"Don't underestimate a Mandalorian just because most of them are of a human-related race. On average, they're faster and stronger than a normal person, but I suppose you'll have to find out for yourself." Silence reigned for the rest of the trip, Mando taking to cleaning his weapons to kill the time. Eventually, the shuttle rocked as it exited hyperspace and Mando looked up from his rifle cleaning.

Without a word, he swiftly reassembled the weapon and put the twin pistols in their holsters before standing and slinging the rifle across his back as the ship started rumbling upon the entrance to atmosphere. "I strongly suggest donning your armor and remaining as unaggressive as you're able to. The Clan won't hesitate to put an end to treachery or even perceived treachery."

Several minutes later the shuttle touched down and the loading ramp dropped, showing a jungle landscape and allowing the sounds of predators galore to echo into the troop section. "Welcome to Dxun, Er'Moram, and it's many hidden dangers. Even the Jedi have fallen prey to it's depths." He lead the way out of the shuttle, which the pilots closed behind them almost as soon as the last of Eri's team was off the ship. However, the clone only lead them so far before holding up a hand to signal stop. "I can see you, Members of Clan Ordo! I am Jerius, a member of Clan Wren! Who speaks on behalf of those warriors before me?!"

---

Waving at the pair as he boards his own ship, the two bounty hunters take off at almost the exact same time and leave the hangar just moments apart. Once they were in hyperspace, he established a line of communication with Samus. "Testing, testing, y'all able to hear me?"

---

By the time Eri's team stepped off their shuttle, they were all armed and alert. It was a delicate balance, remaining non-aggressive while simultaneously being prepared for the very real dangers that might be present around them. Dxun, as Jerius had described, was a dangerous place all on its own, Mandalorian clans or no. However, being in such a large group meant that an attack by predators was not terribly likely. Even the most dangerous of creatures still had survival instincts. Usually. For now, they just kept their eyes on their motion trackers and their hands near their weapons, ready to draw if attacked.

Dxun was certainly a lively world, if their motion trackers were any indication, but Eri and her team were experienced enough to be able to separate out an organized group from the sporadic movements of animals. As such, Eri was not surprised when Jerius stopped them, and she too motioned for her team to keep their weapons holstered. Being that Jerius was the one who was knowledgeable about these Mandalorians, she allowed him to be the one to speak for now.

---

---

Thaz was quick to make herself comfortable once onboard Samus' ship. It was fairly small, though still larger than Thaz had expected looking at it from the outside. At the very least, there was enough space for her to sit down, or to stretch her legs if she wanted. She found a place to put down her beam rifle, just to get its weight off of her back, then took off her helmet and put it down beside it. She was trained and conditioned to carry around her beam rifle out in the field for extended times, but it was still a rather heavy weapon, and she preferred to put it down when she could afford to.

While Thaz did move up closer to Samus once she heard Jerus' voice, she did not say anything quite yet. Samus was the shipmistress here, and Thaz could be respectful of that.

---

---

---

---

As Samus' gunship proceeded to enter hyperspace, her comms would be hailed by Jerus himself asking if she could hear him from the other line. The bounty hunter clicks down on a button and responds.

"We copy Jerus, over." she confirms, pausing for a minute before returning to the conversation, "Oh, and since you're here, can you confirm where we should be landing on the planet in question? As well as which space slug that we're supposed to speak with regarding our targets?"

DAEDALUS AWAY TEAM 1 // IMMACULATE AEGIS // FLEET SPACE

McKay didn't mind the nice clean, almost ornamental halls. They seemed nice, apparently, the Sangheili had been part of some holy war on behalf of another species which had controlled them. Much the same as the Goa'uld and the Jaffa. It was a shame they didn't have a Jaffa aboard who could relate to these people easily, the closest thing they had to an honour based warrior was perhaps Ronon. Not that Ronon was a very diplomatic soul and really he was only here as they were still somewhat hesitant of the Sangheili. The majority of times an SG team made contact with an alien non-human race they turned out to be hostile. So he had a team with him just in case something went horribly wrong.

The energy lift thing wasn't fun. Flying through thin air at speeds with the ground looming below him. If the system failed he was pretty much done for. He had voiced his thoughts at the time to nothing but rolled eyes and assurances that he would be fine. Either that or he could have walked, something he wasn't interested in either. The part of him that had become used to getting into fights with aliens noted that you could easily fit a Jumper down these corridors. Which would be useful if they ever had to fight similar vessels. As they reached the lab he wasn't so surprised to see the Sangheili wearing hides, though he had to question whether or not someone wearing animal skin was going to be productive to their conversations, he was more surprised by the human he was greeted with. He walked in and looked around at the equipment, some of it alien while some of it was distinctly human. From everything he had seen from the other vessel and in this lab humans from their universe were easily a hundred years more advanced than back at home, perhaps two and likely was their evolutionary path had the Stargate not been uncovered.

Maybe the Covenant was the evolutionary path that the Goa'uld were on before their downfall.

Rodney extended his hand. "Doctor Rodney McKay, I'm here to see if I can spruce up your hyperdrive a bit. Afterwhich Colonel Caldwell, the commanding officer of the Daedalus, has allowed me to invite you back there to take a look at our ship. It's only fair after all."

HERMIOD // SHIPYARD // FLEET SPACE

Hermiod sat in the main control room. Readouts on various screens, their power output, resources collected, predicted collection and what was necessary in order to build a variety of different vessels. It had taken time to bring all the systems online, by all estimates within one week they would be able to build a vessel to the maximum size that this facility could manage. It was an impressive feat of engineering, however much like the humans from Earth it seemed oddly advanced in some areas while weaker in others. It was almost as if something dramatically launched them into the space age and gained technologies along the way. Doctor Robotnik had already petitioned for the creation of a factory that would allow him to construct robotic units however as of yet Hermiod had stonewalled him, this vessel and the resources provided were for the fleet. The collectors that were out in the asteroid belt were all piloted by Unnogy from the Aegis so he felt it prudent that if anyone was to benefit from the shipyard as a single vessel then it should be the Sangheili vessel first.

So far the only vessels they had constructed were a series of defence platforms which he had scattered throughout the belt, along with sensor beacons and relays capable of detecting vessels in hyperspace and systems away. If anyone were to come towards them they would soon know about it. Hermiod sighed as he turned to another console where he was working on the new problem. The problem of Anubis.

DAEDALUS AWAY TEAM 2 // GLASGOW // CORUSCANT

John had enjoyed the time aboard the Glasgow. Being the Doppelganger of an intergalactic space hero had its perks, one of the 'N7' operatives had even let him don their armour for a photo op. If he had been paid ten dollars per picture he would have been a wealthy man. It didn't bother him much, he had enjoyed the moment of fame. So often due to the work they did being classified nobody knew how many times they had gone out and saved the day, he never wanted recognition for it. Though it would have been nice, once they were back in their home universe it would be nice to know that a Sheppard out there was appreciated. The cloaked jumper launched from the Glasgow after it was through the atmosphere, and he wasn't sure what he was expecting but it wasn't this. He immediately sat up in his chair as he was confronted with buildings that reached to the sky, some even as far as low orbit with their own landing platforms. Traffic went in every direction as he bobbed and waved through the spacecraft that couldn't even see him. He regretted not leaving the Glasgows hangar until they were much lower.

In the craft were a variety of personnel from the various ships going on this mission. Deciding to pool their resources and expertise into mixed teams. The Marines staying behind to guard the Glasgow if needed, while Teyla was on a team that would go to the local markets to gather what information they had there. He looked down to his arm where the new Omnitool rested. He still wasn't familiar with it which was why he was glad Sarah Wilkes was aboard. One of the N7 operatives that these people coveted and from what he had been able to gather, rightly so.

Their mission sounded simple on paper, infiltrate the former Jedi Temple. Find out if the 'recall' order sent to Jedi vessels had been changed to one warning them away yet, if not do so. That was at the request of Erthos. There was also a vault of old relics that were apparently immensely powerful, and a library of 'holocrons' which were apparently great halls of information that was older than the Republic had been. Secondary objectives, plant explosives in the main tower. Apparently in a final middle-finger to his enemies, Palpatine would turn this building into the Imperial Palace. If they set explosives in the tower, when Palpatine moved in they'd have him on a trigger. It'd be far easier to kill, and get to Anubis, if Palpatine was out of the way.

---

---

---

---

Strevrols let his gaze wander across the Aegis' interior as they travelled along its alien corridors. He couldn't help but notice that it had a much more organic look than most of the other ships in the fleet what with its curved entryways and rounded halls. He had to admit, what they may or may not have lacked in terms of technology, they more than made up for in style. Though most of the trip was uneventful, there was a short portion in which they used an energy lift of some kind to traverse one of the longest portions of the ship. And while he had scrunched down onto the platform floor like some kind of boneless blob, Strevrols had done so out of a desire not to be leaning backward the entire time thanks to the forward momentum and his distinct lack of a supporting skeletal system.

The tech was interesting to say the least. While his people had similar devices, they were mostly relegated to civilian transport and infrastructure. Though he supposed it made sense for a craft this large to have some sort of lift or automatic transport given its size. Eventually the lift had come to a stop and they'd been escorted into the 'science place' as the squat creature ferrying them along had called it. Paying the remark little mind, Strevrols followed the others inside where he was met with quite the unexpected sight...

Another hunan.

To be fair, given the abundance of them in their fleet, it hadn't been too much of a shock, but it was still surprising nonetheless. In all honesty he'd expected another one of the large reptile like creatures, Sangheili if he remembered right, not a human. It didn't really matter though. As long as their facilities were in order and interruptions were as infrequent as possible, Strevrols could work on what they asked him to.

And gather some valuable intel in the process. Waiting till Rodney was finished, Strevrols clasped a pair of his appendaged behind his back as he shuffled forward.

"Strevrols," He said, deciding against extending his own appendages for a shake as the human had done with his hand. "And from what my captain has told me, I'm to help with any mechanical issue's you may currently have. I'm also supposed to be aiding you in making modifications to your ship, should you need them."

He looked around the room.

"Though from what I can see you don't seem to need them." Strevrols shrugged, his shoulders wobbling slightly. "The offer is still there regardless."

---

"Oh, right, where are my manners?" The Human woman remarked before reaching out and shaking McKay's hand. "Doctor Fiona O'Connell. Sorry, the Sangheili have very...different manners, I've gotten out of the habit. I've been working for the last few years on join Human-Sangheili projects to reverse-engineer Covenant and Forerunner technologies. As you can probably guess, neither me nor Narak here are permanent crew of the Aegis. We were basically just hitching a ride to Sanghelios from one of the outer colonies when the ship was taken from our universe."

As Dr. O'Connell had been speaking, Narak grabbed two of the Human datapads and approached McKay, though before saying anything, he extended his hand as well to shake McKay's. Even if Sangheili had a different form of manners, he was evidently familiar with Human customs. "Narak 'Chorna. I am an Artisan-Engineer. Here are the schematics for this vessel's slipspace borer." He explained simply and directly as he handed one of the datapads to McKay, then Strevrols in turn.

"Feel free to download any of the information on there to your own devices." O'Connell remarked. "We converted it all to the file formats of this universe, so if you have interpreted those, then your devices should be able to make sense of it. You'll also find a short primer on slipspace theory in there that you might want to look over." She said, referring to the fifty-three page document attached to the schematics.

At that point, the door to the science lab opened once again, prompting O'Connell to stand once again and peer out to see who it was. "Ah, great timing." She commented as another being entered the room: one far different from any other being they had yet seen aboard the ship. It was a bulbous, floating organism with many tentacles and a long head with six eyes. It arrived under armed guard, which did not seem to bother O'Connell as she stood up to approach it.

"Let's see, which one are you..." She began, her voice trailing off as she seemed to stare intently at the creature's elongated head. "Ah, this is Floats Easily. It is an Engineer, or...Huragok, as the Shipmaster probably described them to you."

The jungle remained as it was for several minutes before a lone figure walked out, his armor painted to match the lighting and foliage of the jungle. "I am Cenarus Ordo, the Clan Chief's right hand man. I didn't know that Clan Wren already bends the knee to the Empire though. Last we had heard, a group of your commandos had ripped through a squadron of bombers sent to bomb your clan into submission." Mando was glad he was wearing his helmet, because Wren had been one of the first Clans to join Saxon back home.

"We do not bend the knee to the Imperial Scum. Where is your encampment? We wish to speak with the Chief." Cenarus walked forward and appraised both Mando and his companions before laughing and indicating the group should follow.

"Why not? Our Aliit'alor could use a good fight and your four-jawed friend there looks like they could give it. You're here on business, I take it?" The clone nods, his eyes watching the jungle around them as they walk.

"We are. And on our ijaat, there is no deception here." Cenarus makes no response and the group continues on in silence for several minutes before the training grounds for Clan Ordo come into sight, where warriors sparred, shot targets and generally kept themselves sharp. One woman, her armor the most prominent amongst those present, watched from amongst the rings and ranges, who stood out as the leader.

This was confirmed when Cenarus took the group to her. "Alor, they're here on business." The woman looked over the group silently for several seconds before nodding.

"Good, training can only get us so far. You came in an Imperial Shuttle, but there are no Imperial Clone Troopers with you, which raises questions."

"Questions," Mando counters, "that will receive answers if you take my offer. Eri'Moram is a member of the Sangheili Race, a proud warrior race such as our Clans. She will meet any challenge you set before her and should she do so, we request your aid against the Empire. We will take you to our fleet so that you can work out the finer details with our leaders at that point."

Stepping away from them, Cenarus joins her and another older looking warrior in quiet conversation for several minutes before they return. "Very well, we accept the proposed terms under the terms that she successfully hunt the Tarentatek in the tomb of a Sith Lord here on Dxun." Mando's horror and surprise was evident even with his helmet on, but he turned to Eri, allowing her to answer for herself.

---

Jerus chuckled as he sat back and relaxed in his chair. "Fortunately, dealing with the slug won't come until after the job's done. As for where you're landing, it's a little port called Jaguna. It's run by one Kem'ro the Hutt, but he's not interested in why we're there anyways. Stay on your toes and don't take off your helmet while you're planet side though, you won't last long."

---

Despite the alien world and an entirely alien people, Eri could not help but to feel a sense of familiarity from entering the camp of Clan Ordo. Their training grounds were set up very much in the style of a military camp, and was not entirely dissimilar from camps Eri had trained in after joining the military. Warriors pitted themselves against one another, driving themselves to become ever-stronger; it was a concept that Eri was intimately familiar with.

Jerius' negotiations with the Mandalorians were...surprisingly efficient. She had expected to have to go through a great deal more talking and explanations before being asked to prove anything. Falul had been much more cautious to join a war against the Empire, though Eri supposed that these Mandalorians already knew the Empire to be their enemy. They knew what they wanted, knew what they were willing to do to get it, and seemed like they just wanted to test that Eri's people would be willing to do the same. She guessed that it was likely helpful that she was in the company of a fellow Mandalorian, but Eri still found the simplicity of it all to be refreshing.

The word "Tarentatek" meant nothing to Eri. However, she had already taken the time to look into what the Rancor creature that Jerius had mentioned was, and she had not been deterred by that. Even if a Tarentatek was more dangerous, as Jerius' reaction seemed to imply, Eri did not fear fighting a beast. Sanghelios and its colonies had their own share of dangerous predators, and Eri had hunted many of them. Before she was finally allowed to join the military, it was one of the few ways she had available to test her skills in true, deadly combat.

Although Eri's helmet obscured her face, her quick, unwavering response demonstrated no hesitation. "Very well, I shall kill whatever beast you desire. What are your terms for how I may pursue this kill?"

Interacting with: [?]

"Three....Two.....One.... All hands brace!" Issac called out as the crew reflexively gripped onto anything bolted down. Everyone was tense- since this was the first test-fire of the Slipspace Drive since hitting the anomaly. As per the destination solution's accuracy, no anomalies were detected this time around. Hydrogen particulate glared a brilliant white as streaks of passing stars zeroed out into tiny pinpricks of glistening light. When the jump completed, the ventral and side engines rotated the ship to turn around; the crew sighing in relief as the mining station was a kilometer behind them. With the test a success for the engine, they knew they'd have to wait for the official upgrade to be able to travel further with the fleet. "Issac, get Leon up here. Tell him to assemble a fireteam- we don't need a whole task force for this. And inform Amir we're going to need a pilot for transport." Issac nodded, saluting as he vanished into the bridge. Marcus stood up from his command chair, rolling his shoulders and cracking his back as he broke into a series of stretches. Not before long, the bridge access door beeped twice before sliding open- with Leon and five other ODST's filing into the room, all wearing their battle armor and weapons.

"Gentlemen, good to see you. While I personally have not received any orders nor communications from the rest of the fleet, I've taken it upon myself to do some research. The planet you'll be heading to is Coruscant. Once home to Republic forces at its capital, the demise of the faction exposed its corruption, and the Empire soon took its place. I'm sending you to the Glasgow, as our ship is not capable of reaching that destination. You'll be going in via Pelican for this one. Any questions?" Marcus concluded his speech, and every operator looked at one another before turning to Leon, who rolled his eyes and raised his hand before placing it back at his side. "ROE? Objective?"

Marcus nodded, clearing his throat before speaking up. "Return-Fire only. While it is certainly going to draw attention with the Pelican and your armor, I expect that, should your hand be forced, you can deal with the threat quickly. Better to be armed and armored than not and risk getting captured. Your objective is Recon of the Capital and On-Site-Procurement of anything of interest. Data files, documents, schematics- anything of use, Since this 'Empire' is at the beck and call of someone called Palpatine. Whether or not he's related to Anubis, Just don't get caught, understood?" Leon nodded; a flicker of a smile flashing across his face as he internalized his excitement of this mission. Clicking his heels together and straightening up, he along with the rest of his fireteam snapped a salute to Marcus, who returned it as they then exited the Bridge. Marcus pivoted on his foot and strode back to his chair, speaking up. "Issac, pull up the main display and ensure everyone's helmet-cam and VISR is working properly. UNICOM-NAVCOM channels are to be opened and monitored." The white hologram nodded, snapping into a salute as he vanished into the bridge. At the center of the room was a wall that had a thick pane of glass over it; the glass powering up with a flash of light before sectioning into six equal windows of blackness before materializing into the separate video feeds of the Helijumpers. In the lower right corner of each was a separate panel dedicated to the monitoring of each user's vitals, as well as their MOS.

As the team made their way to the hangar bay, they boarded the Pelican and sat in the troop bay as they secured themselves to the inside of the craft. Marcus spoke loud enough for the panel to register speech, and instantly, his voice was relayed to the inside of all six helmets. "Your callsign for this op is Sentinel 1-1, Leon. Synchronize to acknowledge." Leon's speaker was silent, but as soon as the green authentication message came through to the panel, he spoke back to Marcus. "Sync'd, Sir." Marcus nodded. The pilot was seen giving the thumbs-up from the cockpit of the dropship; the door sealing and the cabin pressurizing as the massive engines of the Pelican whirred to life as a dull drone captured by Leon's helmet. Suddenly, all six cameras briefly emitted static as the craft lurched upward and forwards; the ventral hangar bay opening as the Pelican flew out of the airlock. Once within a safe distance, the dropship gunned all four engines and the VTOL was now flying toward the biggest mass of lights not too far from the center of the planet.

Marcus stood feet from the panel as he called out. "How are things looking?"

"Systems are good, no interference with the VISR. Beyond that, it'd a bit of a bumpy ride."

"That's what she sai-"

"Can it, Martinez. Sorry, Sir."

Marcus smirked and shook his head. "No problem; I was once around the bunch in my time. For this op, extraction will be on standby should problems arise. Get in, get out, and don't overstay your welcome."

"Sentinel 1-1 copies all; out."

Marcus estimated that it would take another fifteen minutes before they would arrive on the ship. Once that happened, theye'd be out of range. He could only hope whoever or whatever was down there was amicable to diplomacy.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
SENTINEL 1-1; GLASGOW
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been a day since the Pelican boarded the Glasgow, and the team had little issues adjusting to the presence of being onboard another ship. In a way, the architectural design reminded them of the UNSC's Orbital Defense Platform interiors. Spacious, dull-colored and comfortable. Hell, anything was better on a ship than a glassed cityscape. The seven men sat at one of the mess tables, bantering among themselves and mostly chastising the pilot. The pilot's name was Liam; a red-headed Scotsman who wasn't afraid to fight fire with fire; the ODST's liked the flyboy already.

"So Liam- is this thing about the Navy true? Nibbling on appetizers while they fly from place to place, basking in air-conditioned comfort? I didn't see a tray of cocktail shrimp and feel any breezes when we were on route to the Glasgow." Leon joked, making Liam roll his eyes. "Ay, get tha' aloot. Sorreh ta say, but us pilots dun git ta chow down while flyin'. Health hazard."

Leon gave the pilot a look of indignation. "Health hazard? As if flying is more dangerous than dropping into a hot zone with nothing but a pod that can malfunction at any point during the drop? I want a refund." Liam snorted, then spoke up with mock agitation of his own. "Lad, Yer bum's oot the windae. 'magine this aye? Yer flyin' inta 'Ell itself, dodgin' anti-aircraft fire goin' aboot a hunnred in-free tryin' ta not get shot up. Suddenly ya hear gaggin' from tha' back, and yer co-pilot fookin' bokes all o'er tha' goddamn back o'yer heid! Tha's a right scunner, it is." Leon broke into a hardy laugh as his men roared in kind, with Liam chuckling soon after. Upon recovering, he spoke up again. "Earned me wings, tha' one did. Still gettin' surrehs from ma pilot 'eretime I pass him by. E's here, too. Back on tha' Hoop because I didn't trust him fer this one."

Leon snorted, nodding. "With a stomach like that, who would?" The alarm blared as a notable lurch was felt, prompting the team to get up. "Well, looks like this is it. Helmets and gear; people. Liam, if they're landing, you're coming with if the Pelican isn't used. You got a PDW?" The Scotsman nodded, then tapped his right hip where an M7 SMG was holstered. "Alright; everyone on me. Let's go find the rest of the squads."

Leon and his team made their way out of the messhall and to the assembly point, with Liam tagging behind. Although they had an extra gun, the Scotsman was a flyboy. A Marine pilot, but not as experienced as them. Perhaps he'd give him the benefit of the doubt if things went south, and made a mental note to ensure Liam's protection at all cost. After all, he was their ride home after all was said and done.

As The Glasgow settled into it's docking struts, Travis sent Adrian to go pay the credit entry fee with what little they had, as he addressed the rest of his gathered operatives, and those who came with them on the ship would be addressed, though their local celebrity from the Daedalus had already left for the Jedi Temple. So he included them in the comm channel, by appearing on their omni-tool. "I will be sending Miss Wilkes, and Mr.Imura down to the Jedi temple, you will be going in armor. Mr.Imura your objective will be to find whatever data we can that's still standing at this Jedi Temple, we'll give it to The Resurgence to mull over when we get back to the mists. Miss Wilkes, you will be making sure everyone comes back alive." Travis, cleared his throat, and nodded at the two N7 operatives, who filed out of the room.
"Three of you will be heading to whatever passes for a bank on this planet, and we will be siphoning as many credits we can get away with. Keep cover, go in civilian clothing, and keep your weapons folded in your jackets. Last thing we need is a shoot out, in the streets here. And the rest of you, will be finding out what you can by eavesdropping, hacking, or infiltrating various points in the city. If we can enter targets will be The Senate, any military bases, prisons, and finally integrating yourself with whatever criminal element is in the city. If you need your armor, then keep it in the shuttle until you need it, we will not be marching through the streets in full armor. This isn't home, we'll stick out like a sore thumb. That's all Travis out." He ended the message, and let his crews get to work.

As the various crews went to carry out their missions, Travis cracked his fingers against his other hand, a nervous tick, before turning to Adrian who had made his way back into the ship. "Start letting other crew members go on shore leave, split whats left of our credits evenly among them. Whatever comes in from our siphons should be funneled into a shell bank account, then funneled into a real one. I'll be in my quarters, you take shore leave if you need it." Before the other man could speak, Travis left the room. He was going to monitor the away teams in his quarters to ensure things went smoothly.

---

The two operatives didn't say a word as the shuttle left the hangar bay of The Glasgow, they didn't anything as they knew what they were about to do. A two man crew infiltrating one of the most locked down places, on the enemies version of the Citadel. Instead they busied themselves with inspecting their weapons. Imura was one of the best marksmen, and infiltrators that the ship had to offer. So he had taken with him his Incisor sniper rifle, and the N7 Hurricane serving as his primary. His drone would act as his spotter, and his cloaking device would be more his shield, than the actual shielding his armor provided. Sarah would go outfitted with her standard avenger, and service pistol. But the biotics she would be bringing to bear would more than offset whatever the temple threw at them.

As the shuttle cut through the skies of Coruscant, the two could only stare agape. The buildings dwarfed anything that could be built on the citadel. This planet made the citadels construction look like shoddy craftsmen ship for sure, but they weren't here to gawk at the sights they were here for a mission, but Sarah couldn't help but chuckle at the idea that the others blending in like tourists visiting the big city wouldn't be apt. "Get ready, we're coming up on the temple!" The pilot shouted back, and the two operatives sprang up. They had thought about going in loud, and linking up with the Daedalus crew later, but instead they had the shuttle put them down outside of detection range, and leave. The pair would then link up with the Daedalus crew when they got the chance, instead choosing to move cover, to cover.

---

---

---

---

Samus nodded after hearing Jerus' warning.

"Understood." she replied as she pressed a few other random buttons, "That's all I need to know. We'll contact you once we've completed the mission. Happy hunting."

With that, the holographic projection quickly dissipated and Samus lurched back into her seat to digest the information as she waited to arrive at their destination

---

---

Eventually, the gunship would finally pop out of hyperspace and fly towards the ringed planet that laid in front of them. Samus had done some basic research on this so called "Glorious Jewel" that the Hutts referred to it, and frankly it was what she expected for a planet home for giant sentient space slugs. And what a "jewel" it was. As eluded to by Jerus himself, its atmosphere was heavily polluted in a disgusting mesh of dark browns, yellows, and greens. It was a shame to see a planet having rotted to such dramatic lengths, especially how it once was a lush and beautiful tropical planet before the Hutt clans took it over.

It reminded Samus about another planet in her home universe: Talvania of the Bermuda System. But unlike Nal Hutta, Talvania once belonged to an advanced machine race now lost to time. They too had apparently neglected their world of its natural state and mysteriously vanished out of existence. Many initially believed that the mysterious mechanical race had been exterminated by a catastrophic event, but recent evidence had shown otherwise with the lack of any signs of a sudden disaster. It's now believed that they had left their planet in search of greener pastures, leaving their toxic world to rot away in corrosive acid and suffocate in their toxic waste.

And here on Nal Hutta, it's no different.



The gunship proceeded to enter through the atmosphere as they passed through the thick atmosphere. Acid rain poured over the barren wasteland with lightning cackling overhead with the sound of heavy thunder as they quickly approached the seedy port of Jaguna. There the ship landed on a lone landing pad as steam hissed from underneath the ship to slow its descent. Once it was on solid ground, Samus rose from her seat as she motioned to Thaz.

"We're here." she said as she motioned her arm towards the back of the ship, "Follow me."

---

Most Kig-Yar on the Aegis made use of some variant or another of the storm harness, but for Thaz, to say that she was grateful for the armor she had earned was putting it lightly. She was Special Operations, so her armor was environmentally sealed. Which, of course, meant that she would not have to put up with the rather disgusting environment they were now landing in. It was a polluted mess of a planet, without a doubt.

Thaz secured her beam rifle on her back and stepped up alongside Samus. "Hope the pay is worth it. Going to have to spend hours cleaning my armor after this. Maybe you can get Jerus to scrub down your ship too? I'm sure he just 'forgot' to tell us that the half of the job he picked wasn't on a disgusting planet of sewage."

Jerus touched down in his assigned docking bay, the Shadowed Hand powering down as the ship's weight settled onto the pad. "Almost wish I'd sent THEM here..." Sure, Nal Hutta was a nasty place, and the bogs were less than clean, but at least most of the crap down there had to find a way past their armor and it was natural. On Nar Shaddaa, the threats were all Sentient and much smarter than nature.

Heading down his loading ramp, which closed and sealed behind him despite it being a private landing pad, Jerus was just reaching the exit when he, Samus, and Thaz all got a message incoming notification on their various communications device. When they answered, they were greeted by the face of a Weequay. "Bout damn time you hunters touched down! Names Forda, under the employ of the illustrious Godda the Hutt on Nar Shaddaa. Now, you already have the minimal details, you two on Nal Hutta and one of you on Nar Shaddaa, and that both targets have to die at the exact same time or within seconds of each other, otherwise their boss will figure out something's amiss."

Jerus leaned against the wall by the door exiting his hangar. "Right. So, let's get target details, where they're going to be, the stuff that let's us do our damn jobs Forda. Otherwise we'll consider this a waste of time and maybe take the job your boss's rival offered." The Weequay's face blanched and Jerus grinned behind his helmet. While the counter offer wasn't true, the Weequay had no way of knowing that.

"Wait, wait, don't be hasty! The target on Nal Hutta is one of those damnable pigs, a Gamorrean named Gorm. He's big, ugly, and meaner than hell and just would LOVE to plant his vibroax in your chest cavity. If either of you is a sniper, I suggest taking him out at range. Now if I remember the time down there in Jaguna correctly, he'll be making a pass in sight of the space port within the hour on his usual patrol route with his small gang of Rodians. Maybe one of you can stall them and the other can snipe his ugly head off his shoulders."

He then turned his attention to Jerus. "Now, the target here on Nar Shaddaa is a big more of a challenge as he's been so cybernetically enhanced he's been known to dodge blaster fire at a near point blank range. He's a Nautolan named Ripper, or at least that's why he goes by, no one knows his real name. You're gonna have to beat him at his own game, but good luck with that. You'd have to be a Jedi or something to do that. You can find him either in a cantina called The Smoking Barrel or near the arenas, watching the other fighters."

"His boss, a member of the Exchange named Mardna, has grown a little too ambitious and tried to muscle her way in on Godda's turf. My boss has had enough, but doesn't want it to tie back to him. This conversation? It never happened. Good luck."

And with that, the Weequay cut out, leaving just Samus, Thaz, and Jerus looking at each other. "Well, this'll be different. You two let me know when you're in position and I'll let you know when I find my target. Simple right?"

---

Mayhem had opted to leave the Jedi Temple mission to the crew who could get in unseen and not stick out if others noticed. However, except for the grips of various blaster pistols stick out of the holsters on their thighs, the special forces squad was in plain clothes. They had, instead, volunteered to help with the siphon operation, as that had the most potential to become a shootout the fastest. Hok'Ren, a Twi'lek and the squad's resident tech head, had brought his small portable shield generator with him for an emergency and their demolitions expert, a Zabrak named who went only by his call-sign Meteor, had brought a collapsible blaster rifle with a grenade launcher attached, hidden on his belt along the small of his back. It would pass as a canister of some kind without a super close inspection, but they'd be exposed if anyone took special interest. Erin herself had brought a grappling hook, easily concealed in her pocket as had their medic, a Mirialan named Denni, and their marksman, a Cathar named Rhosom Jhar, carried a similarly concealed rifle, except of a DMR design without the launcher. They joined the rest of the siphoners in their shuttle and rode down in silence, already passing along the easier and most lucrative target for their mission.

---

The Ordo Clan leader smiled, the kind of smile one gives when they know what's ahead. "Whatever means you can bring down one of the greatest killers of Jedi and Sith alike is up to you. Just know that your energy weapons aren't going to be as effective as you think. Cenarus, show them the way towards Freedon Nadd's tomb." Saluting, the man who'd met them near their shuttle lead the way to the edge of the camp where a barely discernible foot path lead into the jungle depths.

"Best of luck, Jerius Wren and Eri'Moram. You're going to need it." And with that the Mandalorian walked away, redonning his helmet to return to his vigil back in the jungle. Jerius took a moment to appraise the rather sad way forward before waving them all forwards.

"Of all the creatures on this moon, the Tarantatek had to be the one they choose..."

---

Thaz stood alongside Samus, standing upright somewhat to see more clearly into the hologram. This job did sound more complicated than she might have first assumed, but it was far from the most complex mission she had been on, and certainly not more than she could handle. It might just require some actual effort on her part.

"Hmm, so the client says the targets have to die within seconds of each other. Done that before, but usually not on entirely different planets. Doesn't matter; still doable." Thaz remarked. "But it sounds like Jerus' target will take longer to kill than the big green one, so I can't just shoot as soon as I have the target in my scope. I have to wait, keep my sights on him, and shoot when Jerus says it's time."

Thaz looked up, her eyes scanning acros all of the rooftops and high points around them. "Where is the target going to be, exactly? Can you get me somewhere high up? I don't have to be close. If I can see him, I can take off his head."

---

---

Eri personally preferred hunting with spears, but if the prey was truly as dangerous as the Mandalorians seemed to be implying, she supposed she could allow herself other weapons and equipment. A beast that could kill someone with abilities like Jerus had to demand respect, she supposed. In fact, she guessed that these Mandalorians expected the Tarentatek to simply get rid of them.

Eri gave a glance towards two of the Sangheili in her team. "Sel, Arta, go retrieve the extra equipment from the shuttle." She ordered before returning her attention to Jerius. "I may not know what this creature is, but these Mandalorians also do not know who I am. I...am the Special Operations Commander of the Immaculate Aegis. I have hunted the most dangerous predators on Sanghelios, and felled even more dangerous foes in the fight against the Covenant. I have killed Mgalekgolo in single combat, with only my blade. But...I do know not to underestimate any foe. She said that this Tarentatek would be resistant to energy-based weapons. If not heat, then what form of attack would be effective against it?"

DAEDALUS AWAY TEAM 1 // IMMACULATE AEGIS // FLEET SPACE

McKay let the weird gargantuan thing shake his hand as soon another floating alien came in. It seemed weirdly peaceful, and part of him wondered why it was under armed guard. He shook his head as he turned to the 'primer'. Something that he could have done with better earlier, that said their slipspace theory seemed remarkably similar to their concept of hyperspace. They were both dimensions existing outside of normal space, entering which allowed them to cross vast distances in far less time than you could in normal space. They just entered it slightly differently. While the process of opening a hyperspace window was effortless, with the drive designed to help navigate hyperspace and move them along their course. The Aegis instead bore a whole into slipspace, before more or less following the natural flow that existed within slipspace.

"I'm going to need some time to go over these schematics-" He held up the tablet. "-I am seeing some similarities to our own hyperspace technology, and from what I can tell given my immediate glances your people-" he nodded at the Sangheili "-built these drives in a similar way to how we made ours, by reverse engineering alien technology more advanced than our own." McKay continued to scroll through the feed as he looked up, finally, curiosity getting the better of him. "Okay, your shipmaster said that those things existed, but what are they? They don't really fit in, they're floating tentacle things-" He turned to Strevlos. "-No offence, they just don't fit with the rest of the biological appearances going on here, and why the armed guard? Is it hostile, or just precious?"

---

Narak looked briefly away from his datapad and down at McKay. "The Huragok bear the knowledge of the Forerunners' technology, and were the reason for the San'Shyuum's ability to create vessels such as this. They are who maintain this ship, and the Shipmaster is right to be protective of them."

The conversation was briefly interrupted by the arrival of the Chief Engineer from the Resurgence. They exchanged their greetings, and O'Connell gave him his copy of the schematics as well. She knew that the Shipmaster had extended an open invitation for scientists and engineers from other universes to assist them, so she supposed she was not sure how many times she was going to have to repeat herself today. At the very least, she would not be wanting for assistance.

"Okay, so, as we were saying, and as Narak alluded to, the Huragok is very precious to this ship." O'Connell explained. "They are not normal lifeforms. They are artificial beings, basically organic supercomputers originally created by the Forerunners to maintain their technology. Oh, um, the Forerunners were an immensely advanced species that controlled most of our galaxy long before any of our species' recorded history. And yes, Dr. Mckay, most of the Covenant's technology, including the slipspace borer, was reverse-engineered from Forerunner technology, largely due to the Huragok."

Dr. O'Connell wanted to get to work as quickly as they could. When she had met with Falul, he had made the importance of these upgrades very clear to her, so she felt like she was under a fair amount of pressure. However, if she wanted these others to actually be of any help, she would have to be patient enough to get them up to speed. "So for this project...I think there is some important context to understand. The Covenant, as it was during the war in our universe, was a sort of religious, caste-based society. The San'Shyuum that Narak mentioned, what we call the Prophets, were the leaders, the 'holy Hierarchs'. The Sangheili were part of the warrior caste. They did not have scientists, and only few engineers like Narak, as that was the role of the Prophets. Or so they claimed. The reality is that the Prophets relied heavily on the Huragok to create and maintain their technology, so the Covenant, as a whole, did not greatly understand their own technology. It is highly advanced, yes, but also not entirely efficient."

Dr. O'Connell turned briefly to her laptop and brought up a specific file for reference. "Luckily, I have some relevant files from the war that my position gave me access to. This is all highly classified, but you all are not from my universe, so...I am choosing to disclose this on the basis that word of it will never get back to my boss. During the war, one of our AI onboard a Covenant ship was able to make improvements to its slipspace borer to allow it to make a slipspace jump within the gravity well of a planet, without any changes to the hardware, without any physical upgrades. Just by modifying the logic the borer was using to operate. Indeed, that AI was able to upgrade Covenant technology on several occasions, basically with just software updates. I believe it may be possible for us to do the same here. I know that slipspace travel can be much quicker. The Forerunners were able to create portals to cross distances greater than our entire galaxy almost instantly, and some of our own ships have been given slipspace upgrades to make them even faster than the Aegis. Slipspace travel isn't...specifically my field of expertise, though, so I will definitely appreciate all of your assistance."

---

---

---

---

"None taken." Strevrols said, turning towards McKay as he began listening more intently to O'Connell's explanation of their technology, most if not all of which was repurposed from the designs and principles of an older precursor race. Sifting through all the information, the talk of Slipspace and other technologies as well as some of the Covenants history, Strevrols mind eventually came back round to the Huragok, more specifically its construction. He found it odd that such advanced beings would make wide use of such peaceful and... easy to destroy creatures like it to maintain their works. Why not use a machine instead, so it could be easily replaced in the event of destruction, self inflicted or otherwise? That seemed to be the most logical course of action, especially with the abundance of metals and other materials they no doubt had in their universe.

Surely it would be better than growing or engineering such a being.

Still, these Forerunners seemed to have rather advanced technology. Technology that might just be beyond what was currently being employed by his people from the sound of it, which only made the prospect of gathering intel from this ship even more tempting than it had been originally. He'd have to keep his wits about him though, couldn't let anyone suspect in ulterior motives or else the tentative peace that had built up between all of them would shatter, plunging the entire fleet into a chaotic mess of distrust and weapons fire. So he would help where he was able, modify what he could, and learn as much from this place as he possibly could.

DAEDALUS AWAY TEAM 2 // JEDI TEMPLE // CORUSCANT

The Jumper set down beside the central spire of the temple. The structure was massive, the towers even taller than Atlantis' main tower. Sheppard grabbed the life signs detector as he walked out of the jumper, using the remote to close the door, signalling for him and his team to stick close as they left the jumper. The N7 operatives had opted to not join them in the jumper and were approaching on foot to get an idea of what ground defences lay around the temple. Apparently a Jedi Master Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi were supposed to come here, at least on the timeline the Resurgence was from. They were kind of hoping that this would be around the time they would infiltrate the temple, as per the timeline that the Resurgence had given them, however that wasn't a guarantee as everything was different with the intervention of Anubis.

He gathered up the marines as he walked straight up to the central spire, to a maintenance access shaft. He eyed it cautiously as he flashed his flashlight at it, he had been warned of the temple's defences however also assured that they were likely down in a bid to lure any Jedi Survivors into the temple. The idea of purposefully walking into a trap didn't fill him with confidence. Lifting his lifesigns detector with his left hand he glanced at it while he still had his weapon raised in front of him. When there didn't appear to be anything in the nearby vicinity he tapped his radio. "Wilkes this is Sheppard. We've reached the temple and are proceeding into the central spire. We'll meet you in the library, is it still looking good on that thirty minute ETA?"

DAEDALUS // FLEET SPACE

Caldwell was walking around the ship with a tablet in hand, scrolling through the technical specifications that Novak had sent him. With their systems working to maximum efficiency he had tasked her with looking over whatever schematics the ships other than the Aegis had given them. Right now he was on the Unbroken Hope. If the Aegis was their leading lady, the Resurgence and the Hope were her closest friends. In any fleet formation, they formed they would be the heavy hitters, with the Glasgow sitting back sniping and the smaller ships filling in the gaps. That meant that the bigger ships would need every advantage possible, and currently, the Hope didn't have anything in the way of shielding.

He walked onto the bridge as the officers sat around their postings, casual chit chat as everyone continued to do their work. "Marks."

"Colonel."

"Transmit to the Unbroken Hope. Let them know I'd like to offer an engineer to go over with proposed upgrades to give them shielding capabilities." Novak had already worked on the preliminaries as far as the information on the tablet let him know, they had the technology from when they retrofit the Prometheus with Asgard shields. They wouldn't be as strong as those aboard the Daedalus which were built into the systems, but they'd still be better than nothing. "Just one, in order to propose the modifications, where they would need to be and what would need done as well as power requirements. Let them know if they accept I can have her beamed over in no time." He paused as he looked out the window at their mismatch fleet. "Also contact the Second Chance and those Mobian people aboard the, Egg Carrier? Whatever it was. Let them know I'm also willing to send over people to their vessels recommending changes."

501st ABOARD THE RESOLUTE // POLIS MASSA

The Clones were all having their control chips removed, as per Rexs' instructions, who had learnt of the chips months beforehand. Anakin stood in silence over the lifeless body of Padme. He had done everything. EVERYTHING. He could too keep her happy, keep her safe. Yoda had stopped him from killing her, clouded by her anger. For what, for this? For her to die in childbirth.

He sensed the tiny Jedis footsteps behind him. "Send her back to Naboo, we must. Mourn her, her people will. Need this they do."

"What about what I needed."

"Much anger I sense in you, young Skywalker. Careful you must be, on a razors edge you are."

Objects in the room began to shake as his anger continued to rise. He turned to face the green alien. "I COULD HAVE SAVED HER!" His voice projected in the Forced lashed out destroying the door that stood behind Yoda, though the tiny Jedi seemed unmoved by the onslaught.

"The result of Palpatine, this is. Manipulated your mind, he has. Don't give in, you must."

"I don't care anymore." He raised his hand to the left as his lightsaber flew to his offhand. "I'm going after Palpatine, and then I'm going after his new ally."

Yoda stood firm. "Go, you must not. Too strong they are, work together we must. Find allies mmm? End of Clone Wars, it may be. Beginning of a New Era, it is."

ANUBIS LAIR // CORUSCANT

Anubis sat upon the throne. He could feel the peons throughout the planet, and those beyond that had already begun to worship him. All it took were little acts of 'kindess'. Such trivial acts were below him, yes, but it increased his power base. The occasional miracle was all it needed to have people worshipping him. Acts he could not have done in his home without incurring the Wrath of the Others. Even the thought of them made him cringe. The next time he came across them in battle he would obliterate them all, and after he had done that he would go on to conquer the rest of the Universe and the next, and the next and the next. He would become unstoppable, and everything would be his.

He looked up as Palpatine walked in, a robotic limb replaced the missing one from the battle of Obi-Wan Kenobi. He could practically feel the anger radiating off of him. He seemed to take pause at the two Kull standing at either side of the throne. Eying them suspiciously, they were different than the normal ones. Their heights differed, and their presence in the Force seemed off. He pushed past it however and continued to walk. "Anubis. I was attacked, where were you?"

"I was here. Overseeing more important things."

"More important than my life? Need I remind you without me you have nothing. You'll be ousted in minutes."

"Will I?"

"The senate still holds power. You can't take over."

Anubis walked directly up to Palpatine. "I wouldn't worry about the Senate." He raised his hand and the two Kull in the room removed their helmets revealing the faces of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Mace Windu. Both had been healed, however their eyes were blank and devoid of emotion. They stood forward igniting lightsabers. "You have fulfilled your purpose, now all I have need of is your body. I just need rid of your mind."

Palpatine took a step back as he withdrew his lightsaber, igniting it.

Kham stood quietly for the most part, looking over the specifications of the ship's drive and muttering to himself about various things. If anyone actually listened to what he was saying, he was asking why so many redundancies in both software and hardware functionality. Finally, as the others said their piece, he gave his. "I mean, software updates would do this ship a whole lot of good. Doctor O'Connel, the number of intentional redundancies in these systems...I'd argue that the Prophets wanted to be able to control which ships were hailed as the pride of their fleets too. If it isn't asking too much, I'd like to take a look at some of the software for the slipspace borer and then double check it's hardware, just to be sure."

---

"The Tarantatek isn't immune to energy weapons so much as you're going to make more progress kicking a brick wall than trying to bring it down with anything smaller than a turbolaser. They were created by the Sith Alchemists of old to hunt the Jedi, as you've likely gathered from what the Ordo Clan leader said, but it also turned on them in the end. They're strong, fast, and smarter than you'd expect. They're also venomous. For now, I think our best bet is to simply find out what the tomb looks like and where this creature has made it's nest at inside."

---

Eri gave a huff towards Jerius as the group followed behind the Mandalorian guiding them to this tomb. "Perhaps you might struggle with it, but I am perfectly capable of kicking through a wall of mere brick. I am not a Jedi, and this Tarentatek was not designed to hunt me. It was not designed to be able to deal with any of our weapons, specifically. Now, are you going to keep doomsaying our efforts, Jerius, or are you actually going to give me the information I asked for? It is resistant, but not immune to heat. What about piercing attacks? Explosives? Radiation? Does it rely on sight to hunt, or does it use scent, hearing, or heat?"