Made by the now passed-away author, Freedom Guard, Vandread Halo
is Exactly What It Says on the Tin, combining a Harem Genre form a Humongous Mecha series with a First-Person Shooter consistsing of an Alien Invasion and a highly-trained, well-armored, and well-experienced Super-Soldier. While the two shows don't completely interweave, the crossover definitely shows its respectable mixes.
It starts off like the usual, The Hero of Van Dread, Hibiki Tokai sneaks onto a military ship that leaves well before its scheduled launch. As he attempts to steal a marked mecha via bet back on his homeworld, he gets caught and thrown into the brig. In all the while, the Space Pirates prepare their surprise attack against the new fleet.
However, something changes all of this: during their intended course, the Tarak Fleet runs into the badly-damaged Forward Unto Dawn and launch a crew to salvage it. While the pirates attack anyway and steal the Ikazuchi, catapulting themselves halfway across the universe in the process, they run into two unexpected guests they find during the raid: the legendary Spartan Master Chief, and his AI friend Cortana, who has now gained a human form.
With these two new characters in tow, to the surprise by both the man and women, the newly-formed Nirvana crew make their voyage back to gender-split worlds of Tarak and Mejere. However, it is not with some drastic changes; though several important events don't change anything, they way they go goes drastically different from what they previously were.
There is a sequel to the series named Vandread Halo: The Second Stage. However, with the leading author gone, the fate of the series is unknown...
Tropes involved in the fanfic:
- Butt-Monkey: Averted with Bart. Thanks to Cortana, he has more than enough help to smoothly earn his place within the crew.
- This can be said about the other men as well. Justified as the Spartan is one of those men and the women now fear trying to make him this is suicidal.
- Call-Back: The Chief and Cortana give many of these during their adventures.
- Twice, the Chief tells abot his Training from Hell where teams who were last, notably those who didn't make the courses as a team, were not given dinner. He uses the same method when training the women.
- When they come to the colony that worshiped the Harvesters as gods, the Spartan and Cortana show them more than enough how that went for the Covenant.
- Call-Forward: During one talk, Cortana talks to Bart about how being an AI isn't as ideal as it seems, especially due to flaws like "rampancy". In Halo 4, Cortana indeed falls victim to rampancy.
- Death by Adaptation: Rabat, as his constant interference made him a threat to the crew.
- Death Glare: Cortana gives this to Hibiki when antagonizes her as a man-eating monster.
- The Dreaded: The Chief, granted by training, power and experience. There's a reason why the women don't even dare to try anything on him. Not even Barnette.
- For Want Of A Nail: Double Subverted. The Tarak fleet diverts well off course from their intended path when they encounter the Forward Unto Dawn wreckage. But the pirates attack anyway resulting in the series like in canon. But with John and Cortana aboard, the series goes through a significant Genre Shift and Character Development alters or comes early on.
- Genre Shift: While hints of the Harem Genre are still out there for importance, there's a serious shift in terms of comedic and serious fashions. Justified in how the new characters who come up really change the mood.
- Gentle Giant: While the pirates are reasonably very wary of the Spartan, he assures them that he's not there to fight. Heck, he gives them and the men advice to help change their attitudes.
- Mugging the Monster / Bullying a Dragon: The main reason why the Space Pirates, unlike the other men they have, don't even try to mess with John or his AI companion. Considering they learn and watch his records, they know those who don't get the point across are insane.
- Meia and Jura both got very close playing this trope straight, both fearing they angered him when they call him a freak. Meia even almost experiences a Freak Out when she notices how close she got to this thanks to her pride. Fortunately, John shows how much of a Gentle Giant he is and subverts all of this.
- Rabat on the other hand, fails to learn this trope and ends up playing this straight. First encounter, his pointless No-Holds-Barred Beatdown on Hibiki goes rough thanks to the latter's new training and concludes with him being Punched Across the Room by the Spartan and the following Humiliation Conga. Second time, he gets killed.
- Not So Stoic: While Duero analyzes the Spartan, there are traces where he's more than impressed behind his emotionless mask.
- Outside-Context Problem: Master Chief and Cortana, given the power and training they have compared to...well, the rest of the crew.
- Lampshaded (in context of the Outside-Context Problem) so many times by the crew and other characters upon meeting the Spartan.
- Ship Tease:
- John, the best ground soldier, and Meia, the pirates' best fighter pilot and commander.
- Cortana and Bart, both being Spaceship humans that control ships.
