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Spartan II Program
Posted By: alimination602<alimination602@gmail.com>
Date: 12 December 2007, 6:02 pm


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Chapter 1: Spartan II Program

The war has been declared over. Truth has been slain, the ark is in ruins and the Covenant and Humans are at peace. Though not all is well, aside from the scars of battle the UNSC has another problem. The Spartans. With the war behind them the UNSC has no use for the super soldiers. With political pressure from the leaders of the UNSC and even greater pressure from Admiral Ackerson. Dr Catherine Hasley is unable to protect her beloved Spartan 'children'.

The elderly members of the UNSC war council sat at the desk before the military court. Each council member wore their military dress and their chests over flowed with medals of Honor, bravery and courage. They glared down at the two humans before them. On the right was Dr. Catherine Hasley, the scientist behind the Spartan II project. She had no official rank and was dubbed a civilian. Regardless of this she had become one of the UNSC's most treasured personal. On the left stood Admiral Ackerson, former Commander of Castle base before Reach's destruction and designer of project 'S-III'. "The Spartan project is immoral, unlawful and currently unnecessary" Ackerson berated the council with facts about the project. "Without the Spartans we would have been massacred during the war. We owe them our lives" Dr. Hasley pleaded to the council. The council stared down taking in every fact in the case before them. "Surely the council cannot approve of the abduction and genetic modification of young children" Ackerson drew a mortal blow to Hasleys case. "Council members, please..." She was quickly cut off as the lead member of the council raised his fragile hand. "Your protest was overruled doctor. In light of the evidence before us, our decision is unanimous. As of this moment 9:34pm July 15th 2563 the Spartan II program is officially, terminated". With that final word a stab of pain and shock ran through Hasleys spine. "All research and notes concerning the project will be confiscated and all equipment impounded". Hasley fell back into her seat. All the research, all the work, and all the lives she had to damage to complete the project and save humanity. It was all in vain. "And sir, what of the Spartans themselves?" Ackerson broke the silence. The lead councilor looked down at the admiral. "Evolution has its dead ends. All Spartan specimens must be forgotten, permanently" With that Hasley knew, john was in danger. She couldn't let her 'child' die. John was lucky, but even his luck may not save him now. She rose from her seat and ran for the door, she had to warn john. As the door was within her grasp two ODST stood in her way, battle rifles raised. She ground to a halt; she was unarmed and knew little about hand to hand combat. "The Spartans must not be informed of this doctor, you shall remain here". As the councilors and Ackerson left the room Hasley knew the only thing that could save john, was luck. Ackerson trotted towards the head councilor. "Um sir, what is the actual plan for killing the Spartans?" The councilor turned to the admiral. "The Spartans can hear and see things you and I can't, a direct attack would be slaughtered. We'll have to resort to. Other means"

"Cortana location" the chief screamed into his helmet. "Three LAGG turrets are positioned 12 meters north of your position" Cortana replied. "Child's play" The chief took hold of his assault rifle and stormed from behind cover. He strafed from side to side in an attempt to dodge the bullets. He fired his weapon towards the gunner of the first turret some bullets bouncing harmlessly off of the weapons guard. Though some flew through the cracks and hit the gunner in the helmet. The first gunner recoiled back from the fire as he fell from his perch, deactivating the gun. The final two gunners toke advantage of the chiefs momentary lapse in concentration to bring their fire into the center of the chiefs torso. His shield bar flared as it barely repelled the bullets. He ducked behind a crate as he removed a grenade from his belt, armed it and threw it over his head. Three seconds later came a satisfying bang and the sound of creaking metal. He rose from his position as he leapt over the destroyed machine guns and ran towards his objective, the bell. As he approached the stone steps that lead to the bell he noticed the scars and areas of rust that clung to its ancient frame. Three feet. He stretched his hang out, clasped hold of the rope and gave it a mighty pull. The bell clanged throughout the area as the chief felt pride run through him. "So how'd I do?" "2.03 minutes, a new record chief" Cortana exclaimed in a peppy and enthusiastic voice. The chief holstered his weapon as he walked back down the steps. When suddenly out of nowhere a small chunk of the steps broke away. "Crap, that was a sniper bulle..." his words were silenced as he fell backwards off the steps, plummeting towards the ground.

Chapter 2: Fight For Survival

Darkness. Darkness shrouded the Master Chiefs vision as he lay on the ground before the steps to the temple. Alarms screamed in his head as the system fought to keep his shields online. He rose to his feet as he placed his right hand to the side of his helmet. "Cortana what the hell just happened, I didn't request a sniper". "Analyzing" The chief felt the same absence he always felt as Cortana began to search the database for an answer. "Ur chief. I found something" Suddenly a report began to rise across the chiefs H.U.D. He read through the report as he gasped in shock. "Cortana please tell me this is the tech guys playing a joke" Cortana lowered her head. "I'm afraid it authentic, it bears the seal of the UNSC War council a signature not easily forged" The file was the termination order of the Spartan program and all its sub-routines. She closed the file as the chief stood silent, dumb-struck. "So. What now Cortana?". "I would say our best bet to find our way out of here, and I'm coming with you. I've searched the UNSC records and the frigate Dark Wolves is currently docked at this facility in dock 24 while it's being repaired".

"Very Well" The chief locked his MA5B onto his back as she removed his pistol from his leg holster. He dropped the clip as he slapped in a fresh magazine into the chamber and holstered the weapon. He stared towards the reinforced doors that secured the only exit from the training facility as he made his way clear of the site of the UNSC's betrayal.

John scanned past the armory building as he threw himself against the wall, a scorpion tank rolled past, oblivious of his presence. "Wait stop!" Cortana screeched in his head. "The ship isn't goanna wait…" "It's about Dr. Hasley; she's being detained at the war council's main chambers. It's the large building in the centre of the compound". The chief stared at the structure that was to be his target, contemplating his plan of attack. "This isn't goanna be easy" said Cortana. "What do you mean? This will be a walk in the park getting in; the problem would be keeping Halsey safe on the way out. "1. 2. 3…" John counted in his head. Once he hit four he launched from his position across the road and slammed against the wall of the adjacent building within a blink of an eye. He stared at the solid steel doors that lead into the building. On either side of the door stood a UNSC marine, each armed with a standard MA5B assault rifle, on their own no threat at all -but they only need a second to scream for help. A front assault on the main door would be suicide, even for a Spartan. "Cortana I need a secondary entrance into the main building". Cortana appeared before his visor, her slender fingers against her forehead. Eyes closed. "There's a small air duct along the west side of the building, I'll mark it with a nav point" As Cortana disappeared from his view she was replaced by a pulsing orange arrow that indicated the target. The chief sprinted towards the building; he slammed himself against the wall. He tapped the side of his helmet as his exterior listening device activated; greatly enhancing the range he could hear. "So I hear they've can…. Spartan….gram" He ease dropped on the conversation between the guards. He looked up to see one of them hold his hand up to his helmet- a communicator- he was most likely receiving orders. "Cortana, I need to hear what their saying can you scan all UNSC frequencies for their transmission" "Searching….. Unknown. They're on a secure wavelength, I can't access it remotely, but I have an idea." The radio in the chief's helmet hummed to life as static rolled into his head. The static fizzled as Cortana searched for the frequency. "New... ourders from commend" The static slowly started to clear. "Dr. Hasley is to be terminated immediately, in the military courtroom. Command out" The marine turned to his partner. "Command has ordered her dead, guess we got to go kill her" "Better than standing around on sentry duty all day I guess" They left their positions as they entered the building. "We have to hurry" The chiefs voice suddenly changed from exhausted from fatigue, to burning flame of hate. Cortana had heard this tone before, he only sounded like this when one of his comrades was in danger. He turned from john the chief to the ultimate killing machine that would slaughter all who opposed him, even his comrades. The chief stood before the flimsy grating that lead into the vent. He gripped the bars as they were crushed in his gauntleted hands. He threw the broken metal into the nearby dirt as he crawled into the tight confines of the vent. As he tried to pass his shoulders through the opening his shield fizzled and sparked against the wall of the vent. "I have to lower your shield to get you to squeeze through the vent" The chief felt a sudden weight lifted off his body as the shield system weakened, if he should encounter combat he would be in trouble. He lowered to his hands and knees as he pushed his way through the air duct.

20 minutes past before he found an opening. He punched the grating as he opened up into a well lavished reception area. He crouched behind the couch before him as he attempted to come up with a plan. Before he could come up with anything the main doors opened and the two guards from the front entrance entered and approached the reception desk. "We're here to deal with the traitor" The chief snuck the fiber optic probe over the top of the couch as he watched the three people. The man behind the reception desk held down a large green button as the door to the right of the desk opened. The marines left the room through the door as it shut behind them. The receptionist returned to his work, typing out reports on the computer. A rattle behind him roused him into turning, only to see the glowing lime green of the master chief's armor. The chief slammed his fist into the mans nose, the sound of cracking bones ringing throughout the room. The mans limp corpse collapsed to the ground, blood spilling from his wound. The chief pulled his freezing corpse behind the desk as he pressed the same green button he had seen the receptionist use, sure enough the doors parted. Past the doors lay the UNSC military courtroom, and Dr. Halsey. The chief crouched behind one of the seats at the back of the courthouse, watching, and waiting. Before him stood a squad of ODST's and the two marines from the door. One stood by the side door leaning against the wall; while the others watched the two marines enter, ready to serve the UNSC by removing a traitor. The doctor stood there in defiance, unmoved by the presence of a loaded gun aimed at her head. The marine jammed the barrel into Dr. Hasley's forehead, causing a ring of white around the barrel. The chief rose from his hiding place, firing two bursts from his assault rifle. The two marines dropped to the ground, blood spilling from the men's bullet wounds. "DROP!!!" The chief screamed. Halsey dropped to her knees, covering her head with her hands. The ODST's were slow to mobilize, surprised by the sudden sound and frantically attempting to find the lone gunner. The chief bolted from his position firing over the line of seats in front of him. He dropped behind the final column of seats, listening to the gunfire as it zoomed over his head ripping pieces of brick off the wall behind him. He dropped the clip, empty. He dropped the assault rifle to the ground and withdrew his combat knifes from his belt. He rose from his cover running down the isle between the seats; he threw his combat knife at the remaining ODST next to the far wall as he lunged towards the final soldier, jamming the knife in his other hand into the mans throat before he could fire. The soldier's corpse collapsed to the floor, dragging john down with it. John felt the same satisfaction at this mans death as he had done when he had fought the covenant just a few months ago, even though he was also a soldier of the UNSC, he was at that moment the enemy. Behind him he heard the unmistakable click of a hand gun. He stared into the dead ODST's visor and saw the face of a third soldier looming over him, a pistol aimed at his exposed back. The chief froze; any movement and the soldier would fire. He had to rely on his augmented reflexes, he swung his fist around smashing into the mans visor cracking the reflective metal into a thousand tiny pieces. The broken helmet fell to the ground along with the rest of the soldier slamming into the stone floor with a loud bang.

The chief rose to his feet to find that he was holding his breath, the adrenaline of battle keeping him from noticing it. He let out a long hard breath, lowering down to help Dr. Hasley to her feet. That had been an amateur mistake; if he had missed one he could have missed others. Dr Hasley brushed the creases out of her skirt and pushed her glasses further up the bridge of her nose, as if nothing had happened. "Nice to see you again John, it's been a while" "So it has ma'am" Nobody but Dr Hasley ever called him by his birth name anymore, since no one else knew it. "I assume you have devised a plan for our escape?" "Yes I have ma'am, there's a frigate at dock 24, and I plan to use it to ride out of UNSC controlled space. "Very well Spartan" The chief handed her his side arm. "I assume you know how to use this" Catherine simply smiled back at him as she accepted the weapon.

Colonel Ackerson walked along the line of elite ODST's before him. He stared at the screen on the wall before him, the TV showed the chief and Hasley in a fire fight with a squad of marines. He watched in anger as the marines slowly fell in battle, blood spilling from their fresh wounds. The Spartan turned to the camera and fired. The screen buzzed with static, the camera destroyed. He stopped in the centre of the formation. "I'm sure all of you know why you're here" They all stood frozen, as if they were statues. "The Spartan project has been canceled, and the war council has decreed that all notes on the project be confiscated and all subjects terminated. Spartan- 117 is the last of his kind, he has previously survived a squad of ODST's, LOTUS antitank mines and a direct hit from a ShortSword Shiva Missile. Not even the entire covenant armada could defeat him. So now we turn to you" He raised his arms in dramatic pause. "You are the most elite soldiers the UNSC has, all of you have single handily taken on entire Covenant armies and emerged victorious. This is your next task, to eliminate the last of an endangered species. Remember your pledge to the UNSC and serve your planet, serve your government. Serve your race" He snapped a salute, and as one they returned it. Ackerson lowered his hand. "Dismissed" The ODST's filed out in formation, their task clear. Eliminate Dr. Halsey and the Spartan before they leave Reach.

The large double doors creaked apart as the chief strode into hanger 24 with Dr. Halsey closely in tow. He searched the hanger for potential threats, only seeing the occasional unarmed technician. In the centre of the hanger stood………….. Nothing. The hanger was empty. "Cortana, our ride seems to have disappeared." "That's impossible, unless" Her voice faded in his mind before returning again. "I've found it, it's a phantom file. It's the same trick I used against Ackerson when he tried to have you killed. He made a fake file and inserted it among the other traffic to lead us into a tra….." Her voice was quickly cut off by a loud screech. "On the catwalks!" Screamed Dr. Halsey, pointing to the maintenance walkways. Atop the walkways stood a group of Special Forces soldiers, ODST's. A group of them scaled down from the walkway using rappelling lines. As they descended they began to fire assault rifles, raining bullets on the chief's position. The chief hunkered down behind a stack of weapons crates, the occasional bullet pinging off his shield. Hasley cowered behind the crates next to him, not ready to risk losing her head. "Cortana, it's getting a little hot down here. I need another way off the planet" His mind was silent; he still felt the same warmth that Cortana's presence gave him, but not her reassuring voice. "I have an idea, there's a pelican dropship docked in the next hanger, it won't do anything to get you out f the system, but it's the only way off the planet" John sighed inside his helmet, at least it was better than nothing. "Doctor, move out we need to get to the hanger" "Excuse me Spartan, but don't I out rank you?" "No ma'am. Since the project was canceled your now demoted to a civilian again, so I assume command" "Very well Spartan, what are your orders?" A taint of sarcasm in her voice. "I'm going to lay down a suppressing fire and you run to the door" She gave him a nod of agreement. "1...2…3…GO!" He screamed. The chief rose from cover, firing his assault rifle up at the ODST's on the catwalk. The soldiers on the rappelling lines hit the ground as they scrambled for what meager cover they could find. He alternated between firing at the units on the ground and those on the catwalk. Before the Doctor could reach halfway to the door she collapsed to the ground, blood spilling from a recent gun shot wound. A soldier on the catwalk smirked; smoke pluming from the barrel of his gun. The chief was dumb struck. His blood boiled as he fired into the cable holding the catwalk to the roof. The cable snapped as the sheet of metal fell to the hanger floor, the soldiers falling soon after. He rose from his cover storming towards the wounded soldiers. Even wounded and shocked they continued to fire. Bullets ricocheted off his armor as he continued to advance, unhindered by the never ending stream of fire. As the chief reached his target he slammed the butt of his rifle in the helmet of the first soldier. The second succumbed to the power of the chief's gauntleted fist. The final soldier -the one that had shot johns supposed 'mother'- was lifted from the ground by his neck. The chief stared into his silver screened visor. The chief slammed the shoulder down into the hanger floor, listening to the sound as the mans neck split. He finally breathed the sweet scent of victory as he ran to Dr. Hasley's side. He clutched her, applying pressure. He saw the red stain of her blood on her shoulder blade, spilling her fiery red blood. He reached into his belt and removed his med kit. He removed the biofoam as he sealed up the wound and wrapped it in bandages, it helped to stop the bleeding but she would still require medical attention. "Can you walk?" She gave him a weak smile as she rose on her shaky feet. She got to her feet before crashing back down into the chiefs arms. She had already lost too much blood, she would have to be carried the rest of the way. He cradled her in his metallic arms, hefting her as if she weighed nothing. He turned and ran towards the door; he had to get off Reach. It wasn't just his life now; it was also about saving his 'mother'.

John finally parted the steel double doors into the hanger, and sure enough there sat a pelican dropship, fresh off the repair line. The hanger was devoid of any life save john and Dr. Hasley. John ran up the cargo ramp of the transport into the cockpit, laying Catherine down in the co-pilots seat. He lay down in the pilot's seat, starting the engine ready for take-off. The engines roared to life with a deafening cry. He pulled back on the throttle as the ship rose off of the deck. He brought the ship around as it shot out into the open sky, rising into the dark void of space. The dark sky was filled by random specks in the distance that each quickly grew to be a UNSC space craft, bearing on an intercept. The small toys in the distance quickly became a deadly craft as he watched them charge their weapons, ready to fire. A dropship stood no chance against an armada of ships; maybe this was the end of the Spartan project. And of him. Suddenly a group of white dots appeared on the horizon, the white dots soon grew into the bulbous heads of a whale like craft. Covenant Cruisers. As the covenant ships moved closer towards him the main view screen began to crackle with static. The static cleared and the broken face of the Arbiter came clear into view. "Noble warrior of the human race. We have received word of your fate….. and we wish to help you" John snapped up in surprise. "You opened my eyes and saved me and my brothers from eternal damnation. Among my race it is customary to assist those who aided us when we were in peril. Come to my flagship, The Flames of Light, we will ensure your safety"

"I have a wounded friend here" "We can heal your comrade when you come aboard" John lowered his head, although the elites had helped to save the humans during the war, he just couldn't shake the memories of when they were the ones on the receiving end of his assault rifle, but now was not the time to pass judgment. "Very well" John tapped the controls, steering the dropship towards the main covenant ship.

Admiral Stanforth stood at the bridge of the Leviathan, the flagship of the new UNSC fleet. The navigation officer turned in his chair to face the admiral. "Sir, the renegade dropship is bound for the covenant command vessel. They appear to be boarding, sir" Stanforth lowered his head into his palms; if he fired at the dropship he could hit the covenant and start a whole new war. But if the chief had gone rouge and he started slaughtering the covenant soldiers the new alliance would be severely tarnished. He placed his hand on his data computer opening fleet wide COM channel "Alert all ships, this is Admiral Stanforth. Hold fire. I repeat, all ships Hold Fire; we cannot risk damaging the covenant ships. All craft hold their positions" He closed the channel "Let's see what the Spartan has planned" Stanforth didn't want to have to do this; he saw what happened at Cote Azur. How the Spartans had single handily halted the covenant ground assault. But the war council had decreed it; if he backed down they would simply find someone else who was willing to take the shot.

The chief stepped down the pelican's ramp onto the slippery purple surface of the covenant hanger. The arbiter stood before him, still clad in the armor of the prophet's had entrusted to him- albeit repaired and upgraded, even though he had officially been appointed Grand Prophet of the entire Covenant. "Welcome Spartan, I only wish we would meet again under better circumstances" The chief simply stared at him behind his visor; someone could have cut the tenseness between them with a plasma sword. "My comrade is in the cockpit, she's hurt" The arbiter raised his hand as two elites ran into the pelican, they returned soon after carrying Dr. Halsey between them. "Come, I'll show you to the bridge" The chief had taken the final step. He was as much a traitor to the UNSC as Colonel Wallace, the rebel leader he had captured on his first mission. Now he had no home, no flag. No Hope.


Chapter 3: Human Betrayal

The chief followed the arbiter silently through the bowls of the alien craft. The chief felt uncomfortable in these alien environments, every time a covenant patrol passed him it took all his strength not to remove his assault rifle and start shooting. Even though the arbiter had ensure that all his men had been informed of their alliance the chief still kept his sidearm in hand. They finally emerged on the bridge; a bright purple light bathed the chief's armor as he stepped through the bulkhead doors. The arbiter stepped ahead of him as he took his position in the centre of the raised platform. "Navigation, get me fleet wide". The grunt at the nav console tapped the controls. "Fleet wide online, sir" The arbiter spoke into the screen, his booming voice ringing though the bridge. "Attention all ships, engage slipspace drives and make best speed to High Charity" Another voice crackled over the COM link. "Arbiter, this is Ship Master Kirov of the cruiser Fallen Heresy. The human fleet is approaching our formation, what are your orders?" "Have they charged their weapons?" "No arbiter, but they are approaching us at great speed, I suggest we make ready to engage them" The arbiter looked to the deck. "Weapons. Charge up all aft plasma turrets and make ready to fire our plasma torpedo's on my command" "Navigation, send out a burst transmission to all sh-". "They won't attack" The chief cut in, standing next to the arbiter, watching the tactical map. "They know that they cannot risk another war" He turned to the arbiter. "They won't fire" The arbiter turned back to the tactical map, do he dare trust the human and call off his fleet. "Disengage. I repeat all ships transfer all power to your slipspace drives and make best speed back to base. I repeat all ships disengage from battle and make haste for high charity". The chief watched as hundreds of white dots appeared on the screen enveloping the covenant fleet in a wash of burning white light, finally disappearing from existence. The same white light enveloped the cameras view on the brow of the ship, until. Nothing.

"Admiral, the covenant fleet is entering slipspace, they're retreating" Retreating, Stanforth pondered the word. During the war the covenant never retreated from battle, they always remained to the last warrior standing. "What should we do sir?" The bridge officer's turned to the admiral for reassurance. He tapped the COM switch. "All ships disengage pursuit, I repeat fall back to Reach" Stanforth watched through the main view screen as the fleet's engines dimmed and died as they came to a stop, floating in the abyss of space. The Spartan would have to be let go for now until the war council was consulted on their next course of action.

The chief strode through the purple corridors of the alien vessel, finally emerging in the Medical Bay. The walls were coated in alien computers and machinery, each monitoring the different vitals of each of the ships inhabitants. The chief strode past the dozens of med beds that were scattered evenly along the walls. He stopped at the one inhabited bed at the far end of the med bay. He stood over the bloodied figure of his supposed mother, Dr. Catherine Halsey. Her eyelids parted as she stared up into the golden visor of her Spartan 'children'. Most would run in fear at the sight of an armored creature looming over them when they reawake from surgery, but to Dr. Halsey it was the most reassuring sight she could have ever hoped to see. "Hello john" John. That name was his only tie to his previous life. Dr. Halsey was the only remaining person who addressed him by that name. "Hello ma'am. The covenant fleet has entered slipspace and is heading for high charity" "Humph, High Charity. The center of the covenant religious war machine, well that should be an interesting experience for both of us" The chief stared past her, lost in thought. "Ma'am, I've been wondering ever since we left reach. How did Ackerson win that case? I mean you won us the war. Without you all of us would be dead" Hasley stared down at her wound. "All right, it's time to tell you the truth" She reached into her lab coat and removed a datapad, holding out to the chief. He took the pad, inserting it into his helmet. A report scrolled across his visor, depicting a list of chemicals and their affects on the human body. "That is the file Ackerson gave to the war council. It's the report deja deleted after your mission where we augmented you into the super soldier you are now. It describes all the chemicals we administered to you, their affects and problems that may arise during the process" "Wait?" Cortana fizzled into existence between Dr. Halsey and the chief. "Some of the chemicals listed here were banned by the UNSC hundreds of years ago?" "Yes, many of the substances we used for the augmentation were illegal and potentially dangerous". "Hummm" Cortana pondered the report. "Got something Cortana?" "Maybe. Get some sleep, I'm goanna go check something out" With that the chief felt the bare cold he always felt when Cortana abandoned his mind. "The crew quarters are down the hall chief" Cortana voice called out through the wall speakers. "Not a chance…" The chief laid down on the medical bad next to Dr. Hasley, not intent on leaving her side in this alien environment.

The arbiter walked between the manned stations on the bridge. "Status" "All systems normal, re-entering normal space in 3 hours and 31 minutes" The navigation officer answered. "Arbiter, I'm picking up a strange signal emanating from the computer system. Releasing kill system" A flashing red dot appeared on the main view screen, slowly the dot was surrounded by dozens of yellow triangles, all advancing towards the threat. The arbiter watched as they all closed in around the target. Suddenly the yellow arrows blipped off the screen, destroyed. "What is tha-?" "Hey, you mind not dropping your kill systems down on me again" Cortana's feminine form crackled to life on the screen. "The female" She crossed her arms over her chest. "Yeah, I hope you don't mind but I'm just borrowing your slipspace communication satellite for ten minutes" The arbiter growled at the human females insolence. "Thanks, I knew you wouldn't mind" She blew him a kiss, one eye closed in a taunting manor. The screen snapped off, not giving the arbiter time to reply.

Cortana hacked the slipspace transmitter, attempting to make connect with Reach. She worked hard to slip the transmission past the UNSC radio barrier they had erected surrounding Reach to ensure pirates or Black Market Dealers couldn't pick up transmissions from Reach. Cortana finally broke through the barrier, a figure before her crackling into existence. The figure appeared as a Greek woman dressed in a loose toga, holding a tablet in her right arm. "Deja can you show me the file Dr. Halsey showed you during the Spartans augmentation" Deja tapped her fingers to her head as a variety of symbols scrolled across her tablet, eventually manifesting into readable letters Deja handed the tablet to Cortana as she scrolled down it. Hr eyes snapped wide. "Oh this is perfect, thanks deja" Deja disappeared into the binary code.

The fleet of covenant ships reappeared from slipspace, like a flock of fish swimming through the ocean the covenant ships maneuvered towards the space station named high charity. After the Covenant/human alliance the arbiter had lead an attack against the flood to wrest high charity from the grip of the parasite life form known as the Flood. The Flames of Light maneuvered towards high charity, releasing a swarm of dropships to land on the station. The master chief lowered down the gravity lift as his metal boots touched the sleek deck. Dr. Halsey, the arbiter and his two elite escorts followed. Before hem squads of engineers replaced walls and welded metal in an attempt to restore high charity to its former glory. "Chief" Cortana's voice called out as the warm feeling returned to the chief's mind. "Chief, read this" She scrolled a report on his HUD. He scanned down the report. "Yes? That's the report Ackerson submitted to the war council" "Yes and this is copy deja sent me" Another report scrolled across his HUD. As john reached half way down his eyes snapped open. "It's…" "Yeah. The one Ackerson submitted is a fake. He altered the file to include other illegal chemicals in the list that were never used in the experiment". "Ackerson" The Master Chief growled. All this pain had been caused by him.


"Tell me again, what happened?" Ackerson berated the private that stood before his desk. "Well sir the Spartan stole a UNSC dropship and flew out of the system. When admiral Stanforth's fleet went to engage the dropship the covenant fleet dropped out of slipspace and departed with the Spartan" Ackerson growled as he slammed his fists on the desk. "What am I paying you people for? Get out! And don't come back till that Spartans head is on my desk" The private saluted as he walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. Ackerson buried his head in his palms. The door creaked open again. "I told you before get out" When no reply was uttered Ackerson raised his head, freezing. Before him stood the armored image of the last Spartan. "Chief?" Without a word the master chief removed his side arm, raising it at arms length.





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