Noble Six kicked the Elite off him, staggering up and back as the energy blade was pulled from his body and drawing a knife from his shoulder with his right hand, holding his off one in front of him and panting from exertion and pain, blade held parallel to his waist as the Elites circled him, one chortling merrily. The one at the back silver armored and clearly content to watch, barked at him in their language and it seemed cowed at the remark as it stepped forward, igniting an oddly shaped sword of its own, more smoothly curved than normal and glowing a warm orange.

Quietly, he thanked Jorge for the advice on his armor, the extra protection of his bracers and shin-guards having granted him most of his mobility, even after the plasma hit him. Most of his armor was still fresh kit, though at Jorge's urging he'd up-armored the chest, legs and arms. And after Kat's death, he'd up-armored his old helmet as well.

"Demon, the Huragok taught me your… I do not know the term, your usage of words." Six blinked, hard blue eyes widening slightly when it spoke, though his body didn't react outwardly in any way they could detect, "I would use words with you, Demon."

"Why?" He grunted, allowing himself to relax only as much as he needed to to put pressure on his wound, grimacing. "Just kill me and get it over with, Squidhead, if you think you're getting any secrets from me."

The Elite looked confused, barking at his subordinates in turn. To of the three barked in return, and the Zealot shook his head, "I… Do not recognize your term, I fear. I seek no secrets, however. Only to… To use words, as I spoke before."

"Then t- Then use them, Elite." He said quietly, turning his head slightly when the Zealot walked further towards his back, "And tell your purple friend to stay where I can see him, if you want to use words with me."

He raised his off hand at the elite and barked an order again, this one making the Zealot huff and walk back to where he'd been, still uncomfortable but watchable for the Spartan. "Is that better for you, Demon?"

"Much. Now, what do you want, Squidhead?" He asked again, looking a few feet in front of him, where his rifle had fallen and noting the ammo counter. 'Seven rounds… useless, unless a Grunt happens by.'

"You have fought with honor, Demon." The Elite started, lowering his blade so that it ran parallel to his body, "And I would offer you a choice, for your honor. You may end by our blades, or we can leave you here, to die with some semblance of peace. My warriors will avoid the area until the Kig Yar say that you have passed on."

The Spartan almost told him to piss off, almost dover for the rifle right then, if only to take down one more Elite, but… Something broke inside him, when he looked at the Spartans dead around him, and the Elites, and he let the knife drop from his arm, hanging at his side almost limply, "I'd… rather wait it out."

The Elite nodded, barking orders at his warriors and closing the energy blade, the others backing away almost hesitantly, urged on by another bark, "Should you attempt to escape, my marksmen will kill you before you can get anywhere. And should you elude them, you should know that no more of your kind persists against us. You will find nothing." The Elite turned, striding away purposefully, "Farewell, Demon."

The Spartan watched them leave, half-expecting a trap, before he saw the Phantom lift into the air, soaring over him without so much as turning its turrets towards him. Sighing, he walked forward and collapsed, leaning against the raised road behind him and holding his helmet in his hands, letting out a long breath and sliding the armored thing onto his head, the lights behind his visor blinking on as the system registered the reconnection and began the start-up process, starting by kicking his shielding back on and deploying painkillers to the various plasma burns across his body, soothing the pain slightly.

He let his eyes slide closed, slipping into a restful sleep for several hours, content to wait while the suit reactivated and ran the medical protocols.

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Hours passed before the Spartan stirred, straightening and groaning quietly, reach out and picking up the assault rifle, turning and methodically starting to turn the small outpost over, gathering weapons and ammunition out of habit more than anything. Something to do. The Elite had thought his wounds fatal, but the stims and Biofoam would last him for a month if he played his cards right before he needed medical care.

"Noble Six?" He straightened, rifle snapping to reflexively and sinking to a kneel, looking around him for a moment before the voice spoke again, "I am detecting an elevated heart rate, and your suit is registering multiple points of damage. Are you well, Noble Six?"

"Aunty Dot…? No, I am wounded. Plasma, mostly, so it's at least cauterised for the most part. I have a full loadout for my rifle, and a grenade, and no medical supplies. I need somewhere I can go." He paused, picking up the grenade and placing it on his waist, gathering the ammunition and starting to place it in the tac-holders on his chest, only one having been slagged by the plasma thankfully.

"Please specify." The Dumb Ai requested quietly.

"No specification. Sheltered bunkers, UNSC holdouts, anything. A scan of the area would help too, if any of our satellites are still up there." Six ordered quickly, putting the rifle on his back and picking his magnum up from the table next to him, grabbing the extra magazine and putting it on his hip, "Jackals should be watching my position, and I can't move without getting rid of them first."

"Understood, Noble Six." The AI answered, taking several seconds to try and find what he needed, "I am afraid that there are no satellites left in orbit. My own is damaged, and drifting towards a deteriorating orbit in three hours, twenty two minutes and fifteen seconds. I am also failing to detect any signal on any UNSC band in your MJOLNIR's range or receiving. Given the state of Reach, it can be surmised that the Covenant have eliminated any surviving forces already and are glassing the planet."

"They are." Six offered weakly, collapsing as the hope from the moment before left him, turning so that Dot could see using his helmet as a Covenant ship loomed in the sky, purple hull hovering close to a distant mountain range. "Dot, give me something."

The AI was quiet for several long seconds before speaking again, the synthetic voice almost… cautious, "I am detecting a single signal, isolated and not UNSC or Covenant in origin, based on the bandwidth usage and tone."

"Insurrectionists, maybe?" He asked, grimacing slightly. Working with the Innies wasn't a good option, but it was better than staying here waiting to die.

"Negative, Noble Six. I detect no usage of common UNSC or Insurrectionist encryptions. The broadcast is an… open one, it seems. It is likely resistance will be there when you arrive." She said quickly, making Six sigh lightly.

"My helmet is damaged, Dot, I'm missing several key functions for my armor. Notably, radar systems and VISR functionality." He said shortly, checking his rifle absently on instinct. It needed maintenance, badly, at some point soon. "And with my VISR out and no satellites, you can't scan the area and tell me where the Jackals are."

"Negative, However, I do believe that your suit's systems are detecting an oncoming storm. Sandstorms are common during planet glassings, and Jackal equipment is notoriously known to falter in such severe weather." Dot rattled off quickly, in her typical fashion, while Six turned to look at the wall of sand and debris, probably kicked up somewhere by the plasma bombardment. "Also, as a potential fix for your helmet, I would recommend connecting this one to one of the deceased Spartan's around you and using that helmet."

Six sighed, and started looking around for a suitable replacement. He found a HAZ-OP variant fairly quickly, and started working under Dot's direction to get it integrated into his own MJOLNIR. The helmet was green, and his armor was blue, so they didn't exactly match and that did bother him a bit, but he ignored it. He could always repaint later. By the time it finished, and he slid the new helmet on and began adjusting to the different visor shape and weight, the sandstorm rolled in, hitting him hard enough to stagger him slightly and start shifting the corpses around him. After a second's thought, he slid his old helmet on the dead woman's pale face, covering the Spartan from the sand and turning around.

"Dot, waypoint." He said shortly, lifting his rifle and standing to his full height. The waypoint appeared, three kilometers away, and a series of shorter termed ones leading to it along a favorable path. Taking a breath, he started making his way towards it.

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It took a few hours to make any real progress, the land rough and cracked from the bombardment and the fighting before it. The area here had always been a sort of wasteland, but now... Now it looked more the graveyard. A UNSC frigate corpse had landed in it at some point during the fighting, showering the area he was in in debris from the armor melting as it descended. Huge chunks of metal and melted Scorpions and Warthogs littered the ground, making useful enough cover for his movements even if it slowed him down massively. The sandstorm had passed a long time ago, but now the sky was blacked out by the smoke from the smoldering ruins, and Six was mainly forced to use VISR for navigation.

"Dot, any chances of scavenging some ammunition from that downed ship?" Six asked quietly, doing his best to stay silent in spite of the desolated environment. Old habits and all that.

"Very slim, Noble Six." Dot answered after a few seconds, using his VISR to highlight several slagged sections of the ship and overlaying the original schematics over it, "Most of the sections containing armories appear to have been destroyed, and the few that can't be located are likely buried and would require excavation. Time that neither of us has."

He nodded, turning and continuing to walk towards his destination, circling to get to the marker just behind where the ship was. It took him five more minutes of fast walking before he reached the last marker, what looked to be a hole in the ground. Kneeling, he looked down into the shaft, and could just barely make out the ruined remains of a Pelican. "Dot, the signal is coming from down there?"

"Yes, Noble Six. It appears to originate from inside the Pelican, though I would reiterate that it does not match UNSC encryption methods or signal types. Upon further thought, I am unsure as to how your MJOLNIR can even receive its broadcast." After a second, an alert and several red markers appeared on his HUD, "Alert, Noble Six. I am detecting Covenant activity moving in a search pattern."

"Looking for me most likely, I would bet." Six grunted, stepping forward and dropping into the hol, landing beside the Pelican with a grunt and straightening after a second, looking at the Pelican's putting the rifle on his back, before slamming his boot into it and denting it inwards. Reaching in, he used the leverage to force the partially melted and deformed steel open, and he slid inside, sliding to the ground and sighing, holding a hand to his wound with a grimace, "At least they'll probably miss me if I'm in here."

"Indeed, Noble Six. However, I would urge you to look for what is broadcasting the signal. They may trace it themselves and find their way here regardless." Dot advised quickly, making the Spartan nod at the reasoning and stand up, thankful that the Pelican was at least rightside up. It didn't take long to notice the large, silver cylinder at the back of the Pelican, and a quick scan from the AI told him it was what was broadcasting the signal.

"Dot, do you have any idea what this is?" He asked, reaching out a hand and resting it on it. He flinched when the device started audibly humming and glowing, parts of it opening and shifting as the Spartan backpedaled and drew his Magnum, leveling it at the thing and watching it warily, "Dot, analysis, now."

She didn't get to respond as the machine seemed to detonate. To the searching Elites, it looked as if a warhead had gone off. To Six, it looked like a flashbang, followed by the sensation of slamming into a tree, and then the ground, hard enough that he was knocked unconscious.

To team RNJR, it looked like a blue robot had fallen from the sky and crushed a tree. Until Ruby saw the blood on his side and rushed to aid him.

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When Noble Six next opened his eyes, it was to a clear night sky, and with Dot's words in his ears. Holding perfectly still, he could hear people moving around nearby, and spoke to Dot, "Situation report?"

"You were rendered unconscious when you collided with a tree." Dot answered simply and quickly, "Your wounds were tended by the people in this camp, though they had difficulty moving you. We are still close to where you landed, and your weapons are beside you, though I do not think they are hostile. Per protocol, I sealed your MJOLNIR as best I could while you were unconscious."

"Any hostility shown so far from them?"

"Negative, Noble Six. None so far, and they have tried to help you where able." Dot answered quickly, showing a captured image of each of them, "The blonde is named Jaune, surname unknown. The black haired male is named Ren, surname unknown. The ginger haired woman is Nora, surname unknown. The black haired female is named Ruby, surname unknown. No hostilities displayed by any of them, though the two women are armed with a grenade launcher and large caliber rifle respectfully. The blonde carries a sword on his waist, and I have seen no weapon from Ren."

"If it came to it, could I eliminate them?" He asked warily, letting the AI take several seconds to 'think'.

"They are armed, but largely unarmored. The only armor present is the blonde's, and it looks to be based on plate armor, not standard flak armor. Should it come to combat, you should be able to eliminate all targets with minimal risk or asset consumption." Dot explained simply, bringing up the four pictures again, "I would advise eliminate Nora first, followed by Ruby and then Jaune. They are the most well armed, according to data, and pose the only real threat."

"Understood. I am going to initiate contact then, and we'll see what happens. Unlock my armor and inform me when I am ready for full mobility. Administer a stim as well, if any are left." Dot confirmed the command and Six felt the energy of the stim kick in, waiting for a full minute before the AI displayed the message saying he was ready to move.

Rolling, picking up the rifle, sliding the bolt to arm it and taking a kneeling aim at the group all happened in less than four seconds, the four teenagers blinking in surprise when the man moved so quickly, the youngest looking, Ruby, stepping towards him almost shyly, "Sir, are you alright? You, um, you hit your head kind of hard, and we dragged you here to try and help, but… We couldn't get your armor off and… Could you put the gun down, please?"

"Not until I identify you as threats or non threats." He said sharply, taking his left arm off his rifle to retrieve his Magnum and place it on his thigh, "Identify yourselves and your allegiances. Immediately, or I will fire."

"D-Don't do that, okay?" Ruby said quickly, waving her hands in front of her in a way that he knew was to try and ward off the violence, "My name is Ruby, okay? Ruby Rose, and my, uh, allegiance would be to Vale, I guess. Or maybe Remnant? I dunno what you mean by that, so I-"

"What organized government do you recognize and stand for." He clarified sharply, easing off the trigger slightly but keeping the weapon trained on the girl.

"Vale, then!" She said quickly, "Definitely Vale, or Beacon, but Beacon is kind of… not a thing right now."

"And you three?" He asked, turning his head to look at the trio on the other side of the fire, his VISR highlighting the blonde's hand on his sword. He shifted his aim to him, pressing the stock against his shoulder, "Hand away from the weapon."

The boy took his hand away, raising the armored hand with the palm open, "Sure, you just startled us. No harm, no foul, and my name is Jaune Arc. Same allegiance as Ruby, I guess. The girl is Nora Valkyrie and this is Lie Ren." He explained, gesturing with the hand at the two next to him, "We're Huntsman, okay? So could you-"

"What is a Huntsman?" Six interrupted, standing to his full height, and blinking when he realized the blonde was almost up to his neck in height, easily close enough to be a Spartan trainee or early in his augmentation phase. He'd heard that newer models of Spartans would be shorter due to the loss of life the Augmentation process could cause. 'They're incredibly tall.. Augmentations, maybe? If we're on Reach, it could be a classified Spartan program still in the researching phase, and these are survivors from that...' "Are you Spartans?"

"What, like…. From the movies?" The ginger asked quietly, making a confused gesture with her hands at him.

"Movies?" He asked in confusion, actually lowering the rifle slightly in surprise, "What are you talking about? Spartans are highly classified, there aren't any… movies about us."

"What?" Ruby asked, drawing his attention back to her, "Okay, look, I… Guess you hit your head. Huntsman hunt the Creatures of Grimm." She said simply, smiling at him and placing a hand on her chest indicatively, "I am one, and so are my friends. We're heroes, or we try to be, and we protect people."

He tilted his head using his chin to hit the mute button on his helmet and looking up, "Dot, can you run a constellation recognition on this sky?"

"Negative. I have been disconnected from my sattelite, we are too far from it for me to receive or send signals. However, that would mean we are likely no longer on Reach." The Ai said, making the Spartan swallow nervously. "Your pulse is rising, Noble Six."

Turning back to the 'Huntsman' Six unmuted his helmet's speakers, "Do you have any idea on how I can contact the United Nations Space Command's Office of Naval Intelligence?"

The four looked at each other, Jaune shaking his head at Ruby before she spoke, "Uh, no? We don't know those names… Are you, like, in the military? Maybe from Atlas or something?"

Noble Six finally lowered his rifle completely, latting his arms droop in front of him. He looked up to the unfamiliar sky, staring at a shattered moon, and for the first time in years… Laughed, brightly and loudly.

After a second of it, Ruby leaned towards Jaune, "I think he might have hit his head really hard, Jaune…"

"Yeah, Ruby… Definitely." Jaune answered, watching the man plop onto the ground and let out a breath.

"Wonder what protocol there is for this…" He mumbled, looking at them with a glint of firelight bouncing off his silver visor, "You say you help people? Right? Defend the innocent, fight the monsters threatening them, and so on?"

"Uh, yeah?" Nora said quietly after a second.

The 'Spartan' nodded a couple times before leaning back against a rock by the fire with his rifle leaning on his shoulder, "Then I'll help you, until I figure something out."

"You'll… help us?" Jaune asked quietly, unsure of what he meant, "What do you mean?"

"I mean that I will help you fight these 'Creatures of Grimm' and protect people." The Spartan shrugged lightly, leaning his head back and looking to the stars, "You helped me, after all, so I will help you."

"Uh… Okay." Ruby said quietly, easing into a sitting position at the same time the others did, "Well, uh, I guess I'll take first watch while you guys-"

"I'll take watch for the night." The blue armored man interrupted, turning his visor to them once again, "I don't need as much rest as you do, and my suit has a built in radar system for picking up movement."

"No, you need to rest." Jaune argued, eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion, "Ruby always takes first, then I take second, and Ren and Nora take third." The Spartan shrugged, closing his eyes behind his helmet, and Jaune sighed, "Let's get some rest guys."

"Yeah…" Ruby muttered, standing up and sitting on a log lying behind her, Crescent Rose in her hands.

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Armor Configuration - Noble Six

Helmet - HAZ-OP helmet system, with integrated communications module and deployable thermal goggles, for combat and other assorted uses.

Chest - Up-Armored Tactical Chest Piece, with additional protection for the lower chest offered along with multiple magazine slots for rapid reloading. One on the lower left side has been melted away by a plasma blade.

Legs - Gungnir up armor modules, with a hard case on his legs for additional storage.

Arms - Basic up-armoring bracers

Colors - Main color Dark Blue, secondary black.

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