Dust and Echoes
Oum System, Remnant
15:43 Hours
Beacon Academy, Kingdom of Vale
"Move, move, move!" Ruby heard someone shout over the cacophony around her. She already was by the time the order was given, her team right behind her. Everything was chaotic now as hundreds of terrified students and civilians rushed for safety. Explosions and gunfire drew closer and closer, each flash followed by fresh screams coming from both close and afar.
"Guys, come on! We need to get over there!" Ruby insisted as she weaved through the sea of people separating her from the battle.
"We know, Ruby! Not everyone is as fast as you!" Weiss indignantly replied, Myrtenaster in hand as she quickly slotting in vials of Dust.
"Well, you should!" Ruby's retort was followed by a large, blue explosion going off next to her, sending a wave of heat washing over her body. A few unlucky souls who were caught directly in the fireball were incinerated instantly, while others were able to dive away with burns. Team RWBY was far enough away so that their Aura took the brunt of it, but they still hissed at the heat.
"Dammit!" Yang cursed, loading Ember Celica with fresh eight-gauge shells. Blake scowled next to her, her feline ears twitching as they picked up faint sounds of the ground sizzling where the mortar struck. At the same time, she began to hear a now-recognizable warbling sound. With wide eyes, she saw yet another blue mortar arcing through the air, striking a dormitory wall and exploding on contact. Burnt brick and glass rained from above, scattering anyone underneath, while she saw a trio of people flail as their skin melted off their bones.
"Blake, come on!" Yang snapped the Faunus out of her trance by shaking her shoulder urgently. With a shake of her head, Blake spared one final glance at the ruined building and steeled her gaze. The two partners then turned around and ran after Ruby and Weiss, who were far ahead of them by now. At the same time, Blake loaded a fresh magazine into Gambol Shroud, determined to quickly put them into use.
As Team RWBY drew closer and closer to the battle, the crowds of panicking people began to thin, only to be replaced by swarming soldiers, marines, and Atlesian Knights wielding various weapons. Some were armed with assault rifles, others with precision weapons and explosive launchers. They exchanged fire with the enemy, ducking behind cover as blue and green balls of liquid fire shot towards them. Next to them, RWBY saw a few Huntsmen and Huntresses join the fight, several of which they recognized as their fellow students. Among them were Teams CFVY and JNPR, Coco firing Gianduja into the hordes of enemies while Pyrrha fired precision shots from Miló. Nora was firing grenades from Magnhild deep into concentrated spots filled with invaders, with Jaune and Yatsuhashi further down the line with Fox, Velvet, and Ren aiming to engage the enemy up close.
"When do these guys end?!" Coco complained as she continued to fire her minigun, using her Semblance to boost the power of its Dust-infused rounds. True to her word, the seemingly unending, multicolored horde of enemies didn't seem to cease. Before them was just a sea of small, armored arthropods wearing orange, crimson, or green armor. A few black-armored ones could be seen here or there, but they were easily drowned out.
"They don't, that's the point! They're just cannon fodder!" Weiss pointed out as she summoned a glyph in front of them, forming an ice wall just as another volley of fire came towards them. The ice melted and hissed as steam rose into the atmosphere, joining the black smoke that filled the air in heavy smog. Ruby nodded appreciatively towards her partner, then she extended Crescent Rose into its full length, chambered a round, and used her Semblance to disappear into a flurry of red rose petals. She rose into the air up to a higher vantage point, and once she was satisfied, she laid prone along a support beam and aimed.
Ruby was able to see almost the entire battle from here, she realized as she focused her attention through her scope. Almost all of Beacon was surrounded by this point, being enclosed in an ever-tightening circle. The invaders were almost entirely composed of the small arthropods, but she could see several other species in the mix. She saw thin avianoids fire their weapons from behind their shields as well as great armored behemoths in blue armor that covered their orange flesh using massive shields to tank heavy rounds from Paladins. Or at least attempting to; from what she could see, one or two shots from a Paladin's energy cannon or missile pods were enough to put one of the behemoths down, but there were so many of them that the number of Paladins had drastically dropped since the beginning of the battle. But Ruby was most focused on their leaders. They were tall, wearing simple yet ornate armor that covered most of their body. She wasn't close enough to hear what they were saying as they barked orders towards their troops, but Ruby didn't care. She recognized leaders when she saw them, and so she aimed Crescent Rose at an exposed head and fired.
The invader's body flickered blue as something surrounding it seemed to break, and the head exploded in a cloud of purple gore and bone. Ruby quickly fired another shot, killing another before the rest dived into cover, preventing her from getting any more. She cursed under her breath just as a few of the avianoids wielding long rifles noticed her position and aimed. With wide eyes, Ruby rolled off the support beam just as needle-thin beams shot where she had been just seconds before. A few attempted to follow her, but Ruby burst away before they could get an accurate shot.
When she got to the ground, she found herself almost immediately under fire. Weiss' hastily erected wall was quickly coming apart from the enemy fire, and the soldiers and Huntsmen were attempting to retreat. Overhead, she heard the whine of enemy aircraft conduct strafing runs against them, sending green explosives hurtling towards a squadron of soldiers. Seeing this, Yang's eyes turned red as she finished punching in the face of an enemy leader in order to grab a discarded rocket launcher. The purple, bulbous aircraft was making its way for another pass, and Yang quickly loaded fresh tubes before aiming. As the targeting reticle began to lock on to the fighter's heat signature, Yang's finger hovered over the trigger.
"Chew on this, you alien son-of-a-bitch," Yang hissed once the rocket was fully locked on. She immediately fired the heat-seeking missile, which the aircraft attempted to roll away from. The clip of the wing was caught, however, shredding it and causing the alien aircraft to careen to the ground below, exploding in a ball of purple fire deep behind enemy lines. At the same time, Weiss erected a smaller earthen wall, allowing soldiers to fire from behind cover once again.
That did little to stop them, however, as the horde continued to advance. At the same time, Ruby began to hear a new sound. Animalistic roars and shrieks began to join the gunfire and explosions, and she couldn't help but notice as much of the alien fire began to turn their focus from them to the newly arrived monsters native to Ruby's home.
"Man," Nora noted as she reloaded Magnhild, watching as the rest of her team and team CFVY joined them, "never thought I'd be happy to see the Grimm."
"You and me both, Nora," Blake replied, only for her ears to twitch as she heard a faint footstep. She shot around, looking for the source, and only to see a faint blurry outline standing behind Ruby. She didn't have time to shout a warning, and so she simply aimed Gambol Shroud and began to fire. Ruby ducked as the semi-armor piercing rounds ricocheted off the alien's shield, disrupting its active camouflage at the same time. Now fully exposed, the alien roared through its four mandibles as it quickly pulled out a small sphere from a compartment located on its hip, thumbed the top of the device to cause it to erupt into a ball of blue flame, then threw it towards the reorienting Huntsmen-In-Training. The device stuck to the ground in front of Blake, and with wide eyes she dove away from the ensuing explosion, the shockwave propelling her forward with flailing arms. More grenades followed, sending the humans scattering for cover, but before any could retaliate, the alien grabbed the edge of Ruby's hood and forcibly yanked her closer to it, then hurled her body through a glass window into the ruined cafeteria behind them.
Ruby tumbled across the ground, Crescent Rose's collapsed frame still held tightly in her hands as she rolled backwards onto her feet. Digging in her heels, she grinded against the ground for a few seconds, and when she stopped, she narrowed her eyes towards the alien who was now jumping through the shattered glass with its plasma rifle held high. She aimed and fired a single shot, but to her surprise, the alien's energy shield proved to be much more durable than she had anticipated. The 14.5x114mm round ricocheted off the shields, implanting into a wall beside the alien who then fired its plasma rifle towards the Huntress-In-Training. Ruby burst away in a cloud of rose petals, repositioning herself to the alien's flank and aiming Crescent Roe again. This time, she aimed towards the plasma rifle, firing a shot into the weapon's frame and carving a neat hole into its top prong. Hot plasma seeped out of the wound, forcing the alien to hurl it away while also tossing another grenade towards Ruby. She burst away, but when she reformed, she felt a hot, heavy blow slam against her chest.
"Gagh!" Ruby shrieked as she stumbled back, clutching her chest as the alien pocketed its plasma pistol. With heavy breaths, Ruby watched as the alien pulled out a silver rod that it gripped tightly in its four-fingered hand. Then, with a quick squeeze, the rod ignited into a two-pronged sword made of pure, shaped plasma energy. It roared a challenge towards her as its shields visibly recharged, and Ruby mentally tallied the number of shots left in Crescent Rose's magazine. If she remembered correctly, she only had one shot left, and she knew it wasn't enough to break the alien's energy shield. As she wondered what to do, the alien roared a challenge, and Ruby quickly decided to meet it as she shifted Crescent Rose into its scythe configuration. In the background, she could hear the sounds of intense fighting, this time much closer than before. Her friends' and sister's shouts could be heard as they were clearly trying to make their way towards her, but the explosions and plasma fire told Ruby that they were being considerably delayed by alien reinforcements.
'No matter. I can do this myself,' Ruby thought, resting the top of her scythe blade on the ground behind her back as she crouched down in preparation for the fight to come. The alien seemed pleased at this, spreading its mandibles in what Ruby could only assume to be smile, and the two warriors circled each other to size the other up. Then, at the same time, they stopped then charged towards each other, Ruby in a burst of rose petals and the alien with a few mighty steps of its digitigrade legs. Ruby reformatted in front of the alien, already swinging Crescent Rose towards its head, but the alien skillfully ducked while swinging its energy sword horizontally towards Ruby's gut. She backed away, not wanting to be hit by the energy sword even if she was confident her Aura, even when partially depleted by an overcharged plasma pistol shot, could take the blow. The Wargames simulations proved those things can hurt and kill when given the chance, and Ruby had no intention of giving that chance to her opponent.
She swung Crescent Rose again, this time extending the scythe blade behind the alien's body before pulling it back quickly, intending to cut the alien in half. Instead, as Crescent Rose went behind the alien's back, it anticipated Ruby's actions and backflipped behind the outer edge of the scythe, causing Ruby to bite back a curse. Pulling back her weapon, Ruby charged forward again, leaning back and sliding on her knees underneath a sword thrust while she retaliated with an upward swing of the back end of her weapon. This time the attack made contact, upper-cutting the alien and sending it's head rearing back. Then, before Ruby could even think of following through, the alien violently kicked Ruby in the chest, knocking the air from her lungs and sending her flying back into a partially destroyed pillar.
"Oof!" she grunted as she fell onto her butt. Briefly rubbing her back where she slammed into the stone, she eyed the recovering alien while rising to her feet. Her mind raced. Clearly, even with her Aura, the alien was both stronger and more experienced than herself. Someone such as Yang or Nora could match or even surpass the alien in pure, raw power, but that was never Ruby's strength. That came from her speed and maneuverability, which she could tell was far superior to that of the alien warrior standing before her with its energy sword at the ready. If she was going to beat this thing, she had by play her rules, not its.
With that in mind, Ruby raced forward again, at first only running as the alien met her head-on. Before their weapons could clash, however, Ruby burst into petals and came around to the alien's back, swinging her weapon at the same time. Just before the scythe could make contact, the alien swung around and parried the strike, punching Ruby in the face at the same time with enough force to send her reeling back. It followed through with another swing, this time vertical, but Ruby moved to the side in a quick burst of petals and sliced Crescent Rose into the alien swordsman's gut. To her displeasure, the creature's energy shield crackled while repelling the strike, but the alien did back away to put some distance between them. Ruby refused to let that happen, instead bursting towards the alien to swing Crescent Rose once again.
To her shock, however, the alien anticipated her movement. For as she reappeared, she quickly had to burst away lest she be stabbed with the energy sword. It followed the petals as she reformatting, causing a glancing strike to hit her side. Intense heat travelled up her body from where the blade made contact, and Ruby had to bite back tears as she moved away. As much as Aura worked to prevent physical damage, it did little to alleviate the pain, and as she was finding, the real deal was magnitudes higher than anything Wargames prepared her for. Still, she pressed on, slamming Crescent Rose into the alien's right shoulder in an effort to possibly dislodge its weapon.
Its grip was too tight, however, and the alien then shoulder rushed Ruby in retaliation. She stumbled back, barely managing to stay on her feet, but the alien didn't give her a chance to recover as it was charging her again. Ruby swung Crescent Rose towards the alien's legs, but to her surprise, it didn't try to jump away. Instead, in a quick, deft motion borne from years of practice and experience, it ducked and grabbed Crescent Rose's shaft as the blade passed overhead. With wide eyes, Ruby tried to pull her weapon, away, but its grip was too great. It wouldn't budge, and her wide, silver eyes stared in silent shock into the alien's amber glare. With a mighty tug, the alien pulled Ruby towards itself, violently kicking her away while keeping its grip on Crescent Rose. The blow was enough to loosen her grip, and she felt Crescent Rose slip from her fingers as she flew back and hit a still-intact wooden table, shattering it into thousands of tiny splinters. Her Aura flickering dangerously, Ruby struggled to her feet, only to feel a tight grip clasp around her throat and lift her into the air effortlessly.
"Ruby!" she heard someone shout, but Ruby was focused on the alien before her. Its shield flickered as it tried to recharge, but the alien itself didn't seem to care. It roared into her face, its four mandibles opening large to where she could gaze down its throat, then it reared its sword back for one final thrust. Ruby kicked and punched with all her might, but it was no use. The alien wouldn't budge, yet still Ruby fought on with her all her might. The alien seemed impressed by this, and prepared to end the fight while Ruby screamed defiantly into its face.
Suddenly, a large bang sounded that struck the alien's back. Surprised, it turned around just as another shot broke the shield. From the corner of her eye, still being held captive by the alien, Ruby saw a dark-skinned marine sergeant wearing green armor walking towards the alien wielding nothing but a pump-action shotgun.
"How ya' doing?" the sergeant asked as he chambered a shell, then fired another round straight into its chest. Then, to Ruby's relief, ice began to expand from the point of contact, quickly freezing the alien before it could so much as attempt to fire on the man. Ruby quickly broke the frozen arm holding her aloft off the alien's body, giving the sergeant space to fire another round into its head, shattering it and leaving the body intact like a macabre ice sculpture. Breathing heavily, Ruby watched as the sergeant nodded to himself appreciatively, then attached his shotgun to the magnetic holster on his back before walking over to lend Ruby a hand.
"Come on, Rubes," the sergeant said as he helped Ruby up to her feet. "A little-near death experience from a squidhead ain't enough to keep you down!"
"I know, Uncle Avery," Ruby groaned as she picked up Crescent Rose. She then saw a flight of Pelicans touch down near them, depositing fresh marines as Hornets joined Bullheads in raining fire down on the invaders below. Staff Sergeant Avery Johnson merely chuckled to himself and ruffled his honorary niece's hair, much to Ruby's consternation, just as the rest of Team RWBY, JNPR, and CFVY rejoined them.
"Uncle A! Nice of you to finally show up," Yang said, a mirthful smile on her face. "And you brought the cavalry? I guess this makes up for the fact that you missed my birthday this year. Almost."
"I know, and my bleeding-heart aches every time I think about that travesty," Johnson began, motioning for a Pelican to deposit its load next to them. With a heavy clang, a large vehicle was plopped onto the ground, allowing Johnson to step on top of it while drawing all attention towards him. "But you see, Yang, I found a way to make it up to you. Now, when I was a young boy, my mama told me 'Avery J. Johnson, when you become an adult, I'm going to give you a car.' And so, when I turned 18, she kept her word (because she was a classy lady) and got me a car. But not just any car. No, she wanted her little boy to be safe, and as any green-blooded marine will tell you, nothing is better, more luxurious, more high-class, and tougher than an M12 Warthog!"
"OORAH!" an assortment of marines rushing towards the battle lines yelled out in agreement, lifting everyone's spirits while causing Yang to get giddy, but Johnson wasn't done.
"But now, 51 years later, times have changed. The galaxy's a much more dangerous place. You never know what nefarious, inhuman alien bastard might pop his head from around the corner. So, as much as I loved my precious Hog, I instead chose to follow my beloved mama's footsteps and get my honorary niece the safest, most powerful automotive in the UNSC armory.
"Yang," Johnson announced as he gestured towards the vehicle below him, "say hello to your brand new, fresh off the lot M808C Scorpion Main Battle Tank! This here is 66 tons of titanium-ceramic armor plating, capable of surviving the toughest, meanest firepower the Covenant has to offer! With its 90mm M512 main cannon, you can take out the toughest of Covenant armor, and if you're wanting to take your friends out on a night on the town, it has room for four passengers and a single gunner along the M247T coaxial machine gun!"
"Oh. My. God," Yang breathed out as Johnson hopped off the tank and patted her on the shoulder.
"Go ahead, little lady. Take her on a test drive," Johnson said. Yang didn't need to be told twice as she practically jumped onto the tank, opening up the cockpit and hooking her neural lace into the onboard electronics. She heard the engine roar and the Scorpion vibrate, and she couldn't help but start laughing as a warm, pleasant sensation filled her soul.
"Oh, yeah!" Yang declared as she began to drive the Scorpion forward, plowing through the remains of the ice wall. As she began to fire its main gun towards the alien army, Johnson turned towards the rest of the platoon.
"Now, for the rest of you!" Johnson barked. "I want to make sure that my niece's night on the town is some nice, clean fun! So, pack your bags, boys and girls, cuz' you're going with her to roll across that field and blow up any inhuman son-of-a-bitch that's dumb enough to get in her way. AM I RIGHT, MARINES?!"
"SIR, YES SIR!" the marines shouted in reply. Thinking back to the Month from Hell when Johnson took over combat training from Glynda Goodwitch, the Huntsmen students couldn't help but shout as well. Then, almost at once, the soldiers, Huntsmen, and Huntresses ran out to face the aliens head-on, leaving Johnson and Ruby behind. Johnson tilted his head to face Ruby with an inquisitive gaze, already knowing why she was still there instead of joining the fight.
"Um, Uncle Avery?" Ruby quietly asked, fidgeting slightly and rubbing her hands together. "Since, you know, my birthday is coming up, did you, you know…"
Johnson couldn't help but chuckle to himself. "As a matter of fact, I did. Right this way."
Johnson led Ruby towards a large case being held by another marine, who handed it off to Sergeant Johnson before running off to join the others. The sergeant then turned around to face Ruby, opening it up to reveal a large, smoothly contoured, shoulder-mounted cannon.
"Now, you don't know or want to know how many requisitions it took to get this, but feast your eyes, my fellow aficionado of fine weaponry, on the Weapon/Anti-Vehicle Model 6 Grindell/Galilean Nonlinear Rifle." Johnson handed the cannon towards Ruby, helping her mount it on her shoulder where the olive-green metal split horizontally to reveal a semi-transparent tube as wide as a fist, and pointed her attention towards a passing alien fighter.
"Now, see that Banshee?" Johnson asked, to which Ruby nodded. "Just keep your gift trained on it and hold down the trigger."
"'Kay!" Ruby excitedly replied, doing as instructed. At first, nothing happened beyond the flickering of a small targeting laser coming out of the central cylinder. But, with each passing moment, the laser grew larger and the whine of the battery grew louder before finally a large, intense red laser beam erupted out of the Spartan Laser and struck the unsuspecting Banshee in the central hull at the speed of light. It exploded into a ball of purple fire, and Johnson smiled proudly as he patted Ruby's shoulder.
"So, what do you think?" he asked. Ruby didn't answer, and at first, Johnson thought she wasn't saying anything. But then he began to hear something faint, and he soon realized that it was the sound of Ruby squealing so high-pitched that it was barely audible to the human ear. When Ruby finally noticed that all eyes were on her, however, she stopped herself and nodded. She then looked around, quickly finding her Uncle Qrow disembarking from a freshly arrived Pelican dropship, wearing his black and silver ARTEMIS armor, and she focused on him. When he noticed her gaze and stopped to look at her, Ruby began to speak while clutching the Spartan Laser tightly.
"Uncle Qrow, I'm sorry but Uncle Avery has officially replaced you as the coolest uncle," she declared. Then, without saying another word, Ruby disappeared in a flurry of rose petals, leaving behind a victorious Johnson and a resigned Qrow sighing in chagrin.
"Eh, I'll figure something out to top that," Qrow muttered to himself before rushing out. Johnson nodded towards his brother-in-arms, then faced the remainder of the troops.
"Now, all you greenhorns who wanted to see Covenant up close? This is your lucky day!"
Seropian System, Holy City of High Charity
Council Chambers
Never before, in all his years, had Thel 'Vadamee seen the Council Chamber aboard High Charity in such a ruckus. San'Shyuum and Sangheili councilors were shouting over the others' heads, their ire aimed towards a lone Jiralhanae standing before the High Prophets. The Prophets of Truth, Mercy, and Regret seemed willing to let this commotion continue for the moment, but Thel only wished for it to end. For everyone's sake, including own.
Finally, as the dialogue continued to erupt and grow louder, it appeared even the Prophets had their limits.
"There will be order in this Council!" Mercy barked, slamming his thin, yellow hand onto his gravity throne. At once the councilors fell silent, some faster than others, but soon the entire chamber was eerily quiet. Only the faint sounds of breathing could be heard, but Thel couldn't help but notice the Jiralhanae was oddly calm despite the accusations leveled against him.
'Honorable, in a way,' Thel thought, but he didn't dare voice his opinion.
"Fleetmaster Burpoion," High Prophet of Truth began, his silky voice barely masking his unquestionable contempt for the Jiralhanae before him, "you stand accused before the Council of cowardice and a failure to complete the mission assigned to the Fleet of Glorious Retribution. A mission meant to destroy the homeworld of humanity's Hunters, which for the past ten annual cycles have greatly impeded if not stalled our righteous crusade. Before we decide on your fate, we demand to know what exactly happened."
"I understand, Hierarchs," Burpoion replied, standing up straighter.
"Do you?" Regret asked, leaning forward. "If I remember correctly, Fleetmaster, you were not issued command of the Fleet of Glorious Retribution prior to the invasion. That honor belonged to Fleetmaster Khir 'Vittinee."
"That is correct," Burpoion confirmed, "but when he fell in battle after a human construct snuck aboard his flagship, I was the ranking shipmaster left. So, I assumed command. The failure of the invasion falls upon me."
"How, exactly, did the invasion fail? Khir 'Vittinee was one of our greatest strategists, so it seems strange for his fleet to fail so utterly," Mercy pointed out. Thel nodded, agreeing with that assessment, but something told the Supreme Commander that Burpoion had an answer.
"Indeed," Burpoion nodded before continuing, "the plan itself was simple yet grand. After destroying the human defenses in orbit, we were to glass the planet and snuff out the humans below. When the invasion first started, we indeed achieved orbital supremacy, but not until after losing nearly a third of the fleet to their orbital defense platforms."
"Then why did Fleetmaster Khir 'Vittinee not glass the planet when he had the chance and instead ordered a ground invasion of the major human population centers?" Regret asked, craning his long, serpentine neck back.
"On our approach to the planet, our fleet's luminaries began to pick up faint signals of Forerunner artifacts on the planet's surface," Burpoion explained. Thel's eyes widened in realization just as murmurs began to form in the council. "Once we confirmed them, Fleetmaster Khir 'Vittinee ordered a ground invasion to the human cities where they were housed, intending to secure the artifacts for reclamation and allowing us to proceed with the glassing of the planet. However, once we arrived on the surface, we immediately began to encounter setback after setback."
Burpoion paused, then took a deep breath before continuing.
"The planet, which the humans named Remnant, was indeed the homeworld of their Hunters. The largest concentration of them we had ever seen, ranging from younglings still in training to veteran elders commanding them, met us head-on as soon as we disembarked. What's more, we weren't expecting the Shadow Beasts."
"'Shadow Beasts?'" Regret asked.
"Monstrous creatures that appeared to be native to the planet. They weren't under the control of anything, and attacked human and Covenant alike," Burpoion clarified. "The Hunters appeared to have been used to their unchecked aggression and used it against us, which turned the invasion into a three-way war."
"Mere beasts were able to impede your efforts so greatly?" Mercy probed, shaking his head in disbelief. "I find that very unlikely."
"At first, we felt the same. But the Shadow Beasts, they were innumerable. They seemed to have no concept of self-preservation and threw themselves headlong into our ranks. While many were easily dispatched on their own, there were so many of them that they seemed to turn the land into a shifting black mass at times. Their presence and hostility was so pervasive that it seemed as if the planet itself wanted us dead, and their capabilities were…unnatural." Burpoion frowned slightly. "Some of them were strong enough to even survive our most powerful land armaments and continue charging. There was one, in particular, that was the size of a small mountain, erupting out of a nearby mountaintop to engage a heavy corvette hanging over a city. By the time we managed to kill it, the damage was severe enough to prompt the ship's withdrawal for repairs."
Thel hummed to himself. 'So, this is what it's like on the Hunter homeworld? They had to live among these Shadow Beasts? No wonder they're so strong.'
Indeed, that had been a mystery among the Covenant ever since the humans began deploying the Hunters and changed the face of the war. Especially since, from what they could tell, their 'abilities' were natural and not the result of technology, unlike their Demons. It hadn't helped that, with the Hunters, the humans began desecrating Elemental Crystals for use as ammunition. Blasphemous, in and of itself, yet undeniably effective. Being shot was one thing, but it was another to be shot and have your limbs frozen, your body set aflame, or pumped full of lightning. An edge that actually allowed their primitive projectiles to compete with proper plasma weaponry.
"A few cycles into the invasion," Burpoion continued, "after our ground forces were constantly repelled, Fleetmaster Khir 'Vittinee fell as his ship was destroyed. As such, when I took command, I ordered our forces to retreat from the planet, where we would begin glassing parts of the planet not housing the artifacts. The intention, then, was to choke out the humans on the planet surface, making it inhospitable for them and greatly assisting our siege efforts."
"Then why, pray tell, did you stop glassing the planet?" Truth asked, bringing his hands together and intertwining his fingers. At once, everyone's eyes, including Thel's, moved towards Burpoion. To Thel's slight surprise, the Jiralhanae's frown had been replaced by a remorseful, penance-filled expression, and he couldn't help but wonder what was running through Burpoion's head.
"As we began glassing the planet…" Burpoion paused, obviously thinking over his next words carefully. Something told Thel that, depending on how the Jiralhanae Fleetmaster worded them, his life and fate would be decided then. The Hierarchs were obviously growing more and more impatient, and with a straightening of his back, Burpoion spoke once again.
"We discovered during the glassing that the planet Remnant was, in truth, a Holy Bastion."
A heavy silence fell over the Council Chamber. San'Shyuum craned their necks back while Sangheili clacked their mandibles. It was clear to Thel that many didn't believe the Jiralhanae. Even he had to admit that the claim was suspect.
"An audacious claim," Truth declared, bringing his gravity throne slightly closer to the front of the platform he and the other two Hierarchs positioned themselves on. "Do you have any proof?"
"Of course," Burpoion said, motioning his head towards a compartment on his hilt. "May I?"
"By all means," Truth acquiesced. It was all part of the theater, Thel knew. The illusion of being fair when, in truth, the outcome of this 'trial' was determined from the start. Burpoion, whether he understood it or not, nodded then pulled out a spherical device. Thel recognized it as a holographic projector, and instantly realized what the Jiralhanae was going to show. Burpoion activated the projector, springing it to life and causing a holographic image of this 'Remnant' to spring to life. Judging from the lack of vitrification, the image was taken prior to the glassing, but he could see its beauty even from here. It was composed of four continents, vaguely shaped like great beasts, with vast bodies of water surrounding them. Not unlike many of the planets humanity had colonized. He, as well as many other commanders in the Covenant, had come to the conclusion that humanity's homeworld was a similar type of world.
Then the image shifted, and Thel's eyes widened as he saw the extent of the plasma bombardment. Burpoion was right, he had indeed glassed areas of the planet not covered by their massive cities. Much of the desert-half of the largest continent was reduced to glass, as was the northwestern and northernmost continents. The glaciers of the northern tundra in particular had mostly melted away, causing the remaining seabed to rise spectacularly. The eastern half of the largest continent was relatively undamaged, likely due to the greatest level of human resistance being concentrated in that general area. The eastern continent, however, caused Thel's already wide eyes to nearly bulge out of their sockets and his nostrils to flare in surprise. It wasn't the extent of the glassing damage that unnerved him. Indeed, the damage was relatively minor when compared to the other continents. Instead, his attention was drawn to the large inland sea that once formed the heart of the continent. After the glassing, it was now completely boiled away, exposing the sediment that once contained the sea. As well as the extensive Forerunner structures that were housed directly beneath it.
At once, the Council Chamber erupted into fresh chaos. Everyone was shouting, and even the Hierarchs' normally composed expressions were briefly marred by pure disbelief and shock.
"You defaced a Holy Bastion?!" a San'Shyuum councilor shouted in outrage.
"Heresy!" a Sangheili echoed, and the voice was joined by a chorus of others who began calling for the Jiralhanae's head. Thel didn't join them, as he was simply too shocked to respond. The Hunters were native to a Holy Bastion? How? Why? It didn't make any sense to the Supreme Commander. What's more, if Remnant truly was a Holy Bastion, as Burpoion claimed, then why hadn't they come into contact with the Shadow Beasts before on the other Holy Bastions found in the Covenant's grand history?
"Indeed, I did," Burpoion admitted, shame easily seeping into his voice. "Once we discovered the truth, we immediately halted all plasma bombardments. The crews and gunners then began self-flagellating as penance, including myself. Others committed suicide, and those who did neither are now dead."
Thel's eyes were suddenly drawn to the Jiralhanae's back. True to his word, he saw several fresh wounds crisscrossing his back. Truth seemed to notice this as well and nodded slowly.
"I see," the Prophet of Truth said, halting all further discussions in the council. "Fleetmaster, for how long did you seek penance?"
"I whipped myself seven times for each minute the Holy Bastion was damaged by my hand. The others did as well, and only a few of us survived the sacred trial."
"Then I can accept your penance," Truth proclaimed. "I believe your words that you did not know Remnant was a Holy Bastion. Had you known, undoubtedly you wouldn't have dared deface it. However, what I cannot forgive is your subsequent decision to abandon the planet."
This was another part of the show, Thel knew. The Hierarchs would proclaim Burpoion's forgiveness, send him back to his ship, then send the Silent Shadow to eliminate him and his crew. Many commanders in the Covenant's history had befallen this fate, some of which went to drastic measures in an effort to save themselves. Only one ever managed to succeed. Thel wondered what Burpoion would do, assuming of course he understood Truth's true intentions.
"Believe me, noble Hierarchs, that it was not my intention to do so," Burpoion insisted. "Once we finished seeking penance, we began planning our counterattack when human reinforcements arrived, forcing us to fight once again for orbital supremacy. Another third of the fleet was destroyed before I gave the order to retreat."
"That was still nearly fifty of the finest vessels in the Covenant Navy," Mercy argued, pointing his wrinkly finger at the Jiralhanae. "Why didn't you stay and fight to the last, as your former Fleetmaster would've done? You had ten vessels left, including your flagship. I see no reason why you shouldn't have continued, given your mission's importance."
Burpoion paused, and a new expression formed on his face. Thel recognized it immediately, as it was one several of his brothers displayed when they came across something holy and sacred. Thel wondered what, exactly, caused the Jiralhanae to behave this way, as were the Hierarchs.
"As we fought the second human fleet, the luminary of my ship, the Pious Cathedral, picked up the presence of another Forerunner artifact. Unlike the others, this one was well away from any major human population centers, instead found deep in the territory of the Shadow Beasts. I led a detachment myself down to the surface, intending to secure it, and what I found there demanded our immediate return to High Charity."
"And what might that be?" the Prophet of Regret asked, leaning forward and boring his eyes into Burpoion's. Much to Thel's surprise, Burpoion looked right back, then turned to the side and gestured his arm towards the Council Chamber's entrance.
"A living Oracle," Burpoion declared, prompting the doors to open. Loud gasps filled the room as a pair of Sangheili walked in, reverently guarding a lone figure between them. Thel's eyes widened as he took the creature in. It appeared to be female, with its thin, slender body, and at first glance he assumed her to be a human. Yet, at the same time, it was clear that she was not, as something about her presence seemed to fill the chamber like a sudden gravity well, suffocating them under its weight as she silently glided forward. More physical differences were revealed as she approached, such as her ash-pale hair and skin that didn't match any of the human phenotypes they'd observed, even the more colorful variations within the ranks of the Hunters. Thick black veins covered her arms and face, and blood-red eyes and black sclera gazed out into the room with an almost calculating expression.
"What is the meaning of this?! You brought a human into High Charity?!" Mercy demanded, prompting the Honor Guards from both sides to brace themselves. Yet the woman merely raised her hand, causing her guards to stop and back away with a reverent bow of their heads.
"Noble Prophet of Mercy," she began, speaking perfect San'Shyuum to everyone's surprise, "I am no mere human, and I assure you that I am not a foe to the Great Journey. Indeed, I only seek to bring everyone along the Sacred Path to salvation."
She stepped forward, prompting Burpoion to back away with a humble, awe-struck expression, as she regarded the Hierarchs in such a way that Thel 'Vadamee had never seen. Not as a subordinate, but as an equal.
"Venerable Prophets of Truth, Mercy, and Regret, my name is Salem."
[~][~]
Hello, everyone! This is a little something that myself, Jesse K, and NaanContributor put together. Special thanks to them, as I wouldn't be able to do this without their help.
As you can see, Dust and Echoes is a RWBY/Halo crossover. Specifically the prologue, but the actual story (that we do, indeed, plan on telling) starts before this. This prologue is really meant to help show you guys the direction we plan on going with this story. We have some great ideas for Dust and Echoes, and we can't wait to show them to you.
Let us know what you guys think, and we hope you enjoy!