Making the medic the Team Lead...alright, well, seen stranger things in my life. Lucas hadn't spoken again over the course of the briefing, choosing instead to absorb the information about the mission and only whistling quietly when Shih gave them a holographic look at the sheer size of Sarcophagus. The SPARTAN-IV had been on several missions both inside and on the surface of that Forerunner dome and it always amazed him that they'd pulled off getting it built before originally firing the rings. With the briefing finishing shortly after, and after reassurances that the Flood weren't present within the installation, which Ryker wasn't sure if he believed or not, the team was dismissed with the naming of Aviza as Fire Team Leader. He had no reason to delay heading to the Falcon other than to let the Mgalekgolo get on first.

The Pelican ride was quiet, as no one yet wanted to break the social ice, but then he couldn't say he was surprised. Aviza was likely mentally preparing herself to be in charge in the upcoming mission, the other two Spartans likely SPARTAN-IIIs and weren't keen on conversation anyways and the former Black Ops operative wanted nothing to do with the pair of ONI spooks unless he absolutely had to, he'd left ONI for valid reasons and he wasn't about to answer questions about his past with the Office of Naval Intelligence from people who didn't need to know.

So while they were in transit between the landing pad the Pelican had started on and the UNSC Chorus of Thunder, he simply enjoyed the view. He had decided that he would learn the most about their Swords allies once they had all settled in on the Heavy Cruiser and were able to get some training together in. [i]Actually...they had the module installed already, so maybe we CAN get some training in, perhaps some one on one custom games or something. At the very least, I'm gonna run some combat sims, keep acclimating to this dagger that a Spec Ops Sangheili had given him after a few missions together. Her name was Comi'Masam, one of the leaders for a Swords of Sangheilios Spec Ops squad operating in another part of the Arm of Orion. His previous fire team, Regis, had worked in tandem with them for several months shutting down a series of Covenant Remnant operations and cells. During that time, she'd helped him improve his skill as an assassin and with the twin energy daggers he used and before he'd left, had gifted him a more traditional energy dagger to aid in completing his missions with Aegis team.

While romantic attraction wasn't his cup of tea, the Sangheili female had earned his trust in a way no one since he'd joined ONI had and he considered her a close friend. When Spartan Ops had asked for recommendations for Aegis from his previous post, they had been somewhat surprised that her name was the one he'd put forwards. When asked why he didn't put forwards other members from Regis Team, his answer had been simple. "These are war vets who fought the Covenant for nearly two decades before the War ended. Most of them could barely stand the Spec Ops team and that was a series of joint operations. Asking them to have to take orders from one of them on occasion?" SPARTAN Ops had let the issue lie and said they'd talk with the Swords.

As he felt the Pelican begin to settle down on the hangar deck aboard the Chorus, the SPARTAN-IV flexed his wrist experimentally, igniting the blade of the dagger. "Never get tired of that..." He gave a couple of small swings and thrusts with it before he deactivated it and looked around as the loading ramp lowered. Aviza was first off and headed to the Mess Hall, leaving an open invitation for the others to join her if they wished, but Lucas was sticking to his plan.

"Right, well, you have fun with that Fire Team Leader. I'm heading to the War Games module, get some training in before the mission starts. Gotta get adjusted to some newer equipment and it never hurts to stay sharp."

---

Vael took a brief moment to review his map of the ship. It was detailed to the extent that it showed him the path to each place he would need to go as a passenger. The cruiser was of comparable size to a CCS-class battlecruiser, though somewhat smaller. Regardless, he doubted he would have need to see most of it.

Briefly, Vael considered simply waiting in the quarters he had been given until they arrived. Provided what the Captain had said was true, everything that he was bringing with him was already in his quarters, aside from his weapons. He had multiple sets of armor with him, including the one he was wearing, another environmentally-sealed combat harness, and another that he kept for…sentimental reasons. Checking over his equipment was an option, but ultimately, he felt that the time he had could be used more productively. These “War Games” did have Vael’s interest. From what he understood, they could simulate combat situations with surprising accuracy. He was skeptical that it could truly compare to battle itself, but he could see its value in training. Several of the others seemed to intend to use the simulator while they could, but while Vael did want to see his team in combat, he decided that it was important that he take some time to speak with Spartan Aviza. She was the Fireteam Leader for their mission, but they were both leaders of this team, and it was their responsibility to ensure they guided their team efficiently.

Vael gave a brief glance to Spartan Ryker. He appeared to have integrated an energy dagger into his armor. The Humans had began integrating reverse-engineered Covenant technology into their own, though in this case, it appeared to be an energy dagger taken from a Sangheili harness and integrated into his own. While Sangheili did place special importance on the energy sword, a simple dagger did not carry the same cultural weight. Though, it was his opinion that the Spartan embarrassed himself by swinging it around like a child playing with a knife.

In any case, Vael put away his data pad and followed after Aviza. He remained wordless at first, but did eventually turn his head down towards her as he walked alongside her. “We should speak about our team, Spartan. I fear it shall be to our detriment that we will not have the chance to train sufficiently as a unit before this mission.”

Grikgar /Grik/ Seeker

// Unggoy Ultra // Demolitions and Artillery //

Hearing the good news that it was unlikely that he would have to face off against any of the parasite relived him. Did that mean that he still didn’t have to worry? Not really but at least he could relax a little. It would seem the first phase of their mission would be recon then move into search and destroy with the possibility of all out combat with the brutes. Grikgar could only hope he could get the opportunity to rally the other Unggoy with the brutes to fight against them. Still if they didn’t, he had no problem killing all of them.

The captain and the others seemed rather interested and in a hurry to get off planet. He couldn’t blame them really he was also excited to get back into the thick of it. Boarding the pelican and finding an uncomfortable spot next to the Spartan that called himself Ben. A rather bumpy and quiet ride for the most part, Grikgar was happily bobbing his head from side to side listening to some human music he was sure was loud enough to be heard through his helmet. Grik didn’t care, this whole experience was exciting to him.

It wasn’t too much longer and they had landed, the Spartan Aviza was the first off the pelican but didn’t seem to be in as much of a hurry as the other two humans. He was unsure exactly why they were with them but o well, humans are weird. A simple map of the ship displayed briefly on his visor with a small point that marked where he was and another that marked his room. The design of the ship was strange and the exterior of the ship matched the interior, all these human ships lacked color and design. Every ship in the former covenant was a work of art in shape and color. However, he figured it was a luxury the humans couldn’t afford.

The female Spartan spoke up again, something about a mess hall and food. Food was definitely something he could get behind. He was unsure of the mess hall though, “Why do Spartans eat in a messy hall?” he asked not really speaking to anyone in general. The Unggoy almost happily waddling slowly behind his commander as he followed them out of the pelican and down the corridor towards the messy hall.

Ben made a bit of room for Grikgar, something he wouldn't have normally done for another Spartan unless he was outranked, and even then, not always. He walked with the Unggoy, finding that he strangely didn't mind the alien, despite having put countless bullets into the heads of Grik's fellow Grunts during the war. And plasma blasts. And grenades. And Ben had beaten more than a few Grunts to death with his weapon, including some which were asleep at the time.

"It's just a name. We prefer to keep it very clean. Take care you don't leave any footprints on the floors. They didn't take Unggoy equipment into account when building it. Also, I'm not entirely sure they'll have food you can eat in the mess hall itself, but they should have brought some food for you aboard the ship. You can have whatever you want, I suppose, just try not to make a mess, please." Without saying another word, he activated Phong and then let the AI figure out what he needed to know. Even when turned "off", Phong still recorded every word Ben spoke within range of his helmet's microphone, and would have deduced that he wanted to know if there was anything an Unggoy could consume in the mess hall. Even a dumb AI had deductive capacities, after all.

"My files on Unggoy anatomy are extensive, yet details are somewhat sparse on the workings on their digestive systems. Still, there should be no problem if an Unggoy ingests most human beverages, and they should be able to digest human foods with a liquid base such as soup. Would you like to see a list of possible allergens, or a list of foodstuffs native to-?" It was almost like a father having to vet a cafeteria for his son. Ben turned Phong "off" once more mid-sentence, insofar as such a setting was honestly labeled.

"When we're done eating, I'll head to the AR deck for training. I don't know what they had in the Covenant, but it's probably not the same thing." It dawned on Ben that the Covenant might very well have had more advanced training decks and that this could very well be a downgrade in Grikgar's eyes.

Tasuma paid attention to the briefing. The ODSTs always did with seriousness, so, Tasuma would as well. With Iteyi, briefings were always too long, too much talking, too much religious fervor. Sangheili were warriors, but they had to lead others, like the Unggoy and Kig-Yar, who sometimes needed encouragement. Tasuma looked to Grik before setting its attention back to the AI and Captain. The briefing was short and to the point thankfully, like all of the briefings it had with the ODSTs. Tasuma thought about how Humanity could be warriors such as the Spartan Clans, the ODSTs, the Marines, yet also be so fearful and... cowardly. It remembered something Lt. Horn said once. He said that he wanted his daughter in the military, as they were a military family, but she became a scientist. He was still proud of her, but she went against his wishes. Tasuma brought his head lower slightly. Humans chose? When Tasuma was born, he was automatically a Mgalekgolo. A warrior colony. It wasn't anything else other than a warrior. It could never be anything other than a warrior. But... Iteyi could heal faster. Not much faster, but Iteyi was taking its time. It said that it was surprised that it enjoyed the company of the humans. Tasuma admitted to itself that human legends of war were quite enjoyable to listen and watch. The heroes of ancient humanity were difficult to understand, but trying to understand was... fun. The ODSTs said.

Then it was revealed that they would be going to The Sarcophagus. Tasuma stood up straighter. It was tremendous, a structure Tasuma had never seek the likes of before. What sort of engineering would it have taken to create such a thing? It wondered. As the rest of the team began to ask questions and discuss, Tasuma stared at the structure, trying to envision it's systems, it's construction, and the planning required. It also wondered how it tasted. Ancient Lekgolo once feasted on Forerunner facilities, thanks to the alliance with the Covenant, no Lekgolo tasted Forerunner metal since. Tasuma wondered if he could be the first.
The Captain turned to Tasuma and told it that instead of a cabin, the Hunter had been given a section of one of the hangers. In reply, Tasuma nodded.

---

Tasuma had actually been on an Autumn-class Heavy Cruiser before, with the ODSTs. But now he didn't have them with it, and now there was a crew who was unused to it. When the pelican landed, Tasuma stepped off the pelican slowly and carefully. As the team split off to the Mess Hall and War Games facility, Tasuma looked to Yalu. Then at Grik and Vael. Tasuma followed the Unggoy and Sangheili, familiarity compelled it to.

"I'm sure that you and the others heading to the War Games deck will have a good time as well, by the way, I would appreciate it if you would call me Aviza and not Fire Team Leader." said Aviza with a slight nod of her head. She would then turn back to Spartan Lucas Ryker and the rest that were heading to the simulation before walking off in the opposite direction with those who had decided to join her in the Mess Hall. "Once we are done grabbing something to eat and drink, I am going to head to my personal quarters to drop off a few personal items, then I may even go observe the War Games taking place, if they are still going on of course." The fact that she could silently observe her team while they were fighting inside of the Simulator drew interest for Aviza, not only because she could do so without them knowing, but also because it would give her the chance to see some of her team in combat before they deployed.

"I wonder what kind of food they have supplied on the Chorus of Thunder." said Aviza to no one in particular as they continued to walk through the corridors of the ship, she did not really care but was more curious about what they would have access to. This thought lingered for a few more moments before it was interrupted by Vael ‘Virisusai addressing Spartan Aviza. The Swords of Sangheilios commander explained that he was concerned about the fact that they were most likely not going to be able to train sufficiently as a unit before the mission.

Aviza was quite aware of this, and decided that now was as good a time to speak about such concerns. "I share your concerns Vael, I would also prefer getting in actual training with all members of Aegis, perhaps the War Games is a good substitute? Back when I was still a Marine in the UNSC, my old instructor use to say that the best way to train was to be upon the field of battle. Maybe that was true back then in someways but now, doing so allows to much room for failure, and with whats at stake, it is entirely unacceptable."

As they reached the Chorus of Thunder's Mess Hall, Aviza cut the conversation short, there were quite a few people inside of it and she felt talking about their mission outside of a private area was inappropriate, who knew what kind of curious individuals could be ease dropping on them. "We will handle this later, when there is more privacy, but for now let us focus on what we came here for." said Aviza in her calm and collected voice. They were undoubtedly a sight that stood out like a flood infector form upon Earth, which she had read about happening many years back. "Let's just get in line and try not to draw to much attention to ourselves." Aviza would walk to the back of the line that had formed in the Mess Hall, thankfully it was moving surprisingly fast.

[Club Sandwich - Extra Protein - Bacon - No Mayo] + [Drink: Coffee with creamer] was the order Aviza punched in, before stepping back and allowing the rest of those who had followed her to order whatever they would like. "I'm going to go find us an empty table to sit down at." said Aviza before taking her leave and attempting to do just that.

One was identified in the far corner of the Mess Hall, there were a few other vacant tables around it which made it perfect for what they needed. Spartan Aviza swiftly moved to it and sat down, giving a slight wave to let those who had joined her that she had found a table, and that they could join her once they had ordered their meals.

---

Vael, perhaps predictably, behaved as a serious-minded leader. His focus was the mission ahead and how he might best prepare for it. That was, perhaps, not all he was under the surface, but when working with a new team, especially this mostly Human team, he did not seem to allow himself to divert his thoughts away from the mission. He was not familiar with the customs and procedures aboard a Human ship, and as such, made no attempt to collect food for himself. He ended up approaching Aviza’s table empty-handed, and remained standing rather than taking a seat.

While Vael did agree that the simulator could be useful to them, they did only have a few hours ahead of them in which to use it. That was hardly enough for comprehensive training. He did not doubt the individual skill of the members of this team; they would not have been selected if they were not capable. However, some or all of them would need to unlearn their habit from their past teams in order to coordinate with a very different set of allies. Swords and UNSC teams no doubt had quite different ideas of how to give orders, what orders were expected and how they should be phrased, and how much individual autonomy each member of the team should act with in the midst of battle.

”If it is not appropriate to speak of the mission directly now, then what is acceptable to discuss here? We have only a limited time to prepare.” Vael remarked towards Aviza, though his attention soon went to another that had accompanied them. The Mgalekgolo had gained Vael’s curiosity earlier, given its modified armor and apparent familiarity with the Human soldiers. ”Wherever it is we speak, I believe you should join us as well, Tasuma. You may be a key to our success. We need to familiarize ourselves with the differences between Human and traditional Sangheili command, and you appear to be experienced with both.”

He had stayed silent throughout the entirety of the briefing, though one name certainly caught his attention: Franklin Mendez. He, along with one Kurt Ambrose, were responsible for what— who— Rex was today. He didn't view the man as any sort of replacement father figure, but he respected him far more than any high-ranking ONI brass. Grikgar's question about the Flood also piqued his interest. Though he had only faced the parasite in a few Wargame simulations, the Spartan felt that the Grunt's concerns were valid.

Once the briefing was over and the team was aboard the Thunder, Rex let his guard down slightly; unless one was extremely observant, it would be difficult to notice. "So, what are your impressions of the rest of the team?" Suiko asked.

"They seem… fine," Rex answered tersely.

"I know how you feel about the Fours," the AI went on. "And the Swords, to a degree; at least I detected some amusement towards Grikgar."

"It's that other Three, Suiko," Rex admitted, glad that his helmet's speakers and radio were off. "To my knowledge, Gamma Company was the final batch of us before they started on the Fours. I'm fine with unknown variables in missions; I'm not fine with them on a team."

"Well, you're more used to working solo," Suiko said. "But, I understand. I can request more information from the team leaders, but I make no promises. Just play nice for a while." The last part had an edge of coyness to it.

"Just show me to my quarters. It's been a while since I've had to do a Wargame simulation, and I'd prefer to have my head in the right place."

"Will do." The AI set a waypoint. "But, assuming you wish to get off on the right foot with Grikgar, you could share some music. Unggoy love human media."

Yalu could say plenty about the team's more expressive members by the way they received the meeting. Grikgar in particular shone clearest as an unggoy that betrayed quite the raft of experience. If he served on Thel 'Vadam's fleet at the holy ring, he was either skilled, impossibly lucky, or both. Yalu did not dismiss him for his antics.

As for the mission, Yalu did not expect it to be straightforward. With the amount of unknowns they would be contending with, there was little he could expect for sure. Putting down a rebellious strike was vague, and that was to mention nothing of the possible areas they could be lurking. The sarcophagus, while an awesome construct, was just as big a maze to hide in by the looks of it.

And that was that. Yalu mused to himself that he would have plenty of reading to do of the mission files. However, he realised how stiff his legs felt when he stood up to follow the team to the drop ship...

---

Yalu was not at all hungry by the time they reached the cruiser. He was getting drowsy, and he did not like it. Ryker's energy dagger drew his eye when it lit up.

"Spartan Lucas Ryker," Yalu addressed the human as he had introduced himself beforehand. "My journey to Earth has left me sluggish. Does your War Games module accommodate sparring? If you carry that dagger, you must have learnt how to use it."

"You have a valid point Vael, we may not get another chance to discuss the mission, since time is indeed limited." said Aviza, all the while looking at up the Sangheili who had oddly decided to stand across from her, and not take a seat like she had. "I just remember the Major instructing us to not speak about mission sensitive details while in public areas, but perhaps we can bend the rules slightly for the moment being, due to how important the matter is." Aviza leaned slightly forward in her seat, repositioning herself to be more comfortable before continuing. "What aspects of the mission would you like to discuss, Vael?" As soon as Spartan Aviza had finished speaking, one of the ships crewmen who had been assigned to the mess hall for that morning walked over to their table and set down a plate with Aviza's coffee, which was inside of a metal mug, and a small cup of creamer to be used as she saw fit. Wasting no time, she thanked the man before pouring a bit of the creamer into her coffee and stirring it with the spoon she had been provided. "Are you going to take a seat or stay standing like that for the whole conversation?" inquired Aviza, before taking a sip of her coffee.

---

Vael glanced down at the table, his mandibles flaring out slightly as he let out a brief grunt. ”Your chairs are too small.” He answered, simply and quickly. ”And we have no need to discuss the details of our specific mission, only how we intend to lead this team. I am not completely familiar with the rules and traditions you Humans have in your military, but I do have more than enough experience to know they are different from Sangheili command. You are the Fireteam Leader of this mission, and the orders you give may not be the ones my people expect. My people may take initiative, may take action in ways that you would expect your people to only do under orders. Likewise, my people may also await orders for actions you expect them to do on their own. The reason we were originally intended to go through extensive training before our first mission was so our team as a whole could learn how they were expected to act under each other’s command. Quite simply, we do not have the time to solve that problem before our missions, so the two of us need to anticipate these problems and be ready to adapt.”

---

---

It had not been long after their arrival on the UNSC Chorus of Thunder that Spartan Rex’s presence had been requested by Major Robinson. She requested him to join her in a small briefing room somewhat near to the officers’ quarters. When he arrived, he would find her alone, standing at an inactive holographic display table at the center of the room, looking through files on her datapad.

The Major spoke the moment the door closed shut behind Rex. “Spartan Rex-G124.” She said, as if repeating it directly from the file in front of her. “I have read your file, Spartan, including the parts withheld from the rest of your team. I will admit, I argued against your selection for this team, but my superiors felt differently. They felt your skills and ability to act both in a team, and autonomously should the situation demand it, will be important to ensuring your mission objectives are completed. I agreed with them on your skills, but I also read what happened with those pirates, and I did not dismiss those concerns so quickly. So, I want to hear your own assessment on yourself, Spartan. Are my superiors right, or are my concerns justified?”

Grikgar /Grik/ Seeker

// Unggoy Ultra // Demolitions and Artillery //

Continuing to follow the commanders down the hall at a quick pace. Grikgar was now entirely curious to find out what this mess hall was all about and what kind of ‘food’ these humans had. Where they just nipples and used solely for nutrients or did they have comfort foods? All questions that were answered when they got close to the room. His senses were already being bombarded with different smells. Unggoy where particularly good at following their noses and this room already didn’t disappoint.

There were a lot of people in this large room, rows of tables bordered with what looked almost like tall vending machines adorned with a holographic monitor to dispense food. Grik had grabbed two plates after watching a couple of marines press a few buttons and see their trays fill up with food. This simple aspect of their life was almost a dream to the Unggoy. He was well aware he wouldn’t find anything familiar so he knew there was a lot of guess work to it.

He spent more than the others did flipping through the pages and acquiring what he thought he wanted, even going as far as asking some of the marines what they were getting. Not very many answered him with food items. Soon he found himself carrying two trays loaded down with drinks, various carbs, and more than a few extra helpings of seafood. He seemed very proud of what he had.

Finally setting his things down on the table he awkwardly sat down in the seat given to him. The two fire team leaders seemed very intent on their discussion and he payed them no mind other than having to look around the pile of food to see them. The Unggoy took his helmet off and placed it next to him on the table, a smaller portion of the mask remained over his nose for him to breathe exposing his small but scarred bald head, green eyes, and small sharp teeth.

The little guy seemed intent on sampling everything first before digging in. he was obviously unaware of how to properly eat things, taking a bite out of the side of a banana without peeling it first was a sign of this. These things did not bother him, small bones in the fish? Devoured, Shells on crab legs and claws? Crunched. The grunt also did not use any of the utensils that came with the tray picking up and eating everything with his hands. Until he came to what he was told was a ghost pepper, the marine that told him about was laughing when he said it so it couldn’t be that bad right?

He didn’t sample this one even if he should have, instead Grik just popped it into his mouth and quickly chewed then swallowed. After a few silent minutes of him to really think about how it made him feel, it soon occurred to him that his mouth was nearly on literal fire. Eyes going wide he sat up straight coughing, he felt like he was choking and began scrambling for something liquid that he had gotten. During his commotion of trying to grab one of the bowls of seafood chowder, one of the two plates fell to the floor spilling the other half of its contents. At the same time, he guzzled down the warm soup to extinguish the fire inside him, clearly making a mess of himself as not all the white chowder made it down his gullet.

The empty bowl fell to the floor, the grunt laid back in his chair exhausted, “why… why does plant hate Grikgar?” Grik slowly sat up and began cleaning himself off. The grunt decided that maybe that was enough food for him and instead opted to take a drink of coffee instead. The taste compared to the pepper was heavenly. “Grik thought you said there were no drugs here?” he said as he kept drinking the coffee. Did these humans possibly create a monster hyped up on coffee? Possibly, only time will tell.

Reluctantly, Ben took his helmet off. As with many Spartans, he felt more at home in his armor than anywhere else. Then again, there were some drawbacks. During a particularly long mission, his armor stank to high heavens and low hell after spending all of several weeks in it, only removing his helmet for brief periods to hastily consume his rations. He cut a rather fearsome appearance, with short, dark brown hair bordering on black, dark green eyes set against his pale white complexion, his face marked by long scars he'd been given by a Sanghelli in one of his first missions. Had the blade cut much closer, he would have lost one or both eyes if not his head. Each scar ran diagonally, one above the other, each running from above his left eye and moving down to beneath his right.

Ben ordered some simple fare, finding it a welcome change from the MREs he so often subsisted on out of necessity. He ordered the turkey dinner with orange juice on the side, no dessert. The turkey itself was quite good, and it reminded the spartan of a time he was on Reach long ago, back when moa nuggets weren't a rare delicacy. It was perhaps the only guilty pleasure of his entire life, and thanks to Reach's glassing, moa meat was off the menu. He wasn't sure if the moa had been exported or not, but it wasn't really a priority for him to find out right now. The rations aboard the ship were generous, and had been since the war had ended. It took an entire plate just to contain Ben's food, with almost no room for the OJ.

Ben had settled down when he heard Grikgar coughing. Concerned, he wheeled around, only to find that the Unggoy was alright after all; it was simply a matter of overly-spicy food, not a choking situation or a case of food poisoning. Of course, Grik's food manners were abominable, eating everything by hand, making a mess, and dressing in what would definitely be considered out of uniform by UNSC regulations. Of course, half the Covenant had dressed poorly by humanity's standards. Ben had actually used this to his advantage once, tossing a sharpened stone underneath the bare foot of a Brute as he was on patrol. It did little to actually harm the bear-like alien, but it definitely caused enough pain to distract him and let Ben evade detection.

He walked over to Grik, giving him some extra napkins to wipe himself off with. The Grunt had proved himself to adeptly play the part of a messy child. At least, a normal child. Ben himself never made a mess as a kid himself, and the discipline was quite harsh when it came to keeping things tidy back in his Spartan III training days. He didn't know what Grikgar's childhood had been like, but from what he knew, Grunts in the Covenant military were also trained from the youth, albeit for a much shorter time, given their faster rate of growth and short childhood.

"Coffee has a very mild stimulant called caffeine. It's not really addictive or harmful unless consumed in a very large amount. Still, too much caffeine can make you hyper, especially if you have a low body mass. Hmm. I suppose you aren't that light, but I don't know how caffeine will affect your biology. Probably best to keep to one cup of coffee." Although he didn't show it, Ben secretly found the notion of an overcaffinated Grunt to be quite amusing.

"Maybe you'd like some orange juice instead? It's not even remotely addictive, I promise you. Now, let's get this cleaned up, okay? And on a minor note, we don't eat most foods with our hands around the UNSC. Perhaps I'll show you how to use a fork, knife, and spoon next time." He realized that he had been talking much more than usual. It was interesting, having someone to look after, even in this small way and in this one instance.

The Mess Hall was always somewhere Tasuma went to for formality. To join its comrades in arms with their meals, to forge stronger bonds. Mgalekgolo themselves could consume dozens of pounds of nutrients in many forms, in mere minutes. But that was messy, unsightly, and could be done once every few weeks comfortably. The daily meals of humans were strange to it at first, but it quickly found that a meal with humans wasn't done just for food. There was jesting, boasting, chatter, every meal with humans could be like a festive feast. But also like a solemn ritual, soon after the death of friends, or a mission failed. It confused Tasuma at first, but it decided that losing a comrade in arms was similar to losing a bond brother. Tasuma certainly wasn't very joyful after Iteyi was wounded.

The Mess Hall in the Chorus of Thunder appeared to have a light mood, but things quieted down significantly after Tasuma managed to squeeze in through the door. It quietly, and politely, stood in line. When it was its turn to order, it was unexpectedly swift. It chose a dish that would need a bit of preparation from a person, then the Hunter walked over to a vending machine and gently tapped a few buttons on the console. Like it was already used to all of the machinery in the room. Tasuma walked over to the table with a bag of cheese puffs in claw. It knelt by the table.

Vael addressed Tasuma, ”Wherever it is we speak, I believe you should join us as well, Tasuma. You may be a key to our success. We need to familiarize ourselves with the differences between Human and traditional Sangheili command, and you appear to be experienced with both.”
Tasuma nodded slowly before gently opening the orange bag of puffs. It put a finger into the bag, and a single puff was attached to the finger. Tasuma formed a hole just below his helmet and put the puff there. Imitating how others eat. While Aviza and Vael spoke, Tasuma listened intently while snacking. As Vael said, Tasuma was familiar with both traditional Sangheili command, and how humanity commanded their forces up to a platoon level. After fighting alongside both the Covenant and UNSC for years, Tasuma had opinions that many Sangheili Commanders may not agree with.

It wasn't long until a serviceman came over with a tray with a plate of parmesan chicken pasta and glass of water. Tasuma looked at the serviceman.
"Thank. You." Tasuma said, its voice was deep and powerful, vibrating the floor underneath Tasuma's feet.
"Uh- eh-" The man swallowed and blinked, "Yeah. Anytime." Just as the serviceman began to walk away, Grik coughed and scrambled for a liquid, spilling some food onto the ground. The man saw Ben talk to the grunt and explain a few things. "Ah jeez." he muttered under his breath, "I'll grab a bucket."

Tasuma glanced to Ben and Grik before turning its attention to its plate. It picked up the glass of water and took a sip, then picked up the fork and began to eat casually. Tasuma stayed quiet, opting to listen to Aviza and Vael, rather than speak up. It knew that concerning Humans, styles of command varied wildly. And with Sangheili, many commanders were rigid in their doctrine.

No sooner had the Spartan gotten his quarters adjusted to his liking that he was summoned by the Major to a briefing room. Without an order otherwise, he held himself at attention. "If I may speak freely, Major," he said, "I would have preferred to continue my work as a LONEWOLF. I prefer working solo. And I especially don't like having to work alongside the Hingeheads on an op."

"No need for slurs," Suiko chastised the Spartan, her voice coming through his helmet's external speakers. "Major Robinson, my name is Suiko. I am the artificial intelligence assigned to monitor Rex's mental state. It was partly due to my assessments that he was chosen for this assignment." The AI spoke to Rex directly next. "If you would, could you insert my data chip into the table?"

The Spartan obliged, pulling the chip from his neural interface and plugging it directly into the table. Suiko's hologram faced Major Robinson, giving a low bow before speaking. "Given your access to Rex's files, I assume that you're privy to some of the modifications to Project CHRYSANTHEMUM that were made with Gamma Company, correct?"

@EliteCommander

---

”At ease, Spartan.” The Major said as she looked down to refer to Rex’s file. His response to her was just about what she expected, and Suiko’s presence was mentioned in his file as well, so she did not show any surprise.

The Major answered Suiko quickly. “I have been fully briefed on every mission-relevant detail of Spartan-III Gamma Company. I know of the circumstances for which you were chosen to be a Spartan, and I know of the illegal mutagen you were given during your augmentations, Spartan. Given the circumstances of this mission, I have made sure this ship will stock double the usual supply of the drugs you require. It is not the potential for psychosis that I am worried about.”

Pausing for a moment, the Major brought up the files for each of Aegis Team’s non-Human members on the holographic display between them. “Right now, your mission requires you to work cooperatively with each of these people. I want to know that your judgment in regards to dealing with them will be in the best interest of Humanity. You may speak freely.”

Now at ease, the Spartan's body language relaxed, at least as much as his MJOLNIR allowed. "Unless they get in my line of fire, they have nothing to worry about," Rex said bluntly. "Though if one of them decides to start a fight, I'll have zero qualms about finishing it. Don't expect me to get chummy with any of the split-lips, or that can of worms."

"Major, do you have access to the helmet recording of that particular mission?" Suiko asked. "If you have not seen the entirety of the recording, I would like to show you part of it that helped me make up my mind in recommending Rex to Aegis."

---

”I have not seen it myself, no. Go ahead and get it ready to show me in a moment, Suiko.” Major Robinson answered, nodding to the AI’s avatar before returning her attention to Rex. ”I did not expect you to come here to make friends, Spartan. And if you were ever attacked by them, if we were betrayed by them, then I would expect you to defend yourself. But, I need to be confident that your own biases will not bring you to make that judgment in error. Make no mistake, my purpose here, and in my whole career, is, has been, and will always be to serve the benefit of Humanity. And it happens, right now, that this alliance is in the best interest of Humanity. That is not my opinion, that is the opinion of the Office of Naval Intelligence. If it was not, they would not have agreed to joint ventures like this, or Sarcophagus. Maintaining that alliance is part of my orders, and therefore, your orders. Have whatever personal opinions you want, but your professional judgment must be uninfluenced by them. There are some more specific questions I have for you, but first, let me see this recording.”

Finally, the Major gestured to Suiko to proceed and turned her attention to the holographic display.

Spartan Aviza shrugged lightly with a soft smile across her face, she had found what Vael ‘Virisusai had said about the seats being to small for him to sit upon quite amusing. The Grunt he had made though, she was unsure if it was one of irritation, amusement, or something else. It was not important at the moment, none of what she had done was meant to be intentionally offensive, so the thought was dismissed. While Vael ‘Virisusai continued to speak to Aviza about the differences of leading a Squad of Ex-Covenant forces over a Squad of Humans, the serviceman who had been dishing out orders of food approached the table with Aviza's club sandwich.

The plate it sat upon was of the same materiel her mug was made out of, something that looked like pewter, but clearly wasn't. "Your club sandwich, Spartan Aviza, is there anything else?" said the man as he placed the plate down in front of her. "Thank you, that is all I require." said Aviza before the man nodded his head once then turned back to the kitchen to deliver more orders. Aviza looked over the contents of her sandwich to make sure they had gotten everything correct, thankfully they had and she would not have to go have it remade.

Picking up her food with both of her hands, she took a bite out of it while listening intently to Vael ‘Virisusai. Once he had finished, Aviza spoke in her calm and collected voice, "I understand Vael, I will be sure to give out detailed orders before our mission, and during it. While I understand your worry, I assure you that I will be able to handle wrangling our fellow troops." Aviza had taken another bite out of her food and was chewing when Grikgar returned with a massive plat of food. "That, could be a problem." thought Aviza to herself, she quickly finished her bite and swallowed before speaking.

"Hey Grikgar, maybe starting with a sampler would be a good idea before ..." Grikgar had already begun digging into his food, scarfing everything down like a mobile garbage disposal. When he had his reaction to the ghost pepper, Aviza covered her face with the palm of her left hand and shook her head back and forth a couple times with a sigh. She would then quickly drink the rest of her coffee and finish off the rest of her Club Sandwich, wanting to get a move on.

Turning to face the Sangheili who'd addressed him, Lucas shrugged somewhat sheepishly as they pair of them headed for the War Games module. "Well, I can confirm about the sparring, but...the member of the Swords Spec Ops team who gifted it to me only had time to teach me a little before I was transferred here to Aegis Team. I'd welcome any pointers you have for using it..." The SPARTAN-IV left the sentence open for the Sangheili to introduce himself as he was fairly certain he'd missed some introductions before arriving.