Forced Out

"You know, I'm impressed…"

"About what?"

"Your species in this time period. In the future, you wouldn't have anything to do with us."

"…oh…I see…"

In actual fact, Gillis didn't see at all, at least not in the figurative sense. Sure, she could see these…sigmas with her naked eyes, just as well as the rest of Delta Team could and through optical sensors, SARA as well. But she couldn't see…or understand…what on Earth they were talking about or why the marines weren't just blasting them. Not the best way to go about first contact, but after dealing with walking sharks (or "Carcharodon polemos, but seriously, who cared?) it was understandable that the team's pilot was a little jumpy.

"Is everything alright human? You seem a little jumpy."

"Jumpy? Why would I be jumpy? Jump at what? How high? Why do you ask?"

Yeah…first contact is going great…

Delta Squad was spread out with the sigmas, their leader conversing with Reese on the Kitty Hawk. Gillis was essentially alone with this…thing. Its glowing eyes, its striking (dis)similarities to the human form…it was hard to believe, but the marine found herself wishing she could deal with the space sharks again. At least with them she knew how to deal with the genetic freaks. But these things? Were they going to say "we come in peace" or "take us to your leader now!"?

"I understand your unease human. Your alternate universe counterparts were equally wary of us."

Okay…saying "take me to your leader" had become infinitely preferable.

"It's sad, really…" the sigma mused, clearly remembering something that took place in a different universe in the future as far as Gillis understood (which she didn't at all). "It had so much potential…allied with the grays, with the Sentients…we would have been unstoppable. We could have changed the galaxy with your MMO tactics, as per Project Orion. Or Project Titan, it-…"

"Wait a minute…MMO tactics? As in a MMORP-…?"

"But your kind turned against us," the sigma continued, ignoring Gillis. "Personally I think it was the psions…I mean, really? You wanted to pursue psychic powers when there was no precedent at all for that?"

"Mister alien, I don't-…"

"And your combat gear…tell me female, do your soldiers like showing cleavage in this day and age?"

Gillis heard the sound of silence. And it was deafening.

This future, or alternate universe, whatever…either this alien was insane, humanity was insane, or the truth was somewhere in-between. Granted, she didn't know what "psions" were anymore than what MMO tactics translated to, but…well, if this sigma was telling the truth…

"So we fled…" the alien continued. "The MMO tactics were discontinued and our allies cast us out. Cast us out for Forerunners that everyone knew didn't look anything like their actual form. Cast us out-…"

"Okay pal, you lost me about five minutes ago," Gillis interrupted. "I mean…it sounds impressive and all, but-…"

"Impressive? It was a nightmare!"

"Yeah, yeah…listen, I'm off duty in a few minutes and I want to play some World of Warcraft."

"…what?" the sigma whispered, looking…scared as far as Gillis could tell. "What did you say?"

"Oh yeah, WoW. The latest expansion has us in space. WoW in Space as some call it."

"No…no!"

As the sigma whimpered about Titan not being "Warcraft in space," how it was "far more sophisticated," Gillis realized that first contact wasn't all it was cracked up to be…

A/N

Alas, Halo MMO, a.k.a. Orion, a.k.a. Titan, we hardly knew ye...oh wait, we did. And given some of your concepts, maybe we knew you too well...still, if some glimpsed-at concept art for Interstellar Marines is anything to go by, at least the sigmas have found a new home, as per the gift the Internet has granted us to percieve similarities between anything and everything whilst starting up a flame war in the process. Maybe they'll find a home in Blizzard's Titan MMO as well...provided that "WoW in space" hasn't scarred them too much... ;)