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First Recon

Rena was sitting in the garden in the inner courtyard, meditating in the early day's air. It was a habit of hers that she did whenever she felt confused, and by the Maiden, was she confused. For the most part, it was about her developing feelings for Tom, and Rena for the life of her could not figure out what was wrong. It was a couple of hours before she would spar with Tom, yet fate had decreed that the Spartan in question come early after inspecting all of the captured weapons from the assault. What the young super-soldier didn't know as he stood off to the side watching her was that ever since becoming partners, he and Rena had a sort of bond between them. Rena cracked a smile. "Good morning Thomas," she said sweetly, not even moving her head or eyelids as she said this.

Tom was still a bit flustered from what had happened that morning, but his heart started racing again once Rena spoke. And for the life of him, Tom could not figure out why. "A-ah, Rena, you have a minute?" he asked.

Rena opened her eyes and looked at Tom. "Of course," she replied, making herself comfortable. "I've always got time for you. What's wrong?"

Tom sat down across from her and sighed. "I'm terrible with saying stuff like this, but after all we've done these past few weeks, after how close we've gotten...Rena, I just accepted a new position...."

Rena stared at Tom, stunned. _Oh Sovereigns, is he leaving me? Did that bastard fox convince him to push me away? I'm gonna kill that fox!_She thought.

Tom saw her expression of hate and hastily added, "Rena, if I were to leave the Digital World, would you come with me?"

Rena almost fainted, her heart skipping a beat. "T-Tom, of I will!" she answered, tears threatening to form in her eyes. "Tom, you're my Tamer; where you go, I go."

Tom smiled at her after she said that. It might have been how her voice sounded, or the soft gaze she now gave him, but now, Tom's chest felt a bit tighter, but in a good way. "T-That's great! But Rena, we have to take care of some things here first."

"Yes, about that." Tom and Rena turned and saw Ronin standing there, a dirty-and somewhat bloody-shovel sticking from the ground, and putting an even more bloody data chip into his TACPAD.

Tom shook his head in exasperation. "Good God, someone needs to put a bell on you or something. I mean, how is it that you keep sneaking up and popping up at the most awkward of times?" Tom said.

Ronin snorted. "Sure, and I get to call Rena 'Fluffy.' It's not going to happen. But I have a rather...insane proposition for you," Ronin said, tapping away at the TACPAD.

Tom shrugged. "Okay, shoot."

Ronin huffed soundlessly. "We need to take the fight to Zack."

Silence reigned for nearly ten seconds, only to be destroyed by Tom's braying laughter. "You're right fox," he said, "That is insane. He'd expect that; hell, only way we can even get within a mile of him is if we catch him by surprise, otherwise we're dead. Sir," Tom added, still not used to being under Ronin's command. Or just a commander in general.

"Besides, Zack _has_to have some sort of ulterior motive than just killing me. You don't waste an entire army just on one person."

Ronin smirked. "We're not going after Zack; we're going after his communications equipment, and if possible, that damn mole if they're there."

Tom stood up angrily. "What about recon?!You forgetting that?!"

Ronin shook his head. "No. You're going in for simple visual, I'm trying to see what this Slaughtermaster saw before I blew his head off with his own shotgun, and if I had a direct line to Driftech, then maybe-"

Without warning, Ronin's cell phone went off, giving both Tom and Rena the opportunity to actually see Ronin be surprised. In seconds though, the Voxin had the phone out and next to his ear. "Sergeant Major Ronin, Dimensional RIFT Second Company, may I-"

" RONIN, WHERE THE HELL IS MY SON?!?"

Ronin quickly jerked the phone away from his ear as Coyote's mother yelled through the connection. After a few seconds, her voice died down, and Ronin gingerly put the phone back to his ear. "Ma'am," Ronin stated, not eager to set her off again, "I don't know where my CO is. Not, my gear isn't set up for that. Yes, I am aware of the lockdown. Don't worry Ma'am, I'm sure that he's still alive." Mentally, Ronin was terrified. Ronin had met with his CO's family a few times, and he knew that Colonel Monnot could easily rip him a new one if she so wanted.

At this point, both Tom and Rena were backing away from Ronin. Tom could practically feel the fury from the other side of the phone, and Rena was just curious as to who Ronin was talking to. Meanwhile, a local farmer, looking over at the garden of Darkamon, saw Rena. Recognizing Rena, he dropped his tools and ran off to the home of the esteemed Doamon, preaching the word that Rena had finally come to her senses.

Ronin sighed. "Ma'am, can I please talk to either Mel or Sean? Thank you," he said into the phone. Covering the receiver, Ronin uttered two words. "Dragon Lady." Tom and Rena looked at each other in confusion.

"Sean, that you? Great, listen, I need some gear for a two man search and slam op, what do you have? Oh...I see,...understood,...you have WHAT?!...THEN SEND IT OVER!! I'll need half a drum of plasma, another half drum of wave, and however many armor piercers they can handle. What's the ETA? Done in five? Okay, I'll tag the location. Wait, you're sending me what? Sean, are you-" Ronin looked at his phone in disbelief. "He hacks into my phone from universes away and he hangs up on me. What the hell?"

Tom and Rena were still confused about what the hell just happened. Ronin turned to look at Tom.

"Corporal, you're with me. Rena, you can come along if you want to," the sniper said, walking briskly out of the garden. Without any other real choice, the two of them followed the Voxin to the outside of the manor. Stopping out in the middle of the field, Ronin stood still and pointed his TMD at the ground a few meters away.

Tom looked at Ronin oddly. "What, are we going to wait for them to teleport us this equipment?" he asked, wondering why Ronin wasn't moving a single muscle. Seconds later, a soundless boom and a flash of blue light signaled the arrival of fresh supplies. Tom and Rena looked up to see what was best described as a mountain of ordinance stood where there used to be nothing. Among the three or four drums of infantry ammunition, there were a pair of mechs, a weapons rack for said mechs, and what was best described as an M512 M808 MBT turret that had been ripped off and given a handle. And then there was an M12 LRRV with a Gauss Cannon. "Impressive, but do we really need all this equipment? I mean, yeah, sure, the ammo is great and all, but mechs? I thought were going to perform recon sir," Tom said doubtfully as Ronin climbed into one the mechs cockpits...which was also located in the chest cavity.

Rena just stared at the mechs before her. They looked similar to Gallantmon, but painted in a dark, olive green, and they had no impression of faces. Ronin tapped a few buttons as he harnessed himself to the twenty foot tall machine, the chest panels sealing him in. In moments, the four "eyes" of the mech lit up, casting a sharp, bright blue light from them. With not even a faint whirr of movement, Ronin walked over to the massive weapon rack and lifted up a relatively compact gun. Granted, said gun was about seven feet long, and apparently fired rounds as big as her arm, but that didn't diminish Rena's fascination with the machine.

"The M52/S Combat Support Platform has a faint, scattered thermal signature, is invisible to radar and most other sensors, and among other things, has an upgraded Bubble Shield," Ronin said, walking the mech over to a shaded spot. The hatch opened, and the Voxin climbed out, carrying what appeared to be a sewer lid sized robot. "And for the kicker, comes equipped with an M9 URAV minidrone."

Tom shrugged. "I suppose that's great and all, but can we not go in guns blazing?"

Ronin nodded as he took out his datapad and linked it with the drone. Rena then chose that moment to say, "It looks like a Gallantmon!"

Tom looked at his friend confused. Ronin decided to enlighten the teen. "They look like giant, red knights armed with lances."

"Oh."

"Corporal, I'll need you to get the other suit and move it over here," Ronin ordered, pointing to the mech behind him. "After that, you can just put the ammunition in the Hog and park it by the mechs as well. After that, you have until 1830 to get ready for joint recon. Understood?"

Tom saluted casually. "Yes sir," he answered, moving towards the other mech. "Um, how do drive it sir?"

"The M52 is a giant set of armor; just strap yourself in and move like normal after you hit the big blue button," Ronin said, looking back at the datapad. Tom uttered his thanks and got into the mech. Looking at the Master/Slave control system, Tom almost instantly remembered his training in the old Cyclops walker units back on Orion. This'll be a piece of cake, Tom thought as he strapped himself in. Pushing the blue button, the chest sealed him in, and several holographic display screens popped up, displaying to Tom the mech's structural integrity, reactor output (it was amazing too; a cold fusion reactor was something that wasn't all that common in the UNSC, and the Sangheili Empire had never even heard of cold fusion), pilot status, and otherwise looked similar to the inside of his helmet. Tom gingerly moved his right foot forward. The mech did the same, and Tom was shocked at how _quiet_the mech was. He could get used to this.

Walking over to the weapons rack, Tom lifted up a gun that looked almost like a sniper rifle. The weapon info then popped up on his HUD.

M404S Semi-automatic Gauss Rifle

Tom looked up at how large the clip was, and his eyes widened at seeing that the thing carried twenty-five rounds in its boxy magazine. Whistling, he placed the rifle on his back, grabbed both edges of the rack, and lifted it off the ground. And it was weird too, because Tom could still feel how heavy the damn thing was through the mechs negative feedback controls.

While Tom was working, Rena walked up to Ronin while he was trying to set up the drone. Ronin tapped a button, and the little drone shot sparks out from its chasis. "Dammit!" Ronin hissed, glaring at the offending drone.

"What's wrong?" Rena asked, looking bewildered at Ronin's sudden outburst of emotion.

"Machinery hates me. Well, everything that isn't my equipment and cars," Ronin said sharply, rubbing his temples. Putting his datapad, the Voxin took out a small pack and opened it, revealing tools the likes of which Rena hadn't seen before. Ronin looked into it and took out a Phillips head screwdriver.

"Then why use this then?" Rena asked, now curious as to how stubborn the Voxin was.

"Because," Ronin responded, screwing open the drone's top half, "As much as I trust Tom's eyesight, I prefer having multiple eyes in the area. And this drone has a few tricks in its eyes that Tom doesn't have in his helmet."

Rena paused, watching as Tom moved the equipment from its spot on the field to where they were currently standing. After a while, Tom finished moving everything and went back inside, most likely to mentally prepare himself for the operation. "Ronin," Rena said simply. Ronin didn't look up from his work, but he did twitch his ear in her direction, acknowledging her statement. "This is all very impressive, but does Tom really need this? He's done very well so far with only the gear he took with him."

Ronin sighed. "Rena, up until this point, you and Tom have only had to fight a Champion level threat, AT worst. These guys, they outnumber us. They outgun us. Hell, they even staged a strategic lockdown just so that they can take over our base in Tom's universe. And we can't call in reinforcements, or call in for extraction."

The two of them simply stayed in silence for a few hours, Rena watching the wind running through the trees, and Ronin was busy repairing the drone.

"Rena, could you pass me the Phillips head screwdriver? I left it over there by the datapad." Rena looked over to where Ronin said, and saw a small, rod-like tool with a thick handle. Picking it up, she tossed it to Ronin, who caught it in midair without looking. "Thanks," he said, taking the top panel of the drone and proceeded to screw the top back on.

"Ronin, why did you ask Tom to join you?" Rena asked.

Ronin didn't answer for a while, working on the drone. Finishing it, Ronin put down the screwdriver and looked at Rena sadly, his green eyes meeting hers. "Because when I look at Tom, I see myself." Seeing Rena's surprised face, Ronin continued. "Tom deserves better. I of all people here should know. Tom needed refuge from his sick, twisted version of ONI, and as of now, he knows the enemy better than I do. And I don't have the heart to destroy a bright and shining future."

Rena crouched down to Ronin's level. "And...you'll let me come back to the Real World with Tom?"

Ronin nodded. "I have a policy of not lying to people I trust. Besides, that one Renamon from the village, oh what was her name, oh yeah, Rahne, my CO is taking her back to Bragg with us, as well as Sora."

Rena smiled, and without warning, lunged and hugged Ronin. "You really mean it? No strings attached I can still be with him?" she asked happily. Ronin hesitantly hugged her back, his ears now trying to burn themselves off.

"On your Maiden of Light's name and grace, yes."

Rena hugged him tighter, and then let go, a grin now on her muzzle. "Thank the Sovereigns! It's just that, the thought of being away from Tom makes me sad." Rena looked down in embarrassment. "So, thank you."

Ronin sat there, stunned that he had been hugged by another guy's girl. "Um, you're welcome," Ronin said, taking his datapad and tapping commands in. The drone slowly buzzed to life, and began to rise in the air. Looking at the setting sun, Ronin looked towards Darkamon's manor. "Go get Tom, would you? It's time."

Rena stood up and brushed some dirt off her fur and went inside. The mood was dark, as Darkamon, Hakuramon, and Ari looked at Tom glumly. Tom looked up and saw her, and nodded, taking his helmet from the table. Going back outside, the two saw Ronin sitting on the shoulder of the mech he had driven, the drone now high in the air. Seeing Tom, Ronin pointed to his ear. Tom understood the message and put his helmet on.

"Tom, the best I can do with this is monitor troop movements and make a map, so don't expect fire support," Ronin said.

Tom shrugged, the skeletal jawbone painted on his helmet revealing his call sign. "Don't plan on firing shots today fox."

Ronin nodded. "Stay frosty then soldier," he ordered. Looking at Rena, he added, "Stay alive for another day with her."

Tom grinned under his visor. "I will." Moving out, Tom softly said through his radio, "Aim with a hand, shoot with the mind, kill with a heart like arctic ice."

Tom was surprised to hear Ronin continue that part of the song. "I am a Soldier and I'm marching on, I am a Soldier and this is my song." Tom looked up and saw the drone fly about and head of to the south.

:_/:

After an hour of walking and scouting, Tom and Ronin found Zack's base. Looking through his scope, Tom swore. "Shit. We've got Lupine Spec Ops assassins and Berserker units, a lot of shadow freaks, your Toshigan friends, and a few Mgalekgolo for support. Vehicles I can see are just Ghosts, a few Wraiths, and I don't see Zack anywhere. Thank God we didn't bring the mechs, we'd have been slaughtered before we got close." Tom paused. "Foxtrot Actual, I think we have an invasion in the works."