Halo ODST: The Great Journey

And so, The Great Journey carries on

He could feel the air somehow change now that he followed them. They were of course the guards that were sent for him. There were four, in total, in the beginning. Now, there were six. They flanked him on all of his sides, each of them walking with the elegance and grace one would expect of a truly strict honor guard. Each step seemed to match a tempo invisible to the common ear. Somehow, The Rookie couldn't even picture spartans walking in that manner. They were too... noisy. Bulky, and with no seeming elegance in any way. But alike the Spartans from his world, these guards all moved with a clear purpose, one that looked as if it had been repeated, rehearsed, and followed through on many occasions. To make their ruler's will true.

Some of them had wings, enchanting, and dignified in all their might. And some others, they had horns, spiraling until they reached a sharp point. It was something The Rookie would see out of a very fairy tale. It seemed like he was suddenly transported into a world of strange high fantasy, where mystic horses made of crystal ruled, something out of a children's book. But this was no fantasy and no dream. The manner that they walked onwards, with clear diligence, was too real. Now that The Rookie was not plagued by anticipation and paranoia, from many onlookers. That was not to say that he was not ready to fight back; his hands rested on the matte black of his gun, his fingers tracing over the small indents on the surface. The Rookie was ready to fight back if they had somehow provoked him, but they had not done so, yet. They had treated him, at least to his knowledge, with at least some respect. This was a much better alternative than being immediately attacked or demanded to go into a dusty, old cell.

"Stay calm. This was... probably our best chance to get home. Just listen to what I say, and we'll probably get out of here just fine." A familiar voice spoke. It was Vea, an AI he had found when he had arrived in this strange land. And he knew she was much smarter than himself, being an AI came with a very strong intellect. All The Rookie had to do, was to follow her advice. This was, their best chance to find others like them. It could be a secret planet that had been hidden away from common knowledge from people like him, and even to the AI, like Vea. Perhaps these 'people' had a way to contact his homeworld. It was almost certain that humans were not already present here, because of the amount of time that Vea had attempted to contact others. She had spent, many, many hours looking for a single bit of data containing humans, and there was nothing. Nothing but the old building and Pelican.

But, all of this was beside the point. The Rooke had to focus on the matter on hand now. That being that he was being 'escorted' to a ruler's castle. He, and Vea, were hoping to have a peaceful interaction with them, and hopefully, secure safety as they stayed here. This was, according to Vea, the best possible route to survival. It would be better to fight with the seemingly primitive technology now, than a prolonged guerrilla fight later. The Rookie didn't see another way, anyway. Vea may have been modeled differently, but she so far had shown a duty to him, as almost all the AI did. Their jobs were to protect humanity, after all, and so far, Vea was doing that job quite well.

It took them just a few more moments of walking through pearly halls and glimmering stone paths when they arrived at gates of seemingly pure ruby. The four guards in front of him, uniform in motion, all walked forward and opened the doors for him. A shining light pierced through the rift, almost celestial in sight, only growing more so as it opened more. Finally, they opened, revealing the full glory that was hidden behind. A vast, elegant hall stood from here to the end of the room, which must have been several dozen meters. Two tall thrones stood on the other side, which themselves gave an aura of authority and prowess throughout the hall. To either side of the hall, where galleries, a few meters up in the air. On them, many of these beings watched, hushing amongst themselves as they looked down at The Rookie. These were clearly the nobility of this land. their posh styles and mannerisms all clear at just a sight. It was strangely similar to tales of grand halls of ancient nobility from Earth, it made The Rookie question stand and look at the onlookers with uncertainty. Was this really home? And by home-

His thought was interrupted when a sudden voice had called out behind him. Looking away from the gawking nobility on the galleries, he turned to face the booming voice behind him. "As requested by our noble and great princess, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, the unfamiliar and novel newcomer to the Crystal Empire has been brought forward!" The voice of course came from one of these horses, ponies, from what seemed to be a male with grey fur and a shinning red as a mane, in quite an elegant matter. The Rookie paid him no heed and turned back to face the front of the room. All the room seemed to immediately quiet down, all of those that The Rookie could see bowed, in a short, and regal form. It was only then that The Rookie had seen her. In the two thrones, were two more of these ponies. It was not the thrones that had been giving off the aura of authority, but those that sat in it. The one on the left, he was one of those with a horn, with a blue mane and white coat. He looked serious, and he was donning an armor, one that looked very regal. It seemed as if he was worried, if not, threatened to The Rookie. Having only a glance over him, The Rookie looked to the one that had really caught his attention. Just the sight of her, made him grasp his weapon tighter.

She was taller than the rest, that was for certain. The Rookie could feel a pink atmosphere radiate from her, her hair clearly having been a little hastily, but well done, along with her attire. He could see that this event had to be of some importance, she must have hurried to meet him head-on, to determine if he was a threat. The other thing that The Rookie had seen was that she had both horns and wings. This was not something he had seen in any of the others, and the HUD in his helmet, that Vea had been operating, discreetly told him the same thing. "Proceed with Caution." Was flashed on his screen, for just a few moments. It made The Rookie let out a sharp breath. He had almost forgotten to breathe. This was overwhelming.

"Hello, newcomer. I am Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, as you may already know. I rule the Crystal Empire, a peaceful and yet powerful force in Equestria. We Equestrians have felt a strange imbalance of magic, one that had only been felt when King Sombra was at his height, and can only surmise that you are what brought upon this distress. Therefore, I must ask, who are you, and... are you a threat?" The pony said with clear determination, but yet, there was distress somewhere hidden behind her voice. It seemed that this was a much more significant deal than what The Rookie had come here initially thinking. The voices on the gallies around him began to speak again, much more hurriedly, some of them now looking at The Rookie with looks of fear, or of clear hostility.

"I..." The room quieted as The Rookie began to speak. "I am The Rookie." The man, gripping onto his rifle, took a deep breath. With the resolution he had gathered on the march here, he steeled himself and continued to speak. "I am from a... distant land. I am a peacekeeper. I am under the direct command of a group of nations, a United Nations, who seek peace and prosperity and seek to deploy a strong force to keep harmony. I am a soldier of peace, and of war, and, the last of these United Nations. As a united power, we are a threat to all who dare oppose us, but to those who also seek peace, we are friends. Your Highness, no, I am not a threat to your Empire, if you are not a threat to our United Nations, I am a friend, if you are ours."

That was the best speech that a quiet person like Rookie could give. He had never spoken to such a large group, much less represented his whole galactic empire, to a group of new species. The Rookie felt his heart racing and found it difficult to not begin to panic. This was a job meant for those above him or the super-soldiers. He was just an ODST. It seemed that his speech was wrong though, as silence seemed to last for ages as he and the Princess looked at one another. It was in reality a tense few seconds, but the Princess seemed to like his answer. She smiled and stood up from her throne.

"Then I, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, declare us... Friends!"