Dust and Echoes

by trestwho

After a successful mission, a UNSC fleet makes a random slipspace jump only to come across an uncharted system containing a sliver of humanity, one with seemingly no connection to Earth and whose natural abilities defy reason. In a galaxy full of terrifying dangers, the UNSC and Remnant must work together to defend all they know from annihilation.

13. Instrument of the Gods

Dust and Echoes (RWBY/Halo)

Chapter 12: Instrument of the Gods

[~][~]

HIGHCOM Facility Bravo-6

Sydney, Australia, Earth, Sol System

January 10th, 2541, 13:51 Hours (UNSC Military Calendar)

As Vice Admiral Preston Cole expected, the probes detailing what he and the crew of the Everest had experienced while at Remnant had reached High Command before he arrived back at Earth. Almost as soon as the Everest left Slipspace, he was hailed by HIGHCOM and ordered to report directly as soon as possible. Having not only expected this response but also prepared for it, Cole had Hannibal direct the Everest to the nearest available repair station while he and a compliment of ODSTs serving as a security detail got onto a Pelican that flew straight towards High Command's headquarters in Sydney, Australia. His dropship was escorted by a flight of C712 Longsword fighters, making it apparent that no one was to interfere with his flight path. Either any outside interlopers, or Cole himself.

Cole had no intention of deviating. Rather, the information he was about to share was far too important to leave at the table. After all, it wasn't every day that the UNSC finally came across something that had the potential to turn the war in their favor. As much as Cole didn't want to bring the people of Remnant into a war that, by all accounts, shouldn't involve them, he knew none of them had a choice. Either Remnant would work with the UNSC in stopping the Covenant, or they would all perish.

It was times like this that made Cole sigh tiredly and rub his forehead. He had been leading the UNSC war effort against the Covenant from the beginning, and even after almost sixteen years, they were no closer to winning now than they were on day one. In fact, just the opposite occurred. With each and every passing day, the Covenant was inching closer and closer to victory, and with it humanity's utter annihilation. Cole wanted nothing more than for this to just end, to let him live out the rest of his days in peace, but he knew that wasn't going to happen. Not when humanity still needed him, and especially not when they finally found something that might save them.

When the Pelican entered the Earth's atmosphere, Cole's thoughts were broken as the turbulence of reentry rocked the vessel. Cole wasn't phased in the slightest, and neither were the ODSTs. If anything, the soldiers were amused. All of them had long since grown used to reentry, and had experienced far worse before. After a few minutes, the turbulence ceased, and Cole felt weight return to him as the force of gravity reasserted itself. There weren't any viewports and the cockpit was sealed shut, so Cole wasn't able to see what was going on around them. That suited him just fine, as the lack of distractions allowed him to collect his thoughts.

Even now, the revelations at Remnant seemed insane to him. If he could hardly believe it, how would HIGHCOM react? More importantly, what would they do when they got this information? Cole knew that whatever they chose to do, it would be perhaps the most important decision in Remnant's entire history, a decision they had no voice in. Cole already recognized the inherent injustice of it, but the choice had to be made.

Finally, the Pelican touched down on one of the landing pads at HIGHCOM Facility Bravo-6. Cole had already risen from his seat as the drop-bay doors opened, revealing a cadre of UNSC military police, wearing their trademark bubble helmets and light blue BDUs, waiting for him. They all saluted as soon as he stepped off, then they escorted Admiral Cole towards his destination while the ODSTs who had accompanied him were ushered elsewhere. As they entered the facility, Cole was greeted by UNSC personnel working at their stations, collecting field reports for the Admiralty so that proper decisions could be made. Everyone he passed stopped to salute him, but Cole didn't so much as pause as he continued briskly walking to his destination. As he reached the conference room, he adjusted his collar and sleeves, making sure they were as neat as possible. Then, as he walked to the door, the MPs escorting him stopped and the pair guarding the door let him proceed alone through the automatic door, which closed behind him.

Cole was immediately greeted by the stern and expectant faces of the UNSC Security Council, all sitting along a crescent-shaped table and dressed in their uniforms. Each one represented a different branch of the UNSC military, all coordinating together to ensure maximum cohesion in their fights against the Insurrection and now the Covenant. Gathered in this room were perhaps the most powerful individuals in human history, and all of them were waiting on Cole.

"Admiral, glad you could join us," Admiral Margaret Parangosky, the Commander-in-Chief of the Office of Naval Intelligence, greeted him first, her slight build and elderly appearance doing nothing to hide the ice-cold ruthlessness and calculation behind her eyes. With her hands pressed together in front her face, she gestured towards the empty chair at the end of the table and remarked, "Please, have a seat. We have much to discuss."

Cole nodded, then took his seat at the end of the table. The rest of the security council turned to face him, and all were giving him their utmost attention. Clearing his throat, Cole stated, "By now, I'm sure you've read the reports."

"Yes, and we have questions," Colonel James Ackerson replied, leaning against the table and furrowing his gaze towards Admiral Cole. "Forgive me if I find the reports hard to believe, Admiral. Another population of humans? Ones who weren't connected to our colonization efforts and had lived on that planet for thousands of years? Humans with…" Ackerson paused to look over a data pad again, and he raised his eyebrow, "superpowers?"

"It's a lot to take in, I know. I was there and I still find it hard to believe," Cole admitted. "But the Grimm, Aura, Semblances, Dust. All of it is true despite flying in the face of everything we know."

"That is putting it lightly," Vice Admiral Michael Stanforth declared. He then sighed and gestured towards the data pad in front of him while saying, "Still, it's hard to argue against the data provided."

"How do we know it's not a fabrication?" Major General Strauss asked, and Ackerson nodded in agreement.

"That data was collected by the Everest's Smart AI, Hannibal, and further added to by Doctor Catherine Halsey," Admiral Cole answered. He saw Parangosky's face briefly frown at the mention of her name, but it quickly passed and returned to its normal passiveness. "Not to mention I witnessed it firsthand. One of the delegates was able to lift a hundred-kilogram wooden table without so much as lifting a finger, and another turned it into gold. We took that table afterwards for analysis and confirmed it."

Already the data pads were showing the feed in question, as well as video feeds of the other Huntsmen and Huntresses as they fought the Grimm with UNSC marines. The Admiralty was studying the data with narrowed eyes, clearly wanting to disbelieve what they were seeing but unable to. Finally, they all looked away from their devices to look at Cole once again, and Parangosky propped her elbows up onto the table and brought her hands together.

"SPARTAN Blue Team fought one of these Huntresses, correct?" she asked, and when Cole nodded, she added, "Then, tell me: how was it that four of the most highly trained military assets the UNSC has on hand struggled so much against a single woman suffering from schizophrenia? Even with the supposed benefits Aura provides, they shouldn't have had that much of an issue, much less almost getting killed."

From the corner of his eye, Cole saw Ackerson smirk at that bit of information. He knew why. ONI's liaison to the UNSC Security Council had never liked Doctor Halsey and relished any and all chances to humiliate her. Ackerson likely viewed the SPARTAN-IIs' near death as an example of how Halsey wasn't as good as she made herself out to be. Of course, he always seemed to forget that without Halsey's SPARTANs, it was likely they wouldn't be having this conversation to begin with. The others didn't, which only made him hate her more.

Regardless, Cole shifted his attention towards Parangosky and said, "It was a combination of different variables. For one, SPARTAN Blue Team was operating under do-not-kill mission parameters. We had hoped to capture Haki Felt for interrogation, which gave the SPARTANs a handicap that Haki ruthlessly exploited. In addition, we underestimated the degree of augmentation that Aura naturally provided. Instead of bringing an individual to, at most, SPARTAN-levels of strength as we believed, her Aura made her far stronger and more durable."

"I see," Admiral Stanforth hummed and rubbed his chin. Already he was pondering the implications, then he asked, "Can this Aura be replicated?"

"Among the people of Remnant? Yes," Cole immediately answered. "Unfortunately, our own soldiers are unable to acquire those same abilities."

"Yes, the case of Sergeant Graves." General Strauss nodded, rubbing his fingers together. "Do you think its possible to give our soldiers Aura?"

"Maybe. According to Remnant's delegation, Aura comes from the…soul," Cole revealed, and he could already see the members of the Security Council roll their eyes but he kept going. "While I don't necessarily believe that, I do believe them when they say that they tried and felt something within Sergeant Graves. He himself admitted that when they tried again when he was awake, he felt a tingling sensation around his body, as though something wanted to come out but was unable to."

"So you believe there is a possibility?" Stanforth asked, and Cole nodded.

"Yes, but doing so might take years of research, if not decades," Cole admitted, and Ackerson frowned.

"We don't have decades," Ackerson pointed out. "What use is giving our soldiers Aura if it takes twenty years to do it? The Covenant will have won by then."

Cole nodded, then replied, "I agree, which is why I think a more prudent and immediate response should be attempting to coopt what Remnant can do for our war-effort."

The room was quiet for a moment, then Parangosky narrowed her eyes and said, "You want to bring them in."

"'Want' has nothing to do with it," Cole clarified. "After everything I've seen, I am convinced that if either of us are to live through this, Remnant and the UNSC need each other. Otherwise we all die."

Once again everyone was quiet as they pondered his words. Then, one by one, they nodded in agreement. Most likely they had already come to that decision, and the discussion thus far had merely been a formality. Cole was fine with that, especially if it expedited the entire process. But now came the actual, and thus more difficult discussion.

"How do you propose we do that, then?" Admiral Stanforth asked, cocking his head slightly.

"To me, it's obvious," Ackerson offered. "The people of Remnant are, for all intents and purposes, human. Even if they have superpowers and some of them have animal parts. Since they are human, they fall under jurisdiction of the UEG, and thus need to be brought in line."

"You want us to invade them after a peaceful first contact?" Admiral Stanforth asked, clearly offended at the insinuation, but Ackerson merely shot him a harsh glare.

"What I want is to ensure that Remnant doesn't inadvertently serve to help the Insurrection," Ackerson clarified. "Despite the fact that humanity is fighting the Covenant for our right to exist, the Insurrection is still ongoing. It may be underground now, and most of the Insurrection saw reason and joined the UNSC's war effort, but the ones left are the truly fanatical. They'll look at Remnant and see ultimate justification as to what they want, and they'll be emboldened to lash out. By bringing Remnant under the jurisdiction of the UNSC, preferably peacefully but by force if necessary, we can prevent that from happening."

"You know as well as I do that doesn't have any legal standing," Cole pointed out. "Had Remnant been a lost colony, we would have well been in our rights to do as you suggest. But they're not. By all accounts, they've been there for thousands of years. They are a sovereign planet wholly independent of the UEG."

"The Insurrectionists won't care," Ackerson shot back. "Those who are left don't care that the Covenant is at war with all of humanity, not just the UNSC, and they won't care that Remnant has been on its own for millennia. Besides, they may be stronger than us physically, but if there's one thing that the Covenant have taught us, it's that orbital supremacy beats anything on the ground. According to the data you gathered, they don't have any orbital presence whatsoever. They can't even go beyond their atmosphere, so if we were to bring them in line, there isn't anything they could do to stop us."

Cole clenched his fist and his jaw in anger. But, at the same time, he had to admit that Ackerson did have somewhat of a point. The Insurrection was, indeed, still active, albeit at a much reduced capacity. If they found out about Remnant, many of them would see it as justification and use the planet as a rallying cry. If the Insurrection were to pick back up in force, it would spell disaster for the UNSC's war effort.

But there were several key details that Ackerson was missing, and he was more than happy to point them out. "You're forgetting that the purpose of bringing Remnant into the war is to preserve what they can do for our own use. Not just their Aura and Dust, but their infrastructure. Manufacturing, agriculture, not to mention their Huntsmen and Huntresses. An infrastructure that is far more valuable intact than in ruins. You say, Ackerson, that we should learn from the Covenant and threaten them from orbit. The problem with that is that the Covenant are only able to do that because they are in a war of annihilation, not occupation. They can glass our worlds with reckless abandon and little regard for long-lasting collateral damage, whereas an annexation of Remnant wouldn't give us that luxury.

"Not only that, everything we want out of Remnant is hyper-concentrated in four supermassive cities. Cities that are the most heavily defended areas on the entire planet. If, as you say, we try to bombard those cities from orbit, all we would accomplish is destroying the very resources and infrastructure we want. At most, all we could do with our orbital supremacy is using it as a threatening bluff. Were Remnant to respond to this blatant, unjustified hostility with anything other than immediate surrender, we would be forced to subjugate them in a more traditional military campaign. We'd be throwing our soldiers against their Huntsmen and Huntresses, who are the main reason why we want Remnant on our side."

Cole looked around the room. He saw that Ackerson was growing more and more infuriated as Cole continued to tear apart his argument, while Stanforth nodded along in agreement. General Strauss was glancing between Ackerson and Cole, trying to decide which side he laid on, while Parangosky remained as impassive as ever. Seeing how no one was speaking up at the moment, Cole continued.

"Speaking of the Huntsmen and Huntresses, as the fight between Haki Felt and Blue Team showed, properly trained and experienced Huntsmen and Huntresses have the capability of being stronger than SPARTAN-IIs. More than that, Remnant has managed to turn their creation into an industry." He raised the palm of his hand in emphasis. "Let's compare them to the SPARTANs. It took us eight years to train the first class from 2517 to 2525, resulting in a class of seventy-five SPARTAN-IIs. Of those trainees, thirty died during the augmentations and an additional twelve washed out, in the end leaving only thirty-three active SPARTANs. Then we have the SPARTAN-III Alpha Company, in which 497 conscripts were trained over the course of five years from 2531 to 2536, resulting in 300 graduating. Nearly all of whom are now dead as a result of Operation: PROMETHIUS."

"For the record, Beta Company has been learning from the mistakes of Alpha Company and we expect another batch of 300 SPARTAN-IIIs to complete their training within the next year," Ackerson added, and Cole nodded.

"Thank you, Colonel. Regardless, the point stands. In the past twenty-three years since the SPARTAN Program was initiated, including the upcoming graduation of Beta Company, we have successfully trained and fielded 633 SPARTANs. An impressive number, to be sure, and a number that has paid dividends, but let's shift our attention to Remnant. According to the delegation, which was led by Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon Academy, Huntsmen and Huntresses on average train for eight years before graduation. Four years at one of many combat schools, and four years at one of the four huntsmen academies. Those academies being Atlas Academy, Beacon Academy, Haven Academy, and Shade Academy. Only considering those four institutions, each one has a class of, on average, 100 students each year. Every year, a combined 400 Huntsmen and Huntresses enter the field without fail, and if you multiply that by the amount of time it took us to train 633 SPARTANs, Remnant would have trained 9,200."

Cole shot a glare towards Ackerson, and remarked, "If we do as you suggest and invade Remnant, you risk shutting that entire industry down. The training of Huntsmen and Huntresses would be ground to a screeching halt, and it might take years to build it back up. Not only that, assuming we managed to conquer the planet without utterly destroying their infrastructure, the UNSC would be forced to deploy a prohibitively large occupying force pulled away from fighting the Covenant in order to exert our will as well as combat the Grimm. Which, might I add, are attracted to negative emotions."

Cole's guilt regarding his actions upon the arrival to Remnant had only increased when that information was shared. It had become obvious that his overabundance of caution had caused Remnant to drown in a sea of anxiety and fear, which resulted in a massive amount of Grimm attacks that killed countless people. While the Remnant delegation had assured him that he and the Everest were forgiven, the guilt still remained.

He then added, "Assuming that everything goes without a hitch, and we successfully annex the planet without destroying what we want, we have the issue of trying to get Remnant's Huntsmen and Huntresses to actually work for us rather than fighting against us. We would no longer be potential partners, we'd be their hated enemy. The only way we could get Huntsmen and Huntresses to fight for us, en mass, is for us to practically enslave them, and I don't think I need to elaborate how foolish it would be to try and use them as special forces in highly delicate and important operations."

The conference room was silent and tense as both Ackerson and Cole glared at each other. Their fists were clenched, although Admiral Cole was noticeably more composed.

"The point is, Colonel," Admiral Cole then declared, his tone final, "attempting to invade and occupy Remnant is not only a costly decision, it is the wrong one. I agree that Remnant needs to be brought into the fold, but it should not be a subordinate. Remnant should be an ally."

Ackerson glared at Admiral Cole, who glared right back. The other members of the Security Council were shifting their attention between the two men. Right away, Cole could see that Admiral Stanforth agreed with his assessment, while General Strauss was agreeing with Ackerson's. Whether that was due to legitimately believing in what Ackerson was saying or if he was simply intimidated by the man, Cole did not know. But it was clear that the tie-breaking vote now belonged to Parangosky. As she scrunched up her face, deep in thought, Cole wondered which direction she might go, and part of him was worried.

Then she looked up at him and declared, "I agree with Vice Admiral Cole. Attempting to occupy Remnant would be a waste of time, manpower, and resources, and we stand to gain more through a mutual alliance than outright subjugation. You attract more flies with honey than vinegar, after all. Am I correct in assuming that Remnant does not know about the Covenant?"

"You'd be correct," Admiral Cole said, a relieved smile on his face while Ackerson frowned and clenched his fist. "At the moment, they're still convinced that the Grimm are their greatest threat."

"They'd be wrong, but that does give us an opportunity," Parangosky admitted, then narrowed her eyes. "Gentlemen, we have much to discuss, and time is of the essence. I recommend that as soon as the Everest is repaired you return to Remnant, Admiral."

"I was already planning on doing that," Cole admitted, then he asked, "Would I be authorized to inform them of the Covenant?"

"I don't see how you'd be able to convince them of their threat otherwise," Parangosky admitted.

Admiral Cole and the other members of the UNSC Security Council nodded, then they settled into a long discussion on how a prospective UNSC-Remnant alliance would work. Although they were only at the very beginning of this process, Cole felt that perhaps there was a chance, however slight, that this might finally be able to turn things around for them.

---

Atlas Academy

Kingdom of Atlas, Solitas, Remnant, Oum System

February 12th, 70 AGW, 5:00 PM (Remnant Calendar)

It had been nearly two months since the First Contact Summit on Vytal Island, and by now the planet was beginning to adjust to their new reality. People were no longer frightened or nervous when they saw a UNSC warship overhead. Instead, excitingly observing it through telescopes had become the more popular pastime. The UNSC had also started larger efforts to ingratiate themselves with the people of Remnant, aiding villages in need against the Grimm as well as bandits who had hoped to take advantage of the chaos.

Much to General Ironwood's pleasure, the UNSC was very experienced when it came to dealing with them, much more so than the Grimm. That experience most likely came from dealing with their Insurrectionists, with the only difference being the bandits having Aura. All four Kingdoms and the UNSC had coordinated nearly half-a-dozen operations against bandit clans all across the world. With Atlas, it was through a cooperation between two militaries, while the other Kingdoms provided Huntsmen and Huntresses. Understandably, the cooperation between the UNSC and Atlas was far smoother, although he'd heard the missions involving Huntsmen and Huntresses were usually more…exciting than his own forces.

Of course, General Ironwood had a much more direct interaction with the UNSC right on his doorstep. Doctor Catherine Elizabeth Halsey had elected to stay behind on Remnant in order to facilitate scientific cooperation between the kingdoms and the UNSC. She mostly stayed in Atlas, but more often than not she was travelling all over the world, communicating with top scientists over a myriad array of subjects. Already they had learned much, if only a preliminary understanding. Halsey herself had been expanding her knowledge of Dust and Aura, and Ironwood got the feeling her drive to do so came from more than just an attempt to replicate it for their own forces. From Halsey, Remnant had begun to understand the inner workings of AI theory as well as Slipspace and alternate forms of energy, including nuclear fusion.

Ironwood and everyone else on Remnant knew the latter two contained the keys to finally escaping their dependence on Dust and, eventually, the confines of their world. They could start colonizing other planets or simply create massive space stations to live in. Either would be well out of reach from the Grimm, leaving them completely behind. The end of humanity's never-ending war with the Grimm was finally in sight. It was a salivating prospect, but one decades off, at least. With the former, however, General Ironwood was thinking much closer to home. If Atlas was able to create a Smart AI, or even just a Dumb AI, he knew it could be combined with Atlas' robotics technology. AI controlled robotic armies could march against the Grimm, holding them at bay without ever needing to sacrifice a human life.

There was one major flaw to his idea, however, which was why he was walking towards Doctor Halsey's lab at Atlas Academy, one she shared with Doctor Polendina's team. By the time he arrived, she and the other scientists were deep in discussion, only part of which he completely understood.

"Slipstream space is far more complex than what you're making it out to be, Doctor Watts," Halsey explained as the other scientists gathered around her. A whiteboard behind her was covered from top to bottom with long, complex mathematical equations, one of which she was finishing as she spoke. "What you were describing was a wormhole, where you fold space and punch a hole through the other side. Slipstream is more akin to taking a piece of paper and crumpling it up into a ball. This has the effect of both shortening the distance between two points but also creating far more complexity. There are several of our colonies that, in real-space, were closer to others but it took relatively longer to reach them through Slipspace simply due to how it worked."

"How is that even possible?" Doctor Polendina asked, while Watts merely grumbled and crossed his arms along his chest.

"We're not entirely certain, but we believe it has to do with the fact that Slipspace has eleven dimensions versus our four-dimensional reality. They don't exactly match up one-to-one," she admitted.

"Fascinating," Polendina muttered, typing notes into his tablet.

"Are you certain it's not due to the fact that your Shaw-Fujikawa drives brute force their way into slipstream?" Doctor Watts rudely suggested.

"Oh, that is most certainly another reason," she immediately replied. "But that affects accuracy, not necessarily travel time. How long it takes for something to travel through Slipspace is dependent on how powerful their thrusters are."

It was then that Doctor Halsey turned to face General Ironwood. It was apparent that she had noticed his arrival earlier, but only now chose to acknowledge his presence. Her shift in attention prompted the other scientists to turn to see what she was looking at, and Doctor Polendina immediately stood up to greet him.

"Ah, General Ironwood! I'm surprised to see you here," Doctor Polendina admitted, and the general shrugged.

"Just had a few questions of my own," he declared, and Halsey immediately understood where he was going.

"I assume it's in regard to your earlier inquiry?" she asked. When General Ironwood nodded, she added, "Then yes, theoretically it should be possible. The UNSC never focused on the idea of robotic infantry in favor of human soldiers."

"Seems like a bit of a lost opportunity, in my opinion," Doctor Watts stated.

"You try creating an android capable of surviving hundreds of different planetary environments and ecosystems," Halsey shot back, not even giving Watts a passing glance. "It was cheaper for us to simply equip our soldiers accordingly, and with advancements in gene therapy over the centuries, the human body has proven to be quite adaptable. That being said, Atlas' robotics technology is far ahead of what we currently field."

"Among other things," Watts muttered, once again referring to the seemingly primitive UNSC weapons.

"Once again, the UNSC prioritized cost and the ability to work across all of our colonies and their unique environments," she reiterated. "We may use a 600-year-old round, yes, but it's cheap, easy to transport, and effective. It's easy to say something may be better but much more difficult to actually prove it.

"But we are getting off-topic." Halsey furrowed her brow towards General Ironwood then said, "AI-controlled armies does have merit, yes. But, given the state of Remnant's highly-centralized infrastructure, at most I'd imagine that they'd only be used in a defensive capacity. If you're hoping to use them to reclaim lost territory, that might be out of reach at the moment."

"I understand that," General Ironwood admitted, "but I'm more concerned about…what did you call it, Rampancy?"

"Ah, yes. That is a concern, and another reason why we never developed AI-controlled robotic armies," Halsey explained. "Dumb AIs could operate the drones indefinitely, but their capabilities would be significantly reduced. They'll only be able to do what they were programmed to do, unable to learn or expand their capabilities. Once the Grimm discovered how to overcome the Dumb AI's limitations, they'd run circles around it. Smart AIs would be infinitely more effective, but only for seven years at most."

"Because of Rampancy?"

"Yes. A core feature of Smart AIs is their ability to grow and expand their knowledge base. Much like the human brain they are based off of, they can learn. But they only have so much space to grow in their Riemann Matrix. As they develop, they create more synaptic connections within the matrix, and eventually those connections grow too dense and they begin to overlap, causing a short-circuit. An AI can attempt to preserve itself by cutting away at those connections, but as Rampancy continues to develop, the choices the AI makes grow increasingly erratic and poor, eventually causing the entire construct to collapse. An AI undergoing Rampancy thinks so hard that the brain forgets to send signals to the heart and lungs. They think themselves to death."

"And in the process, might take others down with them," Ironwood suggested, and Halsey nodded.

"Rampant AIs often act uncontrollably and sometimes violently. Out of an abundance of caution, all Smart AIs undergo final dispensation after seven years. If you were to give a Smart AI control over a robotic army, and said AI were to become rampant…"

Halsey left the likely outcome open-ended, but everyone knew where she was going. Ironwood had to admit, the idea of Atlesian Knights turning on everyone was a chilling one, and he supposed that possibility was the true reason why the UNSC never developed that technology. At the same time, though, he found it nearly impossible to fully let go of the idea. It was risky, but if it worked, it could bring unheard of levels of safety and security to his people.

"I understand those concerns, but I still feel as though it's an avenue worth exploring," he insisted, and Halsey nodded.

"Just so long as we don't jump straight into the deep end," she suggested, and Ironwood nodded.

That was the thing with her, he thought. Even after knowing her for only two months, Ironwood was able to get a grasp of who Catherine Halsey was. She was utterly brilliant, perhaps the smartest person he had ever met, and she certainly had the arrogance and pride to accompany it. Unlike Watts, however, who always felt the need to throw his 'superiority' around, Halsey did no such thing. She, and by now everyone else, already knew what she was capable of, and she felt no need to shove it in everyone's faces. That meant she was much easier to have a working relationship with. It was an opinion that Ironwood shared with Doctor Polendina, and the two of them would talk for hours over different topics. One in particular that kept being brought up was the idea of merging robotics with Aura, and Halsey had already thought of ways to combine AI theory into it.

Her relationship with Watts, however, was much more arduous. The two did not like each other, at all. Halsey felt Watts was, in her own words during their private discussions, a know-it-all buffoon who was too self-absorbed to see past his own nose. A sentiment Ironwood readily agreed with, and Watts did not appreciate being repeatedly shown that, when compared to her, he was far from being superior. All the more reason why the general liked her. Anyone who could effortlessly put that insufferable man in his place was worth getting to know, in his opinion.

"Yes, I suppose that would be wise," Ironwood admitted, and Halsey nodded.

"By the way, congratulations on your new position as Headmaster of Atlas, General," Halsey announced, and Ironwood felt himself straighten more.

"Yes, I am…honored that I was selected for the position," he replied, folding his arms behind his back.

The process had started after the conclusion of the First Contact Summit. Apparently, the reason why the previous Headmaster of Atlas hadn't come was due to him and the other headmasters eyeing Ironwood for the position for some time. The summit was simply a chance to test him, a test he had passed. After that, the previous Headmaster announced his resignation with Ironwood as his successor, and only recently had the title formally passed onto him.

"Atlas certainly trusts you enough for the position," Halsey added, placing a dry erase marker on the whiteboard's shelf, then narrowed her eyes slightly at Ironwood. "Enough to keep both of your seats on the council, at that."

"Given the threats we face, I felt it was more prudent to keep both of my positions," Ironwood said, his voice firm.

"What threats might that be?" Halsey asked, unflinching as Ironwood's steel firm gaze peeled into her own.

"The Grimm, of course," Ironwood assured.

Halsey remained still as she stared at him, which reminded Ironwood of another facet of their relationship. While they were able to work together quite easily, that wasn't to say it was without tension. When he had become Headmaster, Ironwood had been made aware of something long hidden from the rest of the world. That awareness was why he kept both seats, a decision that the other Headmasters, who were also part of this conspiracy, were uneasy about. But, since the kingdom of Atlas trusted him wholeheartedly, there was little they could do but grumble. By now, it was obvious that Doctor Halsey suspected that something deeper was going on, and she wasn't fooled by his or others' declarations to the contrary. At the same time, Ironwood was also made aware of key details that the UNSC wanted hidden from Remnant. Namely, whatever this "Covenant" that they were fighting was as well as the four super soldiers that had taken down Haki Felt. It created a cloud of suspicion that hung over both of them, and Ironwood doubted it would go away anytime soon.

It was then that he got a notification on his scroll, and he pulled it out and held the device to his ear. "This is General Ironwood. Report."

"Sir, we picked up something coming out of Slipspace," a technician reported. "It's the Everest, along with a small escort fleet. They're broadcasting an open message to the Kingdoms announcing their arrival along with UEG diplomats."

"Ah, perfect," Ironwood replied. "Tell the Council I'll be there immediately."

"There's something else though, sir. A message underneath the open one addressed specifically to you. It's not letting me open it."

Ironwood narrowed his eyes then glanced at Halsey. She was staring passively at him while the other scientists looked confused. Slowly, Ironwood looked away then ordered, "Send it to my office. I'll look at it myself."

"Right away, sir," the technician replied.

Ironwood hung up and pocketed his scroll, then turned around to the scientists and remarked, "Apologies, but something has come up. I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut this short."

"As do I," Halsey added, swiping away at her own tablet. "Admiral Cole has requested I return to the Everest. Pietro, we'll continue our discussion on your project later."

"Of course. Thank you, Catherine," Pietro replied though a warm smile.

Halsey nodded, then walked out of the laboratory towards one of Atlas' many landing pads. Ironwood walked after her before splitting off towards his private office at the top of Atlas Academy. As he walked through the halls, soldiers stopped to salute and he nodded back while continuing his stride, all the while a sinking feeling filled his gut. He didn't know what this hidden message was about, but his instincts were screaming at him that he wasn't going to like it.

---

Professor Ozpin furrowed his brow as he looked out the Bullhead's windows. Alongside him was only Glynda Goodwitch, with everyone else remaining back in Vale to talk with the UEG's diplomats. Ever since the Everest left the Oum System, he had expected the UNSC to return with actual diplomats. His expectations were met after only two months, which should have been the first clue that something was going on. He had expected it to take at least another month, but at first he had assumed he had underestimated the UNSC's FTL capabilities. Ozpin still didn't quite understand Slipspace. The only person on Remnant who did was Doctor Halsey, and he didn't particularly like speaking to her longer than he had to. Both because of a lingering sense of distrust between them and the fact that she sounded so much like someone he once knew. The latter was a very petty reason, Ozpin recognized, but it remained, nonetheless.

Then, as soon as the UNSC fleet began broadcasting openly to the rest of the kingdoms, Ozpin received a second message hidden underneath the first. It was addressed only to him, and as far as he could see, no one else on Vale's council received a similar message. Ozpin had opened it almost immediately, and the message's content raised his concern to astronomical levels. It had been a communication from Admiral Cole himself, requesting that the headmasters of all four Huntsmen Academies, along with the chieftain of Menagerie, come with the UNSC for a private meeting onboard the Everest. They were allowed to bring one person with them, but no one else. Secrecy was of the utmost concern with this meeting.

Ozpin recognized the hidden signs underneath the message. The fact that only the headmasters received it, along with Ghira Belladonna, told him that this was a wholly military matter, or that the UNSC had picked up on who were truly the centers of power in Remnant. He wondered if the ever-observant Halsey had notified them of that. More importantly, the secrecy told Ozpin that whatever the UNSC was about to tell them, they did not want the rest of Remnant to know just yet. Why that was the case, Ozpin did not know, but he had a sinking feeling it had to do with the fact that the information the UNSC was about to share would otherwise cause a panic.

That only left one option, which Glynda and the other headmasters immediately recognized. The UNSC was about to tell them what the Covenant was, and was most likely going to ask for their aid.

"Ozpin, are you sure accepting this is wise?" Glynda asked in a low whisper, and Ozpin shook his head.

"Honestly, I don't know. Even after two months, this is still quite new to me," Ozpin admitted, bringing his hands together while resting his elbows on his thighs and leaning forward.

"But if they want to pull us into a war…" Glynda replied, and Ozpin steeled his gaze.

"I won't let Remnant be drawn into a war unless it is absolutely necessary," he declared.

Glynda didn't seem completely satisfied with that answer, but she accepted it regardless. They fell back into an uncomfortable silence, waiting for the Bullhead to arrive at their destination. Finally, after hours of flight, they arrived at Vytal Island. It was the exact same spot where the First Contact Summit had transpired, and for the moment it was utterly deserted. The kingdoms had decided once the summit had ended that it would be set aside to serve as the construction site of the UNSC's embassy alongside a monument to commemorate the event. So far, no actual progress had been made in actually building it, but they expected to begin construction within the next six months.

The Bullhead touched down, and Ozpin and Glynda stepped off. They then instructed the pilot to depart, who did so without question. They were the first to arrive, but they weren't alone for long as they soon saw an Atlesian Manta approach their position from the north. From the west came a Vacuoan airship, and from the east came a Mistralian airship. They all touched down at roughly the same time, depositing their passengers before departing. Only Professor Lionheart was alone while the others had elected to bring someone along. General Ironwood had brought Doctor Polendina along with him, while Professor Theodore brought Professor Rumpole much as Ozpin had brought Glynda. Once the White Fang's older Bullhead arrived and dropped off Ghira Belladonna, they saw that he had also brought along Sienna Kahn. Unlike the headmasters, they were completely confused.

"What's all this about?" Sienna asked as their Bullhead departed, her tone harsh and accusatory.

"We're as much in the dark about this as you, Sienna," Professor Lionheart placated, but Sienna merely narrowed her gaze at him.

"I very much doubt that," Sienna declared, pointing her finger at the others. "My gut tells me that, if nothing else, the rest of you suspect something. Mind sharing what that is?"

The air around them grew tense, but before anything could come of it, Ghira placed a calming hand on Sienna's shoulder and stepped in front of her. He said, "While her tone may be harsh, Sienna does have a point and I do share her suspicions. I must admit, thus far the UNSC has shown Menagerie and the Faunus nothing but respect since they arrived. More so than the Kingdoms, unfortunately, so I wasn't entirely surprised that the UNSC requested our presence. But what I don't understand is why Sienna and I were pulled in for a secret meeting away from the UEG's diplomats. They arrived as we left, which strikes me as rather odd."

"Yes, I feel the same way. I was preparing to talk to other scientists from the UNSC when James requested I come with him," Pietro admitted, his voice low and his face warped in confusion as he glanced around at everyone.

It appeared that General Ironwood hadn't yet informed the doctor of what Ozpin had discovered. Whether that was due to him not wanting to explain things more than once, or simply deciding it was best to keep his suspicions to himself in case they were wrong, he didn't know. But, Ozpin had to admit that the White Fang's representatives had a point. He sighed and closed his eyes before taking a deep breath, then looked out at everyone.

"During the Vytal Summit," Ozpin began to softly speak, "I had one of my most trusted Huntsmen investigate a few things."

"You spied on the UNSC?" Ghira asked, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Yes, because I didn't trust them," Ozpin admitted. "I still don't, not entirely at least, but my goal was to discover what the UNSC's intentions were for Remnant. Whether they truly came in peace as they said, or not. My agent overheard UNSC marines talking among themselves about the Insurrection, which the UNSC later confirmed during our meeting."

Pietro, Ghira, and Sienna seemed to pick up where Ozpin was heading with this, and they frowned.

"I don't see how rebels warrants our attention," Sienna pointed out. "The White Fang will not intervene in a human rebellion, UNSC or otherwise."

"You and I are in complete agreement," Ozpin replied, "but I don't believe they're here to talk about the Insurrection. No, I believe that they want to talk about something else that they didn't admit to back during the summit."

"What do you mean?" Ghira asked, narrowing his eyes.

"My agent also overheard the marines talking about something called 'The Covenant,'" Ozpin explained. "We don't know what they are, but we believe the UNSC is at war with them. A war they might be losing."

Everyone stared at Ozpin silently. The only thing they heard was the faint chirping of birds in the distance alongside the chittering of insects and the rustling wind against their bodies. After a few moments, Ghira lowly asked, "So, is that what all this is about? You think they're going to try and get us into a war?"

"I don't believe there's anything else it could be," Ozpin declared.

Ghira, Sienna, and Pietro looked at the other headmasters, who nodded in agreement with Beacon's leader. With wide eyes, they looked back at Ozpin, with Pietro running his hand through his brown hair while Ghira rubbed his beard. Sienna, meanwhile, frowned and clenched her fists before looking up at the sky. Ozpin understood where her anger was coming from, but before she could explode, Ghira once again placed his hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

"While that is a concern," Ghira said, "we don't know for certain. I say we hear what they have to say. If they want to pull us into a war, they're going to have to have a convincing argument."

"I couldn't agree more," Ironwood replied and gave a nod.

"But until they say otherwise, keep our suspicions to ourselves," Ozpin instructed.

The others nodded back in agreement, then they fell into silence. They waited there for roughly half an hour, then they heard the telltale sound of a Pelican flying towards them from high altitude. They looked up and watched as the craft approached, then it slowed down and began its descent, landing a few yards away from them. The wind kicked up by the Pelican's four thrusters ruffled their hair and forced them to squint their eyes, but they otherwise remained standing. When the Pelican finally came to a rest, with its engines still running on standby, the troop bay doors opened and revealed a nearly empty bay. Only Sergeant Johnson, already standing and hopping off, was inside, and with the cockpit sealed they couldn't see who was piloting the aircraft.

"Sergeant Johnson," Professor Ozpin greeted the man, who nodded and flashed a comforting smile if only to ease the tension.

"Headmasters, General, Doctor, Chieftain," he announced to each person, then gestured with his arm for them to follow. "Hop onboard. Admiral Cole wants to speak with you guys about something urgent."

"Something that the rest of Remnant doesn't need to know about? When your fleet arrived, I thought I'd be talking to diplomats, not being pulled away for a secret meeting," Sienna accused as she stepped onto the Pelican, followed by Ghira and the rest of the delegation.

"At the moment? Probably for the best not to," Johnson replied, turning his back to Sienna as he assisted the others into their seats.

"And why is that, Sergeant?" Professor Theodore asked, having to keep his arms close so that the safety straps could be properly fastened.

Rather than reply immediately, Sergeant Johnson sighed and looked at the others with tired eyes, a far cry from the jovial expression he normally displayed. He then stated, "Trust me, you'll know why soon enough."

He sat down onto his own chair next to the sealed cockpit doors, then raised his voice and yelled, "We're good to go!"

"Acknowledged. Alpha 122 departing now," the pilot announced over the intercom. "Strap yourselves in, ladies and gentlemen. Things are about to get bumpy!"

It was then that the realization of where they were going finally dawned onto the delegates. They were being brought to the Everest, which was apparently far too large to safely go in atmosphere. As such, it was forced to stay up in space, which meant they were going to space. Lionheart's face paled the most, alongside the other headmasters, and only Pietro seemed absolutely excited by the prospect.

They felt the Pelican lift off the ground after the bay doors sealed shut, and a tense, heavy pause followed. Sienna looked as though she was about to say something, then the Pelican accelerated faster than anything they had ever experienced before. They were thrown back into their seats, and they clutched their safety harnesses as tightly as they could. Ozpin could feel his Aura straining as the force of multiple gs slammed into his body. His face was turning red from the strain, and as he glanced around him he saw that the others were doing the same. Only Johnson was relaxed, telling Ozpin that he had done this countless times before.

Then, as the Pelican continued its climb through the atmosphere, the craft began to rock. Although Ozpin couldn't see it, he knew that they were going faster as they left the denser lower atmosphere behind. The turbulence only lasted a few minutes, but it gradually came to a stop. Once it did, the craft became eerily calm, and Ozpin took several deep breaths to calm himself.

"Gods above…" Ghira muttered under his breath as he breathed heavily.

"If you thought leaving the atmosphere was tough, try going back down," Johnson stated as he hooked off his safety harness, then began to float off his seat. Ozpin looked around, and to his amazement saw that the force of gravity had completely vanished. He felt his arms drift upward when he unclenched them, and he saw that everyone's hair was floating upwards. Admittedly, it was a humorous sight, and soon everyone was unlatching their harnesses to feel the effects of zero-g for themselves.

"Incredible!" Pietro exclaimed, and despite the seriousness of their situation, Ozpin couldn't help but agree.

"We'll be arriving at the Everest in a few minutes," the pilot said. "Make sure you guys are seated when that happens. Last thing you want is to be on the roof when gravity reasserts itself."

"Don't worry, we'll be fine," Johnson dismissed, flashing a group a smile to let them enjoy the effects of zero-g for just bit longer.

After a few minutes, though, he gestured for them to float back to their seats, where he helped strap back in before going back to his seat. Almost as soon as he did, they felt gravity reassert itself as they entered one of the Everest's hangars. The only indication that they stopped was hearing a dull thud through the Pelican, then they heard a faint rumble as the hangar was refilled with oxygen. Only then did they hear a wailing siren going off, which soon went away as the chamber was properly pressurized.

"Alright, everyone off," Johnson announced as the bay doors opened, revealing an empty hangar.

As Ozpin and the others stepped off, they took a moment to look around. Carried on racks along the roof and in tunnels leading into the ship were other Pelicans and large fighter aircraft. If Ozpin remembered correctly, Johnson had said that UNSC fighters were called Longswords, so he assumed that's what they were. A few technicians were rushing over to their Pelican in order to conduct proper maintenance, but they left them behind to instead walk through the door they entered. Once inside, they were greeted by a pair of MPs wielding assault rifles, who escorted them and Sergeant Johnson through the Everest's hallways.

Like the rest of the UNSC's designs, the ship's hallways were boxy and utilitarian. Mostly gunmetal grey, the only dashes of color were arrows pointing to different areas of the ship. Ozpin couldn't read English just yet, none of them could, and he wondered what a sealed red door led to. Eventually they came across an elevator, and they stepped inside before it ascended higher into the ship. Once it stopped, they got off as well and followed the MPs towards the bridge.

When they arrived at the bridge, Ozpin immediately noticed Doctor Halsey and Admiral Cole waiting for them at the opposite end of a holotable, but his attention wasn't focused on them. Instead, it immediately went to what he saw outside the bridge's windows, a sight that took his breath away. He could hardly feel where he was going as he slowly walked up to the window, and as he placed his hand against what he assumed was glass, he beheld for the first time the sight of Remnant, his homeworld from orbit. Alongside him, he felt the others do the same, and no one said a word.

"It's…beautiful," Ozpin whispered, feeling that was the only thing he could say.

It didn't compare to the roaring swirl of emotions inside him, and he felt as though nothing could accurately describe it. Only then did Ozpin finally realize something. He, along with everyone else with him, were the first people to see their planet from orbit. The first to leave Remnant's atmosphere and see what it all looked like at once. After fighting for such a long…long time to protect as many pieces as he could of a world he'd believed was broken, only now for the first time did he see it in its entirety.

Below, underneath thick white clouds and surrounded by pristine blue seas, he saw the greens and browns of Sanus. Vale was beginning to descend into night, and an orange glow sprang forth from the lights of the city. At the same time, he saw the blank canvas of Solitas, a single intense dot of orange light showing where Atlas was. Mistral was too far away to be seen, as with Menagerie, but he could see the western shore of Anima. And beyond all of that, past the curve of the horizon, there was simply ane infinite void of black, broken only by the scattered sparks of the stars.

"It is," he heard Admiral Cole say as he walked over to them, his hands folded behind his back.

"Thank you for…showing us this," Ozpin said, his voice sincere. Even if the UNSC's purpose of this meeting wasn't benign, he could cherish this sight for the rest of his life.

"Of course. We felt that seeing Remnant from orbit would help to put things in perspective," Cole admitted, then turned around and walked back towards the holotable. "Now, if you please, there's something else we need to show you."

Slowly, the tense feeling returned, and Ozpin tore himself away from the window to go back to the command area. The others followed his lead, and they each grabbed a chair and sat down around the holotable. Only when they were all seated did Halsey, Admiral Cole, and Sergeant Johnson take their seats, and a heavy silence fell over them.

"Now, I want to thank you all for accepting our request, especially on such short notice," Cole began. "I understand that the secrecy is concerning, but I assure you it's in Remnant's best interest."

"If it's in Remnant's best interest, couldn't we hold this discussion more openly?" Professor Ozpin asked, narrowing his gaze. Cole and Halsey returned it without flinching, and the Vice Admiral placed his gloved hands together on top of the holotable.

"If the contents of this meeting were to get out and exposed improperly, before the kingdoms were ready, the panic that ensued among your people when I arrived would seem like nothing," Cole declared. A chill went down Ozpin's spine, and as he studied Halsey's and Cole's faces, he saw that they were telling the truth.

Once again, Ozpin realized his suspicions were accurate, which was only solidified after Admiral Cole pressed a button on the table. A holographic projection of a planet went up, showing a small world dominated by a single supercontinent that dwarfed the ocean that surrounded it. It was lush and green, covered in vast grasslands, forests, lakes and streams. A single word, translated into two languages, emerged around it, and it read 'Harvest.'

"This is the planet Harvest, one of five planets in the Epsilon Indi system and the only one that was habitable," Halsey explained. "Founded in 2468, at the time Harvest was our farthest and most remote colony. Its fertile soil turned it into an attractive prospect, and it quickly became humanity's breadbasket despite having a population of only 3,000,000 people. Most of our food was grown there, and for decades it was peaceful. When the Insurrection erupted, Harvest remained relatively unaffected, although by 2524, the UNSC became concerned about a growing Insurrectionist movement that we believed was responsible for the disappearance of several merchant vessels in the area."

"A few marines and I were sent to Harvest in order to train a colonial militia ," Johnson spoke up, and a few images of him training said men and women popped up. "As more freighters disappeared, we laid a trap for what we believed were pirates or insurrectionists. What we found was neither."

A video feed popped up, showing a helmet cam courtesy of Sergeant Johnson. He and another marine were hiding behind boxes as the freighter they were on was boarded. When the boarders entered view, however, to Ozpin's and everyone else's alarm, they weren't human. Instead, they were tall, bird-like creatures wielding swords whose blades appeared to be made of plasma.

"What…is that?" Ghira asked, his hair on the back of his neck standing up.

"That ugly son of a bitch is a Jackal," Johnson answered, his face scowling as the video erupted into a fight as the two marines engaged the aliens with battle rifles.

One of the marines was wounded with a plasma blade, and after Johnson tended to his wounds, he chased after a fleeing Jackal. His helmet cam, recording it all, allowed Ozpin and the others to watch as Johnson entered the alien vessel. In sharp contrast to the dull utilitarianism of UNSC designs, the alien spacecraft was far more vibrant, the hallways colored in a luminous purple and pink. The hallways were rounded, appearing almost organic, and it was actually quite beautiful to look at. When Johnson caught up to the fleeing Jackal, a brief fight ensued that resulted in its death, but not before it started something that prompted Johnson to flee. The marine's helmet cam recorded as he sprinted through the ship back into the human freighter, which then pulled away as the alien vessel self-destructed violently.

"We didn't know it yet, but that was our first encounter with the Covenant," Johnson announced as a new series of images popped up onto the holotable, each one displaying a different creature.

"The Covenant?" General Ironwood asked, and Halsey looked at him.

"The Covenant, as I'm sure you suspect," Halsey began, confirming another of Ozpin's suspicions, "are a highly advanced collective of alien species, organized into castes, all unified under a single religion. A religion that worships an ancient civilization, from which they derive their entire technology that is centuries ahead of our own, called the Forerunners. They believe the Forerunners left the mortal plane behind to become gods nearly a hundred-thousand years ago. Their entire society revolves around the idea of The Great Journey, where they may follow the path of the Forerunners and becomes gods themselves. Most importantly, since 2525, we've been at war with them."

Ozpin furrowed his brow, feeling that he was beginning to piece together the puzzle. After a moment, he said, "So, this Covenant is trying to convert you to their religion, then?"

Halsey, Cole, and Johnson merely grimaced and shook their heads, and Cole declared, "They have no such interest in that, I assure you."

A sinking feeling filled Ozpin's gut, along with the rest of the headmasters'. Ironwood then leaned forward and asked, "Then why are you still at war with them after sixteen years? If they're not trying to convert you, why couldn't you have sued for peace?"

"Oh, they don't want that either," Johnson answered, crossing his arms before pointing at the picture of Harvest. "That picture of Harvest you're seeing? That was taken in December of 2524. In February of 2525, after we first encountered the Covenant at Harvest, any and all transmissions to and from the planet were cut off. That left myself and the colonial militia I had been training for only a few months completely on our own as the planet was invaded by Brutes and Grunts. Brutes are the hairy ones with big teeth while the Grunts have the gas masks, by the way."

Ozpin's eyes shot towards the images in question. Sure enough, the large figure was covered in hair, and what little skin was exposed looked thick and sturdy. In its hands was a large pistol with a pair of curved bayonets on the front end, and the only bit of armor it wore was a helmet. With a mouth filled with large tusks, it wasn't hard to see why the UNSC called them Brutes. They certainly looked brutish. The Grunt, on the other hand, was much smaller, but with the pack on its back its total height seemed to match his. Assuming the name meant something, Ozpin felt that these Grunts were the basic workers of the Covenant.

"They wanted the planet because they thought Harvest had Forerunner artifacts on it. Obviously we weren't going to just hand the whole thing over to them, and they didn't take too kindly to us saying no," Johnson explained. "After first contact went sour, they started killing everybody. Didn't matter if they were soldier or civilian. If they were human, they were slaughtered."

"Gods…" Pietro muttered as footage of the slaughter was shown.

Civilians were running for their lives as the alien warriors cut them down, firing massive spikes from their handguns that gored through them. Accompanying the spikes were balls of multicolored plasma, mostly red from smaller and more elegant looking handguns. The smaller Grunts were wielding small handguns that fired green orbs of plasma that melted through armor and flesh as though it was nothing. From above, alien aircraft screamed through the air, firing blue bolts of plasma machine guns supplemented by larger green explosive blasts. The UNSC militia fought the best they could, but they were no match and were cut down as well.

"How many died?" Ironwood asked, unable to tear his gaze away as more footage of the battle was shown.

"Out of 3,000,000 people, only 250,000 survived," Johnson revealed.

Ozpin felt his breath hitch, and from the corner of his eye he saw the other leaders of Remnant had the same reaction. But as he turned back to Johnson, it was clear that he, Halsey, and Cole were far from finished.

"When contact with Harvest was lost," Cole explained, "the Colonial Military Association sent the CMA Argo to investigate. It arrived on April 20th, 2525, and contact was lost soon after. In response, a CMA battle group was dispatched composed of a Hillsborough-class destroyer, the CMA Heracles, and two Charon-class light frigates, the CMA Arabia and CMA Vostok. They arrived on October 7th, 2525, where they encountered this."

The image of Harvest shifted, and Ozpin felt his heart jump into his throat as the once pristine paradise was reduced to a glowing ball of fire. The lakes and oceans were melted away, the surface burned and smooth like freshly made glass. The atmosphere was clogged in thick, black smoke, and the only portions of the planet left untouched were covered in what looked to be lifeless snow. Orbiting above the planet was a single massive and bulbous Covenant vessel, which was labeled as a super-destroyer. No one made a sound, and the room was so quiet that one could hear a pin being dropped.

"The Covenant attacked the battlegroup, and in less than a minute, the Arabia and the Vostok were destroyed while the Heracles was critically damaged," Cole somberly announced. "Before the Heracles managed to escape and limp back to the UNSC headquarters at Reach, the super-destroyer broadcasted a single message in perfect English."

Once Cole finished speaking, an audio feed popped up, and the lines began to bounce up and down as a silky voice declared, "Your destruction is the will of the gods, and we are their instrument."

The UNSC let the declaration of war hang over everyone's heads, then Cole began to softly speak. With how quiet everyone was, he might as well have been shouting at the top of his lungs.

"It took us five years to get Harvest back, but by then the Covenant had already begun massacring the Outer Colonies. You must understand. The Covenant aren't trying to conquer us," Cole declared. "They're not trying to convert us to their religion. They don't want our resources, they don't want our living space, and they don't believe we follow the wrong ideology that needs correcting. The only thing the Covenant want is humanity's complete and utter annihilation."

"You once said, Headmaster, that the Grimm were the greatest threat to humanity," Halsey added, her tone of voice cold as ice. "Unfortunately, you're quite wrong. The Human-Covenant War isn't like your Great War. Then you fought for the right of expression. But here and now, we're fighting for our right to exist."

Ozpin looked at the others then cleared his throat, trying his best to wrap his mind around what he was bearing witness to. He had suspected for months now that the UNSC was at war with the Covenant, but never had he conceived of this type of war. It seemed far-fetched, and he wanted to discard it as merely propaganda, but at the same time he couldn't. His instincts, honed over countless lifetimes, were screaming at him that the UNSC was telling the truth, and that terrified him more than anything else.

"Hold on, that…doesn't make any sense," Pietro tried to say, but his throat sounded dry. "This has to be an exaggeration. There's no possible way a space-faring civilization would resort to this…this…barbarism."

"I sincerely wish that was the case, Doctor," Admiral Cole sadly replied, "but it's not. We've already lost hundreds of colonies and billions of people, with entire worlds glassed into oblivion with no concern for long-term damage. If anything, it seems to be the desired effect."

"If that's the case," Glynda replied, her voice low, "then how is this our problem? I'm sorry but the Covenant is at war with the UNSC, not Remnant."

"They're at war with humanity, not the UNSC," Halsey answered, her voice firm and sharp as steel. "Many insurrectionists made the exact same mistake you're making and tried to ally themselves with the Covenant against us. They were killed for their trouble, and by now any insurrectionists who are left have wisely chosen to hide from them. Most signed up with the UNSC, the threat of human extinction outweighing any old animosities."

Glynda swallowed hard, visibly trying her best to dispute the allegation. But, just like Ozpin, she was finding herself unable to completely do so. There was still doubt, but Ozpin suspected, much like his own, it was borne out of desperation rather than genuine disbelief.

"The-the Faunus aren't human though," Sienna pointed out, her voice quivering as more and more planets showing the Covenant's onslaught were shown, along with a relentless increase in casualties that quickly reached the billions.

"They won't care," Johnson retorted. "They'll see the Faunus as humans with extra bits, nothing more. You don't look different enough. They'll gun you down all the same."

Ghira and Sienna shot back, their eyes wide and their foreheads beginning to drip with sweat. The rest of Ozpin's colleagues were doing the same, with Lionheart beginning to have an outright panic attack, and General Ironwood was beginning to clench the holotable with enough force to form dents. Then Professor Theodore tilted his head towards Admiral Cole, Doctor Halsey, and Sergeant Johnson, then raised his eyebrow.

"How do we know this isn't a fabrication?" he asked. "I'm sorry if I cause any offense, but I find this hard to believe. You're talking about a collection of aliens, more advanced than you, trying to kill all humans because we exist?"

"It sounds like the plot of one of the first-person-shooter video games I've confiscated from my students," Professor Rumpole added, which Glynda nodded to in agreement. Ozpin knew where they were coming from, and the statements seemed to calm the others somewhat.

Rather than appear insulted, the UNSC representatives merely shook their heads sadly. Cole then said, "I'm afraid that's the truth. It's hard to believe, I know, but just a few months ago I didn't believe the soul existed, much less that it could be brought out as Aura and Semblances. But I assure you that I am not lying about this. None of us are. The Covenant, and the threat they pose to all of humanity, is real."

"Remnant is just outside of UNSC space, and we found you by accident," Halsey pointed out. "The Covenant are far more advanced than us, and are actively searching for human colonies to destroy. It's not a matter of if they'll find Remnant, it's when. And when they find Remnant, they'll burn it to the ground like every other human-occupied world."

The room fell silent once more, and Ozpin felt his heart thundering in his chest. His hands were clenched tightly onto the table as he watched more and more pristine, beautiful worlds burned away. Madrigal, Jericho VII, and countless more worlds joined Harvest's fate, while only a few, such as the world of Arcadia, managed to survive, albeit heavily scarred. Ozpin desperately wanted to dismiss all of it, but he couldn't. None of them could.

"Well then, assuming all this is true," Ironwood said, shakily looking up at Admiral Cole, "what is it that you want, then?"

"An alliance," Cole immediately answered. "Remnant cannot survive the Covenant on its own, but the UNSC is losing ground too fast to recover. We believe that Remnant, when combined with UNSC capabilities, holds the key to humanity's survival. Your Aura, Dust, and the Huntsmen and Huntresses who are trained to use them. By working together, we can push the Covenant back, prevent them from wiping us out."

"In return for this alliance, the UNSC is fully prepared to lend its full assistance in combating the Grimm," Halsey explained. "That includes garrisons of the UNSC Army and Air Force, along with orbital support. In addition, the UNSC will offer our technology to augment yours and vice versa. That includes medicine, AIs, energy generation, space travel, and other innovations that would lead to one of the largest jumps in standards of living Remnant has ever seen."

Ozpin looked at Halsey for a moment, then asked, "What if we refused?"

"Then we will simply hire Huntsmen and Huntresses," Halsey explained. "We have no interest in fighting Remnant over this. Not only is it a monumentally stupid idea on more levels than I can count, it is simply a conflict neither of us need. The UNSC Security Council has wisely come to the decision that we have more to gain working together than we ever could by being apart."

"That being said, I do understand your concerns," Cole added. "This is a lot to take in, and all you're truly going off of at the moment is our word. Understandably, that isn't enough to justify jumping into a war that shouldn't involve you. Which is why Doctor Halsey suggested a trial run, of sorts."

"A trial run?" Ghira asked, raising an eyebrow, and Doctor Halsey nodded.

"Yes. Rather than take our word for it, have Huntsmen and Huntresses you trust come with us," Halsey offered. "There they can see for themselves whether or not the threat of the Covenant is real. They'll report back to you, and then you can make your decision."

Ozpin hummed, rubbing his hand across his chin. The offer was somewhat appealing, and it would enable him and the rest of Remnant's leaders to make the most accurate decision. But, at the same time, it carried risks, and the last thing he wanted was his people being exploited.

"If we were to allow this, how many could be sent?" Ozpin asked.

"As many as you want, although I would recommend keeping the number reasonable," Halsey suggested. "My suggestion would be four to five Huntsmen and Huntresses from each kingdom."

The Headmaster of Beacon nodded in agreement with that request, then he asked, "How would they be treated?"

"They would be treated as observers," Cole answered. "Observers outside of the UNSC's chain of command. Should conflict with the Covenant erupt, they won't be expected to follow our orders."

"How long would they be gone?"

"At most, one year. After that, the decision's up to you."

Ozpin hummed then looked around to his colleagues. They were all deep in thought, but one by one they looked at Ozpin, silently telling him their decision. Lionheart was the last one, then Ozpin nodded and turned back to Admiral Cole.

---

Patch Island

Kingdom of Vale, Sanus, Remnant, Oum System

9:30 PM, 70 AGW (Remnant Calendar)

"Alright girls, time for bed," Taiyang announced as he entered the living room where Qrow was playing video games with Ruby and Yang.

"Aww, come on, dad!" Ruby complained as she continued to play, not looking away from the screen. "I'm not tired!"

"Just let us finish this game, please?" Yang begged, but Taiyang shook his head while walking over and turning the console off.

"No, I was winning!" Ruby screeched then pouted towards her dad, but Taiyang was unaffected by her trademark puppy-dog eyes.

"Uh-uh, none of that tonight. Besides, I told you to go to bed half-an-hour ago."

"But dad!" Yang started, but Taiyang merely threw his arm to the side towards the girl's room.

Both Ruby and Yang groaned, then slowly got up and trudged towards their room, dragging their heels along the way. Qrow watched them go with an amused smile on his face, and once they heard the door close, he looked towards Tai and raised an eyebrow.

"You know, I was going to tell them to go to bed after that game," he pointed out, but Tai waved him off.

"Oh, don't you start. You're a bad influence on them, and you know it," Taiyang playfully remarked. Rather than counter, Qrow merely shrugged, then took another swig of his beer bottle before walking over to the table.

"Any word from Oz?" Taiyang asked, and Qrow frowned before shaking his head.

"Nothing yet. He's been up in that ship for hours. Starting to get worried," he admitted, and Taiyang scoffed.

"You're only getting worried now?"

"Oh, I was worried as soon as Oz got the message. It's only increased since then."

Taiyang shook his head, but before he could say anything else, Qrow felt his scroll vibrate. He fished it out of his pocket, and to his relief he saw that the caller ID was Ozpin. Letting out a smile, he answered the call and brought the scroll up to his ear, raising a finger towards Taiyang to keep him quiet.

"Oz, was starting to get worried. What did they want?" he asked. When Ozpin didn't answer at first, Qrow's smile turned into a frown. Then he heard Ozpin clear his throat, and the Headmaster of Beacon began to speak.

"Qrow, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to do something for me," Ozpin said, and Qrow raised his eyebrow.

"Of course," he answered, not seeing where the issue was coming from. After all, he'd done plenty of assignments for Ozpin over the years, many of which kept him away from home for months. One went past a year.

"What do you need me to do?" he asked, and on the other end of the line he heard Ozpin sigh.

"Do you remember what you found for me back at Vytal?"

"Yeah?" Qrow felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise, and Taiyang noticed his shift in demeanor.

"It's worse than either of us thought. Far worse, if the UNSC is telling the truth," Ozpin admitted, and Qrow felt his eyes widen. "They're offering to take Huntsmen and Huntresses to see for themselves, and I need you to go with them."

[~][~]

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

Remnant's leaders have finally learned what the Covenant are, and as you can see, they did not take it well. How else would you react if you were told an advanced alien collective wanted to wipe you out just for existing? But doubts, even if borne out of desperation, persist, so now Remnant is sending forces of their own to see for themselves. The fight against the Covenant is once again taking center stage, and I can't wait to show you guys what we have in store.

Now, onto the Q&A:

Ghostly: The SPARTAN Program is well underway, and there's nothing Salem can do to stop it. At the moment, her reach is limited.

Chewbacca: I'm actually helping with a RWBY/Mass Effect crossover called Spectrum of the Sky. In it, the Asari found Remnant just after the Great War and uplifted them, with the four kingdoms of Remnant uniting into the Kingdoms Alliance. Ruby is taking the place of Shepard in the story. We've only gotten the prologue and trailer 1 completed, but we're working on the rest of it as well.

the REAL caboose: Thank you. I'm glad you like it so much.

Guest: We are a long, long ways away from that. Even then, I only do things in my story because I believe it'll help push it forward. I don't do things because my audience requests it. That goes for this and anything else.

Salutations: Thank you.

LoneRider-09: Glad to hear it! Also, you can expect a fair amount of RvB references, along with other stuff that we think are fun.

Jackboot: I have four stories I write, and I try to update them at least once or twice a month.

Ferox Pretorious: Remember, for the ease of diplomacy and the simple fact that doing so, as Halsey and Cole pointed out, would be utterly idiotic, they aren't bringing their full might to bear. Not to mention I want to respect both sides of this crossover. Far too many Halo crossovers have the UNSC be this overwhelming force, when that has never really been the case in Halo (with the exception of 4 and 5 due to the current state of the galaxy at the time). The UNSC is the underdog, and I intend to show that. As for the SPARTAN recovery time, there's a difference between "fully recovered," which is what Hannibal was referring to, and "combat-capable." You're correct, the SPARTANs are able to be combat capable with far worse injuries after a short recovery time, but now they're getting the chance to fully recover, which is why it's taking a bit longer. As for Aura, you'll have to wait and see.

Pvt. Jenkins: Don't worry, more's coming.

Blazer: At one point, my thought was to have the Spirit of Fire show up. I love that ship, but the problem is that doing so doesn't help the story I intend to tell. So, sorry but it's not happening. At least not anytime soon.

SPRTN544: Thank you, I'm glad you liked the chapter! Yeah, Halsey is a lot of fun for me to write, especially when I put her in the same room as Doctor Watts. You can expect to see more of her as the story goes on, especially as she tries to bring Aura, Dust, and Semblances back firmly into the realm of science. And yeah, Salem doesn't fully grasp what the UNSC is just yet. None of them do, and her and the others learning more and more will be a big focus of the story. Same from the perspective of the UNSC towards Remnant. As for advantages and disadvantages, I fully intend to explore those as well. Again, I'm respecting both sides of the crossover. I don't want nor like stomp fics.

shados960: Yep. Last chapter may have been slow, but it was very much important. In any story structure, you have to have the falling action after the climax, which is exactly what this was. This chapter, in contrast, was a bit of rising action. The next few will be that until we hit the second climax of the First Contact arc, and I don't think I need to specify what that will be. You're correct that Halsey suspects something. She's smart like that, which Ozpin has picked up on and is a reason why he doesn't like her. As for Remnant's reaction towards the Covenant, it's inevitable that they have to join in but they're not going to like it. From their leader's reactions, it's not going to be pretty. And that's really the thing about Salem and is why I like her as a villain so much. She's arrogant and evil, yes, but not stupid about it. She knows what she wants and works to get it, but not in a way that'll obviously backfire. I intend to show that about her. As for your suggestions, I will not be doing a Mass Effect-style timeline. I'm not a huge fan of those, as I feel it's too impersonal. What I do intend to do is a high-light reel where chapters come in that have multi-year timeskips between them, showing various developments and events leading up to when RWBY and JNPR enter the scene. Also, I do not take requests to write stories. Any and all stories I write are ones I come up with.

ChronoHyperion: You will have to wait and see. This goes for everyone, but please try to refrain from asking questions directly pertaining to future plot events. Those are spoilers, and I will not be answering those. That includes whether or not certain characters will appear, certain events will happen, etc.

Zealswordsmen: Thank you, that was a big priority for me. I wanted the First Contact arc of this story to feel realistic and organic. Glad to hear that I accomplished that.

CheesusChrist15: Those statements are coming from Doctor Watts, who as we all know far from being an unbiased source as well as being, frankly, an asshole. Just because he says UNSC weapons are primitive does not mean they actually are. They just went down a different path than Remnant did, which Halsey pointed out.

Warlus999: Uh...thank you? I'm not certain how this discussion on magic vs science pertains to the story, but I'm glad you like my work.

D. : Yep, and now things are moving forward. Especially since the UNSC doesn't have the luxury of time.

Jinero: You'll have to wait and see for all of that.

Knighthunter911700: No, they would not. SPARTANs are the embodiment of the professional soldier. Only Emile, or other SPARTAN-IIIs like him, would do what you suggest. But those are abnormalities for the most part. The SPARTAN-IIs, like Blue Team, aren't the type of people to go overboard as that would be a waste of their time and doesn't actually help the mission. I'm going to end the discussion on that here.

SulliMike23: Which the UNSC anticipated, hence why they had the secret meeting on the Everest. Figured they'd break the news slowly.

Steelrain66: You're correct, the UNSC does not like racism. As a whole, they've moved past it. Now the discrimination is Inner vs Outer colonist, so they don't really like the treatment the Faunus get. As Ghira pointed out, they haven't had the same issues with the UNSC as they've had with the other kingdoms, which has ramifications for the future.

kpmh2001: Thank you, I'm glad you like my characterization. I really try to ensure my interpretations of their characters match canon as much as possible. As for your opinion on SPARTANs, I can see where you are coming from and I do agree. In the case of the fight against Haki, though, do remember that a lot of what I did came from the needs of the story. I needed to show how SPARTANs and Huntsmen stacked up against each other, so I had the fight go as it did.

Iron117Prime: Oh, it's going to be interesting, that's for sure.

The Avenging Titan: Yeah, I love the Halo characters, too. It's my favorite franchise for a reason, and my goal here with this story is to honor both Halo and RWBY as I show how I believe they would interact and mesh in this setting.

Shadowwolf of Phantasms: That's good to hear! I intend for my work to be accessible by anyone, not just die-hard lore fans of either series. All you really need is a passing knowledge of it, and while there's certainly Easter eggs die-hard fans will recognize, you don't need them to understand the story.

thetyrant67: Thank you, that really means a lot to me.

That's it for this chapter. I hope you guys enjoy and let me know what you think!