Dust and Echoes (RWBY/Halo)
Chapter 15: Hard Contact
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UNSC Midsummer Night, Stalwart-class Light Frigate
Slipspace Transit
April 5th, 2541 0803 Hours (UNSC Military Calendar)
It had been weeks since the Huntsmen and Huntresses departed from Eridanus II. The planet was long behind them, separated by at least a dozen lightyears. That distance only increased as the days went by yet, despite that, what they saw refused to leave their minds. Never once in their lives had they seen such utter desolation. Not even the aftermath of a Grimm attack came close. What was worse was that, since then, they'd visited two other nearby planets that suffered the same fate. Neither of them had the brand inflicted upon them like Eridanus II did, but that was only a minor detail in the grand scheme of it all.
"I just…I can't get it out of my head," Qrow heard Casper Marine say from the far end of the table all of the Huntsmen and Huntresses were sharing. After what they witnessed, segregating among themselves so openly was no longer as appealing. They still grouped themselves up by kingdom, but none of them wanted to be alone right now.
"Neither can I," Harriet Bree admitted, clenching her fist in rage. Elm Ederne, who was sitting right next to her, was in a similar state of mind, although she was keeping her composure far better.
"I can't help but imagine Atlas like that," she said, looking down at her now cool plate of scrambled eggs and toast. Hardly any of them had touched their breakfast, not even Qrow, as their appetites just didn't seem all that important.
"Same with Mantle," Robyn added. "Everything just…burned to the ground, covered in glass, any trace of life ever existing just wiped away…"
"The silence was the worst part," Sepia declared, bringing his hands together. "Especially when you could tell what used to be there. Those planets used to be filled with life, but now…they're dead, filled with nothing but ghosts. I've been a Huntsman for years, and I've seen some terrible things in that time, but this…this was worse than anything the Grimm have ever done."
"Yeah, especially when you realize that destruction was done on purpose," Qrow pointed out, gripping his fork tightly in his hand while glaring at his food. Everyone was giving him their utmost attention now, and he continued, "While the Grimm are monsters, don't get me wrong, they're just doing what they do: destroy. There's no real thought to it. It's instinctual, really. Kinda like a hurricane blowing through, just with teeth and claws. But the Covenant…they're sapient, like us. They can think, create, destroy, choose, just like we can, and they chose to burn those planets and everything on them to the ground. In that sense, they're worse."
The silence in the room was suffocating, as no one quite knew how to respond to Qrow's declaration. All of them knew, though, that he was completely correct. It seemed so long ago that the revelation of them not being alone in the universe seemed euphoric, but after what they've seen since then, part of them wanted to go back to the way things were. Ignorance was bliss, the saying goes, and things were much simpler when all they had to care about was Grimm and the occasional criminal. Not interstellar genocide.
But all of them knew that was impossible. A box had been opened, letting out all of its inner demons that would never go back in even if they closed it. All they could do now was keep pressing forward, gathering as much intel as they could so that Remnant would gain a full picture of what was going on, and what could potentially await them.
"How do you think people are going to react when they find out about this?" Thomas asked, leaning forward while propping himself up on the table.
"It'll be total chaos, I guarantee it," May immediately declared while narrowing her eyes. "I mean, how else would people react when they find out that there's a whole bunch of aliens out there that want to kill us just for existing? People are going to panic."
"That's not any different than the Grimm," Gron Traekke gruffly pointed out as he crossed his arms and huffed. "Yet you don't see people panicking about that until they're right on their doorstep. Otherwise, people seem to think that being behind the kingdoms' walls will keep them safe."
"I think the Covenant is a completely different beast," Clover pointed out, and Gron leaned out to look directly at the Atlesian Specialist.
"You're misunderstanding me. The way I see it, both the Grimm and the Covenant are existential threats to us. Only difference is that, unless you're living outside the kingdoms' walls like us," he declared while gesturing to all the other faunus, "the Grimm can be kept at bay. Especially since we keep all of our attention on them. If we let ourselves be distracted by the Covenant, what happens to the Grimm?"
"You're saying that the Covenant would divide our attention," Sienna concluded, and Gron nodded.
"Exactly. Don't get me wrong. If the Covenant finds us, Remnant is in for a world of hurt," Gron admitted, then raised a scaly finger. "But, if we allow ourselves to shift attention to the Covenant, less will be given to the Grimm. They already kill thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, each and every year. Way I see it, we can't afford to divert our focus away from them."
"So we should just ignore the Covenant, then? After what we've seen them do?" Abby incredulously asked, and Gron slowly swiveled his head towards her.
"I'm saying this isn't our fight," he clarified, bringing his hands together. "This is a human war, not ours, especially when we have enough problems of our own as it is. Fighting the Covenant will only give the Grimm more flexibility and draw the Covenant to us in the first place. By not fighting the Covenant, they won't even know we exist."
"Terrans and Remnantians are both human," Clover declared while lightly glaring at the lizard faunus, who shrugged and waved him off.
"All the same to me," Gron countered, and Clover's glare briefly intensified before he sighed and shook his head.
"Regardless, you heard what the UNSC said. We're right on the border of Terran space, and it's only a matter of time before the Covenant finds us. If that happens, the only way we survive is by working with the UNSC as allies," Clover said, only for Gron to scoff.
"Of course the Atlesian would say that working with the UNSC is the best thing to do. They're practically Space Atlas, militarism and all, so obviously you want us all to subject ourselves to them," Gron dismissed. While the Atlesian delegation looked incensed, he merely began to dig into his food. As he chewed and swallowed, he looked back at the other Huntsmen and Huntresses then added, "You do realize that the only reason why the UNSC is being so accommodating is because they want to use us, right? They need our help in their war, a war that they're losing badly from what we've seen so far. Otherwise, all of us would be having an entirely different conversation right about now. Besides, we don't know that the Covenant will really find us. For all we know, the UNSC's overexaggerating the Covenant's ability to do so, or that we're actually farther away from them than they're leading on. I mean, if they're so advanced, how come the Terrans haven't been wiped out yet?"
"Because of the Cole Protocol," Sergeant Johnson suddenly cut in with a tray in hand, interrupting the conversation and shifting all attention to him. There was a frown on his face, slight but still noticeable, yet he kept an air of professionalism around him. A few of the other marines around him weren't so composed, openly glaring at Gron who didn't seem to care in the slightest.
"The Cole Protocol?" Abby repeated, eager to change the subject. "I think I heard that once or twice. Do you mind explaining it to us, Sergeant?"
"Of course, Abby. Figured it was about time you got a refresher," Johnson said as he sat down opposite Qrow. He took a bite from his toast, swallowed, then continued, "The Cole Protocol, as you can probably guess from the name, is a general order created by Admiral Cole in order to prevent the Covenant from finding any human-occupied worlds. Among its stipulations, it prevents direct slipspace travel between any two worlds since the Covenant can track that and, in the event of capture, all ships are to self-destruct with their NAV data wiped clean, not to mention their AIs undergoing final dispensation. There's a bunch of other stuff that goes into it, but long story short, the Cole Protocol makes it as hard as humanly possible for the Covenant to find our planets. More than any other tool or strategy, the Cole Protocol is why the Covenant hasn't won yet."
"An effective doctrine," Vine Zeki admitted, calmly sipping from his water. "If I may, with the Cole Protocol in effect, how does the Covenant find your worlds in the first place?"
"Usually by accident," Johnson answered, continuing to dig into his food and talking between bites. "Sometimes they'll place tracking devices on our ships, but we try to scrub for those. The Protocol's not perfect by any means, but it's damn effective. Speaking of, after you're all done eating, you're going to want to read the entire order. We haven't been requiring you to read it so far, but the situation's changed slightly."
The table grew silent and tense as the Huntsmen and Huntresses looked at each other. Fiona then cleared her throat and asked, "Is there a reason why?"
"It's the planet we're going go," Johnson replied. "The colony of Khembalung in the Kunlun system. Unlike Eridanus II and the other planets we've visited, Khembalung was partially glassed only three years ago, meaning there's a higher chance of Covenant activity in the region. Still unlikely, but as a precaution, the Commander felt it was wise for you all to get another briefing."
"Sounds reasonable," Qrow admitted, although he couldn't help but wonder about what other precautions were being put in place. The idea of going to a relatively recently glassed world carried a lot of risks and rewards, and he wasn't sure which one outweighed the other.
What he was certain of, though, as he returned to eating his food was that while Gron made some valid points regarding the UNSC's treatment of Remnant and the need to not be distracted from the Grimm even now, he was completely wrong about the Covenant. Any doubts Qrow had were now completely crushed, smeared all over the slagged ground of Eridanus II and the other glassed worlds they visited. He didn't know what they would find on Khembalung, but he did know that it would only further solidify his views. Remnant couldn't afford to focus on just one threat anymore, not if they wanted to survive.
He could only hope that his perpetual string of bad luck wouldn't drag him and everyone else down, and that the mission would go as planned.
UNSC Midsummer Night, Stalwart-class Light Frigate
Oort Cloud, Kunlun System
April 8th, 2541 0615 Hours (UNSC Military Calendar)
Commander Keyes stared out through the Midsummer Night's bridge as they prepared to exit Slipspace into the outer edge of the Kunlun system's Oort cloud. Normally they'd exit slipspace much closer to the planet itself, probably the asteroid belt that surrounded the planet, but not this time. Khembalung's glassing was far too recent, and the likelihood of Covenant patrols was high. Especially since more than a handful of ships had vanished in the area over the years. While the Night's stealth systems should protect them from all but the most powerful Covenant scanners, exiting slipspace released a lot of radiation that would mark their position like a lighthouse. Instead, Keyes decided the safer option was to hang back and ensure that no one was there, then proceed to the planet.
"Entering the Kunlun system in five minutes, Commander," Shakespeare revealed, and Keyes nodded. Bringing up his pipe, he began to chew on its end out of habit while continuing to stare out into the blank, starless void of Slipspace. The only sounds he could hear were the rumbling of his frigate's fusion engines and his crew working their stations. Otherwise, it was silent and not a word was said.
Finally, just as the Smart AI predicted, the blank void was briefly filled with light as they exited Slipspace. The light lasted only for a moment and went away almost as soon as it emerged, and the ship tremored slightly as large chunks of ice and rock bounced off the titanium hull. Kunlun was only visible as a faint dot in the distance, yet it was enough to drown out almost every other star. Keyes wasn't focused on stargazing, however, and instead waited for the results of the frequency scanning the crew immediately commenced as soon as they entered real space.
"Detecting no Covenant comms chatter, Commander," one of the helmsmen announced. "We're in the green."
"Then take us in," Keyes ordered. "But keep our Shaw-Fujikawa drive warmed up, just in case. If a Covenant vessel arrives, I want us out of here immediately."
"Yes sir," the helmsman replied, then turned back towards his station.
Moving onto the next order of business, Keyes turned towards Shakespeare and said, "Have the Huntsmen and Huntresses come to the bridge. I want them here to see our approach."
"Message away, Commander," Shakespeare replied as his avatar gave a dramatic flourish.
The act was completely unnecessary, but Keyes knew it was just a quirk of his personality. All AIs had them. Made them feel more human, when the only thing that was truly human about them was their origin. Keyes wondered if Shakespeare ever felt conscious about that, how human he appeared to be, yet wasn't and never truly will be. He also wondered if Shakespeare ever felt apprehension towards what they all knew was coming. Shakespeare was five years old, and in less than two years he'd undergo final dispensation. After that, the UNSC would issue them a new AI to replace Shakespeare, just as Shakespeare replaced the AI they had before.
Deep down, Keyes knew it wasn't fair, but he couldn't allow himself to dwell on it. Right now, he had a job to do, and he needed to focus on it.
By the time they exited the Oort cloud, the Huntsmen and Huntresses he was ferrying arrived at the bridge. None of them said a word, instead focusing on what was in front of them as Khembalung drew closer. At the same time, a holographic projection of the planet was displayed on the holotable behind him. Khembalung, before the glassing, was a cold, rough, mountainous planet about three-fourths the size of Earth. Most of the planet's population, numbering at just over nine-hundred-thousand, lived at the bottom of vast valleys that scattered the planet's numerous mountain ranges. The valleys had trapped enough warmth to make the planet tolerable, but when the Covenant arrived and won the battle overhead, it left them sitting ducks with no way of escape. At most only a few hundred escaped with their lives. Now Khembalung was eternally shrouded in nuclear winter (or whatever the plasma bombardment equivalent of it was), the only life left no more complex than lichen and bacteria.
"It looks…cleaner," Sienna Khan quietly noted as they closed the distance enough to where the planet entered visual range. Khembalung was far from picturesque, but compared to the utter desolation of Eridanus II, it was a marked improvement.
"Khembalung had just a few concentrated cities across the entire planet that housed practically the entire population," Keyes declared, taking his pipe out of his mouth and folding his right hand behind his back. "The Covenant only glassed those, sparing the rest of the planet."
"If that's considered 'sparing,' I don't want to know what their version of mercy is," Qrow muttered, and Keyes nodded.
They drew closer and closer to the destroyed colony, keeping a close eye on their surroundings to ensure their safety. So far, everything was proceeding as scheduled, but Keyes knew not to let himself nor anyone else fall into complacency. That was when things fell apart, and in his line of work, that led to people dying.
So, when a crewman manning the communications station suddenly jolted up, Keyes' attention immediately shot to her. Before she even turned around he knew something had gone wrong, he just didn't know how yet.
"Commander, I'm picking up a broadcast!" she revealed. Anyone whose attention wasn't already on her were focused now.
"What is it? Covenant?" Keyes asked, the order to turn around already on his lips, but the crewman shook her head which caused her brown ponytail to shake around.
"No, sir. Shortwave radio coming from the planet's surface," she clarified. "It's garbled, but it appears to be UNSC."
Keyes narrowed his eyes, then turned towards Shakespeare's holographic projection and ordered, "Shakespeare, clear up the broadcast. Let's hear what they have to say."
"One moment, sir," Shakespeare replied, then pulled up what appeared to them as a scroll of paper and a feather pen. On the surface of the paper was the actual broadcast, completely covered in static and impossible to make out. As the AI began to 'write' on it, the static cleared and the wavelengths became more visible. After a few moments, Shakespeare put away the pen and unfurled the paper, allowing the holotable to display it in full.
"I did the best I could, but unfortunately the signal was mostly corrupted," Shakespeare sadly reported. "Probably from physical damage. It's old, though. Two years, at least."
"You can tell that?" Yuri asked, and Shakespeare nodded.
"I am an artificial intelligence. We can easily pick up on these sorts of things," Shakespeare confirmed, then twirled his hand around to start the recording.
"May…need assi…surviv…anyon…" what was left of the recording stated, but everything else was garbled and out of focus.
"Anything else?" Keyes asked, but Shakespeare shook his head.
"Unfortunately, that was as much as I could do," Shakespeare said, and Keyes' frown deepened. The recording looped back and repeated, and everyone on the bridge focused on it.
"Are there…people still alive down there?" Robyn Hill incredulously asked, glancing back and forth between the image of the broadcast and the partially glassed planet.
"So it may seem," Keyes replied, turning his attention towards Khembalung. "Shakespeare, where's the source of the transmission?"
"I've isolated it to Namchabarwa Valley," Shakespeare replied, the region in question being highlighted on the projected globe of the planet. It was a tilted, oblong valley going northeast to southwest with a riverbed snaking through the middle of it, which broke off into three tributaries towards the end before traversing down another mountain range. It was roughly a hundred square kilometers in area, which on a planetary scale was quite small.
"We're…going to investigate it, right?" Abby asked as she looked at the people around her.
"That might not be wise," Vine countered as he studied the broadcast and the projection of Khembalung.
"How? We're here, and these people need help," Abby pointed out, only for Gron to snort and cross his arms.
"You heard the computer. That signal is two years old. If anyone's down there, they're long dead now," Gron declared with a huff.
"Assuming, of course, it's an actual distress signal," Harriet added, eyeing the broadcast with suspicion. "For all we know, this could be a trap."
"Is that a typical Covenant tactic?" Elm asked, and Keyes shook his head.
"No. Elites pride themselves on conducting battle with 'honor,' and they typically don't resort to underhanded tactics like this," Keyes answered, his brow furrowing. "Tends to leave them rigid and easy to predict, not that it helps us much."
"But you're not denying this could be a trap?" Qrow asked, and Keyes nodded.
"There could be people down there…or it could be someone sending a false distress signal to lure ships in and catch them off-guard," Keyes revealed as he leaned over the holotable as the globe disappeared and was replaced by a topographic map of Namchabarwa Valley. "A common tactic among Insurrectionists and pirates."
The bridge crew and the Huntsmen frowned as they pondered the implications, none of which were good. For Keyes, he felt as though he suddenly came across a multi-forked road where none of the possible choices ended well. The safest would probably be to just turn around and leave, but if there were people down there, civilians or possibly even soldiers, the Midsummer Night was in position to render aid. If they left, it was likely no one else would. He'd be leaving them to die, which didn't sit well with him.
On the other hand, this was likely to be a trap, one they'd be walking right into were they to go planetside. Humanity's long history with warfare had taught them that the element of surprise can and will prove devastating if used correctly. That provided yet another reason to just leave, but doing that posed a problem. If this was a trap laid by Insurrectionists or, God forbid, the Covenant, the most likely targets would be unarmed civilian vessels. If any did show up, they'd go down, thinking they'd be providing aid, only to walk into a slaughter. The Midsummer Night, on the other hand, was fully armed, so they'd be able to defend themselves from anything that might be waiting.
It was quite the conundrum, and he didn't know what the right answer was. Sighing to himself, he looked up to see the others staring at him to see what his decision would be, and he forced himself to stand upright.
"I'm going to be honest, none of the options we have here are good," Keyes admitted. "Either we investigate, potentially walking into a trap, or we avoid the planet entirely and leave possible survivors to die. Or worse, for someone else to arrive later and spring the trap we avoided."
The Huntsmen frowned, and by studying the looks on their faces, Keyes could tell that their opinions were mixed. Some, like Harriet, Gron, Sienna and Yuri, felt it was best to simply leave and wash their hands of the whole matter. Others, like Abby, Sepia, Casper and Thomas were more openly willingly to take the risk. Qrow, Clover, Elm, and especially Vine were harder to read, but he could tell that they were weighing the pros and cons of both options.
"If I may, sir," Clover spoke up, and Keyes nodded towards him.
"By all means," Keyes said, tilting his head at the commander of the Ace-Ops and gesturing for him to continue.
"This is most likely a trap," Clover declared as he straightened himself. "Be that as it may, I believe the best course of action would be to investigate and rescue any possible survivors, or eliminate any hostiles before they can strike less defended targets. Back on Remnant, if Grimm were spotted and weren't immediately taken out, that only allowed them time to grow in size and strength until the Grimm became uncontainable. I know these are two different situations, but the idea is the same."
"I agree," Qrow added as he leaned slightly back and crossed his arms. "Besides, we were going down there anyway. Might as well kill two Nevermores with one bullet."
Qrow's declaration sent Keyes aback, and he furrowed his eyebrows while asking, "You're not suggesting you go investigate the signal?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying," Qrow clarified, then shook his head and sighed. "Look, I know your orders are to keep us safe and return us to Remnant. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate it, but we're not students fresh out of the academy who don't know what we're doing. We're all fully trained and experienced Huntsmen, and we can defend ourselves just fine."
"Not all of us need to go down," Clover suggested. "Just a handful to assist your marines should the need arise. If it is a trap, as we suspect, just a few Huntsmen could tip the balance in our favor."
Keyes frowned as he rubbed his chin. Turning away for a few moments, he thought it over. On the one hand, directly putting the Huntsmen and Huntresses in danger flew in the face of the orders he was given. If any of them were to die, relations between Remnant and the UNSC could be frayed. On the other hand, Clover was absolutely right that just a few of them would provide a massive force multiplier on the same level as fielding SPARTANs. Plus, they were volunteering.
Finally, Keyes came to a decision then turned towards the gathered Remnantians and declared, "Alright, I'll allow it. We'll send a Pelican down in half an hour to investigate. In the meantime, select who among you will be going down. I'm not willing to risk any more than four. I'll be placing Sergeant Johnson in command of the marines in your transport group once you all reach groundside, and while you won't be beholden to following his orders, should things go south it would be best to cooperate."
"Of course, Commander," Clover replied. Keyes nodded, then turned around to order the rest of the ship to readiness.
As the bridge crew started furiously working on their stations, the Huntsmen and Huntresses rushed out of the bridge towards the armory. Everything was set into motion, and Keyes could only hope that his decision was the right one.
Choosing the four Huntsmen and Huntresses who would go down with the marines to Khembalung wasn't all that difficult. The Midsummer Night had four groups with them, so the decision was made to have one person from each group come along so that everyone was properly represented. Even the Happy Huntresses got their say, although most of the Ace-Ops weren't all that happy about it. Qrow didn't really care whether any of them came along or not. He was just happy that Atlas wasn't dominating the entire operation by sending more than one Ace Operative. If that meant he had to deal with a stowaway, he'd be fine with it.
In the end, it was decided that the Huntsmen and Huntresses joining the marines would be Clover Ebi, Robyn Hill, Abby Redwall, and Qrow himself. As the leaders of the Ace-Ops and Happy Huntresses, respectively, Clover and Robyn's inclusion was a no brainer. Qrow was selected by the rest of Vale's Huntsmen as soon as he volunteered due to them operating best as an all inclusive team, and they didn't want only one to go down on their own. Plus, he was Ozpin's right hand man, so they knew inherently that he was more than capable of taking care of himself. Menagerie, surprisingly enough, decided to send Abby Redwall down with them instead of Sienna Khan as Qrow and the others expected. Even Abby was surprised and tried to argue for Sienna or Yuri to take her place, but Sienna wouldn't budge.
Apparently, as Sienna put it, people liked Abby for her kind and bubbly personality, so if there were people down there who needed help, it was best for her to be the first Faunus they laid eyes on. After thinking about it for a bit, Qrow thought it made sense. Gron was, frankly, an asshole, not to mention the fact that his scaly skin made him look too much like an alien, while Sienna herself had an abrasive personality at best which would make search and rescue difficult. Qrow also got the sense that Sienna partly agreed with Gron's assessment about the futility of searching, not enough to object but just so that she didn't care about going down herself. Yuri was almost selected, but they felt that warm and bubbly was better than cool and detached.
"Grab your gear and a sidearm then head on down to the hangar," Chief Donnelly declared as the four Huntsmen and Huntresses entered the armory.
With only a curt nod to the engineer, Qrow grabbed Harbinger out of a locker along with several boxes of eight gauge shotgun shells off a nearby shelf. He fully loaded his weapon, flipped the blade into place, then flicked on the safety before holstering it across his back. Next he grabbed an M6D magnum and a few loaded magazines, inserted one into the weapon, then checked the action. Around him, he heard the rest of his impromptu team do the same, although Abby and Robyn opted for an M6 submachinegun instead of a pistol. Holstering his new weapon onto a magnetic holster on his hip, Qrow didn't wait for the others as he turned around and began walking to the hangar, although he soon found that he wasn't the first one finished.
"Branwen," Clover said as he stood up straight, looking towards the armory as he waited for the others. There was an expectant look on his face, and with a sigh Qrow stopped, crossed his arms, then leaned against the wall.
"Ebi," Qrow replied, giving the Atlesian Specialist a neutral gaze. Clover nodded back as he held up Kingfisher in his hand, and Qrow saw an M6D strapped to his thigh as well.
"Good thing we won't need helmets down there," Clover spoke up, breaking the uncomfortable silence that Qrow was cultivating.
"Yeah, since we don't need to worry about breathing in glass." Qrow shrugged and turned his gaze towards the armory, where he heard Robyn's and Abby's footsteps as they drew closer. After a moment, his attention still facing the armory, Qrow asked, "I'm guessing this is familiar for you?"
"Familiar? How so?" Clover asked, and Qrow turned his head back towards Clover.
"Huntsmen on a military op," Qrow clarified.
"Ah, yes. I suppose it is, in a way," Clover admitted with a nod, then looked at Qrow with a raised eyebrow. "I get the distinct feeling you don't approve of that."
"Not the biggest fan of militaries, personally," Qrow confirmed with a shrug. "Too centralized, in my opinion. Only serving one kingdom when the Grimm affect all of us."
Rather than take offense, Clover merely shrugged then said, "I can see how you feel that way. Brothers know most of Remnant feels the same. But, the way I see it, placing Huntsmen and Huntresses in a military hierarchy, like Atlas does, is simply the best use of resources. You wouldn't believe how many times my team and I were on a mission where Atlesian forces saved our lives, forces that wouldn't be there if we were on our own."
Qrow grunted and held his arms closer, then declared, "Sure, that sounds helpful, but remember that armies don't just fight the Grimm. They fight people, too. Your leaders may be focused on the Grimm now, but what if that changes? What if someone down the line decides to take this massive army that Atlas uses, that no other kingdom has, and tries to take advantage of that disparity?"
"I assure you, General Ironwood has no such inclinations."
"I wasn't talking about Ironwood," Qrow pointed out, narrowing his eyes towards Clover. For his part, Clover stared right back, but after a moment he sighed and looked away.
"Regardless, there's no point debating this now," Clover declared. "Especially since, by all accounts, the rest of the world may have to follow Atlas' example soon enough."
"…I know. That's what I'm afraid of," Qrow quietly admitted.
He didn't want to believe it, but from everything he'd learned and witnessed thus far, he was hard pressed to imagine that Remnant's current paradigm would be adequate against the Covenant. The Grimm were one thing, but outside of those under Salem's direct control, they were mindless. The Covenant weren't, and if they were to invade Remnant with their fleets and armies, just Huntsmen alone wouldn't be able to stem the tide.
Clover's eyes softened, then he and Qrow's attention shifted towards Robyn and Abby as they came closer.
"You graduated from Beacon?" Robyn asked her follow Huntress, and Abby enthusiastically nodded.
"Yep! Most of my family lives in Vale, but after I graduated I joined up with the White Fang," Abby revealed, only to stop and smile once she noticed Clover and Qrow waiting. "Hey, guys! Thanks for waiting."
"I honestly thought you'd be down there by now," Robyn admitted, and Qrow shrugged.
"Was going to be, then Mr. Atlas showed up," Qrow said as he tilted his head towards Clover. Robyn smiled and rolled her eyes, then together the four Huntsmen walked towards the hangar.
Johnson was finishing up the loading process of his marines by the time they arrived. He was wearing a white, winterized marine BDU, and on his back holster was an MA5B assault rifle while an M6D magnum was strapped to his hip. A quick look to the rest of his squad revealed they had the same loadout, although one man had an M90 shotgun and another had a SRS99 sniper rifle instead of assault rifles. They were also wearing their helmets, whereas Johnson didn't feel the need to wear more than a white cap. They weren't the only flight preparing to disembark towards the planet. While the Huntsmen were being inserted alongside Sergeant Johnson, Keyes felt it was best to send a whole platoon composed of four squads across Namchabarwa Valley.
"Alright, you're here," Johnson barked. "Climb on in so we can get this show on the road."
Abby, Clover, Robyn, and Qrow got aboard and strapped themselves in. By now, after traveling to a few desolated planets, they had gotten used to the process. So, when the hangar decompressed and they and three other Pelicans flew out into the vacuum of space, they didn't so much as bat an eye. Qrow did get a little nervous once the Pelican reentered atmosphere, being sure to keep his Semblance contained as much as possible.
Unfortunately, it wasn't enough as one jolt was strong enough to open one of the overhead compartments, causing several tools to fall down on a marine's helmet.
"Aagh, goddammit!" the hapless marine cursed, and Qrow couldn't help but wince. Despite his best efforts, his Semblance was causing issues once again. Thankfully they were minor thus far, and he could only hope they'd remain that way.
It did help that Commander Keyes and Shakespeare were aware of his Semblance and had already taken precautions behind the scenes to ensure it wouldn't cause any serious problems. Qrow had been surprised by that. After the initial incident with the cryopod, he had spoken to the commander in private to admit that he was the likely cause of the problem, only to find out that they already knew. Due to the nature of the mission, Commander Keyes had requested information about each and every Huntsman and Huntress that would be under his care, from basic medical information and academic history to their Semblances. Information that he was provided through specific dossiers by General Ironwood, much to Qrow's consternation. Once he learned of Qrow's Bad Luck Charm, Commander Keyes had Shakespeare assign a dedicated subroutine towards countering any ill effects Qrow's Semblance caused. Qrow admittedly didn't quite know how to feel about that, but at the very least he could take solace in his presence not jeopardizing the mission.
No one else on the ship knew, as the nature of Qrow's Semblance made it very personal for him. The fact that the Commander still trusted Qrow was a point in the man's favor, as was his ability to keep a secret. By this point, Qrow had decided that he liked the man, and he knew almost everyone else from Remnant felt the same. Except for Gron, but he was an asshole so no one really cared about his opinion.
Finally, after several minutes, the Pelican's flight smoothed out. They began to level off and fly down to Namchabarwa Valley. If there had been windows, Qrow and the others would be looking out from them, but unfortunately that wasn't an option. Instead, everyone checked their gear to ensure everything was as it should be, from their weapons and ammo to communication equipment. Luckily, Qrow's Semblance hadn't affected those, and they were all green. Shortly after they confirmed their status, the Pelican slowed to a stop and landed on the snow-covered ground.
"Move, move, move!" Johnson ordered as he and his men ran out the Pelican, their rifles raised and scanning the horizon.
Once they were certain their position was clear, Johnson threw up his fist and gestured for the Huntsmen to follow, which they did without question. A few kilometers away, Qrow saw the other three Pelicans descend through the atmosphere. In order to cover the most ground, the lieutenant in charge of their platoon, whose name Qrow didn't bother to remember, deemed it wise for each individual squad to search a different area. He could understand the logic, but that left them very isolated if things went to Hell. At the moment, though, Qrow had other concerns. Namely, it seemed that the marines were still treating them as VIPs, which caused Qrow to frown.
"Sergeant Johnson, no need to hold our hands," Qrow said, his earpiece picking up his chatter despite the howling winds around him. As yet another gust blew past him, he cursed his luck at having to go down to a planet with a temperature which hovered just under negative ten degrees Celsius.
"Wasn't trying to," Johnson countered, only for Robyn to snort.
"Yet you did regardless," she pointed out. "We can hold our own just fine. No need to keep us tucked away in the back."
Johnson frowned as he turned to face her, then sighed and looked back towards the ruined city and said, "Alright, fine. But stay close to us. I don't like this, and the last thing we need is for us to get separated."
"Of course, Sergeant. Lead the way," Clover said, then pulled out a tool kit as he turned towards the other Huntsmen and Huntresses. He added, "Let's not forget our original mission while we're here. Catalogue anything of interest."
"No need to tell us," Robyn replied as she pulled out a handheld camera. She began taking pictures of the ruined city, a small frown on her face as she took it all in. Behind them, they heard the Pelican lift off and retreat back to the Midsummer Night, leaving them on their own.
Qrow felt the same, frowning deeply as he searched the area for anything of interest. Since Khembalung was only lightly glassed, the region they were investigating hadn't been completely melted to slag, though the ruined remains of human habitation still sported heavy damage from the past conflict. Partly intact rooms, freestanding and blown out walls, toys and more. Each and every thing he saw was yet another reminder of the souls heartlessly crushed just a few years prior. It made him sick to his stomach, yet he pressed on regardless.
At the same time, he kept his eyes on his surroundings. With all the ruined buildings around them, which only increased in number as they went further and further into the city, the number of ambush spots grew larger. Everyone knew the signal they were investigating was likely a trap, but one they had to spring just in case. That foreknowledge did little to alleviate his nerves, and he knew everyone else felt the same.
"You grew up on a moon?" Abby asked as she walked along with the rest of the marines while the other Huntsmen were spread further out.
"Yep. Earth's actually," the marine replied. According to the HUD displayed on the glasses Qrow was given, the man's name was Smith.
"Wow. What's it like?"
"Cramped," the man admitted. "Luna doesn't have an atmosphere, so everyone has to live in domed cities. It also only has a sixth of Earth's gravity, so you kinda have to hop everywhere like a rabbit."
"Doesn't the lack of gravity lead to developmental problems?" Robyn asked, overhearing the conversation like everyone else.
"When Luna was first colonized, yeah. In fact, if you got pregnant anywhere in-system they sent you back to Earth so that the baby would develop properly," Smith clarified. "Then medical technology improved and now that isn't really a problem anymore. Thank God for that, otherwise we'd have never left Earth. Can't really settle other worlds if all your children come out deformed."
Qrow winced then admitted over comms, "Yeesh, I can see how that would be a problem."
"There's pictures, you know. Real pretty," Johnson sarcastically revealed, and Qrow grimly nodded. Once again, he was reminded that the vast expanse of space was a harsh mistress, and even something as simple as gravity posed tremendous dangers to people. He could only imagine how many people the UNSC lost learning how to mitigate those risks over the centuries, and luckily Remnant could be in a position to learn from them so that they wouldn't have to make the same mistakes.
"Are we getting closer to the signal?" Robyn asked, her head swiveling around towards the countless broken windows as though each one potentially housed an enemy.
"It's getting stronger, but still no lock," Johnson confirmed. The wind picked up slightly, causing the non-Atlesians to shiver and hold their bodies close. At the same time, there was a faint hint of something in the air, but Qrow couldn't pinpoint it.
"Well, what should we be looking for?" Qrow asked, his hand hovering over his pistol as it would be easier to draw out in a pinch.
"Transceiver tower, if we're lucky," Johnson clarified, sweeping his rifle across the area as they entered an intersection.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Bisenti nervously declared as he eyed the tall ruined building at the end of the street they were about to cross. Outside of a few ruined cars and shattered walls, they would be completely out in the open. A perfect spot for ambush, in Qrow's opinion. Though the same could be said for most of the possible paths through this maze.
"Everyone hold," Johnson ordered as he crouched and held up a fist, and the eleven other marines and four Huntsmen crouched behind whatever cover was available on this side. "We'll advance by fireteams of four. Stay low and get through the street as fast as possible. Anyone who isn't crossing, provide overwatch."
After receiving acknowledgements from everyone, he signaled the first fireteam, composed of Clover, Johnson, and two other marines, to cross the street. As the marines and Huntsman started dashing between wrecked vehicles, Qrow drew his M6D and experimented with its smart-link optics, using the zoom integrated with his glasses to help scan for potential threats while his Aura tensed and the hairs on the back of his neck rose.
"Keep your eyes and ears open," Robyn advised, her eyes narrowed as she looked at each and every shadow.
"Don't worry, Hill," Smith declared as he turned his head towards the Huntress from where he had his rifle trained on the tall building. "We got this under—"
"Get down!" Qrow suddenly yelled at the moving fireteam as his instincts screamed at him, like a Grimm was about to pounce from behind. The exposed marines reflexively complied, immediately hitting the deck. They just didn't happen to be the targets.
There was a loud, piercing twang that cut through the echo of Qrow's warning. It wasn't the crack of a rifle, and Qrow couldn't really see what it was that made it. But he could see the effects as a thin purple beam melted straight through the windows and car frame strut on its path to the right side of Private Smith's turned neck. Boiling blood exploded out towards the left, covering a surprised and horrified Abby who could only watch as the marine lifelessly fell to the ground.
"SNIPER!" Johnson yelled as he and the caught out fireteam scrambled for cover, and some reflexive suppressive fire was sent in the general direction the beam came from by those who were already hunkered down.
A few more shots rang out, with one passing just behind Qrow as he dove behind a thick slab of concrete. Despite the near miss, his back felt an intense, almost burning heat, and he had to force himself not to scream out as his Aura worked its magic. Another marine wasn't so lucky as another shot passed right over his arm, causing him to scream out in pain. He fell to the ground, but before the sniper could finish him off, Clover whipped out Kingfisher and cast out a line around his shoulder, then pulled him back as hard as he could. The marine was pulled off the ground and briefly into the air before he landed in a heap on the ground behind a ruined car, although he was still screaming and clutching his severely burned arm tightly.
"Jenkins, hold still!" Johnson shouted as he began administering pseudo-morphine and biofoam to the wound. With everyone behind cover, the sniper stopped firing, but that did nothing to remove the tension.
"What the hell was that?!" Robyn shouted, taking cover behind a low wall just in front of Qrow. "That wasn't a sniper rifle!"
"It was a goddamn beam rifle!" Johnson shouted back as he finished tending to Private Jenkins. He briefly looked through the shattered window frame of the car he was hiding behind, but he quickly ducked back down. Not a moment later, another shot from the beam rifle went right through where his head previously was, and the sergeant winced in pain and visibly bit back tears.
"You okay, Johnson?!" Qrow shouted from his position, where a few marines were hiding behind him.
"I'm fine! Just, God dammit, it burns!" Johnson answered, then shook his head and refocused. He pointed towards the marine with the sniper rifle then shouted, "Mendoza, can you take that bastard out?"
"Not without seeing him first, Sarge!" Mendoza answered, crouching down. Why he couldn't see him went without saying.
"Shit!" Johnson cursed.
Abby, hiding behind a wall next to Clover and Johnson, slowly wiped away the blood on her face. She looked down to see Smith's lifeless body just lying there in the middle of the street. There wasn't any blood pooling as the wound was immediately cauterized, but that only made it even more eerie. Breathing heavily, Abby closed her eyes and counted, then quickly exposed her head to look down the street. A moment later, she saw a flash of purple and her head whipped back.
"Gagh!" she screamed as she fell back, her Aura completely shattered. Luckily no follow up shots were sent her way, the sniper almost certainly assuming that the headshot had killed her.
"Abby, what the hell were you doing?!" Clover shouted as he turned around to face her, but she was already helped up to her feet by the other marines. She was rubbing her head, which had a noticeable red spot in the middle where the particle beam shot had hit, but otherwise she was fine.
"Trying to see where he is!" Abby answered, then pointed her finger right a few times. "He's in the building at the end of the street!"
"Good work, but don't do that again!" Clover angrily replied as he turned back to Johnson. Taking a few breaths, he rubbed the green medal pinned to his chest with his thumb, then briefly looked up and ducked just as the sniper fired again. This time, however, the shot went wide, leaving Clover unharmed.
"Third floor, didn't see which window," Clover announced, and Johnson nodded.
"That'll have to work. Mendoza, get that rifle ready! Everyone else who has line of sight on that floor, on my mark we're all going to send some covering fire that bastard's way! We need to keep his attention long enough for Mendoza to find him without getting popped first!"
While all the marines gave the affirmative to the sergeant's orders, and Mendoza brought his sniper rifle up to his shoulder, Qrow could only grimace. They were trapped in a game of "find the sniper," and until they did there was no way they'd be able to get out. Not even the Huntsmen were safe, as Abby proved a single shot was enough to shatter their Aura. All they knew was that the sniper was on the third floor of the building at the far end of the street which, while it did narrow their potential targets, didn't give them much to work with. As things were going, they were almost guaranteed to lose at least one more man keeping their attacker occupied to buy Mendoza his shot. Qrow quickly glanced at the other Huntsmen, and from the looks on their faces, he could tell that they came to the same conclusion. He grimaced and shook his head, then came to a decision.
"Johnson, wait! I'll do it," he spoke up, causing the man to look at him in confusion.
"What the hell are you talking about, Branwen?" Johnson asked.
"I'll draw the sniper out," Qrow clarified, and Johnson's eyes widened before he frowned angrily at him.
"Are you crazy? Absolutely not—"
"That thing is going to kill you or one of the other marines as soon as you poke your heads out," the Huntsman interrupted. "But I've got a second chance that you don't. That weapon hits as hard as anything else I've ever seen, but Abby just showed that our Auras can at least save us from one direct hit.
"Plus," he gave a grim smirk while settling into a runner's crouch, "I think I can move a little faster than he'll be expecting."
He also had another failsafe he decided not to bring up. Namely, if he was caught out with his Aura broken, he could shift into his bird form to make a quick and confusing escape. Not something he wanted to reveal if he could help it, and doing so would certainly send several heaps of uncomfortable questions his way, but it was better than getting perforated.
Johnson had a conflicted look on his face after that, but before he could come up with a counter-argument, Qrow switched his pistol for Harbinger and took a deep breath. Then he looked over his shoulder at Mendoza and said, "You better not miss, or I'm going to haunt you."
Mendoza could only grimace in response, then got ready to raise his rifle over his cover. And with that, Qrow burst out into the open.
The Huntsman was a blur that could barely be tracked by the human eye as he flashed in a zigzag towards the sniper perch. The shooter seemed to be caught off guard by his charge and unable to track his pace, the two sequential beams it squeezed off in reaction each a step behind him, too far for Qrow to even feel the residual heat. Qrow thought he heard a sizzling ping come from the third floor along with a break in the firing, and took his chance to focus his Aura into the edge of his sword before cleaving the air with it in a horizontal slash. The rending power of the technique continued beyond the physical blade, launching an arc of cutting force that sliced across the line of windows on the third story of the building's face with a screech and cloud of concrete dust. Qrow grinned viciously as a startled squawk rang out, then readied his weapon as he caught a glimpse of something gleaming in a window.
When a third shot rang out, Qrow moved, angling Harbinger and intercepting the beam. He grimaced as he felt his Aura strain and drop precipitously just to keep his weapon intact, but it held and the projected energy ricocheted, flying off to the side where it burned through the remains of a lamppost. There was a temporary pause as the though the sniper was incredulous at what just happened, which Mendoza used to take his shot. A loud, cracking bang rang out, then the marine whooped and pumped his fist.
"Got him!" Mendoza shouted, standing up and lowering his rifle. Qrow remained standing with his cape waving in the breeze, scanning everything in sight for the next inevitable, but there was nothing. After a few moments, he lowered Harbinger then turned around to meet everyone else's stares. The Huntsmen were visibly impressed, while the marines were incredulously gawking with their mouths agape.
"You okay?" Qrow asked, and after regaining his composure, Johnson nodded.
"Yeah, we're okay," Johnson replied, then turned towards the building their assailant was at. Shouldering his rifle, he declared, "Alright, come on. Let's check this bastard."
"Couldn't there be another?" Clover asked from behind cover, eyeing all of their surroundings, and Johnson nodded.
"Possibly, but I think we would've seen that by now. Most likely this was just a forward scout who decided to take some opportunistic shots before bugging out and reporting to base," Johnson suggested.
"Too bad the bastard didn't expect Huntsmen," Robyn declared, and the others nodded in agreement.
"There also could have been others watching and chose not to do anything, giving them time to run off and report to base while we were dealing with that sniper," Clover pointed out, lowering the mood. Qrow thought it over, then frowned as he realized that was a likely possibility, not that he could do anything about it now. It was just as likely that the sniper was on his own.
Together, the entire group slowly made their way towards the building, with Johnson making a quick stop over Smith's body to recover his dog tags. They made sure to stay behind cover at all times, as the last thing they needed was for yet another sniper to pick them off. Regarding the identity of the sniper, Qrow didn't know who they were. They were obviously using Covenant weapons, but whether they were Covenant themselves or Insurrectionists using scavenged weapons would only be revealed once they found the body. That being said, knowing his luck, he had a fair idea of the sniper's identity.
"Sergeant, I'm not picking up any transmissions anymore," Clover revealed, causing everyone to look towards him.
"Same here," Robyn added. "I can't reach the Midsummer Night or the other squads."
One by one, the rest of the group confirmed their predicament. It appeared that nearly all of their communications equipment was being jammed as the only thing they could hear outside of TEAMCOMM was static. That and the sniper confirmed what Qrow and the others feared all along; that this was a trap that they had walked right into. A trap that cost the life of a marine.
Scowling, Johnson shook his head and wordlessly pressed forward. With the others right behind him, they entered the ruined building and climbed up the remaining stairwell. It was mostly shattered and fallen apart, with holes exposing the rebar, but they were able to proceed regardless. Soon they entered the third floor, and as they secured the area Qrow and the rest of the Huntsmen followed Johnson and Mendoza to the sniper's perch. Qrow couldn't help but notice how, on what remained of the ceiling, there was a still dripping stain of dark purple blood.
"There he is," Mendoza replied, scowling as he kicked the now headless body of their sniper assailant.
Despite its head being reduced to nothing more than shattered bone and blood that stained the room, it was clear that it wasn't human. Its body was thin, sinewy and muscular with reverse-jointed legs. Light blue feathers were on its arms up to its elbows, and its skin was scaly and light brown in tone. Qrow knew what this was, and he bit back a curse.
"That's a Jackal, isn't it?" Robyn asked, and Johnson grimly nodded.
"I thought Commander Keyes said the Covenant don't use tactics like this?" Abby pointed out.
"They don't," Johnson confirmed, "but Jackal Privateers do."
"What's the difference?" Qrow asked, but before Johnson could answer, Jenkins ran into the room and drew everyone's attention.
"Sir, you're going to want to look at this!" Jenkins shouted, pointing up into the sky. Johnson took one last look at the Jackal then hurried after the private. The Huntsmen followed him up the stairs towards the roof, where already a few marines were staring up into the cloudless sky with worry on their faces.
At first, they couldn't see what they were looking but, but soon they saw faint streaks of light, followed by explosions, so high above them as to be barely visible.
[~][~]
Hello, everyone! Here is the latest chapter of Dust and Echoes! While Texas' stint as America's Winter Wonderland did put a damper on getting this out, I worked through it regardless. Special thanks to NaanContributor and Jesse K for their help in bringing this chapter to life. Also Djmegamouth for giving me the idea for this chapter in the first place.
As many of you probably expected, we have our first encounter between Huntsmen and the Covenant, specifically Jackal Privateers. Kinda like how the UNSC's first encounter with the Covenant was against Jackal pirates. Yes, it was intentional, why do you ask?
Now, onto the Q&A:
Guest (1): I will let you guys know if I ever drop a story, which I don't intend to do anytime soon. This story is far from dead, it was just slow to get out due to my family having a funeral in January and Texas freezing this past week, combined with the latest chapter of Familiar Evil stretching to 28k words, thus prompting me to split it in two.
James Plasma: You're repeating a lot of stuff during your reviews. Please make it more concise and simply a response to another review.
Guest (2): Oh, I'm aware of the sharquoi. Don't know if I'll use them to any capacity, but it's a possibility.
HelpingHand: Oh, a lot of eyes will be opened and things will change due to what the representatives witness. As for all your suggestions and theories, you're going to have to wait and see. Also, don't expect me to draw attention to RWBY's real life inspirations in this story. That's far too meta for it to work. I was able to get away with it in Hunters of Justice due to the existence of characters who believably would notice and call attention to it, but Halo doesn't have that.
War: It's fine, just understand that I do have a life outside of writing fanfiction.
Jonrocksthestar: No Mass Effect elements will be in this story, but there will be time skips.
PAC MAN: The chapters will be out when they are finished, and not before. Do not leave reviews asking for them.
LC7535: Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying it so much. We put a lot of work into making sure this story works, and I can't wait to show you all what we have in store.
Cyberpunk1-009: Gotta have some humor in here, otherwise things get far too bleak.
AMTT94: Thank you. As for the chronology and ages, I admittedly did play a little fast and loose with the Happy Huntresses and AceOps, but only in a way we felt was believable. I honestly believe that Clover and Robyn, at the very least, are around Qrow's age, so it made sense that they'd be around. Given how I don't like to make OCs when canon characters can fill the roles needed in a story, I went with the canon AceOps and Happy Huntresses sans Marrow. As for the Brothers and Precursors, you're going to have to wait and see.
mellra: For the purposes of this story, Robyn and Clover are around Qrow's age with the others around them.
0niHunter: Thank you, the Halo OST is a good soundtrack to listen to for this story. Admittedly a few set pieces were designed in mind with them.
Guest (3): As I've previously mentioned, I will not have either Huntsmen or SPARTANs be brokenly OP in this story. They're powerful, but not invincible, and trying to devolve the story into a versus thread simply isn't going to work.
SilverRei: Thank you, that feeling was what I was going for.
thetyrant67: That means I did my job well.
KiraSouen: Eventually, but not for now and not for a while. They're off doing their own thing.
kpmh2001: Thank you. I really wanted to capture the feel of entering a glassed planet, and it was the centerpiece of the entire chapter. Hence why the chapter was titled "Glasslands."
joecola00: Yep, while there'll certainly be light chapters in the story, this wasn't one of them.
Jlargent: Yeah, that is what I was going for. That and the feeling people get when they visit a concentration camp. You just get the sense that a great evil was committed here, one that bears down on your soul despite it happening so long ago.
Mr. Salty: If you want to think of it that way, sure. It's intentionally ambiguous.
Major Simi: That it is, and they got whole heaping of it.
FanfictionLover76: Trust me, you have no idea how much work it went behind the scenes towards making these two franchises mesh together. It took a lot of work, but in the end we managed to crack the code. Thus giving rise to this story. And don't worry, I don't plan on having one side of the crossover override the other. Remnant will have to militarize, as Clover and Qrow point out, but that doesn't mean they're going to be UNSC-lite. It's still going to be RWBY/Remnant, just as Halo/UNSC will still be recognizable. They'll definitely influence each other, though. Glad you like the character interactions. Getting those right is one of my key focuses.
The Avenging Titan: Yeah, a bit of humor before the final scene hits you all like a truck. That and it humanizes them. They're badasses, but still human so they feel embarrassed about stripping down to their birthday suit. The somber trip to Eridanus II was definitely a somber and impactful scene, so I'm glad the intention came across successfully. As for Qrow and Clover, as you can see, that is also in the cards.
LoneRider-09: Well, it's against Jackal Privateers, but they're definitely going to fight Covenant forces.
I Am The Prophet: Glad you liked the chapter. As for your question, that is spoilers and you'll have to wait and see.
Guest (4): Aura has limits, as Abby proved.
Mr. Salty: I do what I want! Honestly, though, the picture I'm now using was a piece of fanart a fan commissioned for Outsiders, and I wanted to have that reflect my overall profile. Personally, I would love for all of my stories to have fanart, but I'd rather not commission it myself as that seems self-important. It means more if fans request it.
SulliMike23: Oh, those images are going to be impactful.
D. : That they are.
Marc Ello-Re Yes: You'll have to wait a while to see how the other ship is faring, but I won't be shifting attention/POV over to them. Our focus is on the Midsummer Night's crew.
shadyxlr: Anything else wouldn't have worked.
Vein Bloodborne: Raven has only an inkling, and you can bet she and the rest of Remnant will have some world shattering revelations about what transpired.
zucoandgutyboy14: As Keyes showed, they know.
BOOTYboy: That was the UNSC's intention. The last thing they want is for actual combat to occur, but at the moment they couldn't really do anything else. All the options were bad, they just picked the one that was the best out of them.
nliochristou: At the moment, they're just relying on their Aura, but as the existence of the ARTEMIS armor proves (revealed in the prologue), that will eventually change.
The-Killer40513: You'll have to wait and see.
Jack Smith1: Not anytime soon.
That's it for this chapter. I hope you guys enjoy. We do have a TV Tropes page, so please feel free to add onto it with whatever you guys think fits.
Have a great day and stay safe!