Dust and Echoes (RWBY/Halo)
Chapter 22: Paradise Lost
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Peponi, Nyame System
City of New Timbuktu
June 20th, 2541, 1343 Hours (UNSC Military Calendar)
"We have received confirmation this morning that the Inner Colony world of Vyraj was discovered and attacked by a Covenant fleet," the reporter for Inter-System News said on the wall-mounted television screen. Behind him, a picture of what Vyraj looked like before the invasion was shown, along with some text to provide information. "Although the UNSC put up a valiant resistance, their resources and manpower were exhausted after quelling the Worker's Liberation Party, a radical group of Insurrectionists who, just before the invasion, launched a series of terrorist attacks in an attempt to overthrow the planetary government. They were unable to recover by the time the Covenant attacked, and while the UNSC managed to successfully inflict grievous harm onto the aliens and evacuate a significant chunk of the population, ultimately the planet fell. Casualty reports are still being tallied."
The civilians watching the broadcast muttered among themselves nervously, their conversations hushed and discrete. Robyn Hill was unable to hear what everyone was saying, but she could gather bits and pieces. They all told the same story.
"Another colony was glassed? That's the fifth one this year," one woman whispered.
"Vyraj isn't too far from Peponi. What if the Covenant finds us next?" another asked, fear seeping into his voice.
"I don't know, but either way I'm getting the next flight out of here. Heading straight to Reach," a young woman replied.
"You're overreacting," a nearby man interjected with a dismissive tone. "You heard what the reporter said. The Covenant happened upon Vyraj just after the UNSC exhausted themselves dealing with some Insurrectionists. Had those…murderers and terrorists not started blowing everyone up and being a distraction, Vyraj would've held the Covenant off."
"…Yeah, I suppose you have a point," the first person said. Around them, the other civilians in earshot nodded in agreement, with more than a few angrily cursing the Insurrection for sealing Vyraj's fate.
All Robyn could do was sigh and shake her head before walking away, tucking her hands into her pockets. She had come to expect the UNSC's propaganda networks downplaying or outright lying about Vyraj's destruction. Especially after they turned the skirmish over Khembalung into an outright victory against the Covenant proper, which still didn't quite sit right with her. So it wasn't really a surprise that they were twisting the truth around what actually happened at Vyraj, blaming the Insurrection while playing up what the UNSC was able to accomplish. Robyn supposed that it was impossible to completely disguise the fact that a planet with hundreds of millions of people living on it was reduced to glass, leaving only a few thousand survivors at most.
But, unlike the lying about Khembalung, Robyn couldn't find it in herself to be as angry about the UNSC twisting the truth about Vyraj. The sense of helplessness that she felt when fleeing from the planet, unable to do a damn thing as millions of innocent people were murdered all around her, it still hadn't left. She'd never felt that way before, even on a mission to fight some Grimm that resulted in the destruction of a settlement. At least there she was able to do something. She had agency, and could stand firm against the endless tide without being washed away.
Which brought Robyn to perhaps the greatest difference between humanity's eternal war against the Grimm and the Human-Covenant War. The former had been going on for so long, all throughout Remnant's history, that her people had grown accustomed to it. Grimm overrunning a village or town outside of the Kingdoms' walls was a tragedy every single time, but it had the same weight as when a hurricane, tornado, or any other natural disaster rolled by. They had almost grown used to it as a hazard of living outside the walls, like settling down near an active volcano or floodplain, which had its own set of problems. The Human-Covenant War, though, was recent and fresh. Terran society simply hadn't had the time to normalize what was happening to them, not that they ever could. The Grimm were mindless beasts, more like engines of pure destruction rather than living creatures, unlike the Covenant. In a way, Robyn envied that, but at the same time it put into context why the UNSC was focusing so hard on keeping people calm.
Part of her still felt that they should tell the truth more. She hated liars and always had. But she understood more now, and it wasn't like she was in a position to do anything about it right away. For the moment, she had to focus on what was actually important: getting Remnant ready for the war they had to fight.
"Robyn, over here," she heard her name getting called out as she stepped out of the bar and into the sweltering hot sun, which immediately made her squint and cover her eyes with her hand.
Robyn turned her head towards the source, where she saw Fiona waving at her from the outside dining area of a nearby restaurant. She was seated next to the rest of the Happy Huntresses and some members of the Vale delegation, alongside Harriet who had the same perpetual frown on her face that she'd been wearing ever since their evacuation from Vyraj. Why the Ace Operative was there, Robyn couldn't say, but she had a feeling that Harriet would let her know quickly.
Walking over to the diner, Robyn allowed herself to take a quick glance at the city of New Timbuktu. It was apparently named after an ancient West African city on Earth, one that was a center of wealth and prosperity for the region. Like Vyraj, it too was highly developed, with tall, bulbous skyscrapers reaching high above. Cutting through the city was a river that split off into two forks at the end, dividing the urban area into three distinct districts. They were currently near the outer edge of the residential area, one that housed many workers and researchers for some of the colony's major agricultural and pharmaceutical companies. It gave them an extensive view of the thick jungle that surrounded three sides of the colony, outside of the southern coastline.
It was a beautiful place, Robyn had to admit, but she could do without the heat and humidity. She'd only been outside for a few minutes and already she was sweating up a storm. Then there were the insects. Those damn things were everywhere, a poignant fact that was reinforced when Robyn had to quickly swat away a swarm of them that flew into her face. The rest of her team saw her do this as she approached, and they couldn't help but chuckle at her expense.
"Having fun, Robyn?" Joanna asked as she handed her leader a glass of cold Sobolo, who happily took the offered fruity beverage and immediately took a drink.
"Totally," Robyn answered, her voice dripping in sarcasm. "With all the annoying bugs, sweltering heat and humidity, what's an Atlesian girl to do?"
The others, outside of Harriet, chuckled, and Thomas Cornell responded, "I hear ya. Imagine how bad it is for me with my legs. They are drenched right now."
"Do you need to get back to the ship?" Casper Marine asked as she looked at her teammate in concern, but Thomas shook his head and waved his hand dismissively.
"Nah, I'll be fine. Besides, we'll only have to endure this for another day at most," Thomas pointed out. "Then the Night will be restocked and we'll be on our way back to Remnant."
Everyone else tilted their heads back and sighed wistfully at the thought of going home. After everything that had happened to them so far, it felt like an eternity since they had been home and they couldn't wait to return. Of course, that hope was tempered by the knowledge that they would have to share with their homeworld, as well as what would inevitably come afterwards. After a few moments, that shared feeling overrode the anticipation, and they leaned forward in their chairs again.
"How do you think Remnant's going to react once they learn that the Covenant is real?" Fiona asked. At first, no one had an answer, then Harriet decided to speak up.
"They'll realize Atlas was right and rebuild their armies," Harriet bluntly announced, causing the Valean Huntsmen to shoot their heads towards her. Undeterred, Harriet shrugged and added, "Get angry all you want, I'm telling the truth. Huntsmen on their own are fine for dealing with the Grimm, but we all know the Covenant aren't like that. Like it or not, Remnant's going to have to militarize. More than we have in our entire history, most likely. I wouldn't be surprised if we enter total war. General Ironwood would push for it, at least."
"We all know and agree with you on that. In concept, at least," Casper pointed out. "But you didn't have to say it like that."
"You're allowed to have some tact, Harriet," Fiona pointed out, but an annoyed Harriet glared at her.
"That's Specialist Bree to you. Remember, you're still under arrest," Harriet reminded them, and the Happy Huntresses groaned.
"You're still on that? I'm pretty certain Commander Keyes doesn't care about that anymore," May Marigold dismissed, and Harriet scoffed at her.
"He never officially rescinded the order," Harriet reminded the Happy Huntresses, "so someone has to keep an eye on you. Hence why I'm here."
Robyn rolled her eyes as did the rest of the Happy Huntresses. May looked like she wanted to press forward and argue, but a quick glance by Robyn was enough to get her to bite her tongue. She couldn't help but shoot a glare towards Harriet, though. Robyn, however, felt like she understood a little why Harriet was acting grumpier and more argumentative than usual. While all the Ace-Ops liked to model themselves after the stoic and logically-minded General Ironwood, they all had emotional cores to them, Harriet most of all. She wasn't really keeping an eye on 'prisoners.' She was venting and trying to process the tragedy they all witnessed and were unable to do anything about. With that in mind, Robyn supposed that she could let Harriet's behavior pass, so long as she didn't do anything too drastic.
Besides, Robyn knew Harriet was right. The Happy Huntresses were still technically prisoners of the UNSC with Commander Keyes as their warden. He was the only reason why they were given so much leeway, and they would lose their privileges if they pushed their luck too much. They had to be careful, otherwise all the progress they had made in representing Mantle would be for nothing.
Briefly, Robyn shifted her gaze towards the sky as a group of eight rowdy off-duty soldiers entered the diner and sat down at a table near theirs. While she couldn't see it, she knew that she was looking in the general area of the Midsummer Night, currently docked in one of the orbital repair yards to restock their supplies and refuel their tanks. They had arrived the day before and had been given express clearance due to the nature of their mission. That clearance allowed them to effectively cut to the front of the line. Even then, restocking the ship wasn't an instantaneous process. There had to be inspections, actually hauling the food, water, and fuel into the ship, and more. The whole thing was an exhaustive, time-consuming process that would take about two days to complete. Until then, they were once again on shore leave. As before, everyone split off to do their own thing, and it was only by sheer luck that the Happy Huntresses met up with Thomas and Casper. As for the others, all she knew was that Qrow Branwen and several others, both Huntsmen and marines, had gone straight to the nearest bar to get absolutely wasted. She nearly joined them.
"By the way, thanks for letting us hang out with you girls," Casper said, and Joanna waved her off.
"It's no problem," Joanna replied. "Besides, I honestly was getting the sense that despite being on the same ship as you guys this entire time, we haven't really had a chance to just talk and get to know each other."
"Yeah, sorry about that. We kind of tend to stick to ourselves as a group," Casper noted, then her face fell and she looked to the side. "Especially after we graduated from Beacon. When a mission goes wrong, you tend to…grow a bit more exclusive. Know what I mean?"
Robyn could get where Casper was coming from. She had suspected it for a while, how three members of the Valean delegation were all from the same team but still left an open spot for Qrow Branwen to join the mission. Clearly Casper's team used to be complete, but now it wasn't. With how close teams from Beacon typically grew, no wonder they were slow to want to interact with others more than necessary. If only to reduce the pain.
She forced herself not to dwell on that in favor of refocusing her attention back to the planet itself. Besides the difference in environment and general culture, Robyn easily noticed how much stronger the UNSC presence was on Peponi. There were dozens of warships orbiting high above, far more than what defended Vyraj. They actually saw a few of them jump into the system as they arrived, reinforcing the planetary garrison. Robyn figured that Vyraj getting glassed so close to Peponi had the UNSC spooked. Based off the news reports they'd seen and read, the local garrison was at a heighted state of alert for the foreseeable future, which meant a lot of patrols being sent out into the jungles.
"Don't look now, but I think those soldiers are looking at you girls," Thomas whispered, cutting into Robyn's thoughts.
She briefly glanced in their direction, and true to the faunus' word the marines, particularly the men, were looking at them. They weren't from the Midsummer Night's crew, and judging by their uniforms they appeared to be members of the Peponi Army. It didn't look like they were eyeing them suspiciously. Rather, the looks on their faces suggested a much more…personal motivation, one that Robyn had seen more than a few times back on Remnant.
Once the realization hit her, she couldn't help but smile and shake her head before saying, "I don't believe this…"
"Believe what?" Fiona innocently asked.
"Why do you think a bunch of young, vibrant men are looking at a group of attractive women?" May rhetorically asked as she subtly preened. It took Fiona a moment to let it sink in, but when it did her face erupted into a crimson blush.
"Now she gets it," Casper remarked as she smiled in amusement. She then pointedly looked towards the soldiers and waved at them, whispering to herself, "That's right, I see you."
The soldiers perked up at the acknowledgement and started quickly conversing among themselves. As they did, Thomas quietly asked, "Do you have to pick on them?"
"Just having a bit of fun, that's all. No one's getting hurt," Casper remarked as she continued to look at the soldiers.
That was when one of the men, encouraged by his comrades, got up from his seat and began walking over to them. Thomas hung his head and groaned as he muttered, "Oh, you've done it now, Casper."
The soldier didn't hear him as he confidently strode over, puffing up his chest with a wide smile on his face. Robyn studied the man briefly. He appeared to be a typical soldier. Tall, muscular, obviously well-fed and cared for. Judging by his black skin, she suspected he was a native of Peponi. He was currently wearing his olive-green dress fatigues with a cap atop his head, and his hair was neatly trimmed almost to the scalp.
"Good afternoon, ladies," the man announced as he stood before their table. When he saw Thomas, he nodded and quickly added, "And you too, sir."
"Hello there," Robyn replied, putting on a friendly smile as she turned in her seat to look at him. Taking this as a cue to continue with his obvious flirting, the man nodded back then threw his thumb over his shoulder towards his table.
"My friends and I couldn't help but notice that you don't appear to be from Peponi," he said, and Robyn nodded.
"That's right, we're just visiting," Robyn confirmed.
"Well, I hope you've been enjoying your stay at our beautiful home. Peponi's the jewel of the Inner Colonies for a reason."
"It's nice. Could do without the bugs though," Casper remarked, and the soldier laughed.
"Yes, I hear that a lot. That and the heat," he agreed. The soldier then nodded and introduced himself, "The name's Bukola."
"Robyn Hill. Charmed," Robyn said as she held out her hand, which Bukola immediately took. Noticing the patch on his shoulder, Robyn added, "You a private in the Army?"
"Yes, ma'am, and proud of it," Bukola immediately answered. "Been protecting and serving Peponi for years now. Always willing to do whatever it takes to help the people, both natives and tourists."
Robyn nodded, then gestured to herself and the rest of her party while saying, "Well, we are definitely part of the latter. Arrived just yesterday, actually."
"With how many ships that have been coming in recently, I'm not surprised," Bukola said with a crisp nod, then leaned over and whispered. "Even heard something about a warship carrying some VIPs."
"Oh, really?" Casper asked, a suspicious glint in her eyes. "Where'd you get that idea?"
"I have a source who works up on Anchor 15. Told me a destroyer that arrived yesterday got to cut to the front of the line and pissed off a lot of captains in the process," Bukola answered, then lowered his voice. "But don't tell anyone I told you that. Apparently, it's supposed to be all hush-hush."
Robyn exchanged an amused glance with her team, then looked back at Bukola guilelessly checking them out, surmising that he was trying to make himself look more important by disclosing this 'classified' information to them, and replied, "Don't worry, you and your source are safe with us."
Bukola flashed a toothy grin, then said, "Enough about that. Let's focus on you and your friends. How much longer are you planning on staying on Peponi?"
"We're leaving tomorrow, actually," Harriet briskly answered, clearly wanting this conversation to end, but Bukola didn't take the hint and nodded.
"Well, that's certainly not enough time to show you all the wonderful sights Peponi has to offer," Bukola declared, then pressed his thumb against his chest. "Luckily for you, though, my squad and I know all that there is to see. We could show you, if you'd like."
Robyn raised her eyebrows, briefly glancing past Bukola to see both his squad waving confidently at them and a familiar mop of blonde hair walking over towards their group before looking back at her team. The Happy Huntresses were all looking at her, with Thomas looking confused and Casper appearing to barely be able to control herself. Harriet just looked like she wanted to speed away from this conversation.
"Private, are you asking to show us around?" Casper playfully asked, and Bukola nodded.
"Yes I am," Bukola confirmed. "Not just what the tour guides will show you, either. The real heart of Peponi."
Robyn looked at Bukola, then towards the others in her group. Joanna, Fiona, and Thomas were shaking their heads, while May and Casper were nodding with smirks on their faces. Harriet remained as grumpily impassive as ever. Going over her options, Robyn looked back towards Bukola and his squad. She then smiled towards the ever-confident soldier and nodded.
"Well that sounds grand. Thank you," Robyn replied, causing Bukola's smile to widen. Before he could continue, however, Robyn quickly added, "But, as much as I would love to take you up on your offer to see what Peponi truly has to offer, it's not up to me. You have to ask her."
"Huh?" Bukola mumbled, not understanding the response nor why Robyn was pointing behind him. That was when he finally noticed that his squad had gone unnaturally quiet, and he slowly turned around. When his eyes locked with an unamused Lieutenant Veronica Dare's, along with the ONI patch and twin bars on her uniform, he immediately snapped to attention and gave a salute.
"Ma'am!" Private Bukola shouted, standing ramrod straight along with the rest of his squad. Dare harshly looked at him, pursing her lips before nodding.
"At ease, Private," Dare ordered, and Private Bukola immediately shot his arm down to his side while continuing to stand straight. She then turned her attention towards Robyn and asked, "Would any of you mind explaining what's going on here?"
"Private Bukola and his friends were just so kindly offering to show us around Peponi, Lieutenant," Robyn revealed. "It was quite generous in my opinion."
"He also shared rumors with us," Harriet revealed with an almost malevolent glint in her eyes.
"What kind of rumors?" Dare asked, a frown on her face.
"Rumors about a ship that arrived yesterday, one that was carrying VIPs and cut to the front of the line," Harriet answered. "Said he had a source who told him personally."
Dare narrowed her eyes while Robyn couldn't help but shake her head at how Harriet sold the poor man out, then she looked back at Bukola who was beginning to nervously sweat. If Robyn had to guess, he was beginning to connect the dots as to who they were. Lieutenant Dare then asked, "Is this true, Private? Were you and your squad offering to escort them?"
"Yes, ma'am!" Bukola immediately confirmed without a moment of hesitation. Dare gave him a hard look, then glanced towards the Huntsman and Huntresses. She internally debated on what to do, then nodded.
"Alright, permission granted," Dare revealed, a small amount of venomous glee seeping into her voice. She clearly enjoyed watching Bukola squirm. "As I'm certain you're aware, Private, these are some very important individuals you were talking to. People who need to learn how to properly integrate with UNSC forces, such as the Army. Since you and your squad have oh-so-generously offered to assist with this endeavor, with no ulterior motives at all I'm sure and while you have no current duties, the UNSC thanks you."
Bukola nervously swallowed the lump in his throat, then he said, "Yes, ma'am! Happy to be of service, ma'am!"
Dare nodded, then ordered, "You and your squad are to immediately return to your prescheduled patrol with these VIPs in tow. You are to be on your best behavior, the epitome of all that the UNSC stands for. Do you understand?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Very good," Dare responded. "Dismissed."
Bukola flashed another salute, then Dare turned around and walked away towards a nearby black car. As she got in, the Huntsman, Huntresses, and all the soldiers watched as she left, and only then did they look back at each other. Private Bukola, not so flirtatious anymore, was nervous, embarrassed, and almost horrified, but Casper merely smiled and waved it off.
"Eh, don't worry about it. If Lieutenant Dare was actually mad at you, you'd know," Casper soothed him. Bukola eased up a little, before she teasingly added, "Either that or she still hasn't figured out what to do with you yet and is still coming up with…ways."
Bukola blanched, and Thomas chastised, "Casper, leave the man alone."
"I kid, I kid. Trust me, you're fine," Casper revealed. "Your friend probably isn't, but given how she didn't ask for the name of your 'source' something tells me it's either not a big deal or she already has it handled."
"Oh, God…" Bukola groaned and hung his head, and Robyn smiled while patting his shoulder.
"There, there. You're alright," Robyn said, then stood up from her chair. Stretching out her limbs, she then declared, "Well then, you heard the Lieutenant. Let's go ahead and start that tour, shall we?"
Anchor 15, SRRS-01013 (Service, Repair, and Refit Station)
Geosynchronous Orbit, Peponi
"Shakespeare, status report," Commander Jacob Keyes requested as he stared out the observation window, giving him an unobstructed view of the planet. Off to the side, he could see the Midsummer Night being worked on, docked to the station through several cables that fed fuel and supplies directly into the tanks.
"Repairs are proceeding as scheduled, Commander," Shakespeare reported through the station's intercom. The Smart AI's 'body', so to speak, was still inside the Midsummer Night, not that it stopped him from wirelessly interfacing with the SRRS station's communication relays with ease.
"Any issues?"
"None whatsoever. In fact, compared to standard refit timetables, we're ahead of schedule," Shakespeare revealed. "If we wanted to, the Midsummer Night could depart this afternoon."
That was very good news to hear, Keyes knew, and he smiled slightly before replying, "I'm sure the crew will be happy to hear that, but I think I'll let them continue their shore leave for the rest of the day."
"A wise decision, in my opinion. Even the most dedicated man and woman requires rest," Shakespeare agreed, and Keyes nodded to himself while glancing at the tablet in his hand.
"Keep me posted on the status of the restocking. I want to know as soon as it is finished," Keyes ordered, then swiped through the latest message he received on the tablet. His eyes widened slightly at what he saw, then he added, "Patch me through to Lieutenant Dare. I need to speak with her."
"My sensors indicate that she's already on Anchor 15 with you," Shakespeare reported just as Keyes saw a Pelican land in the hangar bay. Putting two and two together, Keyes frowned slightly then turned around to walk out of the observation room.
"Tell her I'll meet her in the hangar bay," Keyes ordered, briskly walking down the hall towards the elevator. Around him, MP officers and engineers respectfully gave him a wide lane, a few even flashing salutes.
"Message has been sent and received. May I ask why you desire to speak with the Lieutenant?" Shakespeare asked as Keyes stepped into the elevator.
"You read the same messages I do," Keyes pointed out.
"Yes, but I have been told that doing so is rude."
"So you haven't read Dare's message to me?"
"I didn't say that…"
Keyes rolled his eyes and slightly smiled in amusement. He then muttered under his breath, "Typical AI. Always the smartass."
Although he couldn't see Shakespeare's avatar, Keyes knew that the AI was smiling. But Keyes couldn't focus on that. Instead, as he stepped out onto the hangar, he steeled himself then walked straight towards the Pelican dropship. Lieutenant Dare was already waiting for him, unapologetically looking him in the eyes with her arms folded behind her back.
"Lieutenant, walk with me," Keyes ordered, and Dare immediately complied as she turned to walk step-in-step with the Commander. They moved past engineers and service technicians, carefully watched over by armed MPs for anything out of place. Even when they were out of earshot they continued walking, and Keyes didn't particularly care that they didn't have an obvious destination.
"I take it you received my message," Dare spoke up in a faint murmur, and Keyes nodded.
"Yes, I did," Keyes answered. "Do you mind telling me why you authorized letting some of our Huntsmen delegates participate in an Army patrol? Without consulting me first?"
"For the same reasons I told you in my message," Dare immediately replied. "We're going to be working extensively with the people of Remnant for the foreseeable future, one way or another. Ensuring proper integration with UNSC forces is essential."
"I agree, which is why I'm allowing this to proceed," Keyes admitted. "But I would've preferred we do something like this with our own forces. Especially given the secrecy surrounding this entire operation. The crew of the Midsummer Night knows who the delegates are, and have already formed a working relationship with them."
"Which partially was the problem," Dare countered.
"Explain," Keyes requested, and Dare nodded as they moved through an automatic door.
"The Huntsmen Delegation from Remnant, as you've said, have already started forming relationships with some of the crew. Mostly professional, but a few I would start to quantify as friendships," Dare pointed out. "But, unfortunately, that is only a small, singular element of the wider UNSC. If we restrict them to only working with the Midsummer Night, it runs the risk of making them feel like we're constricting them."
Keyes narrowed his eyes, then after a moment nodded and said, "I see. So, by letting the delegates participate in the patrol—"
"We show that we trust them, and in turn they can trust and work with members of the UNSC outside of the Midsummer Night," Dare finished for him, and Keyes hummed to himself while rubbing his chin.
"Hmm, while I would've appreciated you letting me know of this ahead of time, I can see the logic you were working with," Keyes admitted, and Dare nodded.
"I do sincerely apologize for the short notice," Dare replied. "Admittedly, it was spontaneous and slightly spur of the moment."
"I thought ONI agents only did something if it was part of the plan?"
"That's what poor and inexperienced agents do, Commander. The good ones are constantly on the lookout for opportunities to exploit, and know exactly when and where to seize them," Dare revealed, then smirked. "Such as when a group of soldiers decide to act above their station and flirt with VIPs while flaunting their supposed 'importance' to make themselves look good."
Keyes finally began to understand just why Dare let this happen, and he couldn't help but smile and shake his head. It seemed as though it didn't matter what branch of the military you were a part of. Officers always enjoyed picking on soldiers acting out of line. At least this, other than temporary embarrassment, was relatively harmless.
"You're not going to punish the men, are you?" Keyes asked.
"No. There was a matter of one of them sharing rumors about our arrival, but that's not exactly classified," Dare revealed. "I already know who told him and others, though, and after this I'll be having a little chat to remind him about the importance of information security."
Keyes nodded in agreement, then looked up at the ceiling and asked, "Shakespeare, where exactly are the delegates patrolling?"
"One moment, Commander," Shakespeare replied. "Found it. The Happy Huntresses, most of the Vale delegation, and Specialist Bree will be patrolling with a squad of soldiers from the Peponi Army's Third Battalion several miles through the savannah and rainforest surrounding New Timbuktu."
"Any potential issues or threats?"
"Other than a recent spike in animal attacks along the route, none. Those animal attacks are actually why a patrol is being sent out there in the first place. Local residents were getting spooked and a squad is being sent out as part of a UNSC Army outreach program."
"I'm certain our soldiers and Huntsmen can take care of a few wild animals," Dare responded, and Keyes nodded in agreement.
"Alright. Notify the delegates to keep me informed," Keyes ordered, then folded his arms behind his back as he turned around to walk back to the observation room, Dare walking beside him. As they did, he continued, "I believe this is going to work out just fine for us, Lieutenant."
"As do I, Commander," Dare agreed, and together the two fell into a comfortable silence.
Greater Peponi Rainforest
If Robyn thought that walking through the concrete jungle of New Timbuktu was frustrating, it was nothing compared to what it was like going through the actual jungle. It was like taking all of the city's heat, humidity, and annoying bugs, dialing it all up to eleven, and making it extremely cramped and claustrophobic. Say what you will about the UEG and UNSC, they understood proper city design. At the very least, they didn't have to walk through it. The eleven-man squad of Army soldiers, along with the seven Huntsmen, were riding in style in a convoy of three Warthogs. One was equipped with an M41 LAAG, while the other two opted for an extended tray and a roll cage. That particular variant was aptly named the M831 Troop Transport Warthog, which reminded Robyn of a less-armored Razorback. She suspected that the Razorback was a much newer development.
"Have I ever mentioned how much I hate the jungle?" May irritably spoke up in Vytalian, wiping away a sheen of sweat on her forehead. She had to make sure to keep her hand steady as she bounced up and down in her seat, itself caused by her Warthog's rough traversal over the terrain.
Joanna couldn't help but smirk and replied, "You would never survive in Vacuo or Mistral."
"No, I wouldn't. My body's adapted to the cold, not whatever Hell this is," May rebuked. "Why anyone would want to live in a place this hot is beyond me. At least you can easily do something about the cold."
The other Happy Huntresses, along with Casper and Thomas, chuckled at May's claim while Harriet continued to look as irritated as ever. Robyn got the distinct sense that she didn't particularly want to be there. Admittedly, the last thing Robyn expected was for Miss ONI to actually take the soldiers up on their 'offer,' in a manner of speaking. Undoubtedly she had another angle going on, but at the moment Robyn couldn't quite figure out what it all was.
"So, Sergeant Abeni, what exactly are we doing out here anyway?" Thomas Cornell asked from his transport Warthog.
"Local civilian outreach, basically," Sergeant Abeni, a tall woman with long, braided hair, brown eyes, and dark skin, replied. "Over the past few weeks, there's been an influx of wild animal attacks on local inhabitants. Over a dozen people were mauled. In order to calm everyone down, keep our troops active, and take advantage of the good PR, Command started sending patrols into the outskirts. So far, the number of attacks have gone down, but they're still happening."
"Damn," Thomas muttered. "Is the wildlife that bad here?"
"It can be. There's plenty of dangerous predators in the jungle, especially the greater grootslang."
"…And that is?"
"Imagine an eighteen-meter long snake with fangs big enough to almost be considered tusks. Initial colonists thought it reminded them of a legendary West African monster called the Grootslang, hence the name. Remember, Peponi may be an inner colony, but much of the natural landscape is deliberately left untouched and was for millions of years before we arrived. That leaves a lot of room and time for things to get big and dangerous," Abeni explained, keeping her hands on the wheel and her eyes on the vaguely defined dirt trail in front of them.
"Why is that?"
"People take it for granted nowadays, but back when humanity was still just confined to Earth we nearly destroyed our entire environment," she answered as they drove through a shallow creek, splashing water everywhere. "Deforestation, overfishing, desertification, mass extinction. Over the course of centuries we hurt Earth's environment so much that the climate itself began to change. It was a real mess."
"So now you take steps to ensure that doesn't happen again," Casper, listening in on the conversation through her radio, spoke up and Abeni nodded.
"Yep. When we started colonizing other worlds, a whole slew of environmental protection laws were passed and are rigidly enforced. Especially on worlds that don't require much, if any, terraforming to be habitable," Abeni confirmed. "From what I've read on Waypoint, the UEG has managed to repair much of Earth's environment over the past few centuries, but restoring it to its preindustrial state is a pipe dream."
Thomas nodded in understanding, able to easily see why the UEG and UNSC would go to such lengths to make sure such massive environmental damage didn't happen again on their worlds. He and the others had read a little bit of Earth's pre-spacefaring history, and from what he saw climate change was a big issue in the twenty-first century. He was happy that they were able to get past it.
Robyn, having listened in on their entire open conversation, was happy as well. At the same time, she couldn't help but note that Remnant didn't really have a comparable issue. She supposed it wasn't just due to the Grimm keeping Remnant's population relatively low. It was also because the cheapest, most reliable source of energy on Remnant, Dust, was extremely potent, relatively environmentally friendly once it was out of the ground, and most importantly somewhat renewable. They still didn't know why or how, but Dust crystals could regrow themselves over the course of years. A previously exhausted mine could become usable again after only a few decades. Plenty of Dust companies, including the SDC, had developed a policy of keeping inert mines on their books, periodically checking them to see if Dust regrowth had gotten to the point where they could reintegrate those mines back into their supply chain.
But that was, admittedly, a topic Robyn only had cursory knowledge of. The more important detail was that the threat of climate change was the least of Remnant's worries, and she saw no reason to believe that was going to change. Especially since the UNSC was most likely going to freely give away their fusion power and hydrogen fuel cell technology so that Dust could start exclusively being used for military applications.
Robyn let her thoughts drift as they continued to drive through the rainforest. In the distance, she could see storm clouds forming on the horizon. According to the weather forecast, the rainy season was about to start, but their patrol should be over by the time the rain started. Once it did, though, by all accounts it wasn't going to let up for months. The civilians didn't seem to particularly care, likely because the city itself was designed with such a climate in mind and the local populace had most likely grown used to it by now. They'd adapted, as humans tended to do. Robyn was glad that such a trait appeared to be universal.
Eventually, their vehicles began to slow down until they finally stopped. Shutting the engine of her lead vehicle off, Sergeant Abeni grabbed her MA37 assault rifle from its mount and hopped out of the Warthog. Wet mud splashed upon landing, but she didn't seem to care as she called out, "Alright, men. Time to earn your paychecks, cause we're here."
"And where, exactly, is here?" Harriet grumpily asked as she hopped out the back of her Warthog, not bothering to deploy Fast Knuckles.
"The site of the latest mauling," Sergeant Abeni answered. "A young man in his early twenties went out on his morning jog two days ago and didn't return. His family reported his disappearance, and they found his body a day later. Was completely torn up."
Harriet nodded in acceptance, then said, "So, this is a kill mission?"
"If we can find the animal that did it, yeah, but I wouldn't get your hopes up," Abeni confirmed, then flicked the safety off her rifle as did the rest of her men. "Fan out into three fireteams. Stay in radio contact at all times. Ola, Sipho, Femi, stay with the Warthogs."
"Yes, ma'am," the soldiers professionally responded, immediately forming the requested number of fireteams. The Huntsmen followed their example and divided themselves up among those groups, with Robyn, May, and Harriet sticking with Sergeant Abeni's fireteam.
"Do we know what animal killed him?" May asked, keeping her eyes peeled for any sign.
"The body was so mangled that the wounds were inconclusive," Abeni answered, a sad frown on her face. "Poor bastard was completely torn apart, either by the creature that killed him or all the other wild beasts out here."
"Great, so that gives us a lot to go on," May sarcastically muttered, but otherwise kept going. At the same time, she and Robyn checked their crossbows. May's were able to be connected through a staff or collapsed and separated into a hand-crossbow configuration while Robyn's were mounted to her wrists. Both also had M6D magnums holstered on their hips, but they didn't expect to have to use them.
More than a handful of soldiers were looking at the weapons the Huntresses carried on them, but only one was able to work up the courage to ask, "Hey, uh, those are some nice looking crossbows you got there."
"Thank you. We made them ourselves," Robyn earnestly replied.
"That's cool," the Private said and nodded. "Always wanted to build my own weapon, but uhh…the best I ever did was just taping a knife to a large stick."
"You made a spear. Spears are useful," May pointed out, and the soldier nodded.
"Fair enough. But, I got to ask…why are you using crossbows? Aren't those a bit outdated?"
Robyn could tell that the young man was trying to be polite, so she smiled and answered, "Where I come from, being able to supply yourself while out on the field is essential. It's much easier to fasten a few crossbow bolts, or even just retrieve them, than make bullets from scratch."
The Private studied her for a moment, then shrugged in mild acceptance. He then said, "Well, I suppose I can understand that. Would still choose a gun over a bow any day of the week, though. What about you, Bree? What's that thing on your back?"
Briefly everyone glanced towards the Atlesian specialist, who still had yet to deploy her weapon. She looked at them all for a moment, then firmly answered, "I'm utilizing an experimental combat exoskeleton that drastically increases my upper body strength."
A few of the soldiers whistled appreciatively, and the Private said, "That's cool. I heard that the UNSC's trying to get something like that, but haven't managed to get it down just yet. But, if you have something like that, I guess that means they made more progress than I thought. Maybe one day I'll get one."
Harriet didn't bother trying to correct the man, but Robyn supposed he might have an unintended point. Assuming that Remnant and the UNSC did a mutual exchange of technologies, giving UNSC soldiers and marines access to a strength-enhancing exoskeleton could be immensely useful. Especially since the average Terran was so much weaker than the average Remnantian, not to mention the various species of the Covenant.
The conversation died down, and the group continued making their way through the jungle, brushing past the leaves and branches while swatting away insects that buzzed around their heads. Each footstep caused the mud to squish and splat, staining their boots and pants. Overhead, tropical birds were chirping and small monkey-like creatures swung from branches. Reptiles of various sizes skittered along the ground and trees, many of which remained perfectly still and silently watched the humans walk past. Whether they hadn't learned to fear humans yet or simply because their temperament naturally lent itself to their passivity, Robyn didn't know but she also didn't particularly care. The only creature she cared to find was whatever killed the man. In a way, it reminded her of a Grimm hunt, a feeling that she knew wasn't lost on any of them.
"Robyn, it's Fiona," Fiona spoke up over the radio. "Haven't found anything yet on our end. What about you?"
"Nothing. Just a bunch of mud," Robyn answered. "If I squint my eyes, I think I can make out a few leaves, too."
Fiona snorted on the other end of the line, then she replied, "Sounds about right. We'll keep looking."
"Hey, keep your chin up. We've only been out here for less than half-an-hour. We've still got several hours left to go," Robyn pointed out.
"I know, I know. It's just, with how dense this jungle is, it'll be a miracle if we find anything at all," Fiona countered. Robyn sighed, slightly agreeing with her broader point, but refused to let that get to her.
"We'll find something. We're Huntresses, remember? Tracking things down that don't want to be found is what we're trained for," Robyn declared. "Just keep your eyes peeled. Let me know if you find anything out of place."
Fiona was quiet for a moment, then she replied, "Alright, I'll let you know."
With that, Fiona ended the call. At the same time, Robyn glanced over at Sergeant Abeni, who just got off the horn with one of her fireteams. By all accounts, they had the same result as Fiona's, not that Robyn expected anything different. With the updates complete, the soldiers and Huntresses continued making their way through the jungle, their fingers hovering near their triggers but otherwise sensing no real threats. Every so often, one of the soldiers would pull out a canteen of water and gulp it down, with one offering a drink to May who happily accepted it.
"Thanks," May responded after taking a swig and splashing some of the cool water on her upturned face, handing it back to the man whose gaze lingered a bit as she brushed back her dripping blue hair.
"No problem. You looked like you weren't having the best time out here," the soldier, whose nametag read Corporal Mandla, said and May nodded.
"You'd be correct," May admitted, and Mandla nodded back before offering the canteen to Harriet. Before he could say anything, though, the Atlesian Specialist shook her head.
"No," she briskly refused. The soldier was off-put for a moment, but then screwed the cap back onto his canteen and reinserted it into its pouch.
"Hey, he was just offering you water. No need to be rude," May chastised her fellow Atlesian, but Harriet merely shrugged.
"I'm not thirsty. Besides, I have my own," Harriet pointed out, tapping her palm against the canteen in question.
"It's the principle of the matter," May refuted. "You've been acting like you have a stick up your ass for the entire trip, especially since we got to Peponi."
Harried scowled and turned to face May and said, "I don't need to defend myself to anyone, especially you."
"…What's that supposed to mean?" May growled, and Harriet rolled her eyes. After a moment, May perked her head back in slight understanding, then said, "Oh, I see. You're not just upset that we're a part of the mission at all. You're upset that we're independent, aren't you?"
"Among other things, yes," Harriet confirmed. "When you…joined the mission, I read up on your and your team's records. All of you graduated top of your class and could've served Atlas with distinction, yet you turned your back on us instead of accepting the offer given to you."
"'Turned my back,' oh-ho that's rich. Coming from the General's lapdog, though, I'm not surprised. No real thoughts of your own, just following orders," May countered, which finally got a reaction out of Harriet as her nostrils flared. Seizing the opportunity to jab further, May continued, "And for the record, I didn't turn my back on Atlas. Atlas turned its back on me, and on Mantle. They didn't accept me as their son, so why the hell should I serve them as their daughter?"
Both Huntresses glared at each other. The entire group had momentarily stopped in their tracks, with the soldiers looking unsure of what to do, Mandla blinking at May with a look of realization, while Sergeant Abeni looked about ready to step in. Before she could, however, Robyn spoke up and said, "May, that's enough."
"Fine by me. Was done talking anyway," May said, then continued walking well past the group. Harriet glared at the Happy Huntress, clenching her fist tightly and breathing heavily before she, too, stomped forward.
With that, the rest of the fireteam started moving again, this time in dead silence. No one seemed to want to speak up, as the atmosphere had grown too awkward. Hours seemed to pass, and the sun began to set while the storm clouds grew closer. Every so often, they could see and hear lightning in the distance, and the winds were beginning to increase in force. But they weren't in danger yet, so they continued moving.
"Alright, we'll keep patrolling for another half hour, then we'll make our way back to base," Abeni declared, much to the relief of everyone present. She then spoke into her radio, "Beta Team, find anything of note?"
"Nothing yet, ma'am. Saw a speckled horn lizard the size of a small dog, but other than that nothing of interest," a soldier on the other end of the line reported, and Abeni nodded.
"Charlie Team, what about you?" Abeni asked. At first, none of them responded, then one of the soldiers answered.
"…Standby, Cornell and Marine think they might've found something," the soldier answered, much to Abeni's surprise and interest.
"What did they find?"
"Tracks of some kind, due east towards the savanna," he answered. "They're good. Until they pointed it out, we didn't even see it."
"Stay where you are, we're on our way to you," Abeni ordered. "Beta Team, rendezvous with Charlie Team. Alpha Team, on me."
"Yes, ma'am. We're on our way," Beta Team replied as Abeni, her squad, and the three Huntresses with them turned towards Charlie Team's waypoint and started jogging towards it. Robyn, May, and Harriet had to make sure to not get too far ahead, but Harriet made a conscious effort to be in the front. Soon they arrived at Charlie Team's location, and a few minutes later Beta Team joined them.
"What do we got?" Robyn asked as she walked over to Casper and Thomas, both of whom were kneeling over a disturbed patch of mud.
"Large quadruped. Judging by how deep the footprints are, I'd say a couple hundred pounds," Casper revealed. "One of the soldiers said it might've been a maned tiger. They're apex predators around here."
"Look at the drag marks in the mud," Thomas added. "It was wounded and barely limping."
Robyn narrowed her eyes and rubbed her chin as sweat trickled down her head, then asked, "How old are these tracks?"
"Fresh. Only a few hours old," Thomas answered. Robyn nodded, then turned to face Sergeant Abeni.
"Are maned tigers known to be maneaters?" Robyn asked, and Abeni nodded.
"On occasion, especially this time of year," she confirmed, steeling her gaze as realization began to settle.
Robyn reached the same conclusion, then declared, "I think we might've found our killer."
Abeni was silent for a moment, then nodded back and said, "You might be right, Hill. Cornell, Marine, lead the way."
Both of the Valean Huntsmen nodded, then carefully began to follow the tracks left behind by the wounded animal. Around them, the Army soldiers flicked their safeties off and crouch-walked, their rifles aimed ahead. The trail led them further away from the jungle, and soon they found themselves on its edge. Thick trees gave way to a seemingly endless field of golden grass that reached up to their chests. Much of it was undisturbed, but there was a faint path of slightly bent stalks that they continued to follow. The grass was thick, with them barely able to see anything more than a meter ahead of them.
But it wasn't long before they began to pick up a trace of their quarry. Not visually, but rather through smell as a foul odor filled the air. Some of the soldiers gagged, but the rest were able to keep their composure as they followed the smell. The closer they got, the fouler the stench grew, and they quickly found themselves right on top of the creature they were tracking. Or rather, its corpse.
"Yep, I would say that's a dead maned tiger," Private Bukola declared. Studying the corpse from a respectable distance, he added, "Looks like the scavengers have already started getting to it."
True to his word, there were large chunks of flesh already ripped out of the alien feline's body, tearing through the skin and muscle to expose the red-stained bone underneath. It was almost pitiful in a way. From the still intact segments of the animal's body, the parts covered in beige-and-black striped fur, it appeared to have been a powerful, majestic creature. Now it was here, broken and torn apart.
However, what was almost more disturbing was the fact that the remains of the apparent scavengers were also present. The bodies of a few vulture-like creatures had apparently fallen a few meters away from the carcass, fresher, and without a mark on them to indicate what had killed them in turn. The grisly scene created an ominous atmosphere that made the hairs on the back of Robyn's neck stand on end. She didn't like it, and from the looks of everyone else, neither did they.
"Radio command. Have them send over a Nightingale for extraction. They'll want to open up this thing's stomach and see if there's any human remains in it. Hakim, start taking some blood samples. Help the doctors out with some field work," Abeni ordered. One of the soldiers carrying radio equipment immediately began to comply with the order while the aforementioned Private Hakim pulled out medical equipment to begin extracting samples of blood and flesh from the corpse, but Robyn narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"Hold on," she requested, holding up her hand as she kneeled over to get a closer look at the maned tiger's ribcage. "What's this?"
Fighting through the odor, Robyn observed the exposed bones. For the most part, they looked as one normally would expect, but parts of the outer bone almost appeared to be burnt. Rubbing her hands through the blood and against the bone, resisting the urge to gag and vomit, she confirmed that there was a noticeable difference. It went from smooth towards the top and bottom to rough and nearly warped in the middle. She also felt her Aura faintly spark beneath the blood now coating her hand for some reason.
"That's…odd," Robyn muttered, idly wiping the blood onto her jacket.
"What is it?" Private Hakim asked as he continued to work.
"The bone's burnt. Slightly, but it's noticeable," Robyn told him, and the soldier turned to look at the wound. Dipping his fingers in without care, he immediately noticed the same thing she did, and he squinted his eyes in suspicion.
"That is weird. Being out in the sun wouldn't cause this," Hakim muttered, then his eyes darted to one of the sampling tools on his belt. Holding it up, he said, "Toxicity report's done. Let's…hold on, that can't be right."
"What's wrong?"
"I'm getting extremely high blood-toxicity levels, along with elevated levels of radiation," Hakim reported. "What the hell killed this thing?"
Robyn didn't have the faintest idea, but before she could even begin to suggest something, Casper called out, "Hey, guys. Come over here."
Everyone's attention was drawn towards her, and they immediately made their way over. They found Casper Marine standing before a patch of tall grass, with nothing immediately catching their attention.
"Alright, what is it?" Harriet asked, speaking with the Valean delegate with much more respect, if not deference, than how she regarded the Happy Huntresses.
"Look at the grass," Casper said, slowly sifting her hand through the golden stalks. "It's been pushed aside. Something came through here."
The soldiers and Huntsmen looked closely, then one of the Army soldiers said, "I…don't see anything."
Robyn didn't see anything at first, either, but then as she focused her eyes she realized that Casper was right. There was a slight bend to the grass stalks, barely noticeable at first glance. But, once they did notice it was there, it became impossible to ignore. Soon everyone else noticed it as well, and the sense of nervousness and confusion rose in all of them.
"There's no tracks on the ground. No tires, footprints, nothing," Bukola said.
"Yet clearly something came through here and disturbed the grass. Going …" Casper paused to determine the path, and when she found it she snapped her fingers in its direction and continued, "that way."
"Clearly," Joanna said, then narrowed her eyes. "Question is, what's big enough to make a trail this wide yet light enough to not disturb the ground?"
No one spoke up. At the back of her mind, Robyn had an inkling of what it could be, but she refused to entertain the possibility. Not yet, at least. More than a few of the soldiers were openly nervous, making Robyn wonder if they, too, had come up with a similar idea. Sergeant Abeni's scowl deepened, and she looked right into Casper's eyes.
"Can you follow this?" she asked, and Casper nodded. Abeni nodded back, then shrugged her rifle to the side and added, "Lead the way."
Casper nodded, then carefully began following the trail due northeast. The others were right behind her, all with their weapons at the ready. Even Harriet had unfurled Fast Knuckles, ready for anything they might come across. They moved at a snail's pace, so slowly that not even their motion trackers could pick them up. Soon they came across an upward slope leading to a hill, which the squad of soldiers and Huntsmen carefully trekked up. When they reached the top, they found themselves looking over a small river. Large bison-like animals were on the other side, drinking from the stream of water while smaller antelope-like creatures with trunks on their snouts stood by. Dozens of other species could be seen all around them, with several carnivores lying in wait in the water itself, just waiting for a victim to let down its guard.
But Robyn and the others ignored all of that. Instead, their eyes immediately snapped to the presence of three purple, bulbous Ghosts, with an equal number of Grunts taking a nap right beside them underneath the canopy of a single large tree.
[~][~]
Hello, everyone! After a long wait, here is the latest chapter of Dust and Echoes! Special thanks to NaanContributor and Jesse K for their help in bringing this story to life.
The crew of the Midsummer Night has arrived at Peponi. Unfortunately, trouble got there first. We're in the final legs of the Covenant Arc, and it's going to be a wild ride. I think you guys are going to enjoy it.
Let us know what you guys think. In addition, if any of you have a TV Tropes account please feel free to help with editing the TV Tropes page. Any help would be greatly appreciated. We hope you guys enjoy!
Now, to respond to your guys' reviews:
I make to make it very clear that this story is not going to be one where one side obviously stomps over the other. I don't care whether it's Halo or RWBY, both franchises are being respected. As such, comments about how "SPARTANs are so much better than Huntsmen" or vice versa are going to fall on deaf ears. I am not going to make it so that one breed of super soldier (because, ultimately, both are super soldiers) is clearly superior to the other. This crossover is meant to celebrate both franchises and bring them together into a single cohesive story, not use one to shit all over the other. That gets boring very quickly, both for me and for you guys. As such, you can expect to see both RWBy and Halo effectively being on the same footing. One side does things better than the other and does things worse than the other, giving both equal narrative weight.
That being said, I do feel like I should address the elephant in the room regarding the subject of Spartans vs Huntsmen. Both are super soldiers from their respective franchises. They're both good, but they're best at different situations. Spartans are inherently better soldiers. They're more accustomed and trained to operate in the chaos of large-scale warfare, their allies and enemies operating in the same general dynamic. Against something like the Grimm, though, they're not trained for that and while they can certainly work against them, you're better off using a Huntsman. A Huntsman, in contrast, is a better warrior. They're trained to operate in isolated, lone groups and fight the unrelenting Grimm, trusted to supply themselves rather than rely on the military supply chain like Spartans do. That does not mean neither super soldier can't adjust to work with a preexisting supply chain or scavenge for materials on the field. Both can do that, it's just that their training emphasizes one or the other.
The biggest difference, besides Huntsmen having Aura and Semblances while SPARTANs their augmentations and MJOLNIR, is the level of disparity. Huntsmen are mass produced from a lot of different suppliers. As with any mass-production items, the level of quality varies significantly. People forget but in the canon show, we follow the cream of the crop when it comes to both Huntsmen students and professional Huntsmen. That includes Jaune, as his level of growth and development is insane when you consider barely two years has passed in the canon story. The vast majority of professional Huntsmen are probably more in line with what CRDL was like, or even Dee and Dudley from volume 6. Not terrible, but not great either. Just good enough to get the job done. SPARTANs, in contrast, are consistently of extremely high quality in terms of competence and intelligence. You know that, if you come across a SPARTAN, you're in for a world of hurt should you be fighting them or have a massive force multiplier if they're on your side. With a Huntsman, you don't exactly know where they're going to fall. You might get a RWBY, JNPR, or Qrow, but you're more likely to get a CRDL.
Finally, while obviously the focus of the story is not Huntsmen vs Spartans, the fight against Haki Felt was to satisfy that itch for you guys. Should such a conflict erupt again, obviously both combatants would be treating it seriously from the get-go. A Huntsman would want to get right up to a SPARTAN and rip them apart, whereas a SPARTAN would want to have as much of an overwhelming advantage going into the fight right from the start engaging them from a distance. Again, neither breed of super soldier is better than the other in terms of narrative, so don't expect that to really be a thing that'll go through the story.
In addition, I do want to say that while I am trying to have the UNSC behave like a realistic military, I do not pretend to be a military expert and I care more about the needs of the plot rather than actually following by-the-book procedure. Also, do remember that the Covenant they fought on Khembalung were pirates, not the proper Covenant military. That is what the current battle is for, and it's going to be an entirely different beast.
Regarding the suggestion to take cues from other stories, I have no intention of doing that. The story I am writing is one that is entirely by me and my co-writer's designs and interpetations of the canon source material. A lot of fanfictions fall into common fanon traps, such as the dark/manipulative Ozpin or the UNSC being completely totalitarian, to give an example from both sides. Both fanons certainly have validity, as Ozpin has kept critical need-to-know information from his allies while serving them lies upon lies due to an inherent lack of trust on his part and the UNSC's authoritarian streak is very much a thing that has led to their government committing numerous atrocities in the name of security/power, but it's much more nuanced than that. I intend to follow the canon interpretations as closely as possible, while making some changes to better suit my narrative.
Regarding Wolves That Walk Alone, while I do agree with the assessment that Spartans would not be loyal to Remnant, I do take major issue with just how graphic that story gets and how excessive Noble Six can be towards his enemies. That and characters acting a bit OOC, but I already talked about my beliefs on characterization. Halo is no stranger to gore, particularly in the TV show (more on that in a bit), but the gore is meant to serve a narrative purpose. In my story's case, truly highlighting the power of the weapons/equipment being used and the people in the story along with showcasing the horrors of war. Having neat, clean, and pretty little headshots doesn't really sell just how powerful and dangerous a beam rifle is. But having it to where half of the guy's head is gone and boiling blood is shooting out of the hole the beam went through sends a message to the audience. If you make it become gory for the sake of being gory/gratuitous/excessive, though, almost as though you're using the story to serve as a "Take That" by proxy, the gore no longer serves a narrative purpose. I want to avoid that.
Regarding the TV show, I understand that there are...opinions on it. Some think it's good, others think it's terrible. Personally, I'm enjoying it and the interpretation of the Halo series that it is showing us. Clearly it isn't like the games and the canon universe, but that's okay in my opinion. Sure, I'd have liked for it to be closer to the canon, but the writer in me also understands why they did what they did. There is a possibility that certain elements in the show itself might be translated over to Dust and Echoes should it fit the story we want to tell. It also might not, given how D&E is based off the prime canon of the Halo franchise. The decision to do so entirely falls upon me and my co-writers. Please do not turn the review section into a battleground regarding the quality of the show or the state of the Halo franchise. We all know that the Halo community can be very, very toxic at times while obviously criticism can and should be warranted, this is not the place for it.
On that note, please avoid turning the review section into a message board. I've been lenient so far, but Fanfiction is not a message board. Please don't try to turn it into one. Also do not send me requests for either story pitches or things to include/do in this story. They will fall on deaf ears and I will not approve those guest reviews.
Please let me know what you guys think. I hope you enjoy.