Chapter 15: Another Way
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*Captain America walks in and sits down on a chair, smiling gingerly*
So, you forgot how Spartans treat their first names and did a whoopsie-
In all seriousness, my bad there. I already drafted out the next chapter, though, and don't wanna re-draft for that so… *shrugs weakly* Just a whoopsie Imma leave, I guess.
Sorry.
Also, wrote this with a fever, so sorry if it starts rough.
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"We're landing." Their Spartan pilot warned them nearly two hours later, as the sounds of battle began to trickle off into distant skirmishes. "Friendly forces on the ground and in the air have the situation well under control, apparently. And we need to conserve our remaining fuel to burn back to the Black Sun anyway, so we're being ordered down."
"W-Wait, you're leaving?" Ruby turned to him, eyes widening in sudden surprise and, heart warmingly enough, worry. She blinked, though, and then sighed, shrugging and turning to look away from him, around the cabin, "I mean, I guess I knew you would sooner or later. But still… Snuck up on me."
"I… Suppose it did for me as well, yes." He rumbled, unsure for a long moment what to say with the dejected girl beside him. Then she sniffled, and he stammered, "B-But, well, you see, even if I were to leave I would have to return swiftly. To bring my people here, to aid your plighted world."
"I know." She nodded, giving him a warm, earnest smile, "And thank you so much for that, your people… They can save a lot of lives."
"Indeed they can." It would be glorious and, once word of magic and the Relics began to spread, possibly even bring a sense of unity to his people not seen since the Covenant. Hopefully minus the 'overbearing and genocidal religious cult' aspect, of course. "Regardless, I am afraid that you will have to put up with me for some time yet, young Rose."
"Really?"
"Of course." He nodded, cocking his head to the side playfully, "Who else will be the first among the Huntresses to fight alongside and speak for my people?"
"Why would your people need that…?"
"Because your own will nearly certainly fear them, after all." He answered simply, giving the woman beside him a far more sober look. Which, to his dislike, robbed her smile of some of his warmth even before he explained, "Your kind hate each other for as mild differences as a tail or a horn. Mine are far different than this, and wield power like this world has never seen before. Once they realize what we can do…"
"Yeah. Space aliens with giant ships will… Probably be kinda scary to a lot of people." She sighed, nodding morosely. Rubbing the back of her neck with a groan, she forced a smile and a weak laugh, "You, uh, you might have better luck starting at Menagerie, honestly."
"Menagerie?" He blinked, confused for the briefest moment before he recalled it, "Ah. the Faunus homeland."
"Do not say that in front of Blake, but…" She grimaced and shrugged, still massaging her probably sore shoulder, "But yeah, pretty much, at this point. I-I mean not really, 'cus of stuff, but, like- Ugh, forget that part, okay? Dust and Brothers I'm bad at talking about that stuff..."
"Of course." He nodded, fighting to suppress the little chuckle that bubbled between his mandibles. She heard it, of course, and turned a little glare on him for it. Chuckling more he rested an elbow on a knee and his head in the palm of his hand, considering her words, "Starting with the Faunus… Appeals, I suppose."
"Really?"
"The Covenant, for all its faults, was multi-racial and understood how to organize and construct to accommodate those different to us." He answered simply, giving her a small, sidelong look as he thought and spoke, "The Unggoy, for example, do not breathe air as we do."
"They don't…?"
"Grunts breathe a complicated mix of gases mainly consisting of semi-pure methane." The piloting Demon interrupted, having apparently been listening to the conversation the entire time. "And Arbiter, the Chief wanted me to notify you, we… Don't actually have an active way back yet."
"What?" He blinked, "But you came here by ship-"
"When we land,�� Frederic interrupted, his voice crackling loudly over the dropship's internal speaker systems, "the Chief will decide where and when we go over the issue. He just didn't want you to get invested in shooting off right away when he knows that we can't. That's all."
"I see." Unfortunate news, but then, he couldn't deny the kindness the Spartan had shown in considering his feelings. Rescuing him per orders was one thing, considering how he felt on a matter was a wholly different one. "Thank you, De- Spartan, " he caught himself, "for the information."
"Yep." The man answered, "Landing in a minute, so be ready for the jolt, kid."
"Regardless," the Arbiter rumbled, using the moment they had to finish the conversation, "my people are most adept at engaging with other races with their own needs. The Unggoy are not even the race with the most complex or difficult physiology to accommodate for. So, perhaps, going to the Faunus first to establish a presence on this world has merit."
"Oh." She blinked, surprised for a moment and then beaming a smile. "Well, happy to help and, uh, I… I hope it works out for you, Mister Alien friend!" For a moment, the both of them paused, until he slowly cocked his head to the side and she flushed, "That sounded dumb, didn't it…?"
"The tiniest of fractions, my very small friend." He laughed, patting her shoulder with his great hand. The action drew a surprised, quiet little 'eep' from her and nearly shoving her out of her seat, drawing yet another laugh from him.
Then, the dropship shuddered as they landed and the exit ramp began to descend.
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Roland was… Well, let's just say less than pleased with the performance of the Black Sun's prototype super-light MAC installation.
"Okay, maybe that isn't fair." He chided himself as he continued listening in on the Spartan communications, running a ship-wide diagnostic of the Black Sun's systems now they'd gone through the firing and repowering sequence - ONI had included a directive for him to, after all, this being a prototype loadout and design - and passively scanning what he could see of Remnant. "The cannon itself did its job just fine."
It was the rest of the ship that had problems.
Firing a Mass Accelerator Cannon resulted in intense force being exerted on the ship for several hundred tons of obvious, ferrus-tungsten reasons. Unless the system was damaged in some way that altered the magnetic couplings and systems throughout, then the kinetic force would fire the projectile in a perfectly straight line out of the barrel of the weapon. Resultant force from the mass displacement would then propel the ship backwards, away from the so-called 'thrust' of the weapon.
Early models of the MAC had failed for that reason, destroying the frames built to fire them by shoving the weapon through them, hurling them out into space or simply blowing them apart.
The UNSC had quickly developed countermeasures for these gaps in the technology in two ways. Firstly, they designed their ships with reinforced sections around the spinal-mounted weapons to, rated to take the structural impact of firing it at all. Later versions would add kinetic stabilisers and more advanced technology, but this remained a staple for its simplicity and versatility. Since a ship built to withstand that could, typically, structurally withstand greater impacts that other designs.
Not to mention, the design philosophy had already become entrenched in UNSC design engineering, and Humans as a species loved routine. Even if it was only sometimes as something to break, like with the Black Sun itself.
Usually, along with aiming and firing control of the cannon itself, ship-board AIs were given a special override control command for their ship's reactor and thrusters. When the MAC fired the reactor would temporarily draw on other, less important systems and pour that energy into the thrusters. Then they would burn at exactly the same amount of force the MAC put out, calculated to the smallest decimal point by the AI themself.
He had those here too, of course, but that brought him to the real issue the ship faced.
The reactor wasn't powerful enough to charge the main cannon without drawing on almost every drop of power the Prowler's reactor could produce. It could charge to fire, but doing so pressed the reactor to its peak, and shut every system on-board down to do it. Only a couple systems remained online, all tied into the operation of the MAC itself and a single low-power terminal he had been forced to place most of his matrix into to operate the thing.
It was not a comfortable experience, frankly, but it functioned.
Barely, at least.
ONI's scientists had thought to at least re-engineer and install an upgraded reactor model, but the output had barely even been touched. Instead they'd prioritised systems to retain stability in the reactor and prevent catastrophic, more fiery overloads that reactor max-clocking could result in. Then they'd installed a relatively simple auxiliary system that retained less power than the average light which would automatically restart the engine if it was forced to shut off.
Or, well, when it would shut down, since the MAC always took it offline.
The whole process only took thirty seconds or so, but without the engines flaring to account - assuming those were strong enough to counter the MAC in the first place - his ship had been launched back from the shot. By the time all systems had come back online, the ship had drifted nearly twenty kilometers through empty space.
"At least I thought to make sure I had the room…" The ONI directives and regulations on the 'Cannon didn't mention doing it.
He added that failure to his long report of system updates, structural commendations - the hull was completely stable, surprisingly - electrical systems, and the weapon itself. He hated how well engineered the ship was, really, considering it was for ONI…
"Roland." The Master Chief spoke, broadcasting directly to the bridge and pulling the AI out of his musings and report making.
Or, well, pulling some of his attention out of it, the AI directing half of his processing power to a subroutine to finish it up while he answered, "Yes, Sir?"
"How is the Black Sun?" The Spartan asked quietly, "Effect on target from the cannon was good. Damage to the settlement nearby was minimal."
"All systems are green, Sir." He answered happily, glad that the field test had gone so well. "Systems powered down as a result of firing the main gun, even at less than full charge. But the drift was minimal and restart systems all activated as needed to recover in… Twenty eight point seven nine seconds, Sir."
"Impressive." The Spartan didn't sound very impressed, but hey, Spartans were odd ducks sometimes. Instead he asked, quietly, "Anything to report besides?"
"Negative, Sir." He answered, "Passive scans aren't showing anything of note that the Black Sun can detect, at least. Planet or space, same thing."
"A shame." The Spartan responded quietly, finally managing to emote a little if only to sound disappointed. "Anything of note about the planet?"
"Ii have identified a few hundred small settlements, villages mainly, scattered across the two largest continent. Further, I have ear-marked twenty-nine apparent se-based shipping ports, and the harbors they go to." Planetary trade was among the most important things to understand when getting involved with one, and sea trade was the most common one he'd detected thus far. "The northern continent seems to be under… Lockdown, though. Not sure why, yet."
"Atlas." The Spartan grunted quietly, explaining how he knew quickly, "Some soldiers here are from there. One mentioned 'rotating back up north' for a rest."
"Right." He catalogued the name away for future reference, "Details on the settlements in question vary, but… Nothing important that I can see."
"Understood." One-One-Seven grunted shortly. A quick check on the Black Sun's systems registered One-Zero-Four as above the Chief, so he understood why. Still, the man asked, "System scans?"
"So far?" Roland asked, a rhetorical question. "Nothing worth mentioning beyond the obvious, you know, number of planets and the like. With permission, and since we don't have anyone or anything trying to kill us right now, I'd like to work on figuring out more. We have plenty of drones, and this prowler has the software to run 'em, so I'd like to map the system out. Identify anything valuable."
"Granted." The man grunted, "I'll leave it to you. But stay in orbit over Argus, in case we need support or extraction."
"Aye, Sir." He smiled, already prepping a quartet of mapping probes and cracking his proverbial knuckles. "I'll be on call when you call."
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They were directed to a moderately large, heavily repurposed plaza near the center of town. Standing on the lowered ramp while the Spartan brought them down carefully, he looked down on the plaza with a deep grimace.
The plaza's fountain, the statue in it having been destroyed in the fighting, had been shut off and drained, then filled to the brim with white and grey crates from the military bases. More Atlesian crates, many of them dented, burned or otherwise damaged, had been stacked around it and then out in long, thick pseudo-walls that marked out the landing areas loosely. Machines and soldiers, some sporting bloodied bandages but still moving, came and went from the piles for whatever they needed, ferrying the goods out of his sight.
The buildings around the plaza had not been spared either, smashed out, burned and broken in innumerable ways. Heavy, off-grey burlap and canvas tarping covered the grisly brick and stone wounds the same way the bandages obscured the soldier's. That is, barely, but enough that they were serviceable, seemingly having been appropriated into aid stations, storage locations and everything else the people needed to begin the process of rebuilding.
The city had fared little better, smoke trailing out from the city around him as his eye trailed along it.
"Hey." A small hand on his arm caught his attention, the Sangheili turning a look on the Huntress beside him. She smiled softly, cocking her head to the side, and asked, "You okay?"
"I'm quite-"
"Don't lie to me." She chided, silver eyes suddenly like steel, boring up and into him challengingly. Softly, she added, "We're friends, Thel. Trust me."
"I…" He sighed, shaking his head and watching the drones below clear a path for their ship. "This is all too familiar for my liking, Ruby. How many died here? How many have lost all they knew? How many people? Children? And how different was I to these beasts, when I descended upon world after world as they do?"
"Thel, no person is as bad as a Grimm." She said simply, taking a breath and letting it out slowly. "I've been thinking more and more about you. How you fight. What you've done."
"Oh?"
"Yeah," she nodded when he looked and asked, quietly, "and know what I decided?"
"What?"
"You're… A monster, Thel." He stiffened and she turned to him, smiling more softly up at him, "But you're not a monster. You weren't born to kill and destroy, like the Grimm, you were made to. Trained to obey, without question or-or hesitation, and then used."
"I see…"
"Yeah." She leaned down to meet his eyes and raised an eyebrow, smiling, "Know what else I think, though?"
"Hm?"
"I think that monsters can be the best heroes." She answered simply, as the ship shuddered to a final landing. She didn't pay that any mind, though, finishing her thought, "I used to watch movies and play games when I was little. And a character said something to me once. He was a monster, too. Like, even by his own standards."
"What was it?" He asked, turning to face her fully.
"The words were 'What is better? To be born good, or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?'" He blinked at the words and she smiled widely, adding, "Big ol' dragon said it in a game I liked, and… You make me think of it."
"I see." He murmured, tasting the words and nodding for how they felt in his head and his heart. Hearing the Spartan emerge from the cockpit he smiled, offering a last, final, "I think I understand your words, little one."
"Good, because-"
"Ruby!" The girl turned and he turned with her as the blonde jogged up, notably alone and covered in grime and filth, but beaming widely with her arms spread wide.
"Yang!" Having rested from their fighting, Ruby burst into petals and rocketed away as the Spartan pilot reached them, materializing to slam into her blonde sister. Tired, the blonde woman collapsed under her weight, the younger woman cuddling into her happily and screaming loudly enough he could hear it across the couple yards she'd crossed, "Ohmygoshit'ssogoodtoseeyouYangwekilledthebigmonsterdidyouseethatexplosionfromspace?"
"D-Did she just turn into-"
"You grow accustomed to it, Spartan." The Arbiter laughed, cutting the man off and turning to lay a hand on his shoulder. He felt the soldier stiffen uncomfortably at the touch and sighed. Once more back to the norm… Dropping the arm he explained, "This world is quite unlike your own. Its people even moreso."
"He did what?!" He heard Yang scream in shock, turning as Ruby dragged the blonde towards them, the rest of the Hunters trailing along tiredly behind them. Wide-eyed, yang asked, "You blocked the Leviathan's fire breath with your hands?!"
"I…" He gave the tired, wide-eyed young warriors a slow once over, shifted uncomfortably on the spot and then turned to the Spartan. "W-Where are your fellows, Spartan?"
"Three minutes away." The man answered quietly, arms folded over his armored chest. "You did what?"
"I'd rather wait until the Master Chief is-"
"He's listening." The man cut him off, reaching up to tap a finger against his helmet simply. "So go on."
"Very well." He sighed, turning to the children and taking a deep breath. Gesturing at Ruby he started, "When her Silver Eyes failed to entirely petrify the Leviathan-"
"I'm sorry failed to what?"
"-we panicked. We were wounded, exhausted, and trapped in its gaze." He finished, turning a laugh on the Spartan at the man's expense. More soberly, and quietly, he went on, "Its mouth was frothing with fire, and we could not escape in time. I grabbed her to shield her in the vain hope the gods would spare her and… Instinct took over."
"He raised his hands like this." Ruby explained for them all, putting her hands up like she was casting a spell, wrists nearly touching and fingers splayed wide. "The fire just sort of… Stopped. Parted. Like it had run smack! Into a wall it couldn't burn through."
"You have a Semblance?" Nora laughed, shaking her head and pushing Jaune forward when he only shrugged. "Check, Jaune-Jaune!"
"Only if the Arbiter is fine with it." The blonde chided as the others let him by, turning an apologetic smile on the Arbiter and then cocking his head and holding a hand out in a clear question.
Anxious but resigned, Nora would never let it die now it was in her head, he took the young knight's hand.
The sensation was… Quite unlike anything he'd ever felt before. Cold, but bolstering, as if the chill breeze itself was a great bounty. To eat and rest on, gathering his strength back to him quickly. Sore limbs and bruises suddenly ceased to ache, a cracked rib he had been ignoring for hours suddenly sliding into place in his chest and forcing the breath out of him in a heady rush.
Then, the sensation was gone, and Jaune was smiling, "I felt it! You have your Aura. When did that happen?"
"I do not know." He murmured, dropping the hand and thinking. Then, he blinked and offered, tentatively, "At the school."
"The one that was bombed?" Weiss asked, hair falling loose now, her tiara held in a hand and letting the long locks fall around her shoulder.
"Indeed." he turned a self-conscious eye on the patient, confused, but listening Spartan beside him and then on the cluster of battle-weary warriors. Quietly, he explained, "There was a hole, dug out in the rubble. Children trapped behind something heavy. They called for equipment, to cut and free them. I volunteered the Prophet's Bane instead."
"It was hot, sweltering even, but I cut them free as I offered." He went on, the children and the soldier listening intently, "Once I had, the rubble began to… Shift. For fear, I grabbed the beam I had cut and began trying to lift it and the rubble laying atop whatever was connected to it. Only… It was too much. I could not lift it."
"But you did." Blake offered tiredly, ears flicking anxiously at all the sounds around them, "You told us you did."
"And I did." He nodded, holding up his hands and looking at them as if they would help him explain. "I was losing it, the weight was too much, but then… I felt these little hands on my own, clinging to me. Pushing it up and- I felt strong."
"In our greatest hour of need, our Auras, even our Semblances, can awaken on their own. To save us, when we need it most." Ren commented quietly, Nora giving him a look and taking his hand at the words. Smiling, the grimy, sage man nodded his head at him, "Yours came to save another, though. Not yourself."
"It says a lot about you." Ruby added, "And all of it's good, too."
"Indeed," he nodded, "I suppose that… Is true."
That was when the other Spartans decided to arrive, though, rounding a far stack of crates and striding through the semi-crowded plaza. The soldiers and droids parted for them but most didn't pay them any mind. Which, he was willing to wager, was quite odd for the Human warriors. None seemed to mind, though, gazes ahead and weapons in their hands as they moved to join them.
"Spartans." He greeted as they reached them, stepping through his crowd of younger friends to meet his older one. "How went the fight at the gate, then? Your armor is so clean, I hope these beasts were enough to entertain you."
"They weren't a problem." The Spartan answered unsurely, giving Frederic a look and then turning back to the Arbiter after a moment. "It… Sounds like there's a lot for us to go over, Arbiter. I need to brief you on the situation in orbit and you-"
"Need to brief you on the situation here, on Remnant." He nodded, understanding the man's desire easily. The Spartan returned it but, before he could speak, the Arbiter did so, "There is much to cover, Spartan. Foremost among the topics, I have sword my sword to the fight these children pursue."
"Sworn your sword?" The Spartan repeated, testing the words and the concept to make she he understood both right. When Thel nodded, the Spartan did as well, "Very well. What kind of fight? To protect the city? I'm willing to dedicate the Black Sun's support to it until it's secure."
"No, nothing so… Base as protecting one city." He turned a look left and then right, looking for those who might be listening, and then returned his gaze to the Spartan. At the gravity in his wariness and the way he spoke, the Spartan tensed, anxiety showing in his straighter stature and ever so slightly inclined head. "Theirs is a fight for the survival of their races, Spartan."
The four large Humans shifted at that, if only just. The markswoman pulled her rifle closer, while the other woman tapped the side of her heavy shotgun, checking its ammunition. He could not see Frederic behind him, but the Demon gave him a more level look. Thinking and evaluating, in a way he'd done several times before. On Earth, then the Ark, and everywhere in between the two.
"I see." He finally spoke, voice low, "Our job is to protect you, Arbiter, and get you back to Sanghelios. Your people need you."
"I am sure." Left unsaid, he knew, was that the UNSC also needed him. To keep the Swords of Sanghelios on the path, and not splintering apart. The Elites turning against the Humans was something he knew they were more than simply terrified of. To that end, he offered, "Once you have heard all my friends and I know, you… Will understand that this planet will bring my people unity."
"You're certain?"
"Ask it, and I shall bet my life on it." He offered gravely, raising the Bane meaningfully between them. "If the truth of this world cannot unite my people, I will fall upon this blade in shame."
"What?!" Ruby squawked, flashing between them and glaring up at him, "You are not allowed to promise that!" Her form suddenly deteriorated into flowing red petals and then she reappeared, pointing a finger up, in the Spartan's visor, "And you aren't allowed to ask him to."
"I… Won't…" The Spartan blinked, looking from her to Thel and asking, "That's a Semblance, right?"
"Speak to her, not to me, Spartan." He laughed, lowering the Bane and adding, "For now, though, we ought retire. Or make to, at least. We can speak more about all these things aboard your ship, if you will allow it."
"I suppose." The Chief nodded, looking them over and seeming to almost sigh. He didn't, of course, but the Arbiter could imagine it from the way he adjusted his rifle and turned back to him. "We can go, then, if you're-"
"Uh…?" Jaune raised his hand, pushing between each of his friends and then in front of the Spartan.
"Yes, Mister...?"
"Arc." He answered, "Uh, Jaune Arc, that is." Scratching the back of his head he thought for a moment and then pointed out, shrugging and letting his arms droop to his sides, "We, uh, kinda went to fight without one of us. And left our stuff at my sister's place. And, uh, she'll kill me if I just up and leave, so…"
"We'll go get our stuff and say bye to everyone, then." Ruby nodded, giving the Arbiter a look. He nodded and she turned to the Spartans, straight faced and ignorant of whatever judgement they were offering her. "You guys can stay here and wait. Maybe an hour? You can help with clean-up and we'll be right back."
"Clean-up…?" The shotgun wielder murmured, giving the Arbiter a look that screamed 'is she serious?
"If that is what she wishes then-"
"Mister Scalyface?" He blinked and turned, looking down on a tiny girl that barely reached past his knees. She was dirty, her hair cut short to her shoulders, and she held a bear tight to her chest in spite of its missing ear. "I-I can't find my daddy. He was here a few minutes ago b-but I can't… I can't…"
"Shh, little one." He rumbled, kneeling down and laying a hand on her head. Now he could get a better look at her, he recognized her, asking, "You… Are the little girl from the school, aren't you?"
"Mhm." She nodded, looking at the Hunters and the Spartans anxiously. Suddenly, she pulled away, murmuring, "I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have bothered you, y-you're with the Hunters."
"Nonsense, youngling, we were simply… Catching up, before we parted for some rest." He rumbled, plucking her from the ground and tucking her against his chest. It was dirty, but so was she and she didn't seem to mind, curling up along the length of his arm and letting him hold her. To Ruby, he murmured, "Tell little Adiran and the women I bid them well, but that I was busy."
"Got it, Mister Scalyface." He grimaced but she only laughed, moving on without paying them any more mind and with her team in tow.
"Arbiter-"
"I have a child's parent to find, Spartan." He interrupted him, turning to his old friend with a small smile. "We shall speak in a time. For now, I wish for you to know that those children are people who I have fought and bled beside. Grant them the chance, and they will earn your respect."
"I…" The Demon paused to consider him and then sighed, holstering his weapon on his back and turning to his team. "Stow your weapons and assist with the work here, for now. I'll help the Arbiter find the girl's father."
"Yes, Sir." They both answered, moving to do as he ordered without any complaints.
"Thank you, Spartan." The soldier only nodded and he turned, speaking to the little girl quietly. "Can you show me where you left your father, young one?"
"Mhm." She nodded, pointing across the way at a building marked for triage. "He told me to wait righ' there for a minute. But s'been an hour, so… I-I… He went to get me food, b-but the monsters-"
"Are gone, little one." He rumbled soothingly, "Beginning to make his way towards the building she'd pointed at and adding, cheerily, "Shall I tell you a story while we look, little one?"
"A story?"
"Indeed." He answered quietly, "About… About the Monster and the Flower. Have you heard this one?"
"Nope."
"Good." He'd only just made it up after all. "Then I shall tell you a new story, and you may tell your friends." She nodded, and he began, "So, the Monster woke up, all alone in a mysterious wood…"
While they looked for the girl's father, he knew that his old friend was listening intently. And through him, most likely, his fellows. Which would make things all the more convenient for him, really. He did so hate having to tell the same story twice...
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Gamer Droid 56 :
I responded to your first critique in the starting AN.
To the second, they were actually fairly far from Argus when it struck. A light MAC battery round, from my research, sends collateral shockwaves up to a mile away, with major - building destroying kinds - ending at half that, especially if there is dense blockages to obstruct them.
I didn't specify how far they were exactly for the express purpose of letting that be wibbly wobbly.
Smokey Panda :
So.
Did you figure it out?
Doctor Snake Eater :
XD
Combine 117 :
Glad you enjoyed it~!
CT7567Rules :
I intend to show off the Black Sun and the UNSC's power to varying extents, yes, for a reason I will save for later. However, bare in mind that everything they have is limited. X amount of rounds, power for their ship, etc.
Also, I like Weiss having that moment, personally.
Falloutman111 :
I went and read that when you mentioned it, and it won't go that way for various reasons. For one, the Black Sun has its Drive. And, theoretically at least, a way back to Sanghelios.
I do plan to ape that story a bit, but that won't happen until/unless I do the Halow Wars story idea I have.
Razmire :
*eyebrow wiggling*
Tank Beats Everything :
I addressed the Spartan thing above. But, on this being underrated… Thel isn't a particularly favored main character for various reasons. Knew it goin' in. *shrugs*
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