"I never knew I would be assigned to this back-end world," Derek said.

"Yeah, but we got the Chaplain here with us. As long as he's here, he'll ensure order along with friendship." Riley said.

"You two, put a lid on it," Faux, the squad's AI barked like a drill sergeant.

"Zeus, what do you think of this mission?" Derek asked.

"I think... I think that we should do our best to protect the people of this world. The UNSC's reach is especially spread thin with the Master Chief out trying to save the universe and Cortana out wreaking havoc at the same time. The innocent must not die any longer." Zeus said.

"Exodus Team, this is the Fire Of Dusk. We are airdropping your armor and a pair of translators. You need to protect them at all cost."

"Who decided that they join the party?" Derek asked, arrogantly. "Having to babysit a colony is enough, but add on whoever these guys are, I might just go AWOL."

"Before you shoot your mouth off again, Spartan, ONI brass decided to send these two down. They're both Spartan IIIs."

"I thought that most of the Spartan III's all died on Onyx." Zeus said. It was no secret that Zeus and his squad were former Spartan-III's, which earned them more respect among the Spartan-IV's.

"Spartan Zeus, ONI sometimes keeps secrets even from themselves. The Spartan III's will be joining you shortly. Fire Of Dusk out."

The team made their way to the assigned drop point. A Pelican dropship dropped three pods and then touched down a couple feet from the squad.

"Whoa, Zeus, when did you make modifications to your armor?" Derek asked as the squad readied up.

Zeus' armor was an ODST set with a cross painted on the upper right breastplate with claw marks going down the center, colliding with the Cross.

"I made it after the battle of Ortara." Zeus said, recalling all of the battles he had fought from Requiem to Earth.

"Well, I like it. The White Cross and Red claw marks really coincide with your navy blue paint job." Derek said.

The back end of the Pelican opened up and two Spartans stepped out.

"Hello, boys and girls." A feminine Austrailian voice spoke from behind a helmet.

"I'm Spartan Erica Valus and this is Spartan Reeva McIntyre."

The two Spartans made their way toward Exodus Team.

"Which one of you is the leader?" Erica asked, and both Riley and Derek pointed at Zeus."

"Welcome to Exodus Team," Zeus said, and extended a hand. Erica took it.

"Nice to meet you, Spartan Zeus. We read your file. You come from Earth, have a Christian background, earning the nickname Chaplain when entering the UNSC Spartan IV program. Funny, I can't picture a Chaplain killing someone."

Zeus read that as an obvious blow to his background, but chose to ignore it.
"I'm called the Chaplain because I approach things peacefully. I've seen the worst of the worst, and my faith in God is what actually is holding me together."

Erica laughed in his face. "Well, Chappy, you have my respect."

Riley stepped in. "Zeus is the way he is and you need to respect him. I never understood you ONI types. You pick and pick and betray your own kind for the greater good without really knowing what it is."

"Oh yeah? At least I'm not a slut in armor-"

"Riley, Reeva, lock it down! We only have each other and I can't handle you all turning on each other." Zeus said. "You guys are probably tired and hungry, so before anything happens, I'm taking the lot of you to go get some grub and some sleep."

Erica even shut up and smiled. The Chaplain understood his team.

"Fire Of Dusk, do you read? This is Exodus One, where do we go from the drop point?" Zeus asked.

"Exodus One, your assignment is to head into the town of Rolando and get information on what's going on around this part of the world."

"Roger, Exodus One out."

Zeus and his team moved the five miles south to Rolando, a bustling mining community that reminded him of his home.

Riley noticed a change in Zeus' demeanor. She swapped her comms to a private channel between her and him.

"You okay, Cap?" she asked him.

"Yeah, this place just reminds me of home, Riles." he sighed.

The people around were staring at the Spartans like they were monsters. Zeus took his helmet off, revealing his blue eyes and spiky brown hair.

"Do any of you know where we could get some grub?" He asked the townspeople.

"Yeah, the tavern by the fountain," one shouted and pointed to a three story building. "There's beds and entertainment if you want it."

"Thanks for the hospitality." Zeus said, and with that, the team walked into the tavern.