Naruto, Mindy, and Saeko returned to the conference room together.
The automatic door slid open with a soft tallic hiss, and the three of them stepped back inside to find the room changed again. Tony was still at the table with his laptop open. Tanya sat a little straighter than before. Diana had already turned her attention fully toward the center of the room. Gaius remained where he was, quiet and huge and still, with his helt resting on the table.
Marcus had already returned too.
The mont he saw the three of them, he gave a small nod.
"You're back."
Naruto dropped into his seat without much ceremony.
"Yeah."
Mindy sat beside him, and Saeko returned to her own chair with the sa calm she always seed to carry. The food from earlier was still on the table, though most of it had already been eaten or pushed aside. The mood was different now.
Less relaxed.
More official.
Marcus straightened slightly before speaking again.
"ONI will now discuss cooperation with you directly."
That alone made the room settle.
Even Naruto stopped moving for a mont and sat more properly in his chair. The word ONI carried weight here. He did not fully understand all of it yet, but he understood enough to know it mattered.
Marcus had barely finished speaking when the holographic table flickered back to life.
Blue light spread across the surface.
Then the familiar figure of Admiral Margaret Parangosky appeared above the table once more.
The room went silent instantly.
Parangosky's sharp eyes swept across all of them.
Calm.
Cold.
Careful.
Nothing escaped her gaze. Not Tony's posture. Not Tanya's expression. Not the way Mindy looked between adults trying to act older than she was. Not Naruto's open curiosity. Not Saeko's quiet attention. Not Diana's steady calm.
And especially not Gaius.
"I have reviewed Lieutenant Hale's report," Parangosky said without wasting ti.
Her voice was the sa as before.
Controlled.
Clear.
No empty greeting.
No polite buildup.
She continued, "You claim to be from other universes, and possess technologies beyond current UNSC capabilities."
When she said technologies, her eyes shifted briefly toward Tony and Gaius.
Tony leaned back a little in his chair.
"That about sums it up."
Parangosky ignored the casual tone completely.
"And despite possessing those advantages," she said, "you are offering assistance to humanity."
Her gaze settled on Gaius.
"Why?"
The question hung in the room for several seconds.
It was not asked like a challenge.
It was asked like caution, wrapped in a question.
Parangosky was not about to trust them blindly. Even if Tony's video showed Gaius calling himself a shield of humanity, she had no reason to accept that at face value. She did not know whether it was true, and even if it was, it had been said in another universe.
That still left the real question.
Would they help humanity here?
Or were they only speaking for their own world?
She was looking for motive.
For reason.
For sothing solid enough to hold on to.
Then Gaius answered.
"Because humanity stands at the edge of extinction."
His deep voice filled the room naturally, calm and direct.
"I am a Space Marine."
He remained completely still.
"I am a shield of humanity."
The words were simple, but they carried real weight.
"I will not stand aside and watch humanity burn."
Parangosky studied him silently.
She did not react outwardly.
But inside, she was clearly asuring every word. She was trying to decide whether this was conviction, performance, or sothing else entirely.
Then her eyes shifted to the others.
"And the rest of you share this view?"
Tony answered first, with a small shrug.
"You've got billions of civilians getting wiped out by genocidal aliens. Hard to ignore that."
Naruto crossed his arms.
"They're humans."
To him, that was enough.
Diana nodded once, calm as ever.
"We will help where we can."
Saeko gave a small nod beside her.
Tanya followed with the sa level tone she always used.
"Strategically speaking, cooperation benefits both sides."
Mindy added quietly, "I'm not exactly a fan of humans getting wiped out by aliens either."
Parangosky listened to every answer without moving much at all.
Then, after a long second, she said, "Very well."
Marcus blinked slightly.
Even he seed to expect more resistance.
But Parangosky was not done.
"However, understand this clearly," she said.
The hologram's expression hardened just a little.
"ONI does not trust blindly."
Nobody in the room looked shocked by that.
Not really.
Tony even gave a faint smirk like he had expected the line all along.
"We will cooperate," Parangosky continued, "but under controlled conditions."
Tony murmured, "There it is."
Parangosky ignored him again.
"You will not be granted unrestricted access to military networks, classified infrastructure, or major population centers."
Tanya gave the smallest nod, almost to herself.
It was a reasonable answer.
Expected, really.
Parangosky continued, "In return, humanity will provide logistical support, intelligence sharing, temporary residence, and operational coordination."
Then the hologram shifted.
A new planet appeared above the table.
Blue oceans.
Green landmasses.
Human cities marked across the surface.
"Due to current station overcrowding," Parangosky said, "you will not remain aboard this facility permanently."
Naruto imdiately looked relieved.
"Oh thank god."
Mindy snorted quietly at the sa ti.
Parangosky continued as if she had not heard him.
"You will instead be transferred to a secure UNSC-controlled colony world."
Tony looked at the planet projection more closely.
"Which world?"
"Cascade."
The hologram zood in slightly.
Parangosky explained, "A mid-level Inner Colony. Population stable. Industrial and civilian infrastructure intact. Far enough from current Covenant advance routes to remain relatively secure."
Tanya studied the map carefully.
This was not a frontline world.
Not Earth.
It was controlled enough to be useful, and distant enough to avoid imdiate danger.
Parangosky continued, "You will be granted a secured residential sector under ONI supervision."
Tony raised an eyebrow.
"So basically a very polite containnt zone."
Parangosky answered at once.
"Yes."
Naruto blinked.
"…She actually admitted it."
Even Marcus looked slightly uncomfortable hearing it said so directly.
But Parangosky did not care.
"You are unknown variables possessing strategic-level capabilities," she said. "Containnt and observation are standard procedure."
The strategic value she ant was their technology, especially their ability to teleport and what seed to be so kind of spatial storage system. The surveillance had already recorded them creating food out of thin air and Gaius taking out a tal chair to sit on.
If sothing like that appeared in a UNSC station during warti, ONI would absolutely take control of the situation.
Tony nodded slowly.
"Honestly? Fair."
That seed to surprise Marcus more than anything else.
He had expected arguing.
Maybe even mocking.
Instead Tony just accepted it.
Parangosky continued, "Cooperation will begin with limited exchanges."
Several holographic windows appeared above the table.
Technology.
Weapons data.
dical information.
Slipspace navigation.
Combat footage.
Engineering notes.
"ONI wishes to evaluate what assistance can realistically be integrated into ongoing UNSC operations."
Then she narrowed her eyes slightly.
"And in return, I assu you will request information from us as well."
Tony smiled faintly.
"Now we're talking."
The room shifted again.
Still serious.
Still cautious.
But no longer hostile.
It was the beginning of sothing much more structured.
An alliance, maybe.
If not yet friendship, then at least a working understanding.
Parangosky continued, "A transport vessel will arrive within several hours."
The hologram of Cascade rotated slowly above the table.
"You will travel with the next refugee convoy."
Naruto's eyes widened slightly.
"With the refugees?"
"Yes," Parangosky said.
"The route is already secured and scheduled. Adding a separate military transport for your group alone would attract unnecessary attention."
Tanya imdiately understood the reasoning.
It was efficient.
Hidden movent.
Tony tapped his finger lightly on the table.
"So only ONI knows about us right now?"
"Correct."
Parangosky answered without hesitation.
"And I intend to keep it that way for the mont."
Marcus understood that part clearly too.
If the wider UNSC learned about alternate-universe visitors all at once, panic would spread fast.
Questions would follow.
Politics would follow.
Fear would follow.
And in a war like this, fear could beco a problem almost imdiately.
Parangosky continued, "Until your intentions, capabilities, and reliability are properly evaluated, information regarding your existence will remain compartntalized."
Tony nodded once.
"Fair."
Marcus looked at him again, still a little surprised by how quickly he accepted everything.
Parangosky's expression remained calm.
"Lieutenant Hale will remain your acting liaison temporarily."
Marcus straightened imdiately.
"Yes, Admiral."
Mindy glanced toward him.
"So he's basically babysitting us."
Marcus looked tired for a second.
"Sothing like that."
Mindy let out a small laugh at that.
Parangosky continued, "Your movent on Cascade will remain monitored."
Tanya gave a small nod.
"Expected."
"You may assist ongoing operations depending on future evaluations."
Parangosky looked around the room one last ti.
This ti, she was no longer only looking at strangers. She was looking at possible allies, possible risks, and perhaps a possible opportunity for humanity itself.
"Your claim to help humanity will be evaluated carefully," she said.
"ONI will not assu good will."
Tony gave a slight nod.
"Would've been weird if you did."
Parangosky ignored the comnt completely.
"If your assistance proves genuine…"
For the first ti since she appeared, her tone shifted slightly.
Not soft.
Not friendly.
But honest.
"Humanity may owe you more than it can repay."
That sat in the room for a mont after she said it.
Marcus looked slightly surprised hearing those words from her.
Parangosky did not continue after that.
Instead, the hologram flickered again.
"Prepare for transport," she said.
"Departure to Cascade begins once the refugee convoy finishes docking procedures."
Then the projection vanished.
The blue light faded away.
The room returned to normal.
Silence followed once more.
But it was not the sa silence as before.
It was quieter in a different way.
Less like uncertainty.
More like the beginning of a new stage.
Naruto leaned back a little in his chair.
"So… we're going with refugees now?"
Tony snorted softly.
"Apparently."
Saeko gave a small, calm smile.
"It is better than being locked in a station room forever."
Mindy leaned back as well.
"Yeah, I can live with that."
Diana glanced toward the fading hologram spot over the table.
"We'll have to see this Cascade world next."
Tanya sipped from her drink and said calmly, "It is a controlled environnt. That is acceptable."
Gaius remained still for a mont.
Then he looked toward the others.
He understood that once they arrived in Cascade, they would be watched closely. He had already accepted that.
Still, his answer had not changed.
These people were human.
And humanity was still worth protecting.
His expression stayed hard beneath the calm surface.
~~~
Enjoying the story? Want to support future chapters and help this world grow?
Check out my Patreon here:
patreon/ZanderLee
Every bit of support keeps writing, thank you.
User Comments
0 comments from readers