AN: It's finally done, I hope this serves as a worthy capstone to the entire piece, it's been a fun ride.

Lying in her bunk, Elsa tossed and turned, trying to get to sleep. It had been a week since their strike at the edge of the Frontier, disabling one of the IMC's major production facilities. She couldn't help replaying Sarah's words in her mind, that this wasn't the end of the war. No major ops had been planned, but they were still running sims every few days, and a lot of them were based on unfamiliar locations. Elsa sighed, throwing the covers off and hauling herself out of bed. She thought she was at least a little better—and maybe she was—but her mind wouldn't stop turning things over tonight.

She slipped carefully off the mattress, bare feet feet landing softly against the deck. She could hear soft, contented snores in front of her and hesitated. Much as she wanted—needed—to be next to Anna, she didn't want to wake her either. She frowned, hands moving up to hug her arms before she caught what she was about to do. She reached out to gently shake Anna's shoulder, but the redhead didn't stir so Elsa pulled the covers back, feeling the redhead shiver.

Climbing in, Anna stirred, rolling over, and Elsa felt warm, soft flesh meeting her own near naked body. Then she pulled the covers back over the both of them, luxuriating in the warmth she felt next to her. She was warm, and safe, and content. A sleepy smile on her face, Elsa gently wrapped an arm around Anna's waist. It was enough just to be there. Soon after she was asleep, dreaming peacefully.

In the morning she woke to bright blue-green eyes and a wild mane of copper trying to entangle her. Then something pulled her closer and pressed against her lips. She smelled a hint of cinnamon and the musk of sweat. She opened her eyes after the kiss to find Anna smiling at her.

"Couldn't sleep?" the redhead asked idly, lying back against the pillows.

Elsa shook her head by way of reply. Anna pulled her close, resting her head against Elsa's shoulder, drowning the blonde in a mass of copper curls.

"You wanna just lie here for a while?"

Elsa sneezed, wiping stray hairs from her face. "If your hair behaves. Maybe I should be on top."

"Oh… you coming on to me, Stroud?"

Elsa rolled her eyes and facepalmed. Of course she would. There are… reasons… she sleeps naked, as she says.

"Well, the offer's still there. When you're finally ready."

"Maybe another time," Elsa smiled. "After we've secured MacAllan's legacy."

Anna sighed, sitting up, reaching over Elsa for something on the floor. "You're right. Now might not be the best time. Aha. Gotcha!" And she started doing up the bra as Elsa tried to think of a reply. Elsa shrugged, dragging herself reluctantly out of Anna's bunk, grabbing some clothes from her drawer. A pair of jeans, and a tee, dark navy, with ship silhouette printed on the front. Doing up the jeans she saw Anna reaching for a pair of lace edged panties. The redhead fixed her with a resigned, questioning look.

"What?"

"You were totally naked…"

"Yeah, and?"

"Nothing," Elsa shook her head, a flash of them tangled together in the throes of passion now foremost in her mind. She could feel her cheeks flush, but wasn't sure if it was from embarrassment or excitement.

"Sure." And Anna fixed her with a knowing smile. Turning away to hide a deepening blush Elsa pulled the tee over head, extricating her braid from where it caught against the inside of one of the sleeves. She turned back to see Anna pulling on a tank top that seemed to be designed for someone with a larger chest. It looked disturbingly familiar.

"Hey that's—"

"Hmph, yeah," Anna shook her head, pulling the top off and balling it up. "Explains why it doesn't fit so well. Hmm… so where'd mine go?"

Elsa turned on the spot, surveying the chaos that pervaded their cabin. Unless it was inspection time—and sometimes even then—Anna's belongings had a tendency to gravitate towards the floor and remain there. Elsa nudged a pile with her foot, flicking over some older looking clothes. It would be in one of the piles. They eventually found it buried next to the washroom partition.

"Gym or breakfast?" Anna asked, her stomach rumbling slightly.

"You can have breakfast first if you want, Corazon; I'm heading for the gym."

"Sure you don't want a sparring partner?"

Elsa looked at her companion, taking in the braids, the dark green tank top and black jeans. She did look ready for action, especially with the slight frown. She was right, too…

"If you think you can keep up," and Elsa gave her friend a mischievous smile as they left their cabin.

Anna lashed out with a short, sharp jab, catching Elsa just below the ribs. The blonde let out an explosive breath, dancing back, winded. She frowned at Anna, then threw a left hook that the redhead only just managed to deflect, Elsa's fist skating down her forearm. She never saw the uppercut coming, reeling back in shock. Elsa took advantage of the opening to drive her back to the corner of the mat. As Anna continued to reel—faking a stagger—Elsa stepped back and wound up for a haymaker. Anna ducked past the blow, lightning fast, pivoting on her left foot and placing her right leg in front of Elsa's left shin. Already committed, the blonde crashed into Anna's leg and the redhead grabbed a shoulder as she sailed past, throwing Elsa hard to the mat.

"That wasn't very sporting," Elsa complained, still being pressed into the mat.

"You have to stop trying for a big finish—you see how easy it is to fall for it?"

"Okay, you made your point. Can I get up now?" Anna relented, letting Elsa up enough she could turn around—but not get off the mat. "Anna…"

"You know I like to be on top," Anna whispered, leaning close. It was too much fun to wind Elsa up sometimes.

"Corazon!" Elsa hissed, looking around to make sure they hadn't been overhead.

Anna stood, offering a hand to help Elsa up. The blonde ignored it, pushing herself up and assuming a ready stance in the middle of the mat. Good to see you so fired up, iceheart. Anna took up a stance opposite her, attacking immediately with a snap kick that Elsa danced around, one of the blonde's hands taking her by the ankle and the other—wham!

"So who's trying for the big moves?"

Anna looked up to see Elsa smiling down at her, offering her a hand up. She took it, making sure to 'accidentally' pull herself into Elsa's chest. Elsa made no comment, but once again assumed a fighting stance, this time leading the attack with a quick flurry of jabs before slipping back, just outside Anna's reach. A side kick that hit Elsa's thigh was countered with a left cross that hit clean in the centre of Anna's chest, winding her. She dropped sideways, throwing her legs out, trying to knock Elsa over so she could pin her again. The blonde was having none of it, dancing back and then planting her left foot to drop a powerful axe kick with her right.

Frantically rolling sideways Anna put an arm out to arrest her movement and turn the roll into a powerful rising punch, Elsa leaning back to avoid it as Anna sprang to her feet. Just as Anna adopted a middle guard with her fists Elsa dropped, seeming to roll backwards. One of the blonde's feet hit her fist from below. The other passed millimetres from her nose as Elsa completed the flip, landing in a fighting crouch. Anna just stared for a second, not quite believing what she had just seen. That second got her winded by a low jab and clipped by a low kick as she belatedly dodged back.

The she was on the attack again, a flurry of punches finishing with an explosive uppercut breaking Elsa's guard. Driving forward, Anna started with a knee to the blonde's stomach, winding her, and putting her even further off balance. Just as she was closing in to force the blonde off the mat Anna felt Elsa's arm wrap around hers. Then Elsa turned, her back pressing hard into Anna's breasts as she pulled the redhead's arm over her shoulder. Being connected to said arm, Anna had no choice but to follow that movement.

Sprawled flat on the mat, winded, and probably more than a little bruised, Anna nonetheless smiled. It was good fighting against Elsa; a real challenge. There was no great disparity of skill or size, but of aggression and technique. She didn't bother keeping score, and she doubted Elsa did either. The fighting—sparring—was just a way to release pent up energy. And frustrations. Anna took several deep breaths, lying on the mat, feeling her chest rise and fall with each breath. Elsa knelt next to her, also panting, offering her a hand up.

"Yeah, I'm about done too, feistypants," and as Anna took her hand she helped haul the redhead to her feet, Anna once again making sure to not so accidentally collide with Elsa's chest. "Let's hit the showers."

In the lockers Anna was already stripping off her sparring kit, throwing aside shin pads and elbow guards, unclipping her chestpiece when she felt something tugging at the side of her head, almost painfully so. She stopped, trying once again to remove the padding. Again it pulled her hair. Running her hands through it she found her hair tangled into one of the clips, maybe from that last throw Elsa had hit her with. She waved to Elsa.

"Umm, little help over here."

"Something stuck?"

"My hair"—she pointed with her left hand at the offending strands—"To this." She pointed at the clip over her shoulder.

"Oh, that's tangled alright," Elsa mumbled, gently tugging at Anna's hair to try and free it. "Seriously, how did you even manage that?"

"Actually, you did."

"What?"

"That last throw, I think."

Elsa sighed, taking Anna's hair in one hand and the clip in the other. "Sorry."

"Wha—Ow!" Anna yelped as Elsa gave both items a sharp tug, finally freeing them at the cost of more than a few coppery hairs. Anna frowned at the blonde, then just massaged the side of her head, because that had stung a bit.

"I didn't really hurt you, did I?"

There was a breathless quality to Elsa's voice that seemed so fragile, so Anna leapt up and wrapped the blonde in a bear hug. "It just stings a bit. I'll be fine."

Anna then proceeded to finish undressing, throwing her gear and remaining clothes into her kit bag.

The showers were nearly empty, only three other people in them when Anna walked in, and one of them was already leaving. Turning the shower on, Anna adjusted the temperature to as hot as possible, dialling it back until it she could bear it against the fresh bruises she knew she had. Standing under the stream, feeling the water pounding down and washing over her she relaxed. Humming a song she couldn't quite remember she picked up the soap, lathering it up against her arms and breasts, enjoying the heat and steam. She watched as Elsa walked in, still a little shy, and take the stall next to hers. The blonde said nothing, just turned the shower on and untangled her matted hair.

It had to be a sign, and as the second to last stranger left the showers, Anna made her move, slipping from her stall to Elsa's and wrapping her hands around the blonde's waist. Elsa didn't protest, or even say anything, but Anna could feel it as she let out a quiet breath. So she was still nervous, not entirely unexpected. Standing on tiptoes Anna tried to rest her chin on Elsa's shoulder but couldn't quite make it. Then she played dirty, tickling Elsa's stomach, forcing her down ever so slightly.

"Cheat," Elsa shot at her.

Anna merely smiled and kissed her cheek. Then spanked her. Elsa turned and gave her a disapproving look, then blushed and turned away again. Anna let her other hand roam, half tickling Elsa's stomach, half climbing towards her breasts. Then she felt something oblong and slippery placed in that hand and almost laughed. Soap. Elsa had just given her the soap. She could hardly see for all the steam, but standing behind Elsa she was working by feel anyway. She reached up a little higher, working the soap against a decidedly softer part of Elsa than her stomach. She could almost feel the heat of Elsa's blush against her cheek.

The last woman left the showers, sparing them an awkward look before hurrying out the door. Anna switched hands with the soap, lathering up both of Elsa's breasts, taking longer than she really needed because they were beautifully soft and so very fun to play with. And more than that, Elsa was into it, actually dropping her stance slightly so Anna didn't have to reach so far. Hot water coursing down their bodies, Anna pulled her into a kiss, stepping halfway around her, grinding against Elsa's thigh. Anna's free hand pressed low against Elsa's stomach, eliciting a moan from the blonde. Her hand slid lower against soapy skin only to be held fast before it could reach Elsa's core.

Elsa held her wrist gently but firmly, speaking softly. "Just… not here."

Letting out a quiet breath Anna withdrew her hand, turning the blonde to face her before pulling her into a tight hug.

"It's okay," Elsa's voice was still soft. "It felt nice."

Anna smiled ruefully, preparing to step away.

"I didn't say stop everything." And Elsa gave her a smile that was never meant to be seen by hyperactive redheads who valued their sanity.

Two weeks later Elsa sat on a crate in her secret spot, feet hanging several inches from the deck. Anna sat with her back to the crate, legs sprawled out in front of her, one arm wrapped around Elsa's calf. The stars in front of them shifted imperceptibly in the blackness of space as the Redeye drifted, lining up for another jump. Elsa could feel the surge through her bones, every hair standing on end, and a strange sensation making her jaw ache. This was going to be a long jump, nearly to the limit of the Redeye's range.

But everyone had agreed it had to be done. They would be returning to Troy, MacAllan's home. The evacuated colonists would be able to return to their lives, so violently interrupted. Several had joined the Militia, some as Marauder Corps specialists, and a handful had become Pilots. Two of the Redeye's Titan fabricators were being donated to make an effective defense possible in case the planet was attacked again, and a squadron of the Third Merchant would serve as an honour guard in high orbit—a mark of their respect for MacAllan—until such time as the Militia or MCOR could build a dedicated planetary defense fleet.

The hand against Elsa's knee crept higher, but Anna was only pulling herself upright. Elsa let out a quiet breath. A surge of power ran through the room and Elsa felt herself shift despite not moving an inch. Coming from portside she could just see the limb of Troy, sunlight shining through the atmosphere giving it a subtle glow. From above, no longer worried about combat drops or impending battles, she simply couldn't see why MacAllan had chosen it as his home. Rust coloured dirt, patchy greenbelt, high clouds tinted with orange. It was liveable, and no one else had found it—or left it on record. But maybe MacAllan hadn't chosen it—maybe it was simply where he'd landed, and had to make do. Barker had made comment once about crashing a certain looted carrier into things.

"Do you think MacAllan knew about this place before?" Anna asked quietly from the floor.

"I don't know," Elsa replied with a smile the redhead couldn't see. "Maybe."

"Maybe," Anna agreed absently. "You've been down here a lot recently."

"Have I?" Elsa hadn't really been keeping track, she just liked the space as somewhere quiet to go and think. Recently Anna had been inviting herself too, but here, at least, she respected the silence. The company was welcome too, despite Elsa's desire for solitude—Anna didn't ask anything of her, only that she be allowed to stay.

"You have, ever since Graves made the decision." Anna patted her leg. "I just wanted to let you know, in case there's something you want to talk about."

Elsa sighed softly, not wanting to disturb the redhead. This was where everything had really started—somewhere down there, a nameless colony that the IMC had tried to round up and execute and that the Militia had managed to save. She wasn't proud of her past—not before then. It had only been a job. Something to do while she secretly wished she could die and stay dead. Then she'd grown a conscience. She'd started asking questions—and learned she was fighting for all the wrong reasons. She defected—and there was a moment where she brushed so close against true death it seemed to have removed the desire to do so again.

Now she fought for the Militia; for her home, moving through the stars; and her new family, strange as they were beautiful. She'd found a friend—persistent, annoying, upbeat, strong and vocal. Very vocal. Such a contrast, but she was beautiful in spirit as much as she was in body. She was the reason Elsa kept coming back. Decided to stay. Really, it was all her fault. Elsa wanted to blame her and thank her for everything all at once.

It wasn't something she was willing to admit to her though, at least, not yet. She remained silent a while longer, watching as their orbit carried them through a sunrise, the containment field darkening so the glare of the star didn't immediately blind the both of them. Smiling contentedly, Elsa leaned forward and took Anna's hand in her own. There were still things she couldn't talk about, but there was something she was perfectly willing to admit.

"I'm okay. You just wouldn't leave me alone." She smiled as Anna tried to punch her leg and fell over laughing. It was enough, and it was more than she'd ever dreamed of.

o0O Technology & Design Notes O0o

So, the biggest challenge when adapting a game to a story with characters who need to survive is how you handle failure. In the case of an FPS that usually implies death. I know a few people who give their characters godlike abilities to survive, or skills that simply beggar belief. That's not a route I wanted to go down. Instead I took the idea of failure (and how my characters might survive it) as a challenge.

There are players in every game that can rack up insane scores, but sooner or later in a multiplayer match they will die. Happens to me too when I play. What's more important from the story point of view is whether this death is permanent, and if not, why not. That was the thought that led to the Ripcord—which while explained as a piece of advanced technology in the story, is actually a narrative device. Instead of needing to given my characters insane skills, I simply turned the price of failure into an inconvenience.

At least in battle. As described the Ripcord is designed to allow instantaneous consciousness transfer from one body to another, without losing the integrity of any memories. If that sounds familiar, you've probably played DUST 514 or EVE, where I pulled the idea from. Clones too. the name comes from a proposed system of similar effect in Infinity: The Quest for Earth. I tweaked things here and there though. There are types of clone, with lifespans corresponding to how carefully they're grown. The Ripcord has an EM vulnerability against major EMP events, or short range and carefully directed events. Every system has to have limits.

Concordant with Ripcord technology we have cloning technology, which is assumed to be advanced to enough to grow bodies within days, possibly hours in the case of war clones and Grunts.

Someone asked why I chose to go with retinal implants instead of (possibly cheaper) contacts. My idea was that they could be implanted as the clone grows, and in case of severe damage, won't fall out or be dislodged.

Didacts, at least as used here, are meant to be skill maps loaded onto some sort of storage media before being uploaded into a warclone's Ripcord. They mediate special functions that work below the conscious level, such as instinctive reloading, or the ability for arms to brace and lock while sprinting in order to fire on the move. Basically it's a fancy way of saying some of the pilot kits are actually mental rather than physical equipment. Some (especially those taking reference from burn cards) might include equipment and the ability to intuitively process the data it provides—such as Echo Vision.

There is also high and low level AI, in the form of Spyglass and Spectres/Marvins respectively. This is pretty much stated as canon in game.

Titans can be built in minutes—some might handwave this as clearance to pre-built models given their complexity, and I was tempted to do so as well. I really didn't describe much on how titans were built, but it's my assumption advanced high speed fabrication methods are involved, aka 3D-printing. As to gameplay events reducing time to drop—that I handwaved, but maybe some Titans are indeed pre-built, and then the ship builds a stockpile of replacements.

The BattleROM is shamelessly stolen from the BattleTech universe. It's a hard coded device that cannot be tampered with, and records every moment of the battle a Mech is involved in, sort of like a combined FDR and all round camera/sensor. Here, though, I've used it to replace the killcam. As something on both sides is constantly monitoring the battle I used this to feed the data to the BattleROM, allowing my characters to review their performance, and/or figure out who or what just killed them.

Jump drives, at least in the game, aren't given a range, transit time, or even recharge limit. Given how the campaign plays out (and especially in the briefing and intro for Here Be Dragons), it figures that they must have a range limit, seeing as it takes 27 jumps to reach Leviathan (aka Barker's planet). I decided they also needed a recharge time, especially given the fact I needed to let my characters recharge after their first major victory. Another point from background events in the campaign is that these drives can be used in atmosphere by Dropships (not so strange) and capital ships such as the IMS Sentinel with a great degree of precision. I think maybe some of the Dev's really liked the Adama Manoeuvre from the new Battlestar Galactica.

For the Redeye as named in this story, it's actually the large carrier from the main loading screen, before you get into the pre-game lobby. In game (and I hadn't actually noticed this at the time I started writing) the Redeye is actually one of the smaller, boxy looking transport ships, and is visible over the main tower in Fracture, to the north west in campaign.

Most of the other tech, both in story and in game, is pretty much just generic sci-fi tech that I think most readers of the genre take for granted exists. And if you might have any further questions about the tech or the story, feel free to PM me, or bug me over on reddit (same username, just with an underscore).

o0O Gameplay Notes O0o

If you play Titanfall you'll find me online on most nights, on the Aussie servers. I tend to run very aggressive builds, combined with builds that require finesse and a certain skillset to use well.

My main is a C.A.R. SMG setup with Run and Gun and Arc Grenades. The C.A.R. has great synergy with Run and Gun due to the Counterweight mod, meaning no bloom for sustained fire or firing while moving. Arc Grenades are great for scrambling Titans—and damn annoying if you're on the other end trying to wreck something—and also good for killing Spectres.

My secondary class is a Hemlok, running Starburst, Suppressor, or E-Mag depending on how I'm feeling that night. I always use the Quick Reload kit with this one as the Hemlok's regular reload is quite slow compared to other weapons.

I have a third class I occasionally run which takes a Spitfire and Guardian Chip, and can wreak all sorts of havoc if used well, not that I always manage it.

For my AT I prefer the Archer over the other weapons due to its sheer power. The Charge Rifle is good if you're accurate though, and the Amped Charge Rifle is hilarious when used to counter-snipe.

The Hammond P2011 is my go to sidearm. It's a 4 shot kill against Pilots (if fired accurately), or can fire up to 4 rounds/second if your fingers are fast enough. It's versatile, medium ranged, and while not as fast as the RE-45 or as powerful as the Wingman sits as a very balanced middle ground pistol.

My main Titan loadout is a Stryder with Arc Cannon and Cluster Missile, great for clearing out groups of enemies. The Arc Cannon is great for killing minions, but requires either 2 snap shots (unreliable) or a half-charge (slow) to kill Pilots. It has a major advantage in being a hitscan weapon, meaning it hits the target the instant you release the trigger, no travel time. It's weak against armour though, so struggles against Titans in an even fight.

If you're in a Stryder though, it shouldn't be an even fight. You need to skirmish to keep range, stay alive, and dodge shots or leave their line of sight. I give myself a slight edge in manoeuvrability by using a Dash Quickcharger, and combat by using Big Punch. It takes some getting used to—and you will likely blow up a lot when first using it—but if you can get behind an enemy Titan, or move up in ambush, it can be absolutely devastating, specially if they try to close range unaware you have big punch.

I also have an Ogre with a Plasma Railgun that I take out on occasion on bigger maps, or when I need a little more punch.

I can and have used every weapon and ability, and every burn card possible, but the weapons and builds I listed above are my standard go to builds that I find useful in almost any situation. And if you want to challenge me, or just talk tactics or something, I'm Ravager Zero on Xbox Live.