Ongoing tensions in the Ark were rising almost palpably, to the point even the Outer Rim started feeling the changing winds. In the slums and darkness of the place beyond the guarding influence of the Central Government, where children could be anything from the death of a person to objects utilized by gangs and terror groups, the Ark's peacekeeping patrols were much more scarce than originally let on.

However, in the Outer Rim, there was also a sense of community for the disenfranchised. The people who were stuck behind the Ark's gleaming walls and stood gawking at their ivory towers at first now glared with fury and hatred at the people who've denied them their place. All it took to get into the Ark was a specialized ID Chip, which acted as everything from a person's card that told of their existence to a personal wallet. They were hard to obtain. Harder still to fake and implant. Especially with the lack of medical care in the place.

It was why, when the winds began to shift in the Ark, the place felt it. It was why, when the first unknowns started walking the streets, the first uniformed male and female soldiers that weren't Nikkes, Exotic had noticed. Exotic, the squad of terrorists, punished to be Missilis's personal Nikkes, had noticed the arrival of the newer folks here. The 'Green Folk' as they were called by the duct rats and spies they had around.

A black-haired Nikke stood atop the roof of a shanty building, a pocky stick between her lips that she chewed on. She ran a hand through her oily, short hair, pushing strands out of her strangely green eyes, then arranged her bra, jacket and skirt. Hidden below the jacket, in specialized holsters were two make shift SMGs. It was with those, she intended to fight anyone stepping foot on their soil if they came with ill intent toward her people and toward Heavenly Ascension.

It was from this rooftop that she was watching a platoon of soldiers clad in black, fully sealed armor sets creeping forward with silenced guns in hand. They moved past patrols of Nikke meant to keep HA in check. They were one of several groups of Green Folk. Another was moving up to meet them right now, after Viper, one of her lapdogs, had intercepted a coded radio message.

Crow, one of the most dangerous Nikkes ever put into Missilis's care, stared at the approach. Leading the other group of Green Folk was a man clad in similar armor to the rest. She also noted the first group was way more heavily armored than the first. At least, so it looked. Six people, armed and armored almost like they were Nikkes. As they pushed forward, the two groups met in the middle...

... And to say the man leading the first group was surprised would be an understatement. Gunnery Sergeant Edward Buck lowered his MA5 as he stared the young man before him in the visor, then took his own helmet off and spoke, "Rookie..." which garnered a gasp of surprise out of the usually strong, but silent type soldier. Rookie took his own helmet off, revealing the smiling face of the man in all of its wounded glory.

"Holy shit," Kojo Agu, callsign Romeo, spoke, poking his head out from behind the others, "Heya, Rookie..."

"Romeo," Rookie nodded, "I still owe you for donking me in the face with your rifle..." before looking at the rest of the team. He smiled and motioned for them to follow, "C'mon. We've set up a safe house nearby where you guys can rest. Can't believe you appeared so close to us, though..." and he and his Marines moved forward. Rookie put his helmet on as he lead the group into the safe house.

... Where the four men all took their helmets off, revealing they had, in fact, aged. They all greeted Rookie with a smile, while the women, Dare and another that Rookie didn't recognize, remained in the rear, watching the exchange. Mickey breathed, then smiled and said, "It's good to see you, Jon Doe," with a smirk. He bumped Rookie on the shoulder, while Dutch nodded approvingly.

"Lord knows, kid..." The man sighed, shaking his head, "Got us right off of Gaenir Beta somehow..."

"How'd you folks..." Rookie started as he showed them to the accommodations. it wasn't much of a base, but that was because it was recently set up. UNSC staff, including ONI spooks, operated in the place, utilizing UNSC frequencies, radio transmissions and even a whole security detail. It was in a back alley part of the Outer Rim, well hidden from the enemy.

Dare replied, "A bright flash of light," as she joined in. She nodded to him and said, "While it's good to see you, Rookie... First thing we should've asked is where the hell we are. We need intel before anything else right now. We've seen some of the things closest to descriptions of local slums on Innie-endorsing worlds up to date at this point..."

"I have a full set of files from Captain Cutter and everyone else who was here," Rookie replied, "And yes, we found Captain Cutter and the Spirit of Fire here, as well. I'll contact them when possible to get you guys up to speed, but we're a bit busy dealing with a possible coup attempt in the city beyond those walls, called the Ark... Basically the Insurrection..." and they saw a hint of the Post-Traumatic Stress behind his eyes.

The entire team paused at that, then looked at each-other. Dare herself knew where this was going simply by the mention of the insurrection and the fact the Rookie himself had passed thanks to one of those rats. Buck scratched the back of his head and said, "... Can you get us into contact with the Captain, then? I think he'll want to know he has six more Spartans on him."

"Heh. Sure thing... Chief and the others are gonna be happy, I bet..." Rookie quipped.


Within the Ark itself...

Andersen was normally well and truly left to his own devices. Still, the nagging feeling of having the eye of Big Broth-err, the Central Government on your back was as much a tell of how he felt about the transpiring events in the streets as any. He sipped from his coffee as he read reports, then hummed. Feeling under his desk, the man caressed the smooth, self-forming rubber grip of a pistol and looked around.

They were almost a shadow, really. He sighed and sipped from his brew again, continuing to read reports on his holographic screen as he spoke, "You know, Petty Officer, you'd be even less conspicuous with a black armor instead of the dark red you're wearing," which garnered a snort out of Daisy. The red-clad Spartan stood behind Andersen, in the shadows, with her arms crossed. He said, "While I appreciate the presence of a Spartan, I think it's a little overkill."

"Captain Cutter wants to make sure all our friends live to see tomorrow, sir," She replied, walking out of the shadows and positioning herself next to the door, MA5 in hand. She looked around and soon realized that most of the bugs and taps in the place were gone. In only a couple days, the UNSC had managed to actively mobilize and counter enemy espionage sets in everything but the place's intranet.

He replied, "Glad the good Captain knows how to handle this type of stuff, but, honestly... I can keep myself safe," and continued writing the reports. He also mentioned, "Ingrid's probably going to come by for a visit soon, too. Should I expect her to have an escort shadowing her?"

"Yeah. Chief put Alice on her roster," Daisy replied as she took out her Bowie knife and started spinning it between her fingers with incredible precision and speed. She shrugged and added, "Cal is stuck with that guy, Mustang... Linda's supporting elements of the judicial group that are still friendly to us, so on and so forth. We've even got someone shadowing Syuen."

"Normally, any other less-educated person would ask if you couldn't just shoot her head wide open and call it a day," Andersen offered, then sighed and said, "Sadly, the Big Three are hard to touch. Even now. I wonder if Cortana managed to ensure that we have access to Enikk and if she's fixing the poor girl, but at the same time, I doubt she's gonna be of much use when the Judges were called up..."

"It's a whole mess, sir," Daisy commented as she threw her knife, caught it and sheathed it in three fluid motions. Andersen silently thanked God that he was on the Spartans' side, because that kind of accuracy and speed while wielding a knife meant she could probably gut and skin him from head to toe in a flash. She then told him, "D'you think Ingrid and Mustang are feeling a lil' off about this, too?"

"I have zero doubts that they're concerned," The man replied as he straightened up. As the doorbell rang, he said, "However, that means they're going to have to get adapted to it. Come in!" and pressed a button. The front door slid apart, revealing Alice at the forefront, bulky MA5B in hand and her ward behind her. She walked in, stowing her rifle, then bumped fists with Daisy as the two sat in a corner.

Ingrid looked over to the girls and put a hand on her hip, murmuring, "We've fallen so, so low..." before sighing and walking over to Andersen. She said, "Good to know I and Mustang aren't the only poor idiots stuck with a second shadow. Never thought the space folk would be thorough enough to assign us a personal bodyguard unit, but here we are..."

"Chief and the Captain find it necessary to keep us safe," He shrugged, then continued, "And, frankly, I don't mind a little extra security. You okay?" He then asked, using a pen to point at a bandaged scratch on her hip. The mark was really superficial, thankfully, so the 'bandage' was more like a band-aid that Cal had taped over her hip. Or that Ingrid hopefully put on herself.

She nodded, then sighed deeply, "Alice said she spotted the attempted assassination before the bastard stuck the blade deep enough. She says it was poisoned or something, but I feel fine for now..." before leaning forward and saying, "The guy who tried to kill me is dead in an alley somewhere, though. The UNSC has some scary assets to put into the field of battle."

"Which is why I'm glad they're on our side," The man replied, looking at the two Spartans as they quietly exchanged Small-talk. He told Ingird, "Elysion ready for what's coming? Because this is a real Constitutional Crisis in the making..." before he pulled up some data and turned the holo computer around for Ingrid to read. She furrowed her brows and looked up at him, to which he simply nodded.

"Summer's Ending, huh?" She leaned back, then tilted her head a little to the left. Andersen gave an approving nod. Now, of all times, he didn't feel like denying her her vice. She nodded in thanks, pulled out a cigarette, slid it between her lips and lit it with an electric lighter that let out an ear-piercing screech. The two Spartans looked at her, probably hurting a bit thanks to their enhanced hearing.

She shook her head and took a drag from the cig, then asked, "What about you...? You tell them about your medical treatment?"

"Doctor Halsey and doctor Anders were quick to offer help," He said, feeling the side of his chest, rubbing the insertion port through his clothes. He grunted in pain, then sighed and put his hands on his desk, gently tugging at his cuffs again. His gaze swept back to a picture sat in an obscure corner of the place and he narrowed his lips. Part of him wondered if they would come to their aid if they heard what was going on in the Ark now...

"Hoping they'll tag in...?" Ingrid asked. He nodded, to which she sighed and shrugged, "We'll see..." before taking another drag of her cigarette... It was gonna be a long month ahead for everyone, from Marines to Nikkes and to the Commander and all of them. Ingrid hoped that several of the other Commanders she'd met could be brought into the fold of this little counter-coup...

Alas...


The Outpost

What had once been a relatively empty place now stirred awake. UNSC assets were being moved into the Outpost itself daily. Pelicans, the UNSC's standard transports, flew day and night, delivering supplies of ammunition and even some assorted air assets here and there. Some more Nikkes had been brought into the fold. Some were also Missilis and had been checked for similar control systems as Rusty. Cortana found nothing, thankfully, just their standard NIMPHs.

Alyosha and Rapi walked through the Outpost, noting the sight of the Construction Battalion members assisting Mighty Tools in building more buildings for the place. Others helped the new Nikkes settle in, with Marines from both Johnson's team and the Spirit's complement talking while they patrolled or moved gear. Alyosha himself commented, "Place got really lively, huh?"

"Seems like it..." Rapi murmured, a bit surprised by the sheer mass deployment of the UNSC's infantry. She wondered how they were gonna sneak vehicles in, though, aside from the Pelicans. Those could easily be taken over the Surface and transferred into the underground. She spoke, "It's incredible, what a little elbow grease can do to bring about an entire military force..."

"They're planning on putting half their active MEU into the Outer Rim to quell any rebellions there quietly, provide aid," Alyosha smiled, "Y'know, make the place livable. Then, when the Coup kicks off and we move in to stop it, they'll be deploying every asset into the city..." and then he sighed. Humans fighting humans was the last thing they needed, but Syuen was forcing their hand, honestly.

She knew that stare of his and nodded in understanding. There was no really easy way to look upon this other than an internal conflict, a small Civil War that, if they lost, it could lead to Humanity's downfall as a species due to Syuen's inability to manage anything but the profits of a god-damned company. She thought to herself that she should've gone for the head with that kick, remove any of that little critter's capability to think.

She sighed, then spoke, "We'll make it. We have to. For All Mankind..."

He smiled and nodded, "For All Mankind..." before pausing as they walked by the newly-built Church. The pair saw the strangest thing:A Man of the Cloth in UNSC gear. He sat there, reading the long-lost Bible of Christianity to all the men present from the doorway, preaching in Latin to the congregated soldiery, each man listening intently. What surprised Alyosha and Rapi were four present people:Sergeant-Major Johnson, Anis, Neon... And Chief.

Walking up to the Sermon and joining the men and women at the front, Alyosha commented to none of them in particular, but all of them together, "I didn't take you for Believers..." as his gaze locked onto his two fellow Counters members. It wasn't long before he noticed the rest of the Lucky Strikes were here as well, injuries bandaged and limbs and everything functioning.

Anis chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck, then whispered back, "Hey, if it's not divine intervention that brought the Chief and the others here, I don't know what it is... Might as well pay our respects to Big G for it," which got a short, but quiet snort out of Johnson. The old man was the most religious out of the lot, what with the cross now hanging over his green armor.

"No atheists in foxholes, Commander," Johnson said as he listened to the Sermon. He smiled and said, "Plus, this reminds me a lil' o' home. Of Auntie Marcille and Chicago as a whole," before he sighed and took the cigar from between his lips. He made the sign of the cross with his left hand, then spoke a prayer quietly to said auntie Marcille. Alyosha hummed.

"Plus, Latin is cool," Smiled Neon, "Sounds awesome, too..."

Of course, Neon would have a more simplistic reason than Theism to listen to a preacher. The Marines around all seemed to either be praying, or listening to the man before them speak softly to God, in prayer for their survival and their continued victories. What surprised Alyosha, however, wasn't that. It was Rapi gently leaning herself against him gently, not putting her full weight on him, but just enough that she was felt.

He smiled, face a little red, then leaned himself against her, too, to show he trusted her. Pinne smiled at the sight, then looked to the Chief, who simply nodded in approval, then listened on to the Preacher. Niner, her eyes closed and a crucifix between her fingers, prayed quietly for all their fallen sisters, while Sammy, Layla, Delta and Signal quietly sat to listen.

Indeed, no Atheists in Foxholes, the Commander thought. After the Preacher had spoken his last sentences, he made a large cross sign with his left hand and spoke, "In the name of the Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen..." only to smile. He said, "Thanks for attending, Chief. It's an honor to meet the man who saved us all in our darkest hour... Come by any time."

Chief nodded, then saluted the man, a seeming officer. The groups scattered, with Pinne waving to the Spartan as she and the others walked off to the Mess Hall. Chief sighed and turned toward the Commander, asking, "If you want to tag along, I'm going to see if Doctor Halsey made any progress in removing Rusty's mask and the control system attached to it."

"Heh," He nodded, "Sure. Rapi, you and the girls wanna tag along?"

"Sure," Rapi replied, "She's part of our team, too, right?"

Anis nodded, grinning, "You betcha. Plus, any Nikke we get out from under Syuen is another Nikke we got that can help us kick her ass!" while Neon cheered. Healthy way of looking at it, the Spartan and Commander thought. The group walked to the hospital and entered it, being greeted by Pepper and Mary as they tended to patients, then entering the room on the fourth floor where Doctor Halsey was tending to the girl. Both women looked over, nodded in greeting, then Halsey turned the girl's head to the right as she started working on it.

The girl greeted, "Hello there. Sorry I'm not more presentable, Buddy and co," with a smirk behind the mask. She was wearing a hospital gown over her bodysuit, weirdly enough, while Halsey was peering into the mask's links with what looked to be a specialized micro-probe, probably retrieved from the Spirit's medical bay, or from Doctor Anders's personal stash.

Miranda was another surprising addition sat beside Doctor Halsey, a smile on her face as she watched the woman work. She saluted Chief and the others and said, "I and the Doctor had a bit of a talk about this one. Seems like Rusty's quite endeared with the idea of working for the UNSC... And I'm probably gonna be leaving pretty soon to talk to the REDGUNS about them tagging along with us when the crap hits the fan. Speaking of, I should probably go, Doc..."

"Go ahead," Halsey smiled at Miranda, "Take care of yourself and make sure your escorting Marines are right behind you."

"Will do," Miranda rolled her eyes and chuckled. She passed by the Chief and the others after giving them another quick salute and a nod, to which they replied in kind, then let them watch Doctor Halsey working on discovering the secrets of the woman's mask. Chief had read reports of Halsey and Miranda not being on the best of terms, what with them being estranged mother and daughter(Still something he couldn't quite wrap his head around), but at least they seemed to be making headway into healing now. Seeing Doctor Halsey genuinely smile more often was surprising, but... it was soothing in an indescribable way to every single Spartan.