Dust and Echoes (RWBY/Halo)
Chapter 21: After Action
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UNSC Midsummer Night, Stalwart-class Light Frigate
Slipspace Transit
June 8th, 2541, 1215 Hours (UNSC Military Calendar)
The interior of the warship was eerily silent, with only the faint hums and reverberations of the Midsummer Night's engines being heard. Naval personnel and marines were manning their stations, checking their equipment, or simply wandering around, but hardly any of them said a word. None could find the motivation to do so. For Commander Keyes, this wasn't a rare occasion. It happened nearly every time he and his crew witnessed the glassing of a human world by a Covenant fleet. Something that he had sadly grown all too used to. At first, a glassing would have sent his crew into near hysterics, but now all they could do was numbly man their stations and keep trudging on. Keyes didn't know what was worse.
His attention, however, was far more focused on the view outside of the bridge's window, still a pitch-black void as they traversed through slipspace. They would be exiting soon, their third stop in the past two days as they followed Cole Protocol in their escape from the Covenant forces besieging Vyraj. Given their cargo, making sure they got out alive was of the utmost importance. Not a word was said as they approached their coordinates, then the black void was overthrown by a blue pulse as they exited slipspace. A dense cluster of ice and meteorites floated in front of them, and off in the distance they could see a dull red star. One that Commander Keyes did not recognize, which was perfectly fine with him.
"Shakespeare, all I want to know is did we lose them?" Keyes asked, a hint of desperation in his voice. From the holotank next to him, Shakespeare emerged and looked out into the void of space. The Smart AI strained his eyes and rubbed his beard as though he was actually looking for any signs of the Covenant. Keyes knew it was just for show. In actuality, Shakespeare was simply using the Midsummer Night's sensor array to scan for any Covenant ships. He was only acting the part for his and the crew's convenience.
"I detect no signs of the Covenant in the system, Commander. We are free from danger," Shakespeare reported, and Keyes let out a breath of relief.
Hanging his head, Keyes then remarked, "For now."
"Yes, indeed," Shakespeare replied, frowning briefly before pulling out a scroll of paper and a quill. He began to read from it, and said, "All systems are fully operational. Weapon systems are online and ready to fire on demand. Hull integrity is holding, with damage incurred during our exfiltration minimal."
"Crew status?"
"A few instances of freezerburn, but nothing too serious," Shakespeare replied, then frowned and added, "Five more crewmembers have succumbed to their injuries sustained during retreat. Total fatalities are now at twenty-eight."
"Damn it," Keyes muttered under his breath and clenched his fist.
It was yet another thing that had been going horribly wrong during this entire mission. Nearly the entire crew of the Midsummer Night had been down on Vyraj's surface when the Covenant arrived, celebrating their hard-earned victory against the Insurrection. They barely had enough time to get as many people onboard as they could. Unfortunately, several had taken injuries during the escape attempt, and many more had to be left behind. Keyes cursed himself for letting this happen, and knew each of their deaths was on his hands. Once this mission was over, he was not looking forward to the letters he would have to write to their families, but they deserved to know the truth. The last thing he intended to do was shift blame away from himself for this.
Still, at least he could bask in this temporary reprieve. Pushing away from the holotable and standing up straight, Keyes then ordered, "I want us to lay dark for a few hours. Give us time to figure out what to do next, and the crew some time to process."
"Of course, sir," Shakespeare replied, giving a flamboyant bow before retreating back into the holotank.
Releasing another breath, Keyes stared out through the glass windows at the front of the bridge, watching as they drifted into the rings of a gas giant with several moons orbiting it. He had done this many times during his long career, across all of the ships he had served on. His opinion on the UNSC's decision to place the bridge at the front of the ship had remained unchanged. It was a major design flaw, leaving the most important area of the ship far too exposed and vulnerable. One properly placed plasma torpedo or Seraph strafing run, and the ship was effectively dead in the water. The Covenant placed their command centers deep in the bowels of their ships, using their sensors to observe the battlefield and leaving them much more protected. But the view almost made it worth it. Almost.
That was a decision outside of his paygrade, though. Reaching into his pocket and pulling out his pipe, Keyes bit onto the end and idly chewed. The rest of the crew continued working at their stations, and Keyes overlooked them all. Not a word was said, and the bridge was utterly silent. That silence, however, was broken as the automatic doors opened behind him. Without even needing to turn around, Keyes already knew who had entered.
"Lieutenant," Keyes greeted.
"Commander," Dare curtly replied, walking up to the holotank and standing beside him. At first, she said nothing, then without turning her head to look at the Commander she remarked, "Just so you are aware, I've already written a report to ONI about our retreat."
"Is that so?" Keyes asked, keeping as neutral of a tone as possible.
"Yes. In light of the extenuating circumstances, your performance was to be commended," Dare admitted. "A lesser commander would've lost the entire ship during a surprise Covenant attack, instead of managing to evacuate three-fourths of the crew."
"High praise, coming from you. I would've thought you'd have highlighted every mistake."
"Oh, to be sure there were definitely areas that could be improved," Dare said, and Keyes could practically hear the smirk on her face, "but they were relatively minor."
"If you don't mind sending me a copy for review—"
"Already done," Dare interrupted, only now turning her head to look at him. After a brief moment of silence, she continued, "I do not blame you for what happened, Commander. While I was assigned to this vessel to ensure mission compliance, I am not your enemy. You did everything expected of you, and that is to be commended."
Keyes was silent for a moment, then said, "Thank you."
Dare nodded, then joined him in looking out through the bridge's window. Taking a short breath, Dare asked, "Speaking of the mission…"
"If it were up to me, I'd turn around right now and head straight back to Remnant," Keyes declared, already knowing where Dare was going.
"And the reason why you haven't yet?"
"I'm waiting for the Huntsmen Delegation to decide," Keyes answered, and Dare frowned.
"Do keep in mind that this is your ship, and we've already had two close calls," Dare pointed out. "That's grounds for mission abort, in my opinion."
"Yes, but at the same time this is also a diplomatic mission. If I, and the UNSC by extension, were to make this decision without their approval, it could reflect badly on us. We're already on thin ice with some of them as it is, and the last thing we need is for this alliance to be put into jeopardy before it even starts."
"You're referring to the decision to mask the faunus?"
"Precisely," Keyes admitted as he took his pipe out of his mouth. "That already strained our relationship with the White Fang, and I am reluctant to make another decision for our allies. Allies who are supposed to be our equals, not our subordinates."
Dare looked at him for a moment, and he looked right into her eyes without flinching. After a few moments, Dare reluctantly nodded in agreement, then said, "I see your point. Besides, it's likely that after watching Vyraj burn, that'll be more than enough to convince them of the Covenant's threat."
For a brief moment, Dare's face hardened and she looked to the side. Keyes recognized the look on her face, one of pure rage but softened by reluctant resignation. He felt the exact same way. Watching Vyraj burn to the ground, its oceans boiled away and its surface turned to glass, all while unable to do a thing to stop it. Every time it happened, it infuriated him, made his blood boil. But he had to stay in control. Letting his emotions get to the better of him and the mission was only going to get himself and everyone else killed, and as much as he wished otherwise, there was only so much he could do.
"My thoughts exactly," Keyes said, then looked out the window once again. "Any word on the Vacuo and Mistral delegations?"
"Unlike us, their mission is proceeding as intended with no real issues," Dare revealed. "The most action they've experienced is a few attempted muggings by would-be criminals while on shore leave. You can imagine how that turned out. Otherwise, the only Covenant presence they've experienced are tours of several already glassed worlds."
"Lucky them," Keyes remarked, then put his pipe back into his mouth. The bridge fell back into silence, none willing to say anything else.
Sienna Khan leaned against a wall, staring out through the window at the gas giant the Midsummer Night was orbiting around. Thick rings encircled the planet, itself shrouded in thick blue clouds. Several storms could be seen, each one larger than any storm Sienna had ever seen before in her life. Some of them looked big enough to swallow Remnant whole. It was a humbling sight, the feeling of just how small she was in the face of the grander universe unable to be dismissed. But her thoughts weren't truly focused on the planet before her. Instead, her mind remained with the planet they just left.
"All those people…" she heard Abby whisper, barely able to hold back her tears. Briefly, Sienna shifted her gaze to look at the young mouse faunus, whom she saw was being comforted by Yuri who was rubbing her shoulder. The gesture, while welcome, did little to help Abby, who continued to sniffle and hold herself close.
Yuri then frowned and looked to the side, clenched his fist, then claimed, "If I had Orakul on me—"
"You and that rifle-spear wouldn't have done a damn thing," Gron brusquely interrupted. The lizard faunus was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest, and an irritable expression was on his face.
"I could've taken more of them out," Yuri protested. "Killed some Elites, let more civilians evacuate…"
"Where they would've gotten killed by something else, either by those alien soldiers or their ships in space. Face it, Yuri. That planet was doomed as soon as the Covenant arrived. There was nothing we could do to change that," Gron insisted, pointing at Yuri in emphasis. "If we had wasted time trying to fight the Covenant off, we'd be dead too."
Yuri glared at Gron, then huffed and said, "'Wasted time.' Of course you'd call it that."
"The hell's that supposed to mean?"
"You know exactly what I mean," Yuri hissed, glaring harshly at Gron. "Ever since this mission started, you have made it abundantly clear that you don't give a rat's ass about these people. So who cares if they get slaughtered like animals, right?"
Gron grew quiet, then he snarled and growled, "I'll admit it, I don't like the UNSC. I think they're heavy-handed fascists who can't stand to lose even the slightest bit of control over their people, and I have no doubt in my mind that if this 'alliance' goes through like they want, the same thing is going to happen to our people. The faunus have already been exploited by humans on Remnant, and I see no reason to believe humans from space will be any different. But if you think I honestly enjoyed watching millions of terrified, defenseless people burn…"
The hallway grew silent as Gron trailed off, then Yuri huffed, looked out the window, and remarked, "Could've fooled me."
Gron's face warped, and he got off the wall and ran towards Yuri, his arm cocked back and fully intending to punch Yuri in the face. But without even needing to look, Yuri's eyes flashed light blue and he calmly got off the wall. Gron's fist slammed into the bulkhead, denting it slightly and causing him to angrily growl in frustration. Before he could turn around for another strike, Yuri punched him in the face, causing Gron to stumble back.
"Guys, guys! Stop it!" Abby yelled, trying to place herself in between Yuri and Gron, but she was ignored, too short to stop them from snarling at each other over her head.
"Oh, you wanna go?!" Gron shouted, a golden, impenetrable sheen covering his body except for one tiny spot on his lower back as he activated his Semblance.
Yuri snarled, preparing to walk around Abby and finally put Gron in his place, something he had wanted to do since this mission began. But, before he could, Sienna shot her head towards both men and roared, "That's enough! Both of you, stand down now!"
Both Gron and Yuri looked at Sienna, then relaxed their postures and stood up straight. Gron took a moment to deactivate his Semblance, but one harsh glare from Sienna was enough to get him to stand down. He and Yuri turned to face Sienna, who glared into both of them with barely restrained fury. Yuri apologetically looked the side, unable to look his leader in the eye following his outburst, while an unrepentant Gron merely huffed and continued staring at her.
Her patience running thin, and knowing each and every word was being listened to by both the Night's artificial intelligence and the team of ODSTs just out of sight, Sienna said, "I'm only going to say this once. I don't care if the two of you don't like each other. Frankly, I couldn't care less if I tried. But I will not tolerate my team being at each other's throats. So you two need to learn to get along with each other. If either of you act out of line again, I will personally throw you into this ship's brig myself for the remainder of the mission. Am I clear?"
Yuri immediately looked at Sienna and replied, "Yes, ma'am. Apologies, it won't happen again."
Gron remained silent for a moment, but as she angrily tightened her hand into a claw-grip, he said, "Same here."
Realizing that was all she was going to get out of him for the moment, and fully intending to speak to him later in private, Sienna shook her head, released a sigh, and said, "Look, I know tensions are high right now. We just witnessed something…no one should ever have to see. The worst part was that Gron is right, Yuri. I would've loved nothing more than to stay on the ground and kill each and every Covenant soldier in my way. It wouldn't have mattered. Vyraj was doomed no matter what we did. But fighting each other is not going to change that. The only thing we can do right now is focus on what happens next."
That was a subject the rest of the White Fang team easily agreed with, and all three faunus before her nodded. Abby then quietly raised her hand and asked, "But…what are we going to do?"
Sienna nodded at her, then replied, "That is the million-lien question. I'm still trying to figure that out."
"The answer's obvious, in my opinion," Gron spoke up and shrugged his shoulders.
"Let me guess: return to Remnant and tell the UNSC to piss off?" Yuri suggested, a hint of hostility in his voice, and Gron nodded affirmatively.
"Yep. This is not our war, so let them fight it."
"How can you say that after what we just saw?" Abby incredulously asked, her eyes widening. "What the Covenant did to all those people…"
"Was evil, plain and simple. Ain't going to deny that," Gron admitted, then pointed at Abby. "But that's not the only thing I saw. I saw the UNSC, who we all know are much more powerful than all the Kingdoms on Remnant combined, get completely and utterly destroyed. Nothing they did worked. They might as well have not even been there for all the good it did."
"So what, you think Remnant can take the Covenant on by itself?" Abby asked, throwing her arm out to the side, but Gron shook his head.
"No, if the Covenant finds Remnant, we're as good as dead," Gron answered. "With or without the UNSC. The only difference is that if we work with the UNSC, the Covenant will know we exist. They'll come hunting for us, and it's only a matter of time before they track down and burn Remnant to the ground. But, if we hunker down, refuse to work with the UNSC at all, and keep as low a profile as possible, the Covenant might completely pass over us."
"That's a risky gamble and you know it," Yuri countered. "In case you've forgotten, Remnant is right on the edge of UNSC space, and the Covenant are actively searching for human worlds. Yes, the UNSC got destroyed at Vyraj. But the only reason why it lasted as long as it did, and the only reason why we and any other survivors were able to escape, was because the UNSC was there to hold the Covenant off. If the Covenant finds Remnant and we aren't allied with the UNSC, Remnant won't be able to defend itself, much less evacuate. At least with the UNSC, we have a fighting chance."
"More importantly than that, what the Covenant is doing is evil," Abby proclaimed. "They are…murdering innocent people. Destroying lives, homes, families… The Covenant need to be stopped. I became a huntress to protect people, human and faunus. I see no reason to limit myself just to Remnant."
Sienna looked at all of her teammates, a contemplative gaze washing over them. They all had equally valid points. Abby, the idealist out of all of them, was correct that what the Covenant was doing was evil, or at the very least very close to it. Morally speaking, that couldn't be allowed and needed to be opposed. But for as ruthless and calculating as it was, Gron's point was also accurate. Getting involved in the war was going to catch the Covenant's attention. So far, they'd been able to avoid detection. Any Covenant soldiers who saw them in action on Vyraj were killed, and it was unlikely that isolated reports would be believed anyway. It was possible that simply sitting out the war would prevent the Covenant from looking for them. But, if they did that and the Covenant found them anyway, Remnant was as good as dead. If the Covenant found them, Remnant would need the UNSC's assistance just to have a chance.
The White Fang looked silently at Sienna as she thought hard. The tiger faunus rubbed her chin and her pierced feline ears atop her head twitched in agitation. Slowly, she turned to look out the window again, staring into the gas giant hanging over them. Once more, her newfound perspective on the universe came to the forefront in her mind, and a cool realization hit her. As appealing as it was to try and go back to the way things were, that was no longer an option. Remnant was part of a bigger universe now, one that wouldn't let them stay in an isolated pocket.
"I know what we're going to do," Sienna said, then turned around to face her subordinates. "Yuri is right. If we're going to have any chance of surviving the Covenant, we need to work with the UNSC. I'm going to tell Ghira as such."
While Yuri and Abby smiled in relief, an incredulous Gron began to protest, "But, Sienna—"
"My decision is final," Sienna interrupted him. "Not only that, outside of a few incidents the UNSC has shown a desire to work with the faunus as equals. That alone makes it worthwhile, if only due to the opportunity it represents to our people."
"And if the UNSC tries to exploit us? What then?" Gron pointed out, and Sienna hardened her gaze.
"I'll make sure that doesn't happen," Sienna declared, then straightened herself. She once again glanced out the window, and knew there was one more thing that needed to be decided. One that had far more of an immediate impact, but no less consequential.
Inside the armory, Robyn Hill focused her attention on the isolation chamber. Taking up an entire lane of the firing range, the isolation chamber was unique with its ability to seal itself off from the rest of the room. Normally it was used to safely test fire explosive ordinance, such as rocket launchers or grenades, without risk of harming the ship or its crew. Now, however, it was being used for another purpose. One that, arguably, they should've done earlier: testing the functionality of Dust.
They had meant to test Dust earlier, especially since it was half the reason why the UNSC let the Happy Huntresses stay on the Midsummer Night at all, but something kept popping up that prevented them from doing so. Someone was using the armory, concerns about Dust's volatile reaction inside a spaceship, or lessons on the Covenant that they would take back to Remnant. Most importantly, a genuine desire to not waste their limited Dust reserves until they could properly test them on a non-glassed planet. Fiona was only able to bring so much, and the last thing they needed was to accidentally waste all the Dust they had in one go. There was also a fear in the back of Robyn's mind that Fiona's Semblance wouldn't successfully keep Dust active during transit, but luckily that was not the case. Had the Insurrection not reared their ugly heads, they undoubtedly would've tested Dust's ability to function on an alien planet much sooner. Unfortunately, they were only barely able to accomplish a trial by fire during their hasty retreat from Vyraj.
But now they knew it actually worked. One of the biggest questions the people of Remnant had asked themselves for decades was finally answered. Dust could work outside of Remnant's atmosphere. The only question now was what made Dust go inert when attempting to move into the vacuum of space. That was what she and the rest of the Happy Huntresses, alongside Shakespeare and now the Ace-Ops, were attempting to find out. Not just because it was a question that needed answering, but also because it kept her mind off of what she just saw.
Try as she might, though, it was hard to fully shake her mind away from Vyraj's fate. She spent a month on that planet, either on its surface or above in one of its many orbital platforms. It had reminded her so much of her home, from its climate, culture, and even the problems it held. There had been many times where Robyn couldn't help but notice the parallels between what happened between the Inner and Outer Colonies with what had been going on between Atlas and Mantle. Something she knew the Ace-Ops also noticed, and made them uncomfortable at times. That only meant that, when the Covenant showed up and promptly burned it to the ground in a matter of hours, it hit that much harder for all of them. Watching Vyraj's surface melt into glass was like they were watching Atlas be destroyed.
Robyn already knew the Covenant was bad news, but Vyraj solidified it. They were an existential threat to her people, one she knew couldn't be ignored. That was why she was throwing herself into testing Dust's capabilities, praying to the gods that it might provide some way to protect her people against the Covenant much as it had against the Grimm. Only Harriet wasn't watching, instead angrily pounding away at a punching bag hung up in the weight room next door, the sounds of flesh striking pads and her angry grunts easily heard through the walls. Occasionally one of the Ace-Ops would look in Harriet's general direction sympathetically, almost leaving to go talk to her, but none did. They all knew this was just Harriet's way of coping, something they all desperately needed.
"Alright, Fiona. Place a single Burn Dust crystal on the pedestal," Robyn gently ordered, pointing at the rectangular podium placed in the center of the firing lane.
"Right," Fiona replied, then walked over to the pedestal. Holding out her hand, everyone watched as the Burn Dust materialized, pulled out of whatever pocket dimension Fiona had placed them in. For a moment, Robyn held her breath, worried that the vibrant, bright-red Dust crystal would turn grey and brittle, the tell-tale sign of it going inert. When it noticeably dimmed, Robyn's heart skipped a beat, but luckily the rest of the color remained.
Robyn and the others let out a breath, including Fiona who gently placed it on a specially made holder. She quickly walked back to rejoin the others, and a thick glass wall came down to separate them from the Dust crystal.
"So, it appears that Dust can function on UNSC vessels," Vine declared, rubbing his chin while crossing his other arm over his chest.
"And that Fiona's Semblance keeps it in a state of limbo," Joanna pointed out.
"The Dust looks duller, though," Elm added. "I'm not a betting woman, but fifty lien says that it's lost some of its potency. Thyme, what grade of Dust was that?"
"Grade A, top of the line. Was really expensive, too," Fiona answered, giving the Atlesian Specialist a quick nod which was immediately returned.
"Right now it looks more like a high C or low B-grade Dust crystal. I wasn't able to get a good look at the Dust we used on Vyraj, but I don't think it lost any potency there," Clover observed. "Either way it works on UNSC ships, but not as well. Why?"
"We're about to find out," Robyn replied, then looked up at the ceiling. A pointless action, she knew, but it felt appropriate regardless. "Shakespeare, if you please?"
"Certainly, Miss Hill," Shakespeare's voice rang out over the intercom. "Turning off artificial gravity in five…four…three…two…one."
As Shakespeare finished the countdown, Robyn and the other huntsmen and huntresses grabbed hold of whatever they could get their hands on. A moment later, their bodies began to gently float upwards as the artificial gravity inside the armory was shut off. The distinct lack of gravity pulling down on her body was a strange yet not completely alien sensation to Robyn by now. Outside of eating hours and other special circumstances, they actually spent most of their time on the Midsummer Night without gravity at all. Judging by the angry yelps coming from Harriet in the other room, Robyn got the distinct sense that gravity was turned off for the entire ship.
"Dammit!" Harriet cursed, and Robyn had to bite back a few snickers before returning her attention to the Dust crystal.
She immediately noticed some drastic changes. The crystal had gone completely grey, with several cracks appearing along its brittle surface. She didn't need anyone to tell her that the Dust had gone inert, and neither did anyone else. A moment later, the artificial gravity was turned back on, and she and the others were gently lowered back onto the ground.
"Give me more than a few seconds of warning next time!" Harriet warned from the other room, and she began punching the bag yet again.
Clover briefly shot his head over to the wall, frowned slightly, then returned his attention back to the now inert Dust which Fiona was bringing out. As she approached, Joanna remarked, "So, if we take away the gravity, Dust becomes inert."
"That makes sense. There isn't gravity in space, and all of our attempts at getting Dust into space before now failed," May added, then gestured towards the floor with her hand. "Unlike us, the UNSC actually has artificial gravity. At least ways to achieve it that don't need Dust to work in the first place."
"Yes, but our applications of artificial gravity are, comparatively speaking, primitive and hard to focus," Shakespeare pointed out. "We can utilize gravity plates for a more concentrated application of antigravitons, but they are remarkably inefficient. All forms of UNSC artificial gravity are."
"I can see how that could be a problem," Elm noted. "What about the Covenant's?"
"As with practically everything else, outside of a few exceptions like myself and all other UNSC AIs, the Covenant's application of artificial gravity is far superior to our own," Shakespeare admitted. "All of their ships, from what we can tell, come equipped with artificial gravity generators that can be kept on at all times. Their application is so complete that Brute firearms, such as the Brute Shot, the Spiker, and the Gravity Hammer, use gravitic accelerators as their propulsion system."
Robyn couldn't help but whistle, then replied, "That's pretty precise. Wish we had that."
"Indeed. Unfortunately, Covenant hardware is extremely difficult to crack and reverse engineer. The safeguards they have in place are…very effective," Shakespeare declared, a hint of frustration leaking into his voice.
Fiona nodded in sympathy, then formed another Burn Dust crystal and said, "Gravity isn't the only thing space doesn't have. We should probably see what happens if you only take away atmosphere, too."
"Good idea, Thyme," Clover remarked, causing the Happy Huntress to smile towards him. Robyn smiled as well, then a quick nod of her head told Fiona to replace the crystal on the pedestal. She did as instructed, and as before the glass wall came down as she left the chamber.
Everyone watched the Dust crystal, their eyes refusing to leave the dull-red gem as the atmosphere was carefully removed from the chamber through vents in the ceiling. As the breathable air went away, the color of the Dust crystal slowly began to turn grey, and once it was completely gone, the Dust went inert.
"I guess that answers that question," May said. "No atmosphere, no gravity, no Dust. At least outside of a planet."
"It does appear that Dust needs both to properly function," Shakespeare concluded.
As the huntsmen and huntresses looked at each other, Elm let out a smile and proclaimed, "This is good news! Since Dust works in UNSC ships, that means we can transport it off world and give it to UNSC soldiers and marines. Sure, it might lose some of its potency, but I bet if we increase the gravity just a bit, that'll work itself out…maybe."
The Happy Huntresses eagerly nodded alongside Elm, agreeing with her assertion, only for Vine to shake his head and say, "While giving UNSC marines and soldiers Dust ammunition for their weapons is a welcome development, that doesn't solve the greater issue."
Almost offended, Elm asked, "And that would be?"
"Space. The Covenant have the UNSC completely outclassed in space warfare, and an added ground advantage won't change that," Vine pointed out. Elm stared at Vine for a moment, then her eyes widened and she groaned in realization.
"Vine is right," Clover added. "Unless we can get Dust to work for ship-to-ship combat, it's not going to do much in the long run. I can't see us fitting a planetary atmosphere and gravity onto an Archer missile, much less a MAC round. Right now, the most I can see is a special storage compartment to transport Dust off-world."
Robyn frowned and shot her head to the side while clenching her fist. As much as she wished it wouldn't be the case, Clover was absolutely correct. Adding to the UNSC's strengths on the ground wouldn't change the course of the war. It would certainly help, but not enough to truly matter.
May, however, waved her hand dismissively and said, "Better than nothing. Besides, now that we know it works, we can figure out how to get it working in space, too. Or, y'know, the actual scientists probably can."
"That is true," Vine agreed. "If nothing else, this serves as a solid foundation for future developments. I have no doubt that by combining UNSC and Remnant technology, a solution can be found."
"Hopefully," Joanna remarked. "Either way, the sooner we get this figured out, the better. Otherwise a lot more people are going to die."
The others all nodded in agreement. Far from done, however, Robyn had Fiona produce another Dust crystal, this one an electric gold. Just because they were able to prove one type of Dust worked in the confines of a space ship didn't mean all types of Dust would do the same. Not to mention there were all sorts of variables that needed to be properly tested. Too many to do in the confines of a single ship, but they could knock as many of them off as possible.
After that, there was another decision that needed to be made. One that both the Ace-Ops and the Happy Huntresses had already discussed and agreed to, but one that needed to be talked about with the other groups as well. Hopefully the next phase of their testing wouldn't be too long. Robyn was eager to move on.
It was times like these that Qrow wished he had a drink in hand. He had seen many horrific things in his life, both in his time as part of the Branwen tribe and as a professional huntsman. Death and destruction had unfortunately become a common feature of his life, one that wasn't helped by the streak of bad luck left in his wake. It had become a tradition of sorts for him to stop by a bar and waste the night away after a particularly hard mission. Destroyed villages, raided homesteads, and anything else that both exposed him more to the occupational hazards of his chosen profession and why it was so needed in the first place. Qrow didn't regret his decision to leave the Branwen tribe and become a huntsman. In fact, he felt it was the best decision he ever made, one that gave his life meaning and purpose. But he couldn't deny that being a huntsman was hard, and was something that only a few truly had the stomach for.
Despite all of that, though, it was difficult for him to comprehend what he had just seen. Glaring out the window inside the mess hall, giving him an unobstructed view of a dark-blue gas giant, Qrow tightened his grip on the glass cup filled with water. He tried to imagine that the liquid was actually vodka, hoping that doing so would somehow change reality and make it real. But, as he downed the contents of his glass, he found that his wish wasn't answered. Qrow's scowl deepened, and he slammed the cup down with a dull thud.
"Going at the water pretty hard, aren't ya?" he heard Sergeant Johnson speak up as he approached.
Not giving the marine a glance, Qrow shrugged then replied, "Have to drink something. There isn't anything else on this ship."
Johnson gently stared at Branwen for a few moments, a sympathetic frown on his face. He knew exactly what Qrow was going through. It was something he had seen more than enough times since the beginning of the war, and something he himself had gone through more times than he could count. Every time he watched a world get glassed it was the same, but by now he had grown almost numb to it. Sometimes he even expected it. It was exceedingly rare for the UNSC to successfully repel a Covenant attack, especially if they weren't prepared for it. The Covenant had caught them completely with their pants down on Vyraj, making the outcome almost certain as soon as the battle began. Not that it helped make him feel any better.
Looking at him, Johnson got the distinct sense that Branwen wanted to be left alone right now. Particularly with how he had chosen a table far away from the others. He wondered if he should just give him space, but decided against it. The last thing anyone needed was to be left alone right now.
Placing his tray of food on the table, Johnson sat beside Branwen and began to slowly eat. The veteran huntsman spared him a glance, then went back to silently gazing out the window. The table fell silent, with only the faint sounds of breathing and chewing being heard. Finally, after drinking a bit of water, Johnson joined Branwen in staring out the window.
"I'm not going to try and tell you that I know how you're feeling, or that it gets easier with time," Johnson began. "Because it doesn't. I've been fighting the Covenant nearly nonstop for the past sixteen years, seen dozens of worlds get glassed, and each one hurts just as much as the last. Especially when there isn't a damn thing you can do to stop it."
Qrow turned his head away from Johnson and frowned, then muttered, "I've seen a lot of bad things in my time. Most of it done by the Grimm. They destroy most settlements outside of the kingdoms, so I'm no stranger to…well, you know."
Johnson nodded sympathetically as Qrow shook his head, then he continued, "But most of the time I get there after the Grimm are already done. They tend to stick around for a bit, picking at the remains of the people they slaughtered. Not that I can complain, as it makes my job easier."
He angled back his head and released a sigh, then admitted, "But even at the worst Grimm attacks I've seen, I was at least able to avenge the people they killed. I was able to do something, anything. Even if I couldn't save those people, I could at least prevent the Grimm from killing anyone else by hunting them. At Vyraj…I wasn't able to do a damn thing!"
Qrow slammed his fist onto the table, the sound echoing across the room. Everyone was silent as they stared at him, the marines giving him sympathetic looks as did Johnson. The other huntsmen from Vale, undergoing the same internal turmoil as him, clenched their fists in anger. None of them were talking, for there wasn't really anything that could be said.
Johnson slowly nodded, then said, "You're right. All we could do at Vyraj was run. But, right now, all we can really do is look for what comes next."
Qrow scoffed, then asked, "What, exactly, comes next? More glassed worlds? Remnant, maybe?"
"Truth be told, I don't have the answer for that. No one does," Johnson admitted with a shrug of his own. "Best I can tell, though, is that we have a chance ahead of us. A chance to stop the Covenant. I don't know what that chance will be, or how we can do it, but I do know this. One day, we'll win this war. The only way that's going to happen is if we keep advancing, refusing to give in to despair. We do that, and the Covenant's already won."
"What if we don't win?" Qrow asked, glancing at Johnson from the corner of his eyes. "What if the Covenant finds Earth and Remnant? What then?"
"Well, if that happens, I suppose I'll take as many of the bastards down with me into the cold, long dark as I can," Johnson declared. "Send them on their 'Great Journey' myself."
Qrow mirthlessly chuckled and shook his head. Despite himself, he did feel somewhat better. Not much, but it was a start. He and Johnson then went back to eating their meals in silence, neither really knowing what to say next. It gave Qrow time to ruminate over everything he had seen and learned up until this point. Part of him found it hard to fully comprehend it all. The scope of the devastation was far beyond anything he had ever seen.
He did know this, though. Ozpin had sent him into space to verify the Covenant's threat. He had more than verified it by now. Everything the UNSC had told them about the Covenant was true. If anything, they undersold it. The Covenant were an existential threat to Remnant. The only question he had was if they were worse than Salem. It was likely that the Covenant could wipe Remnant out faster than Salem ever could, but Salem had also been culling humanity out for thousands of years. That amount of blood on her hands could not be ignored.
Qrow supposed it didn't matter. What did matter, however, was that the last thing Remnant needed was to be faced with the prospect of extinction from both the Covenant and the Grimm. Part of him questioned the idea of fighting a two-front war at all, and felt it would be safer for Remnant to sit out this war entirely. But he knew he couldn't do that. Not only was he a huntsman, sworn to protect those who couldn't protect themselves, he knew it was only a matter of time before the Covenant found and destroyed Remnant. They couldn't just cower behind their walls and pretend everything was fine. If they did, they were already dead.
He glanced over at the other Vale huntsmen, remembering the talk they had earlier that day, then got up from his seat and said, "Thanks for the talk, Johnson."
"Anytime," Johnson replied, remaining at his seat as he continued to eat.
Qrow walked away, depositing his empty tray in the receptacle. Passing by the other huntsmen, he nodded at them knowingly. They returned the gesture, giving him the final confirmation that he needed. Qrow continued to walk out of the mess hall, his back hunched over and his hands deep in his pockets as he made his way to the bridge. Dozens of naval personnel and marines passed him by, working at their stations and at most giving him a respectful nod or space to move. Otherwise, they ignored him, too engrossed in their work to notice.
As he approached the bridge, he noticed that Clover, Sienna, and Robyn were waiting for him. Maybe not him specifically, but someone from the Vale group. They were talking amongst themselves about something, but the conversation stopped when they noticed Qrow's approach. He walked up to them, then stopped and straightened himself slightly.
"So, I take it we're all here for the same reason?" Qrow asked, and the others nodded. He nodded back, then asked, "We all decide the same thing?"
Knowing exactly what he was talking about, the others nodded then Clover replied, "I don't think there's any other choice. Not after Vyraj."
Qrow nodded, then let out a sigh and said, "Let's get this over with."
The others nodded at him in agreement, then they turned around and walked together to the bridge. As they approached the door, it opened automatically and revealed Commander Keyes and Lieutenant Dare. They were standing in front of the holotable, which displayed a projection of the system they were in. A real-time scan depicting any and all objects could be seen, with a red triangle depicting the Midsummer Night.
"Commander," Clover called out, respectfully snapping to attention and giving a crisp salute. The others didn't echo the Atlesian Specialist's action, but they did give the commander a respectful nod.
"Huntsmen, Huntresses," Keyes replied, standing straight and folding his arms behind his back. "This is actually perfect timing. I was just about to call you up to the bridge. I get the feeling that there are…things that need to be addressed."
The Remnantian delegates nodded, then Robyn softly asked, "How many people got off Vyraj?"
Keyes let out a regretful sigh and shook his head, then revealed, "We don't know. It's too early to say at this point. Shakespeare's been running the numbers, and it's not looking good. He estimates less than a hundred thousand, at most. Probably much lower, if any."
Robyn's face fell, while Sienna's hardened into a barely controlled fury. Her feline ears stood up straighter in agitation, but none really paid too much attention to it. They all felt the exact same way she did. If nothing else, it solidified the decision they had already made, and Qrow got the distinct sense that Commander Keyes already knew what they really wanted to talk about.
Qrow decided to be the one to bite the bullet, then said, "I think I speak for everyone when I say that we've seen enough."
Focusing his attention on Qrow, Keyes said, "You're recommending we abort the mission."
"And return to Remnant, as soon and as safely as possible," Clover added. "We came aboard to verify the Covenant threat. After Khembalung and especially Vyraj, we don't need any more proof."
Keyes nodded, then asked, "If you don't mind me asking, what will be your recommendations?"
"That the Covenant is a threat that can't be ignored," Sienna answered, then crossed her arms. "My people and I still have issues with the UNSC, but I can't ignore reality. The only way we survive this is by working together. I intend to tell the rest of my people that."
"As do I," Clover added, with Robyn and Qrow nodding in agreement. Keyes nodded, a slight amount of relief in his face, and Dare nodded as well as they looked them over.
"You're making the right decision," she declared, only for Qrow to instinctively roll his eyes.
"As far as I can tell, we're making the only decision. It's either this or we're dead," he pointed out. Keyes and Dare looked at him for a moment. If either were offended by his statement, none showed it.
After a moment, Keyes nodded then said, "In any case, I had a feeling that you and the rest of the delegation would request a mission abort. With that in mind, I've directed Shakespeare towards charting a return course back to Remnant. We'll be ready to go at a moment's notice."
Qrow and the others couldn't help but let out relieved smiles, but they were almost immediately dashed as Dare spoke up and revealed, "But, as we were doing that, we discovered an issue. Nothing critical, luckily, but one that still needs to be addressed before we can return to Remnant."
Frowning, Sienna asked, "And that would be?"
"Simply put, we don't have enough fuel," Dare answered. "The Midsummer Night was in the process of refueling when the Covenant attacked Vyraj. While we do have enough to make it to the Oum system, there won't be enough for us to return to UNSC space. As such, we need to make a stop at a refueling station on the way."
Qrow let out a groan. It was just his luck that, just when they were about to go home, something would come up and delay their progress. At least it was something as simple and mundane as fuel. With how things had been going so far, he was almost worried it was going to be a catastrophic failure of some kind.
"I take it you've already identified a planet en route?" Clover asked, and Keyes nodded.
"We have," Keyes admitted, then the holotable projection behind him shifted to that of a single terrestrial planet with three small moons orbiting it. Gesturing towards the projection with his arm stretched behind his back, Keyes continued, "The UNSC colony of Peponi has several refueling stations in orbit and is along the slipspace route back to Remnant. We'll be able to dock, refuel the ship, then continue our voyage back to your home."
Robyn nodded, then said, "Sounds like an acceptable plan. What about the other ship carrying the Vacuo and Mistral teams?"
"As soon as we arrive at the colony, I'll send a message to them requesting a complete mission abort," Keyes replied.
Sienna pursed her lips as she stared at the heavily forested planet. Curiosity taking hold of her, she asked, "What can you tell us about Peponi?"
"Peponi is an Inner Colony world with an estimated population of three-hundred million," Dare answered. "It has a humid and tropical environment, with much of the main continent covered in dense jungle. The initial colonists hailed from the West Africa region of Earth, and the primary language is French. But English is also very common. Economically, Peponi is a major hub for medical and pharmaceutical research, and after the Fall of the Outer Colonies it has become a center for agricultural and mining production. As such, there is an extensive UNSC presence on the colony."
"In any case," Keyes said, "if all goes as planned, we'll only be on Peponi for a day or two to refuel and restock. Then we'll depart and arrive at Remnant at around the same time as the other vessel."
Qrow and the others nodded, then he couldn't help but say, "Sounds good and all, but when has anything gone as planned during this mission?"
Keyes didn't really have a rebuttal for that, so he shrugged and said, "True. In any case, we'll be departing momentarily. Report to the cryobay. Shakespeare, send out an alert as well."
"Of course, Commander," Shakespeare said. The huntsmen and huntresses nodded, with Clover once again flashing a quick salute, then they turned around and left. Qrow and Sienna grumbled slightly about once again having to get into a cryo tube, but their voices were quickly muffled as they walked down the metal corridors and the door closed behind them.
Keyes stared at the door a moment, then released a sigh and turned back around to stare out the window. With everything that had transpired in the past few months, it was hard for him to guess what was going to happen next. He did know this, though. No matter what happened before, the next few months were going to change the course of human history. Keyes could only hope that it would be for the better.
[~][~]
Hello, everyone. Here is the latest chapter of Dust and Echoes. Special thanks to NaanContributor and Jesse K for all their help in bringing this chapter to life.
A much more low-key and transitionary chapter, but after the events of the last one that is only to be expected. We're entering the final phase of the Covenant Arc, this time on the tropical and hot colony of Peponi. We're really excited for what's coming next, and I think you all are going to enjoy it as well.
Regarding questions about Atriox and the Banished, you guys will have to wait and see what we have planned for them.
I'm glad so many of you guys have been enjoying my story so far. We put a lot of work into this and try to make it as accessible to as broad of an audience as possible. The goal is that you should only have basic knowledge of one side of the crossover yet still will be able to perfectly understand what is going on.
Yeah, the Human-Covenant War was extremely, extremely lopsided in the Covenant's favor. Humanity was getting its ass kicked, and I wanted to show that during the Battle of Vyraj. Helps to really sell just how dire of a situation they find themselves in.
No, neither ONI nor the Workers Liberation Party leaked the location of Vyraj to the Covenant. Like many other worlds, they just found it. Also, the last thing ONI wants is to directly put the delegation in danger and risk them actually getting killed/wiped out. That would do the opposite of secure an alliance.
The Spirit of Fire, while one of my favorite ships in canon, is unfortunately not really a factor in this story. It's MIA and drifting through space, with everyone assuming they are dead by now.
Team SSSN will eventually appear, but their roles in the broader story are going to be minor. The main huntsmen and huntresses in this story are the same as RWBY canon. Specifically Qrow and teams RWBY/JNPR. Others will definitely appear and have an impact, but they aren't main characters.
Actually, again, what happened with Ironwood in canon was following along with the author's plans for him. They intended for Ironwood to be a compelling and interesting dude, one who wanted to do good but had some serious problems/demons that eventually did him in. You have to remember, when Ironwood was introduced in Volume 2 the community was convinced that he was a villain in waiting. Then we learned more about him, saw him for being a good guy in Volume 3 and 4, but just because we got more elaboration on him does not mean that his problems didn't exist anymore. They did. Those problems being an absolute need for control, a heavy-handed approach to solving all of his problems, inability to really trust people other than himself, and a willingness to backstab his own allies to get what he wants. The events of Volume 3, 4, and 7 only made things worse for him as his prior-existing problems were exacerbated and pressed by the situation he found himself in, his own personality refusing to let others take some of the burden off of him, and the villains exploiting those problems to where they essentially played him like a fiddle. There is a clear line between where Ironwood started and where he ended up. His story is a tragic fall from grace, where he went from well-meaning hero to complete monster. I've talked about this before in a few other author's notes, and I'm perfectly happy with how it went.
The VK78 Commando rifle is actually an old design from the 2490s. It was used by the CMA then superseded/replaced by the MA-series of rifles (MA5, MA37, etc.). As such, the Insurrectionists using it on Vyraj is perfectly justifiable by Halo's lore, especially since they typically use outdated equipment acquired from the black market.
No, the next arc of the story is the Integration Arc, which will be a series of timeskip chapters that show how the war is affected by Remnant entering. We'll see this both from the humans' POV and the Covenant's.
That's it for this time. I hope you guys all enjoy. If any of you have a TV Tropes account, any assistance in updating the page would be greatly appreciated. See you all next time!