Legacy of the Precursors

Chapter 9: Unforgotten

The CNDF relief ship arrived at the week’s end, carrying building supplies and a fresh detachment to replace the survivors, who in turn were heading back to Corneria aboard the very same cruiser where they could receive better care. True to his word, once the ship arrived in system, Fox gave the orders to pack up and return to The Great Fox.

It had taken some time for Fay to get the comms array up and running, but as soon as she did Fox contacted Pepper and updated him on the situation. The General decided that it was sufficiently imperative to warrant the deployment of a battlecruiser and its payload of marines.

So they readied to leave, a steady flow of relief transports landing at the airfield and unloading the new arrivals as they packed up.

It was when they were loading the shuttle for departure that Six noticed something interesting. Another transport, this one dark blue, landed beside theirs’ and disgorged a small group of soldiers different from the rest, covered in thick silver armor and no more than fifteen in total. At first glance, Six almost thought they were wearing MJOLNIR.

These were unlike any of the soldiers he had seen before. They marched down the ramp of the shuttle with impressive purpose, not a single boot out of step. Each of the new arrivals carried a weapon similar to Falco’s assault blaster, though they were somewhat smaller scale, but not by very much. Their faces lay veiled behind their full helms, but he was able to identify what race they were from the helmets’ design. The large majority seemed to be a mixture of canines. The leader of this team was marked by a flowing black cape, something he thought was odd to have in this day and age. Unlike MJOLNIR, their armor was not unisex, and he identified their commander as a female by the feminine scheme of the breastplate.

She was an impressive figure, even to him, being the largest cornerian he had come across, standing at just a few inches shorter than himself.

But what arouse his curiosity most was their armor. Upon a more thorough inspection, he realized that they were not quite as notable as he had first thought.

Each suit carried a bulky pack built along the spine, and judging by the faint yellow glow emanating from the metallic rucksack’s rods; it was some type of portable power core. That only further led him to assume that they were not self-sustaining as his was. And no doubt they did not have shields either, nor was their armor as thick as his. If anything they could be loosely compared to as being somewhere between Mark III and IV if he was being generous.

As curious as they were, Six was not so easily impressed, and so after his observation, he disregarded them and helped the team finish loading.

Once the last of the empty supply crates had been placed aboard the spartan watched as the team boarded the ramp and he waited for Fox, who was speaking with Siegfried, the base commander. Six had not spoken with the canine at all, but he seemed like a decent soldier.

While Fox finished whatever parting words he had with the captain, Six slowly noticed an uncomfortable prickling along his neck. Never one to disregard a bad feeling, he turned away from his watch over Fox and searched for the source of the disturbance, his investigation ending with the selfsame armored female he had first discounted, the two locking gazes through their respective helms.  

Unintimidated, Six stared her down, impressed when she had not turned away as many had under his unseen glare. Instead she eyed him right back with a similar steely resolve, the two apex predators sizing each other up. He could tell she was no weakling, it taking a certain something to withstand his gaze.

After a few moments, he nodded, offering a small modicum of respect, and watched as she did the same.

“Hey Six, ready to go?”

The spartan turned away from his silent conversation towards Fox, who stood at the lip of the ramp waiting for him.

“Yes” He replied absentmindedly.

The vulpine accepted his answer and stepped up the incline, disappearing into the shuttle.

Looking back, Six noticed the female soldier already walking away, leading her troop deeper into the base amidst the new wave of reinforcements. With a shrug, he shouldered his rifle and followed Fox up the ramp.

*****

Once the shuttle parked in The Great Fox’s hanger, the team was quick to disembark. Krystal helped Miyu limp to the Infirmary, the cat’s healing process not quite yet complete. It would be a few days before she could be cleared for duty once again.

Falco wandered off on his own, grumbling about how he had not seen much action, no doubt heading to the armory where he usually spent most of his time.

Once he was sure everyone was taken care of, Fox left in a hurry as well. It had been too long since last he spoke with Fara and he was eager to correct that with a quick call.

With everyone filtering away so quickly, it left Six and Fay standing alone in the hanger. The spartan watching as the others left so quickly with a trace of humor, but not without a touch of despondency. The battle concluded, he had nothing to do until the next one. Spartans did not have hobbies, at least none that he knew. He did enjoy tinkering with machines, but that was something he did not often have the time or means to do. Most of his time spent since coming here had been up in his quarters, reviewing mission recordings and wondering if there had been anything he could have done to change the events on Reach. Maybe if he had been faster, or fought harder? These were the things he often wondered in the darkness of his room.

Fay shifted her feet as she stood next to him. The canine had not yet really had the chance to talk with their new member, not any fault of his own. She was embarrassed to admit, even to herself, but she was scared of him. The spartan was a terrifying individual, and she still had not forgotten what she had seen him do to Oikonny’s forces.

It was as if there was some intimidating aura emanating off him. Despite this, she felt bad for the man. Fay had heard from Krystal and Miyu on his origin, a victim of a violent war threating the continued existence of his species and stranded far from home, a world destroyed by the very creatures he had fought.

Usually, she was an outgoing person, but something about him nullified that part of herself and turned her silent and meek, startled by the quietest word to come out of his mouth.

Even now as she stood beside him in the hanger she felt as if a paw was tightly wrapped around her throat, preventing her from speaking a word. She even meaped when she noticed him turn his helmet towards her.

Seeing her obvious discomfort, the spartan dipped his head slowly in farewell and walked away, the tread of his boots echoing in the cavernous hanger as he too left to his own devices.

As soon as the doors closed behind him, she let loose a long winded breath she had unknowingly kept pent up inside. The canine could not help but feel remorseful for the way she acted around him, but could not stop herself. He was just so scary!

With a sigh she moved to leave the hanger too, intending to find Slippy and see if he needed any help. His antics always cheered her up.

*****

Six departed the hanger with a slight frown. It had been easily apparent to him that his presence had been the source of the canine’s discomfort. Such a thing came as no surprise to him and he didn’t give it much thought, though it was somewhat disheartening. He had seen identical reactions in countless people over the years, soldier and civilian alike.

The spartan decided to wander the halls of the ship, waiting to see what he wanted to do. During his drifting, he came across Fox who had just been leaving his room and the vulpine had informed him they were going to head back to Corneria. Apparently there was nothing they could do for the moment.

The war was actually going surprisingly well. At least that’s what the vulpine told him. The Macbeth and Katina campaigns were swiftly ending in victory. It seems that they had been ready for attack this time. He had also heard that the General was planning even at that moment on how to break the siege on Fortuna and was in the process of preparing to implement it. But it would take at least a week for everything to fall into place, apparently it was something big. So for now they were going to head back to Corneria and…relax, Six believed was the word Fox used. How they could do so while a war raged confounded him. Still, he supposed if there was truly nothing they could do, then it mattered not how they spent their time.

As to how he was going to spend it, as he had walked the halls, an idea came to him on how to improve his suit further. But first he needed to speak with Slippy. If the toad had the required materials, then what he planned to achieve would be possible.

Now knowing the somewhat decently, it did not take him long to find the toad, rightly guessing that he would be in the engineering workshop, as he usually was.

Once the spartan entered the room he was surprised to see not only Slippy, but Fay there was well. The both of them chatting as they worked on something, a machine of some sort, he knew not the purpose.

Knowing his effect on the snowy canine, he decided to be more courteous than he usually was and waited in the back until they finished.

He had no desire to see that look again.

Both were so distracted by their project that they did not notice his presence until long after they finished, the spartan using that time to look over his own equipment, both what he had left behind and what he had brought with him.

“Oh hey Six, didn’t see you there.”

The spartan looked up from the partially disassembled DMR on the table and noticed Slippy standing a few feet away from him.

The toad looked just like last Six had seen him, covered in grease and a thin film of sweat. He may have not been a soldier, but he was definitively, a hard worker.

“Yes, there were some questions I wanted to ask you.” Six replied, looking past the amphibian and seeing Fay leaving the room in a rush, no doubt trying to get away from him once more. He gave it little thought as he turned back to hear Slippy’s response.

“R-Really?” Slippy wondered, surprised that the spartan had personally sought him out. They had not spoken often, a few words in passing at the most. He had gotten the distinct feeling that Six was just ignoring him.

“I was hoping you could tell me what materials you have aboard the ship.”

“Sure, I could help you out.” The toad answered, returning the tool he had in his webbed hand to the belt around his waist.

With Slippy’s help, he was able to identify the necessary compounds used to create the alloy that made up the plates of his armor, knowledge he gained from countless hours learning everything he could about his MJOLNIR. He did not worry so much for his titanium nanocomposite bodysuit. It possessed a prototypical function that would gradually mend the recent tears over the next few days, another gift from its advanced design. Indeed, the development phase for the self-repairing nanobots permeating the suit faced completion, and was going to be implemented into the next generation of MJOLNIR armor systems.

Once he had the materials he needed, he learned of something onboard called a micro-forge, which contrary to its name, was not at all small. The machine dominated a full third of the expansive chamber, and was what Slippy used to create the resources he needed to repair the Arwings and The Great Fox itself.

Despite himself, the spartan was interested by all this new information and talked with the toad as they both worked on their respective projects.

He discovered that not only was Slippy an excellent mechanic, but he was also an authoritative source of information on many subjects, ranging from the inner workings of a blaster to the parts needed to construct an arwing from scratch. The level of intelligence the toad possessed impressed Six and he found new admiration for the amphibian.

Six spent a long spell in the workshop. The process of creating what he needed was long and arduous, given he had to learn how to utilize the micro-forge. It would take some time before he would finish repairing his armor, several days by his best guess, less if he dedicated all his attention to the task and even longer before he was able to work on his plans for modifications.

But as he toiled away an idea came to him. Since it seemed he was stuck in the universe indefinitely, he would need to have a viable stock of munitions to draw from. And the one who could help him with that was in this very room.

Storing away what he had prepared already, Six went to speak with the toad once more. Crossing the workshop and making his way over.

Slippy was deep in his work and only a prod and word from Six dragged him from his determined efforts.

“Slippy.”

“Huh…oh Six, what is it pal?” The amphibian wondered, flicking his welding mask up. He was working on the same project Six had seen before they left for Zoness. By now it was taking on a more recognizable shape, although it was larger than last he saw it, now a full five feet in length from tip to tip. What the amphibian wanted with a metal pole of that size remained a mystery.

In response to the toad’s previous question, the spartan pulled the MA37 off of his back and extracted its clip, popping a round from the magazine and holding it out.

“Is there any way you can manufacture these?” Six queried hopefully.

“I don’t know, let me see.” Slippy replied uncertainly, taking the bullet from Six’s gauntlet and holding it up to his eye, examining it intently.

After a few moments he sighed in defeat and pulled it away from his face with a frown. “I don’t think I’ll be able to make these. The materials needed have not been manufactured in at least a hundred years I’d guess.”

That was unfortunate.

“However…” Slippy added with a thoughtful crease to his brow, gesturing to the gun. “If you gave me a few of these bullets and that rifle there, I should be able to do one better.”

“Better…?” Six muttered. His interest peaked.

“Oh yeah…” Slippy nodded confidently. “I’ve actually been kicking around an idea for a new weapon for quite some time. But I haven’t had the chance to try my hand at it. The only thing is, I can’t guarantee if it will work, and the process could destroy your rifle. But if it doesn’t, I can promise it’ll be better than anything you’ve used before.”

Six thought it over. Losing his assault rifle would be a deep blow, but it would run out of ammunition anyways. Better it is used for a chance at something more.

The spartan handed over his gun.

“I trust you’ll not fail.” And he did. From what he had seen and heard from Slippy, he was confident the toad could do what he guaranteed. He was as capable as any mechanic Six had ever met, not that he had come across that many in his journeys. Still, Six felt there was more to this toad then met the eye. He had a certain knack for technology, something that would have definitely peaked the office’s interest if things had been different.

“Really?” Slippy asked in surprised elation. He had been eager to try out his little dream project for a long time, but he had lacked the necessary equipment. Six’s weapons were unique and their ballistic properties were just what he needed to get things rolling. What was more, the spartan was confident enough in his skill to hand over one of his weapons, a link to his old world. It was a lot of trust to place into him, and he was honored that Six did.

“I know you are a master weapon smith. I have no doubts you’ll succeed.” He really didn’t. Mostly because he could not afford to, but he did think Slippy was talented enough. He even went so far as to give him his magnum. “Can you do it for this as well?”

The toad shrugged and took the small sidearm, holding both of in his hands and looking upwards. “If I can do it for your rifle, this should be a piece of cake. Anything else you want me to work on?”

Six shook his head. That would be more than enough for now, and he wanted to have some weapons left in case an emergency arouse. They had some time before their next mission it seemed, enough he hoped, for Slippy to finish what he planned.  But one could never be sure of anything.

“No. That is more than enough. Thank you, Slippy.” If the toad delivered, he indeed would be very thankful.

“No problem Six. That’s what friends do.” Slippy waived off the spartan’s gratitude as he turned away, ideas already forming in his head on how to get what he wanted done.

Six froze at the word he was starting to hear more often, but decided to let it go. Instead he bade the toad farewell and exited the armory. Time would tell if Slippy’s assertion was true.

*****

Of all the compartments on The Great Fox, the recreational center was Krystal’s favorite. Unlike the common room, which functioned more like their impromptu dining hall. The rec center doubled as a gym and a more relaxed place for the team to unwind.

Over time, it had become her meditation chamber as well. It was suitably far enough away from the engines and their quarters to give her the quiet and solitude she needed. It was rarely used so it was not often she had to worry about interruptions.

This was fortunate since she had a lot on her mind on this day.

There were many things occupying the vixen’s attentions. There was the war, the first one she had ever seen. She had joined Starfox some short time after the first Lylat War. And with Cerinia so secluded she hadn’t heard of it until she met Fox and the others. Her homeworld had been a wonderful place, with war being a foul word that almost never saw use. She still missed Cerinia dearly, its pristine oceans and beautiful forests. But more than her longing for the ruined world was the ache for her family.

She missed her mother and father terribly, as well as the many friends she had as well. Krystal would never forgive Andross or Venom for what they had done. The destruction of a world was abhorrent in itself, and it being hers made it all the more so.

The only connection with her past was the staff she had been given by her mother and the ceremonial garb she kept safe in her room. And her memories of course, they were never that far away. Now, she knew what war was like, had her first taste of it. And it was just as appalling as she imagined it would be. Why the people of Lylat were so prone to conflict she knew not. Of course it was more Venom’s doing than anything else, but she could not help but feel some loathing for it all.

She had trained to become a guardian, a protector of Cerinia. Yet she never thought she would have to use the skills she was taught in any martial ways. They were a race of empaths, able to feel and react to each other’s emotions. That made it quite difficult to want to hurt someone. Now that she thought about it, this had made them woefully unprepared for the rest of the universe. Kindness and compassion did not seem to take anyone that far in the Lylat System.

Six’s attitude was far more adapted to this way of thinking then she was.

The spartan’s outwardly unfeeling ways and despondency seemed to adjust well to his new surroundings. And he had come from a different place entirely, farther than she had. Yet, look what it had done to him. His life was nothing like she had ever heard before, a polar opposite of the one she had lived. Where she had spent most of it in a state of peace and harmony, he had endured an existence of conflict and loss.

With her abilities, just being around him affected her negatively, her empathic powers feeding off the excess of his closely guarded emotions. All that repressed anger and hurt was almost like a physical sickness. Fortunately she was strong enough with her abilities that it was only a mild nuisance. But she could not escape it, not only because he was a member of the team. But because she could not in good conscience, allow a fellow being to suffer.

Krystal had always wanted to be a healer, and that’s what she would have been if the events of her life had played out differently. But she was not opposed to fighting, especially against Venom.

She wanted to help Six, for his sake as much as her own. He may be a merciless warrior and he may seem heartless. But she was beginning to see in him something that no one else did.

He was not a man who cared not, but a man who cared too much. She could sense in him a fiery desire to defend…to protect those who could not help themselves. She had first seen an inkling of this on their initial meeting. It could be a result of the conditioning he had spoken of, but she was certain it meant something more. Six was a defender, a guardian, much like she had strived to be.

Six threw everything he had into becoming the shield, so much so that there was little left of himself to himself. Krystal doubted he thought of anything else, his drive, indeed the only thing keeping him going, being this one truth, blatantly apparent without the use of her telepathic powers.

The spartan was a thought-provoking conundrum, the most complex man she had ever met. There were so many layers and intricacies to his psyche that she doubted that an entire life spent around Six would ever allow her to completely understand him. There was little chance he even understood himself. Undeniably, he was an exceedingly unique individual.

Despite all his blameless faults, there was much to be admired about Six, his steadfast loyalty, unflinching resolve, extraordinary strength both physical and psychological, and fierce, (if unknowing), compulsion to defend others. After speaking with him that one night, she suspected she knew him better than anyone else he had met in his life. At that moment she had a fleeting, unrestricted glimpse into his mind. There she discovered that there was compassion, kindness, even happiness therein, but these emotions were so subdued, lodged so far under seemingly countless layers of misery and grief that she had barely managed to sense them, in spite of her tremendous power.

Her greatest question, amidst the many she wished to ask, was why. Why did he help them? What was it that made him decide to join their team?

“This is interesting. I had not thought to find you here.”

Krystal opened her eyes upon hearing that unmistakable gruff voice, peering up from her cross-legged stance on the floor and into the familiar silver visor of none other than Six himself. To say she was surprised to see the spartan here, of all places, was an understatement. It was as if her thoughts had summoned him.

“Six? I must admit, I had not thought to see you come here either.” She replied smoothly.

In response, the spartan shrugged and gestured around the room with one of his paw-like gauntlets. His impressive stature was still something to be awed by. “I was just wandering around the ship. I’m still trying to memorize the layout. You cornerians build your ships differently.”

“Oh, I’m not a Cornerian.” She disclaimed.

“You aren’t?” He asked in slight surprise. He had thought they were like the covenant, all under one banner. Sure each species had a name, but in the end they all called themselves the covenant.

“No. I am a Cerinian.” Krystal clarified as she held up a paw beckoningly.

“And where exactly are Cerinians from?” He inquired, helping her to her feet easily.

“That doesn’t matter much anymore, for I am the last.” She murmured softly, grabbing her staff of the floor mat and gazing into its jeweled crest.

“The last?” The spartan responded with a noticeable pause.

“Correct, my homeworld met a fate similar to that of yours.”

“…Is that so….” Six rumbled quietly, his tone devoid of its usual harshness.

“Yes. It was destroyed by Andross at the end of the Lylat War. My parents are the only reason I stand here today.” She explained, unable to keep all the anger and sadness from her tone.

Cerinia had been a peaceful and prosperous world, but not very advanced. More spiritual than scientific, their exploration of the stars was almost insignificant. They only had a handful of space worthy ships to call their own, and they had never expanded past their local system.

Consequently, they had been terribly outmatched when Andross arrived to test one of the wicked weapons he was so fond of building. During the attack, her parents had taken her to the royal stargazing vessel. What had previously been used as a means for her family to enjoy the beauty of the stars in greater detail, had in the end been the only thing to save her life. There, they had insisted that she leave while they stayed behind to protect the people. No one had known that Andross did not want the planet intact.

Hence, when she watched her homeworld go up in flames and realized she would never see her friends or family again, her grief had nearly been soul shattering. Only her need for retribution had kept her going until she met Fox and joined his team. Just recalling the dreaded events of the past was enough to raise her hackles and bring her to tears.

So caught up in her emotions, she did not notice that Six had taken a step towards her. But she did feel the spartan’s cold gauntlet slowly eclipse her trembling paw, stopping its shuddering with gentle force.

Opening her eyes in astonishment, Krystal gazed up into his bright silver visor.

“Dry your tears.” The spartan growled softly. “They will not help you or the ones you have lost. Do not give into despair, for it will weaken your resolve. Instead shift your thoughts away from the past now set in stone and aim them towards the future, which will forever remain uncertain. Yet never forget what has been taken from you. Keep your gaze locked on the horizon, not the sunset.”

Six’s rough, yet kind words conveyed a certain understanding that no one else had ever shown her. He knew exactly of what she spoke of. He had lost his home as well, although at a much younger age, the spartan still had an acute grasp on loss and its effects.

It was quite apparent that he was giving advice based on personnel experience.

Despite the direct and rigid tone he took, his words comforted her. Six released her now steady paw and the vixen wiped her eyes and sniffled as the spartan took a step back.

“T-Thank you.” She whispered, the vixen’s appreciation shining brightly in her eyes. His recommendation held merit. Her friends and family would not want her to feel sorry for herself. They would want her to press on, to keep living. Sulking in the past would not help anyone, least of all herself. She didn’t know why it took the spartan to help her realize it.

In response, Six gave one of his customary nods and turned, leaving the room just as silently as he arrived.

It was amazing, how he could be so quiet.

Krystal gazed down pensively at the paw he had held moments before.

Six was indeed a remarkable man.

*****

The silent hall was filled with the soft tread of Six’s boots, the spartan deep in thought. It had been a long time since he had reason to dwell on the events that had forced him onto the road of a spartan. His brief interaction with Krystal was apparently all it took to dredge those bitter memories from their heavily guarded confines.

He had been but a child when the covenant attacked Concord Dawn, but he remembered everything in crystal clear detail, the wailing of the populace and the roar of combat as the local militia futilely engaged their genocidal adversaries.

Six had a shoulder level view of the death of his world, carried on the back of his mother. He even remembered the stray plasma bolt that had taken her life, dropping him to the unforgiving dirt.

He had also remembered whimpering pitifully, hugging his mother’s corpse. Yet…he could not recall her face, nor the sound of her voice, not even her smile or laugh. It was all just a blurry haze of murky recollections, clouded by trauma almost too great to bear.

It had been a marine that saved him in the end, one of the soldiers brought by the fleet. The woman had picked him up and carried him the rest of the way to the pelican. After all these years, he had never known her name, just another faceless cog, lost in the machine of war. He wondered what his mother would think if she saw him now, what he had become of her little baby boy.

Six was startled to feel wetness on his face, a single streak of saline water trickling down his cheek. The spartan paused in mild curiosity and placed a gauntlet onto his helmet tracing the droplet as it made its way down.

Curious…he could not remember the last time that had happened.

*****

Fox was excited to return to Corneria, even if it may be only for a brief time. It had been too long since he had seen Fara and he was eager for their reunion. He imagined the rest of the team was just as keen on retuning for their personnel reasons.

The Great Fox landed at the starport and the team was all eagerly gathered around the exit ramp. Even Miyu had ignored Fox’s protests and left her bed in the infirmary. It seemed that not even a brush with death would stop her from getting some R&R.

Fox frowned.

All but one it seemed. With a sigh, he put his plans on hold and watched enviously as the others quickly filtered out, ready to put their free time to good use.

Sometimes it sucked being the leader.

He found his target with little difficulty, simply heading towards the person in question’s room and knocking on the door.

“Hey Six, we’re here.” He shouted through the heavy steel partition.

Sixty seconds later on the dot, the door opened, revealing the towering spartan in all his glory.

“The team’s all heading out to town. Aren’t you coming?”

Six shook his head.

“I will be content with spending my time here.”

“Are you certain?” Fox asked in concern. Everyone, even ROB had left, although the robot just needed some maintenance done on his chassis.

“I will be fine.” The spartan rumbled softly, almost dismissive.

Fox wasn’t assured if he was overthinking things, but Six seemed more cowed than usual. Whether it was just him or not, the vulpine wasn’t about to let it go. Alien supersoldier or not, Six was still one of his crew and Fox always took care of his friends.

“Come on…” He urged, motioning for the spartan to follow with the tilt of his muzzle. “I have some stuff to do. Why don’t you tag along?”

“Is that an order?” Six enquired.

Fox thought it over and shrugged. “Sure, why the hell not.”

The spartan did not reply for a full minute, eventually nodding in reluctant acceptance.

“…Very Well.” He muttered, sounding anything but pleased.

“That’s the spirit! I knew you would see it my way!” Fox declared with a barking chuckle, slapping the spartan’s shoulderplate.

Six sighed. “We all see what we want to see, Mccloud.”

*****

Needless to say, his first experience with this version of Reach was…interesting. Shortly after stepping off The Great Fox’s ramp, they had to go through something his vulpine commander called starport security.

Apparently they didn’t like the idea of a seven foot killing machine walking through the streets.

It had taken almost all of Fox’s legendary charismatic maneuvering for him to get the spartan past this. Which was fortunate, as Six was not feeling all that lenient recently and he doubted his patience would have lasted that long.

In the end he had to submit his weapons at the gate, only doing so with the promise that they would not be tampered with in the slightest. Six was loathed to leave his gear behind but once more it came down to Fox’s orders.

The worst part of all this, was the crowd that had formed to watch the spectacle. Six did not know whether they were there because of him or Fox, but it was probably both. He had heard of the vulpine’s system wide fame from listening in on a few casual conversations on the ship. Apparently mercenaries were a tier of celebrities all their own. And of this militaristic elite, Fox was the plinth on which most of the praise was heaped.

It even seemed that a few of the individuals there wore clothing with the team’s logo on it, some odd form of hero worship he suspected.

He suspected they would have gotten closer if not for his frightening presence. He could easily take a guess that not many fully armored soldiers strolled through the streets, something far more common back where he came from. On Reach before the invasion, it was not unusual to see a squad of marines on duty, almost always accompanied by the ever faithful workhorse of the UNSC, the warthog.

Despite the loss of his weapons, Six was glad to be rid of the starport and its throngs of curious onlookers, but it was only a brief respite, for it was far worse once they left.

Corneria Center, not a very original name, but massive nonetheless. The sprawling metropolis spread as far as even his augmented eyes could see, a maze of glimmering marble spires and countless skylanes of these bizarre flying cars. The streets outside of the starport were flooded by the alien masses, either coming to or from the stars. There must have been at least hundreds of millions of souls living in this eye absorbing spread, possibly a full billion he even went so far as to suspect. If this had been a UNSC colony, Six might have dained to call it beautiful, or majestic, a sign of humanity’s sovereignty.

But it wasn’t.

Still, he guessed it was heartening to see a version of Reach that still thrived, even if it was populated by aliens, as long as they were not the covenant he supposed it was acceptable.

Outside, Six watched as Fox hailed a hovering yellow vehicle that came to a stop beside the curb, stepping inside after a few words.

“Come on Six, what are you waiting for?” The vulpine demanded, sticking his muzzle out of the open window. It seemed he was eager to escape all the attention, as they were quickly being noticed by the crowds.

They shared that much in common at the least.

Six eyed the small car with distain. The spartan loathed small spaces, a valid concern with his size, and he doubted it would hold his wait.

Still, another urging from Fox swayed his unease and he entered, sitting beside the vulpine.

Almost immediately the hover vehicle groaned and dropped a few inches closer to the paved roadway. The driver, a bright yellow canary, looked back through the small window in shock, clearly surprised, an expression he shared with Fox.

“Just how much does that armor weigh?” The driver chirped, if phased by the spartan’s appearance, he gave no outward sign. The cab driver no doubt had seen weirder thing over the years.

“A lot…” Six replied neutrally.

“Aye, I’d wager that much.” The cabby chuckled, a sound more like birdsong then a genuine laugh. “So, where is it you want to go?”

Fox leaned forwards. “Take us to CDF headquarters, the one on Meril and directly across from Servil Boulevard. Know the place?”

“Yeah I know it.” The bird replied, the vehicle moving as he spoke.

Six watched as they lifted up from the ground, moving towards the skylanes he had seen before. He was silent during the trip, taking in this alternate world, so similar and yet so different. The landscape was the same, it was just the civilization that had changed. Ironically, this place stood right on top of where New Alexandria would have been. He could even see the place where the elite zealot had given him the scar across his face. What had once been a shattered courtyard was now a plaza, filled with restaurants and a shopping mall. The fallen skyscraper where Kat had been killed was in this place, a municipal park, a flowing viridian ocean of hand sculpted foliage. It was almost insulting, seeing an alien race thriving upon the spiritual bones of mankind. It seemed where they had failed, the cornerians succeeded. Despite all their faults, they still held onto this world, where humanity could not.

“So…how different is all this from Reach?”

The spartan turned over to Fox, who was eyeing him inquisitively. The vulpine was eager to hear how different the other world was to his own.

“Before or after it was destroyed?”

“Preferably? Before that.”

Six returned his gaze past the window.

“Very….”

*****

After a half hour flight, the driver dropped them at the steps of the CDF building, one of the many through Corneria Center from what Fox told him. After the war, the General and Prime Minister had decided to stage more along the more urban areas of the city, a wise decision indeed. There was no such thing as too much protection in the spartan’s book.

Six followed Fox up to the gate, studying the many storied building as he approached. In spite of the defense buildings purpose, it still had that imperious architecture that was apparently so common with this race. The defenses were integrated into the design, a more pleasing aesthetic he supposed then the more robust edifices of the UNSC. That did not mean this place was defenseless. The spartan’s sharp eyes could detect the creases in the walls, hidden turret mounts he suspected, and the garage was big enough to house a full complement of tanks.

A small task force of infantry were stationed at a garrison building near the gates, a few young dogs chatting around a table, there weapons leaning against their chairs. Their lack of discipline irritated Six to no end, but he let it go. There were many things that made him angry, he didn’t need something else.

The spartan’s boots thundering along the drive alerted the soldiers and they quickly left their card game and tried to look somewhat respectable.

It was quite amusing for Six to see their reactions upon noticing Fox and himself. They were visibly frightened of the hulking spartan and it was easy to see their trembling. Their height never ceased to be a point of interest to Six. Only one of their race up to this point was close to matching his stature, and that was the female on Zoness. Krystal was close at exactly six feet, yet he had learned she was not one of their kind, like himself he supposed.

He followed Fox all the way to the gate, where the five canines trembled, and one of them reluctantly stepped closer. Yet, despite his presence, they could not help but look excited upon seeing Fox and the spartan heard the vulpine sigh under his breath. It would seem he was not welcoming of his fame as others might have been, something Six respected about him.

“W-Wow, I-IT’s you! I mean you’re the Fox Mccloud!” At the high pitched yapping of the soldier, Six guessed he could be no more than seventeen years old, like many of the marines he had met in his time, and not all that younger than himself, only by a handful of years he suspected.

“Yeah, that’s me.” Fox nodded, lacking any trace of enthusiasm in his voice.

Apparently oblivious to Fox’s reluctance, the dog continued.

“Wow, I mean just wow! It’s an honor to meet you sir!” The canine stuck out his paw, and shook Fox’s vigorously when the vulpine accepted it. “Jeez, you’re so cool! So howdya do it? How did you beat Andross?”

Fox sighed. “Maybe another time kid, I need to see Pepper, it’s kinda important.”

The young soldier nodded and backed up. “Right, right, of course. I bet you and the General have a lot of planning to do, or something.”

“Yeah, kid, that’s right, something like that. Can you let us through please?”

“You and your…friend?” The canine looked up into Six’s visor, visibly gulping.

“Yep, that’s Six. He’s new to the team.”

“Oh…” The dog muttered, his expression suddenly shifting from nervous to excited all in the span of a few seconds. “Well, it’s nice to meet you too Six!”

The spartan nodded uncertainly, somewhat put off by the lively young soldier.

“Yes…likewise.”

“Right, well I’ll send ya right through!” The dog happily made his way back to the guardhouse and opened the gate.

As Six and Fox passed by, they could hear him excitedly babbling to his companions.

“Did you see that? I talked to Fox, the Fox! I can’t wait to tell the others!”

“Oh god…” Fox grumbled under his breath, Six letting loose a small chuckle.

“What?!” The vulpine demanded, whipping his muzzle around to face the spartan.

“Nothing Mccloud…nothing at all.” Six replied neutrally.

*****

Inside the building, they came up to a receptionist desk, manned by a female mink in a dark grey uniform with blue highlights. The mustelid had an earpiece and was busily tapping away at a terminal in front of her with the noticeable clatter of claws on a keyboard.

Fox strolled up to the desk and leaned on it, waiting for the mink to notice him. Six decided to stick back for this one. He was already tired of it all.

When she did notice the vulpine, the woman smiled.

“Hello, what can I do for you?”

“Can you tell General Pepper that Fox Mccloud is here to see him?”

Nodding, she reached for the device clipped to her ear.

“Yes….Fox Mccloud is here to see you sir. Send him up? Yes of course, you’re welcome Sir.” The mink looked back to Fox. “The General is ready for you now, floor thirty, all the way to the top.”

Fox dipped his muzzle in appreciation, turning to the spartan.

“Come on, let’s go. The General has wanted to meet with you since the skirmish in orbit.”

Six was quick to follow after the vulpine. He must admit, he was curious to see this General as well.

A walk through the hall and a short elevator ride later and they arrived at the top floor. From there it seemed like Fox knew where to go and the came across a big set of double doors, manned by a pair of soldiers, similarly armored like the ones he had seen on Zoness.

“Fox Mccloud, here to see General Pepper.”

The soldier on the left nodded and spoke into the device on his left wrist before motioning for his companion to open the door.

As Six moved to follow, the two soldiers raised their weapons defensively.

“Whoa there, he’s with me! The General wants to talk with him.” Fox explained hastily, his hackles raised until the guns were lowered back to their rest position.

Six admired their loyalty, but if they had attacked him, it would not have amounted to much.

The same guard spoke into his device before he nodded once more.

“Pepper will see you.” He growled.

“Thank you.” Fox exhaled in relief and walked through the doors, Six close behind.

The inside of the General’s office was surprisingly bare, only having a small amount of personnel effects, nothing but a few pictures lined along the room. It was distinctly different than some of the chambers he had seen belonging to UNSC officials. It lacked that imperious air he was so used to seeing.

The only lavish aspect of it all was the desk and the huge window showcasing the far-reaching city in all its glory. The desk was immense, a huge slab of carved wood, no doubt imported from some exotic planet of this system and handcrafted by practiced carpenters. But Six could forgive that, seeing as it was an instrumental tool of office.

Behind the huge bureau was a single padded chair, occupied by this General he had heard so much about. The bloodhound was decked in a dark crimson uniform with devotedly polished silver buttons and bright gold epaulets, something he had not seen worn in a long time. A hat was placed precisely atop the general’s head and not a single crease marred his uniform. Six hoped he placed the same amount of dedication into his job as his uniform. If this was true, he would have little problem with this Pepper.

“Ah, Fox, it is good to see you in person. And I see you’ve brought Six. I have heard a lot about you.” The hound’s voice was crinkled with age, but no less commanding as he gazed across the large room to the spartan.

Six felt that it would be courteous to salute. There was something about this Pepper, an air that demanded respect. Not many in ONI had been capable of holding it. Those that did, Six had gained high opinion of. They were the bulwark of humanity, and he their sword.

Six held a gauntlet up to the side of his helmet.

“General…”

“Ahh, a soldier to the core are you?” Pepper mused with a deep chuckle that reverberated through the room. “I remember those days, but I fear they are long since gone. Tell me, is all that I have heard about you true?”

Six lowered his gauntlet.

“It depends sir, what have you heard?”

“Quite a bit and enough to make me curious. Some would say you’re a liar, weaving fanciful stories.”

Six growled.

“But…” The General stalled with a raised paw. “You don’t seem like the sort to lie.”

“How can you tell that?” The spartan was genuinely curious.

“It’s in the way you carry yourself son.” The dog replied easily. “I have come across many liars in my days, and you don’t strike me as one of them. So, I’ll ask once more. Is this true? Are you really from a different universe?”

Six did not know how to feel about the dog calling him son, it filled him with an odd melancholy, but he quickly quelled such notions. “As far as I can tell, yes.”

Pepper hummed and leaned back into his chair.

“Interesting…tell me everything.”

For the second time, Six told his story, editing out the more personnel information he had shared with Krystal. The human covenant war, spartan program, years of endless bloodshed, the billions of lives lost, all but the most secret operations he undertook came to light. Six was further convinced that nothing he said here would endanger anything any longer. There was little to any chance that this information could be used in any meaningful or harmful way.

At the end he paused, letting the General muse.

After a few silent minutes the hound nodded.

“That is indeed one hell of a story. You’ve been through a lot son, more than I could possibly hope to imagine. Now I am even more curious. Why have you decided to help us? Why not just sit it all out?”

Six shrugged. “To be honest, Sir, I know no other life but war. It’s what I’m good at, what I’ve been raised for. Your cause seemed honorable enough for me to justify helping you.”

“Is that so?” Pepper chuckled. “Well then I’ll just say we’re lucky to have you son.” The general cleared his throat and gestured to the chairs in front of his desk. “I think I’ve kept you standing long enough, come have a seat. We still have much more to discuss.”

Fox took one of the proffered chairs easily, but Six refrained.

“Is there a problem son?”

“Not at all General, the chair won’t take my weight.”

“And how much is that?”

“In armor? Little more than half a ton.”

Fox whistled, clearly impressed. “That’s a lot of metal.”

“Indeed…”

“In that case, I’ll understand if you remain standing.” Pepper smiled. “Now, let’s get down to brass tacks. As you no doubt may have heard, Macbeth and Katina are almost won, it is Fortuna I am most concerned about.”

The General placed a paw on his desk and activated some sort of device, moments later a holographic image materialized above it and a shutter drew across the window, shrouding them in darkness. The image was of a mid-sized world, with a large number of ships hovering on opposite sides. “As of recently, the battle has stalled into a stalemate. We can’t risk further losses in orbit to push back their fleet and the venomians can’t reinforce their groundside forces with our own fleet in orbit as well. And with the heavy curtain of AA we can’t get troops or fighter support down there.”

Fox studied the map closely, murmuring to himself.

“That sure is a problem. You said you had a plan to get past this?”

Pepper nodded.

“Correct, Fox, but I’m afraid it is going to cost a lot of lives.” The canine maneuvered the image, focusing on one of the ships on the CDF side of the orbital blockade. “You no doubt recall the Honorbound?”

“That’s the ship you saved isn’t it, Six?”

The spartan nodded and the General continued.

“Then you should know the Honorbound has a detachment from the 48^th commando division, The Howling Wolves.”

Fox looked impressed. “A whole unit?”

“Indeed, the only way I can see to break the siege is if we send them down in dropships, and have an escort of fighters to attract most of the AA fire.”

“That sounds pretty dangerous sir.” The vulpine frowned.

“Very much so, as I said, this is going to require some losses.”

Six frowned, something about this plan seemed off, but he could not quite place it yet.

“What’s the target?”

“The target…” Pepper began. “…is an installation on the western hemisphere somewhere in quadrant D. A recon team from the CIB spotted the venomians erecting the base during the first hours of the invasion. It is our belief that is what controls the AA layer covering the planet. There has to be a reactor to power all of those guns and this is the only compound large enough to accommodate one of sufficient size. So the plan is to get the team of commandos down there and disable their Anti-Aircraft capabilities. With those gone, we can send in reinforcements and turn the tide in our favor.”

“I hate to be the voice of doubt sir, but what happens if we lose one of the dropships?” Fox enquired. “I mean there will only be a couple to begin with, and they’ll need everyone they can get to take out that base.”

Pepper sighed. “We’ll just have to pray they all get through.”

That was it. That was what was missing from this. Six stepped forwards and studied the holo map in greater detail, turning to Pepper.

“Do your people not possess drop pod technology?” What had been nagging him was the method of deployment. There was little to no chance those ships could slip past a planet-wide defense array. On the other hand, a wave of drop pods would have little trouble, at the very least reducing casualties by a large margin.

“Drop pods?” Pepper muttered in consternation. “What are you talking about?”

“SOEIVs, Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicles.” Six elaborated, gesturing towards the map. “With the pods you would be able to get your soldiers down to the surface with minimal casualties, possibly even undetected.”

The General harrumphed skeptically. “I have never heard of such technology.”

“The UNSC employs it all the time to slip past covenant armadas and extract VIPs, among other reasons.”

“We do not possess such means.” Pepper muttered thoughtfully. “However, I have heard Dr. Beltino mentioning something very similar to what you are telling me. But he has not made any breakthroughs. And even if he did, it would take too much time to make enough for the assault. We have a limited timeframe of opportunity before Venom makes their move. Oikonny himself is said to be arriving shortly, once he’s there. I am certain the invasion will reach full swing.”

“If you can make such devices, you need only create one. I can take out the Installation.” Six affirmed confidently.

“You could not possibly do such a thing by yourself.” Pepper’s disbelief was evident.

“Such missions are what spartans were made for. I guarantee sir, if you can get me down there. I will knock out those guns for you.”

The General turned to Fox.

“What do you think on this plan, of these…drop pods?”

Six turned to Fox, waiting to see what his input would be. The vulpine’s decision could make or break this plan.

Fox showed little hesitation.

“If Six says he can take those guns out, I believe he can, sir. In fact I can guarantee it!” The vulpine grinned positively.

“Then it is settled.” Pepper clasped his paws together and rested them upon his impressive desk. “I’ll talk with Beltino later today and have him and his assistants start right away on creating one of these drop pods. With his full attention on the project and the stakes at hand, I believe he should be done in a matter of days. Until then, Six…”

The spartan turned to the General.

“I suggest you spend some time here on Corneria. If this world is indeed identical to yours, there are without a doubt some places you wish to see, I’d imagine.”

The spartan nodded and watched as the bloodhound rose from his seat, walking around his huge desk and holding out his paw.

“Thank you, Six. I understand this must be difficult for you to work with us, and I want you to know I appreciate your efforts. Fox was right about you.”

The spartan hesitantly accepted the aged canine’s paw, wondering why the people of this universe were so fixed on shaking hands with each other, but also surprised to hear what he did about Fox.

“It’s what I’ve been bred to do.”

“Yes…you’ve told me as much.” Pepper nodded, chuckling. “But I think there is a little more to it than that. Now then, you’re dismissed.”

Fox bid The General farewell and motioned for Six to follow him out.

The spartan complied and they walked out the office and down the corridor, Six staring at the vulpine’s back.

Once they entered the elevator, the spartan spoke what was on his mind.

“Thank you, Mccloud.”

“What for?” The vulpine wondered curiously as he looked to his towering companion.

“For having…faith, in me.” Fox was the first person he had met, to place any modicum of that treasured resource into him. There was an extensive difference between faith, and trust, it going farther than that simple word.

“Of course, that’s what friends do, Six. We put faith in each other.” Fox grinned up at him, the vulpine’s smirk no longer eliciting a negative reaction in him.

Instead Six grinned back, his expression hidden behind his mask but noticeable in his tone.

“So you have told me. Well then…Fox, what’s next on your to do list?”

At first it did not register what the spartan had called him, but when it did, the vulpine’s grin widened. But, not wanting to scare off this newly arisen side of Six, he didn’t give any bigger reaction than that.

“Well….I was going to visit someone. You can tag along if you want?”

Six shook his head. It was obvious that the vulpine would want to meet this person on his own, and the spartan appreciated the effort he was making. But something Pepper suggested had kindled his interest.

“I will have to decline. There is something I must do first.”

“Will you be fine on your own? Corneria Center is a big place, and you’ll no doubt attract a crowd wherever you go.”

Six chuckled. “I am no child, Fox. I’ll be fine. Besides, I’ve been here before, remember?”

The elevator opened and the pair stepped out, exiting the building and stopping at the steps.

“Right, well keep in contact and try not to hurt anyone. We cornerians are a curious bunch.” Fox ordered as he hailed another cab, climbing in and hanging on the door as he looked back. “Remember, not even the annoying ones!” He warned with a clawed digit, directed at the spartan accusingly.

“Yes, not even the annoying ones.” Six sighed good-humoredly.

The spartan watched as the vulpine zipped away inside the cab, smiling softly to himself. Perhaps there was hope yet…perhaps.

“Oh wow! Are you a robot?”

The spartan’s smile evaporated and he groaned silently.

That was if his patience could survive the next few hours.