UNSC-Heretic Intermission

[Cabel]

[Epsilon Eridani System: Planet Reach: Viery Territory: Utkozet Province: Alfold: Manassas City: Manassas Military Hospital: Room #31: Sergeant Major Mark “Spade” Sorelson’s Room]

Staring at his reflection in the mirror, Mark carefully ran the electric razor along the contours of his neck and chin. The razor had passed over the sides of his face, smoothing out any chance of the sideburns growing in and had decided to shave the small beard that had grown in. The standard procedure for troopers that had sustained injuries, even amputations as a result of combat-duty had been to suspend them in the cryo-stasis prior to initiating a slipstream jump, and Mark hadn’t been the exception. He’d sustained injuries while during the combat-operations on the Planet Artifice when his warthog had been the subject of a Sentinel’s strafing attack, killing both a replacement Private that had manned the M41 LAAG turret and Private First Class Norman “Taffy” Leonard. It would be difficult without hearing Taffy’s voice among the squad as the men in Zulu Squad had been with Mark over the last fourteen years from the Insurrectionist campaigns on the moon of Erebus. He’d address the Squad and the letters to the parents of the deceased after he’d spent time with his family.

While he hadn’t loathed cryo-sleep as others might, one became less aware of the passage of time and a result a small beard had formed. It wasn’t that facial hair had been in violation of the Corps, but he wanted to appear presentable both to honor the Corps and his family as they had arrived at the Manassas Spaceport only two hours earlier. His wife Alyssa had surprised him in his hospital room by having sat at his bedside waiting for him to wake up. His wife had decided to drop by the Manassas Military Hospital for a surprise visit while leaving their son Jason and daughter Erika at the accommodations the UNSC had arranged for them at the Manassas base. It had been one of the perks of being the wife of a UNSC marine, Alyssa had said, with a smile and after exchanging pleasantries with a warming embrace she’d left the hospital to find their kids. Mark had spent the time setting out a fresh uniform with the new Sergeant Major stripes, a refreshing shower and had taken the time to shave before she’d returned.

* * * * * *

“Paging Sergeant Major Sorelson. Paging Sergeant Major Sorelson, you have visitors. Your loving wife, your son and your daughter are here to see you,” Alyssa Sorelson, a beautiful woman nearing middle-age with long brunette hair that fell past her shoulders announced opening the door to the hospital room. Two others filed into the room with her, a young teenager of thirteen in jeans and a black t-shirt while the other was a young woman of sixteen whose attire probably passed in some fashion as a sign of a rebellious teenager in a very small neighborhood back on Earth.

“This place smells,” Jason, his thirteen year old son said. “And why aren’t there any cars? This is a city, isn’t it?”

“This is Reach, son. The cities are prefabricated, and were designed for pedestrian traffic,” Sergeant Major Mark Seamus Sorelson nicknamed Spade by his fellow marines said, with a smile seeing his family for the first time in five years. “I don’t know where the smell’s coming from,” Though, he knew what that pungent smell of ammonia had come from. There were many marines that had sustained injuries worse than Mark’s during the last mission, and it hadn’t been that uncommon following a traumatic injury a man or woman lost control in more ways than one. He couldn’t explain that to his family though, as they wouldn’t understand not that he’d want them to understand. He owed them the privacy, his brothers and sisters that wore the uniform of the Corps who’d fought alongside him many times.

“Does that hurt?” Erika, his daughter asked.

“Does what hurt?” Mark asked.

“Your arm. Does it hurt? They fit you with a titanium prosthetic…” Erika began, having an interest in medicine due in part to her grandmother being the Chief Surgeon at Seattle's Harborview Medical Center.

“What did it look like when it was shot off? Was there blood?” Jason asked, in that all too familiar manner of a thirteen year old more concerned about gore in movies.

“I don’t know. The Corpsman tending to my injuries when I briefly came to in a transport ‘hog told me the arm was a lost cause. I honestly can’t remember more than that,” Mark replied. “You didn’t fly out here to Reach to listen to how I was injured. I’m sure you’re hungry, after your flight. Why don’t we get something to eat? What are you in the mood for? Burgers, pizza, barbeque, beans in a can, MREs, your old man’s trail stew?” It didn’t surprise him when both Jason and Erika made faces at the mere notion of tasting his less than desirable cooking, which caused a hearty chuckle from the old marine. “Alright. We’ll have pizza. I know a nice little pizzeria several blocks from here,”

“What about the doctors? Did they release you or do you have to stay?” Alyssa asked, concerned.

“The doctor in charge of my case arrived not long after you left, and released me. I’m fine, Alyssa. I’m even better that you and the kids are here,” Mark replied, before wrapping his arms around his wife in a warm embrace and let his hands rest at her back. “You make an old marine proud,” he said, before kissing her on the lips. The kiss and the embrace lasted a moment too soon for either of them, but as they had two hungry kids making odd faces they both felt it had lasted as long as it needed to.

* * * * * *

[Pizzeria: A short time later]

The pizzeria lay thick with the same aroma characteristic of every pizzeria on every world from the Outer Colonies to the Inner Colonies complete with a mixture of beer, coffee, and whatever spices the cooks had decided to use, but that had never bothered him. It certainly hadn‘t bothered him that day, as for once he felt a sense of serenity that hadn‘t been part of his life for the last five years ever since his last Shore Leave to Earth. Having his family at hand, with a challenging mission behind him, the promise of a well cooked if not greasy meal ahead of him for a change over the hospital food, Mark had a feeling he‘d remember this day for years to come. If there had been a universal constant from the Outer Colonies to the Inner Colony worlds, it had to be the terrible hospital food.

Taking a seat at a red cushioned booth, Mark waited for his daughter to slide in close to the window while Jason sat on the same side his mother claimed.

“How is everyone? How are you doing in school, Jason, Erika?” Mark asked, curious about his children‘s education and how well they had adjusted to a parent being on near constant deployment. It hadn’t escaped him the military life may have been one he’d embraced eagerly knowing only to serve and his wife had followed where he’d led, but their children had been a mystery. A life of moving from one port to another often left the lives of children disrupted, leaving them with few friends if any their own age outside of military families. He’d never forgive himself if the lives of his own children had been disrupted in that manner, as he couldn’t very well resign his commission or retire from the marine life as it would betray his own nature. If his children‘s lives had been disrupted, he might resign with his full rank and military pension although while it might be the right thing for the family the decision would plague him for the rest of his days.

“School’s going fine,” Erika replied, looking over the menu.

“Fine? That doesn’t sound that reassuring. Have you had any dates? Any boys call…” he began.

“Dad! Are you crazy? The boys at my school are more interested in their cars, and cheerleaders,” his daughter said. “They aren’t into someone like me,”

“Oh, stop it, Erika. You’re a beautiful young woman, and I say that as your dad. From personal experience, I know boys of that age can be preoccupied…almost obsessively with their cars or stereos. I’m sure there’s one that’ll find you interesting to be with. Just give it time, Erika,” Mark replied, hoping the current phase Erika found herself in was only that…a phase and that she’d move on. “What about you, Jason?”

“It‘s fine,” Jason said, a tad unconvincingly. Mark had the odd sense his son had been holding something back, but as he‘d been in his life intermittently the Sergeant Major was clueless.

“Is there something you’re not telling me?” Mark asked.

“I said, everything’s fine. Why are you asking me that? You only asked Erika once,…” Jason began.

“Mark, he was suspended from school. Your father was called up to the school, by the Principal. It seems Jason had been fighting an older boy,” Alyssa interrupted, in that caring motherly manner.

“Fighting? An older boy? My father, the Chief was called up to the school? What have I told you about fighting and who started it?” Mark asked, concerned and troubled his son had fallen into the same pattern he had as a child.

“They started it. It wasn’t one boy, but six. They ganged up on me between classes, and…why do I even bother? I was defending myself,” Jason spat back.

“I’m not pleased to hear that. It doesn’t matter if you were ganged up on. You should have gone to an adult,…one of your teachers…” Mark began, before his son climbed up over the booth’s wooden backing and ran out of the pizzeria.

“I’m sorry, Mark. I shouldn’t have brought it up, but I don’t know what to do. I’ve tried arranging appointments for him with counselors, spending time at your parents’ place…I don’t know what to do,” his wife said, softly.

“It’s alright. He may not have wanted you to tell me, but you felt you needed to. Maybe I can talk to one of the counselors on base, arrange something through them and have one of their colleagues on Earth talk to him. I used to have a problem with fighting as a kid, but…I had the old man to be afraid of. You never crossed the Detective,…but if you say he’s tried talking sense into Jason the only option may be to talk to a counselor on base. I know a few people, and can swing by the counselor’s wing in the next few days. I’m on leave, everyone is after the last mission,” Mark explained, and looked around the pizzeria at the other patrons that had gone back to their meals or other conversations. His son’s departure had caused a scene in the pizzeria, causing nearly every patron and waiter nearby to watch. It was an odd sensation, that Mark could stand in front of nameless recruits, keep his head under fire with plasma bolts flying overhead, but a thirteen year old adolescent male scared the hell out of him.

* * * * * *

[Forty-eight Hours later]
[Manassas UNSC Marine Base]

The corridors with their tiled floors, instacrete walls and ceiling supports were a world’s difference from the wooden or brick walls with cushioned booths, and other amenities of the civilian world. The military side of the UNSC was disciplined, harsh, but where it was seen by some as unnecessarily so or an anachronism to an older age the UNSC Marine Corps had been his world for twenty-one years. He’d make sure it remained so for years to come until the day came where he couldn’t even lift his rifle, or hum to the Marine Corps hymn. The polished black standard issued boots clacked against the meticulously cleaned tiles as Mark made his way through the labyrinthine corridors of the base, before stopping in the counselor’s wing. He’d passed a few senior officers, saluting in response and waited for them to return his before moving on and had followed suit with more junior NCO’s and lower rates before reaching his destination.

“Can I help you, Sergeant Major?” the receptionist in the uniform of a nurse asked from a desk nearby. The young woman, a Staff Sergeant sat behind the desk having poured over a few papers and happened to look up as the older NCO approached.

“Yes, ma’am. Can you direct me to a nearby counselor? I need to arrange an appointment, but it isn’t for me. It’s for my son,” Sergeant Major Mark Seamus Sorelson said politely, with his cover tucked into his belt.

“An appointment for your son? Alright. You’ll need to fill out a few forms for insurance purposes,” the nurse replied.

“That won’t be necessary. I think we can deal with those forms later,” a voice rang out from a nearby corridor, and as Mark looked over to see a man in a white lab coat. Even from where Mark stood, the full silver eagle had been visible on the doctor’s collar.

“Sir,” Mark said, saluting.

“At ease, Sergeant Major,” the Colonel said, returning the salute. “You mentioned an appointment for your son?”

“Yes, Sir. My family took a flight from Earth to pay a visit a few days ago, and my wife told me my son has been having problems in school. He’s been suspended for fighting, and it’s not the first time. My father, the Chief of Police of the Seattle Police Department had to drive up to the school to speak with the Principal, and when we tried to have a decent family meal at a local pizzeria he left. My son climbed up over the booth, and ran out. My wife’s at her wits end, as she doesn’t know what else to do about the boy’s temper. Jason’s a good kid, but…I used to have problems too. I’d engage in fights in the schoolyard as a kid, but I grew out of it. I’m concerned that as I haven’t been there in his life that often, he’s…lost direction,” Mark explained, hoping the Colonel had a better idea of how to approach his son.

“How old is your son, and Jason’s his birth name? Is he on drugs or other substances?” the Colonel asked.

“Yes, Sir. Jason is his birth name, and he’s thirteen years old. As for drugs, I don‘t know. I‘d hope not, but if he were my wife would tell me,” Mark said.

“Does he have any siblings? Have they exhibited any…problems?” the Colonel asked.

“Erika is his sister, and she’s sixteen. As far as I know, she hasn’t had any problems. She does have a problem with boys noticing her, but she’s a smart kid. She’s interested in medicine, in no small part by my mother. My mother’s been the Chief Surgeon at Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center for the last fifty years. I’m sure if she’d had any problems, she or her mother would have told me,” Mark replied.

“By how you described your daughter, she may have adapted to military life well. It doesn’t appear she’s exhibiting any emotional issues, but if she does do bring her by my office. As for your son, bring him by in the next few days. I’ll clear my schedule, and have a talk with him,” the Colonel explained, taking out a data pad and made a note in his schedule.

“Would it be alright if my wife brought him? I received transfer orders to a new unit, and have to speak to my new CO,” the Sergeant Major asked.

“Of course. Your wife can bring him by, and I’ll let the Sergeant at the front desk know,” the Colonel concluded.

“Thank you, Sir,” Mark replied, before saluting. Heading away from the medical wing, the Sergeant Major made his way through the labyrinthine corridors of the base towards the officer’s wing where he’d hoped to find Major Lloyd the commanding officer of Able Company Recon.

[Martial Virtue]

Major Sierra Lloyd

Sierra was getting increasingly annoyed at her lack of knowledge of alien ship designs; she kept turning into what felt like the same corridors over and over and getting lost. It was forgivable, given that she was a ground-pounder and not some ONI spook with who knows what level clearance that would be allowed access to such things. She'd seen the inside of pretty much every model human ship in her career and could walk through most in her sleep. Covenant tech, however, was a different story, not something she'd ever liked meddling with herself. And she'd be damned if she asked one of the Grunts for directions. The major snorted to herself at that.

She'd just turned down yet another familiar-looking hallway when her COM buzzed. It was Captain Jenkins.

"Major... The Squids I rounded up for you to interrogate were just killed under orders from this other Squid I got my men's weapons on them... Orders ma'am?"

"What?" The single word that escaped her was not a question but an explosion. "What do you mean they were killed? Captain, did I or did I not explicitly state that you were to make sure that didn't happen? We needed them alive, Jenkins!"

Sierra paused in a doorway and let out a sigh. Her gear suddenly felt heavier and she could feel a headache coming on, pressing against her temple. This mission was going to hell in a handbasket far more rapidly than she could have anticipated. It was another moment before she spoke through the COM again. "You know what, forget it. Just wait till I'm there so I can talk to the damn squid that just executed them. You can let him know I'm on my way. Have the Marines stand down."

The major cut the connection and was making her way through the ship again shortly. Finally she started to see signs that she was headed the right way - the hangar bay wasn't too much further now. That was one thing to be grateful for in this clusterfuck.

Just then she got a sitrep from Captain Killinger, who was still looking out for the devices the aliens had on their boat.

"Major, we are moving. We've got an identified signal coming from the... Po... Sta.... One of the Cargo Holds... Umm.. I'll get back to you in a second.."

Sierra frowned, wondering why the captain's report was incomplete. She wanted to radio him back and ask him to repeat his last, or at least elaborate on it, but it was clear he was in the middle of something. Maybe it was best to wait a few and let it be. So she did. She was on the verge of entering the hangar bay at long last when Killinger broadcast his voice over the COM again.


"This is Captain Killinger, we've found a device. Stand-by..."

Major Lloyd clicked her own radio in response. "Captain, I want another sitrep the moment you know what's going on. Lloyd out."

With the connection once again closed, Sierra slowly took a deep breath and brought her right hand to her hip, hovering over her pistol's holster. If she went for her assault rifle still slung over her shoulder, she'd draw unwanted attention to herself and most definitely be perceived as hostile; that's exactly what she didn't want. A cautious, preemptive move to lay her hand close to her sidearm would be interpreted a little more benignly. Or at least she hoped. In any case, she strode into the hangar bay then.

The first thing the major noted, besides the mass of Marines behind Captain Jenkins, were the five Covenant bodies laying in a heap on the ground. Judging by the amount of blood and the looks of their wounds, they'd been stabbed. Sierra shook her head at the loss of intel and walked up to the three figures standing before them - Jenkins, a second lieutenant, and a rebel Elite.

Lloyd nodded to Jenkins and the LT, and then glanced at one of the members of her former enemy. Maybe an enemy still, given the fact that he'd just cost her some potentially vital info.

"So?" she asked. "Want to tell me what happened here? I asked for these bastards to be kept alive for questioning. Are we going to have a problem?"

[spartan129]

Heretic Sangheili Beta Jaqo 'Tulahai
Corridor to the Hangar, Shadow of Faith
Over human planet Reach

Jaqo sighed as the group of humans ran away. On the bright side, they had avoided a confrontation...Noticing mention of radio traffic on the comms, he walked swiftly down the corridor to inspect what was going on in the hangar. He walked through the door out onto a balcony. He looked down to see Jente...With plenty of humans with him.

"I'm going down there," Jaqo told his lance, turning around to face them, "I don't plan on starting any trouble, but if things get ugly it'll help for there to be a swordsman down there."

"I'll come with you!" Shur interjected enthusiastically.

"No, you won't," Jaqo cut him off sternly, "You will both go back to your quarters until I call for you, and I will deal with your earlier trip-up later. Ustaf," Jaqo addressed the other...slightly more loyal Sangheili, "See to it that he gets there with you...And do try to avoid any humans."

After giving a slight nod of acceptance, Ustaf turned and hustled Shur back down the corridor. Jaqo glanced around, and, noticing a choir of Unggoy, said to the leader, "You! What's your name?"

The Unggoy looked taken aback, and stuttured "H-Hilyap, your excellence!"

"Alright, Hilyap," Jaqo said softly, with a slight smile, "I want you to go with those two Sangheili, okay? And if...If the taller one attacks the shorter one, and a fight starts, I want you to help the shorter one restrain the taller one. Can you do that?"

"Yes!" replied the Unggoy, "Yes, of course!"

Jaqo turned back to the Sangheili and humans below, and calmly walked down a ramp and towards Jente. Wordlessly and calmly, with a slight nod at the humans, he walked behind the Sangheili. He didn't move a hand toward either sword, and stood next to Jente, calmly listening to the exchange.

[kuran]

"Next stop, mess hall. You want to truce with us, You need to do something with me that is very important. Coffee. You will learn to like it."[/color]

Phma frowned and followed the human into the ship beyond. "What is this coffee...? Is it dispensed from the food nipple?"

[Deleted]

"What is this coffee...? Is it dispensed from the food nipple?"

The Admiral stopped dead in his tracks. It didn't take long for the seven page alliance treaty to be written, especially when you had a SMART A.I quickly writing down everything you said. The treaty covered most general topics about politics from a standard document, followed by a few cease fire agreements and a special line stating that both sides share technology, with a few more secrets in there that favored the UNSC, but nothing big.

"No, Phma. It comes out of a coffee mug.. OR cup.. Drinking Device?" The Admiral stumbled on words. "Regardless..." He added, extending the word, "I've come up with the treaty you will try to read and sign. It covers our alliance and the basics of us extanging technological blueprints or equipment if we have them readily available."

With that, the Admiral spead ahead, and the automatic doors to the Cafeteria opened to the three guests. The crew inside stopped, some went for there side-arms to realize it wasn't there anymore. The Marines got up and took a defensive position around a group of children exploring the Arizona for a class project... Interesting day for those children.

The Admiral sighed, walked forwards and touched a machine. It produced three hot steaming cups of Grade A Coffee, as the Machine was labeled "Officers Beverage" for a reason, "I pleasure myself to give my officers the top stuff. Now, keep in mind that the Marines don't get poor stuff either. If anything, some of them eat better then I do most of the time. Please, take a seat and we can talk this treaty over." The Admiral said, placing the datapad on the table and sliding it over to were the Fleet Admiral would sit.

[dave36464736]

Sitting down at the table, Dave caught the data pad that Klix had slid across the table at him. Setting it aside, he glanced in amusement as the large elite cautiously took the mug of coffee and tried to take a percarious sip.

"If it's too bitter, you can add what us humans call Cream and Sugar to it." David suggested, sliding a carafe of cream and a bowl of sugar to the elite.

Glancing down at the datapad, David quirked an eyebrow at Klix and nodded his approval.

Looking back at the elite, David cleared his throat. "Alright. I have here the treaty that we will use to solidy our truce"

Nodding, the elite meerly gestured with his hand, indicating the Admiral should continue.

"Section 1. Technology. You will agree to let our engineers take a look at your technology?" David asked, waiting for the elites reply.

[kuran]

"Section 1. Technology. You will agree to let our engineers take a look at your technology?"

Phma nodded slowly. "Provided that it does not detract significantly from our ship's readiness. Unless you happen to have any other Covenant vessels on hand, we are already low on some basic equipment needed for repairs. We can fight, but not as efficiently as i'd like." He seemed to sense that he was heading off-topic, and his lower mandibles clicked togehter. He took advantage of the moment to take a hesitant sip of the 'coffee', and almost spat it out when it was hot. "That's....blarg....good....a bit hot....but refreshing. Anyway, like I said, we would appreciate it if you did not strip our engines or anything such as that, but what we can realistically offer is yours. Indeed, our stores carry some extra weapons, I can arrange for your engineers to take a number of them for yourselves if you wish. I...." He tried to think of a phrase that would not cause offence.

"Our technology may be...difficult...for your engineers to deconstruct, but I would be happy to lend the use of some of our Hugarok engineers. They could no doubt show you how everything works rather rapidly."

[Wax™]

Captain Travis 'TJ' Jenkins[/b]

"Come human, ask your questions. I know more than those four combined. It is tradition with my, ah... What's the word... Clan I think is close enough, to learn all the lore of our people. I know the history of the Sangheili people back to before the Writ was made. I also had higher clearance than them for military matters. So ask your questions, and I shall answer. Though I would like to hear stories from you as well, perhaps. Long have you humans intrigued me."

Jenkins lowered his weapon and waved his men off who slowly lowered their weapons and backed away from the Squids, Jenkins' men re-grouped into four groups of five Jenkins himself walked off with the leader but no more than a few seconds later Major Sierra Lloyd came in, Jenkins stopped and did a quick informal salute.

"Ma'am"

"So?" she asked. "Want to tell me what happened here? I asked for these bastards to be kept alive for questioning. Are we going to have a problem?" She said directed to the Squid.

Jenkins turned away from the Major and looked to his men he held up two fingers before pointing to the Major, two men would then break off and move to the Major standing one meter back from her Jenkins would turn around and watch from a distance about five to ten meters back.

[tincanhitman]

Mimyap
Free
Space near reach

MimYap waddled into view of a lance of humans with a femal leader, questioning a large Sangheili.

"Humans! You so tall! and look!" we waddled over to one of the marines (Jenkins) "your skin so smooth human!" he reached his small hand out and touched it, before bursting into giggles "you so warm! Me so happy you warm!" he then began to stare at the marines Dog Tag

"j...JEAN KEANS! I like that name Jean-keans, sounds like good name for strong female human!" he patted the humans arm before waddled around the group, oblivious to if they were pointing their weapons at him or not.

He finally waddled to the Sangheili. "No worry, me help you! Me strong to like sangheili! look!" He then pulled his energy sword from his waste, not igniting it but holding it proudly. He turned to the angry human female.

"Don't worry, he smart" he said grinning up at the sangheili as if he knew him "I promise he slaughter something it has reason...unless it doesn't, but trust me, he always does!"

[Deleted]

The Admiral laughed at the elite when he tried to drink from a cup. He gradually lifted himself up, "I believe I have something that may help you." He said. "Excuss me, sir." He added, and dis-missed himself.

He quickly strode over to the vending machine and pushed a button. The Machine dispatched a random colored straw. The Admiral quickly snatched it, pulled the wrapper off and returned to the group sticking it in the elites coffee mug.

For a minute, the elite didn't do anything, so the Admiral reached over and bent it towards it's mouth. The straw angled like an upside down L.

[Cabel]

[Epsilon Eridani System: Planet Reach: Viery Territory: Utkozet Province: Alfold: Manassas City: Manassas UNSC Marine Base]

The instacrete corridors with the meticulously cleaned tiles seemed endless and while the Senior Marine NCO knew most of the military installations throughout the Earth’s Sphere had virtually the same layout, it only reconfirmed the fact Mark hadn’t spent that much time on Reach. He’d only been deployed to Reach a few times, but rarely for more than the span of a month or two and most of his time in the service had been spent either on Earth, on ships in transit, or in the early years after graduating Basic had been spent fighting the Insurrectionists. It meant while Reach held the claim of the fortress stronghold of the UNSC in the Outer Colonies and the largest show of naval power, the majority of military personnel rarely even had the fortune or misfortune of being posted on Reach. The fact the Earth’s Sphere held vast boundaries from the industrialized worlds of the Inner Colonies to the agricultural centers of the Outer Colonies reinforced why every son and daughter of Earth had to fight for it. It was why Mark held no doubt the UNSC held both the responsibility and obligation of being humanity’s defense, even if there were those that thought differently about the military. It had been the chief reason why Mark had enlisted in the Marine Corps to fight the Insurrectionists, and to prove humanity had not been a dying breed. Even among the moments of varying opinions, cultures and ideals humanity had the propensity of banding together in the face of adversity or terror. The War with the Covenant hadn‘t been the exception, as humanity had for the most part rallied under a single banner with the exception of some isolated pockets of resistance of pirates and Insurrectionist Remnants, in the face of a technologically advanced alien species bent on genocide.

If only he could instill that same sense of priority, that sense of understanding in his son, it might prove his wisdom passed to a younger generation. The issues being tackled were those of a man of a different profession, a professor that had written more books than he could possibly remember and of too many lectures given to eager wide-eyed students than a marine that had lived his life in the trenches. Rounding a corner, Mark had been too deep into thought to have truly noticed another marine happened to come around the corner at the same time.

[Wax™]

PFC Daniel Mendoza
1st Recon: Able Company
Manassas UNSC marine Base

Mendoza was holding a file thick with about fifty pages, it was the hard copy of his CO Captain Jenkins of Able Company in the 1st Recon Battalion he had been requested to bring it to four star General Robert Sink and was just on his way of taking it back to the room where it belonged with about a hundred other files on officers in Task Force 77, Mendoza decided to have a small peak and was reading Jenkins battle report on the battle of Artifice, he had gone through the entire OPERATION without ever having to fire a shot, it was also Jenkins who opened the exit to the shield world so the UNSC could escape with their lives.

Mendoza was so deep in thought that when he reached is corner he entered a small power-walk and turned the corner instantly at the corner, with his head deep in the file and his mind deep in thought he looked up just in time to see what appeared to be an older marine slamming into him to attempted to turn the corner just about the same time he did, Mendoza hit the marine and the force of the two of them impacting together and the right hand movement Mendoza was moving in caused Mendoza to fly off his feet and onto his chest.

"Fuck..."

He said as he let go of Jenkins' file when he slammed into the floor, he picked himself up and flapped down his 'Dress Blues' and put his hat back on straight before bending down to pick up the file and tucking it under his left arm he then looked up to see the other marine straighten himself out, he managed to get a glimpse of his rank which was that of a 'Sergeant Major' Mendoza instantly came to attention and saluted, not taking his hand down till the higher ranking superior saluted him and taking his own hand down.

"Sergeant Major Sir... I am so sorry Sir... I was distracted Sir... Please don't make me do drill Sir... The DI's have already made me do so much drill Sir... I'm sorry Sir"

After he realized he said sorry a bit too much he decided to shut up and wait for his punishment.

[Cabel]

Sergeant Major Mark "Spade" Sorelson

The impact of landing on his backside definitely caught the older marine by surprise, and the fact it had been in the relative safety of a marine base to boot. The cold hard tiles beneath him weren’t exactly what he’d had in mind when he'd planned to become more familiar with the base, and as the time it took to regain his footing along with straightening his uniform he found his unintentional collision had knocked a younger marine off his feet as well.

“At ease and don't call me Sir. I work for a living,” Sergeant Major Mark Seamus Sorelson replied in that all too familiar Drill Instructor fashion yet with far less shouting. Hearing the startled Private First Class’ plea, he realized it had been rather his own fault and snapped off the salute. “I’m not going to put you through a drill. It was really my fault,…I should have kept my eyes on the corridor. What’s your name, son?”

[Wax™]

Daniel stood there in a cold sweat and waited for the Sergeant Major to salute him before he dropped his own salute and stopped standing at attention, Daniel listened to the elder marine as he spoke and once he finished Daniel changed which of his hands was holding the file and he lifted a hand to straighten out two medals and the commendations he had on his chest before talking the two medals were the bronze star and purple heart while one of the ribbons was a Presidential Unit Citation given to all soldiers who participated in the battle of Artifice, on his right side of his chest he also had a Combat Infantry Badge he then looked at the Sergeant Major.

"Sorry Sir... I mean Sergeant Major... My Name Sergeant Major?"

Daniel took in a quick breath before speaking again.

"Private First Class Daniel Mendoza... Serial Code: 1306-6266-DM"

"Soldier of Fireteam Charlie... Able Company Sir... I mean Sergeant Major"

[Cabel]

Sergeant Major Mark "Spade" Sorelson

“Fireteam Charlie of Able Company?” Mark grinned a little, which in raw recruits would have probably rendered them paralyzed with fear. “Well, Private First Class Mendoza, it‘s an honor. I‘m Sergeant Major Mark Sorelson, and I‘m looking for the office of Major Lloyd. I‘m going to be transferring to Able Company. The next time, I should bring a map or at least learn the layout of this place. This is the longest time I‘ve ever spent time on Reach,…it‘s a big place,”

“Where were you heading, if I may?” he asked, wondering if the younger marine had been more familiar with the base. Mark knew getting lost, and arriving late for a meeting had the tendency of setting the wrong impression.

[Wax™]

"Oh... You must be out new Company First Sergeant... It is an honor to meet you Sir" Mendoza did not really mind the evil grin Sorelson gave him he had a DI in training that was deemed the worst of all DI's in the Marine Corps. "If you would just follow me Sergeant Major... Major Sierra Lloyd's officer is this way it is in the general direction I was heading anyway... You were going the wrong way CSM"

Mendoza began to walk down a labyrinth of pearl white hallways that were probably cleaned with toothbrushes by raw recruits at one in the morning.

"I'm afraid you came at the wrong time Sergeant Major... Major Lloyd and the rest of Able Company are currently in the middle of a transfer... They are all in orbit right now transferring equipment and men from one ship to another... But I will gladly keep you company if it is not too low to be hanging around with a Private First Class?"

Mendoza walked into a massive room which had loads of small desk with Private Orderly's working on filing reports and such, Mendoza broke off and walked into a large room with many filing cabinets he put Jenkins file away and walked back out to the Sergeant Major.

"I was told to stay down here for no apparent reason... I have just been doing Recon training and had the unfortunate scenario of coming across a pissed of Drill Instructor who had no one to Drill... Unfortunately I am unable to deny 'superior' non-coms"

[lurker]

Creche Master Jente 'Trohim
CNV Shadow of Faith, Hanger Bay[/u]

Jente shrugged. "We are negotiating an alliance. Tell me, if I went over to one of your vessels, picked random humans out for showing a dislike for me, and demanded they be taken back here for interrogation, would you stand for it? You found Loyalists. We're thankful. Standing orders, a reminder of which I received not two units ago from the closest thing to a commanding officer I have on board, is that they're executed immediately. I am willing, in the name of good faith, to see to it that the leader of this batch is given medical attention and placed in your custody. I oversaw their execution. This ring leader, with the appropriate medical assistance will live a wasting death that lasts cycles."

Jente clicks his mandibles, gesturing for the Major to sit. "Bring your staff, the ones with questions, to me and I'll answer them as best I can. As I told your Second, I am a scholar among my kind, for all the blood on the Path behind me. Anything they could tell you, I could. Except, perhaps, what their plan was. Because our escape pods don't have slip space drives. And they had plenty of opportunities to escape back to the covenant before we arrived."

[Martial Virtue]

Captain Dylan Lloyd

Dylan was on Reach yet again following his last mission. He remembered the last time he'd been here a little over four years ago. The battle of Glasgow had just ended and he and Sierra had come to the planet for a little R&R, not unlike now. It hadn't been much of one, really, since Sierra had been pretty jarred by the death of her best friend and hadn't said much after the funeral as a consequence. She'd needed some time to work through her emotions on that one. This time was a little different, though - Sierra was gone on deployment, and Dylan had been able to secure transport for their kids so at least they'd get to see one of their parents. Dylan smiled as he thought of the other new addition to the current circumstance - their two-year-old son Noah hadn't been born yet on his last visit to the hub of UNSC military power.

The child tugged at his uniform sleeve now as Lloyd was busy going through some papers in his wife's office, per her request before she'd had to depart for her mission.

"Daddy, look," Noah said in a small voice. "Look!"

Dylan turned in his wife's office chair to glance down at their son. "What's that, big boy?"

"Picture."

The Helljumper captain looked down at the desk. Sierra was a battalion commander now, newly promoted to major and leader of the 1st Recon Marines. It was understandable that she'd left her office in a slight state of disarray - too many documents and other things to take care of before she'd left. It was part of the reason why she'd asked Dylan to come collect some important paperwork for her there while she was away - something about new transfers to Able Company. Lloyd frowned when he couldn't find the source of his youngest son's attention in all that clutter.

"Where, buddy? I don't see it."

"It's right here, Dad," his daughter Grace, seven, added helpfully as she came around the desk. "Next to the console."

Dylan finally found the picture frame and picked it up. It was a photo of himself, Sierra, and their three kids, taken on their most recent shore leave home together on Kholo. The image made his smile widen, but also made him miss Sierra more.

"It's us!" Caleb, their five-year-old, exclaimed excitedly.

"Yeah, it is." Dylan set the picture frame back on Sierra's desk. "You guys know your mother loves you very much, right? Even though she's away right now?"

"Yeah," Caleb replied. His bottom lip jutted out a bit. "I miss Mommy."

"Me, too," Grace added.

"Me, too!" Noah cried emphatically.

Dylan's smile slowly faded. "So do I, guys. But she'll be home soon. Back before you know it." He picked up the file he'd been looking for for the last fifteen minutes and stood. "All right. Ready to head out? We've got a full day today and lots to check out. Don't want to waste it."

The ODST captain emerged from his wife's office then with papers in hand and their three kids in tow. It was then that he saw two regulars also coming down the hall in his direction, and he overheard their words.

The older of the pair mentioned he was looking for Major Lloyd's office. The other responded, "I'm afraid you came at the wrong time Sergeant Major... Major Lloyd and the rest of Able Company are currently in the middle of a transfer... They are all in orbit right now transferring equipment and men from one ship to another... But I will gladly keep you company if it is not too low to be hanging around with a Private First Class?"

Dylan finally got up to them and figured he should let them know what was really going on. Normally he didn't interact much with regular Marines - his wife excluded, of course - but he figured Sierra wouldn't have wanted him to keep her troops in the dark if he could avoid that. So he said, "Actually, Marines, the major is currently out on a mission well outside Reach space. If you have a question about transfers, though, I've got her paperwork right here. I might be able to help you out if you've got questions."

Major Sierra Lloyd

"We are negotiating an alliance. Tell me, if I went over to one of your vessels, picked random humans out for showing a dislike for me, and demanded they be taken back here for interrogation, would you stand for it? You found Loyalists. We're thankful. Standing orders, a reminder of which I received not two units ago from the closest thing to a commanding officer I have on board, is that they're executed immediately. I am willing, in the name of good faith, to see to it that the leader of this batch is given medical attention and placed in your custody. I oversaw their execution. This ring leader, with the appropriate medical assistance will live a wasting death that lasts cycles."

Sierra frowned at the rebel Elite's words, not knowing that one of the so-called "loyalist" Elites could still be saved. She was about to respond when the rebel made a motion for her to sit down as he continued.

"Bring your staff, the ones with questions, to me and I'll answer them as best I can. As I told your Second, I am a scholar among my kind, for all the blood on the Path behind me. Anything they could tell you, I could. Except, perhaps, what their plan was. Because our escape pods don't have slip space drives. And they had plenty of opportunities to escape back to the covenant before we arrived."

Major Lloyd relaxed her stance a bit at the rebel Elite's show of cooperation, but decided to remain standing for the moment. She had Marines at her back waiting to defend her if things went awry, but she wasn't quite comfortable enough yet to place herself in a slightly more hampered position. Finally she sighed. "All right, I see your point. I wasn't aware that you'd left one of your...former fellow Elites alive. Get him patched up then and I'll get a hold of my superiors." She paused. "I'd also like to ask you a few questions myself, since you're willing. And I thank you for that." As a gesture of her own good faith, the major finally pulled her hand away from the holster on her hip and folded her arms across her chest instead. "I'm going to admit that I'm not used to working with those I formerly considered my enemy. I've fought the Covenant for years, so this transition isn't easy. You'll forgive me for being cautious earlier."

[Cabel]

Sergeant Major Mark "Spade" Sorelson

The ODST captain emerged from his wife's office then with papers in hand and their three kids in tow. It was then that he saw two regulars also coming down the hall in his direction, and he overheard their words.

The older of the pair mentioned he was looking for Major Lloyd's office. The other responded, "I'm afraid you came at the wrong time Sergeant Major... Major Lloyd and the rest of Able Company are currently in the middle of a transfer... They are all in orbit right now transferring equipment and men from one ship to another... But I will gladly keep you company if it is not too low to be hanging around with a Private First Class?"

Dylan finally got up to them and figured he should let them know what was really going on. Normally he didn't interact much with regular Marines - his wife excluded, of course - but he figured Sierra wouldn't have wanted him to keep her troops in the dark if he could avoid that. So he said, "Actually, Marines, the major is currently out on a mission well outside Reach space. If you have a question about transfers, though, I've got her paperwork right here. I might be able to help you out if you've got questions."

“Sir,” Mark snapped to attention complete with a salute noticing the two silver bars on the approaching officer’s uniform and the fact the man wore the emblem of the ODST branch. Being an ODST, it meant the Captain addressing them had been of the best stock the Corps had to offer. “Sergeant Major Mark Sorelson. I received transfer orders to Able Company 1st Recon, and was en-route to Major Lloyd’s office,” Opening a breast pocket of his uniform blouse with his prosthetic left hand, Mark produced the transfer orders in the likelihood the Captain had wanted to view them.

[lurker]

Creche Master Jente 'Trohim
CNV Shadow of Faith, Hanger Bay

With a gesture, Jente's troops were dismissed, and they lugged the ring leader off to get patched up a bit.

"Caution is wise, but not all agree with the Prophet's decisions. While there might be some aboard who disagree with the ship master's decision to ally with you, the fact is that we cannot afford to run from the Prophets forever. It is either ally with you or die." The Sangheili shrugged. "I for one have never been too keen on dying. For the first answer, I've elected to use a method of execution that's rather barbaric, to get the point across. Tell me, you humans only have one heart, yes? I've paralyzed them and wounded one of their two hearts. They'll die hundreds of units from now, as their blood slowly fails to circulate properly."

[Martial Virtue]

Captain Dylan Lloyd

Dylan felt bad for the older Marine as soon as he saw his prosthetic limb. Lloyd himself had been put through the wringer during his time as a prisoner of the Innies five years ago; he'd returned home a year later with scars, broken bones, and a lot of pent up anger and aggression. He'd been hot-headed for a long while after that, unfortunately something Sierra had had to witness and deal with on a near constant basis. It had put their marriage on the rocks for the better part of a year while Dylan learned to cope with being home and free again. Free of the mental and physical torment inflicted on him in the POW camp.

A few years of therapy and a lot of unconditional love and patience from his wife and kids had finally set him back on track, for the most part. He wondered about the Marine in front of him, though. The wound seemed fresh, and he'd lost part of his arm. That was more than even Captain Lloyd could say about his own experiences. Lloyd knew better than to ask about it, however. He understood well that there were some things you just wanted to keep private.

“Sir,” the Marine said, saluting him. “Sergeant Major Mark Sorelson. I received transfer orders to Able Company 1st Recon, and was en-route to Major Lloyd’s office.”

Dylan snorted to himself as he took the sergeant major's papers to look over. "You would've been lucky to find it in the mess my wife left behind in there, Marine. Let me cross-check these with the new battalion roster I've got here. The major finished organizing this just before she left. Give me a sec."

He glanced down at the transfer orders the other man had given him. Sure enough, Sorelson was now officially in Able Company, as he'd stated. But who was the CO?

"Dad, why aren't we leaving?" Grace whined behind him. Dylan was trying to keep an eye on the three of them out of the corner of his eye as he attended to Sergeant Major Sorelson's predicament. He frowned at both the information on the paperwork Sierra had left and his young daughter's impatience.

Without looking away from the documents, Dylan said, "Grace, honey, give me a minute here. Watch your brothers." He then rifled through a few more of the papers in the folder he'd recovered from Sierra's office, then finally found what he was looking for. The ODST captain turned back to the regular. "Here we go: you're under Captain Travis Jenkins now, Sergeant Major. The bad news is that he's gone on the same mission as Major Lloyd. If you were planning on getting new orders, I'd say you're in for a bit of a wait." Dylan sighed, hoping he was getting this right. "Best I can tell you is to enjoy your leave for now."

Major Sierra Lloyd

The rebel Elite's gruesome explanation of what he'd actually done to his ex-fellows didn't surprise the major. She'd always found that the Covenant employed truly hideous methods of extermination for those they didn't deem worthy of life. Lloyd admitted to herself that she was biased, of course, being of the species that the Covenant were currently attempting to annihilate. Still, she'd seen a lot of brutal kills out in the field, all done by Elites or Brutes. She didn't exactly feel sorry for them now.

"Yeah," Sierra answered the rebel Elite's question. "Us humans only have one heart. And sometimes I get the feeling it's a helluva lot less empty than either of yours." The major shifted carefully, trying not to displace the weapon on her shoulder. "So I guess my first question would be this: what changed? Why now? You guys were just as dead-set about eradicating humans like me as the Covenant just a short time ago." A wry grin formed on her face. "I can't hope to think our charm and wit as a species lulled some of you into betraying your own. So what happened?"

[dave36464736]

"Our technology may be...difficult...for your engineers to deconstruct, but I would be happy to lend the use of some of our Hugarok engineers. They could no doubt show you how everything works rather rapidly."

Nodding, David understood the situation. His engineers were composed of some of the best and brightest, but the hurgarok engineers he had heard of, were just mind blowingly effiecient.

"That would be acceptable" David replied. "Article 2. Chain of Command. You would report to me. Or Admiral Klix. Can you accept that?"

[kuran]

Phma took the dinking device, and inserted the tip between his mandibles.

"Thank you. That makes it a good deal easier, I must admit."

"Article 2. Chain of Command. You would report to me. Or Admiral Klix. Can you accept that?"

Phma nodded slowly. "I imagined that such an arrangement would be needed. Though, being unaware of all of our capabilities, it might take some getting used to. As far as the article itself though, I accept."

[Cabel]

Sergeant Major Mark "Spade" Sorelson

“Both the Battalion Commander and the Company Commander are off planet? Captain Jenkins, you say?” Mark asked, wondering what kind of unit Able Company was rather than how active it had been. The fact both the Battalion Commander and the Company Commander had been off planet not long after his transfer orders had gone through made questioning how active Able Company had been moot. His thoughts were interrupted by the whining of the little girl behind the ODST Captain, and Mark’s eyes shifted downward to watch the little girl before noticing the other two children trailing behind the ODST. A family man, Mark had to guess as no other marine outside of familiar relations or rather that the children trusted would have followed them so closely. The observance made Mark feel he could trust such an officer, and if the Battalion Major had been the ODST Captain’s wife it meant they would be far less eager to leap into the fray without at least several plans and their contingencies. It meant he could trust them, as could the survivors of Zulu Squad, and that the commanders of Able Company would balance caution over valor when it came to it.

“Sir, if I may, I am a family man as well. I have two children, a son and a daughter. When I swore to the oath, I picked up the rifle to make the world…to make the galaxy safer for them and all of Earth’s children. If it’s not unbecoming, Sir, you have adorable children,” he said. Realizing he’d have more time to enjoy his time on R&R while waiting for his new commanding officers to arrive on planet, Mark knew he’d be the one dropping his son off at the base counselor and knew getting his son to at least agree would make the Insurrection look like a disagreement over the dinner table.

[C3]

C3135-T14
Location: Human City: New Alexandria
Status: Functioning normally. Major Repairs Complete. Memory Recovery... 15%.

Deciding that she wanted to see more, C3 left her vantage point and wandered back down into the military base. There were more people active here now as the day progressed. Though many still rested, daily activities demanded to be done. C3 remembered what this was like back home. She closed those memories off before they could distract her. She had places to explore. Pushing some of her silver hair behind one ear, she made her way into the crowd.

She must have looked really out of place with how many people paused to look at her. Granted, the blue of her outer suit didn't blend well with the duskier colors most of the soldiers wore. But I likely wasn't just that. She had already come to learn that she appeared very much like a human adolescent. A very early adolescent. They must have been uncommon here on the base.

And then there was her hair color.... after adding that to her calculations, she just decided that it was the fact that she looked... very.... alien. To these people. She made it to the other side of the busy room and leaned against the wall.

How these creatures ever got anywhere with this much chaos was completely beyond her. Such an illogical race.

[Martial Virtue]

Captain Dylan Lloyd

“Both the Battalion Commander and the Company Commander are off planet? Captain Jenkins, you say?" Sergeant Major Sorelson asked.

Lloyd nodded and the Marine continued.

“Sir, if I may, I am a family man as well. I have two children, a son and a daughter. When I swore to the oath, I picked up the rifle to make the world…to make the galaxy safer for them and all of Earth’s children. If it’s not unbecoming, Sir, you have adorable children.”

A small smile appeared on Dylan's face. "Thank you. As you can see, even with a Marine major for a mother and an ODST captain for a dad, they're still difficult to wrangle sometimes." He chuckled. "You'd think they'd have more discipline, huh? But they're good kids. They're just taking their mother's absence a little hard right now. You know how it is with deployments." Captain Lloyd put his wife's papers underneath his arm now that he was done with them and placed his hands on his middle son's shoulders when Caleb latched onto his father's pant leg. "Anyway, sounds like we all fight for the same reasons. How old are yours, Sergeant Major?"

[C3]

(Alright, Asha and Zoe are okay for sure this time, so I'm posting with them. I'm going to spring off your post, Kuran: where you're approaching Asha. And for Zoe.... we'll I can find any interaction from Z with her, so I'll just wing it.)

Asha McNane
Spec Ops ODST
Fireteam Raptor

"Asha McNane?" A male voice drew Asha's attention to someone behind her. A man looked at her questioningly, clearly getting her name right. Perhaps this was the person that she was looking for.

"Special Operations ODST, Asha McNane, sir," she replied quickly, keeping her tone steady and neutral; respectful. "I'm looking for a Fireteam Raptor. I think I can safely assume that you're part of that team... you know who I am."

She adjust her helmet under her arm and made sure her bag was secure in the other. Her sniper shifted on her back from the movement and for a moment, Asha feared she would drop it. What was with her and first impressions?

'Relax,' she thought to herself, mentally slapping herself on both cheeks. 'This is just like anyone else you've ever dealt with. You can do this.'

Zoe McNane
Enlisted ODST
Green Squad

'Green Squad, huh?' Zoe walked through the city street in her civilian clothing, thinking about the news that she had gotten just this morning. She was actually joining a unit. What a strange thought. She had been here in New Alexandria for a while, waiting for this sort of news. It was hardly surprising that she was getting it now though.

Still, she was pleased to hear it. Out of training and into the field of combat. It was about freaking time. She smiled to herself and kept walking. She was supposed to meet up with one of the team this afternoon. That was actually where she was going right now...

[kuran]

James Beaufort
Fireteam Raptor
Spec ops ODST


"Special Operations ODST, Asha McNane, sir, I'm looking for a Fireteam Raptor. I think I can safely assume that you're part of that team... you know who I am."

James nodded slowly, giving the young-looking Helljumper a once-over. "Yes, i'm James. I lead Raptor, though i'm actually squad sergeant. Come on, i'll take you to see the team."

Turning, he waited for Asha to follow him before making his way through the hallways back to the barrack block. "We're recently back from deployment," He explained as they walked. "I lost my marksman, and I happened to see your service record. I was impressed. And we can always use a good sniper. I'll warn you now-we're not always engaging at long range. Generally we try to put people where they're most effective, but if I need you to beat the hell out of a jackal with that rifle, I expect you to do it. understand?"

He opened the door that they arrived at, and walked on in. "Here we go, the rookie. Corporal Asha, this is Lenov, close quarters," He indicated the burly Russian who was sitting in the corner cleaning his shotgun. "And Megan." He pointed out the petite female polishing her DMR. "This is the total sum of Raptor. You'll be with us pretty much all the time. The other two fireteams in the squad will be as new to you as all of us, because I was promoted this morning. So...welcome to Raptor."

Sergeant Sato Takashi
REVIVE-4

Sato shook his head slowly. That was Eden all right. "No." He declared, almost firmly. "You need drink." He paused for a moment, allowing himself a weary smile. "Then we go to my neighbourhood. We get in a real fight."

[dave36464736]

"I imagined that such an arrangement would be needed. Though, being unaware of all of our capabilities, it might take some getting used to. As far as the article itself though, I accept."

"Good." Replied David.

Passing the Data pad over to the elite, David looked at Vice Admiral Klix and said "When your done Klix, report to my ready room."

Looking at the elite, David stood up and said "Phma. Welcome to the UNSC. I look forward to our two races fighting and adapting together." and with that, David fought down his revulsion again and extended his hand out.

[z]

Alex Summers

The rapping on her door came, followed by Lewis' voice. "Come on, Summers. We got a newbie comin'.

Grumbling, she got up, got dressed in tight jeans and a v-neck t-shirt. Rolling her head on her neck, the tanned woman stepped out into the hall, flicking her cybernetic hand a few times. Tilting her head down the hall, she smiled faintly and making her way down with the Sarge, Clay later joining them.

She did not know where Raul and Church were.

But Lewis said to meet the new member of Green in the lobby, so in the elevator, and down the three ODST sat quietly on the left side of the Hotel Lobby and waited.

Eden Lawrence

"No need for a drink, Sato. Really... But..." As she said it, she took up the offer and sucked down a drink, shaking her head afterward.

"Now, take me t a fight."

Rakath V'keelaii

Opening the door, after having gotten lost many times, Rakath found himself in the right room. Phma and the high ranking UNSC.

"I got lost, apologies... Very big and impressive ship. Humans have been offering me... Bur-ger's in the Mess. I could not figure out how to eat it." He said, crossing his arms and moving to the left of the door and leaning back on the wall with his hands on his upper arms.

Lucy Grey

She'd finished up with the Shrink, the store, and her mothers home. Now she was sitting in her favorite cafe' starring in astonishment at her Datapad. Daphne.... Little Daphne Grey, HER neice was joining Lunar.

It almost brought a smile to her face...

Running a hand through her hair and leaning her head back. Of course... Now she could not drink or smoke. Chances are she wouldn't be in the next mission with her team for... Awhile.

Looking down at her stomach, she placed her hand over it. She had not told Jason yet but... She did not know what to say.

Looking back to her datapad, she sat quietly. She had a few more hours of free time.