New Reach Police had been working around the clock in New Budapest, all in order to eschew any possible threats that may arise should their SWAT actually find what they were looking for. Currently, amongst the high-rises and the walking paths between the blocks, a platoon of SWAT, soldiers clad in Reach-Era Marine BDUs that were modified to fit more with the police role, pushed forward while hauling MA37k Carbines. Carry-handles with pic rails on top, on which short-range aiming devices had been placed.

The dark-blue of the Police BDUs glimmered as lightning flashed overhead. The platoon of SWAT members advanced toward the presumed base of operations within NB's slums, pressed against the walls as for the occupants of the building not to spot their arrival. A single light was on on the top floor of the 2-story building. Half-a-dozen men prepared to breach, Police Pelicans and UAVs surveying overhead.

The lead of the team, a breacher with the standard M45 8 Gauge shotgun of the UNSC, shifted forward gently, his heavy armor causing his footfalls to resound heavily against the concrete. The sole light from the sky was one of the planet's Moons, hovering ominously close. The Breacher hummed, showed half the team to move to the other side and ordered his tecchie up.

The Marine closest to him patted his shoulder and pushed forward, slinging his MA37 on his back and taking a knee, before pulling out an Opti-Wand, a necessary piece of equipment when dealing with threats such as this one, an opti-wand consisted of a holographic display mounted on the back of a rigid tube that contained a flexible fiber-wire camera. Sliding the camera under the door and activating the screen, the Officer swept around the door, his HUD linking to the device and identifying... He spoke over radio, "Times one tripwire. Linked to a Grenade bouquet."

Stowing the opti-wand, the man pulled out a micron-sharpened, long knife that he slid between the seams of the door, inserting it just below the locks. He moved it gently down the seam until he felt resistance. He nodded to the Lieutenant, who gave an 'ok' hand signal... And the trooper cut the wire and quickly backed away from the door. They waited for detonation, but were met with silence.

The Breacher racked the pump of his shotgun and radioed, "TOC, this is Entry Team. Breaching..." before pointing the barrel at the door. Confirmation came from command and the green light was given. All men activated their VISR-aided Night Vision as the light on the top floor winked off, courtesy of a hack delivered via Military AI. The shotgun roared, the door's lock blown wide out, spraying splinters and broken metal back into the house.

The Breacher moved into position and kicked the door open, before ordering, "Go! Go! Go!" while pushing through. He switched to combat rounds, hefting the close-quarters weapon up as their Engineer disarmed the grenade bouquet and stowed the frags for later use. They pushed into the house's hallway, one of the men lifting his rifle to meet an incoming man on the stairwell.

The man called out, "Shit! They're here!" as he raised an older M6 Magnum pistol model. The MA37 in the side man's hand coughed twice, then again once. Two shots to the chest collapsed his lungs, while the third was the headshot that sent the corpse tumbling down the stairwell. Once it stopped, the man kicked away the pistol from the corpse and motioned to his partner, a female SWAT member, to follow along.

She walked up behind him, keeping her rifle raised as the other team members covered all other entrances and ways in and out of the hallway. Patting him on the shoulder, she gave him the go signal to move up the stairs. The two pushed up, the lead man switching hands to better hold the rifle and pie around the edge of the door on the top. Taking his left, she pied the other side and looked around to make sure they weren't about to get ambushed.

The hallway upstairs greeted them with one figure, female, coming out of the doorway while carrying what looked to be an ancient weapon design, probably from the late 2000s, early 2100s. She hefted the weapon, eyes wide, before the female SWAT officer put two slugs into her skull, sending her collapsing to the floor. The sounds of gunfire echoed below, followed by the thundercrack of the M45 and the silent snaps of assault carbines.

The partners covered each-other's backs, the man taking out his own boot knife and checking the door for traps. Finding one tripwire, he slit it, then slid the knife back into its sheath and ducked just as bullets started flying through the door. The female SWAT member swiveled about, took a knee and fired into the plaster wall in a rough direction of where the shots were coming from.

The ceasing of fire and a thump signaled that the holes she'd drilled in the drywall were accurate. She turned around as she heard another set of thundering footsteps getting closer, only to see a figure clad in actual body armor emerge, pistol and knife drawn and murder in his eyes. A bullet ricocheted off her helmet, causing dizziness and a decently loud ringing in her ears.

Still, she was fast and aware enough. Drawing her knife, she ducked under a second shot and blunted a swing from the man's knife-wielding hand, before driving her own blade clean through his shoulder, thus disarming him of the knife. She then grabbed the pistol arm, yanked it to her side just as the gun went off again and made sure the slide wouldn't eject, before yanking him closer to her and delivering a kneecap to the gonads.

The target collapsed, letting go of his last weapon and falling to the floor, only to take a steel-toed boot to the face as the knockout blow. She proceeded to fully remove his bulletproof vest and tie him up, before checking his person. She gave a nod to her partner, then hefted her rifle back up and pulled back to him as he got up, asking him, "You good?" and receiving a thumbs up.

He'd caught a bullet in his vest, going by the massive scratch. Good protection. She patted him on the shoulder and picked him up, then stacked up on the door with him. He tried the handle and heard the door click open, allowing both of them to move in and do a three-point scan of the room. A corpse lay splayed out on the floor, the drywall behind him painted in red.

The pair cleared the room, then pushed further in on the left of the stairwell, the man stacking up behind the woman this time. She radioed in, "Actual, TOC, this is Entry-6. Secured half of upper area. I and 7 are breaching Light Room. Tell OVERWATCH to check their fire..."

"Entry Six, TOC. We copy. Snipers are keeping tabs, but be advised that they report a possible six insurgent combatants in the room. Advise you wait for the rest of Entry to come up stairs." The Tactical Command of the NB SWAT Department replied. The fact that the gunfire below subsided told them that their allies had finished clearing the kitchen and storage areas.

"Six to TOC, roger, out," The girl stated, then reloaded her assault rifle in the intervening time. She elbowed her partner in the chest and said, "Y'owe me a beer when we get back, Rick..." her voice a hushed whisper. The man gave an affirmative grunt, before checking his own weapon and reloading it, watching as the counter ticked back up to 32 on his HUD and on the weapon itself.

Boots thundered against the floor and Lead motioned to the two to move back via lifting his palm, turning it to his face and slowly moving it backward, close to his shoulder. The two backed off, rifles ready as they joined the stack. A quick check found the door had no bombs on, thankfully, meaning the Breacher could do his job. He radioed, "TOC. Entry. Moving in..."

And before TOC could even answer, the shotgun roared twice, the door's hinges taken off by the blasts. He kicked it open and was the first to take bullets, old or reloaded ammunition sparking off the plates of his heavier armor. He swiveled his shotgun right to face the enemy and fired. One man's head exploded out into a flower of gore, showering his comrades in red.

Six called out, "Spotted the HVT! Marking!" As she powered on her HUD's mark system, outlining the one target they were meant to take in alive out of all of them. The others replied affirmatively and opened fire methodically in semi-automatic, putting rounds through skulls and chests, only for Six to pull out her stun gun, an electromagnetic pulse emitter pistol of R&D Design.

She set it to medium and squeezed. A burst of electricity arced from the two prongs at the front of the pistol and struck the man square in the chest, locking his muscles and sending him toppling to the floor in a curled-up form. As the gunfire ceased, Actual called out, "CLEAR!" before lowering his shotgun and looking at the HVT. His scarlet outline differentiated him from the other corpses in the room, obviously.

Six took a knee after holstering her stun pistol, then checked him as his muscles went limp. She said, "He's breathing. Gonna be discombobulated for a few hours according to the docs, though..." then gently lifted his flaccid arm and pulled it down. Veins glimmered a semi-fluorescent blue, even behind the strange tattoo on his arm. She spoke, "Yep... He's got Eezoo in his system. Looks self-inflicted, too..." and she pointed above the flowery tattoo, at a needle mark.

"Idiot could've blasted us when we were coming in. Instead, he locked himself in a room with his buddies and was too afraid to kill'em," Murmured Seven as he leaned against the wall, "Damn Biotic has a heart, at least, considering he didn't flatline us because of his friends..." and he sighed deeply, "But fuck me if they haven't been getting more rowdy. I mean, a Cult? For fuck's sake..."

"Can't blame them for being pissed, Seven," Three offered, slinging her rifle on her back, "Military's been dragging them in to see what kind of shit they can do. Against their wills, too..."

"Eggheads didn't bring'em into existence either," Actual said, taking a knee beside the knocked-out leader, "Remember the accident near New Arizona?"

"Yeah, boss, we know," His XO sighed, "Several years ago, a cargo ship carrying mined Eezoo from a nearby asteroid station went off all on its own. Washed the dark side of the planet in the blue crap, caught some families who were out gathering Moon Tubers or whatever the hell they call those shiny potatoes from there. Kids in their moms' bellies wound up getting some of this shit in them. Some mutated, some got powers, which is the reason we call'em Biotics now. Nobody figured why the ship blew."

"Yeah, well, I'd've figured you guys already know it wasn't an accident..." The Commander sighed, then radioed in, "TOC, Entry Team. Suspects in custody, multiple KIA. We're exiting now with the target..." before he motioned for them to cuff him. And cuff him they did, carrying him by the arms down the stairs and to the floor. They grabbed the other immobilized hostile as well and dragged them both out to the truck.

"What do you mean it wasn't an accident, boss?" Asked one of the men as they boarded the MRAP, "That's what they keep it as."

"Nah... You guys remember that slightly more extremist party that started appearing in the Council, right? Came about 'round the same bloody time as the explosion that sprayed NAZ with The Blue Shift," He chuckled. Everyone nodded, looking at him with confusion, before he noted, "Well... Turns out some investigation that was put on hold just recently is pinning it on them. The Homeland Protector Party."

"The bastards advocating for the whole thing with isolationism in the Council?" Six asked as she looked down at the two KO'd targets, "The hell would they be doing with a Biotic Cultist Group? And why would they wanna blow up a ship carrying the most important resource we've discovered in our sector of occupied space since we made Helium-3 Plants on the Moons near Hanshin? Shit just doesn't add up, boss."

He nodded, "I know. But if you look at the news from that time, they merged with another, very similar party just before the ship was detonated... A party that was fully believed to have genuine ties with a Neo-Insurgent movement within our own goddamn borders..." before he pointed at the Cultists, "Whose members included Biotics seeking a more human-centric approach."

"You don't fuckin' mean the Sapien Front, man?" Seven asked, "My grandpa was part of that Party. They weren't Secessionists. Shit, they loved the League. One of their most prominent members was descended straight out of the First Admiral, the man who fucking led us into this territory and the subsequent exploration and rearmament. They weren't traitors."

"No, but they were very isolationist. Xenophobic, too," He replied with a smirk, "But they figured command wasn't gonna want to sit back and watch a whole-ass new galaxy be wiped by these 'Reaper' things we keep getting briefed about every Sunday. Command's bleeding hearts for whatever aliens may be nearby was the reason the HPP and them merged. HPP was big enough to actually get seats on the council."

"The fact that a fucking Military Junta gets votes," Murmured Five, setting the weapon they carried aside.

"Hey, we're still born outta Democracy," Six shrugged, "And the people need to trust their representative military officers with not just commanding the military. They hafta talk to the Heads of Industry."

"I get it, Six, but still," Five replied, shrugging, "Honestly, I'm all for the shit the HPP proposes. Keep us isolated so we can defend ourselves better. Who gives a rat's ass about some fuckin' aliens? They're the reason we're even in this mess if the old Holos about Earth and the Invasion are to be believed. The Covenant, aliens, started us on this shit. Just close the Mass Relays to us and let us hang out, fend for ourselves."

"Much as I'd like to slap you for that, Five, I can't," The Commander quipped, garnering a few laughs. He gazed upon the SWAT member, then said, "We got a job the moment we wound up here. Making sure nobody faces an extinction-level event again. Doesn't matter if they're alien or not, I wouldn't wish the Covenant on anyone else. I get you're young and excitable, but remember you're as much a part of this Machine as we are. We're all Military Police. Not militarized, Military. We're part of the Garrisons keeping our people safe. And we have to follow what the Council decides."

"We barely have the industrial capacity up to produce new ships," Five shot back, "And the Slip Drive assembly line's also slow to start. Been a few more years since Ingalls brought it up to speed..."

"We're nearly there..." Sighed the Boss, "Listen, let's leave the political talk to the politicians. We've still gotta get these guys finger-printed and thrown in jail for the attempted bombing on Fifth Street. Council is in session as is and they'll see whatever comes up..." And he leaned back against his seat in the MRAP, only giving a light kick in the face.

Talk about police brutality...

Council Chambers, New Reach

"... While I fully understand the view of the HPP, so, too, must you understand, Captain, that we have a greater duty to uphold here than that to our people. Alien or not, we are to defend this Galaxy as if it was our own against an extra-galactic threat." The hard voice of another youthful captain, this one belonging to a UNSC Warship stationed in orbit and currently being refurbished. She was, much like her vessel, a proud woman, her black hair tied in a bun, auburn eyes glimmering in the light of the massive chambers of the Council of the Guard.

Hundreds of officers and representatives had gathered in the Council Chambers to listen to the debate between representative of the NPP and that of the Guardian Party, those of the people that had remained steadfast in the mission imbued into the Black League by Admiral Higgins:To defend this place and to find a way home afterward, to see if they could somehow assist the UNSC, if at all... Or to rebuild on Earth once all was said and done.

"We've been here for nigh a hundred years, Captain Florence. You must understand that some of us have begun to see this mission as worthless," The HPP rep, one captain Josiah, spoke to the agreeing murmurs of other HPP members. He was the representative officer for one of the first Phoenix-class vessels built within the confines of Ingalls's new shipyard, a test run for building the Capital-class combat vessels of the UNSC.

Florence sighed, "Perhaps you also misunderstand that this isn't a matter that encompasses just the Black League. Mankind set itself on its path the moment we accepted the mission gifted unto us by Atlana and the other AI of our Precursors. We have a War brewing within the next hundred years and I fully intend to continue preparing us for it. We will need allies, for we are still few in number on our planets, and we will need not just that, but ships, weapons, bases to operate out of. The moment we make our First Contact, it should be prioritized to have it be a friendly one. It will grant us more security than just shutting down the Relays and hiding behind a network of defenses we're still putting together."

Several

"So, what, we rely on aliens to provide defense?" Josiah demanded, "Are you mad, captain? We've seen what aliens do!"

She shot back calmly, her gaze steely, "We know not the species in this Galaxy. I'm not one to firmly believe that every single xeno we meet out there is hostile. There will be some we can use, either as cannon fodder or as actual comrades. Ease yourself off the fearmongering and you might see that we all face a common foe and, if that is brought up, even an ardent fearmongerer may be brought to heel... Even if all else fails, we have fleets prepared and we have finally begun the building of new vessels with the upgrades our benefactors have left for us. We will have this Galaxy by our side in defense against the Reapers..."

She leaned forward, then spoke with a hard voice, "Even if we must redraw their maps to suit our needs, we will make them all see the truth. And we will survive this Crisis when it comes. There is no other end to this but victory together, or death alone..." before pausing and looking around at the other representatives. She knew what she'd hinted at with that statement:Perhaps subjugating the alien races.

Maybe it'd get it through some of the HPP's thick skulls that they have more than one way of 'making friends' with the Galaxy. She sighed and cleared her throat, "Obviously, more wars before we meet our foe would preferably be avoided so that the Diplomatic Corps and their ships can get us those allies," then turned to the admiral as her own side murmured in agreement. She spoke to her, "What do you say, Admiral?"

The elderly woman, sat at the head of the table in the middle of the room, laced her fingers together and took a moment to consider the idea. She had been the elected representative after Higgins, so she had to make a choice. Calmly, she told them, "Our exploration efforts beyond the Relays have, so far, proven very fruitful in giving us new systems to explore and new resources to mine. A recently-established mining outpost came at the tail-end of the latest round of Relay jumps across this section of the Galaxy... Unless we meet an open threat, the Relays will remain open to further exploration..."

The Guardian reps cheered, with Florence smiling, but they were silenced by a wave of the hand from the woman. She spoke again, her voice sharp, focused, "However, if the First Contact we have with an oncoming Alien Species to either our East or West is hostile, the security measures the HPP proposed will be taken under consideration. We have little to gain from letting the enemy waltz through our territories. The Relays will only be shut down in case of a large-scale War against a hostile stellar nation..."

Murmurs now filled the hall from both sides, with Florence seemingly ready to accept this, even if her face had turned from joyous to impassive. She and the HPP representative looked to one-another, then turned to the Admiral and saluted. With a salute back and a smirk, She stated, "It'd been decided then. Prepare and ratify the laws necessary... May Justice account in all balance for Mankind and Her Survival. This meeting is adjourned."