The slipspace trip from Threshold to Reach only took five hours.
I say only, but the humans and Cortana were very surprised by how advanced the Covenant's slipspace tech was, and that didn't even come close to our stuff. I wonder if Cortana would be able to tweak it at all?
I was mostly zoned out as they planned their next moves, but the humans took the chance given to them to rest and prepare for what was next. I rather enjoyed having my helm up since Haverson and Cortana weren't able to see me making faces at them.
The Spartans and ODSTs were naturally wary of me, since I was technically an alien, but they usually gave me a wide berth. I was called down to the engine room at one point since some of the Huragok were rather agitated, as well as a few who wanted to tinker with the pelicans they had left.
Other than making sure they didn't kill each other, I mostly kept to myself as I tailed Halsey and the several squads of ODSTs helping her on Reach. Oh yeah, since I knew most of the Spartan-IIs would be on board the Autumn, I made sure to release all the UNSC troops I'd saved over the years.
Most were used during the evacuation of New Alexandria, but I'd made sure to leave plenty of ODSTs at the groundside generators for the orbital defense platforms. A handful of Spartan-IIIs were also thrown into the mix, but I hadn't seen anything of them yet, other than Noble Team, which was still coming to terms with their new reality on the Ark. At least Jorge was; Carter was still getting treated.
The rest of Noble had plenty of questions. They'd been on one hell of a rollercoaster in the past month, and Cat was really eager to get at me to try and pick my brain. I, of course, had all the answers, but I wasn't going to hand them out yet.
Cortana had already tried and failed several times to break into my armor electronically, so Cat's attempts were laughable at best. She did try to corner me when I was eating, both on the ring and the ship, but Emile and Six kept dragging her away.
Emile actually didn't go near me. I have no clue why, but I only ever saw him a couple of times.
As for the Spartan-IIs, they were confused by me. Blue Team were civil, of course, since they all knew how dangerous I could be, but most of them simply stared at me as if I were a puzzle for them to solve.
They also kept me 'guarded' constantly; Noble Six was actually the one who just followed me around silently. I didn't mind, even if he did have a staring problem at times. He was pretty cool, though. I cracked ONI's encryption scheme years ago; Six had quite the record.
He took down dozens of insurrection cells solo, something even the Master Chief hadn't done. Several thousand confirmed Covenant kills, something every Spartan had—as well as various pieces of experimental armor and Sabre training.
Though it was always held that Noble Six and the Master Chief were the only two Hyper-lethal Spartans, I can see why Six was on the very short list. Though not as high as what Chief will soon accomplish, Noble Six is firmly above a good portion of all Spartans.
Speaking of the Master Chief, I'd spotted him gazing silently at Cortana several times now. It seems even with his brothers and sisters in arms by his side, he still gravitates towards her. I don't mind, or care, really; I don't plan on staying in this world any longer than I have to.
If everything goes according to plan, and Cortana does her part, I will be gone within the decade.
That hangs on a lot, but I'm confident in Cortana. Well, as much as you can trust an Ancilla that's not your own, I guess. I truly wished for her to succeed; it would just be a long, hard road ahead for her, at least.
I stopped my musings as we exited slipspace and Cortana began to scan the system. Reach was burning below us; that was already known. The unknown was why a section of the planet was still untouched.
I noticed Blue Team straightened as one when they realized what was nearly smack in the middle of that zone: ONI Castle Base, their 'home'. A plan was then hatched where Blue Team would descend to the planet to extract any surviving humans while Cortana kept up the charade in orbit.
Normally, I would follow them down just to watch the Spartans in action, but Cortana had wanted me to remain on the ship in case the Covenant Fleet still here somehow saw through the ruse.
I didn't mind per se, but it was a bit annoying. To relieve myself of boredom, I was currently sitting on the edge of one of the hangar bays, taking fresh food and treats from my Inventory to eat.
Normally I'd have a gaggle of servicemen crowding around me, offering their credits for snacks, but Keys and Silva had them busy right now, so it was just me and Noble Team, my 'guards'.
Six quietly refused anything I offered them, but Cat and Emile were more than happy to partake in their fair share of snacks. They had tried a variety of things as I tested just how much they could eat while not going into a food coma.
I also found out that even Spartans play favorites with food. Emile was a bit hungrier, so he just ate whatever I offered, but he still preferred savory dishes. Cat was the opposite; she'd been nibbling on dessert items since Noble had followed me down here.
I say nibbling, but she was taking full-on bites out of ice cream bars and ice cream sandwiches. I don't know how she was able to do that, since even I don't like doing that. Spartans can be weird sometimes.
"So, you finally gonna tell us your name?" Cat asked as she polished off another ice cream. I rolled my eyes as he held out her hand, and I gave her another one. "No." She made a show of pouting.
"I was wondering where he got that armor. Stuff seems pretty sturdy." Emile said as Six tilted their heads slightly towards us to listen. "If we ever get back to my ship, I can make you one."
"You have a ship?" Cat said, surprised, but I knew she wasn't faking because I had gone to great lengths to ensure they knew nothing of my fleet. I nodded as she fired off several questions that I didn't bother answering. I did hand her a napkin when her ice cream started to melt, though.
Cat was happy to forget about further questioning as she worked on the next ice cream sandwich, but Emile and Six hadn't forgotten. Six was the next to speak up.
"You said you have a ship; does that ship come with a crew?" They asked as I nodded. "Of course it does. Though I am perfectly capable of piloting the ship, something it can also do itself, I am not an Admiral, nor am I a ship captain."
I didn't tell them how I'd been forced to be both of those at various points during the brutal purges that followed the Great Cleansing. Even with Bornstellar leading us, I had to step in to make sure nothing more was lost to the Flood.
After that, I steered the conversation towards more useless topics. Favorite weapons, least favorite Covenant species to fight, stuff like that. We also traded stories, at least Emile, Cat, and I did.
Emile and I shared more than Cat did. He'd tell us about Insurrectionist cells that he'd been sent after and how he'd quickly adapted to fighting the Covenant. He even told me of the various fights he'd gotten into with Jorge.
I didn't have many things to say about fighting the Covenant, but I did tell them what it was like to fight the Flood. Not a small outbreak as they'd seen on the ring, but a true Flood infestation.
As such, Cat and Six paid close attention when I brought out old recordings I'd made of the various conflicts I'd been a part of. Some of the footage was from space battles, where miles of Flood mass coiled and dug into ships they'd taken.
I also included pictures of Flood forms, sending them to them so they could also give them to ONI and the rest of the UNSC. Of course, not everything I told them was the truth. There was no planet Viltrum, at least not in this universe.
There was no long-lost family, kinda, but I never lied to them about the Flood. I made sure to give them facts and back them up so they would never underestimate the danger it posed to all life.
Cat was more than willing to ask questions about the Flood. I noticed that she'd been quiet when Emile and I exchanged war stories, so she probably was still thinking of the last Noble Six.
Alarms then began sounding as Keys ordered everyone to the hangars. Noble Team also got orders, and they left to execute them as I contacted Cortana to find out what was going on.
"Blue Team is coming back! They managed to rescue Vice Admiral Whitcomb and Dr. Halsey, as well as several ODSTs. They're on their way back but are being chased by the Covenant. The only good news is they aren't trying to outright destroy them yet, just stop them."
I then exited the hangar and gave the AscendantJustice a once-over, noting that the UNSC Gettysburg had already been attached and that they were both ready to go. Medicant then scanned the area and found the dropship Blue Team was using to get back to them.
Just like Cortana had said, they were under fire and being chased by dozens of Covenant Banshees. I shot towards them, telling Cortana to start this up as I began tearing apart the Covenant flyers.
They turned their attention to me as they opened up with plasma fire. As they did, several smaller Covenant ships began moving towards us as Cortana began to fire on the larger ships nearby.
That was all the Covenant needed to wake up; it seemed as if hundreds of Banshees poured from dozens of ships. Seeing the sheer number of ships coming my way, I created dozens of Gaster Blasters to aid me as I sped up even more.
This time I went after the larger ships instead of the fighters as I tore through hull and hull. This gave Blue Team enough time to get on board as I started using Nuclear to lay waste to the hordes of Banshees.
As the Gaster Blasters cleared out the few still moving around, I returned to the Ascendant Justice just as Dr. Halsey was explaining how the Covenant wanted the Forerunner Crystal she'd found.
Ignoring everyone, I took it from her and placed it inside a secure container before placing it within my Inventory.
"Who is this?!" Whitcomb demanded as the ODSTs and Spartans raised their weapons at me. Halsey looked angered that I'd ignored her, as Cortana looked slightly pleased.
"Jump, now. The crystal won't interfere now; they won't be able to follow as quickly." I said to Cortana as Keys explained everything that had happened since they'd left Reach to the Vice Admiral.
I ignored the soldiers still aiming at me as I depolarized my visor to glare at Dr. Halsey. "Do you have any idea what you were holding?" I asked, and she had the nerve to look insulted. I didn't let her speak.
"No, you don't. That crystal warps both Slipspace and time. It was not meant to travel through Slipspace and would have torn this ship apart. Be grateful that I was here to stop you before you placed every life on board at risk."
I then ignored her as I walked over to Cortana's avatar, who still looked smug. "Have you intercepted the transmission yet?" I asked her, and she shook her head. "I've yet to find it, not on any normal bands." I thought for a moment and directed her to the Eridanus Secundus system.
She was about to argue that a ship couldn't change its destination without leaving slipspace, before I sent her the method we used. She then quietly changed our destination point as I polarized my visor once more; Vice Admiral Whitcomb wanted a word.
Having done this song and dance before, Mendicant spoke in my stead since the last thing I wanted to deal with was an old man.
[The Commander is currently engaged with others. You will speak to me.] Mendicant's voice echoed in the room as he used my armor's external speakers. Cortana looked unsurprised to hear him, as did the Master Chief. The rest of the humans were on edge.
"Who am I speaking to?" Whitcomb said as Mendicant responded.
[I am Mendicant Bias. A Contender-Class Ancilla charged with assisting the Commander while he is away from the Fleet. He is currently receiving reports from others, so you will speak with me.]
"I don't see why he can't give us his full attention, but I understand what it's like to be busy. Well then, Mendicant Bias, why are you and him here helping us? Not only have you fought the Covenant, but it's my understanding that you've also saved Captain Keyes as well as the surviving crew and complement of the Pilar of Autumn. So why?"
Mendicant was silent for a moment as I gave him a response.
[The survival of the human race. That is what he is working towards. As for why he chose this group in particular, I have no idea, but I would advise you to accept what he tells you as fact. He has no reason to lie.]
Major Silva and Lieutenant Haverson rolled their eyes but remained silent. I noticed Dr. Halsey trying to slip away when Cortana spoke up.
"Vice Admiral, I've just intercepted a transmission from the Covenant battlenet; they know we've taken this ship and have the crystal aboard." Alarm shot through the humans as Cortana delivered more bad news.
"There also seems to be a massive fleet gathering near something called the Unyielding Hierophant. They've found Earth."
There was total silence on the bridge as the humans realized just how high the stakes were. Keys and Whitcomb started planning how to get back to Earth to warn the UNSC, as Haverson and Silva tried to figure out how many ships they could take by themselves.
In all the chaos, no one noticed Dr. Halsey leaving the room, with Kelly right behind her. I did, so I followed them as Cortana announced that we were about to enter the Eridanus Secundus system.
I remained silent as Mendicant patched me into the bridge, where the Vice Admiral was already arguing with someone called Governor Jiles. I ignored it as I entered the med-bay, where Dr. Halsey was having Kelly grab things and piling them high in her arms.
Kelly noticed me instantly, but Halsey took a second as she prepared something, likely the sedative for Kelly. She did notice when Kelly placed herself between us, though- hard not to when a massive super soldier moves.
"What do you want?" Kelly said firmly as Mendicant alerted me to other Spartans closing in. I had him disable anything that could record the conversation as I lowered my helm. I looked past Kelly and stared into the eyes of her creator, Doctor Catherine Halsey.
"Do you want to save them?" I didn't have to explain; she already knew.
"I've saved a few, but they were returned to Reach, save for Red Team. I know what you have planned, and I know it won't end well." Halsey looked unconvinced as Fred and Linda appeared in the doorway behind me.
"It ends with you being thrown aside by ONI, the scapegoat for providing the very instrument that will save your species." I had her attention now, so I kept going. "Parangosky doesn't like you, as I'm sure you know. If you go through with this, she will finally be able to label you a traitor and will make sure you never escape from ONI."
Dr. Halsey was quiet for a long moment as she thought about what I'd told her. It wasn't everything that could happen, but it was enough for her to piece together the warning I was giving her.
"I don't particularly care for your reasons, but if you must go through with this, at least get the Vice-Admiral's go-ahead so you can avoid a court-martial," I said as I turned to leave. I'm sure the Spartans had plenty of questions for Halsey, but I would not be a part of what came next.
By the time I reached the bridge, Cortana was already using the AscendantJustice's lasers to fire on the Covenant ships that had jumped into the system. How they tracked us through slipspace without the crystal hidden, I have no clue, but it was too late to care.
With Whitcomb's orders, the people of the nearby station were being brought onto the ships. Haverson did not like them; neither did any of the other officers or UNSC personnel in general, since they'd been fighting these people before the Covenant showed up.
Whitcomb wasn't stupid, however; only women and children were being let on first so that the few insurrectionists left would know better than to start any trouble. I let the humans do their thing as Mendicant Bias scanned the system.
[Fluctuations in slipspace indicate a medium-sized fleet is approaching. Recommend leaving this system immediately.]
I sent Cortana what Mendicant had detected as she alerted the Vice-Admiral. He then rounded up the last few evacuees as Cortana brought the ship out of the asteroid field. As we made for a safe distance, the Covenant fleet arrived and, within minutes, opened fire as they detected us.
Cortana only fired a few times to keep them back as she began plotting a course towards the rendezvous point for the Covenant attack on Earth, the TauCeti system where the UnyieldingHierophant awaited.
A/N-Sorry this took a while; I got COVID and have been recovering. I am also getting a job, so yeah.