All seven present members of Noble team snapped quick salutes at the Chief, who saluted them back in turn. Carter spoke, "Sir, Noble Team, reporting for duty, as ordered..." as he prepared himself mentally to be asked several questions by the Chief. Though, when he noticed Doctor Halsey in the back, wearing a surprisingly calm smile, he sort of relaxed a little.

Chief nodded in greeting, "Good to finally meet the team that was helping the fight in New Alexandria and that got Cortana to me. At ease," before he turned and motioned for them to sit themselves down on the reinforced furniture in Chief's room. As they did so, Chief noticed Jun among the crowd. The man he'd heard had helped start the Spartan-IV Program and find recruits for it. Jun noticed the Chief staring at him and gave a quick, snappy, but quirky salute as he cradled his SRS-99 rifle.

"Sir, permission to speak freely?" Carter asked. Aside from the briefing they were given to read by UNSC Personnel present on-site regarding the Rejuvenation Station that basically raised them from the Dead alongside that chunk of the Long Night of Solace, the man had a multitude more questions and things to say. He wasn't even sure where to start.

"Granted," Chief replied with an air of authority, though he was still peering through some of the paperwork they had left. He was ready to answer their questions or assuage any fears they had in regards to the situation. Honestly, the same team that got that Cortana fragment to him being alive was a boon, considering Doctor Halsey's continuous and open praise for them. Carter and John looked to Kat and the Commander gave his XO a chance to speak.

"We're..." Kat was the one to speak, then, as per the silent request. "Shocked to see UNSC troops on this planet, sir," She clarified really quickly, noting the momentary pause had caused all eyes to fall on her again. She told them, "Especially a presence like that of a Phoenix refit. Even if they're apparently stripping her for parts right now to up the defensive capabilities of the Ark," though it was obvious in her tone that she was glad they were there.

"Doubly so with you being here, John," Jorge quip, much to the Spartan's joy. Honestly, Chief had missed his upbeat view of the world. Jorge added, "Good to see you, by the way," with a smile. It wasn't a surprise to Chief that he'd been reassigned to probably shepherd the group of Spartan-IIIs, seeing as he was one of the more open and warm Spartans. Doctor Halsey had also given him a briefing(conflated with Kelly's own word on the matter) about this new generation of Spartans.

"Likewise, Jorge. Been a while," Chief replied kindly.

"Someone had to help keep this world in check, Jorge. It wasn't going to be anybody else but John," Halsey stated rather proudly, to which Jorge snorted. She looked over to the group and spoke softly, "It is good to see you here, Noble Team, though you seem to be missing one member, if only to have added two more..." and she motioned to Thom and Rosenda, both of whom nodded in greetings.

"We're still looking for Six," Emile added, getting affirmative replies from the rest of the team. He stated rather bluntly, "We ain't leaving that bastard behind."

"Another Hyper-Lethal would be useful," Chief affirmed, then added, "Though, since we can't exactly track him until the connection to the Rejuvenator Station in the North is built, we will have to hope we meet him and whomever else he may have gathered in the midst of this world later down the line..." before lifting a tablet to see the latest reports from the Northern Outpost.

"And that connection's gonna take... How long, sir?" Thom, of all people, asked, much to Chief's surprise.

"The Northern Base has been under sustained Rapture attack for the past few weeks, so it will take a while longer," Chief nodded, raising a brow at the man. He then explained to the group, "We've deployed SeaBees alongside an armor unit there, though, so it should hopefully hurry the process along," then he looked to Thom and added, "I didn't think you'd ask us to find the man bearing your Callsign, though, Spartan. Weren't you the original Noble Six?"

"I was, sir..." Thom offered, looking to the group. They'd had this talk before, Thom thought, about him returning to the old NOBLE SIX Callsign. But he'd disagreed on account of Noble Six being his own, invaluable part of Noble due to how he fought during Reach. Thom smiled, then, and added, "Was. Six earned his place in the squad. They all told me what he did for them, so I'm more than glad to stick with my current callsign."

"Thom was always more open to change like this, sir," Rosenda offered, arms crossed to her chest. She had a light Eastern European accent of some kind.

"Good to know, then. I'll keep you all updated on the situation in the North, but until then," Chief replied, then looked back toward the Doctor, who had stood up and walked to his side. He told them, "Doctor Halsey requested that I ask you all to be the test squad for some of the advancements she's making at Missilis... Plus a small enforcer team. We're dealing with a possible brewing insurrection down in the Ark," and soon noticed how several of them immediately tensed.

"Sir, ma'am. You have your COIN Team," Carter replied, straightforward and calm.

Rosenda gave a tap on the Shotgunner's shoulder and said with some level of malignant glee, "Back to the fun days, eh, Emile?'

"Hehehehehe..." The man carrying a Kukri curved blade on his shoulder giggled almost like a creepy little schoolboy as he patted his knife. Halsey remembered now, wincing and looking to a concerned John as she handed him Emile's data file. The Spartan read up and looked at their seeming CQC expert, wanting to say something. Carter, however, noticed it, too, then sighed.

"... You're off the roster for the hunts," The Commander then ordered. Best to nip this in the bud, regardless of how their CQC Specialist felt. Jorge snorted, while both Halsey and the Chief breathed unanimous, if silent sighs of relief. Noble Four abhorred any form of insurrectionist, presumably due to the fact they were the ones to take his family away instead of the Covenant.

"Damn, really?" Emile's shoulders visibly sagged, though. Putting the fear in Innies was one of the most fun parts of his work, which was why he and Rosenda kind of had a bit of a rivalry when it came to this stuff. Mostly due to her usually replacing him during these kinds of ops. It almost made Chief glad the Commander immediately saw the optics-related issues of deploying this guy.

"I see Noble hasn't changed much..." The good doctor observed with a smile, looking to Jorge.

"Not even Death's gonna make us any less weird of a team, ma'am," Jorge chuckled, arms crossed as he looked at Emile, who looked like he was sulking.

"Good. Your professionalism remains, too, then..." Halsey replied, then nodded and looked to Chief and asked, " John, should we just let them go for now? I will send for them when they're required," and she offered John her tablet. He took it and started reading some of the other projects the Doctor had proposed to the UEG's representative staff in the Ark. With a hum, he handed the tablet back, making a mental note to let her ask for funding.

He looked to a confused Carter afterward, then stated, "Sure. You're dismissed, Noble Team. Thanks for coming," before saluting them.

"Sir," They all saluted back, then filed out of the place. He watched the entire group walk out, while Doctor Halsey kept on reading through the plans and data they'd prepared. From the new Spartan-IV project, a gene engineering program that was now possible, courtesy of the UNSC's own biomedical systems on board the Spirit, plus the making of cheaper MJOLNIR sets through the use of the Big Threes' resources. She'd asked for them to convene and talk about the matter with Andersen later down the line.

The two paused as they heard the door slide open once more, then looked over toward who had come in. Alyosha, clad in his uniform, stepped forward. They could see the bags under the poor man's eyes. The Chief stood up, while Halsey simply turned to greet him. He gave a weak salute and a smile, then said, "Sorry for bothering, but I heard most of the paperwork I gotta do for the outpost fell on ya and Rapi, Chief..."

"It's alright, sir," The Spartan replied, "Rest is important..."

"Yeah," He sighed, then walked up to them. He grabbed a few bits of paperwork from the pile and sat himself down at the coffee table, starting to work on them. Chief and the Doctor looked to one-another, then at the young man as he worked, face terrifyingly impassive. Chief blinked, then looked to Halsey. The good doctor nodded, continuing her work. Chief stood to his feet from his desk and walked over to Alyosha, putting a hand on his shoulder.

The man twitched so hard, John could swear he heard a bone snap somewhere. The young man shook his head and noticed he'd managed to scribble the paper he was signing by mistake, then sighed and looked up at the Chief, a little awkward, smiling sheepishly, "What's up, Chief...?" only to feel a slight chill as the Spartan stared at him with concern.

He tried to dodge the unasked question by averting his gaze and asking, "Where's Cortana? Isn't she supposed to be helping you guys?" only to feel the Spartan's grip ever-so-slightly tighten on his shoulder. It was more gentle than he'd expected out of the Spartan, considering he expected soldiers like him not to have time for the bullshit of kids like himself. The gentle attitude of the giant, then, came as a surprise, one he really couldn't avoid. He looked up at the Chief and asked, "... Chief... Do you have any sort of fear...?" with a low voice.

Well, that one came as a surprise to Chief himself. Sitting down next to Alyosha, the Spartan nodded, admitting openly, "I have a few..." as he looked at him. He asked, "What happened, exactly? Rapi told us it was a nightmare, but I'm guessing it's a little more than that..." while his mind wondered what exactly could've driven the young man to be in this kind of state. Was it the fact he'd made his first actual human kill?

"Yeah..." Alyosha nodded.

"I'm going to leave," Halsey stated, picking up her items. She told him, "Captain Cutter told me they have a psychiatrist aboard, if the Commander feels like he needs it," which caused Alyosha to pause. Chief nodded in thanks as the Doctor departed with a quick goodbye. Chief and Alyosha watched the door close shut behind the doctor, then looked to one-another again.

"What exactly was the nightmare about, Commander?" The Spartan asked with a surprising degree of care in his voice.

Alyosha didn't want to answer at first. Maybe Chief would think he was weak for worrying for something like that, he thought, that he really wasn't fit to be a commander. But, upon seeing the concern he bore on his usually stoic face, the young man relented, sighing deeply, and replied, "... I lost everyone. You, your squad, the Marines, the rest of the UNSC, the Ark... My team... Rapi..." And his breath caught in his throat at the last one, "It was..."

Chief... Surprisingly nodded in understanding, "It's a fear any officer has... Especially someone who's as close to the soldiers they command as you are, sir. It's also added upon by the psychological stress of your first kill... I can't say it'll get better, but at least you'll get used to it with time," then he took a moment to think. How could he help beyond just saying the basics and sending him to a shrink? And his mind immediately settled. He told him, "If you want to protect your squad, though... Doctor Halsey is looking for volunteers for a new Spartan Program. A Spartan-IV-like testbed... With the armor and equipment to help normal humans fight."

... That seemed to get Alyosha's attention.

The 'Fancy' Bar at the Outpost

Johnathan Doherty, the Rookie, sat alone, slowly remembering what got him into this mess in the first place. Aside from being shot in the back of the head by an Innie leader of some group or another, there wasn't much to think about. His home on Luna, the War, New Mombasa and all that kind of blended together after a point, causing him to wonder just how badly he got hit to the point he couldn't remember a damn thing.

No point in really concerning himself with it, he thought as he sipped from his drink. Buck and the others had been kind enough to brief him on the Post-Post-War Situation at home, noting that the world was pretty much stable, save for Chief's disappearance and his supposed death. Now, that brought into question how they came here, considering the alien station in the North was supposedly only reviving the dead.

Still, to those around him, Nikke and Marines alike, he must've looked like some Noir detective, sat alone sipping from his drink while waiting to call someone 'toots' or some crap like that. He snorted at the thought, then sighed deeply as he took another sip. Black-haired and with green eyes, Johnathan wasn't exactly a looker, at least per his own thoughts on the matter, but he was good enough. He looked around at the other Nikkes lounging about and saw some of Chief's squad in casual wear, eating and drinking together, plus a bunch of other "Mass-Production" Nikkes that looked quite close to normal humans.

The most striking of them, however, came just now. The door broke open, with a blonde-haired, twin-tails girl clad in a bodysuit, parka with white and blue and some highly technologically-advanced gear, ran through, wearing a catty, ear-to-ear grin as she yelled, "HERO DASH~!" much to the chagrin of the Bartender, an elder Nikke who rolled her eyes at the sight.

Another one walked in, her blue eyes glaring at the girl as she arranged a cap that looked like it had robotic cat ears on it. She only wore a bra and what looked like a pair of semi-powered 'leggings' that resembled muscle tissue as she walked in. Her orange hair was trimmed short and nicely-kept, though she walked in with her arms crossed, stating, "Laplace, seriously! You broke the door again!" rather annoyedly.

That got a few chuckles out of the local Nikkes and the Rookie, who stared at the two. Laplace smiled meekly and replied, "Eheheh... Sorry! I'll pay for it!"

The blonde rolled her eyes and said, "I think we've paid half our salaries on door and window repairs at this point..." before turning back and grabbing the third weirdly-dressed, white-haired and red-eyed member of the team by her collar, causing her to gasp. She spoke, "Oh, no, you don't, Drake..." as if warning her. She dragged the girl inside before said girl good speed off to do whatever tomfoolery she was about to engage in.

"Bartender!" Laplace stepped up to the counter, hands on her hips and still wearing the grin, "Three of your finest sodas, if you please!" and she slid the woman a paper slip full of Credits. The Bartender sighed deeply and took the money, before going out back, murmuring something about 'this happening again'. Rookie chuckled as he watched the interactions play out, the other two members sitting with Laplace in-between.

The one with orange-ish blonde hair noticed him first, smirking, "Oh, hey, it's one of Cutie's friends, I think. One of the folks we helped in the Crisis."

"Looks like one of the guys who I heard drops from orbit. Right...?" Drake commented, examining the guy in full combat armor, helmet sat by his side on the counter. She seemed about as surprised to see him as the other three, while the other Patrons simply watched the interaction between what was one of the UNSC's Special Ops troopers and the leaders of Missilis's Nikke troops.

"Greetings to you, fellow hero!" Laplace waved, smiling as she jumped off her bar stool and approached him, grinning ear-to-ear still. She observed, "You certainly seem a bit new!" while looking him over. Despite the damage to his ODST armor, markings from the battles he'd been through just before arriving here, both within this world and within the outpost proper.

"I am," He replied as calmly as he could, though Laplace's happy-go-lucky attitude was rather contagious.

"They found you with that one Pilgrim that turned out to be one of Goddess Squad's original members, right?" Maxwell inquired, while the other two looked on with a bit of admiration now. Yeah, he'd come by with Snow White and Linda, so that must've really been a surprise. Far as he understood, the Nikkes from Goddess, the Pilgrims as they were called, were a really big deal.

"Yep," He answered, then added, "And with Linda, the Spartan."

"You certainly seem different than your other Marine friends," Laplace observed, arms crossed to her chest. She thought there was something about him that seemed different, alright, like some underlying capability to do something few others really could. Almost like a hero from the older pre-invasion comic books that didn't have any powers, save for his power of perception.

"Yeah. He looks more like..." Drake seemed to take a moment to think, stating, "I dunno, a thinker like Maxwell," and shrugging. The Rookie himself appreciated the compliment, though he was still just a soldier. He was still waiting to see where this was going, though, considering the group ahead of him was so strange. He swore he knew them from somewhere.

"While I appreciate that compliment, I don't know..." Maxwell shrugged, then scratched her chin. Snapping her fingers as the confusion dissipated, she grinned and told them, "He looks more like a detective to me," which got Laplace to let out a gasp as she turned to Doherty. Drake nodded in agreement with her comrade, while Maxwell herself offered a simple shrug.

"Heh. The others in Alpha-9 called me that, too," He replied with an awkward smile, unsure what else to say. He added, "Especially after New Mombasa."

"So, were you? A detective, I mean," Laplace asked, her excitement hard to contain. Maxwell sighed deeply, already able to see the gears turning in her dummy team-lead's head about this guy. She was already preparing to profusely apologize about it, too, considering the fact the girl would probably try to drag him in with them, if she knew anything about Lap.

"... Technically, yeah?" Johnathan answered after a moment's pause. He then told Laplace, "I did have to find my squadmates based solely on the clues left behind by their fighting, so..." which immediately got her rather obviously excited, the girl bouncing like a kid in a candy store all of a sudden. The Rookie had to admit, it was a rather adorable sight.

"We could use another Hero, especially one with your skillset in our squad!" She immediately offered, beaming at him, much to his surprise. She then continued with, "Perhaps you'd like to join us and become a fellow Hero in Matis?" which got him to blank for a moment. Gunny probably wouldn't like one of his troopers being stolen, but then again...

"Lap, no," Maxwell grabbed her by the collar and pulled her back. She told the girl with some annoyance in her voice, "He's already got his own squad with him and I doubt their CO would appreciate us stealing him," having clearly deduced what had surprised him so. Laplace's shoulders sagged, though, the smile vanishing all of a sudden as she looked at her team-mate, who sighed. Drake, meanwhile, sipped her soda in the background.

"Well, maybe you can talk to Buck about it," The Rookie spoke before he thought, trying to get the girl to smile again, because it was honestly sort of heartwarming. And it seemed to do the trick, considering that a mix of joy and confusion played across the twintail blonde's face. He clarified who Buck was by stating, "He's my CO and he should be nearby..." and soon realized what he did.

"Oooh! Where can I find this 'Buck'? I'll persuade him!" Laplace requested, much to the man's surprise and Maxwell's seeming chagrin. The orange-haired nerd of the squad looked to him with a small frown and an annoyed smile, combined with the apologies she couldn't speak openly. Drake, meanwhile, giggled quietly in the background, sounding exactly like a villain from a movie. She had the Villain thing down pat.

"... Command post, I think... Just be careful, he might be with his wife-" The man was cut off by Laplace immediately dashing out of the broken door, ripping what was left of it off its hinges. He blinked rapidly, let out a short laugh, then shook his head and turned back to nursing his own alcoholic drink. He felt like he made some form of terrible mistake just now, but he wasn't sure how it'd play out, really. Eh, it'd be alright.

"Well... Good luck, man," Maxwell sighed, popping open her own can of Soda and taking a swig. She looked to the man and leaned against the counter, smiling a little awkwardly, "You're probably gonna be ripping your hairs out with us by the second week if your boss agrees," and Rookie suddenly felt that small pit in his stomach sort of grow. Now, Doherty wasn't one to be pessimistic, but still, if one of the members spoke like that... Oooh, wait!

"Eh... You girls are Matis, right? I've read about you in a report from Missilis," Rookie recalled, arms crossed to his chest. They were Missilis's best squad, now under Doctor Halsey's direct and active command, not to mention the UNSC's and UEG's by extension. Meaning these were the heavy weapons specialists armed with high-tech laser cannons, railguns and the likes.

"That's us," Maxwell said with some degree of pride, though it was obviously marred by Syuen's actions. She continued, pointing toward the door and stating, "The dummy you just saw speed off was Laplace, team leader and self-proclaimed hero," Then she grabbed a Drake that was trying to sneak away again by the collar, pulled her back and smirked, "This dork beside me is Drake, our very helpful 'supervillain'."

"Nihaha..." Drake let out with a grin, causing both of them to snort.

"Good to meet you. I'm Johnathan Doherty. Call me Rookie," The man nodded.

"Likewise. John Doe, eh...?" Maxwell smirked at that. Nice guy, she thought to herself.

"Heh..." Rookie let out, taking a moment to think again. He looked around at the other Nikkes and Marines interacting, noting that they'd long since taken their attention away from the four-now-three members talking. And he also thought about what if Buck actually accepted dropping him in with these girls as a test of some sort. No way he'd do that, ri-

"HE SAID YES!" Laplace interrupted Rookie's thought process once more, punching through a window this time and sending shards of glass onto the floor. Maxwell sighed deeply, rubbing her face, while Drake laughed aloud, holding onto her stomach. The ODST sighed, slid some extra Credits to the Bartender, who nodded in thanks, then realized he was just put into a squad with Nikkes. He looked at all three of them, watching Drake laugh at Maxwell as she berated Laplace all over again for breaking another window... Then he smiled.