Dust and Echoes (RWBY/Halo)
Chapter 2: Once Upon a Time
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Oum System, Remnant
Western Anima, Mistral
November 14th, 69 A.G.W. 05:25 Hours
She was running. She was running as fast as her legs could carry her, and she didn't dare look back at the snarls and screams going on behind her. Her legs burned and she felt as though she would collapse at any moment, but she willed herself to keep going. If she did not and faltered, even for a second, she would be dead.
"Run!" she heard someone call out beside her. She didn't need anyone to tell her twice, instead doubling her pace as she heard the crunching of grass, leaves, and sticks grow louder behind her. In front of the woman were several men and women and children, all fearfully running for their lives deeper in the thick forests of Anima. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a man with short black hair stumble as he tripped over a root. A moment later, a swarm of black and white consumed him, and she tried her best to drown out his terrified screams as the Grimm tore him apart. It didn't work.
Behind her, she heard a faint gasp of pain and fear, followed by a wet squelch accompanied by the cracking of bone. Someone, she didn't know who, was just crushed underfoot by a Grimm, and to her alarm, it sounded remarkably close. She forced her body to keep going, but it wasn't enough. Her legs and lungs burned in agony, and her vision was beginning to blur to the point where she could hardly see a few feet in front of her. Everything seemed to slow down as she realized what was about to happen. Against her will, her body began to slow down despite her attempts to keep up her momentum.
Then she felt a great weight slam onto her back, knocking her down and pinning her beneath four massive clawed feet. The woman could only whimper as she felt the hot breath of a lupine Beowolf wash across her neck, and the last thing she felt was a pair of jaws biting down into it.
Qrow Branwen cursed himself as he ran past another group of panicking villagers fleeing the destruction of their home. He had been the Huntsman in the area when the distress call went out coming from the village of Midori. A massive Grimm had attacked them out of nowhere, and now hordes of Grimm were swarming upon them. He had already taken out dozens of Beowolves and Ursa, but he ran past more dead bodies than he cared to count.
'Dammit. I should've been here sooner,' Qrow thought, cursing himself over all the dead people he passed. How many people could've been spared had he been just a few minutes quicker? At the same time, Qrow knew going down that road was a recipe for disaster, and so he forced himself not to think about it as he ran past a cluster of trees.
There he stopped upon noticing a pair of Beowolves running towards a mother, father, and child. Without even needing to think, Qrow boosted himself forward with Harbinger already swinging, the sword carving into one Grimm's neck with enough force to lop it off completely. Continuing his momentum, Qrow spun and stabbed the remaining Beowulf in the eye and out the other end before it even had time to react. It twitched for a moment then went still and disintegrated into a cloud of black smoke. Qrow quickly scanned the area for any more Grimm, and when he found none, he turned his head towards the dumbfounded family and pointed towards the forest where he just came from.
"That way is clear, go!" Qrow barked. The family flinched, then recomposed themselves and nodded before running away as fast as they could. The Huntsman didn't spare them a second glance, instead continuing to run towards where he knew the Grimm were. It was easy, for all he had to do was follow the screams.
Qrow then came across a Beowolf chowing down on the carcass of some poor, unfortunate woman. Her body was so mangled that he couldn't make out any details about what she might've looked like. Grinding his teeth, Qrow turned Harbinger into a onehanded shotgun and fired a shell into the Grimm's skull, popping it like a balloon just as it turned to face him. The body dropped and disintegrated as he ran past, and Qrow continued racing towards the carnage ensuing before him.
As he got closer and closer to the village, Qrow could see the orange fires light up the night sky and thick columns of black smoke rising into the air like trees. Ash fell like snowflakes, and Qrow frowned as he finally reached the broken remains of the one mighty wall that encased the village. It was broken completely through in several places, forming massive gaps that easily allowed Grimm to enter like water through a sieve. There were so many dead bodies lining streets that he didn't dare begin to try and count, and pools of blood stained everywhere he could see. The smell was the worst part, an overwhelming stench that poisoned everything it touched. Even if they could clear out the Grimm from this area, Qrow doubted anyone would every try to come back. The stench of death was one that was notoriously difficult to get out.
A faint crunch of brick caught Qrow's attention. He tilted his head, trying to find its source. Everything fell silent, and Qrow's grip on Harbinger's handle tightened. A few moments passed, but Qrow didn't let himself think for a second that he was just hearing things. Then he felt his senses scream at him, and Qrow spun around and swung Harbinger just as a Beowolf leaped towards him from atop a nearby ruined house. The blade cleaved through its side and bisected the beast, causing both halves to fall harmlessly beside him. As the Grimm disintegrated, a chorus of growls and barks sounded around him, and Qrow braced himself while shifting Harbinger into a curved scythe.
"Alright," Qrow said aloud to no one in particular, spotting numerous pairs of blood-red eyes peering at him from the darkness. "Who's first?"
All the Grimm around him responded at once by charging forward, their paws ripping apart the brick road and their jaws snarling. As they grew close, Qrow disappeared into a blur as he swung his scythe at the closest Grimm beside him. The curved blade slashed into the Grimms' flesh, carving deep wounds that felled the younger specimens easily. The elder, more experienced and powerful Grimm merely stumbled, but Qrow jumped and ran atop one while dragging the tip of Harbinger through its back to finish it off.
As soon as Qrow landed, he was beset on all sides by a sea of black and white. He didn't care that he was surrounded. It didn't give the Grimm any real advantage, just gave him more targets to take out his anger on. One Grimm, a bear-like Ursa, tried to run him down from behind. Qrow didn't even spare it a glance as he spun Harbinger behind him vertically, the blade stabbing into the bottom of its head and the momentum bringing the still-twitching creature forward and down into the ground before him like a spiked hammer. Several Grimm were crushed underneath, but many more simply ran over the disintegrating corpse like it was nothing. As he sliced apart a small swarm of Creepers while running for cover, Qrow heard a screech as a Nevermore flew overhead. The large, monstrous bird flapped its wings, sending a volley of razor-sharp feathers towards him that he had to bob side to side just to avoid. They planted themselves deep into the ground, one of which did so right in front of him.
Without skipping a beat, Qrow jumped onto the feather with enough force to bend it back as the Nevermore flew away. Then the tension released and launched the veteran Huntsmen like a catapult, launching Qrow towards Nevermore at great speed. It barely had time to comprehend Qrow's tactic as he swung Harbinger through its neck, cutting it off and sending the monster hurtling towards the ground below. It crushed scores of Grimm underneath, and as Qrow descended towards the ground, he fired Harbinger's shotgun into the horde below to further thin their ranks.
When he landed, everything became a blur as Qrow swung, stabbed, punched, and kicked his way through the remainder of the Grimm. A Beowolf would lunge at him, only for Qrow to duck and fire a shot into its exposed head. A Boarbatusk spun along the ground while carving a deep trench, but he merely sidestepped the creature and hooked it into the air with his scythe. As it flailed helplessly, Qrow stabbed into its belly and killed it, backhanding away another Beowolf as it tried to catch him without his weapon ready. As the Boarbatusk disintegrated, Qrow swung his scythe down in a heavy blow to stab into the Beowolf's brain, followed by him jumping into the air, flipping vertically and continuing his swing to kill another Ursa coming at him from behind.
The combat continued to the point where it became nothing more than a dull routine. Qrow preferred it that way. When things got exciting was when things tended to go horribly wrong, not that they hadn't already. The ruined village around him was enough proof of that, which prevented him from taking much solace from his oncoming victory. There were only a handful of Grimm left, which by now were cautiously regarding him. Qrow could tell that they were debating whether or not to continue the attack or flee to try another day. That couldn't be allowed to happen. A surviving Grimm was a smarter Grimm, one that could easily kill someone else down the line. If he wanted to try and prevent another village like Midori from suffering this fate, he had to kill them all here and now. No matter what it took.
One of the surviving Grimm decided to try and press the attack, preparing to charge once again only for Qrow to immediately pump its head full of Burn-Dust infused rounds that set its body aflame. Another was frozen as ice-shells were fired into it, and another was consumed by electricity. The final two Grimm then decided that trying to attack was foolish and turned to flee. Qrow was on one instantly, jumping ahead and swinging Harbinger into its side to bisect it. The other, an Alpha Beowolf, was too far away for Qrow's weapon to reach, and he focused on it just as it passed underneath a ruined building. Then, with an imperceptible pulse of his Aura, a precipitously placed broken beam that was barely hanging on suddenly fell free, falling on top of the Beowolf and breaking its back underneath its massive weight. The rest of the building, now without a critical support, collapsed on top of the Grimm as well, and Qrow numbly stared as wisps of black smoke drifted upward.
After taking one final glance around the village, Qrow sighed and sat down. Exhaustion was now beginning to take hold, and so he placed Harbinger on the ground next to him and looked up at the horizon just as the Sun began to rise.
Sanus, Kingdom of Vale, Patch Island
November 15th, 69 A.G.W. 23:50 Hours
With heavy feet, Qrow slowly trudged along the dirt path. It wasn't that he was tired, far from it in fact. Rather, Qrow was coming down from a nasty hangover. A sense of shame permeated his soul, and try as he might, it was hard for him to ignore it. He knew his family didn't like his habit, little Ruby especially, but after everything he'd seen and done, it proved hard to put the bottle away at times. At the very least he didn't let it affect his work or family, so he had that going for him.
Overhead, the light of the shattered moon and the endless sea of stars lit his way, and only the sounds of nighttime birds and insects accompanied him. There were no Grimm that he could see, which was good. Both he and Tai always made sure that any Grimm that appeared on the island were disposed of in short order. Patch was home to many families, including their own, so they were more than happy to do so. None of the residents knew exactly where the Grimm came from on Patch, and even Qrow wasn't quite sure. All he knew was that she was responsible, somehow.
Once again, Qrow felt his thoughts begin to drift towards Remnant's ancient enemy, yet before he could fall into that rabbit hole once again, he entered sight of the log cabin he called home. His worries began to fade away, and he sighed in relief as he walked up to the porch. It wasn't actually his house, rather it belonged to his best friend, Taiyang Xiao Long, and his two daughters, Yang Xiao Long and Ruby Rose. Qrow himself didn't actually have a house of his own. His work as a Huntsman took him all over the world, and it was impractical for him to have a permanent home that he would have to care for, maintain, and so on. Tai was more than willing to have him stay with them while he was on Patch, and Qrow was more than happy to take him up on that offer if only so he could be around his two nieces. More than anything else, he adored those two, and there would be hell to pay if anything were to happen to them.
It was just as Qrow reached for the door handle that he heard a faint conversation coming from the roof of the cabin. He recognized their young, feminine voices immediately, and he smiled softly to himself before stepping away and creeping along to the back of the house. He couldn't make out what Ruby and Yang were saying at first, but as he got closer, he rolled his eyes at the conversation they were having.
"You mean an alien?" he heard Yang asked. Ruby must've done something, as Yang followed with, "Is this because of that movie with the alien and the bike we just watched?"
"Yeah, I know, but still," Ruby complained, with Yang laughing soon after. Qrow immediately connected the dots, and again he smiled. Despite being only five years old, Ruby Rose was already proving to have quite the overactive imagination. Mostly involving knights and fairy tales and other heroic stories. She was all in on that type of stuff. For her part, Yang mostly played along, but Qrow could tell she was interested in them, too. Both girls had a fire in their hearts, and it was becoming increasingly obvious as to what their career paths would be. Although part of Qrow wished for them to stay as far away from the life of a Huntress as possible, he knew that wasn't going to happen. And as he'd recently witnessed, a lack of training was no guarantee of a safe life in this messed up world. So, instead he'd support them every step of the way. Not that he'd make it easy on them, of course. Being a Huntress was hard work, and both he and Tai intended to make that very clear.
As Qrow leaned against the exterior of the house underneath Ruby and Yang, his two nieces continued their conversation.
"Heh heh," Yang laughed. "To be honest Ruby, I guess I hadn't put much thought into it. I imagine there's something out there. Uncle Qrow says space is big."
"Do you think we'll ever meet them?" Ruby innocently asked, and Qrow shook his head.
"Yeah, I think we will," Yang firmly answered after a moment's pause. "Do you?"
"Definitely. And I just know that, whoever they are, we'll be friends. I'm sure of it."
Both Yang and Qrow laughed, the blonde much more boisterously while Qrow's was more subdued.
"Ruby, if anyone can befriend an alien, I'm sure it'll be you. And if they're not, your big sis will be right there to kick their butts."
"Yeah!"
Qrow rolled his eyes and crossed his arms then mentally counted down. Just as his 'timer' reached zero, Ruby indignantly shouted, "Hey!"
"What?"
"You're saying I can't defend myself, aren't you?"
"No, I'm not!" Yang replied, offended at the accusation.
"You are, too! Just because you're older than me doesn't mean I'm helpless, you know! Maybe I'll be the one kicking their butts."
"In your dreams, maybe," Yang retorted haughtily. Ruby growled, but before she could say anything else, Qrow decided that now was the time to step in.
"Hey, what're you kids doing up there? Isn't it past your bedtime?" Qrow asked. Immediately the two girls fell silent while he stepped out from under them. Their expressions were frozen in shock, but while Yang's slowly morphed into one of nervousness, Ruby's eyes widened and sparkled with joy as a large, toothy smile broke out across her face.
"UNCLE QROW!" Ruby cheered, then to Qrow's surprise she leaped off the roof towards him. Qrow easily caught her, and Ruby wrapped her arms around his body while bringing her face close to his. "Did you miss me?! Did you miss me?!"
Qrow hummed to himself for a moment, looking up at the sky as though deep in thought, before looking back down at Ruby with a small smirk.
"Nope," he said, popping the 'p'. Ruby pouted for a moment before Qrow laughed and ruffled her hair. At once, Ruby let go and planted her feet on the ground, waving her hands over her head to get Qrow to stop. He laughed at her antics, then placed his hands on his hips and looked up at both Ruby and Yang, who was now climbing her way down to join them.
"Now then," Qrow began, giving his voice a slightly disappointed tone, "you two didn't answer my question. Is there a reason why you two aren't in bed yet?"
"Uh…" both girls mumbled, clearly not wanting to give an answer. Qrow rolled his eyes, then motioned for the two girls to follow him. They did so silently, dragging their feet as though they were in trouble. Just as they reached the back door, Qrow turned around and raised his finger to his mouth.
"Be quiet," he whispered. "Let's not let your dad know you two were up just yet. It'll be our little secret, 'kay?"
Ruby and Yang looked up at Qrow in shocked surprise before both smiled and nodded their heads frantically. Qrow nodded back, then slowly opened the door and allowed them inside. The trio tiptoed their way across the wooden floors and up the stairs, and soon found themselves in Ruby and Yang's shared room. Both girls practically leaped into their beds as Qrow stood against the doorframe, watching as they both tucked themselves in and turned their little heads to face him.
"You squirts all set?" he asked. Yang nodded, but before Qrow could even think about leaving, Ruby shook her head.
"Wait!" she said, then slightly tilted her head down while giving Qrow her infamous puppy-dog eyes. "Can you tell us a story?"
"Eh, I don't know. It is pretty late," Qrow said, bringing his hand to his chin. Ruby clearly didn't appreciate this answer as she frowned and waved her arms around petulantly.
"Tell us a story!" she demanded, giving her beloved uncle the best stare-down she could muster. Yang gasped dramatically, while Qrow merely laughed and closed the door.
"Alright, alright. But," Qrow replied, raising a finger, "only if you say please."
"Can you tell us a story, please?" Ruby cheerfully asked, scooching over on her bed to offer Qrow a place to sit. He sat down with a soft grunt, then motioned for Yang to come over and join them. She did so eagerly, soon tucking herself in under the covers next to her sister.
"Now, what story would you two like to hear?" Qrow asked.
"The Girl in the Tower!" Yang immediately suggested, but Ruby blew a raspberry in response.
"No way, we've already heard that one. How about," Ruby hummed, tapping her chin before gasping in delight, "The Story of the Seasons!"
"Oh, so we can hear a story you like again but not mine?" Yang asked with a soft glare. Ruby pouted, but Qrow merely laughed.
"Alright, alright. Settle down, you two." The young girls did as they were told, and Qrow nodded to himself while reaching through his mind to find a story that the two would find interesting. Soon enough, he settled on one, and his nieces recognized the look on his face to settle in with grins on their own.
"Now then, this story is something I was told when I was a boy. Long ago, before the kingdoms were founded, the Grimm ruled the world through tooth and claw. Mankind was their prey, and nothing we could do deterred them. Our spears broke against their hides, our shields splintered from their blows, and the best we could do to avoid them was to run and hide. It was a dark age for everyone, an era shrouded by fear and darkness. The world had been this way for so long that no one knew any different, so no one tried to change it.
"Until, one day, a man had enough. He wasn't anyone special. Just a farmer living off the land, but he could see the devastation the Grimm had wrought on those around him. He vowed to find a way to stop them, to help protect people from the Grimm so that they would no longer live in fear. So, he traveled the land, searching every nook and cranny for any advantage he could share. For many years, he searched futilely, and many times he came close to giving up. But he kept pressing on, knowing that should he succeed, mankind would flourish.
"After years of searching, the man eventually picked up a trail of something that could possibly help him achieve his lifelong dream. A great, ancient tree said to give those who eat its fruit wonderous power. He was an old man by then, his body failing him, yet he pressed on regardless. He climbed the highest peaks and crept through the deepest caves, facing untold and unheard-of dangers that would've felled any lesser. Yet still, he pressed on, and eventually he found what he had been searching for. After so many years, the man found the tree. It was the size of a mountain, its branches extending for as far as the eye could see, and atop its highest branch that touched the sky itself was a lone, silver apple.
"A single look upon the fruit told him that this was what he had been searching for. If he could just get to it, a single bite would give him all the answers. And so, despite his elderly body, he began to climb. It took many days and nights, only stopping to rest on large branches for brief moments at a time, and eventually he managed to reach the apple. The man gingerly took the apple in his hands, admiring it, then took a single bite out of its flesh. At first, nothing happened, and he was worried that his quest was for naught. But, he then felt a great power course through his veins. Strength he had never known before filled him, and a great light shone from his body as though he were the Sun itself.
"When the light died down, the old man found himself to be stronger and faster than he had ever been, even in the prime yesteryears of his life. At first, he believed the apple was what gave him his power, but soon he realized the truth. The apple wasn't the source to power itself. It merely unlocked what was already there, for the apple unlocked the power of his soul and brought it to the surface. Emboldened by this revelation, the man took the apple from the tree and carried it with him across the land. He shared it with everyone. Rich and poor, young and old, human and faunus. All enjoyed its taste, the fruit miraculously never diminishing despite more and more people sharing in its bounty. Only when everyone had the power of their souls brought to bear did the man cease, overjoyed that his quest had been fulfilled. Together, they learned how to shape their souls, many learning how to pass the skill on to others without the use of the apple at all. New skills were learned and taught, and even the secrets of the elemental Dust was unlocked for all to share. It was then that the man returned the apple to the tree, then rested at its trunk and passed peacefully.
"That is how Aura came to bear, and we must all remember the man's sacrifice. For without him and his faith in mankind's ability to protect themselves and the ones we love, everything we know would not exist."
Qrow finished his tale, whispering quietly as he gently rubbed his nieces' heads. They were droopily looking up at him with smiles on their faces, and soon their expressions softened as they fell fast asleep.
Sanus, Kingdom of Vale, Beacon Academy
November 16th, 69 A.G.W. 09:15 Hours
Ozpin sighed as he placed his now empty mug on the table. Qrow's after-action report was laying on the table before him, detailing the veteran Huntsman's attempt to save Midori Village. Out of nearly six hundred villagers, less than a hundred managed to reach safety in nearby Kuroyuri. The attack had come out of nowhere, heralded by the arrival of a single Grimm. Qrow only managed to get a glimpse of the creature, and what he described told the secretive headmaster that this particular Grimm must have been decades old at least. Qrow had seen dozens of weapons, including swords, spears, and arrows, sticking out of its back, signs of battles it had long since won. More tellingly, once it saw Qrow, it hadn't moved to engage immediately. Instead, it sent hordes of Grimm forward to test Qrow's strength, and upon finding the Huntsman unimpeded, the Grimm rather than risking itself.
"I'm telling you, Oz. That thing led the Grimm to Midori. We need to hunt it down before it targets Kuroyuri or any of the other surrounding villages," Qrow insisted. Ozpin thought it over for a moment, then nodded.
"I agree. It's much too big of a threat to ignore. Any idea where it went?"
"Not a damn one," Qrow admitted with a huff, sitting down and crossing his arms. "You wouldn't think a Grimm that big would move that fast, but it was. By the time I finally gave chase, it was long gone."
"Couldn't you have followed the tracks?"
"If I didn't have to worry about the villagers, sure. Wasn't about to do that, though. Besides, a rainstorm blew through on my way back. Any trail it might've left is long gone."
"You made the right call," Ozpin immediately declared, proud of his agent's decision. As much as killing Grimm was a Huntsman's job, protecting humanity was much more important. "I'll contact Leonardo, have him send Huntsmen in the area to track it down. Hopefully, we can find its lair before it can hurt anyone else."
"You want me to go with?" Qrow asked, almost expectantly. But Ozpin instead smiled and shook his head.
"No, there's no need," Ozpin insisted. Qrow moved to object, but Ozpin calmly raised his hand and silenced the Huntsman. "Qrow, Mistral has more than enough Huntsmen and Huntresses to handle one Grimm. Besides, how long has it been since you've spent time with your family?"
Qrow thought for a moment, then sighed. "Before last night? At least three months. Kinda lost track, you know?" He sighed again, then his brow furrowed as a small frown crossed his lips. Immediately, Ozpin knew what thought had crossed his agent's mind, and a pang of sadness and disappointment shot through his heart.
"How's Taiyang?" Ozpin asked. It had been a while since he had seen his former student, and after everything that had happened to the poor man, it was hard not to worry. He had lost so much in so short a time.
"Getting better," Qrow admitted. "Didn't get much chance to talk to him this morning before I flew over here, but overall he's finally starting to move on. Ruby and Yang are a big help there."
"How are your nieces, by the way?"
"The usual. Hyperactive, way too smart for their own good, and itching to follow in their family's footsteps." Qrow wistfully smiled and shook his head. "Gods, I love those girls, even when they do something stupid."
"I pray it wasn't a repeat of Yang's mishap," Ozpin said, somewhat worried, but Qrow quickly shook his head to assuage Ozpin's fears.
"No, no. Nothing like that, thank the Gods. They just stayed up way too late when I got in. Some movie they saw got them talking about aliens or some shit."
Despite himself, Ozpin couldn't help but laugh. "My, what a pair of overactive imaginations."
"Yeah, they're something alright. Ruby's convinced she'll become friends with them, and I didn't have the heart to tell her otherwise. Besides," Qrow's expression hardened, becoming more serious as he shifted topics once again, "we have problems down here of our own."
"That we do," Ozpin agreed just as his deputy headmistress entered the room.
"Qrow, Professor Ozpin," Glynda Goodwitch announced as she strode across the room, taking a seat next to Qrow while laying her wand across her lap. She nodded towards Ozpin in greeting, then turned to face her compatriot. "I trust your mission went well?"
"I wouldn't say that," Qrow admitted with a shrug. "The village was already being attacked by the time I got there, things went belly up. Not a pretty picture."
Glynda frowned. She wanted to express condolences, but the looks on both of the men's faces told her there was no need. So, she instead smoothed out her purple skirt and straightened herself to stare directly into Ozpin's calm gaze. After a few moments, Ozpin nodded towards both and pressed his hand against a small section of his desk. Immediately, the lights dimmed, and the glass windows darkened, allowing a holographic projection to form in the middle of the room. It showed a light-blue globe of Remnant, each kingdom clearly marked alongside major cities around the world. Vale, Atlas, Mantle, Shade, Argus, even the burgeoning settlement of Kuo Kuana on the island of Menagerie.
"Grimm activity across protected territories are minimal, with no major incursions to speak of," Glynda began, moving her hand around the holographic globe to highlight the dark-blue landmasses directly settled by humanity. These areas were the most secure on the planet, each hosting sizable and heavily defended cities and farmlands. Most of the population lived in these areas, so their security was of utmost importance.
"Unfortunately, the outskirts aren't so lucky, as Qrow's reports can attest to. Grimm attacks are on track to be two percent higher this time of year than last," Glynda continued, now highlighting areas marked in yellow. Unlike the blue, these territories were much larger, bridging most of the gap between the more heavily defended and settled cities across the continents. These lands were sparsely populated, mostly with small villages and burgeoning cities that were hoping to become the next Argus. Most didn't make it, but to many the risk was worth the reward. The promise of a free, open life was appealing to many, if they chose to take that risk, who was Ozpin to judge them?
"Any reason for that?" Ozpin asked.
"Couple different things, really. The biggest one? A lot of the outskirt communities were local Dust miners. Things were going well, then the SDC rolled in and put 'em out of business. Any jobs they then offer after the fact are absolutely terrible, both in pay and safety standards. That tends to rile people up a bit."
Qrow scowled, and neither Ozpin nor Glynda could blame him. For the past several years, the once illustrious Schnee Dust Company had been undergoing a radical culture shift under the direction of their new CEO, Jacques Schnee. Whereas under its founder, Nicholas Schnee, the SDC was focused on sustainability, slow and steady growth that would benefit entire communities, and fostering goodwill with the people, the SDC under Jacques had taken a highly expansionistic, if not outright predatory stance. Jacques saw everyone who worked in the Dust trade as a competitor that needed to be destroyed, no matter how big or small, and he was pulling every legal trick in the book to do it. The SDC was well on its way to becoming a monopoly, but despite how much Ozpin wanted to do something about it, he couldn't. The Dust trade was far too important to Remnant's economy and defense, and one good thing coming from the SDC's expansion, at least in the eyes of the kingdoms, was the increased efficiency and lowered cost of acquiring it. Stopping Jacques would mean disrupting that vital lifeline, and that was something Ozpin couldn't do. Ozpin added this to his ever-expanding list of failures, then moved on. Glynda understood his unspoken signal, then moved her hand around the globe to highlight the territories marked in red.
With the exception of most of the northwestern continent, the red-marked Grimmlands were few and far between. But, at the same time, they were infamous across the planet for being inhospitable. They were ruled only by the oldest and most powerful Grimm. Any who ventured in did so at great risk, and most didn't return. More importantly, it was through these Grimmlands that she enacted her twisted plans, striking out through a sanctuary none dared to attack.
"Qrow, did you find any evidence of Salem's activities?" Ozpin quietly asked, looking at his agent from the corner of his eye. After a moment, Qrow shook his head.
"No, outside of some of her…creations." Qrow shuddered. "I'm telling you, Oz. She's planning something. I don't know what, or where, or even when, but from what you've told me, Salem's been awfully quiet."
"Hmm, I was afraid I was the only one picking up on that," Ozpin replied, bringing his hands together and resting his elbows on his table. He thought for a moment, then sighed and closed his eyes. "I take it you weren't able to find a trail or any of her agents?"
"No, sorry."
"It's alright. Unfortunately, that does leave us at an impasse. We know she is planning something, but without knowing what or where, it's impossible to react accordingly. We'd be going on wild goose chases that lead nowhere, which is exactly what she wants."
"What do you suggest we do?" Glynda asked.
"Continue as normal, I'm afraid. There isn't much else we can do at the moment. Best not to play her game."
Glynda and Qrow thought for a moment, then nodded. Ozpin nodded back, then leaned back in his chair to study the globe more.
"Outside of potential subterfuge, there are a few more potential causes of concern. Ghira Belladonna's White Fang, despite currently preaching nonviolence in the name of Faunus Equality, has shown some members within its ranks who are more willing to employ violence to achieve their goals. A few days ago, a White Fang convoy with Ghira at the head was attacked by a small group of anti-Faunus extremists, several of which were killed. This is the second incident in the past six months. Coupled by the increasingly public discourse between Ghira and his chief lieutenant Sienna Khan, I worry that he won't be able to contain the radicals forever."
Ozpin sighed. "Can't say I blame them, but violence, even for a just cause, is never the answer. I fear Sienna doesn't realize that by giving into our baser instincts, we open the doors for something far worse to take its place. Have the councils tried reaching out to Ghira?"
"The latest incident is being used as an excuse not to."
Qrow darkly chuckled, "Of course, why am I not surprised?"
"Indeed," Ozpin said, then sighed and shook his head. "I'll speak to the Vale council again, make sure any reactionary feelings are stamped down. Besides the SDC and the White Fang, are there any other causes of concern?"
"For Remnant as a whole? No," Glynda revealed, slight relief in her voice. "So long as there isn't a major jolt to the system, we should be fine."
Ozpin smiled and nodded, bringing his hands together once again before resting them on the table.
"That's good to hear."
Solitas, Kingdom of Atlas, Weltraum Observatory
November 28th, 69 A.G.W. 9:00 Hours
General James Ironwood watched as his personal Bullhead flew past the Solitas tundra. Ice and snow covered everything as far as the eye could see, and on the horizon, he could see the faint edge of a mountain range. Occasionally, Ironwood would see a penguin or polar bear wandering around, and tufts of snow billowed from the wind. Otherwise, he could see nothing more than snow.
"Beautiful," Ironwood muttered under his breath, leaning his cybernetic arm against the glass viewport to get a better look. Whereas others saw only a cold, desolate wasteland, he saw the truth. Solitas, and the Kingdom of Atlas, was beautiful. Here he saw the greatest examples of humanity, where people came together to brave the elements and forge a bright new future for themselves. Atlas, much like their eponymous city, had risen above the harsh terrain to become the greatest kingdom on the planet, and he was honored to have become its General. It was an honor bestowed upon him for a lifetime of military service, and he hoped he'd rise to its station.
Today, however, wasn't the day for ruminations. Instead, it was a day for curiosity to take hold. Ironwood's longtime friend and colleague, Doctor Pietro Polendina, had been begging him for years for the funding of this side-project of his. The Weltraum Observatory, the largest, most advanced of its kind in the world, with sensors and instruments sensitive enough to detect objects on the far side of the solar system. All designed and built by Pietro and his team, of course. It had been a monumental undertaking to construct, even more to convince the council to go along with it. Ironwood could understand the council's concern. Building an observatory took time and resources away from other vital projects, such as CCT maintenance, training of Huntsmen and Huntresses, or Atlas' military buildup. All important projects, but Pietro had won the general over. Or, rather, broken down he could say. Still, as the observatory came into view, Ironwood allowed himself to faintly smile.
Nestled on the top of a mountain, far away from any city lights, laid the Weltraum Observatory. It was a large, white, domed structure made of metal that glistened in the sun. Ice hung off its ledges, and flags displaying the symbol of Atlas, a spear encased in a machine-like circle, fluttered back and forth. As his Bullhead made its way to the landing pad, the thrusting air causing the flags to flutter more violently, Ironwood spotted a dark-skinned man with brown hair and a dark-green jacket standing at the far end alongside a squadron of soldiers. He was covering his face from the bitter, icy wind with his sleeve, but despite the discomfort, Ironwood could see the smile on Pietro's face.
Finally, with a loud clunk, the Bullhead landed on the pad. The doors swiveled opened, and Ironwood's escorts hopped out as he calmly walked onto the pad, his hands crossed behind his back.
"General Ironwood!" Pietro called out as he walked towards the general, a large smile on his face. Ironwood looked at the scientist stoically at first, then relaxed into a smile once Pietro got close.
"Pietro, I've told you. Please, call me James. We're friends, remember?" Ironwood insisted, and Pietro laughed.
"Yes, yes. Of course, James," Pietro laughed, placing his hands on his hips. "So, tell me. Anything interesting happen since I've been out here?"
"Oh, the usual. Mindless politics, Jacques Schnee being a pain in my ass," Ironwood declared with a dramatic sigh. "Sometimes I miss the days when I was simply an officer. When I got promoted, I didn't anticipate politics would prove to be worse to deal with than the Grimm."
Pietro chuckled and shook his head. "I'll bet. Now then," Pietro paused to rub his hands together, his breath turning into mist in the arctic air, "let's get inside so I can show you what we've built here."
"I'd like that very much," Ironwood said. As much as he loved his homeland, even he could only spend so much time in the cold before it became unbearable. They soon went inside, the soldiers saluting him as the two men entered the observatory. At once, the blast of warm air filled Ironwood's body with relief, and the two men took off their heavy coats and hung them on racks before continuing on.
"Now, James," Pietro started as they walked along a corridor lined with complex electronic and sensor equipment, "I can assure you that this facility is top of the line. We spared no expense to give astronomers and astrophysicists the best tools they need to make discoveries that will change the world!"
"Such as?" Ironwood asked, passing by a large room with a glass wall. It contained a variety of monitors and equipment, all run by technicians and scientists, and Pietro stopped to proudly place his hand against the glass.
"State-of-the-art spectrometers and spectrographs, radio, x-ray, and microwave telescope arrays. We can look at an object in infrared, visual, ultraviolet, gamma rays, everything you can think of. We even have spectroscopes to study the compositions of stars, including our own."
Ironwood nodded along as Pietro continued to explain. If he had to be honest, half of what Pietro was saying was flying over his head. Ironwood's mind was adapted to military strategy and troop tactics, not complex scientific formulas and instruments. Luckily, Pietro was cognizant enough to skim over the finer details. All Ironwood needed to know was whether or not it worked, which Pietro was more than willing to show as they continued their tour to the top of the observatory.
"This," Pietro declared as they entered the dome, gesturing towards a large cylinder pointing out of an opening along the roof, "is the pride and joy of our team here, James. This is the Weltraum Telescope, a thirty-foot aperture telescope that can rotate three-hundred-and-sixty degrees across this entire observatory. With it, we can accurately detail an object on the far side of the solar system to conduct spectral analysis, measure its size, weight, and mass. All of the sensors and equipment I showed you earlier feeds into it, allowing us to measure anything we see on the fly."
James nodded. "Sounds like everything revolves around it."
"It does, indeed!" Pietro proclaimed, a large smile breaking out as a tall, thin, mustached man walked over.
"Ah, General Ironwood, Doctor Polendina. A pleasure for you two to join us this morning," the man greeted in a sarcastic, haughty tone. Ironwood frowned lightly as the two locked eyes, but Pietro didn't seem to notice as he slapped his large hand on the taller man's shoulder.
"James, let me introduce you to Doctor Arthur Watts!" Pietro said, hoping for the two men to greet each other warmly. Unfortunately for the kindly doctor, neither man made to offer such a greeting.
"We've met," Ironwood stated plainly, and Arthur chuckled.
"Yes, it was quite the…experience, I should say," Arthur replied, looking at both Ironwood and Pietro with a gaze that screamed 'I'm better than both of you.' Ironwood had only met the man once, and already knew everything he needed to know about Doctor Arthur Watts. One, he was a brilliant scientist second only to Pietro himself. Both were omni-disciplinary in their fields of study, but whereas Pietro focused primarily on robotics, Arthur focused instead on programming. The two made quite an effective pair, but Ironwood could see the arrogance and sense of superiority in Arthur's eyes. Frankly, Ironwood thought he was a pain in the ass, but Arthur Watts was in charge of creating Mantle's code alongside a litany of other military projects, so he'd put up with him. It didn't mean he had to like it, and unlike politicians, Ironwood had no reason to pretend otherwise.
"Now then, Doctor," Arthur continued as he turned towards Pietro, a small disdainful expression crossing his face as he regarded his colleague, "I'll let you show him what we've found so far. If you'll excuse me."
Before Pietro could say a word, Arthur turned around and sulked away, his hands in his pockets and his back slightly hunched forward. Ironwood watched him go with a small frown as the doctor sat back on his station, looking over a monitor before Ironwood sighed and turned back to Pietro.
"How you put up with him is beyond me," Ironwood admitted, and Pietro chuckled.
"I can admit, Arthur can be a little difficult at times. But I assure you, he's a brilliant man. Give him time, I know you two will get along eventually."
"I very much doubt that," Ironwood mumbled, then straightened himself out. "Moving on, he said that you already had data to share?"
"Yes, actually!" Pietro exclaimed as he led Ironwood towards a station located on the outer wall. "We've only been active for less than a week and we've already gotten stellar images of our solar system. Here, come see!"
Pietro pulled up a selection of images and moved the chair for Ironwood to sit in. The general did so, focusing his attention on the various readouts displayed. True to Pietro's word, the data was quite extensive. They had managed to obtain images and data on every planet in the solar system, from the gas giants Hullum and Sorola and their smaller rocky cousin, Ramsey. The star Oum was shown in a few, with its spectral analysis detailing it was mostly made of seventy-three percent hydrogen and twenty-four percent helium, along with scant amounts of oxygen, carbon, neon, and iron.
"This is incredible," Ironwood had to admit. From the cursory reading that he had done on the flight over, most of this information was already known or at least theorized. But the information given was much more extensive than anything they had been able to gather before, and all at one place at once time.
"I have to admit, Pietro," Ironwood said as he leaned back on his chair, "when you told me you wanted to build an observatory, I was surprised. Didn't think you were into that."
"Admittedly, astronomy is more of a hobby of mine," Pietro admitted, causing Ironwood's brow to slightly rise in amusement as the general looked around the multi-million lien building Pietro had sunk into his 'hobby'. "But I know that others will be able to use this building to further our understanding, bettering all of us."
"And be a great symbol for Atlas," Ironwood finished as he stood up, fully satisfied. In the end, that really was the reason why Weltraum Observatory was even approved. The council was always hungry for anything to flaunt the Kingdom of Atlas to the world, from the CCT tower to Amity Coliseum. Having the most advanced observatory in the world, one that would be freely shared between every kingdom, was the latest. A small frown crossed Pietro's face, and Ironwood knew why. The doctor would've much rather preferred the simple desire for science to have been the reason why Weltraum was constructed, but Ironwood knew that they couldn't always get what they wanted. At least by being a simple of Atlesian superiority and generosity would Pietro's desires come to pass.
"Well then, Pietro," Ironwood said as he turned towards his friend. "Is there anything else you wanted to show me before I head back to Atlas?"
Pietro snapped himself out of his funk and thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, actually. The telescope is currently pointed at the Two Brothers. Would you like to see them?"
"The Two Brothers?" Ironwood asked, slightly surprised. "Weltraum can see things that far?"
"Blurry, but yes. We've already taken a few photos, but this will be the first time we've focused all of our instruments on the dwarf planets."
"I see." Ironwood pursed his lips and thought. The Two Brothers were a pair of celestial bodies discovered following the Great War. They were dwarf planets that orbited each other perfectly, their gravities intersecting just right so that the center was exactly between them. It didn't take long for the name to be suggested, and it stuck ever since. As the farthest objects in their system, they had captured scientists' curiosities for decades, and it was only recently that any true study could be made. Ironwood thought it over, deciding if it interfered with his schedule or not, then figured another council meeting could wait just a tad longer.
"Sure, I have time," Ironwood finally stated. Pietro happily nodded, then motioned for one of the scientists to finish the rotation. With a loud groan, the observatory rotated ever so slightly, reorienting itself so that it was now pointed right where the Two Brothers were currently located. A moment later, the monitors attached to the wall sprung to life, and Ironwood saw two blurry objects floating out in the middle of space.
"Instrumentation good, all readings normal," a scientist called out as her hands flew across the keyboard.
"Ambient light interference minimal," another called out. One by one, the scientists, astronomers, and technicians issued status reports, and the sense of elation grew with each until finally the light was declared green. Ironwood looked at the jubilant scientists around him and allowed himself to smile ever so faintly. At the same time, data readouts and real-time analysis sped across the monitors, and soon the jubilation died down as the scientists buried themselves in their work.
"Well then," Ironwood spoke softly to Pietro as he turned to leave. "I best be on my way. I don't want to distract you all any further."
"Oh, but General you did no such thing?" Pietro protested, but Ironwood raised his hand to cut him off.
"Be that as it may, I do need to get back. Council meetings, you know the drill." Ironwood dramatically sighed, and Pietro rolled his eyes and smiled lightly.
"Well, if that is the case, allow me to escort you out. I did have you come out here, after all. It's the least I can do."
Ironwood smiled at this friend then nodded. "I'd appreciate that, Pietro. Let's—'
"Whoa!" a scientist suddenly called out in alarm, catching everyone's attention including Ironwood's and Pietro.
"What is it?" Pietro asked as he and Ironwood walked over.
"Radiation levels just spiked!" the scientist, a wolf Faunus with a pair of lupine ears atop his head, declared. True to his word, the level of background radiation around the Two Brothers had, for just a nanosecond, jumped dramatically. Upon seeing the type, Pietro's eyes widened.
"This is Hawking Radiation," he muttered. Seeing Ironwood's confused look, Pietro quickly explained, "It's a type of thermal radiation emitted by black holes due to quantum effects."
"Are you telling me a black hole just opened up on Remnant's doorstep?" Ironwood tersely asked, but Pietro shook his head.
"No, it disappeared almost immediately," Pietro said. "We only saw it because we were looking right at it. Complete coincidence, really. Odd, though."
"Yeah, odd," Ironwood replied softly, focusing on the visual image still displayed on the monitor. As before, they saw the Two Brothers slowly orbiting each other, and at first, Ironwood was going to end it at that and chalk the anomaly up to happenstance. But then he noticed something odd. A small object, almost indistinguishable to the naked eye, had now joined the Two Brothers. Had it not been for his years of military experience, Ironwood doubted he would've even seen it.
"What's that?" he asked, pointing towards the object in question. The scientists looked up, and after a moment found what he was looking at.
"It…looks like a meteorite," a scientist suggested. Ironwood raised his eyebrow and turned his head to look at the woman.
"One that came out of a black hole?"
"No, obviously not," she insisted. "Perhaps whatever caused the Hawking radiation pulled something in from the Oort cloud?"
"Perhaps," Pietro added, running his fingers across his keyboard. "It's drifting now."
"Keep an eye on it," Ironwood ordered, stepping away to make a call. His instincts were screaming at him to keep an eye on this development, which left him unavailable for the morning's council meeting. An hour passed and the entire observatory was still focused on the object. They were trying to calibrate its sensor array for the drifting object, which had been maintaining its orbit around the Two Brothers when it unexpectantly began to move.
"Hold on, the meteorite just broke orbit," a scientist called out.
"How?" another asked.
"My guess? The orbit must've been unstable and flew off."
"Is it heading towards us?" Ironwood asked. The last thing he wanted to hear was that a meteorite was heading towards Remnant. An impact from that high a velocity would be catastrophic.
"Yes, but slowly, and if the path is accurate, it should miss us by a couple million miles."
"Hmm." Ironwood hummed, then turned towards Pietro. "What's the spectral analysis on it?"
"We're still calibrating, but we should have it in a few moments," Pietro revealed just as the first scientist spoke up again.
"Hold on, it just sped up," he revealed in a confused tone.
"What?" Ironwood said. "What do you mean it 'sped up?'"
"Its blueshift increased."
"How did it speed up? It's a meteorite!"
"I don't know!"
Ironwood increasingly did not like this development. None of the scientists did, but Arthur seemed nonchalant about it.
"It's probably instrumentation failure," he suggested.
"Impossible," Pietro maintained. "I ran the inspections myself this morning. It was entirely functional."
"A lot can happen in a few hours, Doctor Polendina," Arthur pointed out. As much as he didn't like to admit it, Arthur Watts had a point. If there was one thing he learned in the Atlesian military, it was that things could go belly up in an instant. One moment, everything's peachy. The next, you're fighting for your life without a single warning. At least here it was a good deal less life-threatening. Still, he couldn't chalk this up to instrumentation failure, not until he was completely certain.
"Keep checking on it," Ironwood ordered, leaning on a computer desk while brushing up against a scientist. "Pietro, where are those reports?"
"Coming…now!" Pietro proclaimed as the state-of-the-art sensors and equipment began to analyze the object, which they could now tell was cylindric in shape. "I'm seeing… No, that can't be right."
"What does it read?" Ironwood asked, not in the mood for vague wordings. Pietro readjusted his glasses, then looked deeper into the readout.
"It says that the object is primarily composed of titanium, with trace amounts of iron, copper, chromium, and aluminum, among other elements," Pietro revealed.
"That doesn't seem so odd."
"What's odd is that, if I didn't know any better, I'd say these elements were fused together like an alloy," Pietro added with a focused expression.
"What are you on about?" Arthur scoffed. "Are you trying to tell us that a meteorite made out of titanium alloy is on its way towards us? Don't be ridiculous."
"I'm telling you, that's what the data says, Arthur."
"If that's the case, then again I raise my previous instrument failure hypothesis," Arthur shot back, then smirked. "Of course, if we want to delve down the rabbit hole, let's say that the meteorite is made out of a substance similar to titanium alloy. How did that happen? Enlighten me."
"Well," Pietro started, struggling to find an answer. "The meteorite…could've passed by a star just enough so that the metals melted down and formed a makeshift alloy."
"I find that hard to believe," Arthur Watts replied, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. Pietro looked at Ironwood for support, but Ironwood was finding it harder and harder to believe. A meteorite passing by a star, whether their own or another, just right to form a naturally occurred alloy stretched his imagination thin. He was beginning to come around to Arthur Watts' way of thinking, and that left a sour taste in his mouth. Yet, at the same time, he'd known Pietro Polendina for years. The man was hardly ever wrong, and so he wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. Besides, even if the instruments were wrong, they at least needed to determine if the meteorite was going to hit Remnant or not. Only then would he call it a day.
"How soon until we can get a clear image?" Ironwood asked, keeping his eye focused on the object as it continued its trek towards Remnant. The observatory was now focusing its entire array on the object, both the main telescope and the supplementary arrays on the surrounding mountains, so they were ready.
"At its current rate…" a technician called out, "about an hour. Maybe less."
"I want it on screen at all times," Ironwood ordered, digging his fingers deeper into the desk. A tense hour passed, with only the sound of nervous murmuring filling the air. Ironwood himself remained silent and focused, his attention never leaving the potentially deadly object as the image slowly grew clearer and clearer. They could make out more of it now. It was clearly metallic with how the sunlight reflected off of it. The front was thin, with the meteorite bulging slightly in the middle before widening even further at the back. The structure, however, confused General Ironwood greatly. If he didn't know any better, he'd almost say that it looked like a ship.
"What the hell is that?" a scientist whispered, the sound carrying across the entire room.
"I… I have no idea," Pietro replied.
"Alright," Arthur added, his tone betraying his newfound nervousness, "who's the prankster here? I want to know and have a little chat with you."
No one said a thing, and Ironwood suspected that the cause was that no one was playing a prank. He prayed to the Brothers, though, that someone was, for the alternative was proving to be terrifying.
"Are those…lights?"
"That looks like hull plating."
"Look at the size of that thing. It's nearly five-thousand feet long."
Slowly, Ironwood's face paled. His breath quickened, and his eyes slowly contracted as a sense of fear rose from within him. His silent prayers increased their fervor, joined by a pitiful begging for him to be seeing things that weren't actually there.
Then, the image cleared enough to that they could see the object as clear as day. Ironwood's breath stopped as he took the image in its complete glory, his eyes focusing on the front end. Emblazoned on its side in stark white, made in such a way that was unable to be explained via natural forces, was the image of a bird, its wings held upward it was perched atop a round sphere. It was undeniable now. This object wasn't a meteorite, nor was it natural.
This was something built. And it was heading right for them.
"Pietro," Ironwood said plainly, trying to keep his nervousness bottled down, "this observatory and all its equipment and faculty are now under the direct jurisdiction of the Atlesian military."
"Of…of course, James," Pietro replied, his eyes wide and his jaw hanging loosely. Ironwood nodded, his eyes never leaving the spacecraft. Any doubts he had remaining were dashed when he saw a blue glow emanating out the backside. Undoubtedly thrusters meant to move the vessel through space.
"If you'll excuse me," Ironwood continued, turning around to walk outside the room, "I need to contact the council."
"Whi…which one?"
"All of them."
[~][~]
Hello, everyone! Welcome to the latest chapter of Dust and Echoes! Here we have the First Contact between Remnant and the UNSC, but this time from Remnant's perspective. As you could see, panic is ensuing. Special thanks to NaanContributor and Jesse K for all their help bringing this story to life.
Now, onto the Q&A:
Dragon lord Syed 101: Glad you're enjoying it! While we're on the subject of Spacebattles, I will say that is the primary story discussion thread, simply because it's easier to discuss on that platform.
NRF: Nothing to that extreme, no. As for the ARC-920 Railgun and other Halo 4-era weapons (as in, weapons produced after the war), you'll have to see if the introduction of Remnant speeds development on them.
Ceoko: Thank you! I fully intend to.
Jebest4781: We have a lot of plans for this story, although in terms of tone, I intend for Dust and Echoes to be primarily a war story but one that has a tone that matches both Halo and RWBY.
Steelrain66: Thank you, truly. I'm glad you feel that way. To me, Halo and RWBY cross over so well not just because of Roosterteeth's history with the franchise. It's because both series share similar themes. Dangers of extremism, unity vs division, hope in the face of impossible odds, overcoming those impossible odds, etc. One just has aliens in a more grounded sci-fi environment while the other has magic and shadow monsters. In regards to changes, some will be made. What those changes are, you'll have to wait and see.
mastercheif1229: Thank you!
archive4465: Thank you, but I am confused as to what you mean by cliche fics. Mind clarifying?
I Am The Prophet: Trust me, I do not intend to respond to troll flames whatsoever. I want to tell everyone this, but if your 'review' is not constructive or adds anything, I won't respond. By all means, tell me if I made a mistake. I both welcome and can take constructive criticism. But flames are not constructive, and neither are outright insults. Those I will not tolerate, both towards me and to anyone else.
Oscar873: Yep, a new path is being forged for our heroes. Where that path will take us will be revealed as the story unfolds.
Matador: Thank you. One of my intentions is to seemlessly mesh the two franchises together. We already have a pretty good idea on how to do that, and we hope you guys will enjoy it.
edboy4926: Yep, we're starting in 2540 and all that entails. As for Halo humans getting their Aura unlocked, you'll have to wait and see. ONI will definitely be interested in that. Same with Dust. As for Magic vs Tech, you'll have to wait and see how that turns out.
That's it for this chapter. Hope you guys enjoy!