Alliance - Epilogue

XxX----XxX----XxX

Official Supporters:

Fanatical Fucking Reader, ScrubLord Yoda

Obsessive Reader, the Lizard

Compulsive Reader, The Impossible Muffin

Adeptus Militaris, Wilger

Commissioner, Gib, Espa Cole, Death Daddy

If you want to be on the Supporter list, PM me for details or join our private server for details. Hope you enjoy reading my stories, please leave me a comment to let me know if you did, or where I can improve. Link here, where able to be seen : https://discord.gg/2UZncAm

Second link here, remove ( and ) and it SHOULD work : D(i)scord(.)gg(slash)kfhkfUb

I have a kofi account now, too, under this name for those interested.

Beta(s) :

XxX----XxX----XxX

"The anomaly is a disruption in space-time, similar to a Shaw-Fujikawa Slip-Space reaction. However, it is far more stable, and localised in a static orbit around both Sanghelios and planetary body reference R-1." Roland reported quietly, his voice echoing around the dimly lit quarters aboard the Infinity. "According to the records obtained from the Swords of Sanghelios as well as the data-bases according the Storm Covenant vessels which did join with them, there have been some historical instances of Covenant vessels going missing above Sanghelios."

"So it's possible they were going there?" Lasky asked, sitting at the edge of their bed for the very impromptu - and technically unofficial - briefing.

Which was highly illegal, per several articles of military behavior, but…

Well, Roland was a rule-breaker.

"Possible." He confirmed, nodding and rerunning his calculations. When they came back the same, he said, "But unlikely."

"Reason?"

"There were no Covenant races on Remnant, bar the situation regarding Reach and Spartan Jorge." Roland explained, "Nor any record of them. If they had been there, there should have been something."

"Yeah, there should have been…" Lasky sighed, and then nodded, "Alright. Moving on- Anomaly O?"

"Ozma. Ozpin." Roland frowned, and finished, "Oscar now, apparently. Very powerful, uh… Wizard. When he dies, his soul, for lack of a technical term, passes on into another person. Eventually, the souls merge, with Oz, presumably, in the elad. But the details…"

"We don't know."

"The Arbiter and his, uh, companions…" He paused for a moment, sighed, shrugged, and went on with a smirk he knew Lasky spotted, "They all had a falling out with the wizard when the genie came out of the lamp and spilled the beans on the fact they couldn't actually really kill his immortal ex-wife."

"...Did you have fun there?"

"A little." Roland admitted with a chuckle, "But it's accurate."

"ONI won't like a report like that…"

"I'll punch it up." He shrugged, "Play the words, make it sound technical enough for them to just take it and run."

"Good plan, Roland, good plan." Lasky sighed, then his brows furrowed and Roland could feel the obvious question coming - again - before he even said, "If a ship is technically your body, then-"

"That is not an experiment I want to run, Captain."

"But-"

"Captain," he cut the man off, "I will not take part in any experiments regarding that. And given how people on Remnant treat Aura, and how the Elites are treating it…"

"It's probably a bad plan. Yeah." Roland could see the disappointment written on the man's expression, and he sympathised. The idea of having his own, personal barrier to add to the Infinity's defenses? It was tempting.

Along with answering… A few questions.

But he was happy enough without broaching existential questions like that. And, more importantly, "We both know ONI might take it too far."

"Might?"

"Fair."

"Good God, how did this all get so complicated…"

"I think it's 'gods' actually."

"Don't get me started, Roland. Just… Don't." Lasky sighed, turned, and accepted the glass of whiskey from Palmer with a nod. The woman returned it and then moved back, standing silently at the head of his bed while he sipped his drink and thought. Finally he said, "Send the file to command, first."

"ONI wanted us-"

"I don't care, we don't fall under their command." He grunted as he stood, tossed back the rest of his drink and turned to Sarah, "Blue Team?"

"Running a training sim, for the fifteenth time this month, against Fireteams Crimson and August." Sarah responded with a sigh, "They started fifteen minutes ago, so… They'll probably be filing another deployment request to work with the Arbiter's forces."

"And visit family." Lasky sighed, then shrugged and said, "You know what? Grant it."

"Sir?"

"I'm sure there's something they can do." Lasky said as he turned to leave, "And besides, Spartans don't use most of the leave they earn. If they're going to ask, I'm going to give it to them."

"Alright, Sir." Roland chuckled, "I will coordinate some deployments for them, and then record their furlough. And Palmer-"

"I'll order some more whiskey on the next supply run." She sighed and added finally, "If I didn't know exactly why you were drinking so much, I'd be worried about you, Lasky."

"But since you do…"

"Let's just say you're ordering two bottles, Sir." She chuckled, "And we are taking the day off when they get here, too."

"Roland-"

"Supplies requested, and furlough filed." He chuckled as he ended his connection to the Captain's quarters and set to work finalising the report for central. And, of course, the update for ONI regarding the Black Son's performance.

Whether Lasky liked it or not, that did fall under ONI's control.

XxX----XxX----XxX

"Sector seven has been cleared, General." The heavy, deep bass of the voice reverberated around the command deck of his flagship, and Ironwood turned, hands clasped behind his back, to regard the silver-armored Elite. "We found little of use, I fear. But the rubble has been removed, and taken for repurposing."

"Good." He nodded and turned back to the holo-display, "Rest for the hour, then conclude your crews' shifts on sector twenty three."

"By your words."

Ironwood watched the large, lithe Elite take his leave, then sighed and turned back to the holo-display for a moment before he stepped around it and strode to the window at the fore of his command deck.

His ship was in a hih perimeter defence, circled lazily by clusters of sleek, silver Atlesian interceptors and the small, ruddy orange and violet Banshees that had come to lend their own support. Below them, the rest of his fleet circled around the fallen Kingdom, surrounded by their own protective fighters. A massive Sangheili cruiser, the Reliever of the Misguided, according to his Elite contacts, rested in the rubble-filled basin of Mantle's crater. It was massive, stretching from nearly one end of Mantle to the other at the tip of its tail.

Massive walkers, Scarabs he knew from more than just his Elite contact, moved around it, washing long, low-power lances of plasma across the frozen rubble to melt the ice and using the powerful fuel-rod cannons at the apex of their tall, curved backs to punch the larger slabs of concrete apart. Other Scarabs, with longer bodies and flat, partially roofed but unarmed, tops moved along behind them, unloading alien work crews made up almost exclusively of the diminutive Grunts that the former-Storm had sent along to help with reconstruction efforts.

With their help, much of the Crater had been cleared in just the month they had been here.

As much as he disliked how the Grunts appeared to be treated under their more zealotus masters, he couldn't deny their effectiveness…

Further out, beyond Mantle's mostly-ruined wall, the Covenant had set up field bases. Most were small outposts, with little more than barracks and equipment storage, but a few were larger, proper bases. Bases with processing facilities, pumping smoke into the air as salvaged metal was melted down and repurposed, and concrete was ground down into a fine, gravelly form to be used for roads. Just outside each base, regardless of size, was a tall purple pylon, capped by wide, circular watch-towers manned by heavy plasma cannons. Each tower served as an anchor point, projecting a long energy shield to the pylons to either side, enclosing the Kingdom in its protection and forcing attacks to come to the armed pylons, backed by their bases, if they wanted to bring the shield down.

An effective, brutal strategy, if he'd ever seen one.

"General, contacts North." One of his radio-men informed him, "The Sangheili there are reporting numerous Sabyrs as well as Centinels. The latter are bypassing the shield by burrowing."

"Are they requesting reinnforcements?"

"No, Sir."

"Of course not…" The Northern garrisons were mostly Storm forces, and prideful to an insane degree. They weren't the types to request, or appreciate, reinforcements. And as much as politics might like there to be less of the more fanatical Elites on Remnant…

"Order the Ardent Defence to provide air-support." He barked, "And dispatch the Ace-Ops to contain the Grimm who have already slipped away."

"Yes, General."

Fanatical they may have been, but they were still his soldiers, at least nominally, and he was loath to lose them to mere Grimm.

A thundering boom stole his attention and he turned, looking down on the city at a ballooning explosion that swallowed a nearby workc crew and their Scarab.

"Dust explosion!" An officer reported before he could even ask, "Apparently, a plasma cutter set off the explosion."

"How certain are we of that?"

"It's the explanation being reported on the ground." The officer reported, "The Elite says it's the most likely cause. He's ordering Unggoy to take lead on cutting crews for this very reason."

"Hmm…" This was the sixth time this had happened this month, and his paranoia was beginning to question it. After a moment, he ordered, "Continue the work, but I want security details on the ground. Send droids to sweep ahead of the Grunt cutting teams."

"Yes, General."

Accidents, they might have been, but he suspected something else…

But who would have been here, sabotaging them now? And for what purpose? With Salem's defeat, he couldn't think of anyone that benefitted from a weakened Atlesian recovery effort. Other than the other Kingdoms, of course. But this was a purely Atlesian effort, aside from the Covenant that had come to help.

XxX----XxX----XxX

"The audacity!" Jul M'Dama bellowed, stalking from one end of his command ship's bridge to the other, eyes locked on the bowed head of one of the Elites that had come back from Sanghelios. Turning, he loomed over him and growled lowly, "To return without my fleet. Without my army!"

"Much of it defected-"

"And you all let them live!"

"They outnumbered us!" The Elite argued, "Red-Eye held sway over the ship-masters! What could we do in the face of-"

"You could have died with honor intact!" The glow of his energy sword lit up the other Sangheili's face, and Jul forced his gaze up with it, until the other Elite was looking up at him. The plasma glinted in his wide eyes, but the Elite only had eyes for Jul. Glinting, hard, fury-filled and defiant eyes. After a moment, Jul silenced his blade and hummed, "There is steel in you yet, coward."

"I and my fellows withdrew for sensibility. For the journey the gods have laid before us." The Elite growled, bowing his head nonce more, "Not for cowardice."

"Indeed." He sighed and turned his back on the warrior, "You are dismissed."

Once the Elite had risen and gone, another voice murmured in his ear, "Perhaps you were too hasty with your anger."

"I was not, else he would be being dragged out in two pieces. Instead, he walks out under his own power." He turned just enough to catch the hazy shimmer of active-camouflage and growled, "And I have barred your skulking, "Ara'Kan."

"That you have, Warmaster, that you have." The blade-master chuckled as the camouflage fell. Underneath it, he was barely armored, with only the plates on his shoulders, hips, and a small coif all used to project his invisibility. Beyond that, he wore simple, fitted cloth wrappings and carried only his sword. The old warrior cocked his head and asked, "You have read my findings?"

"Yes." He nodded and turned back to watch his men work their consoles, "Red-Eye and his foolish followers were doubtless deceived."

"By the Arbiter?" Ara'Kan asked, "Or by the Humans?"

"Does it matter?"

"No, I suppose it does not." The old Elite chuckled, "What shall we do, then?"

"We need more warriors, and more power." Jul rumbled simply, "But most of all, we need a sign…"

"We have better than a sign." The blade-master rumbled, stepping to his side and adding, quietly, "We have the gods. And through them, we have all things. Do we not?"

"You are right." He nodded and turned, raising his voice, "Take us to Anoic. We will gather our strength there, and return to Sanghelios. With all of our might in tow!"

His crew roared their approval, but Jul fell silent in the wake of his proclamation. As he fell into his seat, the Elites got to work, and he sighed wearily. In truth, what Red-Eye had told and shown him was disturbing…

But he had been tricked once by false Prophets.

And he would gut himself before he allowed the Arbiter, of all, to do it to him.

XxX----XxX----XxX

Jaune knelt as the Beowolf leapt and caught it on his shield as Nora came down beside him, cackling and spinning on a heel. The head of Maghnild came around, caught a Creep coming for her, and crushed both against Jaune's Gravity Dust enhanced anvil. He grunted lowly and slid back across the muddy ground even with his new, advanced shield anchoring him down. His boots left long tracks in the mud, and his arm stung from the tremor Nora sent through his shield and into him.

But good lord, it put the Grimm down fast…

Another Beowolf came in from his flank before long bursts of fire carved into its flank and it toppled, spilling end over end and spewing black smoke as it went.

"I don't see anything!" Jaune called out as he stood and turned, raising his arm to block out the rain. "Ren? Nora?"

"Nope!" The bubbly, scarred girl said, resting Magnhild across her powerful shoulders and turning to face him. When the head came swinging close, Jaune had to duck, and she giggled, "Sorry, Boss!"

"That's twice now, Nora." Ren sighed as he came up to them, dark brown cloak hanging loosely around him and hood tucked low to protect him from the rain. "Three times is a pattern."

"Hey, what are you suggestion', Renny?"

"Only that you want to-"

Thunder split the air and cut the man off with a bright flash of light, and they all turned as the small figure emerged from the rain. Sighing, Jaune paid them a nod and asked, "You took care of the Nevermore then?"

"I did, yes." Oz - Jaune refused to call him Oscar - said as he joined them, smiling pleasantly and leaning on his cane. "Both of them, in fact. A sad shame the Elites are so focused on rebuilding Atlas, or perhaps Vale would have far fewer of them."

"Pretty sure Vale has its own warship…"

"And yet, we have Nevermore." Oz sighed, smiling playfully all the while, "How very odd."

"Let's just get back to Beacon and report to Goodwitch." Jaune growled and turned his back on the man, "I want out of this rain."

"It wasn't my choice, Mister Arc." Oz called after him, and Jaune was more than aware of Nora stepping to his side, and the hand she laid on his shoulder. Soft reassurance, with Ren no doubt waiting in the wings if he snapped - as much to protect Oz as to keep more Grimm from being lured in. "You know I'm not to blame."

"Yeah." Jaune grunted, "But that doesn't make it better."

"I suppose it does not…" Oz sighed, "All I can do is apologise. And thank you again, for helping me build what I once had."

"I'm doing what Oscar would have wanted, so don't thank me. Now come on, Juniper." He shrugged Nora's hand off, "We have a cover story to keep up, and probably clean-up detail tomorrow."

"I hate clean-up detail…"

"We know, Nora." Ren sighed, chuckling amusedly, "We know."

XxX----XxX----XxX

Tai Yang hummed as he worked the stove, frying up some fresh rice and sliced sausage for his girls. They were some of the best on the island, all beef and spiced just right, and he knew they both loved rice and beef sausage. A plate of cookies were already cooling on the table, too, along with a box of strawberries he'd bought from a farmer on the other side of the little island just that morning. And hell, he'd hit the fishermen up and bought a fresh sea-bass for Yang's little girlfriend, too.

Cat Faunus had to love fish, right?

Or… Was it racist to assume that?

"Shit." He grunted, "Maybe that was a bad play…"

Before he could think about it, he heard a strange sort of… Echoing whumping sound that reverberated through the air and the wood of his house. He looked up at the ceiling, and then out the kitchen window, for the source. But after a few moments, the noise receded on its own. And he was just left standing there in his pnk 'Best Dad' apron, staring at the forest outside his window in confusion.

"What the f-"

"Dad!" He heard Ruby call as the door opened, "We're home! I brought friends!"

"We brought friends, you mean, brat."

"Qrow?" His brows furrowed and he gnawed on his lip, but he let it go. Arguments could wait for later - for now, his girls were home, with friends in tow. Raising his voice he said, "I'm finishing up dinner! You girls can set the table, right?"

"Wow, old man, first day back and already giving us chores?"

"Be nice, Yang." He heard another, unfamiliar voice murmur quietly. "We want to make a good impression."

"Yeah, yeah." Yang sighed, talking quietly, but not quite quietly enough for him to miss out on it. "Look, babe, you're not whacked in the head, and you can't put a baby in me. So relax."

"I feel like there's more than that to worry me?"

"Ah, you must be Blake." He smiled and turned, flicking a look up and down the Faunus appraisingly.

Yang was wearing combat clothes as always, but that was normal. She rarely wore anything else unless it was cover-alls so she could work on Bumblebee. Her partner, though, was dressed in a long, dark yukata edged in a bright gold-yellow that had to be formal. Or meant to match Yang.

Either way - it was an adorable gesture, and she looked terrified as Yang handed down their nice plates.

"So," Tai grunted, turning back to his food now his curiosity was sated, "where's your bike?"

"Uh…" Yang at least had the good sense to sond sheepish, "It's… in the ocean?"

"It's…" Tai paused, set his stirring spoon down, and turned to her, displeasure written across his face and arms folded. "Why is your very expensive sport bike in the ocean, Yang?"

"U-Uh…."

"She threw it at my psychotic ex to save my life." Blake offered breezily, carrying a whole stack of plates with her eye slocked dead on them. Sh must have felt his eyes on her because she blinked and turned to him, "It worked, if that helps?"

"I… Suppose it will have to." He sighed, "But I'm not buying you another."

"That won't be a problem…"

"And you haven't introduced us yet, either." Tai grunted when Yang made to follow the dark-haired woman.

"Ah, right…" The blonde turned and bopped he rhip into the woman, which made her stumble and swear while the dishes in her arms clinked quietly. "This is Blake, my new GF-"

"Can we use actual words, please?"

"-and official princess-"

"I'm really not a princess, damn it."

"-of Menagerie." She finished, beaming and adding, "We kinda sorta saved the world together."

"Did you now?" He smirked, "And when did this happen?"

"Uh…" She blinked, "Haven't you seen the news?"

"No?" He shrugged, "Vale's CCT is still down, and Patch is isolated. I haven't heard much of anything at all, actually. In know Goodwitch is making a strong effort to get Vale and Beacon back in shape, but…"

"Huh." Yang blinkked, "We got rid of Salem."

"You…." He blinked, slowly, then raised his voice and bellowed, "Qrow fucking Branwen!"

"Tai fucking Yang!" The man called back as he stormed into the kitchen, brows knit in a deep furrow. "The fuck do you want? Not cooking help, I hope."

"God no." He'd just burn everything, and light the house on fire. All without his Semblance, too - he was just useless in the kitchen. He pointed a long finger at Yang and grunted, "She just said you all beat Salem?"

"Ah." Qrow blinked, smirked, and tucked his hands into his pockets, "Yeah. Bombed her ass into another world. Literally, probably."

"Fucking," he threw his hands up in the air, "how?!"

"Kinda complicated, but, uh…" Qrow cleared his throat and turned, "Thel fucking Vadam! C'mere!"

"I do not think such words necessary." He heard the single deepest voice that had ever graced his ears absolutely rumble from the other room. Then, after a moment, a great, tall… Thing he couldn't describe, really, stepped through the door decked out in dull bronze armor. He loomed into the room and made space for the girls to slip by with the dishes. "What do you need? Not cooking aid, I hope."

"Why does everyone keep asking that?!"

"A visual instrument." Qrow grunted, "What you got here, Tai, is a genuine alien. Space tech and all. Used some o' that tech to bomb Salem's pale ass right off of Remnant. Don't know where she is, or care. But she isn't here."

"Huh…" Tai blinked, then turned, pursed his lips, and asked, "Please tell me you aren't dating one of my daughters too."

"What the hell, Tai?!"

"Good gods, no." The large alien, Thel Vadam, rumbled with a deep, bassy laugh. "No, her… Mate is in the social room, with her on the couch. I believe the term is 'snuggling'?"

"Snuggling on the- With my-" Tai scowled, "Not on my damn watch. Qrow, watch the burner and stir the rice."

"But-"

"It's just simmering down, Qrow." Tai snapped, "You light that on fire, I'll serve you for dinner. Ruby! Other person what better not be a boy! Hands where I can see 'em!"

"Daaaad!"

"Hello, mister Ruby's Father, I am Penny and you can rest assured I am not copulation capable at this time!"

"At this time?!" Qrow heard two voices squawk at once as he and Thel loomed over the rice.

Quietly, Qrow offered, "Told ya we wouldn't go ten minutes without him henning out."

"Indeed you did." Thel rumbled, sniffing the air loudly, "I smell… Fish."

XxX----XxX----XxX

"Calm down, kid." Hazel grunted, holding the small girl against his chest while she sobbed and the wind howled. "I know it's hard, still, but…"

"She was all I had…" Emerald sobbed, nails digging into his skin. "Her and M-Merc, both just… Gone! W-What am I supposed to do now?"

"Find a goal." He grunted, "And work towards it. Doesn't matter what it is."

"All I want is payback!" She snarled, her words punctuated by a flash of bright lightning, "How am I supposed to get that?! Half of them aren't even on Remnant most of the time!"

"We need a space ship."

"How are we supposed to-"

"Think, child, think!" He barked, yanking her up and meeting her red eyes with his own. She blinked and the winds calmed, "The Relic can create anything. We just need to get to it, and get plans for one of those ships. We do that, and we can do the rest."

"You make it sound easy…"

"It won't be." He shook his head and sat her down on the dirt floor of their little cave. "But together, we'll get back to Mantle and from there… Well, we'll manage."

"T-Together…?"

"Yeah, kid." He nodded, "We're all we've got, now. I'm not going to abandon you."

She didn't say anything. All she did, in fact, was roll over onto her side and curl up into a ball. But the wind outside died down, and the rain eased. Which he took as her agreement.

XxX----XxX----XxX

A quick point of clarification - Spartan Ops, ala Halo 4, didn't happen in this. Therefore Halsey was never captured by Jul. I couldn't think of an organic way to state that, lol.

From threats to come in the next story to reconstruction, and simple rest for a handful that have definitely earned it. A quiet end to a long, winding road. But only to one road. Others wait to be travelled. Hope you all look forward to it, and I've been honored to have you.

Stay Twisted.

XxX----XxX----XxX

IZUY303 :

Write what you like, friend. It's a lot of good speculation. Speculation I won't touch on, for spoiler reasons as much as 'I haven't actually planned it', but still. Thanks for reading.

The Fish king :

*quietly hiding all sequel plans under the rug* Uh, who, uh, whose Cortana?

Smokey Panda :

I couldn't NOT have R'tas do his speech, lol.

Forerunner Thinking Review (Guest) :

I shan't elucidate on what the Gods are. Such would be spoilers. I WILL state that I KNOW what they are, though.

The Right Price :

Atlas' soul transfer machine kills the giver, but does so without maintaining their identity according to all data we have. Which is… Like, one, but still. All convos have implied heavily the person would die. And such would complicate things. So, neat concept, but I won't be touching that.

I also personally think Remnant's prosthetics are better than UNSC standard. Even Kat, a Spartan, had worse prosthetics than Yang. if only by virtue of Yang's also being a literal gun.

Khajiit of Lordran :

Jinn is in the Relic, still. Only now she has no Questions, so her light is dim.

As for what the gods are, as stated before, that secret is staying tucked into this one's vest for now.

This one is happy to have entertained you for so long, and hopes you return for future jaunts.

Dragon Lord Draco :

The sequel, when it occurs, will have plenty of that! Don't you worry!