Rapi stared at another set of paperwork. It was getting mundane after a month, the same request forms she denied for the Commander in absentia came back twice just this month alone. She understood the need for post-operational recovery and the training needed to utilize the new MJOLNIR armor, but still. She missed him dearly and would not be afraid to admit it at this point.

The Counters and Lucky Strikes also hadn't gone on an operation in a long while, meaning the work fell upon the shoulders of other Strike Teams, including Absolute. Exotic was still missing, which was terrifying enough, but they couldn't have fled to the surface. Away teams would've spotted them, what with bases now slowly growing around every Elevator tube to the Surface.

It was rather unsurprising, honestly, considering no squad ever went without their commander and the Luckies and Counters had such good chemistry. Command wanted their star teams working together both for the sake of the good-looking propaganda and for the sake of quickly-accomplished missions. They were no Goddess Squad by any means, but...

"I'd argue you girls are doin' just fine!" A voice spoke, one that Rapi heard more-so in the back of her head, than anywhere else. She blinked, then sighed deeply, recognizing the peppy female voice and deciding to ignore her for now. Going back to her work, she sent a message to Delta, asking how they were doing in terms of their own paperwork and receiving a so-and-so reply from her.

"Ya really just gonna ignore your best pal like that, Rapi? I'm actually kinda hurt!" The voice quipped with a chuckle, causing Rapi to sigh deeply. The girl looked at herself in the mirror and saw the scarlet-haired figure of a taller woman, her horns, her smirk, her orange eyes, beautiful face and form all visible despite that being Rapi staring at herself in the mirror. The woman spoke, "Heh. I knew ya wouldn't~!" with a teasing grin.

"Hood..." Rapi spoke as she stood up, walking to the mirror, her face impassive, "You're active again...?" and noticing her. Clad in rather revealing, almost cowboy-like black leather, with an unzipped 'bra' of a type, as well as a red sash around her neck, the same color as her hair, plus horns and auburn eyes. Red Hood, one of the deadliest members of Goddess, stood face-to-face with Rapi.

"Someone had to deal with the attempted intrusions into the NIMPH, right?" Red Hood still retained her standard smirk, leaning against her strange shoulder-mounted high-caliber anti-materiel rifle, Wolfsbane. She looked as young as the day Rapi had first met her out there, so many years ago. Though, obvious as it was to her, the girl hadn't aged because she and Rapi shared consciousness from time to time.

"Wait, what?" Rapi soon realized what the girl said and stared at her like someone would stare at a Ghost. Intrusions in her NIMPH? It would explain why Red's firewalls felt like they'd been activated. Less random chance, more actual active protection. Rapi sat herself down in a seat opposite the mirror, then sighed deeply, waiting for the girl to explain.

It didn't take long, Red Hood stating, "Yeah. The Chief, your new pal," before shrugging, "His AI's been trying to poke into our brain for a while now... Firewall's keeping her out, though. Guess she wants to learn more as to why you're so weird," and still, she retained that peppy attitude. She was seriously strange with how calm she could be about this kind of mess.

"... I'll have a talk with Chief or her about it," She then replied, arms crossed to her chest. She started using them to gesticulate as she said, "We both know nobody can find out about you," with the added concern slowly filling the back of her mind. Normally, Red would've been extremely angry if she popped up like this, but the fact Cortana had managed to surprise her enough to... No. Red was still Red.

"Why not? Missilis is under a friendly face now, meaning they won't experiment on us anymore! Probably... Eheh..." Hood chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck. She could read Rapi's mind, seeing as they shared a brainstem at this point, but her concerns on the matter were really not making themselves felt in the back of Rapi's own mind. Red seemed actually quite peppy.

"It's a matter of... Just..." The XO of the Counters was hesitant.

"You're worried. I get it..." Hood nodded understandingly, well aware of Rapi's woes. She did read her mind, but she wanted this to feel more like a conversation. She then told the girl, "This is the first time we've ever really actually spoken. Other times, it was just a dream or two, you thinkin' I ain't real, though you Know I am, that type of stuff..."

"Yeah. That..." Rapi let out a deep sigh. It was so much weirder, having a second person inside your own head, put in there via experiments and such. She'd had Hood around for so long, though, that it felt like second nature. She was sure Hood would've saved her from the Mind Wipe Syuen had demanded a while ago from Enikk. Thank the maker the UNSC and Cortana had intervened.

"I know, kiddo," Hood chuckled, well aware of that. She then told her, "You're doing extremely well," while arranging the antennae on her own head and smirking. She stated, "For what it's worth to ya, you're a good gal, Rapi. A nice catch if I may say so. Guys are clamorin' for your type. Hell, if that guy you've been eyein'-" and she knew she was pressing buttons.

"Okay, this conversation is over..." Rapi murmured, face flushing a little red. She turned away from Hood, letting her be just the voice in her head so she didn't outright see how embarrassed the Nikke was. Better not to confront this problem head-on, even now. She was still worried for the Commander, considering the man just outright declared an intent to serve as a soldier beside them. Would a month even be enough?

"Aw, c'mon!" Hood wanted to protest, but in truth she just enjoyed teasing Rapi. She simply 'watched' as the girl turned back to doing paperwork and sighed, putting her hands on her hips, "You're no fun," she then told the young woman. Honestly, it was just a lil' horsin' around. It wasn't anything bad, especially since she knew she had a crush on the guy after all.

"No," Rapi shot back, not even looking at her. Better not to entertain Hood further, especially not this type of thing. She knew how Rapi viewed relationships with certain people, especially people like the Commander. She was worried, much like Anis had been early in their work relationship, but not for the reasons Anis had been. No, she was worried the Commander was going to wind up dying.

"Alright. Don't tell me I didn't say it, heh." Hood seemed way more gleeful than normal. When the door opened, Rapi felt a chill shoot up her spine as she realized Hood had been keeping her chatting, meaning she hadn't heard the figure coming until he was right at the door. She knew it was him due to the focus he marched toward his room with and because Hood probably knew.

So, she turned around and prepared to salute him, greeting, "Commander-?" only to cut herself of as she saw him. Surprisingly much taller than when she'd last seen him, the man stood at around nearly seven feet tall and wore his usual smile with that same handsome face. If nothing else, the features looked a little more chiseled to the girl, made even more handsome. She blushed, then looked down and thanked god that the man was clad in a standard MJOLNIR set, with a MARK V Helmet.

"Hey, Rapi. Like it?" Alyosha greeted, though what struck Rapi and made her double over was the man's voice sounded a bit deeper. Her face glowed as red as the scarlet in her uniform as she stared at him. Internal screaming would commence the very next moment as her concerned officer approached and she saw that he was, in fact, taller by a head than her now as he looked at her, "Hey, you alright?"

"Initiate Rapi reboot dot exe," Hood joked and Rapi mentally scoffed at her, which garnered a laugh out of her old friend and mentor. Of course, she'd be teasing the life out of her for getting flustered at her Commander. Red's memories were locked away, so Rapi wasn't able to mock her back for it, either. And even if she did, she was bad at mocking people. Hell, she'd need Anis for it.

"Rapi?" Alyosha asked again, "Hey, if something happened, go take a break. I'll finish the paperwork once I get outta the MJOLNIR suit and into my uniform."

"N-No," Rapi coughed, then arranged her own uniform, trying to avert her eyes from his, "It's just been a rough few weeks without you, sir. That and getting used to your new equipment and the thought you'll be fighting with us now..." then she finally looked at him once she fully regained her composure. She asked, "How was it...? The procedure, I mean?" while scanning him for scars, "As far as I read from Doctor Halsey's reports, the GEN-IV Augment regimen she came up with should be safer than even the standard UNSC one, but..."

He smiled at her, then pat her head and said, "It's alright, Rapi. It was fine. Doc had full confidence in what she made and it turned out she was a hundred percent right to be," then he sighed deeply, "I'll show you how it looks after I'm out of this armor and in my old uniform, alright?" to which the girl, her cheeks burning red again, nodded and swallowed empty. Hood's laughter only got louder.

Giving a quick excuse, she stepped out of the room and closed the door to let him change. While Hood was still laughing, Rapi hit the right temple of her head with her open palm, to which Hood huffed, doubled over in her mind and said, "Sorry, sorry. You lovebirds are adorable," and Rapi rolled her eyes. Hood decided to shrink away again and probably go to sleep.

When the door opened again, Rapi turned to face the commander and nearly had a bluescreen when she saw the way his old uniform hugged his 'rebuilt' frame. He tilted his head to show her to come in, then sighed and said, "I think I'm gonna need to order a new uniform," all while Rapi gawked at how much of an upgrade the UNSC's Super-soldier gene mods were.

She breathed in, then breathed out. Calm down, Rapi, she thought to herself, you're more than just another Nikke like that, honestly. She opened her mouth to speak and her voice cracked a little, "I'm...!" only to cover her mouth. Embarrassed and now staring at a wall so he didn't see it, she told him, "I'll send the requisition form. If you know your current measurements, Commander..." only for her face to go so red, it might as well have been Red Hood's hair.

"I'll look into it when I go for a medical checkup," The man sighed, a little concerned over Rapi's reactions to him. Did he really look that weird?


Missilis Industries Testing Site 09

The Military Industrial Complex of the Ark now chugged along to the same tune as that on board the Spirit of Fire. Missilis, however, remained the creator and 'testbed' for so many new technologies the Ark was using to level the playing field, it was almost surreal. Chief saw that Doctor Halsey had begun early attempts at researching plasma weaponry to attach to vehicles, based on the Rhino's own plasma-coated cannon shells. He also saw that a battalion of Nikkes that were wearing experimental semi-powered armors meant to enhance their capabilities and their weaponry.

The rest of the Lucky Strikes marched with him and Doctor Halsey into the testing site, where Project HEAVY GRAM was being tested by the request of the Nikke built to operate with it. HEAVY GRAM, per reports read by Delta and Pinne, was supposed to be a test squad for upgrades to Nikkes with incredibly lackluster performance in combat. Nikkes continued to prove themselves to be as human as anyone, John thought as they walked into the testing area's hangar.

Lining the walls, heavily-modified Cyclops mechs of various types resided in their berths, being watched over by newly-appointed UNSC Engineers and Missilis staff. These mechs were modified with everything from arm-mounted autocannons to 'backpacks' carrying extra supplies for the units, to even shields, counter-battery radars and missile launchers with guidance capabilities.

Some of the mechs seemed to be modified to be Autonomous, too, lacking the armored cockpits, which were replaced by suites of sensors resembling heads. In the middle of the hangar, a workshop stood where a single figure with green hair sat, trembling as she worked on something and mumbled to herself. Pinne chuckled at the sight, then said, "I think I know why you called us, doc..."

"Indeed," Halsey nodded, not even trying to hide the fact that was the Nikke they were called in for.

Doctor Halsey had mentioned to the Master Chief that the Lucky Strikes were to be receiving a new, decently smart Nikke, both to test her and to test the Chief's wider command capabilities. The group also noticed a fairly familiar platter of nachos lathered in some of the cheese recovered by the Shevchenko twins and their Fireteam. Pinne chuckled, though. She knew the girl. As did Niner.

"This, here... That, there... Ugh, why's this specific servo so hard to fix..." The green-haired, petite girl spoke as her gauntlets seemed to be providing much of the issues she was having, fixing said servo. The group also noticed another mech beside her, a relatively small one in comparison to the Cyclopses around. She plucked up a nacho from the plate, slid it between her teeth and let it crunch as she whined, working to fix the servo for the mech.

The mech itself was clad in tan armor and exposed some parts of its body, while its right arm looked to be a combination of power tools, going by the hazard stripes, orange and yellow colors and the likes, and a minigun encased in a box fed by a backpack. It had exhaust pipes, markings of Missilis and even product numbers and names. Its blue eyes shone for a moment as it locked onto the new arrivals, then it turned its head to face the girl.

She seemed yelp when it transmitted something to the earpiece she wore, staggering to her feet and nearly falling backward into the doctor. The Spartan caught her, while Pinne and Niner laughed as they exchanged a quick look. The girl whined and said, "Oh, great," before slowly and awkwardly turning around. She saw Doctor Halsey, then the burly man in heavy armor and, finally, the other Nikkes.

Embarrassment slowly crept up onto the girl's face, her cheeks flush as she straightened her posture and rubbed her left arm with her right hand. Both hands had gauntlets, armor similar to that of the mechanoid unit beside them, attached as plates and jointed so she could move. She swallowed emptily, arranged her emerald hair and looked up at the Doctor, greeting awkwardly, "H-Hello."

"Hello, miss Kilo," Doctor Halsey replied calmly, "Are we interrupting?"

"H-Huh?" The girl asked, then looked at the table Doctor Halsey motioned to. The servo she was fixing, right, she recalled. Hurriedly, she waved her hands defensively and replied, "N-No! No! I was just repairing a specific servo one of your engineers asked me to fix for the testbed autonomous units we're building at this site!" before pointing at one such mech with a missing 'finger'.

"I see," Halsey nodded, "Do you know who I am?"

"The new boss of Missilis. Doctor Catherine Halsey," The girl replied, still a bit awkward, "They gave me and TALOS a briefing on you... Same as your UNSC troops and," she looked at the Chief and smiled awkwardly, "T-The Lucky Strikes. The team I'm gonna be reassigned to from HEAVY GRAM. Or, well, more like HEAVY GRAM will be put under command of the guys at the Outpost you're in. H-Hello, sir," and she saluted.

"Kilo, right?" Chief asked as he looked at her. She nodded, surprised he knew her going by the face. He told her, "Doctor Halsey sent me your and your war machine's file, though I was going through a lot of paperwork. Mind introducing yourself to us properly?" and though he knew he was partially lying, as he had fully read her and TALOS's file, which he really made no point in hiding, he just wanted to make her feel comfortable.

Wow, maybe this new command was making him soft.

"S-sure!" Kilo nodded. She straightened her posture, trying her best to imitate the stance of a soldier at attention, then spoke, "My name is Kilo. I'm a Missilis Nikke utilized for testing new projects, including some of my own..." and let out an awkward laugh. She continued, noting the other Nikkes and getting a bit nervous, "I-I'm a test Nikke mostly because of my model's lackluster performance, which is-" and she looked behind the chief.

Pinne giggled and said, "Relax, Kilo. Go on and say it 'worse than an MP Nikke'," before watching as Chief craned his neck back toward her and seemed to raise a brow. She told him, "Relax, Chief. MP Nikkes were never particularly combat capable. It's thanks to your command and the Counters we got as far as we did. And now we're getting upgraded gear and stuff."

"Yeah," Niner smiled, too.

Kilo nodded, awkward, "I couldn't be trusted in a combat role myself, so... I'm stuck as a test unit. TALOS is the only way I ever get to go out on the Surface nowadays, for fear I'd be destroyed," and she seemed embarrassed to admit it. No, Chief thought, not embarrassed. Sad. The Spartan sighed deeply. He got why Halsey assigned her and TALOS to him now. The girl, however, continued as she fiddled with her fingers, "I still think they're gonna can the TALOS project and I'll... I don't know..."

"And the Lucky Strikes are the Squad you need to prove yourself by in order for your program to continue," Halsey supposed, causing the girl to blank. She showed the girl to relax, placing a hand on her shoulder while Chief and the Luckies stared at her. The Doctor was blunt, but usually with a point, so, while the girl fiddled with her fingers again, a small nervous tick, Halsey asked her, "Why don't you tell us about TALOS himself, then?"

"O-Oh, s-sure," She seemed even more afraid. Turning toward TALOS, she spoke, "TALOS is a combat mechanoid made based on old Pre-War designs for autonomous and manned combat machines. He's reinforced with titanium plates and a layer of goddessium made to absorb more punishment from the Raptures' Particle Beams. He's a mean one in combat, but he's also..." She smiled a little, "He's a good friend. My only friend..." then paused and shook her head, stuttering again, "H-He can talk to you! If you have com devices...?"

They all nodded, to which Kilo whispered something to TALOS. The Machine's AI then linked to the team's com and said, "Greetings. I am TALOS, the automated combat mechanical machine produced by Missilis. A pleasure to make your acquaintances," as he turned to face them, surprisingly mobile. He almost moved like a human, wonderfully enough.

"An AI-based machine with a pilot," Hummed Halsey, then looked to John, "I almost want to ask if it feels familiar."

John nodded, then took his helmet off and said, "Glad to have you aboard, Kilo, Talos," before offering his hand to shake. Kilo stared, surprised, at the man, then looked at him. The Lucky Strikes smiled, too, behind the Chief, with Delta and Signal giving nods of approval to her. Awkwardly, she smiled back and shook the stoic Spartan's hand. He told her, "Could use the extra armor. What else can TALOS do?"

"O-Oh! He has a 3D Printer within. It's how we keep topped up on ammo when on extended deployments," She told him with a bit of excitement in her voice. Halsey blanked, while Kilo continued, "He is also fairly modular. We can mount any weapon system that we can adapt onto him. He also has a heavy backpack that lets him carry all kinds of stuff, too, and he's powered by a Nikke Core, meaning a lot of time on-duty."

"Interesting," Chief hummed.

Halsey mumbled to herself, "Why were they not funding this thing...?"

Niner said, "Seems like we found that last bit of heavy weaponry we need for our unit," while looking at Kilo, "Good to see you again, Ki," then she smiled. Kilo looked at her and was surprised to see semi-familiar facial features in this Product 12. Niner raised her hand and said, "12-09. You can call me Niner nowadays, though, heh. I think we came out of the same batch."

"O-Oh! Yeah! I remember!" Kilo smiled, "I nearly tripped you up by mistake..."

"Heh, it's alright," The girl waved it off, then looked to Pinne, "Don't suppose ya got anything nice to say?"

"I don't know her as personally as you do, Niner," Pinne chuckled, then put a hand to her chest and said, "It's good to meet you, though, Kilo. Call me Pinne," before approaching the girl. She gave her a gentle pat on the head, then turned back to the rest of the unit, all of whom walked closer, too. Chief and Halsey simply let the greeting go on.

Signal was first to speak, "H-Hello. I'm Signal. This is Delta," and she motioned to the big girl with the sniper rifle.

"Layla and Sammy," Sammy spoke from beside the iDoll, arms crossed to her chest. She said, "We're all glad to have another face over here. We were starting to get bored of each-other," as a joke to which the others laughed. Kilo, however, seemed to grow worried, to which Sammy raised her hands in defense and clarified, "Hey, hey, that just means we've been around each-other a lot. A fresh face is bound to be great for the team, though."

"Y-Yeah..." Kilo sighed, "Hoping you won't get tired of me that easily, hehe... He..." She and she got awkward again, rubbing the back of her neck. The other girls of the team let out deep sighs at that, then chose to give the girl a nice, welcoming group hug. Halsey chuckled, however, when she saw the faintest smile cross the Master Chief's face. He shrugged and put his helmet on to avoid future possible questioning ,while Halsey shook her head and watched the interactions.

Signal and Delta seemed to very much enjoy the sight of TALOS, Delta even asking if she could drive it, only to get a sadly negative answer. She sighed, then turned and gave the young girl a pat on the head and a thumbs up to the Mech. Chief knew Delta as the team's well-meaning Big Sister of a sort, so if there was anyone that was gonna help Kilo get along with the others, it was probably her. Well, her and Pinne. Niner was still fairly shy.

Kilo, meanwhile, was just overwhelmed at how nice everyone was. It was a bit of a first...