Vandread Fan Fiction ❯ VanDread - Halo The Second Stage ❯ Blast From the Past Part 2 ( Chapter 6 )

VanDread Halo The Second Stage

Disclaimer: I don't own either VanDread or Halo so let's leave it at that all right?

Chapter 5

Part 2

Blast from the Past

< >: Thoughts

**************

In the Nirvana...

The Master Chief checked his MA5C ICWS Assault Rifle for any damage or left over dirt, gunpowder residue and more, making sure that his weapon was up to snuff. As soon as he was sure that his weapon was in the clear, the Spartan took the weapon in hand and grabbed a pair of M7/ Caseless Submachine Guns with the ammunition and clipped both weapons on the magnetic thigh pads on his Paeksis enhanced MJOLNIR Mark 6, he also took as much ammunition with him as well as several Frag and Plasma Grenades.

As he checked his gear, he was greeted by Fred and Kelly, both his fellow Spartans were already armed with their own weapons, Fred never went anywhere without his trusted Combat Knife which was strapped to his left shoulder, though John noted he carried yet another Combat Knife held in place on his back as well as a BR55 HB SR Battle Rifle along with an M6G Magnum. Kelly carried an MA5C ICWS Assault Rifle and a M90 Shotgun on her back.

They were soon joined by Linda who carried her long time friends, a BR55 HB SR Battle Rifle and the SRS99D-S2 AM Sniper Rifle already on hand. The Spartans were to act as security detail for Captain Magno, Buzam, and Gascogne in the Forward Unto Dawn training hall which was going to serve as neutral ground for the officers of the Ruby rapier and the Titan's Wrath to meet and talk.

Technically the Nirvana was neutral ground for the officers to go to since the men would never set foot on the Ruby Rapier nor would the women set foot on the Titan's Wrath. So the Nirvana was the only logical choice. Of course logic took a side seat with politics as the Spartans knew that the very second the two parties came on the ship; they were not going to like the idea that men and women were working together on the Nirvana.

They were not politicians by nature or by choice, they were warriors, super soldiers, they left politics to the officers who knew about it, the members of ONI who they worked with before, and to the civilian leaders. The only things John and his fellow Spartans concerned themselves with was dealing with the next threat looming on the horizon, as the old saying went. They were familiar with the highs and lows of politics due to their education back on reach but never bothered with the details all that much.

However, they knew that with the gender wars between Tarak and Megele was going to be a serious sour point in the discussions between the officers of both the Ruby Rapier and the Titan's Wrath, there was no telling how this was going to turn out for both men and women. John mentally shook his head at that, he recalled the very tense meeting between the Eridanus Rebels and their group and what happened afterwards when the Covenant came at them.

He hoped that never happened again, he had no love for the Rebels due to their terrorist tactics though he never hated them deeply. He did what he knew was right at that time so he was not bothered by this. However this meeting was going to be different...they were going to try and convince two sides to join forces against a common threat, sounds simple enough at first, but when one realized that both were of the different genders, one had to think over the whole thing properly.

John put those thoughts aside for now...he and his Spartans had a job to do and they were going to do it as best they could.

Of course the Spartan IIs were not going to be the only security detail as Mendez and the Spartan IIIs were going to be around as well as the Nirvana's Security Teams, the Spartan IIs and the Security Teams would serve as the official security detail while the Spartan IIIs armed with their SPI Mark 2s would be the covert detail, making sure that nothing bad was going to happen while the supposed meeting was going to happen.

The Spartan IIIs were not happy with the idea, but Tom, and Lucy prevented them from complaining too much and they were already doing their work and were equipped with their MA5K Carbines and BR55 HB SR Battle Rifles though Mark was better armed with the same SRS99D-S2 AM Sniper Rifle that Linda carried most of the time. The Spartan IIIs took defensive positions around the hall earlier with their SPI Armor already masking their movements so as to avoid detection.

“Everyone ready?”

“Ready to go Squad Leader.”

John nodded at that as they moved out to meet up with the others, the shuttles from both the Ruby Rapier and the Titan's Wrath were already underway towards the Nirvana under full escort of course. The crews of both ships were not going to trust the pirates with their high ranking officers and there was no doubt in the Master Chief's mind that the men and women of both Tarak and Megele had their weapon system trained on them and no doubt those weapon systems were primed ready to fire the very second things went ugly.

That was why the Nirvana had been on full alert and all Dreads were out in force, along with the Vanguards that had been modified as well as every Longsword Fighter that Cortana had at her command, the former UNSC AI was currently in the bridge along with Bart, ready to open up the MAC Cannons and Bart ready with the Plasma Cannon batteries at the ready. They were hoping not to use them in battle, but one had to be ready.

Naturally the Clarion Spy Drones were deployed to form a sensor net around the area, just in case the Harvesters decided to show up unexpectedly, the Nirvana engineers, as well as Parfait, Cortana, and Catherine had worked on improving the sensor systems of the Drones for better abilities as well as range. They would serve to warn them of incoming danger and that was going to be key for them all.

As the Spartans made their way to their duty areas, they couldn't help but wonder just how the men from the Titan's Wrath would react to seeing women for the first time in their lives and vice versa, one thing was for sure in their minds. Things were going to be far from dull.

The Talvernians did their duties well enough and were already out there in the Vanguards as well to support their Megele allies, those who were not out in force with the Vanguards were working with the Nirvana Fire Teams to tighten the security for the meeting, while the Spartans would serve to guard the meeting area, the Nirvana Fire Teams would be nearby to keep an eye on the escort force of both parties alongside the Security Teams.

There was no doubt that the two parties from the ships were going to be causing friction, for the women on the Nirvana, they had gotten used to being around men and they owed their lives and survival to men, men such as Duero, Bart, John, and Hibiki, along with the men who were from Talvern, and now with the Spartans who were male as well. The Megele pirates had to find ways to keep the peace without showing favoritism to either side. This was needed in order to maintain the neutrality of the Nirvana....not an easy thing as well.

That was when Dr. Catherine came to them and she was greeted by them with an abrupt salute.

“Ma'am.”

Catherine smiled at the four Spartans who she had known since they were children and replied.

“You can stand at ease Kelly, Fred, Linda; John….there's no need to salute me in anyway.”

The Spartans nodded at that and John spoke.

“Is there something wrong Ma'am?”

Catherine shook her head at that.

“Nothing for you to worry about John, however I do have these to give you.”

John looked as Catherine took a small container that he could see had the UNSC Medical Corps symbol on it. The Spartan looked at Catherine for an answer as to why he was given these and she replied.

“Those are specially made medicine for Captain Magno's medical condition, I looked at her medical records and the medicine here will help her deal with possible attacks, and I have a feeling that the stress of the meeting might aggravate her condition.”

John nodded and took the pills.

“Thank you Ma'am, Captain Magno will like this.”

Catherine nodded at that and replied.

“I'll be working with Duero for the time being in the Medical Bay and later with Cortana so I will be busy. You should get going John, you're needed there.”

“Yes Ma'am.”

**************

The news of the discovery of the Forerunner Dreadnaught had swept the entire Nirvana and there was plenty of gossip going around about the ship itself. The idea of an actual alien warship on the surface of the planet below them was more than enough to send tongues wagging among the crew. Long ago the idea of aliens being found was something of a dream for mankind, but when they colonized the worlds they now lived in, mankind realized that they were not going to be able to find any. So the idea of aliens faded away from all people's minds.

However, the discovery opened new doors to the minds of everyone in the ship...Duero was eager to see what sort of medical knowledge the Forerunner had with them as he was a Medic and healer. Barnette was curious what sort of weaponry the Forerunners had, Jura was curious what sort of beings they were as she had never heard of the Forerunner before, Parfait herself was eager to study the data of the Forerunners in full as the ideas she could gain in designing new mechanical devices from the archives of the Forerunners was too much for the engineer in her to ignore. In short, everyone on the Nirvana were deeply eager to send out a team to see this alien vessel as soon as they got the go ahead from the Captain and BC to head to the surface of the planet and do a full scale analysis of the ship and do what they could with it and all the possible troves of data and resources they could get.

However, they were aware that the Spartans would be the first to go down there to scan and clear out the ship, while there were so signs of life on the ship, the Spartans were taking no chances on the matter and had forbidden anyone to go to the surface until the meeting was concluded. They knew that the Spartans, namely John himself had good reason to forbid them, and therefore they waited for the time to make their move, as well as keep an eye on the men of the Titan's Wrath and the women of the Ruby Rapier from trying to send forces down there to cause trouble. It was a tall order, but it had to be done since there was no other way to get things going at this point.

Of course the Nirvana's resident alien enthusiast was ecstatic over the discovery of a real alien ship. To actually know there was a real alien ship there on the surface of the planet was more than Dita could ever hope for. Which was why she was currently talking to a certain young man to get a chance to go down there and see the ship with her trusty camera, however, the young man in question was not budging on the matter just yet.

“Come on Mr. Alien....”

“No...”

“Please, I just want to go down there...”

“Absolutely not.”

“Come on Mr. Alien....”

Hibiki was looking at Dita and trying his best not to break orders and do what she was asking of him so she would stop it with the whole sad puppy dog eyes routine as some of the Talvernian men called. But it was hard work for the young man as Dita was doing very good a job in trying to sway his opinions on the matter.

However, he kept in mind that there was no order for him to go down there, until they were sure that the ship in question was safe to approach, there was no way he was going down there. He was interested in seeing this ship up close, having seen the image of it there on the surface himself he was feeling this desire to go and see this vessel himself.

However he knew that until he got the order, he was not making any moves since he was not planning to make a mess for him to get chewed over by either the Master Chief and Franklin Mendez as well, besides there was no way he was going to bring Dita to a situation that was going to be too dangerous for her to handle alone by herself, and the idea of placing the innocent redhead into harm's way was the last thing that Hibiki wanted to happen. Of course he knew that it was going to take a lot of convincing from him to tell Dita that now was not the right time for her to go wandering off on his own. Besides that, there was the fact that they were both needed in space in order t counter any possible attack that can be launched by the Harvesters.

“Dita....now is not the right time for this you know.”

Dita pouted at that and spoke.

“I can make you a really delicious meal once you bring me down there Mr. Alien.”

“Are you tempting me Dita?”

Dita blushed and nodded as she replied.

“I k-k-know it's wrong Mr. Alien....but I've dreamed of this all my life....so see something that belongs to REAL aliens is a dream come true for me. I can't possibly miss this chance....”

The way Dita looked at that moment tested Hibiki's control...he had the urge to do something to make her dreams come true, but he was not going to take a risk that could get them in trouble or worse. That was when Jura herself showed with Misty and Barnette along for the ride and the way the blonde looked at him made him feel that something else was going to happen soon enough, something he knew he was not going to look forward to all that much.

Jura spoke then to the two of them.

“You guys are pretty much into this whole thing about that ship right?'

Hibiki raised an eye brow at that, this was something he thought Jura would not take an interest in and he spoke that thought to Jura.

“We are, Dita's been asking me to take her down there, but...”

“You don't want to, that's nice to hear, I get the feeling that there's more to that ship than just a crashed vessel.”

“Why are you asking anyway Jura?”

The blonde smiled and replied.

“Just call it idle thoughts, if you're going down there, then I want to come along, besides, it's not every day a woman from Megele gets to see a real alien ship after all. Besides, that ship might have a lot of rooms so there's no doubt a good deal of privacy there.”

Dita glared at Jura in jealousy as she was aware of the double meaning in Jura's words, that same thought was in Misty's mind as well, while Barnette sighed and shook her head at this, even with things as they were, Jura still wanted to go ahead and have a baby with Hibiki, she hoped that soon her friend would get her wish so that would be the end of it for now. However Jura spoke a lot more seriously.

“All that aside, I'm happy you two didn't decide to sneak off, it would be a heck of a mess if you did. This is dead serious stuff....for the first time; men from your world are meeting women from mine and Barnette's. This is a good moment, but filled with dangers too.”

The others looked at Jura in shock at how serious the blonde Dread pilot had become, and she noted that well enough, she smiled a bit, replying in answer.

“Don't look at me like that, I might act vain and flighty most of the time, but I'm not stupid nor blind to what's going on....we have to do what we can as soon as the officers from the Titan's Wrath and the Ruby Rapier get here....a lot of things hang on this so we should do all that we can to make this moment work. We need all the help we can get if we're going to win this war with the Harvesters and this is too good a chance to pass up.”

Hibiki couldn't help but impressed by that and so were the others, they knew Jura was right in that regard. As they looked out at the ships coming their way, Dita spoke once more.

“Maybe when this is all over....can we go down there Mr. Alien?”

Hibiki sighed and replied.

“Let me ask the Master Chief all right? It's up to him if he's all right with the idea. If he agrees....I'll take you down there, but promise me that you don't go around unless I am nearby all right?”

Dita nodded and Jura smiled even more and replied.

“Then you'll have to guard me and Barnette as well, because we're going along Hibiki.”

**************

In the Hanger Bay...

Magno as well as her fellow pirate officers, flanked by the Spartans as she looked on as the shuttles from both ships began to go in, she hoped that this was not a trap, but she knew that they were ready for this moment, they had to be since they had taken a massive risk in their actions no less than an hour or so ago. The Nirvana had moved through the area and hailed both the Titan's Wrath and the Ruby Rapier to halt any possible fight between them, they used a Megele frequency with the Ruby Rapier and a Tarak frequency to the Titan's Wrath...

As soon as Cassandra saw them she was not happy to see her and her pirate crew again as she said that she had hoped that they would be already dead for their pirate acts on their former homeland's vessels and called her and her crew as nothing more than scavengers. This would have gone on until Magno spoke sternly to Cassandra, telling her that the only reason they revealed themselves is that they had something to discuss. The Megele leader replied that she didn't need help in dealing with the men, but Magno was not convinced, the images of the Ruby Rapier provided by the Clarion Spy Drones given to her by Cortana showed that the Ruby Rapier would need some serious repairs as the damage was more than even the best engineers could fix.

Magno pointed that out to Cassandra and the woman asked if she was now siding with the men, and she replied that she was not on any side on this kind of situation and the Nirvana was now neutral territory. The Megele officer wondered just what was she implying and Magno replied by stating that she was not going to let her and her crew be wiped out, but she was not going to help them defeat the men either, further confusing Cassandra as to what she was getting at. Magno then replied that a much more powerful threat was looming beyond the borders of Megele AND Tarak that she and her crew had seen and they knew that this threat was going to be something that they needed to deal with.

As soon as that was done, the men made their reply, though they sent their message via word communication and the pirates were confused for a moment until Bart translated and reminded the crew about how the men of his world thought of them as women and they agreed, though they were a bit amused at how seriously the men were taking the propaganda, Buzam however was dead serious about this and reminded them that they had a lot to do and now was not the time to be light hearted about it.

Magno then asked Bart to write the reply in their language and he did so, telling the men that they were not here to either fight them or help the crew of the Ruby Rapier even though they were women themselves. A minute or so later, the men replied and asked if that was the case, then why were they on a Tarak vessel such as the Ikazuchi.

It had taken some very creative bartering as well as some close calls until they were able to secure the assurances that the officers of both ships were willing to not only not try to fight one another while they were around, but to also come to the Nirvana and meet her and her crew for some important matters in the Forward Unto Dawn's main hall where the Spartans, namely Master Chief handled the briefing of the Nirvana Fire Teams. Magno knew that this was a crucial meeting and she knew that sooner or later, tensions were going to run high on the Nirvana.

She briefed the crew and reminded them of two important details that they needed to be aware of. The first was that unlike Hibiki, Bart, and Duero who had gotten used to being around them and the men of Talvern who were from a co-gender world, the men coming were from Tarak and had not been around women so as much as possible, they were not to do anything that the men would consider hostile action and make things even harder. She knew that it was a tall order for her crew, but it had to be done, they needed to make the two sides put aside their difference in light of the threat of the Harvesters. Duero volunteered to help and began to tell the crew what to do and what not to do that would anger the men before them, but warned them to be wary as some of the men might willingly try to goad them into something as these were not men to take lightly, being members of the Black ops forces of their world. And the second was to try to keep themselves from getting cornered by either side and interrogated or goaded into some action that would really get things in a bad way.

As soon as she was informed by Belvedere that the ships and their escorts had arrived to the Hanger, the elderly woman steeled herself for the soon to come word war between the men and women. The ships arrived before her minutes later and she could see the difference between her world and that of the men. The shuttle of the women was the same as that of their own shuttle, but the men was totally different in form as well as color scheme. The Tarak shuttle resembled that of a long spear blade with the back of the shuttle in the form of wings, she also could see that unlike the shuttle used by her and the women of Megele, the Tarak shuttle was actually armed with some defensive weapon systems.

This showed that the men were always on a wartime mind set, and that was something that both troubled and surprised Magno for that matter as this was the first time she was seeing how serious the men took the gender wars between their respective cultures and civilizations. She then watched as a number of Tarak soldiers came down from the shuttle where the male shuttle landed.

She could see that these men were indeed different from the recruits that she and her crew had dealt with before when they first took over the Ikazuchi. The men wore suits that had segmented battle armor on them that appeared to be similar to the design appearance of the Spartan' own armor as well as having the same similarities of the Spartan IIIs own SPI Mark II Armor. The armor was colored to match the sands of Tarak and no doubt was used as passive camouflage and no doubt would have been quite a problem to see in the sands of Tarak.

The Armor worn by the Tarak Security detail seemed to also have a pair of built in knife holsters on either the left or right side of the chest armor, and considering the length of the weapon sheaths, these were long and wickedly sharp bladed knives as well. The way the men moved despite their covering body armor told Magno that unlike the recruits and trainees that her pirates faced before, these men were better trained and no doubt better equipped, and the way they looked at her and the other women was brewing with suspicion and hostility despite the fact that they were wearing helmets that seemed to be similar to that of the Spartan helmets, though in this case it was sleeker and the visor was T-shaped, there appeared to be some sort of camera system added to the right side of the helmet which would serve as a way for the troopers to view the world without revealing their faces as the visors appeared to be dun brown in color, no doubt showing that the visors were made to look that way to add further passive camouflage to hide the men better.

On their armor symbol appeared to be a panther, similar to the ones she had seen in videos about what kind of native life there was on Old Earth and even those that were there on Tarak, but this creature was different as it seemed to have skin that not only resembled the sand patterns but had skin that resembled stones and rocks well and no fur. And like the panthers in the old records, this one feline...if it was even a feline by her standards was no doubt a deadly predator on the all male world.

<That must be a native species on Tarak of some sort.>

She then directed her attention to the weapons the men carried.

Their rifles were the same as those used by the men who had been part of the original crew of the Ikazuchi when they took over the ship in their previous raid, however the rifles were actually a bit slimmer in profile and seemed to have some sort of changes to them as well. For one thing, the lower portion of the Tarak Rifles before them appeared to have some sort of detachable package that resembled some sort of shotgun attachment, making this weapon a lot deadlier in close quarters combat, that and the fact that it had a built in flashlight on the side near the barrel and some sort of targeting system.

The men also carried what appeared to be some sort of sidearm along with several packs that were in the armor and no doubt either carried spare ammunition, grenades, or other things that the men had on them. The guards stopped and one turned to give some hand signals, military hand signals and this allowed Magno to see the back of the armor that the men were wearing.

Their backs were also well armored and seem to carry some sort of in built pack along with a smaller pack near the back. There appeared to be some sort of small antennae that was well hidden on top of the pack that seemed to be a bit odd to her until she guessed it must be some sort of COM system, the back pack was not taking all of the back and there appeared to be some sort weapon on the back that seemed to resemble some sort of light machine gun, or a squad assault weapon, or a SAW if she recalled the weapon terminology that she had heard the Spartans used with certain gear. This one man appeared to be carrying the SAW and would no doubt use it as a support weapon.

Due to the fact that Bart and Duero had talked to her about their world's culture, she could tell that the four small chevrons on one of the armored man's shoulder armor pads was that of a high ranking officer, but they were small indeed and only when they were closer could she see them.

It was not long before she looked at the Megele shuttle as it also landed, as it was the same as their own there was no difference though it being a military shuttle it had gun ports and better shields as well as armor plating to boot. The female soldiers who stepped out were not dressed in the regular uniforms that Magno knew the women military normally wore. These were special uniforms only worn by higher ranking female soldiers. The clothing was more figure hugging but was loose in some areas namely in the joints and there was armor plating there as well, it appeared to be sleeker in design and was not made to be thick, most people would have considered the armor plating on the Megele soldiers to be too thin for military use, but Magno knew that the women preferred mobility and speed over endurance and defense, the alloy was no doubt coated in some sort of ablative material that was designed to be light weight but tough as well.

The women carried the basic rifles of the Megele Army but these were somewhat shorter and were also a bit bulky in some respects, while they also had what appeared to be gauntlets with special lenses that Magno recognized as those used by Laser Rings, but while the Laser Rings they used were effective, these were used for more damaging attacks in battle as well as for greater impact force, they were also able to carry a considerable bit of sophisticated equipment and extra supplies without being weighed down. The armor was also designed to be armed with sophisticated sensors as well as specially made optical camouflage plates that would make the women harder to spot. This would set the women aside from the men since the men seemed to favor passive camouflage and defensive power over stealth and mobility.

Magno sighed as she recognized the symbol on the female soldiers' armor, that of the Banshee crying and knew that this was one of the elite combat units of her home planet, this was going to make things rather interesting to say the very least. The only good thing that came out of this was that men and women were going to meet one another for the very first time in their lives, and hopefully it would not end in a blood bath since this was the last thing they needed in the Nirvana. She knew that while this was going on, her crew would have to keep an eye on not just the Ruby Rapier and the Titan's Wrath but also on the possible appearance of the Harvesters, she had no doubt those organ hungry maniacs were still out there and itching to catch them.

As much as she wanted to leave the fact that this was too good a chance to pass up and Forerunner ship had to be dealt with before they could leave.

It was then that both officers of either side came out, Magno recognized Cassandra Royce easily enough while the other young leader of the side of the men of Tarak was not familiar to her. The man had deep blonde hair and deep blue eyes that were looking about with the air of a seasoned soldier and he certainly had the build of one, she was able to spot his name and saw that his uniform had the name tag of Marcus, but no last name.

Duero and Bart were nearby to talk to the men if need be, but right now, Magno was more worried about how things were going to turn out the very second the women and men were now facing one another.

Cassandra and Marcus looked at one another with considerable hostility as the two walked over to Magno. Before the elderly woman could speak, the young Megele commander spoke first.

“You've got some nerve showing your face here Magno Vivian...if it wasn't for the fact that my ship was in the middle of nowhere and in bad shape, I would be chasing you….”

Magno however gave a simple sigh and replied.

“You'd think that after all that happened, a young lady would be thankful that some help came along.”

Cassandra glared and replied.

“You're kind of help I don't need….you and your crew are pirates, renegades and traitors to Grand Ma!”

Magno looked at Cassandra harshly and replied.

“Traitors? You have a lot of nerve calling me and my crew that Cassandra, need I remind you that it was due to your own mother's scheming that resulted in a good number of housing complexes on Megele being cut off from water and power? And one of those housing units happens to be mine.”

That was enough to silence the female officer and Magno replied.

“I founded the pirates from those who were tired of the pointless squabbling, consumption and pettiness back there on Megele, this was out of necessity and protest for all the things that they had to deal with, and as far as I know, we have never harmed a single woman in our time as pirates, if we really were traitors, we would have not hesitated to kill the people on the ships we raided. I made a choice for myself in my age and others followed me for their own reasons, but one thing is present in all our reasons, we do not ever want to be forced to do something that we know is wrong. Don't ever call me or any of my crew as traitors ever again young lady.”

Cassandra glared and Magno then turned her attention to the young man before her.

“And you are Commander Marcus, am I right?'

“How did you know that?”

“You're name tag on your uniform. Do you have something that you wish to say to me young man?”

“Nothing that you need to know. Why are you here and even more so, what are you doing taking what rightfully belongs to Grand Pa?”

Magno sighed as she could tell that this day was going to get difficult, but thankfully the two sides were not going to start a war here on the Nirvana just yet, that was the last thing that her crew needed at this point. For now, she counted her blessings and spoke once more to the gathered groups in front of her.

“If you wish answers, then come with us, we will discuss this matter in a more neutral ground. However I will have insist that you bring only a small security detail with you.”

That was then Cassandra sneered and replied.

“Why? Afraid my Banshees will take over the ship?”

That was when the Spartans got into action, namely their commander as John spoke.

“I don't recommend that.”

The Spartans were more than relaxed and held back from making any threatening motions to the Megele and Tarak soldiers, but the presence of the armored beings was now recognized by the two sides and that was enough to make them stop from their actions for the time being and that was something that Magno was happy for as she wanted this meeting to go well for as long as possible while they were not currently under attack by the Harvesters.

Cassandra spoke then, despite being surprised at the sight of the Spartan.

“Who….or what are you?”

“Master Chief Petty Officer Spartan-117 I am the Nirvana's combat specialist and commander of the Spartans here on the Nirvana, we will be part of the security detail for this meeting.”

Magno smiled a bit and then it seemed that things were going to work out at least at this stage of the meeting.

**************

Later…

As the group made it into the Nirvana's inner halls, the silence was deafening for the time being as the only sounds were the foot falls in the halls as the officers of both the Titan's Wrath and the Ruby Rapier were escorted by their respective forces, the Security Teams and the Spartans as well. The Security teams were ready for anything and so where the Spartans as they were already prepared for anything that might happen while also protecting Magno. Buzam, and Gascogne as well. The Spartans were more than ready to react if they had to in a fight but they were not going to respond to anything without determining it to be hostile action.

John was busy cycling through the weapons he could see on the Tarak and Megele soldiers to make sure that he was able to get all of them on his visual memory when he noted that Kelly did a flick of her finger, it seemed like a simple gesture to some and was ignored by everyone else, including the pirates, but to John it was a different story.

Kelly's flick of the finger was part of the Spartan Language, something that only they were able to recognize, having been trained in it back on Reach by Dr. Catherin Halsey, SCPO Franklin Mendez, and the A.I Déjà, along with Cortana. That particular method of Spartan communication was only used in non combat situations and was known as the need to open a COM frequency between two Spartans. This way no one outside of their ranks and groups could listen into their conversations; this made the Spartan Language key to their success as super soldiers.

As soon as he activated his COM system, John was greeted by Kelly's voice.

“Squad Leader, there's something not right about all this.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, if these people are from two worlds that are at war with one another for who knows why, and are living in a system that is supposedly trapped in some sort of magnetic storm that prevents most ships from leaving, then how in the heck did they land here?”

John had to admit that Kelly had a good point in that regard and then the female Spartan who had been his best friend since their days on Reach spoke once more.

“Do you think they found a way to use Slipspace Drives?'

“I don't think so, Shaw and Fujikawa were not alive in this dimension and without them, there is no way for the people here in this realm to even hear of Slipspace let alone the development of the Slipspace Drive system, besides that the Nirvana is the ONLY ship that has a Slipspace Drive system.”

“That's true….but maybe they were working on some sort of black ops project to develop some new technology, this is not the first time we've heard of something like that, we were created through it too remember?”

John knew what Kelly said was true, the Spartan II Program was a black ops program that created them so there was nothing against the possibility that the two sides MIGHT have been working on some sort of technology that would give them an edge in battle. Such tactics were not new in the fields of war and battle. The question was who was the one responsible for it, if either of the two sides were working on some sort of black ops project then who?

The first culprit would be the men of Tarak; the Titan's Wrath was considered to the result of a black ops ship construction project and was supposed to have been the sight of some seriously deadly weapon systems tests and more. If that is the case then despite what the women of Megele might think about the men of Tarak there was still a good chance that the men might have cooked up something. There might even be materials that were on Tarak that were not native to Megele as well so the men would have access to some matter of materials that the women would not have access to as well as the determination and drive as well to develop new technology.

And if it was not the men of Tarak, then it would be the women of Megele, who considering their extensive use of energy weapons and technology level were also capable of such a feat. They would have a better edge in doing so since they had the technological advantage along with the resources that might not be found on Tarak either, not to mention that from what he and the others had learned of Megele, despite the infighting and more besides, the women did have more resources and supplies than the men.

Either way, they each had a good chance of being able to provide answers as to why they were so far away from their own home-world. But there was no doubt in John's mind that they were not going to give up information like that to just anyone, the fact that Magno's crew were viewed as pirates on both sides would further compound the problem….however, there might be another way.

He then spoke to Kelly.

“There's truth to that, but we don't have enough data to work with for the time being so we can focus on other matters instead. We'll keep an eye on them and keep them from trying something that will bring danger to the ship and the crew. However, I would like it better if we were able to keep an eye on not just them but their crew. I wouldn't put it past those people to try and cause some trouble.”

“I agree with you there Squad Leader, once they're in the main hall, I'll try and slip out and see if any of their crews might try something.”

“Good, hold on.”

John then flicked his finger to Fred and the Spartan was quick to pick the signal and soon John was greeted by Fred in the COM system.

“What's up Squad Leader?”

**************

In the Forward Unto Dawn's main hall...

Cassandra and her officer detachment as well as their body guards looked the place over and couldn't help but comment on the design of the Forward Unto Dawn as she looked at Magno as well as Buzam and Gascogne.

“This place seems to....drab and dull, how can you stand this style of construction?”

Buzam however replied.

“The Forward Unto Dawn section is part of a warship so the people who made it were not too concerned with looks.”

Cassandra snorted and replied.

“We can see that....so why are we here?”

Commander Marcus of the Desert Panthers looked at Magno with a very serious look that was also mixed with some level of distrust though he and his command staff were staring at the Spartans who were there. The young Tarak Black Ops commander had never seen soldiers like them before as they were massive, nearly seven feet tall from the get go and were very intimidating, he had not expected to see men in the ranks of the women….if they were even men to begin with in there. He wondered if they were robots that were made by the women,

But that idea seemed too difficult to fathom, these….beings moved too fluidly and humanly to be robots, so what exactly were they?

He then placed that train of thought aside as he also wanted to know just what was going on here, ever since the disappearance of the Ikazuchi all those months before, the Tarak High Command had been working around the clock in order to get their forces back on track, though they had been able to recover all the men who were released by the pirates, the blow of losing the Ikazuchi had been felt all throughout the planet of the men and they wanted to gain their revenge on the women which was why the Titan's Wrath had been brought to full service once more to field test all the new and developing weapons technology that their world had.

And now the Ikazuchi returned, but in a much different configuration as well as massive changes and then these soldiers were with them, and he wanted to know just what was going on.

“I have….to agree….what is going on here?”

Magno sighed as she sat down and spoke.

“That is going to be a long story….but before this old woman tells you youngsters about what happened this past few months, know that in this whole time, we have encountered a force that seeks to take all human life out.”

Cassandra and Marcus were surprised as well as those of their guard detail who accompanied them.

As for John and Linda, only the remained there in view while the Spartan IIIs were nearby, both Fred and Kelly had left earlier to keep an eye on things on the ship while the meeting was going on. They knew that there was a chance that some of the people from either ship might try something that would result in a serious mess; they were going to make sure it didn't get that far out of hand.

**************

In the Hanger...

The situation in the hanger was fairly quiet for the time being, as the Security Teams maintained the situation while the Fire Teams also kept things relatively peaceful but at the moment, the Fire Teams assigned to the security of the Hanger were taking a break in another side of the ship, leaving one of the regular Nirvana Security teams to handle the situation for the time being. However it seemed that some of the men who were part of the security detail on the Titan's Wrath were going to make a move of their own on the women of the Nirvana as a group of them were moving towards the security team.

The women of the Nirvana eyed the men warily, hoping that they were not going to be dragged into some sort of altercation that they knew their Captain didn't need for the duration of the negotiations.

It was there that Kelly arrived, as a highly skilled Spartan, the Rabbit of the Spartan IIs was quick to size up the situation and despite her sheer size and height in the MJOLNIR Mark V that she wore, along with the fact that she was not as proficient with stealth as Joshua, Anton, or Linda, she was able to make her way to the site without being seen.

As soon as Kelly got there, she saw that the men were trying to get the women to try something against them with the use of insults as well as daring the women to fight them. And considering what she was hearing, the insults were the kind of lies that the men made about women, namely them being ugly monsters, cannibals and the like. It made her shake her head at that

She could tell that the women were able to keep their heads cool but the men were apparently different from the men of Tarak since they were hostile to the women while still wearing the armor they had on them, though the Spartan II could tell that the men were not using weapons as of yet, this was becoming something that had to be stopped at this moment before word of the situation leaked out.

“What's going on here?”

The Tarak soldiers moved back as Kelly looked at them very strongly, the Rabbit of the Spartan IIs was not happy to have seen the men trying to provoke several of the Security Teams into a fight to justify disrupting the meeting and cause chaos in the Nirvana with their lead officer being the one who started the mess. As soon as she was there before the men, she looked at the women behind her and she had to commend the Security Team girls who kept their cool and showed it as she smiled at them as she had taken her MJOLNIR' helmet off to show that she was not a man but a woman.

“You girls all right?”

The Security Team girls were surprised to see this as Kelly had smiled at them, coming from a woman who they knew was genetically and cybernetically enhanced to be the perfect soldier as well as having years of warfare experience under her belt as well as wearing such highly advanced Power Armor and carrying weapons that were deadly was a bit surprising, but their leader, a brunette with hair up to her shoulders nodded.

“Yeah....it's good to see you Ma'am.”

Kelly smiled a bit more at that as technically she was of a high rank, but she then turned to the Tarak men and reverted to her Spartan face, the steely eyed gaze of a veteran warrior who showed resolve and skill in battle. She then spoke evenly to the Tarak men.

“What are you doing?”

The men backed away as they could tell, despite their arrogant nature and their skill, this was one woman who they couldn't afford to anger. However, the officer who started the mess was more than willing to reply.

“We were dealing with some of the women who were going to fight us. We were just ready to defend ourselves if they attacked us first.”

Kelly didn't buy it for a moment, due to her enhanced eye sight plus the enhancements given by the MJOLNIR, she was able to see that they started it first, trying to goad the women by using insults as she could read lips as well as being close enough to hear said insults before moving in.

She had seen this before and had to give the man some credit, the only high ranking UNSC Marines who could stand toe to toe with of her comrade Spartans were those of the ODSTs and those who had worked with them before. But she could see that the officer was also wary of her and she played that to her advantage as she replied.

“I doubt that, Sir, I saw the whole thing before I came here, I know you started it, trying to cause trouble and then telling your commanding officer about it, doing that to those who are neutral on the matter between the crew of your ship and that of the crew of the Ruby Rapier is quite...well...foolish and idiotic.”

The officer was livid as the female Spartan decided to reach out for a small can made from metal with one of her hands while she held her helmet with the other as well as cradling her helmet underneath her arm, she took the can and easily crushed it in a moment, making the men gasp a bit and she released it and placed it down on the table and spoke seriously to them.

“This is neutral ground and we are watching, so I suggest that you and your comrades don't try to cause trouble here, all right?”

The men backed away and left, while they looked at Kelly with some level of fear. Kelly saw that and while she was not happy with being like that when they were supposed to be working on gaining the men as allies to fight the Harvesters, she was relieved that she avoided an incident that would have complicated things. She placed back on her helmet and turned to the Security Team and spoke to their leader.

“You did all right there, not giving into their taunts.”

The women nodded with a smile as they relaxed, they knew that Kelly was on their side and that was assuring to them despite their slight shock at seeing her unleash her strength in that moment when she crushed the can quite easily before them. Kelly then spoke to them seriously as she knew that while she had convinced the men to back off this time, there was no doubt going to be others who would try something bad that would really make things difficult while their higher ranking officers would be talking with the Captain.

The female Spartan decided to keep an eye on the men to make sure that they were not going to go about and cause even more of a ruckus on other parts of the ship.

**************

Of course, it wasn't just the men of Tarak causing trouble on the Nirvana...

**************

In one of the open areas of the Nirvana....

Several women from the Ruby Rapier's security detail were currently moving through the area, which unfortunately was where Hibiki was staying in at the moment as he was still waiting for his turn to take patrol duty which was why he was in his normal clothes for the moment. This made him the only man in the area and the women seeing that he was alone decided to see just what sort of man was before them.

Hibiki had no idea what was going on, but he managed to keep himself busy while working on one of his data pads to check his Vanguard's current repair status.

“Hey....is that really a man from Tarak?”

Hibiki turned to look at the women and he sighed, he recalled that the Master Chief had told him to keep his temper cool and avoid getting into a needless debate or fight with the women from the Megele ship, but now it seemed that he was going to have to deal with the unneeded company before him. The Tarak youth placed aside his thoughts and calmed his mind as the women began to close in on him of all people.

As soon as they were before him, one of the women commented.

“You know, this guy's kind of short.”

The women agreed and that made a vein appear on Hibiki's head, while he had grown in height, it still annoyed him that they thought he was short, but he kept his cool as best he could and hoped to remain calm enough to avoid trouble. The women continued to talk about him and his people saying how inferior their technology was and more besides, and it was taking some considerable discipline for Hibiki not to lash out at the women, keeping in mind that letting them provoke him was asking for trouble with that situation as it was. But it certainly didn't mean things were any easier.

“What the hell is going on here?”

The women turned and there before them was one of the Spartans, in this case it was none other than Fred who removed his helmet and looked at the women with a very neutral expression. The Spartan revealed his face and they were surprised to see his pale skin and the black hair that was streaked with white, which according to Dr. Catherine was the result of the augmentation process that Fred was subjected to as well. While he had no knowledge of the Spartan himself, having only met him before he radiated the same aura as John did so Hibiki didn't feel threatened by the presence of the Spartan.

Fred then walked over to Hibiki and spoke seriously.

“You all right Hibiki?”

“I'm fine sir!”

Hibiki remembered that Fred as of a higher rank than the Master Chief and therefore spoke to him with respect and confidence, something that Fred himself respected as he nodded to Hibiki, silently telling the young man leave for now, he was needed elsewhere and thus didn't need to stay here any longer. Hibiki nodded as he knew that he was needed elsewhere after all, and needed to check up on his Vanguard as soon as possible, since they were currently on a state of readiness. However than didn't stop the women from insulting him once more.

“Look, the short barbarian is walking away? Afraid of us or something?”

Hibiki ignored that, after all he had undergone, he was not going to let any more insults get under his skin. Fred noted that and then replied as he faced the women.

“What seems to be the problem here?”

The women looked at the Spartan and they were trying their best to keep their control as the Spartan glared at them in a very dark fashion, the fact that there seemed to be little to no emotion in the man's pale as snow face was something that also served to make them rather uneasy. Fred then spoke seriously.

“You realize that what you are doing here at this moment is considered an attempt to goad others into a fight?”

One woman snorted and replied.

“What business is it of yours anyway, you stupid male?”

Fred didn't bat an eye lash and for good reason, he had been called much worse than that and he decided to reply.

“I am part of the security detail here on the ship of the Nirvana so it is my business, the only reason that I am not going to react the way you think I will is that unlike the one you were trying to goad, I am not from Tarak and I do not have any ties to the men from that same planet, so do not think that he and I are the same person.”

“Oh yeah?”

Fred turned and then without any hesitation or show of discomfort, he punched a nearby wall and leaving a large fist sized hole there, that was enough to shock the women into silence and he turned to them, they were shocked that there was not even a single expression of pain, it was like looking at a statue that came to life but had no emotion to it at all.

The Spartan then spoke seriously.

“That by the way is a warning, you are in neutral territory and while you have issues with the men here on this ship who are from Tarak, keep in mind that this is no longer your ship, keep your bigotry in check and we'll get along well enough, don't, then you will have little time remaining here on the Nirvana.”

With that, Fred placed back on his helmet that emitted a sharp hiss as it pressurized itself back on and the Spartan left the women alone for now.

**************

The men and women from Talvern were also dealing with such issues, but handled it well enough, having been with the co-gender crew of the Nirvana and also having worked together in their own world, they were more than able to deal with the actions of the men from Tarak and the women from Megele. As for the crew of the Nirvana, being able to see their fellow Megele women was a mixed blessing, they were happy that they were able to

**************

In the Forward Unto Dawn's main hall...

The images stopped as Magno and Buzam waited for the two commanders of both the Titan's Wrath and the Ruby Rapier to decide for themselves what they thought, they had revealed the images that highlighted the first encounter with the Harvesters and their forces first in deep space as well as onboard the ship as well as their forces that were seen in ground combat action as well. The elderly captain knew that this alone was not going to be enough to convince the two before her as they were going to be rather stubborn, a trait that all young people have as she knew that from her personal experience when dealing with her own crew.

She then spoke to them as well.

“As you can see, the Harvesters are the reason that we had originally taken in both Hibiki Tokai, Bart Garsus, and Duero McFile into our ranks here among the pirates. Bart is the only one that could pilot the ship as well as use the plasma cannon batteries, while Duero is by far one of the best doctors we have on the crew, and Hibiki's Vanguard plays a key part in the use of the VanDreads that give us a considerable advantage in combat when dealing with the massive numbers of the Harvester forces.”

Marcus then looked at the Master Chief and spoke.

“What of him? He's not like any man I know of from our world.”

Magno sighed at that and replied in a very serious matter, though she couldn't help but grin somewhat at them.

“Master Chief and his fellow Spartans are what you two might call a very special case, but the short end of it is that since they and their comrades are not subject to the rules and perceptions our two cultures have towards those of the opposite gender and they are trusted allies here on the ship. But before you think that the Spartans are all male, there are female Spartans as well. The reason that they are here is hard to explain for the time being so that will be for another time. However we have a much more pressing concern…and that is the ship wreckage that is on the planet below us.”

The images then turned to the Forerunner Dreadnaught and the two officers and their guards were stunned to see the MASSIVE ship that was before them, Magno admitted that even though she had seen it before already, the sight of the massive Forerunner Dreadnaught was still very difficult to ignore as this was the largest ship that she had ever seen in her life, along with the fact that it was an actual alien ship. It still made her feel like she was going to pass out from the thought of it all.

It was then that both the officer spoke seriously.

“What is that ship?”

Buzam spoke then.

“That is a Forerunner Dreadnaught. According to the data that is an actual alien ship that is considered to be the most powerful warship in existence and could house a crew of thousands as well as carry billions of tones worth of supplies and equipment, it might appear to be badly damaged but the structural integrity is still there and carries enough fire power to defeat the entire home defense fleet of both Tarak and Megele.”

“What?!”

Marcus and Cassandra were surprised, they had always thought that aliens were just fairytales in their own respective culture, but now before them was an actual alien vessel and quite a massive one, it was then that the idea taking the ship from the planet and taking with them to either of their home system came into their minds, they couldn't help but plan out how their respective side would be able to take the ship back home and the technology could be used to end the war between their worlds once and for all.

However, that particular train of thought was easily detected by the Spartans, namely by John himself and he knew that this train of thought was too dangerous for them to have in their heads and had to be removed before things got really bad. With that in mind, the Spartan tapped the table with his finger gently, but loud enough to get the attention of both Cassandra and Marcus.

John then spoke to both Marcus and Cassandra seriously.

“Neither of your sides are getting it....we're going to destroy it.”

Marcus and Cassandra were shocked and the Tarak male was the first to stand up and speak to the Spartan.

“You have no authority to destroy that ship!”

“And neither do you Commander Marcus, that ship is not from either of your worlds and it is far too dangerous to leave intact, there are secrets there that are too valuable and dangerous to leave behind.”

“Which is why we claim it in the name of Grand Pa!”

Cassandra then spoke as well.

“There is no way I am going to let you male savages get your hands on that ship and it's secrets! That ship and it's secrets rightfully belong to Grand Ma!”

Marcus turned and spoke to Cassandra with venom in his voice.

“What was that?!”

“You heard me! We women are the only ones who can have access to that technology, you men are too savage and inferior in intellect, skill, and wisdom to have it!”

“You arrogant witch!!! There is no way I will let you're hideous and disease ridden hands on the information there on that ship!”

Before things could get out of hand, Magno stepped in.

“ENOUGH!!!!”

That was enough to get the attention of the two officers as the elderly woman glared at the two of them, Magno then began to cough a bit and it was enough to prompt Buzam to help her commander.

“Captain!”

“I'm all right BC.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes….I just felt a bit out of breath.”

John then stepped in and took out some pills from one of the containers on his MJOLNIR Mark VI and took out some medical pills and handed them to Magno. These were given to him by Dr. Catherine and were non addictive and highly effective medicine that the head of the Spartan II Program recommended for the medical condition that Magno had

“Here you are Captain, these should help, Dr. Catherine suggested these for your medical condition.”

Magno took the pills from the Spartan and smiled a bit at the Spartan as she took the pills, the medicine was quick acting and the pain she felt in her lungs and near her heart began to fade away, making her feel much better. As soon as the pain was gone moments later, she spoke to the Master Chief.

“Thank you Master Chief, remind me to drop by the Medical Bay when all this is over.”

“Not a problem Ma'am.”

Magno then faced the two officers and their escorts and glared at them.

“I have to agree with the Master Chief on that regard. Neither Tarak nor Megele deserves access to that technology the way things are between them. The reason that ship was ever brought into the discussion is the fact that it is both too valuable and too dangerous to leave behind. Neither our world or that of the men are ready for this kind of technology and the secrets there are too dangerous for anyone to have, and I shudder to think what would happen if that technology is ever used by either side.”

Cassandra had enough and spoke seriously.

“So if neither Grand Ma or those men are going to get the technology on that ship, then that means that you pirates are going to be the ones who have it?! I won't allow it!”

Magno then spoke hard once more.

“Sit down.”

Cassandra glared a bit more but did as Magno asked and Magno spoke once more.

“This is not something that can be one sided, you know that the situation we are in is not the same anymore, and you have seen the evidence of the Harvesters and their intent on harvesting all the organs of other human civilizations. Before you two stands a choice, you can either unite together and fight this force that cares little for our gender and cares only for their own survival which means our mutual extinction, or you can continue fighting one another and allow these forces to make their way to where Tarak and Megele are and neither of you can stop them from butchering every human being on either world. And if they get their hands on this ship and it's secrets, then we are going to be facing a terror that will easily wipe us out piecemeal.”

“This war you stumbled on involves everyone, both man AND woman and the situation demands that we have to put aside our differences and fight the Harvesters, they had already deployed a number of their forces to attack Tarak and Megele directly in a matter of weeks, if we don't stop them somehow…then we risk the fates of both civilizations.”

Marcus then replied.

“You expect us to just drop everything and fight a foe that we have not seen with our own eyes? In my world, we believe that if we can see it for ourselves, then it is real, but until then, we will not believe it, for all we know, the data you have could have just been fabricated somewhere on some rocky planet or anywhere else.”

Cassandra nodded as well.

“As much as I hate to say it, the male is right Magno, unless we have absolute proof that these images you're crew showed us is authentic, then we will not dedicate our resources and forces to this struggle.”

It was then that the nearby holo-tank came to life and there was Cortana who spoke to the two people who were the ones that the meeting was targeting.

“You want proof, then you will have it, the Clarion Spy Drones have just reported in captain….we have Harvester signals coming in.”

Magno was quick to speak and so did Buzam who was with them.

“How many Cortana?”

“We have picked up at least half a hundred Seed Ships a large number of squadrons of their high speed interceptors, along with at least five hundred Cube Fighters, at least a hundred or so Boarding Craft, at least forty of their planetary deployment shuttles, a hundred of their urchin Ships, and at least four Harvester Battleships. This force looks like a battle group Captain, it seems that the Harvesters not going to hesitate this time to wipe us out.”

Buzam was the next to speak.

“Do we have a visual?”

Cortana nodded and activated the screen where the records of the war that the Nirvana was deeply involved in with the Harvesters came before Marcus and Cassandra to see. In this case the images were on real time as the Clarion Spy Drones revealed the images to the two and their guards. They were stunned to see the massive clouds of Cube Fighters that were flying around the ships that were moving towards their location, they saw the Seed Ships, the Urchin-like space vessels, the Boarding Craft, the Deployment Shuttles, and the battleships themselves. Magno and Buzam both cringed at the sight of the ships as the recalled the desperate gambit that they had undertaken to wipe out the ships of the same class that they first fought with, now there were four of them to deal with.

“By Grand Pa….”

“Grand Ma, protect us…”

Cassandra and Marcus said as they gazed at the massive fleet that was now heading in their direction, they had thought that the images they had seen were created and were therefore not real, but now they were seeing this for themselves

Magno wasted no time and spoke directly to Cortana.

“How much time do we have before they get the drop on us?”

Cortana activated the screen and revealed the image of their location and that of both the Titan's Wrath and the Ruby Rapier and the planetary bodies there in the area, she then revealed the calculated information on the exact force composition of the Harvester battle group that was heading in their direction.

“They will be here in at least a day and a half at best, but considering the fact that it's a battle group, then we have to assume Commander that they will try to half their time frame in getting into position. And judging by their battle formation, I can bet that they will not hesitate to use whatever means needed to take us out the very second they see us.”

“Is there a secondary group coming in from the other side of the system?”

Cortana shook her head and replied.

“The Clarions we sent to the other side report nothing as of yet Commander, this is the only battle group of the Harvesters that is heading to our current direction.”

Magno then turned to both Marcus and Cassandra, she could tell from their expressions that they were shocked by what they were seeing and she spoke to them now.

“Now you see the true enemy of all humanity here in the universe, this is not an elaborate hoax made by my crew, this is the real deal and they will soon be here, you can choose to help us win this fight and ensure that we all, as human beings win and prevent them from claiming countless other innocent lives, or you can continue to fight one another once you return to your ships and allow them to pick you off one by one. The reasons we had survived for this long is that we here on the Nirvana, both man AND woman have worked as one to win the battles we had with them. They out number us yet we survived, because we worked together, so now the same as to be for both your forces. They have already claimed countless lives for their own survival, and will stop it nothing to do what they came to do. To the Harvesters, they care little if you are a man or woman, to them, you are just parts. But here and now, we all can prove them wrong, but like anything else….in order to do that, we have to work together, both men and women. What do you decide?”

Marcus and Cassandra looked at the images that were still before them and thoughts began to run through their heads as they wondered just what were they going to do. Part of them felt that maybe this was still an illusion or some computer created images for their benefit, but there was also a part of their brains that told them that the pirates might not be lying about the Harvesters as well and there is a threat like this coming their way. They confused for the moment and Magno could see that along with Buzam and Master Chief, the three couldn't blame them and neither could Gascogne, they had a hard time themselves after all with this sort of situation themselves.

After a few minutes, Cassandra spoke.

“So what do we do?”

Magno nodded, it was a start, but it would still take time and effort to get this alliance between Tarak and Megele the way it's supposed to in her mind, she then places that train of thought aside for the time being and focuses on the plans that they have as she spoke once more to Cortana as she alone with the data given to her by Dr. Catherine would be able to come up with a viable solution to the problem while Dr. Catherine would also be needed in this mission that was before them. Only this time, apart from destroying the Forerunner Dreadnaught, they would need to shut down the incoming Harvester Fleet, and the NOVA Bombs hold the key to the whole affair.

“Cortana….I think it's time we start analyzing the Dreadnaught's data to determine how many NOVA Bombs we need, and also to find the exact area in that massive ship where those NOVA Bombs have to be placed for maximum effect.”

“Way ahead of you Captain.”

Magno then turned to speak to the Master Chief and Mendez.

“Master Chief, Mendez, you both are in charge of this operation, we have at least a day and half to get things done….maybe even less, so let's get to it.”

Both men saluted Magno and replied.

“Yes Ma'am!”

Magno then turned to Gascogne and Buzam and spoke seriously to her senior officers.

“BC, Gascogne, I want you and Parfet to start working alongside Dr. Catherine and Cortana to start making the NOVA Bombs. Have Bart get ready for this since from the way things are looking, we are going to have go do some very serious tricks to fight this new force off.”

“Yes Captain!”

Magno then turned to both Marcus and Cassandra and replied.

“Well you two….I suggest that you get your ships operational as best you can…we're about to have a serious battle on our hands, and this time it has little to do with the reasons why we have this war between two genders, but a war with a foe that has already claimed many lives. It's time for the real battle to begin.”

**************

While all this was going on…thing back in the other dimension was about to kick off as well.

**************

In the UNSC Orbital Defense Platform Cairo Station…

Lord Hood looked over the screen and shook his head as he looked at a number of figures who were currently there before him, he was not all that pleased with the news of the remains of the Brutes, the Kig-Yar, some of the Unggoy and the Yanme'e still causing havoc and the fact that a Prophet was leading them once more to raid UNSC colonies, those that survived the Covenant-UNSC War and the new ones that they had. Only this time, the UNSC Colonies in question were now better defended and with their new technology that was developed over the intern years, all the way to the trading between them and their allies, they were ready.

The Sangheili had rechristened their forces as the Reborn Covenant, showing that they were now staunch allies of the humans who had once been their enemies and had willingly contributed in many ways for the UNSC to grow and heal to make up for their actions on them. The Elites were still supported by the Mgalekgolo and the forces of the Grunts that were on their side, along with the Huragok who were with them in battle. The Reborn were more than willing to fight with the new threat that came from the remains of the old Covenant who renamed themselves as the Eternal Covenant as well.

At the moment however, he was relieved that the UNSC had recovered enough to be able to go on a new wartime footing, though many people in Earth and both the surviving Inner and Outer Colonies would never want war again, he knew that until the forces of the Eternal Covenant were put to rest once and for all, they were still going to have to fight. But with their allies, and the resources, manpower, and more that they were getting, they had a chance.

It was then that his personal Smart A.I Churchill appeared and spoke to him.

“Forgive me for barging Lord Hood, but Captain James Cutter is here to see you.”

“Understood, let him in Churchill.”

Lord Hood turned just as the doors opened to allow a tall man with a moustache and dressed in UNSC Officer's clothing and carrying an M6G Magnum sidearm in a holster, to walk in, the man briskly saluted Lord Hood and spoke in a serious but calm voice that spoke of authority and respect.

“Captain James Gregory Cutter reporting in Lord Hood.”

James Gregory Cutter was the Captain of the converted Phoenix-Class ship the Spirit of Fire moved into the room and saluted the man who was still the head of the whole UNSC. One of the most brilliant minds of the UNSC forces, the man had a very solid reputation and a career soldier and officer. The respect he gained due to his dedication to duty, compassion and respect given to the men who served under him, and his tactical brilliance in battle made him a hero for his long career. He was a consummate officer and not the kind of man to be easily intimidated or pushed around, which was why he was one of the men who served alongside the famed Admiral Preston Cole. It was he who reclaimed Harvest after five years of sheer hell fighting the Covenant when the Sangheili were still on the side of the Covenant.

He and his forces were recently rescued by a combined Reborn and UNSC recon group which was on it's way to the old sectors that was once under UNSC control to locate any and all survivors of the decimated Outer Colonies. It had been an amazing discovery to know that the Spirit of Fire had survived the climactic battle that it was in with the Covenant and that the people of the ship were still alive.

Of course it had not been an easy thing as the crew of the UNSC Spirit of Fire was not happy with the news that Reach had been destroyed and the UNSC had been losing even more colonies. However they were all shocked to discover that the UNSC had struck an alliance with the Covenant Separatists who renamed themselves the Reborn Covenant and had defeated the Covenant Loyalists and won the war.

They were also shocked to discover that a majority of the citizens of Reach had been evacuated before and had somehow made it to safety and for the Captain, he was reunited with his family in that day.

Lord Hood thought about the tearful reunions of the crew of the Spirit of Fire with those of their families that made it back and as soon as he was done thinking about that, he then directed his attention to speak to the Captain.

“It's good to see you James, how is the Spirit of Fire holding up?”

“The ship is fine sir, the attention being given to her is worth it and most of my crew are taking what time they have with their families to catch up ns the same can be said for me as well. I can bet that this meeting is about me and my crew as well as the Spirit of Fire going back into the battle zone Lord Hood?”

Lord Hood then spoke to James.

“The Spirit of Fire will be joining Battle Group Washington to the border-system of the Gamma Sector, we've recently gained intel from the Reborn Covenant's spies that the location is rumored to be a major staging area for Eternal Covenant activity there, as far as they know,. There is a planet there that is being used as a refueling, supply and logistics base by the Eternal Covenant to rebuilt their momentum and launch raids on UNSC Colonies and start fighting with their enemies the Elites. Once your battle group gets there they will need to validate the information, once we are sure that the data is authentic, we are to go in and neutralize the area and clear our the Eternal Covenant presence there as well as determine anything that could be of value to the UNSC-Reborn Alliance. And if there is any sign of a Halo there as well, then your group are to make sure that the Eternal Covenant are not allowed to get it, destroy it with a NOVA if you have to.”

Lord Hood then replied.

“I know that what I am asking of you and your men will be hard Captain, considering the hell you and your soldiers have gone through to fight taking Harvest back from the Covenant, and the lives lost in Arcadia, and all of you have great dislike or anger towards the Elites, but they are now allies, and while your men need time to recover after all they have been through, we need them in the frontlines once again. You are one of the best officers we have…along with Captain Jacob Keyes and his daughter, Lieutenant Commander Miranda Keyes, who both gave their lives to defeat them. You are quite suited for this task Captain James, but if you have concerns, you have my permission at this moment to speak freely.”

James thought it over and replied.

“Lord Hood, I have seen many things ever since this war with the Covenant started over forty years ago, I had to deal with the Insurrection and the Insurrectionists who gave us problems while fighting the Covenant. I and my men endured five years of hell to take Harvest back from the Covenant, I will admit that part of me still feels great anger for all the lives they took and part of me wants them all to pay for all the people they helped kill. But after all this, and the fact that the UNSC survived and humanity is rebuilding, and both my wife and daughter alive here on Earth, then I will dedicate all my time to make sure that the sheer hell our sides have endured is NEVER going to happen again. As soon as the repairs, and modifications to the Spirit of Fire are complete, we will move out.”

Lord Hood smiled at that, relieved as well as he could tell that James meant it.

“Glad to hear that, you have several more days of rest Captain, I think it would be best that you take it. Dismissed.”

James saluted and left Lord Hood's office and headed off to the nearby shuttle station, he boarded it and saluted the driver as the shuttle was soon moving back down to Earth.

**************

In Earth's surface, in the city of London, England….

As soon as he arrived to the space port, James headed off to the home that he and his family were sharing, he took one of the civilian built Warthogs and drove back home to see his wife and daughter. His family had been evacuated from Reach and had been deployed from Reach onboard a small fleet of Human Cargo Ships with a number of other survivors along with escorting Marine and Navy personnel and only through sheer luck, skill from the pilots and proper maneuvering to avoid Covenant Fleets to make it to Earth after nearly a year or so in deep space. The ships were scanned extensively by the UNSC Navy and were deemed clear of any Covenant tracking devices and the survivors were taken in.

As soon as he got to his modest but well made home he was greeted by his daughter who smiled and moved towards him, hugging her father.

“Daddy!”

James hugged his child, feeling once more the joy that he felt when he hugged her previously after nearly a decade making it back to UNSC territory where the Spirit of Fire was greeted by the sight of something that he had never thought he and the others would ever see, a UNSC Frigate and a pair of Covenant Frigates flying side by side, along with the fact that the ships were colored green.

It had taken a great leap of faith for him and his crew to accept that the war was over with a victory for Humanity with the aid of the Sangheili who were now broken away from the Covenant, he had not forgotten the suffering that the Elites inflicted to their people, but he took a risk and agreed to allow the Covenant to allow their Huragok to make a new hybrid engine that used both UNSC and Covenant slip-space technology and as soon as his crew arrived to Earth….they saw the truth.

And it was there that he was informed that his family had arrived to earth and were there in England.

As he released his daughter, he hugged and kissed his wife Mary and when they parted, she spoke to him.

“It's good to see you home James.”

“I know.”

James decided to take all the time he had to be with his family, he had a duty to them and in turn the UNSC, after this brutal and senseless war with the Covenant, he was ready to defend them once more from those that sought to break down the peace that was now part of their lives. He however knew that he had a LOT to catching up to do as he had just been told that his daughter had just found the one kind of person most fathers like him had to be wary about.

A boyfriend.

**************

To be continued…

**************

Author's Notes:

It seems that the situation is getting to be rather interesting at the moment for both the Nirvana and the crews of both the Titan's Wrath and the Ruby Rapier, and it seems that the UNSC and their alien allies are already getting things underway for their war with what is left of the old Covenant. Things are getting spicy on either side of the universe eh?

Now we have an idea how the Spirit of Fire will be shown once more in the coming chapters of the story of VanDread Halo The Second Stage, and before you ask, then yes, the Spirit of Fire will still retain it's upgrades and features like in the game of Halo Wars, but this time, it will have some new systems added to it due to the alliance between the Reborn Covenant or simply the Reborn as they will be called, and the UNSC. I am not going to make the Spirit of Fire a massive super ship of course, but I will give it a number of canon features that are normally found in Covenant ships.

It seems that James' wife and daughter are safe and no doubt that the members of the families of the Spirit of Fire's crew are able to be reunited, though not all are that lucky in this regard. Since James Cutter is here, then you can bet that the others from the Halo wars games that are alive are there too. Plus I have seen Halo 3 ODST, and I hope to see the other films soon enough from the anime series of short movies known as Halo Legends, and if I like them, I might add some characters that are alive there to spice things up.

That also means that I will not be bringing people back from the dead, which means….as much as I am going to dislike saying it, I am not bringing John Forge or Cal-141 back to life, along with Kurt and the other slain Spartans. The idea of bringing people back from the dead might be tempting, but it would be hard to explain just how they managed to survive while the data showed how they died in their appearances.

Now I am not saying that I do not welcome suggestions and critiques, but keep in mind that as the writer of this story, I have the privilege to play things out as I see fit to make the story good, and keep in mind that while I do make changes, I will be keeping with the canon of the Halo series as well and making too many changes will begin to make things too complicated for even me to work with.

This might cause me to either suffer from exhaustion and more besides, maybe even writer's block… so for all readers, please let me do things on my pace all right?

That's it for now!