an ODST among Heroes.

S3-9

The first few installations were almost too easy. ONI, in its ever-curious and often reckless ambition, had initially ordered Izuku and his team to collect Flood samples for research. However, the team—armed with firsthand knowledge of the horrors the parasite could unleash—successfully argued against it. The risk of a new outbreak was too great, and even ONI couldn't deny the logic. Instead, Spartans were deployed along with Izuku and his team with orders to exterminate the Flood remnants completely, ensuring the installations were sanitized of the ancient threat.

For a while, the missions felt routine. Armed with Yggdrasil Mark II ADS units, the ODSTs, along with Spartans fielding the new Mk-5 suits carved through the infected with precision, leaving no room for error. One by one, the Forerunner installations were cleansed, their terrifying secrets buried forever. Confidence grew, and even the ever-watchful Izuku began to believe the worst was behind them.

Then they reached Installation 05.

From the moment they stepped onto the ring, it was clear this would be different. The air itself felt wrong, heavy with the oppressive presence of the Flood. Even with the advanced protections of the Yggdrasil suits, the team faced near-disasters. Encounters with Flood combat forms that moved faster and struck harder than anything they'd seen before pushed their equipment—and their nerves—to the limit.

The breaking point came when they encountered the Gravemind.

It was no ordinary Flood construct but a towering, sentient monstrosity that loomed over the team, speaking directly into their minds with a voice that was both seductive and horrifying. It mocked their efforts, promising their doom and the inevitable spread of the parasite. The team's weapons felt insignificant against its overwhelming presence. The Gravemind wasn't just a threat; it was the very embodiment of the Flood's collective intelligence and hunger.

Realizing the battle was unwinnable, Izuku made the call for a tactical retreat. It wasn't long before the UNSC authorized a nuclear strike, unleashing a weapon that reduced the section of the ring to molten slag. The Gravemind, along with the swarming Flood, was obliterated in the blast.

The mission to clear all the Halo installations took the better part of a year. By the end, the Flood remnants were eradicated, and the galaxy had been spared their resurgence—for now. But the scars, both physical and psychological, remained. Izuku and his team had survived, but the memory of Installation 05 and the Gravemind's chilling words would haunt them long after the war was over.

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Izuku and his team returned to Earth, their mission complete, but the homecoming was a complex blend of relief and quiet sorrow. The galaxy had been spared the resurgence of the Flood, but the weight of what they endured wasn't something they could simply leave behind. Few could truly understand the horrors they faced, and among the few who did was Izuku's wife. She stood as his anchor, one of the rare souls who grasped the depth of his sacrifice.

With most major threats to the UNSC's galaxy quelled, Izuku and his team were placed into reserve status, their service honored but no longer required in active combat. For Izuku, the transition was both welcome and strange. Halsey—his codename, now more a memory than a title—decided to take a new path, committing himself fully to the police force, where his skills and experience could still make a difference.

Weeks after settling into their new lives, Izuku received life-changing news: his wife was expecting their first child. The announcement brought a new sense of purpose, a light in his life that felt earned after years of hardship. The idea of fatherhood filled him with a mix of excitement and nervousness, but above all, it gave him hope.

The Yggdrasil Mark II units, which had been their lifeline throughout countless battles, were gifted to the team as a token of gratitude from the United Earth Government. Though decommissioned from active service, the advanced suits stood as symbols of their bravery and the trials they overcame. Izuku couldn't help but look at his unit with a sense of pride, knowing it had carried him through some of the darkest chapters of his life.

Now retired, Izuku embraced his new role. As a husband and soon-to-be father, he found himself stepping into a quieter kind of heroism—one centered on love, family, and the promise of a better future. His days of fighting galactic threats were over, but his legacy endured. He had not only saved countless lives but had also built a life of his own, proving that even in the face of unimaginable darkness, a hero could find peace.

SERIES END. this work is dedicated to all soldiers fighting in the world today. And remember, there's always someone fighting hard for you. remember them, and you'd never be alone.