Chapter 248 — Decision
The conference room remained quiet after Marcus finished explaining the Spartans.
The holographic star map still floated above the table, glowing softly in blue and red light. Burning colonies. Shrinking human territory. Covenant fleets pushing deeper into human space.
Nobody spoke immediately.
Naruto stared at the map silently.
Mindy looked disturbed.
Saeko remained calm on the surface, but her arms stayed folded tightly.
The atmosphere had changed completely compared to when they first arrived inside the station.
Marcus stood near the holographic controls, waiting quietly. He had already explained far more than normal protocol allowed, but Admiral Parangosky herself had ordered him to introduce humanity's situation to them.
So he did.
The room stayed silent for several more seconds.
Then Tony suddenly glanced toward the others.
The movement itself looked normal.
But the group immediately understood.
A moment later, the Multiversal Chat Group opened silently before their eyes.
Invisible to Marcus.
Invisible to the station.
Invisible to ONI.
Tony Stark: first off, we have arrived in a world of humans with very advanced technology. they reached interstellar travel and colonized planets outside their solar system.
Saeko's eyes remained on the holographic map while she answered through the chat.
Saeko Busujima: second, they have an enemy called the covenant that seems determined to wipe humanity out completely.
Tanya narrowed her eyes slightly while studying the military routes across the projection.
Tanya von Degurechaff: and third, even though the covenant has overwhelming superiority in space, they still choose to fight ground battles on some planets. strategically, that is strange.
Diana quietly observed the hologram of the Spartan again before speaking inside the chat.
Diana: and fourth, they seem to have soldiers somewhat similar to the space marines from gaius' world.
Naruto read the messages quietly.
Mindy did too.
Neither of them added much.
Naruto was still processing the scale of everything they had learned.
Entire planets destroyed.
Billions dead.
A war across space itself.
Even for him, it was difficult to fully imagine.
Gaius remained silent the longest.
His massive armored form stood motionless beside the table while red holographic light reflected across the gold of his armor.
Then his message finally appeared.
Gaius: no matter. they are humans. and humans standing on the edge of extinction. i will help them.
The answer appeared without hesitation.
Without uncertainty.
Simple.
Direct.
Tony looked at the message for a second before replying.
Tony Stark: agreed.
Saeko Busujima: agreed.
Diana: agreed.
Tanya von Degurechaff: agreed.
Naruto grinned slightly before answering too.
Naruto Uzumaki: yeah.
Mindy quickly followed after him.
Mindy McCready: same here.
The decision settled naturally between them.
No arguments.
No debate.
Humanity in this universe was suffering.
That alone was enough.
The chat slowly closed.
Their attention returned fully to the real world again.
And all at once, the group looked toward Marcus.
Marcus stiffened slightly without meaning to.
The sudden attention from the entire group made the room feel tense again for a moment.
He already believed they were from another universe now.
The proof had been too overwhelming.
But even so, they were still strangers.
Powerful strangers.
And Marcus still did not fully know what kind of people they truly were.
If they really came from different universes…
Then what did they think about the humans of this world?
Would they ignore them?
Exploit them?
Leave them behind?
Or something worse?
Marcus kept his posture steady despite those thoughts.
Then Tony finally spoke.
"Then Marcus, was it?"
Marcus straightened immediately.
"Yes. Lieutenant Marcus Hale."
Tony nodded once.
"Then, Lieutenant Marcus," he said calmly, "I want you to contact your superiors. Or whoever represents your government."
Marcus listened carefully now.
Tony continued.
"We'll help humanity."
The room seemed to pause.
Even Marcus froze slightly at the words.
Then Tony added calmly,
"In exchange."
Marcus narrowed his eyes slightly.
Not suspicious.
Just cautious.
"What kind of exchange?"
Tony shrugged lightly.
"Technology. Information. Resources. Maybe cooperation later. We'll discuss that part with your higher-ups."
Marcus stayed quiet for a moment.
That answer honestly made sense.
Nothing about this situation was normal anymore.
Another universe.
Advanced technology.
Of course negotiations would happen eventually.
Still, Marcus understood immediately that this decision had already gone beyond him.
Far beyond him.
"This is above my authority," Marcus admitted honestly. "Please wait here while I contact ONI."
He did not mention UNSC command.
Only ONI.
Because at this point, there was no question anymore.
Alternate universes.
Unknown military powers.
Technology beyond current human capability.
Everything about this situation belonged directly under ONI jurisdiction now.
Tony nodded casually.
"Fair enough."
Marcus turned toward the exit.
Then paused slightly before reaching the door.
"There's one problem."
Tony raised an eyebrow.
Marcus looked faintly embarrassed now.
"The station is overcrowded at the moment. Refugees. Evacuation personnel. Soldiers. Most available rooms are already full."
The earlier images of refugees flashed briefly through Naruto's mind again.
Marcus continued,
"So… you may need to stay here while ONI responds."
Tony waved one hand dismissively.
"That's fine."
Marcus looked relieved.
Then he asked carefully,
"Do you need anything?"
Tony almost laughed at the question.
Food?
Supplies?
Equipment?
The parcel storage system inside the Multiversal Chat Group probably carried enough supplies to survive for years.
"We're good," Tony answered.
Marcus nodded once.
"Understood."
Then he left the conference room.
The heavy door closed behind him with a metallic sound.
The marines outside remained standing guard.
Silence returned briefly after Marcus left.
Then Tony suddenly stretched slightly.
"Well," he said casually, "might as well relax while humanity decides what to do with us."
Naruto immediately brightened.
"Food?"
Tony smirked.
"Food."
That was all Naruto needed to hear.
Tony opened the parcel storage system first.
A moment later, containers, bags, and boxes started appearing one after another on top of the large metal table.
Different foods from different worlds.
Packaged snacks.
Drinks.
Prepared meals.
Even fruits.
Naruto's eyes widened immediately.
"Whoa."
Mindy leaned forward slightly.
"Okay, now this looks better."
Saeko shook her head faintly while watching them.
Tanya quietly took a seat first.
Meanwhile Gaius looked toward the normal conference room chairs for a second.
None of them were even remotely large enough.
Without saying anything, he opened the parcel system himself.
A massive metal chair appeared beside him with a heavy metallic thud that echoed across the room.
The floor vibrated slightly from the weight.
Naruto blinked.
"...You seriously brought your own chair?"
Gaius calmly grabbed the giant metal seat using one hand.
Effortlessly.
Then carried it toward the table and placed it down before sitting.
The chair creaked heavily beneath his weight but held.
Mindy stared.
"I keep forgetting how ridiculously strong you are."
Gaius ignored the comment completely.
Tony laughed quietly while continuing to place food across the table.
"Well, at least we won't starve waiting for ONI."
Naruto had already grabbed food before Tony even finished speaking.
"Finally," Naruto muttered happily.
Saeko sat down nearby more calmly.
Diana followed after her.
Tanya remained observant even while relaxing slightly.
Only then did Gaius finally reach up toward his helmet.
With a soft mechanical sound, the golden helm released.
He removed it slowly and placed it beside him on the table.
His face appeared beneath the armor at last.
Calm.
Sharp-featured.
Stern, but not cold.
The group showed almost no reaction.
They already knew what Gaius looked like.
Naruto kept eating.
Mindy grabbed a drink.
Tony leaned back slightly.
Outside the room, however, the marines standing guard nearly froze.
Even through the small observation panel near the door, they caught sight of Gaius removing the helmet.
One marine blinked slowly.
"That's… a human?"
The other marine stared silently.
Because despite the impossible size and overwhelming presence, Gaius truly looked human beneath the armor.
Just far beyond normal.
Inside the room, the atmosphere slowly relaxed for the first time since arriving in this universe.
Naruto leaned back slightly in his chair while eating.
"You know," he said between bites, "I really forget sometimes that we're actually pretty special. Not everyone can just travel to other worlds."
Tony let out a quiet snort.
"Honestly, that says more about the kind of lives we've been living."
Mindy looked toward the holographic map still floating faintly above the table.
The red systems remained there.
Burning worlds.
Destroyed colonies.
Her expression became quieter again.
"So… billions really died?"
Tony followed her gaze.
"Looks like it."
The room grew calmer again after that.
Even the food and casual conversation could not completely erase what they had learned.
~~~
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