A/N: Hello everybody! Man, it's been a while! I honestly don't know how two years can fly you by so fast…

Anyway, today is the 6-year anniversary of TFRR, and I thought it would be nice to celebrate it with a small treat for those of you who enjoyed reading this story and, to this day, still want more. (Seriously, though, if you are part of that crowd… thanks for putting up with me soooooo many times in the past and sticking to this story in spite of everything.)

Without further ado here's a sneak peek of my next crossover and kinda-sorta-spin-off for TFRR-verse… (drumroll)

Stargate Universe: Season 3!

"The Stargate… we have an incoming wormhole!"

The firm conviction in the kid's voice was unnerving. Both Young and Rush shot Eli a double take. "How can you be so certain?" Rush asked him.

Eli's jaw moved up and down a few times, struggling to find words. "Um… t-this always happens when a ninth-chevron connection is made. Remember how the Gate shook back on Icarus Base as we tried to dial Destiny's Gate, before we even knew—"

"Armory," Young cut Eli off, addressing Rush directly while jumping off the metal stool and making a run for the door. The scientist hesitated for a moment, but he recovered quickly and followed suit. Both men knew exactly what an incoming wormhole meant—and it wasn't necessarily good. They needed to be ready for anything. "Eli, get to your quarters and start deploying Kinos," the Colonel instructed as he left the whiz kid behind on the communication room. "Those things can operate on their own even if the ship doesn't have power. We can use them to monitor the Gate Room!"

Eli was more than aware of that little fact, so much so that he already had a few of the Kinos moving through vents to the Gate Room. By the time the first of them got there, the Gate had reached one third of the dialing process, judging from the two lit symbols plus the third one that even now finished aligning itself with the bearing that hung from the ceiling and also lit up.

He also had one Kino fly to the Armory vent to keep an eye on Colonel Young and Rush, but not before making sure that the route they would have to take to get there would have enough breathable air. He was surprised by how fast the two men managed to get there, not that the Armory was too far away, but still. The Colonel quickly grabbed a vest and strapped it on while Rush reached for the radios. By then, five of the symbols on the Gate had activated.

Eli kept an eye out on both Kino feeds and listened in as Colonel Young gave instructions to Rush, or rather, as he finished giving him instructions. "Once you get to the CI room, stand ready to vent whatever amount of atmosphere remains in and around the Gate Room without hesitation," he said as he grabbed one of the high-powered rifles and a few ammo clips. "We need to make sure the stasis rooms remain safe and out of reach. If it's the Lucian Alliance arriving through the Gate… don't make the same mistake I made."

"You know," Rush said, checking the magazine of a 9mm handgun he had found, "chances are higher it could be either SG personnel… or the blue aliens. The information they obtained from Chloe—"

"Anyone or anything crosses that Gate who isn't our people," Young stressed, loading a mag into the rifle and cocking it loudly, "you know what to do." Rush nodded, grabbing a Kino remote for each of them both and tuning into the composite feed from the Gate room. Eight of the Ancient artifact's symbols were engaged by then, with the ninth approaching the top bearing to complete the legendary sequence. Without another word, both men ran out of the room and went their separate ways.

As Eli assigned two more Kinos to covertly tail the men, he suddenly felt conflicted. Right now, the only person who knew that the atmosphere in the Gate room had already been vented was him. Well, to be more accurate, he had displaced that air—a small measure that would preserve what precious little power the ship had, as it was easier to move concentrated pockets of breathable air from one compartment to another than to keep the millennia-old CO2 scrubbers active, even at minimum capacity. Not that he couldn't actually keep the most essential systems online for at least a week, but then again, that same power was the one thing that would help Destiny get a head start towards the closest star system he'd mentioned earlier to Young and Rush.

Regardless, being able to manipulate the life support system like that required a certain degree of control over it that could only be achieved at certain locations within the ship, or by the ship itself. And that was Eli's main concern. Once Rush managed to get access to the Control Interface Room, he would discover just how much control Eli currently had over the ship's systems—and that, in turn, would lead to a plethora of questions Eli wasn't ready to answer just yet.

As it was, he had two choices. He could cut all power to the 'Apple Core', thus stonewalling Rush's attempts to access it, while trying to determine himself who the newcomers were and if they posed any danger before deciding whether or not to restore atmosphere to the Gate room; with luck, Rush wouldn't even suspect that it was Eli behind all of that. Or, he could just fill the room with air right now and hope that Rush would not notice the tiny aberrations in the life support system logs, and then let him decide all of the aforementioned.

The ninth symbol lit up on the Gate, and with a clicking noise, an even horizon sprung to life from within the age-old ring.

Eli decided to take the risk and leave the Gate room without air. He'd leave the Apple Core powered up and keep an eye on Rush as he accessed the system while assessing the situation himself—and if Rush got close to finding anything out of the ordinary, he'd attempt to throw him off the scent. As for Col. Young, hopefully he would be wise enough to monitor the Gate room from several sections away with the Kino remote Rush had given him. Otherwise, Eli would have to act quickly to restore atmosphere to critical areas.

Why am I even jumping through so many hoops? Eli wondered. Since his arrival on Destiny, all he had done was follow instructions from the crew leaders, the decision-makers. It was all he had needed to do; the weight of those decisions, whether they ended up being right or wrong, would always fall on those people, never on him. The only time he had openly challenged one such decision was what had put him in his current predicament—something he only mildly regretted. But now, Eli was basically going behind the backs of his leaders, namely Young in this case, and taking matters into his own hands. Why was he making those decisions himself?

Oh, he wasn't naïve; he knew the answer to that question. He was doing it because he could—because he was fully able to do so. It was exhilarating. It was the closest thing to an adrenaline rush he could feel now.

And that scared him more than anything.

Yet when the first traveler flew through the glimmering 'puddle', he realized it was the best course of action. In fact, he immediately killed power to absolutely everything in and near the Gate room for good measure… and waited to see just exactly what the armored figure could do.

For a moment upon reaching the other side of the event horizon, he felt like he was flying. The added G's and the distance traveled felt about right, taking into account Tau'ri Col. David Telford's mission reports of his time aboard Destiny and AI data analyses thereof. His entry angle, however, was slightly off; he was about to land on his left shoulder. Had he been a regular old human, he would've had a strained shoulder for a couple of days at the very least. Only thanks to his artificially enhanced reflexes was he able to adjust the fall by shifting his weight and rolling on his left side.

With lightning-fast motion, Spartan Joseph 'Joe' Rodriguez reached for his M395B DMR modified with the Recon configuration as he landed on one knee, his mag-boots keeping him clamped to the metallic floor, and carefully scanned the dark room through the sight of his weapon for any signs of life. The rest of his team would arrive shortly, and he wanted to make sure the place was secure before that. Otherwise, he would have to call out to them the second they stepped through the Stargate and instruct them to find cover.

"Barometric pressure: zero. Atmospheric composition readings: zero. Temperature: ice cold. No artificial gravity… Are we space-walking right now?"

For a moment after hearing the still-unfamiliar female voice, Joe wondered if the Master Chief had ever felt uncomfortable about having to carry an AI into battle. The tactical advantage was unquestionable, but with someone as vivacious and carefree as Eunice, Joe felt like he was babysitting a teenager in the midst of a battle—which, in all fairness, wasn't that far away from the truth, at least when it came to the babysitting part. He was, after all, just ferrying the civilian AI inside a modified COMPAD on his left wrist until she could be plugged into the Ancient ship's systems. "Negative, we're inside Destiny's Gate room."

"The Gate room? You mean we did arrive at a supposedly inhabited ship. You sure about that?" Eunice said condescendingly. Too condescendingly, perhaps.

"The crew is in cryo-sleep," Joe reminded Eunice starkly.

"Still applies as 'inhabited', meaning the ship must use life-support systems—meaning there should be an atmosphere in this ship, even if the air has not been recycled. Unless…"

"…something caused the atmosphere to vent," Joe replied, mentally kicking himself for not understanding earlier what the AI had been trying to say.

"Exactly."

"Hull breach caused by an attack?"

"Possibly. Or just a ship malfunction."

Out of the corner of his eye, Joe saw as another armored figure flew through the Gate, landing with utmost grace despite the added impulse—better than Joe had, by far. Her magnetic boots automatically kicked and locked on to the floor of the Ancient ship just before two other soldiers, dressed in similar armor pieces as Joe's, followed suit, also landing without a hitch but nowhere near as gracefully. In fact, their boots scraped the Ancient floor, and their magnetic clamps also kicking in were the only thing that helped them avoid tumbling across the room.

The more graceful Spartan looked around as she took in the room that she was currently occupying. It was spacious, no doubt about it. The room could easily hold around forty individuals—sixty if they were standing close together. And yet somehow it still felt a little… cramped.

"Eyes open, Apocalypse," Joe instructed before the rest of his team could even reach for their weapons. "We may have a foothold situation."

"Whoa, hold your horses, Spartan!" Eunice exclaimed. "I said 'possibly' at your mention of an attack, and I meant that very loosely."

Uncharacteristically for a Spartan, Joe's second-in-command, Abigail Williams, giggled at this remark. "Please do keep in mind, Eunice," she said, "that my brother used to be an ODST. He has a penchant for expecting enemy combatants behind every corner, even where there are none. Still…" Abigail drew out her weapon, a BR55 Heavy Barrel Service Rifle with an extended magazine clip and a customized SS/M49 silencer specifically modified to the standards of what many had subbed simply the Battle Rifle, since SS/M49 silencers were used primarily on the M7S SMG. "Can't hurt to stay on our toes."

"If you say so, Spartan. FYI, no power levels in the vicinity either, other than those coming from the Stargate."

As if on cue, the light provided by the Gate died right there and then as the event horizon closed, leaving the team in near-absolute darkness. Before the Gate started venting off steam, the four armored soldiers had activated their helmets' night vision. Joe signaled the other two members of his team, Spartans Albert Kingston and Hugh Cain, to fan out towards the two doors located beside each of the room's control consoles. The two soldiers reached for their own weapons—a silenced M20 Submachine Gun, and a Z-180 Close Combat Rifle/Asymmetric Engagement Mitigator more commonly known as the Forerunner Scattershot, respectively—then pressed the buttons meant to open the doors, but got no response. Power loss must've killed the door controls too, Joe thought.

Thankfully, the corridor in the middle was still open, so he signaled for them to fall in behind him and Abigail as they went through. Fireteam Apocalypse still had a lot of ground to cover between here and the ship's Cryo Bay before moving on to Phase II of their mission, and so they kept advancing, clearing corners and keeping an eye out for trouble…

A/N: So, yeah, like I had mentioned at the end of TFRR, this is one of the things I've been working on for the past couple of years. In this particular case, credits go to AdmiralWhiteFang as well for partnering with me in writing SGU:S3. We're still polishing some details here and there for Episode 1, but we're almost there and should be ready to upload the whole thing before the end of this month (hopefully).

Once again, thanks to everyone who have still been reviewing and/or adding to your Favorites/Follow lists. Every time I get such a notice on my e-mail Inbox, it brings a smile to my face. I certainly hope you'll like this new story we wish to tell and explore.

I do want to let you know that I'm looking for additional partners for my stories; not just TFRR-verse, but for all of them. Life has been getting increasingly complicated in the last couple of years and I barely get enough free time to write like I used to. AdmiralWhiteFang has already been a Godsend in that regard for this spin-off, but any additional hands on deck are appreciated nonetheless. Anyone nterested, feel free to PM me. ;)

I'll see you around! God bless!

P.S.: Expect a second treat later tonight… hopefully.

[UPDATE: 06/08/19]

Okay, so, if you're among those who just read the first chapter of The Fifth Race Reclaimers: Upheaval and came here because of the A/N I left there, welcome to the News Section! If, on the other hand, you had already read the Sneak Peek last week and just happened to stumble upon the updated version of this A/N without having read the first chapter of TFRR:U… what are you waiting for?! Go ahead and read it! I'll be waiting for you right here. ;)

Back already? Good, then let's begin with the News.

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1. SEQUEL SUMMARY[BEWARE: SPOILERS AHEAD for the sequel… obviously]

We all know the H5:G campaign, story-wise, was awful. I'm one of the few who enjoyed playing it, and even that was only due to the 'team' gameplay mechanics. But 343i gave us a poor story that in no way resembled what the Hunt The Truth marketing campaign promised—Chief going rogue and against the UNSC, Locke and Co. tracking him down to eliminate the threat, etcetera. In my case, that's what bothered me the most. Having Cortana come back as a villain of sorts was an interesting approach to explore, but the way it was handled was disappointing to say the least.

Even then, my intention with this sequel is not to rewrite H5:G in its entirety, nor to follow in the same footsteps. Rather, I want to explore other aspects of the Halo galaxy through the eyes of SG characters and vice versa. Expect to see more of characters like the ones featured in the HtT podcast, as well as some very old SG characters and some OCs here and there, and lees of Locke and his team fooling around across the galaxy.

Oh, I will certainly include them and Blue Team from time to time, but only to give context to the impending Created uprising—and definitely not in the same way H5:G did. Make no mistake, there will be a proper hunt this time behind the scenes. I also want to include some aspects of Halo Wars 2, though with the butterfly effect acting in full force at the ending of TFRR, there's bound to be some major changes.

[SPOILERS END]

'So, why are you telling us all this and spoiling the fun?', you may be asking. Well… here's where the sort-of-bad news come into play.

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2. SLOW UPDATES (& the reasons behind this)

Six years ago, I was still in college. Even in spite of homework and school projects and whatnot, I had more time in my hands to write my stories back then… at least for a while. You may've noticed (and, really, how could you not have noticed, right?) that, as months and years went by, that spare time became less and less, which had a direct impact on the frequency with which I updated my stories. (Again, how could you not have noticed?)

Nowadays, I have to work a lot to provide for my home. No, I'm not married and with children now; as a matter of fact, at nearly 30 years old, I'm still very much single. But I do have a mother with some health issues to look after. Even if I didn't (and I'm hoping she will get better in the near future), I'm also working hard to have enough savings for my future family, whenever the time comes for me to start one.

Now, those who've read my profile know that I'm a Christian and not ashamed of admitting so. Well, for the past couple of years, my church has been closely involved in a unique Christian undertaking—a massive revival movement in my home country. So, aside from my job, I've been actively participating of this in many ways. And while I'm honored to be part of something bigger, I sometimes do feel bummed that it's prevented me from having more time to write.

On top of that, the sheer amount of ideas that I have for my stories—side projects like one-shots, three-shots, spin-offs, etc.—and my insistence on alternating between each of them, will more than likely mean even longer intervals between updates.

UNLESS…

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3. PARTNERS

So, I haven't told you all of this just to bother you with details about my personal life. Rather, I wanted to give you guys some context as to why I'm currently looking for partners to work with; not just for TFRR, but for the rest of my projects too.

As I have mentioned before, I've already been working closely with AdmiralWhiteFang here on FanFiction to get the SGU:S3 spin-off up and running, and his help has been invaluable. However, if series like Stargate and games like Halo can teach us something is that, for a good story to be developed in a shorter amount of time, a team of writers working closely and pitching ideas back and forth is absolutely necessary.

I have an outline of what I want to explore in both TFRR:U and SGU:S3, but it needs development. There are things missing here and there, and I'm certain some of you may have some pretty great ideas that you'd like to see come to life. For anyone interested in this, you can PM me so we can discuss this in further detail. I'll be more than glad to find all the help I can get.

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And that's it for the News section. Stay tuned for the actual first chapter of SGU:S3 in the upcoming days, and let's all keep our fingers crossed for E3 2019's Halo announcement. Take care, and don't forget to review on your… oh, wait. This isn't a chapter as such. Well, I'll still be looking forward to hear from you guys! You rock! =D