Chapter Text
"Come on, chumps!" UNSC Everlasting Commander Lucy Orion Forge shouted, viewing the two teams fighting on the Longbow map loadout of the S-Deck training room. "How the hell is no one winning this game?"
Despite her sentence, Lucy grinned. The Everlasting Spartan Fireteams were having a tough time gaining any points because of ties or close scores…and it wasn't really a bad thing – actually, it was a good thing because it showed how tough they were.
‘My Spartans…’ the 32 year old Spartan-IV Commander thought as Fireteam Bathala nearly managed to capture all three bases but was thwarted by Fireteam Juno from initiating the Last Stand protocol of a Dominion game. ‘I like the sound of that!’
"Enjoying the game, Commander Forge?" Admiral Thomas Lansky asked, making the commander blush.
"Of course she is, Tom." UNSC Infinity Spartan Commander Sarah Palmer replied for her, chuckling. "It's not every day two Spartan Fireteams ARE actually making a Dominion Game last this long."
"So how's our galaxy?" Lucy asked, changing the topic. The Infinity was visiting the Novus Galaxy as part of President Ruth Charet's security detail. Naturally, the commanders of the first Infinity-class vessel and its Spartan Company paid a visit to the resident supercarrier here in Novus, with Lucy being their guest warmer.
"Same old, same old." Admiral Lansky shrugged. " Infinity 's just doing science-y stuff for the next six months. How about you guys?"
Before she could reply, Lucy's datapad blinked to signal a message. "I'll tell you guys later, Hazel's asking for me."
She saluted to her guests before leaving the control room of the S-Deck training room. Walking down the corridor, she gave most of her Spartans (she inwardly giggled at that thought) a nod or a wave as she passed by. Reaching the elevator, she called for it while thinking what Hazel would like to talk to her about. When it came, she was surprised to see Spartan Admiral John-117 standing there holding a data pad and some drink.
Before she could react, Admiral 117 shook his head. "No need to salute, Commander. I'm not even supposed to be even here."
Giving a surprised look, she stepped on to the elevator before pressing her destination. "Why are you even here, sir?"
Admiral 117 – or as every Spartan-IV called him, Master Chief – was supposed to be in Australia, approving and ordering all Spartan engagements, enjoying their forever break/paperwork. Ever since the war ended and the 'Promethean Engagement' was closed, UEG was mulling over what to do with its super soldiers. After much discussion with all those involved, Secretary Hood thought that it was better if the Spartans had their own branch, rank, and manual since they have evolved from a SpecOps unit for the Navy to an integral Branch of the UNSC.
(That and UNSC wanting to give the older Spartans a break from all their fighting. Instead, they had to make do with paperwork, sitting in plush offices, and what nots - especially after the stuff the older generation went through.)
The legendary Blue Team, unsurprisingly, got to fill the brass positions that came with the separation. Alongside them were the remaining Spartan-IIs and -IIIs that were active but deserved a huge break – getting to train the new generation without the need to be on the frontlines (and help command it). "Classified," the Supreme Commander of the Spartan Branch replied stoically, not even looking up from his data pad. "But you'll find out soon enough."
The journey towards the bridge was completely uneventful, save for the occasional salute and nods from acquaintances Lucy made. Admiral 117 never did once look up from his data pad, given that he had endless reports to check and missions to approve.
Once the idea of separating the Spartan Branch from the Navy was approved, multiple problems immediately arose. From the tiny details of the Spartans to the usual – yet major – shits that accompanied forming a new branch. The major ones (where the Spartan HQ will be based, its training regimen and location, etc.) were already solved due to existing locations.
The finer details – ranking, command structure, deployments, and equipment, among others – were discussed with the current commanding members of all Spartan Programs. From what she got via the grapevine, all those involved were having a hard time hammering the details until Chief pointed out that while the Spartan Branch is a very specialized force, its inner workings should be simple at best. From that point onwards, the meeting ran quickly.
The only thing that never changed was the rank the legendary Spartan was given. Granted, he was officially promoted to Spartan Admiral by Secretary Hood. However, whenever he was around, everyone just called him Master Chief – after all, that was his official nickname throughout the entire war.
Lucy was brought out of her thoughts when the bridge's doors opened, revealing Hazel as she was talking to one of the technicians. "Master Chief, I was just—"
"No worries, Captain." Master Chief cut, finally stowing his data pad. "Are the rest of Everlasting 's commanders here?"
It only took her best friend a second to compose herself before giving a reply. "Yes sir. We were just waiting for the Spartan Commander but she’s with you already." the captain of the Everlasting replied. "This way, sir."
With Master Chief up front, Hazel slightly leaned to her. "Know anything?" Lucy shook her head, making Hazel feel disappointed. "Damn…wonder what's up?"
"We'll soon find out, girl." Lucy replied as the Everlasting 's command personnel turned to Master Chief.
"Hello John, what brings you to our lovely getaway?" Dr. Catherine Halsey asked, a slight smile appearing on her old face.
After her desertion during the Second Battle of Requiem and subsequent capture, the 'Mother of Spartans' was charged with treason, a death sentence in place. However, President Charet offered her a lower sentence of exile to Novus, allowing her brilliant mind to still be put to use AND receive a punishment for her crime. Instead of answering, Master Chief brought out a hologram of a Phoenix-class colony ship. "What do you know of the Spirit of Fire ?"
Lucy stiffened, not liking where this was going. A million thoughts raced through the inside of her head, trying to come up with a reason why the Spartan Admiral needed to ask about the very ship her father had served on. Unfortunately for her, all the reasons she could think of all resulted in one terrifying conclusion: they found the ship.
As much as she dared hope that was true, she...she was afraid.
Lucy had seen the report detailing why the Spirit was undoubtedly lost with her mother. The UNISOD analyst who found the report showed them the statistical data and evidence pointing that the Spirit pursued an unidentified CPV-class heavy destroyer was most likely destroyed. The report concluded that there was less than 7.44% chance that the Spirit actually survived any engagement against said destroyer and even if they did, they were in lost territory with no chance of rescue. Thus, the Office of Naval Intelligence, UNISOD's predecessor, switched the status of the Spirit of Fire from 'missing' to 'lost with all hands'.
And yet, Master Chief was here, asking her of what she fucking knows about the very ship her father, Sergeant John Forge, was serving upon on. Of course, she could tell the Spartan the number of personnel that had served onboard the ship prior to its disappearance, the capacity the ship could hold, and she could even tell the ship's service number without missing a beat.
"It was the ship my father…" Hazel replied, her voice wavering as she placed her hand on Lucy's shoulder. "I mean, our fathers, had served upon: Spirit 's Captain James George Cutter, service number 01730-58392-JC, and Marine Sergeant John Forge, service number 63292-94758-JF. Both served on the Harvest Campaign as well as the Defense of Acadia before disappearing when the ship chased an unidentified Covenant heavy destroyer."
"ONI later changed its status from 'missing' to 'lost with all hands'." Lucy added, steeling her nerves. "One of its analyst, codenamed SURGEON, reported that the Spirit had a 91.21% chance of engaging the heavy destroy but concluded that it only had 7.44% chance of actually surviving the encounter. Even if it did survive, they were probably badly damaged to the point of abandoning the ship with no chance of rescue."
"I apologize for bringing up unpleasant memories, Admiral, Commander." Master Chief apologized, sounding sincere. "However, the reason I needed to bring it up is one of UNISOD's probes here in Novus picked up an old UNSC signal used by vessels prior to the Human-Covenant War – specifically the one used by the Spirit ."
Hazel gasped while Lucy opted for opening her mouth. "Are you saying…" the Spartan-IV began, afraid to finish her sentence.
"That UNSC has most likely found the Spirit of Fire . Whether or not the ship is functional will determine if there are survivors." Dr. Halsey finished, already accessing the report. "Does UNISOD have a specific position of the ship?"
Master Chief shook his head. "There's heavy interference preventing our probes from getting its exact location but UNISOD has managed to get a general location of it." replied the Spartan-II, showcasing a massive gridded galaxy similar to the Milky Way, Grid Q-R 16 being highlighted.
"Sir, with all due respect," Lucy began. "Why are you the one bringing it up? Wouldn't Admiral Lansky be sufficient enough to inform us?"
"True, John." Dr. Halsey added, giving him a look. "Why did you have to come here personally?"
Master Chief didn't answer, typing some commands on to the holotable. The Spirit was replaced with three Spartans. "This is the Spartan Red Team: Jerome-092, Alice-130, and Douglas-042. They were last seen going aboard the Spirit just before it disappeared. These three, are in fact, the last officially missing Spartan-IIs."
‘So that's why Chief is here.’ Lucy realized. After the UNSC was reorganized, UNISOD thought it would be beneficial that the records of the Spartan-IIs were officially published, revealing that all Spartans believed to be Missing-In-Action were actually already dead. ONI had prevented revealing this information during the war as it might strike a blow to the already low morale UNSC had - resulting in all branches gaining a new level of respect to the IIs.
"Dear god…" Dr. Halsey murmured aloud. "Ironic isn't it, John?"
"They were the only missing Spartan-IIs we ever had." Master Chief replied, a ghost of a smile on his face
"So...we're going on a rescue mission?" Marine commander Colonel Cala Sultan asked. "Not just the Spirit but for Red Team as well?"
"To put it lightly, yes." Master Chief replied to the complete shock of everyone. "HIGHCOM just approved Operation: Star Trek with two main goals: locate and possibly rescue the crew of the UNSC Spirit of Fire and initiate First Contact with the Novus galaxy's inhabitants. To simply put it, UEG has ordered you, Captain Hazel Cutter, to boldly go where no one has gone before."
"I'm not sure if I should be happy that we get to be the first people to step on new worlds," Cala began after a beat of silence. "Or sad that HIGHCOM had to rip off a famous TV show."
Master Chief shrugged as everyone gave nervous chuckles. "Their words, not mine – I'm just a messenger." he confessed before turning serious. "Point is, Everlasting will explore Novus at the earliest time possible. Captain Cutter, HIGHCOM hereby appoints you as the Milky Way Galaxy's main representative to Novus. Your actions will be the actions of both the UEG and the CAS. Any treaties, actions, and wars that you will initiate will be your responsibilities, am I clear?"
Hazel, in Lucy's opinion, seemed to straighten up a bit. "Clear as crystal, sir. The UEG and the CAS can count on me." She replied with a determined look on her face before becoming concerned. "Question sir, why am I also the CAS representative?
Sighing, Master Chief pulled up a letter. "Officially, the Coalition announced that it is focusing on some 'grave internal matter'. Unofficially, they just want to rest from space faring and focus on building a peaceful society."
'No problems there.' Lucy thought. Granted, the CAS was just around 10 years old, not long enough for a nation to stabilize quickly. The UNSC was only lucky because not every planet it had was invaded and lost, so they had some back-up in case things went south.
"When will we begin our exploration, Admiral?" Hazel asked, bringing up Everlasting 's manifest for reference. "Currently, our supplies can last us one year max if we leave now – but that's rationing everything."
"You'll begin your exploration around a week from now." Master Chief reassured, bringing up a list. "HIGHCOM decided you'll need a week tops to prepare for a three-year deep space exploration mission. As this is a huge undertaking, I kindly suggest that you offer two weeks of shore leave for your personnel to prepare them for the mission."
Colonel Jeffry Starr, the Everlasting 's Wing commander, whistled. "Damn…three years? How are we going to contact HIGHCOM whenever we make contact with a new species?"
"Those two weeks will be used to prepare the SOPs for first contact, as well as other matters. Any other questions?" Master Chief asked, seeing none. "Very well, you're dismissed."
# # # # # # # # # #
"Damn…so we're doing a Star Trek then?" Abigail Shroud asked, sipping some cola in the cafeteria along with Lucy, getting a laugh from the Spartan Commander.
"That's putting it lightly!" Lucy laughed as she ate some chips they got from the snack machine. "Hell, Cala looked like someone slapped her in the face when Master Chief said the Star Trek line."
Abigail Shroud chuckled, something Lucy always considered as one of the defining traits why she fell in love with the Everlasting 's maintenance engineer. They've been going strong now for nearly two years, six months after Lucy finally went out of the closet, per se. It had been a weird affair when she came out, actually – it was during the a family reunion when she both announced her position as Everlasting 's Spartan Commander and that she was a lesbian. While her family's conservative side was weary, her mother just looked at her, raised her hands in the air, and praised the Lord when she finally came out.
"Hey, you alright?" Abigail asked, jarring Lucy from her nostalgia. "You suddenly spaced out for a moment."
"Oh, you know, just wonder how 'Abigail Forge' sounds like." Lucy replied, smirking at Abigail's blush. It was one of the points that Lucy could tease her GF about and get that cute blush out of her. "Hey Hazel!"
"At ease, Gail, no need to salute." Hazel replied as she walked in, preventing Abigail from saluting. "Rough day huh, Lucy?"
Scoffing, Lucy pointed at the captain. "You're rough day is just about to begin. We'll be in space for three years, and nobody to talk to except for me, Abigail, and the crew, huh?"
Hazel rolled her eyes. "I need a drink. Shame though, I was about to get ready for James' fifth birthday three weeks from now."
Abigail patted her back. "No need to be sad, you could just always give your gift now. Anyhow, I've got to go – shift starts in 30 minutes. You know how boss is when people are late."
Both O-6 personnel chuckled at that comment. Sturgis Preston has always been a hard ass whenever people were late for work. Giving her girl a peck in the cheeks, Lucy asked "You'll be here for dinner?"
"Probably, see you later!"
Leaving the two, Hazel's shoulder's sagged and rubbed her face awake. "God…logistics is a nightmare. When I was told the supplies are meant for a three-year deep space engagement, I was just expecting the supplies worth three years. Guess how much supplies we're given for this op, Em."
"Six?" she guessed, taking a sip.
"We have enough for ten years – 15 if we're to ration it." Hazel replied, getting a whistle from Lucy. "What the hell is HIGHCOM expecting out there?"
Having been at the briefing, Lucy knew that this was a really long op they were being sent to, but she never expected that much. The ship was actually brought closer to New Aurora's orbit just to ensure faster transfer of supplies. Hell, she even heard from the ship's scuttlebutt that they were planning on giving the ODST some new toys to play.
"Highly advanced AI hell bent on enslaving any humanoid species?" offered Lucy with a smirk, getting a deadpanned look from Hazel, clearly unamused by her jokes.
"The point is," Hazel stressed, "HIGHCOM is making it look like we are heading off to recapture some planet from the Covies. It's as if they're expecting us to find and fight a war."
'No surprises there.' Ever since the Human-Covenant war ended, HIGHCOM treated ever unknown artifact or planet as a dangerous object bent on destroying mankind. Now, they're in a completely uncharted territory (figuratively and literally), no wonder HIGHCOM was this paranoid. "Zel, you are stressed." Lucy replied, sipping her cola. "You're overthinking things. It's what, 1928 hours, Aurora Standard Time – when was the last time you slept?"
"2 hours ago…" Hazel replied as she looked through the data pad she had with her. "I just can't believe the amount of—"
The captain never got to finish her statement as the ship's klaxons started blaring, jarring the two from their conversation before a lilac tinted woman dressed in a flowery gown appeared on their table. "Captain, New Aurora's outermost sensory satellites are reporting a strange object has appeared at the edge of the system."
"Inform Commander Lively that I'll be heading to the bridge then." Hazel replied, standing up. "Has command said anything?"
"TacCom is now Alpha 3, fleet wide." the AI answered before disappearing.
"So much for a break?" Lucy grunted as the two left the mess hall, running towards the elevator. Everywhere they went, ship personnel were running about – either to prep the ship or go to their stations. The two made it in time to catch a semi-filled lift, Hazel pulling rank just for the two of them to get on board.
Ten minutes later, Hazel and Lucy reached the bridge before the captain made her way to the central holotable. "Status report, Benson!"
"Sensors detected tachyonic particles breaking for a brief moment before it disappeared as soon as it appeared." the attendant replied. "We're at Alpha 3. Also, Commodore Perry is asking if the Stridents should be deployed."
Reading the tactical read out, Hazel shook her head. "Fleet's already on alert, so no need. However…Benson, are our birds ready for take-off?"
Benson nodded. "Colonel Stars just reported that all Sabre's are ready for take-off." the attendant replied before pressing a flashing screen on. "Ma'am, priority message from the President!"
"Put it through." Hazel's curt reply made Benson put the screen on, revealing President Charet looking over some papers, probably in the Aurora Command Center. "Ma'am president."
The stateswoman gave a smile. "Ah, Captain Cutter. I take it the fleet's ready?" Getting a nod, the President continued. "Good, I have a task for you, Captain."
The map of the Aurora System was put up on display. "As you've been told, a unidentified object was detected near the system's galactic north edge. However, we have yet to get a visual of the said object."
"You want the Everlasting to check it, ma'am?" Hazel guessed.
Charet smiled. "Yes Captain. As our official representative to the galaxy, I think this would be in our best interest that you check out this object."
"Right away, Ma'am President." Hazel responded.
"Godspeed then, Captain." the president offered. "Charet out."
The bridge was quiet as they processed the orders of President Charet. Breaking the silence, Hazel said "Lilac, open the ship wide comm."
"Done!" the lilac-colored AI replied instantaneously. "You're live, captain!"
"All UNSC Everlasting personnel, this is your captain speaking." Hazel began, placing her hands on the holotable. "At 1928 hours, Aurora Sensory Array detected an unidentified object entering the system. HIGHCOM, already on high alert with the Presidential visit of President Ruth Charet, has elevated the status from Alpha 4 to 3 upon detection of said object.
"As of right now, President Charet has order the Everlasting to recon said object. I will not beat around the bush, what we might discover may be just a meteor…or a new galactic civilization. Keep calm, everyone, and follow your orders. Captain Cutter out."
Letting out a sigh, Hazel turned to Lilac. "Are we ready for a slipspace jump?"
"Awaiting orders ma'am."
"Punch it."
Thanks to the advancement the advancements done after the Human-Covenant War, the latest line of UNSC vessels were now capable of doing near-precision slipspace jumps with only a one percent margin error – allowing its vessels to be capable of arriving at their target destination instead of arriving only at the general area the vessels wanted to appear. However, this made UNSC lose its ability to surprise its enemy with its old slipspace drives.
Not only that, travel time was also near instantaneous when traveling through slipspace. Instead of the usual 2.66 light-years per day of the Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engines, the Macedon Mark XI series (an overhauled version of the Slipspace Drive and a notch higher than what Infinity uses) were now capable of travelling at a speed of 76 light years per hour.
"No visuals ma'am!" a technician immediately reported upon their exit from slipspace. "Aurora Command indicated that this was the nearest—"
"Gun Deck Five has a visual captain!" cut another technician as he frantically manipulated his controls. "Bringing image up…now!"
"Is that a flying hammer?" Lucy blurted, voicing out what everyone was thinking. A long vessel that looked like a large sledgehammer with rockets at its lower half. Along the middle, it widened enough to allow pod-like appendages with cannons to stick on the sides, two turrets on the top and bottom part near the hammer-shaped cockpit, and one satellite dish on the dorsal side on the vessel near the rockets.
"Don't care. Lilac, can you contact it?" Hazel announced, looking at the video feed that popped alongside it.
"I'm trying captain," Lilac replied, staring intensely at the image. "All frequencies are being checked out but I'm not detecting anything. What I am detecting are really old – and I mean old old – baseline UNSC frequencies."
"Try checking if they match any of the pre-2552 UNSC frequencies." Lucy ordered, coming near the holotable. "May be that's why we can't contact them."
"Ma'am, visual cam is reporting a long appendage coming out of the vessel…holy hell, is that what I think I see?" the comms officer asked loudly.
"What is it Reilly?" Hazel asked, brows furrowed.
Instead of answering, Reilly flipped a switch replacing the 3D image of the vessel into a video feed of—"That's a Spartan!" cried Lucy immediately upon seeing the being coming towards the gun. "Mjolnir Mark IV Powered Assault Armor, predecessor of any Spartan armor. That means…"
"…this is one of the lost Spartans we were tasked to find." Hazel finished, eyes widening. "I want an EVA team out there now!"
Lucy, however, had other plans. Having been on her Warrior-variant Mjolnir armor with a M805X Thruster Pack the entire time, she put on her helmet and sprinted towards one of the glass – one void of anyone in danger of being sucked out if it was ever breached. "Fasten your seatbelts boys and girls!" Lucy shouted, causing everyone to look at her. "Breaching!"
Firing her sidearm, the glass weakened enough for her to activate her thrusters and break it. Grabbing the ledge as she was sucked out, Lucy manage to swing her way up to the Everlasting 's hull. As soon as she planted her feet on the hull, the blast shields came up closed the hole she created.
"Dammit Lu, what the hell was that?" Hazel exclaimed via the comms. "The EVA team could have handled the talking."
Scoffing as she moved up the hull, Lucy replied "That'll take too long, Zel. My way's faster than yours – besides, are you willing to let a complete unidentified vessel hover above the ship?"
Cutting the link, Lucy activated her thrusters and made her way towards the last known position of the Spartan-II. "Lilac, give me a sitrep."
"Captain's pissed, if that's what you're asking." the AI replied, though there was humor in her voice. "But she agrees with you. Oh, by the way, how are you going to talk to the Spartan? I know the Fours were taught the secret sign language of the Spartan-IIs but you could also use – oh boy, what do we have here…"
Reaching the top of the ship, Lucy turned towards the direction of the hammer-like ship. "Tell me you managed to contact the hammer ship, Lilac. You're ONI right?"
Scoffing, the AI replied "It's more of a mallet-like ship, Commander. Anyway, remember when I told you the baseline frequency uses old UNSC frequencies? The reason I couldn't access them is because the UNSC signal is laced with an unknown set of frequency – meaning whatever this signal is, it's a mixture of UNSC and something else ."
"Can you or can you not contact them, Lilac?" Hazel suddenly butted in. "I want options, not facts."
"Argh, you soldiers really need to read up." Lilac countered, Lucy could already imagine her rolling her eyes. "Just because I'm an experimental ONI AI made just to analyze, decipher, and decode—"
"Just answer the question Lilac." Lucy cut, grinning as she slowly made her way to the Spartan-II's position. "Can or can you not?"
"Not yet," Lilac replied in a frustrating manner just as Lucy came into full view of the ship. "Give me a day or two…but we don't have that luxury, right?"
As if sensing her, the Spartan turned to her with a BR55. She stopped a few feet away from the Spartan and signed {Friendly, don't shoot.}
"You seeing this Captain?" Lucy asked as the Spartan just looked at her.
"Yup…does he get it?"
The Spartan stowed his weapon before signing { How did you know the signs?}
{Part of basic S-IV training.} Lucy signed back. {So, who are you?}
The Spartan just stared at her, Lucy not knowing if the Spartan was shocked by there being Spartan-IVs or that she was asking who the Spartan was. {Classified . } The Spartan signed back, making Lucy blink.
Before she could reply, Admiral 117 popped up on her HUD. "Commander, Chief here. Sign back with Oly Oly Oxen Free . He'll know he's safe."
"Um…yes sir." Lucy replied, confused as to why she had to use a children's song as a reply, signing it immediately.
All of a sudden, the Spartan relaxed. {Follow me,} he signed before making a leap towards the ship.
"That…that went well." Lucy said, surprised because of the quickness. "Orders?"
"Follow Sierra-092 to wherever he's going, commander." Admiral 117 replied curtly. "117 out."
"Well, let's hope this goes well." Lucy muttered to herself before following the Spartan-II back. 'Looks like an elevator,' Lucy guessed as she jumped inside the shaft and the door closed, allowing the elevator to depressurize. "Well, will you look at that," Lucy said, turning on her armor's speaker, "I'm on board—"
Without warning, she was slammed against the walls – by the Spartan (92, according to the Admiral), no less. Upon instinct, she whipped out Lucy Dos (a family heirloom from her father) and rested it on her attacker's neck…just as he had a pistol on her head.
"How did you know about that call sign?" 92 asked, his voice still clam yet threatening.
Biting down a snarky reply, she replied tensely. "Admiral John-117 ordered me to sign it."
Lucy knew she felt 92 slightly calmed down but still retained his alert posture. "How do you know his name?"
"Dammit Em," she heard Hazel say, realizing that the bridge (and Blue Command as well) were seeing this. "I told you we should have waited for the EVA team I was about to send!"
"You've been gone for 30 years now – the Spartan-II program was declassified to honor the ones who died for humanity." Just then, the doors opened and started hearing voices. "If you let me go, I can bring you up to speed."
It was a tense minute but 92 eventually relented and let her go. Cracking her neck, she gave him a nod before entering a hold…before she stopped and blinked at the scene before her. It was a cargo hold, that was for sure. The place could hold at least two Warthogs bumper to bumper, with space to spare for people to walk at the sides of the vehicles. Metal…boxes (they did look like boxes) were stacked in an orderly fashioned, lined along the walls of the vessel she was currently in.
As for the occupants – all she could say was they were…interesting. A couple of people in unknown garment who looked at her with suspicion, two ODSTs grinning from ear to ear, a marine who looked like she was shocked and surprised by Lucy, a teenager looking at her in a very curious manner, a…weird-looking alien that looked like a cross between a duck, a horse, and a platypus, and a woman in a flamboyant red-with-black dress she looked like she was going to ComiCon.
"You seeing this Hazel?" she asked privately. The captain's 'uh-hu' didn't make her feel better.
"I suggest you proceed with caution, Commander." Lilac's voice suggested. "The one with the impressive hairdo with matching red-and-black dress looks like some ruler. From my analysis as well, I am 89% sure they have something up their sleeves – literally."
‘I signed up to shoot and order people – not talk to people,’ Lucy thought before she decided to remove her helmet. ‘Lilac did say the hairdo lady was some sort of ruler.’ "Greetings," she began (she knew Hazel was getting a kick out of this) before saluting. "I am Commander Lucy Forge of the UNSC Everlasting . May I be the first to welcome you to the United Earth Government-colonized Aurora System – unofficially though."
Lucy wanted to slam her head on the wall for the last part of her sentence when she heard the hairdo woman laugh. "Then," she said with a hint of mischievousness in her eyes, "I unofficially welcome you aboard, Commander Forge. I am Queen Amidala of the Royal House of Naboo and its people."
"Thank you, your majesty."
"I must say, Commander" began the Queen, her voice with humor. "I wasn't expecting such a welcome. Captain Cutter said that UNSC greets its visitors in a more flamboyant manner."
"Wait, what?" Lucy blurted, confused to why Hazel was being mentioned. "You've been in contact with Captain Cutter?"
Queen Amidala nodded, although unsure with her question. "We contacted the Spirit before we headed for this system. My captain was advised to broadcast—"
"You're in contact with the Spirit ?" If Lucy wasn't confused by now, she would have been shocked already. "Can I get to your comms station immediately? It's of utmost importance."
Although startled, the queen didn't waste time. "Sabé, please direct the Commander to the bridge." she said to the person beside her, wearing a dress-downed version of what the Queen wore. "Inform Captain Ric what the Commander needs."
It took them fifteen minutes to reach the brigde – and the moment she was directed to the comms station, Lucy just placed her armored hand on the console. "Showtime, Lilac!"
Another hidden beauty of the GEN2 armor was the AI armor-to-hardware transfer (AHT) system. Simply put it, instead of having to remove an AI data crystal chip from the armor and inputting into an electronic hardware, the AHT system allowed the AI to simply transfer himself or herself (or a portion of it) into the electronic system the armor was close to – allowing quick in-and-out in electronic warfare. Few seconds later, Lucy heard Lilac say "My word, the system's incredible!"
"Lilac," Lucy butted in, chucking at the bewildered looks of the bridge crew as Lilac stood at the holotable on the bridge's center. "Directly line to the Everlasting , please?"
"That's the thing, Lucy!" Lilac replied as her 'welcome party' entered the bridge. "I can't read it!"
"You said it was incredible!"
"It is because they're not using English." another voice answered. Lucy frowned before seeing another AI appear on the holotable where Lilac was. "Here's the translation software I manage to cook up. I'm Abby by the way, Mjolnir 's ship AI."
Lilac then suddenly looked at the new comer before saying "You are definitely not a ship AI."
"What? Lilac, we got no time—" Lucy ordered before being cut.
"She's not!" Lilac shot back, staring at the new AI with fascination. "It's as if The Terminator and Sarah Conner had sex and she's the—"
"Lilac. Direct line to the Everlasting now." Lucy ordered, her voice brokering no argument. "They have contact with the Spirit , command needs to know."
# # # # # # # # # #
The introduction turned out to be fairly short between the two sides – though Lucy knew Hazel was itching to get a line to her father. Queen Amidala informed that the Spirit was very much alive and well and had promised to help them out in exchange for their help. Other than that, a data exchange was initiated as well as the startling information that Novus was actually inhabited by a galactic wide government.
Hazel decided to let a Pelican guide them back on board to discuss further items and meet as well with the UEG President. In exchange, Queen Amidala's concerns will be discussed in the formal negotiations between Naboo and UEG – as well as help contact the Spirit (turns out, because of two different systems, contact was fairly limited to text and pre-recorded messages – unless it was supported by a huge power system and comm buoy).
"See you aboard, your majesty." Hazel replied with a smile. "Hazel out."
As the video link was cut, Queen Amidala turned to her military adviser (a Captain Panaka, Lucy thought she heard) and said "That went well, did it not Panaka?"
The dark-skinned man nodded. "I was actually expecting a somewhat more hostile response though." He replied truthfully, his comment directed at Lucy.
The Spartan-IV just shrugged. "Well, if you guys showed up a few days earlier, we might have. Just a few hours ago, the Everlasting was tasked to explore this galaxy – we might have met under your terms if that was the case."
"I'm guessing ONI's on board on this as well?" Dr. Andres asked. Lucy remembered reading that the Spirit picked Dr. Ellen Andres up to check some Forerunner ruins on Harvest. ONI declassified documents later showed they kidnapped her and forced her to go to Harvest.
"Actually, ONI's gone – UNSC reorganized itself a few years after the war." the Spartan-IV commander replied, shrugging. "They're now called the United Nations Intelligence and Special Operations Division – UNISOD for short. Same spookiness, less the secrets – if you get what I mean."
"ONI was your Intelligence gathering organization, was it not?" Queen Amidala asked, "Captain Cutter explained to me about them before we left the Spirit ."
"They're not just our intelligence gathering organization – they're UNSC's black ops during the war." Lucy said before shuddering. "You would not believe the ton of skeletons they have when things got declassified after the reorganization – mostly how the Spartan-IIs and -IIIs were recruited and trained."
Predictably, Lucy saw 92 straighten up. "They declassified it?" he asked with a nearly undetectable hint of surprise.
She nodded. "Most of ONI's dirty laundry was aired and available for public viewing. I would expect an apology from President Charet later for your kidnapping, Dr. Anders. Not sure if your mother would be apologetic, though."
Suffice to say, the doctor was surprised. "Wait, you mean my mother was the reason I was kidnapped for the Harvest Excavation?" she asked, face scrunching up. "I thought it was Halsey!"
"Doc actually wanted you back with her in Reach, Dr. Anders. She needed all the help she could get to decipher the Covenant tech and needed all available scientist she could get her hands on." Lucy explained as she leaned against the wall. Discretely, she saw Lilac and Abby (the AI-that-wasn't-an-AI) staring at each other (she would bet they were having an electronic conversation). "Wanting to finish quickly, she requested for your retrieval to ONI – only to find out that you were sent to the frontlines by your mother."
Spartan 92 coughed, get her attention. "When you say most, do you mean the everything?"
"From their earliest black ops to the potential projects they had in mind, Spartan." Lucy replied, shuddering. She remembered reading the released documents the day after she was approved to join the SPARTAN-IV. "We're talking about internal assassination to external destabilization ops – the whole nine yards, both before and after the war. Then we have your super-soldier projects – Project: ORION and the SPARTAN Project II and III."
Seeing the curious (and surprised) looks of their hosts' face, however, made Lucy stop. While it was available to read, UNSC made sure that the information released was general and selective when it was first made public. There was no telling how the public would react to the dirtiest things ONI did before and during the war – and the Nubians would probably be scared shit if they found out. Besides, the sensitive info on the ORION and SPARTAN Projects were kept redacted to both protect the SPARTANs and give them a chance to rejoin society.
Thankfully, the helmsman announced the arrival of the pelican, allowing the attention to be diverted from the Spirit to the pelican guiding the Mjolnir . "Lilac, get me a line to 92, will you?" Lucy ordered as she slipped on her helmet as everyone headed for the cargo bay (turns out, the tube was a quick entry/exit point). Rather than replying, Lilac winked green, signaling the connection was made. "Spartan, this is Forge. To answer your question, the public got a general overview of what the IIs and IIIs went through but not the whole picture – the kidnapping part is totally classified."
"Thank you." a curt reply was given before 92 asked "Are you related to Sergeant John Forge?"
"Well, shit." Lucy cursed, thankfully nobody heard it since she was helmeted. If a Spartan-II knew her father, then something might have happened to him – not that it was unimaginable, her father could piss off and impress the brass in any way. "Yes…yes he was." she answered, mentally preparing herself. "Is…is he still there?"
"Our makeshift bomb was damaged on the way to its destination. I offered to blow it up but Sergeant Forge ordered me back." 92 replied, as if he regretted not being able to help him. "Your father was the best soldier I've worked with…and it was an honor to serve with him."
Lucy knew – deep down – that she was ready to accept that her father was already dead. However, hearing it from the man who knew and saw her father during his last moments…well, it hit her pretty hard. "Th…thanks, sir. At least my drama's done, finally knowing that dad's…dad's well beyond the veil." Lucy muttered, taking a deep breath to calm herself before chuckling. "Both mom and I accepted the fact that dad was dead already but…I think both of us were subconsciously in denial that he was dead."
"He would have made a fine Spartan II." 92 said as the two followed Queen Amidala to the cargo hold. "And I was proud to have worked with him during his last few moments."
"Heh, I think he was also proud too." Lucy added, chuckling. "It's not every day a lowly marine gets to work a Spartan, right?"
"We are now landing in the UNSC Everlasting . Thank you for flying Mjolnir Airlines . We hope you have an enjoyable stay in UEG space!" Abby's cheerful voice announced as the ship landed. "Please exit in an orderly fashion."
"I doubt that, trooper here looks like he's a kid outside a candy store." Lucy joked, trying to lighten the mood. The trooper in question (he had his helmet off) gave her an exasperated look.
"Hey, when you've slept for over 30 years, forced to go on a protection mission," the trooper countered, still grinning. "And then see a big ass vessel that looks like could toe to toe with a Covie battlecruiser, you'll act like me ma'am!"
Lucy just chuckled as the ramp lowered. " Everlasting ain't the only new toy UEG has – wait 'til you see the upgraded ODST armor."
Lucy just grinned as the two troopers mouth dropped before following the Queen of Naboo go down the ramp, whistling as she saw the welcome committee.
Hazel stood in front, wearing the black navy dress uniform with a black peaked cap on her fiery red hair that bore the officer crest on it. Standing straight on her right was Master Chief in his GEN2 MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor with his helmet off, gleaming his trademark colors and design from the Human-Covenant War. On her left, Colonel Cala was in her Marine Dress Uniform: double-breasted white jacket with gold-colored buttons, and white trousers, her rank displayed on epaulets on her shoulder. The moment Queen Amidala stepped off the ramp, the five marines (decked out in their black-and-grey armor) standing on each side of the path towards Hazel snapped to a salute. Lucy noted with amusement that the Queen was only slightly shocked by the salute before she headed towards the ranking officers.
"Your highness," Hazel began as she the Queen stopped in front of her, offering her hand towards the monarch. "I am Captain Hazel M. Cutter and I welcome you aboard the UNSC Everlasting . To my right is Admiral John-117, Admiral of the entire Spartan Company. On my left is Colonel Cala A. Sultan, commander of the Marine Corps on board."
Queen Amidala gave a smile. "Thank you for your hospitality, Captain Cutter. I must say, this is quite similar how I was received on board the Spirit of Fire. " the Queen said, before remembering something. "May I also present to you Sergeant Clive Lars, head of the Spirit 's Fireteam assigned to look for you, per se."
Right on cue, the trooper she joked with took a step forward and crisply saluted Hazel. "Sergeant Clive D. Lars, reporting for duty ma'am." he said before grinning. "Glad to be back in UNSC-held territory ma'am."
Hazel chuckled before she replied "Aren't well all. I take the Spirit is still in top condition?"
"Ready to rain down hell in any Covies that dare oppose UNSC, Captain." Lars announced, grinning like mad. "After 30 years in cyro, everyone's itching for to give the Spilt Lips a piece of their mind."
"Hold your horse, Sergeant – a lot has happened in 30 years. Colonel, I want you to get a debrief from the Sergeant on what happened after they left." Hazel ordered dark skinned Marine before turning to Lucy. "Commander Forge, kindly escort our guest to the Center for some refreshments – if that's alright with you, milady?"
Amidala nodded in agreement, smiling. "I believe so, it will give my crew a chance to interact with you crew members – Force knows we had to leave the Spirit immediately as we were needed elsewhere."
Accepting the line of thinking, Hazel lead the Queen towards the rift (followed by her security captain and the bearded robed guy) while Cala dismissed her marines. Turning to her guests, Lucy took off her helmet and flashed them a grin. "Looks like you guys are in for a treat! We've just resupplied recently and I bet we got some tasty UEG-certified party food! Hey Cala, what's with the Center?"
Cala just shrugged as she came near her. "Last I heard, the eggheads and the marines rigged up some info booth there for the guests. Ashley, you, Ren, and Price accompany our guests." she ordered before turning towards Lars. " Spirit personnel, follow me – we've got debrief you after your beauty sleep. Besides, HIGHCOM wants to know what happened after Acadia."
"Colonel," Master Chief began, having been silent throughout the exchange. "I'll like to accompany you as well. I can help with the debrief as well."
Cala nodded before saying goodbye to Lucy, Sergeant Lars and his fireteam following her. "Alright, people of Naboo, follow my and experience the first ever Milky Way-Novus cultural exchange!" Lucy cheered, pumping her fist in the air.
# # # # # # # # # #
"Damn…" Etain Gauntest, a brown haired Nubian engineer, exclaimed in wonder as the Nubian entourage drove pass different docking bays of the Everlasting. "I knew the Spirit was big but…how long is this again?"
"Nearly five and half klick long ma'am!" Corporal Ashley Williams replied from the driver's seat of the. Lucy, who was behind the driver's seat, just chuckled at the awed faces of their guest as they saw different aircrafts and vehicles the UNSC used. "Trust me, you may be shocked now but wait until you see the CAS vessels!"
Since the Nubians wanted a small tour, Lucy and the marines decided to take the warthogs to give them a sightseeing tour of the place. Dividing the group, Lucy ordered three M831 Troop Transport Warthog to ferry them to the Dock 7 Cafeteria (Center, as everyone called it since it was literally at the center of the ship and boasted the biggest cafeteria on board) with the three marines acting as drivers.
"CAS?" Abby asked, her tiny hologram being projected from the 'astromech' R2-D2. When Abby introduced herself as an 'UNSC AI Clone from Serina – don't ask how that happened', Lucy just raised an eyebrow before shrugging – she may be a commander but some things were just above her salary.
"Coalition of Allied Species – CAS for short." Lucy supplied as they passed by a M510 Mammoth under repair, causing the hog's occupants to gasp in surprise. "They're made up of the former Covenant species: Shangheili, Unggoys, and Kig-Yars, among others."
R2 then made a series of beeps and whistles. "R2's asking whether they're the 'elites' and 'grunts' mentioned in the data packet Serina gave them." Abby translated, looking at Lucy.
Lucy nodded while Ashley answered from her seat. "Yup! Turns out, the Covenant religion was built on lies – so a civil war broke out among the species when it was discovered. The elites and majority of them sided with us just as Earth was being invaded. One thing lead to another and boom – war's over, time to rebuild."
"We'll probably update the data—" Lucy began but was cut off by a large boom above her. Quickly looking up, she saw a large container falling towards them. The Spartan Commander was about to shout at the driver when the container suddenly stopped mid-air before slowly descending down on the side, as if someone was controlling it.
Jumping off the hog, Lucy quickly ran to the technicians at the side (also looking shocked). "Hey, what the hell happened?" she exclaimed. "Someone could have been killed!"
"I – uh, sorry Commander!" the poor technician replied, cowering behind his datapad. "I don't know what happened!"
Lucy just growled before pinching her nose. "Well, check it out! Be thankful that nothing happened." she reprimanded the technician before looking behind her. "What did stop that, anyway?"
"That'll be me, commander!" the sandy haired monk (Obi-Wan, if Lucy recalled correctly) shouted from the shotgun of the hog, waving at her.
Dismissing the terrified technician (after ordering the area to start inspecting the equipment), Lucy made her way back to the hog as she clambered back on. "Mind telling us what that was?"
"That's the Force, commander." Abby replied as the entourage continued on, though she sounded unsure how to explain it properly. "It's…some sort of telekinesis, I guess, that's native to Novus' inhabitants. People like Obi-Wan can us to a greater effect"
"It's an energy field created by all living things - it surrounds us, penetrates us, and binds the galaxy together." Obi-Wan elaborated further as they passed by some Mantis walkers. "Well, that's the basic version – I believe it would be best if the Jedi Temple provide you a more in depth version of my explanation."
"There'll be a lot of data exchanges, that's for sure!" Abby remarked, drawing a laugh from everyone onboard.
"Y'know," Ashley suddenly asked, "one thing I don't get is why we have the same language? I mean, what are the chances that two humanoid species have the language?"
"It's not necessarily similar – the galaxy has different languages from different races in it." one of the handmaidens replied. "The Queen told me that she had to teach Abby Aurebesh because she had a hard time deciphering the Mjolnir 's computer."
"That's true, Sabé." Abby replied just as they neared the D7. "I gave Lilac a copy of Aurebesh so UEG can have a translation system up and running soon."
Once Ashley announced their arrival, Lucy helped R2 get down while the others jumped off. Looking at the other warthogs being disembarked, Lucy noted that Price and the Nubian pilot (Ric Olié) conversing while one of the security officers was having a debate with Ren. "It's impressive, I'll say that." Sabé said as she walked towards the Spartan, awe in her voice. "I haven't seen anything militaristic except those holopics about the Galactic Civil War three thousand years ago."
Lucy smiled as she guided the delegation into the Center before whistling in what she saw. She had to admit, the eggheads and the jarheads did a damn good job of transforming the Center into a cultural booth – monitors lined up the walls showing different pictures of the various colonies of UEG, multiple information terminals rigged to a holo emitter (how they managed to do that, Lucy had no idea), and various delicacies of humanity (Lucy wouldn't be surprised if nearly all of it were being showcased here).
"Hey…is that a fried Moa I smell?" Ren suddenly asked as he sniffed the air. "Holy shit, they got Moa in here too?"
"Indeed corporal," a bald man in a lab coat said as he approached them, tucking in a data pad. "I'm Deputy Chief Scientist Albert Cartwright, head organizer of this event. Let me be the first to introduce you to the delicacies of the Milky Way Galaxy."
Lucy and Cartwright just stood back as the Nubians went about checking the impromptu cultural center. Naturally, the security officers started checking out the info terminal showing the different weapons of the UNSC, with Ren giving a running commentary as Ric Olié (along with his crewmates) listened to Price as he showed them UNSC aircraft. The handmaidens, on the other hand, started tasting the food prepared from them (and judging from the looks on their faces, absolutely loved it) while Anakin and Obi-Wan were looking about the different pictures of UEG colonies lined up the wall, Anakin's mother reading the description silently as she followed the two.
"Good job, by the way." Lucy congratulated the deputy chief just as she spotted R2 heading towards Dr. Halsey (who, from the looks of it, wanted to be somewhere else). "I take it Doc didn't want to be here?"
Cartwright just laughed as he looked over to the mother of the Spartan-IIs, looking shocked as Abby appeared and began talking to her. "Trust me, we had to drag her out here with a promise of more lab time." he replied, chuckling. "That and a new journal, though I don't know why she wants one."
Lucy shrugged before she bid the scientist goodbye so she could check on her wards. Though the atmosphere was jolly, Lucy wanted to know how the Nubians were feeling as they checked out the offerings of UEG. Her first stop was with Ren and the security officers and from the looks of it, he was just wrapping things up.
"…and that about it." Ren said as he showed them a hologram of a MA5D.
"I take it you guys haven't created blasters?" one of the officers asked.
"You mean laser weaponry?" Lucy butted it, getting a nod from Ren as she searched for a particular weapon. She smirked as she found what she was looking for. "We have but it's heavy and considered as a heavy weapon. Ladies and Gentlemen, meet the ever famous M6 Spartan Laser!"
"The only know direct-energy weapon UNSC has that's portable enough for the grunts like me to use." Ren joked, chuckling. "Then again, only ODSTs and Spartans like the Commander here are allowed to get it from the armory."
Lucy was about to retort about the M6's 'extraordinary' price when she heard screeching tires outside the Center. Looking at the entrance, an out of breath Nubian came running inside waving a floppy disk-like device on his hand. "Captain, we just received a vid from the Spirit just a minute ago!" the Nubian replied, gasping for air. "The Trade Federation found them five days ago!"
# # # # # # # # # #
" Queen Amidala, if you are receiving this, then I pray that you managed to get to UNSC- held territories ." Captain Cutter's hologram began as Lucy and the rest of the Everlasting 's commanding officers (along with Queen Amidala and her advisors) watched on. " The Trade Federation discovered our position when they started mining operations in the nearby systems of your sector. I managed to fool them of who we are but I doubt they fully believe it. As I record this, we are nearing Naboo and there's a whole ton of ships encircling it. I plan to scuttle the Spirit the moment we're near enough to launch all spacefaring vehicles we got and land planetside. "
Cutter stopped and massaged his temples. " Serina just intercepted some high level chatter about executing the governing council quietly and replacing them with some puppets. I've already order Red Team to join up with Charlie Squad to rescue them while I find us a place to lay low and fight the moment I initiate the self-destruct button. I know I said there was really no guarantee that the UNSC will be able to help you but looks like I'm forcing HIGHCOM's hand in this one. I'll see you planet side then – Cutter out. "
Silence settled over the bridge as everyone absorbed the message. "Well…shit." Colonel Starr said, summing it up.
"Got it in one, Jeff." Hazel said, snorting before she brought up Naboo. "Damn it dad…."
"If the Trade's planning to execute Governor Bibble and the rest of the Royal Advisory Council," Amidala began, worry on her face. "Then they're planning to legitimize their foothold on Naboo. We can't allow this!"
"We know, your highness," President Charet (communicating to them via holo) replied, trying to calm the Queen. "However, we don't know how many ships are surrounding Naboo. Right now, most of the ships are part of the Aurora Defense Fleet - it's only the Everlasting we can spare to free a planet."
"But it's only one ship against the Trade Federation fleet." Panaka grimly noted, frowning. "We haven't even considered the droids on the ground."
"That…might not be an issue." Dr. Anders began, getting everyone to look at her. "One of the things I found about the Trade Federation in the Jedi Achieves was that Neimoidian droids only need one control hub located in a Lucrehulk-class ship. Blow that up…"
"…and the droids drop." Abby finished as she appeared on the table, looking excited. "All we got to do find the control ship! It's like Operation: KALEIDOSCOPE except that main target's a ship and not a person. Avery and I managed to pull that off with only a canoe, some explosions, and a teddy bear when we hunted Molin Saal."
Everyone just looked at Abby with a bewildered expressions when Hazel said "That could work. Lilac, we have a prowler docked to us, right?"
Lilac brought up an image of a Winter -class light prowler on the table. "It's the Normandy , captain, piloted by Lieutenants Jeffrey Monroe and Kaiden Alenko. They're here to drop off some UNISOD scientists and engineers for the upcoming expedition."
Hazel nodded before she looked to everyone. "Operation: KALEIDOSCOPE was the UNSC surgical strike missions to assassinate prominent Insurrectionist leaders across the colonies before the Human-Covenant War. Same idea, different targets," she explained before looking at Lucy, her violet eyes filled with determination. "And we're going to replicate it with some differences: I want a Spartan-IV fireteam inserted in Naboo to link up with the Spirit , gather intel on Trade forces on and around Naboo, and get a fix on that Control Ship."
Leaning on the holotable, Hazel continued. "Lilac, tell the Normandy to prep up for an infiltration mission and raise Tac Com to Alpha One. Navigation, I want a plot towards Naboo immediately but make sure it's just outside the system. Forge, prep your fireteam and load up, bring Sergeant Lars' crew as well. Tactical, I want MAC drives spun now and our PDS up and running." Hazel ordered, determination in her voice. "Anders, Abby, I want all the info about the Trade Federation vessels – strength, weaknesses, anything that could give us an advantage."
"We'll bring them home, Hazel!" Lucy promised as she made her way out of the bridge, yet dread filled her thoughts. ‘I just hope we don't bring home any more body bags.’
Up Next:
ACT 1 | Part 3: First Contact...Again
Character Visualization:
Jane Shepard (Mass Effect 3) as Captain Hazel Marie Cutter
Alexandra Daddario as Commander Lucy Orion Forge
Lily Collins as Lilac
Raquel (Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3) as Colonel Cala Sultan
Matt Horner (Starcraft 2) as Colonel Jeffery Starr
Nora Salter (Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare) as Abigail Shroud
Ashley Williams (Mass Effect 3) as Corporal Ashley Williams
Lie Ren (RWBY) as Ren
John Price (Call of Duty) as Price
Cartwright (Starcraft 2) as Dr. Albert Carwright