asked, and Halsey shook her head.

"No. I will be staying here as part of the UNSC's scientific outreach with Remnant, as per our negotiations," she explained.

"And the fact that you'll be in position to begin focusing entirely on Dust and Aura is a mere byproduct."

"Don't be ridiculous, Admiral. It's the entire reason why I'm staying and not having others take my place."

"Of course." Cole nodded, letting out an amused chuckle before turning back to the planet below. His face took on a more neutral set, and when Halsey joined him she adopted the same expression.

"What do we do now?" she asked, and Cole let out a long, tired sigh.

"Right now, I return to Earth to hand-deliver my report to HIGHCOMM," Admiral Cole explained, folding his arms behind his back.

"I meant after that," Halsey insisted, giving him a pointed stare. When Admiral Cole sighed, Halsey frowned and said, "You and I both know, Preston, that we need them to join us against the Covenant. Their Dust and Aura could turn the tide in our favor in ways we can't even imagine yet."

"It's just one planet," Cole pointed out. "They might not be able to affect much, assuming they'll even want to join our war in the first place."

"Unfortunately, I don't think they have a choice. We found them by complete accident, and they wound up on the edge of our claimed space. It is not a matter of if the Covenant finds them; it's when, and if the Covenant finds them as they are right now, they won't stand a chance."

Cole let out another sigh, then softly replied, "I know, but they might not see it that way."

"Then we make them see it, by any means necessary."

Cole turned his head towards Doctor Catherine Halsey and frowned, then asked, "Are you suggesting we annex them?"

"Of course not," Halsey insisted, giving the Admiral an offended sideways glare. "The last thing we need is another war, especially one that is completely unnecessary. Of course, I'm certain that fool Ackerson would insist on annexing them by force, but I've long since learned to disregard his opinions. No, I'm suggesting a softer approach. I haven't come up with any definitive ideas just yet, but I'll be sure to share them with you once they come to me."

"Before any of that, we'd still need to inform them of the Covenant in the first place. Regardless, I'll appreciate your input," Cole admitted, then returned his attention back to Remnant. He stared at it deeply, observing its features.

"It's strange, isn't it? This planet, Remnant, it's so much like Earth yet different at the same time," Cole said.

"Yes, it is. It's quite beautiful," Halsey admitted, then turned to Admiral Cole. "All the more reason to get them on our side. I don't want to see this place melted into glass."

Cole remained silent for a moment, then breathed out, "Neither do I."

"Then we are agreed. In that case, I'll return planetside. Doctor Polendina offered me a residence in Atlas, which I happily took him up on. I must admit, it is a breath of fresh air to talk with someone who both knows what he is talking about yet also happily admits when his knowledge is lacking. His upbeat attitude is welcome, too. He's much easier to get along with than Doctor Watts."

"I didn't get the impression that he liked you that much," Cole pointed out, and Halsey shrugged.

"The feeling's mutual. Doctor Watts is a blowhard who thinks he's the smartest person in the room and loves to rub it in everyone's faces."

"Don't you do that?"

"Yes, but I can back it up."

Preston Cole let out another chuckle, then he bid Halsey farewell. She nodded back to him, then returned to the nearest hangar bay where a Pelican was waiting for her. Cole, meanwhile, walked towards the private cryobay for the bridge crew. Stopping by his personal locker, he removed his clothes and walked barefoot along the metal catwalk into the only open cryopod that remained. Stepping inside, the plastasteel pod sealed shut, and the seven-minute long put down cycle began. Soon the administered anesthetic gas worked its magic on his body, and he fell into a deep, cryogenic slumber.


December 25th, 69 A.G.W, 7:30 PM (Remnant Calendar)

Unknown Location

Salem sat silently atop her obsidian throne as Hazel knelt before her and explained what had transpired during the summit on Vytal Island. Her expression was hard, her fingers intertwined, and her elbows resting atop her thighs.

"I see," she said as Hazel finished his report. "So, Haki is indeed dead?"

"She is, although I do not know what, exactly, killed her. Only that she mentioned a group of enhanced soldiers before she ceased communications," Hazel explained. "I can only assume they finished her off."

"Pity," Salem replied, her brow furrowing. She wasn't saddened by the loss of perhaps her most devoted agent. If anything, she had expected this to happen sooner or later. Haki Felt always did tend to let her bloodlust get the better of her. It was only a matter of time before said bloodlust resulted in her death. More than anything, Salem was simply disappointed.

"My Lady, I accept full responsibility for her—" Hazel began, only for the atmosphere inside the castle to suddenly grow heavier. His words died in his throat, and he slowly looked up as Salem got up from her throne and began walking towards him.

"Hazel, answer me truthfully," she demanded as she gracefully approached, all the while the shadows around her lengthened. "Who was responsible for Haki's death?"

Hazel looked at his master as she stood over him, and he took a deep gulp before answering, "It was Haki, my Lady."

"Yes, it was," Salem said, and at once the atmosphere and shadows returned to their previous states. As Salem walked back to her throne, she declared, "Haki let her arrogance and bloodlust get the best of her, and she blundered into a situation that she was unable to get herself out of. She herself paid the price for her mistakes, and it would not be fair for anyone else to do so in her stead. Do not take responsibility for her or anyone else's failures, Hazel. Only do so for your own. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, my Lady," Hazel replied, standing up straight.

"Good. Be sure to remind yourself of that in the future," Salem ordered, and when Hazel nodded she added, "Now then, this 'Covenant' you spoke of. Are you certain that the UNSC is at war with them?"

"Absolutely. Their marines only spoke of them in hushed whispers and offered no specifics, but it was enough to gain an incomplete image."

"An image we can still glean information from regardless," Salem pointed out, then hummed and rubbed her fingers across her chin. "The Covenant…that has a religious connotation to it. Perhaps a theocracy?"

"That's what I thought as well. It appears that the Covenant may also use high heat in their weapons, as UNSC armor is designed to protect against it despite not using it in their own armaments."

"How peculiar." Salem paused, then let out a small smile. "UNSC forces are remaining on the planet, correct?"

"Yes, my Lady. Just a single ship's complement; the kingdoms wouldn't allow any more."

"I get the distinct feeling that won't be the case for long," she suggested, and Hazel raised his eyebrow questioningly.

"What do you mean?" Hazel asked, and Salem's smile grew.

"Only that the UNSC likely has some long-term goals in mind for Remnant. Goals that would require a prolonged and permanent presence," she declared. "That provides us with an opportunity. I want you to continue to observe the UNSC. Refrain from making any moves against them, not without my explicit permission. When the time is right, I want you to determine what, exactly, this Covenant is and report back to me. Spare no details."

"Of course, my Lady," Hazel replied, and Salem nodded before waving her hand.

"You are dismissed," Salem ordered. Hazel nodded again, then turned around and walked out of the central throne room.

Salem watched her subordinate leave, and once the large wooden doors closed behind him, she rose from her throne and walked towards a nearby chamber. Entering through an iron door, she was greeted by stacks of wooden boxes and barrels neatly aligned on the wall in shelves. They were stocked to the brim with an assortment of supplies, including food and water. While she herself had no further need for it, beyond simple comfort and pleasure, her subordinates were still quite mortal and thus required food and water to properly function. But she wasn't focused on those. Instead, she walked towards the latest addition to her stockpile, a box recovered from the Grimmlands. Unlike the others, it wasn't made of wood. Instead, it was made of metal, dark green in color with a white eagle perched on top of a planet.

The symbol of the UNSC. She had obtained it before the UNSC formally announced themselves, when they foolishly sent a squad of ODSTs deep into her territory, who were promptly slaughtered by the Grimm down to the last man, and with it she had obtained her first bit of knowledge about them. How they didn't have Aura, how their weapons seemed laughably primitive to what the kingdoms themselves used, and most importantly, how they were in fact human. At first, she thought that perhaps the two Brothers were once again playing tricks on her, but soon she realized that wasn't the case. These humans had come from another world, and with that revelation came an infinite number of questions. Questions that she had all the time in the world to find answers to, but right now she focused on only a few as she opened the box and pulled out the cracked, dented, and bloodstained helmet of an ODST.

Namely, what effect will the UNSC have on Remnant, and how can she twist it to her favor?

[~][~]

Hello, everyone! Here is the latest chapter of Dust and Echoes! Special thanks to NaanContributor and Jesse K for all their help in bringing this chapter to life.

The Remnant-portion of the First Contact Arc is now complete, and we move on to the next phase. As you can imagine, no one quite knows what will happen next, although both sides know that things will never be the same. But while Remnant wonders what their new neighbors will bring, the UNSC has already decided what they want: they want Remnant and what it offers on their side, but luckily aren't willing to use force to achieve their desperate goal. Now we move towards Remnant finding out just what, exactly, the Covenant is, and we can finally dive into the real meat of this story.

Now, onto the Q&A:

SPRTN544: Thank you, I'm really glad that you enjoyed it so much! I really wanted to make sure that the fight against Haki, the highlight of the chapter, got as much love and care as it deserved. It really served to show how I intend to compare/contrast SPARTANs and Huntsmen/Huntresses by pitting some of the best from both sides against each other. You can definitely be certain that both sides are going to learn from this encounter, but the UNSC is in a better position to do so for the time being. You are correct that the SPARTANs were at an incredible disadvantage against Haki, but their decades of training and experience allowed them to carry the day. That being said, it helped that they want against an opponent who wasn't taking them seriously. Had they been facing a Huntsman of sound mind and of similar skill, such as Qrow, things could have gone very differently.

Guest (1): Yeah, ONI's going to be a source of tension in this story, which perfectly suits them.

TheLazyHaiku: Thank you, glad to hear that.

Guest (2): Thank you. Honestly, that commitment to balance is a major goal of mine. I want to ensure that one side doesn't just dominate or steamroll the other, as that doesn't usually end well. The fight against Haki was a good way to show that.

book lover reader: As you can see, they've figured it out and now they are interested.

I Am The Prophet: You'll have to wait and see on that.

Mr. Salty: That she is.

kpmh2001: I understand that, however do keep in mind that the purpose of this fight was to show how, at this point in time, a Huntsmen vs SPARTAN fight would go. As you can see, not very well for the SPARTAN. Not to mention Haki is one of Salem's top fighters, her equivalent to Tyrian really. She's a very strong and capable fighter, so what she's capable of doing isn't necessarily evocative of other Huntsmen and Huntresses. So, the fight being this tough for the SPARTANs was on purpose, as it helped me convey what I wanted to convey as well as keep the tension for you guys. If I made it obvious who was going to win from the get go, things get boring.

I mean, it was four canon characters against an OC, so with that in mind it was fairly obvious who was going to win, but I can't write the scenes like that. Know what I mean?

Glad to hear, though, that you like how it wasn't a curbstomp. That is something I don't want to do in my stories, unless the plot directly demands said curbstomp. I'm not going to do a curbstomp for the sake of a curbstomp. I'm also proud of how I was able to convey Haki's backstory without it taking away from the flow of the chapter.

Vein Bloodborne: You'll have to wait and see. This goes for everyone, but try to refrain from questions pertaining to things that may or may not happen in the future of this story. I can't answer those as they would be spoilers. I can answer clarification questions as to what has already been explicitly revealed as well as my thought process behind something.

Also yes, I did base Haki Felt off of the Mad Hatter, which was where her weapon, Semblance, personality, and overall appearance came from.

onearmedduck: Glad to hear that I'm a legend, apparently. As for that, you'll have to wait and see.

axel100: That it is. Power scaling is always very tricky for a story, and if done incorrectly it can ruin the entire thing. I like to think, though, that I'm doing it in this and my other stories in a believable fashion that both respects the source materials as well as maintain narrative tension.

Rebiele: Yep, this is a hobby for me. I do want to actually write and publish my own original work someday, but right now I'm doing this for fun and my enjoyment. You guys enjoying my work is an added bonus.

Iron117Prime: Thank you. I'm glad you liked the fight. We put a lot of work into it, and we wanted to make sure that it was something you guys would all readily enjoy.

Mkchief34: You're going to have to wait for that, as Qrow could only see them and give a report afterwards. At the moment, the SPARTANs are still highly classified.

thetyrant67: I'm happy to hear that. As for the Covenant's reaction, let's just say that the collective energy of the UNSC's cathartis would be able to power a Death Star.

Knighthunter911700: Remember, no one in the UNSC has ever really encountered Aura before. They had no idea the true level of enhancements that it offered. They thought it, at most, made them SPARTAN level, but they grossly underestimated what it could do. As for Blue Team's tactics, they were under orders to bring her in alive for interrogation. They didn't want to risk actually hurting or killing her if they could help it, which is why they revealed themselves after surrounding her. Also, using a Spartan Laser to dismember her is far too overkill and outright barbaric, which the SPARTANs have never done. That's something a Brute would do, not a SPARTAN. I'm pretty sure not an even an Elite would do that.

Also, in regards to the 6 km fall, that was with the MJOLNIR Mk. VI armor. Blue Team is wearing the Mk. IV, which is not as strong or durable. Plus, Chief was using a piece of the Dreadnaught's hull as a heat shield. It wasn't like he endured atmospheric reentry all by himself. Was it still badass and awesome? Absolutely, but keep in mind that Huntsmen and Huntresses are bullshit, too.

TheLastSterling: That random maniac was one of Salem's top subordinates, so she was quite capable of giving Blue Team a run for their money. Besides, her being so crazy was actually an advantage at first as it kept Blue Team from really knowing how she was going to react.

Falloutman111: They could, but they don't want to, so that isn't going to happen.

chidoriprime: Yep, as Halsey pointed out, Remnant doesn't really have a choice. It's only a matter of time before Remnant is found by the Covenant, and if both sides want to survive against the Covenant, they have to work together.

SulliMike23: "Haki" came from khaki, while "Felt" came from the felt material used by hatters in the 19th century to make hats. Felt that they cured using mercury, which unfortunately poisoned them and made them go insane.

Steelrain66: Thank you, I'm glad you liked the chapter. And yeah, Qrow as originally planning on stepping in, but he was able to see that the SPARTANs didn't need help so he didn't. Instead, he sat back and watched, ready to jump in if needed but that wasn't required of him. As for both sides being suspicious of each other, that is definitely the case. But, on the UNSC's perspective, they have bigger things to worry about at the moment.

shados960: Glad to hear it. You can definitely assume that the Halsey/Ozpin relationship will be an important one to explore in the future. A game of poker is an apt comparison to their relationship, actually.

The Avenging Titan: Yeah, that happens a lot in Halo stories. It's something I wanted to avoid here. Yes, SPARTANs are badasses, but they're not invincible. They're still mortal, and they themselves understand that better than anyone. That's going to be a major theme regarding the SPARTANs, how they're more than what they seem to outside observers. Glad you liked the interaction between Halsey and Ozpin. You can expect more of that in the future.

That's it for this chapter, but before I go I have an announcement. I will be starting a new story fairly soon. The first chapter has already been written and is in the process of editing. I hope to have it posted soon. Like the rest of my work, it is a crossover, this time between Familiar of Zero (a setting I have experience in exploring thanks to my crossover Outsiders, where Louise goes to Kalos and becomes a Pokemon Trainer) and a new setting for me, Resident Evil. As you can imagine, this will be a horror/action story as Louise and Saito have to survive Raccoon City. It's going to be fun, and I hope you guys give it a look.

See you all next time and I hope you enjoy! Let us know what you think!