Vandread Fan Fiction ❯ VanDread - Halo The Second Stage ❯ Mendez's Report ( Chapter 9 )

VanDread Halo The Second Stage

Disclaimer: I don't work in either Bungie or GONZO, and that means I don't either VanDread or Halo, are we clear?

Chapter 6

Mendez's report

( ): Thoughts

Italic: Computer text

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In the Forward Unto Dawn section of the Nirvana…

Senior Chief Petty Officer Franklin Mendez got up and out of bed at exactly the crack of dawn planet-side at 3 AM and began to spend some time in one handed pushups and then some stretching, once he was done after a solid three hours, he decided to stop and get a quick shower, it was a slow day in the Nirvana at the moment and he didn't have anything to do in the ship that warranted his attention for now, The Spartans were now doubt doing their duties well and things were operating up to standard.

That was enough to make him smile just a bit, he was proud of the Spartans and it made him feel happy that he had trained them well enough to survive anything that was going to the be thrown their way. Though this new war was unlike anything he had been in before, he was still confident that he could still deliver all that he needed to when the situation demanded him to, for now however he decided to update some of his data report.

It was something that he started the very second since he was onboard the Nirvana, it was in his personal console and he had it security locked with a Level Omega clearance password that he knew of and had it locked further with both a retinal scanner lock and finger print scanner, he did the procedure and soon the Console came online and the screen showed a greeting that had his name on it, he grunted and sighed as he decided to review his work and add some new content.

He sat down and began to review the information that he had previously installed into the system and as soon as he was sure that the information was still clear, he began to type in the new data that he had been able to gather.

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`This is Franklin Mendez, Senior Chief Petty Officer of the United Nations Space Command Marine Corps, currently working as a ranking officer on the former Colony Ship and Tarak battleship the Ikazuchi which has fused with a Megele Cruiser as well as the UNSC Frigate Forward Unto Dawn and is now named the Nirvana. It's been a very interesting time since Dr. Catherine, myself, and the Spartans have entered the portal from the Shield World of Onyx, and landing into a new dimension and a new war no less.

The whole situation still makes me shake my head, I'm no scientist and physics was not in my schedule of lessons in the Corps, but that doesn't matter to me all that much, I have always focused on the mission that has to be done at all costs and also to make sure that there is no more threat to the UNSC, however, things here in this dimension are different from what I can recall, and it's too long for me to catalogue since I don't know the universe's history, so I can excuse myself for that, in that regard, I'll be focusing on the war we are in now.

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From what I can piece together, the Earth has suffered from deadly events that have destroyed the planet's ability to be habitable, but the humans left behind have managed to barely survive and build cities in the structures that surround the world, they apparently could no longer have children and couldn't even clone themselves, Dr. Catherine believed that the information in the message pod was accurate and that the conditions had driven them to genetic saturation, and naturally, in this situation, they have gone insane and willing to butcher countless human colonists beyond the Solar System, and unleashed fleets of automated ships to do their dirty work. As of now several habitable systems have been stripped clean of all human life and their once proud homes reduced to wastelands, I've personally seen this myself.

I'm not really sure what to make of this, it feels….odd to know that the people back on Earth have finally lost it and become our enemies, I feel like I'm back to fighting the Koslovics and the Frieden, and the United Rebel Front again, only this time, instead of fighting to free themselves from their supposed oppressors, or return to Communism and all that, the enemy wants to harvest all the organs of the people for their own use.

I'm no stranger to brutality, and the things I've seen my fellow humans do to one another, and the horrors the Covenant can and have inflicted on Humanity were horrific, but this….this is something entirely different from what I have seen, I can understand the people of Earth….this dimension's Earth in their desire to live….but this has gone too far. They have already struck hard on the various worlds and have already destroyed a number of civilizations in various systems.

The Nirvana had first encountered them in their travels back to the system where the worlds of Tarak and Megele are located, and have been fighting them ever since. They have amazingly fought against a massive force and have succeeded in doing the greatest amount of damage to them in the long years of moving about in space. The Nirvana's crew are not military personnel however, they were pirates mostly, from what I can gather, they were comprised of females from Megele who have grown dissatisfied with their world, and the men in this ship were members of the planet Tarak's military, with the exception of one Hibiki Tokai. The pirates had attempted to raid the Ikazuchi just as the Tarak Fleet discovered the Forward Unto Dawn and John had just awakened in this new world. Apparently there was some device called the Paeksis, a sort of self sustaining power source that seems to have a mind of it's own from what I can see for myself and got rumors of in the scuttlebutt.

Before I get any further, I guess I should talk about these two worlds….the first is Megele itself.

According to the crew and the Captain of the Nirvana, Megele is a lush and verdant planet and their society seems to be in pursuit of perfection and beauty, and it's population seems to be comprised entirely of women, most men I know would consider that kind of place heaven and would be more than happy to go there and relax. Too bad that the women there happen to have lived for many years in the belief that men are the enemy and are to be killed on site. Reminds me of the Amazon type of women mentioned in all the books and movies that were shown back then in Earth's history, only in this case, this is the real deal. Megele also is not perfect, the women there, at least according to the people I've talked to have been backstabbing and trying to outdo one another ion everything including trivial things like having the best garden wasting resources, manpower, and supplies for those things. They might have high technology, but the things I've seen and heard about tell me otherwise. Their soldiers are professional and most of their technology is cutting edge by UNSC standards, but they have no prior experience outside of their world, this was proven true since they had fought the Harvesters on the surface of one of the planets that we had been on before and in this situation, their technology nearly failed them.

As far as I can piece together, Megele women rely heavily on technology and machinery in order to make due in their world. They are willing to help others in the limelight, but when things turn bad, they don't hesitate to take advantage of it either. I had heard of the time that the elderly leader of this pirate group lost her home due to the fact someone in the higher echelons of society needed more to impress the others, serious waste of resources to me, and anyone else in the UNSC, kicking people out of their own homes is a serious crime in any case, even more so when it merely is done for one's own status.

Tarak on the other hand is the polar opposite of Megele and is a desert world and is harsh to the core, from what I was able to gain from the men from their world, it's cities are build in canyons and fissures to avoid the sand storms, wind and more and to gather more water and resources, the men's cities geared towards mass production, industry, and warfare, not a bad place in the eyes of a career soldier. There is limited food, water, and space, and the predators on the surface are nasty according to the men here on the Nirvana, and from what I have learned, those predators are certainly ones to watch out for s far as I can see. This planet demands the best out of it's people, and it's merciless to the core, one mistake and you can die out there.

However, this breeds good soldiers, the men are at the peak of human health, survival skills and practicality. They focus on learning everything until they could do things with little to no difficulty, similar to communism in some respects, but it's fitting considering the scarcity of resources and the dangers their world holds. The men are Spartan in their living conditions, similar to how John and his fellow Spartans were on Re4ach, of course, Reach was the same as Megele in terms of environment and greenery. They can produce ships, weapons, technology at a scale which maximizes resources and cuts down waste management by three quarters, quite impressive and certainly respectable.

Of course, it's a planet that has only men so the majority of the UNSC Marines would have avoided this place like a plague, that and the fact that the men see women as monsters and savages who eat their livers and inner organs. When I heard that, I was trying to picture it all and it's not a pretty picture, and their versions of R&R leave a LOT to be desired. They also have a class system, the First being the elite and get the best of everything, the Second Class who are the proverbial middle men, the Third Class, the menial workers and laborers.

These planets and their cultures are certainly going to be a new sight for me once we get there, no matter, I'm working with the pirates so I have to live with that and while I would be very much be subjected to a serious court martial back in the UNSC for this, I don't have much choice, at least the pirates have their heads on straight and their actions have given hope to the people in this side of the deck.

As for the crew of the Nirvana, I have decided to use the UNSC ranks and designation factors of the military so it's better to know the crew, I have to admit that despite being civilians, these women and men have proven themselves to be very capable when the pressure was on. In my humble opinion, these people would have made good members of the UNSCDF and would have made a difference, however small if they fought with the Covenant with the kind of technology and weapons they had with them.

I'll start first with the officers of the crew and work from there.

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Mendez then checked the data to be sure as he wrote in some more of the information.

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Magno Vivian

Rank in the UNSC Navy: Admiral

Rank on the Nirvana: Captain.

She's a very old but still vibrant woman and cares deeply for her crew, good leadership skills and acts more like a grandmother to the rest of her crew, something that is respectable in some cases. She's kind to the crew but knows when to get serious and get into the heat of things. Apparently she's considered one of the First Generation which might explain why she seems to tolerate the men onboard, though from what I can gather from John, she had teased the men from Tarak just to gauge their reactions.

She has a great deal of respect for John and Cortana and no wonder, since John has become their foremost leader in defending the Nirvana from boarding attempts and leading ground assaults on planets, and Cortana serving as the operator of the ship's weapon systems that were derived from the Forward Unto Dawn and also serves to fly the Longswords into battle. Despite this, I worry about her health since she does suffer chest pains and occasional back pain, which these symptoms are possibly due to her age, I think there are some conditions that have to be addressed soon. According to the data, she had formed the pirates out of necessity and the desire to be free of the back stabbing and attitude of the women and government there. Not that it's wrong as her motives make sense, it was those pursuit of trivial things and wasteful use of resources that let her home be stripped of power after all. Unlike the Insurrectionists who use terrorist tactics, at least her pirates do not kill men on site and leave survivors.

All in all, she is a good leader, might even come close to Admiral Preston Jeremiah Cole himself in this sense.

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Buzam A Calessa `BC'

Rank in the UNSC Navy: Captain

Rank on the Nirvana: Commander

Buzam is a skilled XO and is more military in her actions, this tells me that she's a career military officer, though there's no information of her occupation before joining the pirates, she's got the look of a skilled soldier and officer and tries to discipline the crew every now and then when the situations seems to merit in her mind, despite this, she is respected in the ship by the crew and despite not sharing the same opinions of her captain, is loyal to the core.

The Nirvana's helmsman, Bart Garsus seems to have a thing for BC, from what I can see and what I can learn from John and Cortana, not sure how that might turn out. But I do have some worries about her.

Something about her tells me she's hiding something however, she's a valued member of the crew and is as tough as anyone I've seen, but I feel something off about BC, I have been in many Black Ops missions and more conventional battles in my career before I trained John and the Spartans as well as Kurt's own Spartans back on Onyx, so I trust my instincts and training, and they tell me that something about her is wrong,. But until I get some more evidence to prove my theory, then she's all right in my book.

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Gascogne Rheingau

Rank in the UNSC Navy: Commander

Rank on the Nirvana: Supply Officer

Gascogne serves as head supplier on the Nirvana and happens to be quite capable an officer, she rides her girls hard but is not a ruthless person, she does what she knows is right and cares for those under her command, good marks for an officer. Her followers on the Nirvana respect her a great deal though she has issues with the use of the word Gasco, the shorter term of her name. From what I understand of it, she's cool under pressure, does what is needed without asking too many questions that would only consume time and energy. Good train of thought that one and she's got some mean card playing skills.

At any rate, she seems to have gotten this attitude due to some tragedy that I have yet to determine the cause of, she's make an excellent NCO back in the UNSC.

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Parfait Balblair

Rank the UNSC Marine Corps, Engineers: Major

Rank on the Nirvana: Chief Engineer

Parfait's one plucky engineer, she's got the whole gear head thing going for her and she's quite knowledgeable in Megele Technology and she seems to have taken quite an interest in UNSC Technology and is happy to work alongside Dr. Halsey herself in studying the concept of Power Armor and also the large amount of Forerunner technology we salvaged recently. She's got a great deal of intellect and curiosity that seems to have impressed Dr. Catherine well enough. From what I can piece together, she's an engineering genius and also quite tolerant of many things as she seems to be all right working with the men as she seems to be in a very cordial relationship with one Duero McFile, the resident medic of the ship.

It seems friendly enough, though I think I am getting hints of a more romantic relationship in the near future.

She seems to be tasked in keeping the Paeksis in good working order for as long as possible though the idea of her treating the thing like a living thing along with other machinery makes me a bit worried, but they always said some geniuses are eccentric. At the moment, she's chatting with both Dr. Halsey and that Forerunner AI Flowing Chapter and had been working nonstop since the whole incident of discovering the Dreadnaught. She's taken quite an interest with Flowing Chapter as well as Pyoro. Not surprising since it's an Alien AI of all things…

All in all, she is quite capable and her naturally cheerful spirit would help boost morale, something the engineers back home would have loved to have.

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Paiway Underberg

Rank in the UNSC Medical Corps: Private 1st Class

Rank in the Nirvana: Nurse

Hard to believe they let an eleven year old child be a medic on a ship like this one, what sort of parents in their right minds sends their daughter to work in such a post as dangerous as a nurse? Not to mention the uniform easily resembles the kind a French Maid would wear, on a normal aged woman it would be very nice and tempting, but on an eleven year old girl….leaves a lot to be desired, though if given a few years, she might fit in well enough. If anyone back in the UNSC saw this, they would start talking about child labor laws and decency. Still, Paiway's got a good mind and is quite able to serve as nurse, though she might need a few more years to get all the experience in being a healer. Got to admit that she's not all that innocent and gullible as she has managed to keep things together, considering the fact that she's still serving as nurse despite seeing the horrors of combat.

At the moment, she is working with Duero, who's a very skilled medic in his own right and more seasoned than she is, I can only hope that she can control herself when the real fighting starts. Another thing is her curiosity and desire to learn all the things she can, the good news is that Cortana toned that part down at the very least.

Still, I have locked down this system to keep her from getting too curious about things, despite her growing experience and skills, she still is quite young.

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Meia Gisborn

Rank in the UNSC Navy: Fleet Master Chief Petty Officer

Rank in the Nirvana: Dread Squadron Leader

Meia Gisborn's got some good piloting skills, better than some of the pilots' I've seen, according to John, he would trust her to lead the Fire Teams if it came to airborne engagements, and I have to agree with John in that regard, she's got skills and according to Tom, she's not bad with a gun either in hand. As far as I can figure, she used to be the daughter of some scientist group and was very much something of a celebrity, but when things went downhill, she was forced to live on her own in the streets and her parents were gone, She lived on the streets all her growing up years as a punk and then was taken in by Magno to become their Dread Squadron Leader. However, despite her skills in a Dread, her skills in Vanguard combat operations is below the standard, due to her claustrophobia which was due to her childhood experiences. This is offset by the fact that her Dread has undergone extensive changes and forms one of the VanDreads used by the pirates. This fusion of her Dread and that of Hibiki's own enhanced Vanguard favors speed and direct attacks, and is the most agile of all the VanDreads, a critical advantage that the pirates bank on when speed and agility are a must in battle.

She used to have issues with working with men, no doubt with all the things her world showed about men in general, but as of now is in a professional relationship founded on respect, especially towards John.

If she had been born in our dimension, she very well would have been an ace in the war and given the Covenant a run for their credits, or would have been a Spartan alongside the others, though the blue hair might have been a bit much.

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Jura Basil Elden

Rank in the UNSC Navy: Command Master Chief Petty Officer

Rank in the Nirvana: Dread Squadron Second In Command

I'll say this much about Jura, she's got the looks and the body that most models back on Earth would kill for and she would be one heck of a poster girl for the UNSC Navy if she enlisted. She's not all looks though; she does have considerable piloting skills and is able to show her own level of talent when it is needed and is not a bad leader in her own right. I can wager a bet that any man in the UNSC, military or otherwise would gladly pay a whole year's salary to get a date with her and do other things as well.

She seems to have this rather odd desire to be a mother and I know that any man worth his manhood would jump at the chance be with her. She however has her sights set on Hibiki for the time being and I have to give the young man credit for not jumping the gun and getting down to it, even if he has been raised by his people to see women as monsters, he seems to be a bit of the exception as he is trying to resist her advances, something that I have to give him credit for as well.

This is due to the fact that most men would have willingly dropped their pants at the sight of the blonde woman, and all she would say is she wants a baby and the men would be more than willing to go along with it, though I have a feeling that since she knows nothing of how men and women procreate due to being raised on an all female world, it would be interesting to say the very least.

Though she is friends with Dita, her fellow Dread pilot, there is a rivalry going on when it concerns Hibiki, and that is further fueled by Misty Cornwell's interest on said youth. Her Dread is also able to merge with Hibiki's Vanguard, forming a defensive machine that is quite an impressive weapon. I have never seen a shield system like it since it can shield things all the way to a planet in battle, if the UNSC techs figured out how to design something like that, along with the spooks in ONI, then the UNSC would have a tremendous advantage in shield technology.

All in all, she's capable and skilled despite being vain and flighty at times. Her friendship with her fellow Dread pilot Barnette Orangello is easy to see…though considering the fact that they sometimes kiss, and they come from an all female planet, I can bet that their friendship is not the platonic kind, considering the fact that Barnette herself is quite attractive, I can bet a lot of men would love to try to get the both of them at the same time.

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Dita Liebely

Rank in the UNSC Navy: Ensign

Rank in the Nirvana: Apprentice Dread Pilot

Bubbly, sweet, kind hearted, open minded, and very compassionate….those are among the things describe Dita well in most cases, she is a bit naïve and something air headed on occasion, but like most people she does have a very perceptive side and is smart in other matters. Despite her youth, being only sixteen and her attitude, she has good skills as a pilot and is quite able to hold her own when the situation calls for it. That, her very pretty looks and her cooking skills make her quite a woman in the eyes of most men who know women well enough.

She has a very open relationship with Hibiki, apparently something of a curiosity between the two sides due to the one hundred years of separation. She seems to enjoy hanging out with the said young man and doing things to make him happy, cooking food for him, trying to cheer him up whenever he gets down and the like. I can easily see a relationship blossom here, given the fact that she has recently become very protective of him as of late, fending off Jura and Misty as well.

One would have to be dumb, deaf, and blind not to see the affection she has for the young man and this is yet another reason that I have to give the young man credit for keeping his pants on, any young man in his place would have willingly taken advantage of such an impressionable woman like Dita…though is it because of his own affection for her is up for debate since he is still somewhat clueless about how to be with women.

Her Dread is also able to fuse with Hibiki's Vanguard to create a VanDread, this one model is effective in both close combat and long range due to it's cannons and forearm blades. I have seen the cannons in action in both videos and in person and I have to admit that it is quite an impressive sight. This is why they are usually working together in missions that require superior fire power.

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Barnette Orangello

Rank in the UNSC Navy: Chief Petty officer

Rank in the Nirvana: Dread pilot

Barnette's a bit of the rough and aggressive side, however I have no doubts about her piloting skills in both Dreads and Vanguards. She still follows the way Megele views men though she had developed a good deal of respect towards men for the past many months working with them in fighting the Harvesters. She didn't take too well with the men being integrated into the crew but she has changed in that regard and despite not fully trusting the men on the ship, she is able to work with them.

I have to admit that her gun collection has gotten my interest, it's been a while since I have seen an M60 since the last one I saw was in a museum. It's odd since her fellow women seem to have a love for energy weapons but I'll give her this much, she's got some serious weapons that were key in the Mission station a few months back.

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Misty Cornwell

Rank in the UNSC Navy: Civilian consultant

Rank in the Nirvana: Apprentice Communications and Navigations operator (ongoing training)

Not much to say about Misty, she seems to be from a colony of men and women near or in the Earth's solar system so she's not in the dark about men and women. She seems to have taken a shine to Hibiki, much to Dita's chagrin and to Jura's ire. According to Dr. Catherine, Misty is doing this as a way to find some sense of normalcy in her new found environment, and chasing a young man who happens to be quite a good catch despite his slowly disappearing distrust of women.

I can't blame Misty for that, considering her situation here on the Nirvana, though I hope that she is able to find a way to place all that aside soon, there's no telling what might happen if this keeps up anyway. However, she happens to have a degree in communications and navigational planning so she's been assigned as Ezra's replacement when the bridge officer in question is on maternity leave to care for her daughter.

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Ezra Vieil

Rank in the UNSC Navy: Unknown

Rank in the Nirvana: Bridge operator

Ezra happens to be the kind of woman one associates with the image of a model housewife, she is kind, passionate, gentle, skilled in many things that a housewife does in her free time. She is a very positive influence to the crew and is very much an important part of the Nirvana, she also happens to be something of a mother figure to Hibiki as well as being a mother figure to Dita as well, she was a Fahma, a term given to the woman in a Megele couple who would carry their daughter to term.

She had given birth to her daughter Kahlua during a fierce battle where the ship had been disabled by a security virus that was in a message pod when we found Misty, the crew care for her and Kahlua and it seems that the Spartan IIIs have taken a shine to the little baby and so has she to them. I worry about her and her baby due to the dangers we are facing and it's good to know that she is given enough time to care for her daughter. I have no idea who's Ezra's significant other at the moment, Ezra plans to raise her daughter well enough to show her to her `father' or in Megele terms, Kahlua's Ohma. Speaking of the little bundle of joy for Ezra, as she is a baby, she has no rank in my mind.

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Amarone Slaintheav

Rank in the UNSC Navy: Ensign

Rank in the Nirvana: Bridge Operator

She happens to form the group that serves the bridge and is quite an able operator in many respects ,I don't have a lot to say about her since I do not have much on her personal life, however, she is quite capable and has managed to look on a more favorable light on relationships between men and women. She is best friends with the other bridge operators apart from Ezra and those are Celtic Midori and Belvedere Coco.

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Celtic Midori

Rank in the UNSC Navy: Ensign

Rank in the Nirvana: Bridge Operator

She happens to be the one who used to be against the cooperation between men and women, to the point she used to wear costumes, but at least she has managed to finally accept working with men and has begun to shed them, but she's been changing clothing every time, it's a certified guarantee that she will not wear the same uniform the next day.

I get the feeling she has thing for costumes, like that Japanese term….what was that again? Oh yeah, the term was Otaku. At any rate, she does her duty well and I hope that she will be more comfortable around men soon enough.

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Belvedere Coco

Rank in the UNSC Navy: Ensign

Rank in the Nirvana; Bridge Operator

Belvedere happens to be quite capable as a bridge operator on the Nirvana, she is friends with the rest of the bridge crew and seems to have a friendly relationship with Ezra and the others. So far she too has gotten used to working with men and I hope that it remains that way for as long as possible while we make out way to the home system that had Tarak and Megele.

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Kara Hilden

Rank in the UNSC Marine Corps: Staff Sergeant

Rank in the Nirvana: Fire Team Leader

Kara's got a good grasp of tactics and leads her team well, she would make an excellent soldier and leader and considering the data I saw through her recorders, she would make an excellent UNSC Marine field officer. The fact that she and her fellow Fire Team leaders and members treat the Master Chief as a father figure as well as their commanding officer tells me that they were more than ready and willing to do what they could in order to protect him and their comrades in battle. She and her team have already gotten plenty of experience in both ship combat and ground operations and as such, they have been key to the battle that we are in at this time.

She's an all around leader though her team favors assault tactics more.

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Rena Yugami

Rank in the UNSC Marine Corps: Staff Sergeant

Rank in the Nirvana: Fire Team Leader

I can apply most of what I said about Kara can apply to everyone of the leaders of the Fire Teams here on the Nirvana, she's loyal to her fellow women, her Fire team and to John as well, so I have no doubts in my mind that she will be quite an ally in the still ongoing fight with the Harvester forces, her own combat records tell me that she is more than able to handle herself well enough though like the others in the Fire Teams as well as her own team, she has her fair share of injuries at this point and thankfully she has developed an ability to survive them.

Rena and her team happen to be fairly balanced in battle as well as being good drivers of the various vehicles that we have on the ship.

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Hilda Sera

Rank in the UNSC Marine Corps: Staff Sergeant

Rank in the Nirvana: Fire Team Leader

Hilda and her team show great loyalty to the Nirvana crew, each other, and of course John as well, and she is more than able to hold her own in battle. Their skills are good and according to the data that I have gathered, she and her team happen to have a certain affinity to using long range weapons in battle and are proven to be skilled marksmen, or in this case, markswomen.

They don't come close to Linda of course as well as some of the other Marine and Army Sharpshooters, but their skills are naturally vital in turning the tide in battle.

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Sheena Conrad

Rank in the UNSC Marine Corps: Staff Sergeant

Rank in the Nirvana: Fire Team Leader

Sheena and her team are quite skilled in being a flexible rifle group and also skilled in close quarters combat and therefore are capable in urban combat environments, they also have some very good skills in the use of explosives, those are excellent skills in combat in any environment that they will be finding themselves in. They would make the grade as marine Fire Team and their demolition skills, while not the best I've seen, certainly come close.

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Carla Sandrel

Rank in the UNSC Marine Corps: Staff Sergeant

Rank in the Nirvana: Fire Team Leader

Carla and her team are also excellent shooters in both long range with the Sniper weapons we have on hand and also in close combat and are able to switch roles in battle, something that is considered a key ability in all soldiers regardless of their branch affiliation, Carla and her team have begun to adapt their skills well, and the growing experience is key for their survival, though I think that they need to learn other skills to fit them into any battle that they will soon be in.

So far however, they are doing well in their key mission roles, and I hope that remains that way.

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Fiona Marlene

Rank in the UNSC Marine Corps: Staff Sergeant

Rank in the Nirvana: Fire Team Leader

Fiona and her own Fire Team are gifted with balanced skills, but their real skills is with the use of heavy weapons such as the M41 SSR MAV/AW Rocket Launcher or the Spanker for us leather necks. This gives them the key role of being the anti tank forces as well as engaging air forces when they need to. As far as the data goes, their skills in using heavy weapons is fairly balanced, and that is a good thing, heavy weapons are vital in battle, but getting used to relying on them is a serious mistake so I hope that they were able to be generalists in battle, this is a key trait in battle, though considering their growing skills are proving to be key in the battle.

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That's about it for the women on the Nirvana, and now we deal with the men…

Duero McFile

Rank in the UNSC Medical Corps: Master Sergeant

Rank in the Nirvana: Chief Medical Officer

This Duero is one heck of a hacksaw, he's got high aptitude scores and is quite the skilled operator, he's kept his cool in the worst of things and does his duties without making a mistake or missing a beat. He'd make a fine field combat medic as he has all the skills and experience as well as the ability to adapt to any situation. I had thought that since he has only seen male bodies in his medical career, he would have some difficulty with female bodies, but he's adapted well enough and hasn't embarrassed himself in some fashion when doing physical checkups on the Nirvana's nearly all women crew.

As far as I can figure, he had left his position blank in his papers and as such, he would be able to take any position he wanted, and considering how he treats the patients he has on the Nirvana, he has found his calling though I can bet he's just as good a soldier and pilot of Vanguards if he was being serious about it. I can tell that he's got military training since it's a requirement on his home world, couple that with his intellect and abilities, he would make an excellent soldier.

He's not like the other men since he seems to be all right with working alongside women and happens to be in a relationship with our head engineer, they both fit well together in their friendship, both are smart, very curious, open minded, and are able to relax in each other's presence, even if Duero happens to be much taller and younger than Parfait. At the moment the relationship in question is strictly platonic but I have no problems seeing it become something more.

Bart Garsus

Rank in the UNSC Navy: Petty Officer 2nd Class

Rank in the Nirvana: Chief Navigator and Helmsman, Energy Weapons Officer

Bart grew up in a family that produces Tarak's nutrient food pill supplies and got drafted into the Tarak Navy through political connections, not the most interesting enlistment stories in my mind. He was cowardly and something of a sneak, but has his heart in the right place and due to some quirks when the ships were reformed, is the only person capable of piloting the ship in any direction than forward. He now controls the plasma cannon systems as well and is becoming something of a crack shot as well with those weapons so that makes him twice as vital since Cortana can't use those cannons, nor can she control the Nirvana as of yet.

He used to be a coward until befriending a little girl named Shirley on our mission to help her people, he was quite close to her and when she died, tragic loss that one, he was nearly brought to tears, only John managed to get him out of that mess and he's grown a good deal. In honor of his friendship with the young girl and her vow to never let it happen to others, he shaved his hair on his head. Don't get me wrong, there's a reason as Shirley made a doll of him before she died and she never got to place hair there on the top. Bart still carries that doll and treasures it greatly, and I have to respect that, in a way, the kid cares for the doll in the same way John cares for that coin he got.

Speaking of which, as I have mentioned before, Bart seems to have a thing for the XO on the ship, Buzam, I have to give him gust to be trying to get intimate with said woman though I still have my doubts on Buzam at the moment. Either way, that is his business so let him worry about that.

Hibiki Tokai

Rank in the UNSC Marine Corps: Master Gunnery Sergeant

Rank in the Nirvana: Vanguard pilot

I might be taking my ranking a bit high on this kid, but he's certainly got promise and is developing quite nicely on his own pace. He's a Third Class Citizen and a factory worker as well as a mechanic back on Tarak. From what I understand of this young man, he was very much a malcontent person towards the way his world works, not a full blown rebel like the URF, but just wanting to see if there was more to life. I wonder if he had any idea that his desire for something better would land him in all this? Despite the fact that he is a civilian, the fact that he knows Vanguards gives him the ability to learn how to pilot Vanguards well, and he has quite the advantage of having John as his teacher.

I can tell that he will make a fine UNSC Marine if given time and training, and considering the fact that John treats him with high regard as well as support him shows that he has talents and potential to be a skilled soldier. He used to be quite the hothead and dislikes working with teams, but John seems to have straightened him out and at times he serves as the man to go to when it comes to Vanguard maintenance, due to his on field experience and his own time spent working on his Vanguard and that gives him good insight in mecha usage. The boy's combat skills are good in person as well, considering the fact that John is his teacher.

His Vanguard is also different and it is able to merge with the Dreads of Jura, Dita, and Meia to create the VanDreads, these units are key in space battles and as such, they are the ones relied on in battles in deep space, this makes Hibiki a key asset in battle to keeping him alive is key for most battles, but at least he can pull his own weight and despite his Vanguard being limited to close combat tactics, he is proving to be quite adept in using a lot of things to his advantage, though I still recommend that we get his Vanguard some ranged combat options

Another thing that makes me have to give this kid credit is the fact that he's the current object of interest by two of the Dread pilots and one young girl who knows about how men and women lived together. The two Dread pilots are Dita and Jura, and the younger girl is Misty Cornwell as well, most men I know would have called the young kid a lucky bastard and some would be amused by how he has managed to keep his pants on, only Misty knows the truth about men and women and therefore I have no doubt she knows about how men and women, if that ever comes out…that's one image I know would scare the hell out of the men and the women too.

Here's hoping that he learns how to be responsible if it ever happens.

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As for the rest of the crew, namely the Talvernians, I have little data to show about the key personnel that lead their group, but they are quite capable and the fact that they use energy weapons makes them quite capable soldiers and the fact that unlike the crew, they were all professional military soldiers before they joined the crew. As of this moment, I know that they are capable and are loyal to helping the Nirvana and it's crew, the one thing that bothers me is why they didn't stay with their people.

Granted their help has been key and we need all the hands we can get in fighting the Harvesters, but still, they should have been there to protect their people from the Harvesters. Here's hoping that they do not regret this decision while they are here on the ship. The good things about having them is that they help show to the crew of the Nirvana that living with the opposite gender is possible, they can use their own expertise to help plan for combat strategies, and their technology is a perfect addition to the ever growing arsenal of the Nirvana.

This is it for now, I'll make more updates soon once new events occur that deserve mention.

SCPO Franklin Mendez….

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As he was finished, the Senior Chief Petty Officer locked the computer down and directed himself out into the rest of the ship and see just what was going on with the rest of the crew, and afterwards, he would be able to get some much needed food, Once he was out of his room, he looked about and spotted Cortana and John walking together and he was quickly able to notice something different in the way the two were interacting with one another, he raised an eyebrow a bit at this and decided to have a chat with Dr. Halsey and find out if anything happened between the Master Chief and Cortana.

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As for the couple in question…

As they turned the corner, the former UNSC AI sighed and rested her head on John's arm and the Spartan noted that as he still had his helmet on and spoke to her gently, using a different tone of voice when he was speaking to the woman he had just lost his virginity to.

“You all right?”

Cortana nodded and replied.

“I was just thinking….”

“About what?”

The woman looked at Spartan and told him the answer to that particular question.

“About what would happen when I finally have a baby, I have to admit that….it kind of makes me very nervous.”

Even if he had his helmet on and he was still very much the consummate professional, the Spartan blushed a bit as he felt different around Cortana due to what they had done before, he had to admit that the idea of him being a father was something that he had no idea about and to make things worse for him, was the fact that he had no one to talk to about such things. However he knew that now was not the right time to think about it and spoke to Cortana.

“If it makes you feel any better, I feel the same way too, only difference is, I'm willing to take the chance.”

The woman smiled at that and she hugged the Spartan, as soon as she moved away she spoke to the Spartan in a very conversational tone.

“Do you have anything serious to do today?”

John thought about that, at the moment, he had only to check on his fellow Spartans, review tactical data with the rest of his Fire Teams, report the latest data with the other officers in the Nirvana, get some training into his, and have his annual physical with Duero and Dr. Catherine. Just the run of the mill kind of thins that he usually did for routine.

“Not much, just the usual for the time being, why do you ask?”

Cortana grinned and replied.

“I think all that can wait John, we're not under attack for the moment so we have some time to relax, and I am in the mood to have some more quality time with you.”

John was not clueless this time around and already had a very good idea what was cooking in Cortana's mind and he removed his helmet with a quick snap and hiss as the seals removed themselves and he was now cradling his helmet and he looked at Cortana and from the seductive smirk on her face as well as slight blush, and the gleam in her eyes, he had a feeling that she saw the same blush on his face that told her that he was interested.

He however was quick to speak to her and see if she was really serious about what she had in mind.

“Are you sure about this Cortana?”

The woman nodded and quickly looked for a room and spotted one, she dragged the Spartan into the room and spoke to him as she managed to find a nearby couch and quickly accessed the control panel and locked out the room from the Nirvana's security network feed and placed a secure password on the door to lock it down. Once that was done she looked at John and replied as she slowly began to walk over to the Spartan and slowly removing her clothes, starting with her working gloves while moving in a very sexy stride that was quick to grab the Master Chief's attention.

“Oh yes I am. Besides, I'm FULLY rested and I plan to see just how much your augmentations can handle from me today. Shall we find out how long you last John?”

That was enough to make John reply with a slight smile.

“You're on.”

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An hour or so later…

Duero was confused as he looked at the chronometer on his computer as Paiway came with the latest reports as well as a tray of medication to be used for the annual crew health physical while Dr. Catherine was busy running through some information with her personal AI Jerrod. Paiway then looked at Duero and asked what seemed to be bothering him.

“You okay Duero? You seem to be lost in thought or something.”

Duero shook his head and replied with a slight sigh.

“I'm fine, though I am concerned about the Master Chief, I know that with his augmentations he is not easily subject to sickness, but it's already been an hour or two since he was supposed to arrive for his medical check up.”

Paiway then smiled and took out her frog puppet and spoke in her funny voice.

“Maybe he found something interesting to do doctor, kero!”

Dr. Catherine heard that and laughed a bit, and she couldn't help but reply to that.

“I think he'll be fine, no doubt Cortana is with him helping him get his physical.”

That made Duero curious and Paiway was also curious at that and the young Tarak medic asked the UNSC scientist something.

“Is Cortana qualified to give the Master Chief a full physical?”

Catherine smirked at that replied.

“Oh yes she is, in fact, it's going to be an interesting physical for him, and for her as well.”

Paiway then spoke to Catherine with a curious tone.

“How interesting can it be for Cortana and the Chief?”

Catherine smiled even more and replied.

“VERY interesting, and before you ask, I'm sorry but that's between the two of them.”

Paiway sighed and pouted at that. She wanted to know just what sort of physical checkup was Cortana giving the Spartan, and the same thing was on Duero's face. All the while Catherine merely smirked and that didn't fade even as Mendez arrived on the scene.

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To be continued…

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Author's Notes:

That ends this chapter, this might seem like a waste to some readers, but this is a good way to see how the crew of the Nirvana are rated if they were in the UNSC Universe. As for Cortana and John, looks like Cortana is in the mood for more.

I can bet that with his augmentations, the Master Chief is going to be the ONLY one Cortana will be intimate with, and of course, we're going to have some interesting things happen to the other crew members soon enough. If you think it will only be John who will discover the joys of doing the deed with the opposite sex, then you are wrong.

See you on the next chapter!