The planet was awfully tame today. Reach has had a very unstable atmosphere since its unfortunate glassing from the Covenant. The beautiful Heimdalanian Mountains, once a cold but serine place, was now reduced to a desert like dust bowl. John-117, or to most people the Master Chief, had trained at an installation not too far from those mountains. He is looking upon them now with his pale, almost dead looking blue eyes.
His memories of training with the other children were coming back to him. He led all 74 of them to victory over the armed and dangerous Marines and Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, ODSTs, in countless drills and exercises.
He was 8 when he had to piece together a jumbled up map, find an extraction point and then had to best armed guards at the ex-fil. To top it all off he was given an order to leave the last Spartan there to die in the cold, but he made sure he was the last on so that he could take the blame when he got back to base.
The marines and the ODSTs kept working against them but they just kept pushing them over, again and again. So much so that the soldiers started using live ammunition in the "training exercises", but the Spartans never complained and kept besting them anyway.
Then, at age 14, came the fateful day of augmentation for the entire Spartan class. At this time in their lives they had the bodies of Olympic athletes from the physical training and the exemplary nutrition they had received from the "Boot camp". In actuality the boot camp was a very well-funded School. They had two parts physical exercise and one part education. By the time they were 10 they were able to do calculus, experts in various forms of technology, demolition, advanced physics, biology, chemistry. They had everything to be successful out in the field as well as be of use in the behind the scenes of missions.
The augmentations changed everything. They were able to do advanced calculus in their heads, rip titanium alloy apart with their bare hands, and react to danger much faster than a normal person could. The instructors made them the best possible, but the scientists made them beyond and so much more. He smiled as he remembered the adventures he and his team had when they were kids. Sneaking out of base and exploring the surrounding forests and mountains.
John turned his 9'6" frame around, and looked at the city park before him. He would still keep his guard up. He hasn't survived this long without being a little paranoid.
Sure enough he heard rustling of the leaves. The Arbiter's honor guard were getting sloppy. He turned around and was greeted with his ally. His guards were in active camouflage, an improved model even, but he could still sense them and hear them breathe, even though they were trying to hide it.
"Greetings Spartan."
"Hello…..Arbiter."
The Arbiter, for the first time in his life, had to look up at a human. Actually crane his neck to look at the demon face to face.
It appears that the gifts of a forerunner are very effective on human physiology.
The Chief didn't know how to greet him. He was an ally but not quite a friend yet, and he was a high ranking military and political official on Sanghelios. Arbiter seemed appropriate.
"Please call me Thel, we have fought and bled together. It is only fair that I give you that luxury. What is your name?"
The Chief didn't want to give him his name. He knew that it would be rude not to, and normally he wouldn't care, but a part of him said "Tell him your name." It was the part that Cortana had touched.
"You can call me...John."
"John?...mhmmmhmhmhmmmhmh" He was laughing. Why?
"Something funny?"
"Yes, I didn't know The Demon to my race had such a simple name. I expected you to have multiple titles."
John supposed it was ironic. But so many of his fellow Spartans had simple names.
"I have come to see how The Demon lived on his cradle world."
John was surprised. He didn't really have anything to wow the Arbiter with.
"Are you sure?" John asked with a hint of apprehensiveness.
"Why yes a warrior of your standing must have many mates and many children, surely you have a big estate."
John didn't have any of that.
"No."
"…Show me"
Within the hour they were transported off planet Reach and into the atmosphere of Earth. While on their way there John asked the Arbiter about his exploits during the war.
The Arbiter continued on about a mission on a planet called in human tongue Yamen-4
"….and then just before I reached the holy forerunner relic I was stopped by a Marine, as you humans call them. The male human wasn't really anything special and my warriors and I didn't really view him as a threat, but I saw a fire in his eyes. It was unwavering and he never gave up the attack. He kept coming at us with everything he had. Our swords burned and sliced entire limbs off, yet he still kept coming. I had to decapitate him to stop him. And that wasn't the only instance where I was forced to do so. It happened on nearly every planet I invaded, and it changed my view on humans. Originally I saw all of you as parasites that needed to be eradicated from the galaxy but throughout my campaign my opinion changed."
John had never heard that before. He never knew that the Arbiter thought that humanity was worthy to even be tolerated by the Sangheili race back during the war.
"We're here."
As the pelican descended the Arbiter got a look at the Spartan's abode. The Arbiter was shocked to say the least. The "keep" that THE Demon, John, lived in was no better than a shack on the side of a mountain in the middle of nowhere.
The Arbiter didn't say anything though. He just observed the Spartan approach the door and place his gigantic hand on the scanner next to the door and say his title "Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Spartan-117."
What the Arbiter saw next disgusted him even more. All that John had to live with was a wooden chair near a fire place, a wood fire cooking apparatus, and a bed big enough for him, which was about a full bed with twice the length.
The Arbiter was appalled. 'Warriors don't live like this, only outcasts and scum do. Why does he choose to live here?'
"Spar-John if I may ask why live the way you do? Warriors have entire keeps and a great square of land. I don't understand."
The anger was apparent on the Arbiters face. The UNSC's Spartans were the finest troops he had the privilege to do battle with. Reports indicated that throughout the entire 27 year war the covenant only had 3 Spartan kills until Reach. And two of those were through self-sacrifice one being an antimatter bomb trap. They were the bane of the covenant, the Demons that scared even the most hardened of warriors, even though the warriors didn't show it.
"This is unacceptable."
"Its all I want."
The Arbiter contemplated his words.
"Don't you want many plots of land to show how powerful you are? A big fortress to keep all the children you will no doubt have or want to have...your blood line deserves that much at least."
John looked into himself and saw that he only wanted the essentials. He never really saw the value of a large piece of land or a big castle. He only needed a shack to live in and a basement to hold all his tools, weapons, and armor. He did spend money on a good mattress, because that is where 1/4 to 1/3 of a 24 hour period would be spent. He liked the flavor a wood fire grill and oven could give to his meals. He has a data pad that can connect to cyber space if he needed additional information on a topic he was an expert at or was a simple novice at. He really didn't need much else other than food, which he hunted from the surrounding wilderness or purchased from the nearby city. If he wanted company then he could visit the other Spartans that surrounded him in the Appalachian Mountains.
"I don't want any of those things, they can be used by other people and be appreciated better in their hands, not mine."
Thel thought on this and he presumed that the Spartan was mad. Then he simply concluded that he just didn't understand the human. It was hard to understand the average human's thought process, and even then is there an "average" to humans. Every one of them is so different. The way they were raised, how they learned, how they ate, how they acted in private or socially was variable to every human. Humans are hard to understand.
"Can I at least host you and some of your fellow humans to a week of feasting and luxury? It would be mine and my fellow Sanghelian's honor to keep you."
John thought long and hard, which for a Spartan/Ancient human warrior was a second, and came to a conclusion.
"Yes."
"Fantastic, when do you want to depart for Sanghelios?"
"…..next week?"
"Then it is official. I will let Planetary Defense know to look for your ship lest you be shot down and killed. That wouldn't be very appealing for Human and Neo Covenant relations."
John thought that would be amusing and had half a thought to go in a different ship just to have an "eventful" arrival.
He remembered however that the Elites are now an ally and not an enemy faction. This wouldn't be a mission, it would be a social outing. Oh, how he would be teased by his Spartans about this. That wouldn't matter though because they would want to come just as much as he does. Getting to know a former enemy and making them even greater allies is something he couldn't pass up. He would have to inform his Spartans and various people in command of the UNSC and the UEG. This was big and cannot be just a private matter. John knew when to keep things under wrap, but this is an event that is worth being disclosed to the public. It could show that Humans and Elites can coexist and not be at each other's throats.
As the Arbiter left in his golden phantom John thought about who to bring on this social outing. His Spartans would come of course, but that doesn't represent humanity. He would need to bring more people. He and Thel knew this. They both know the risks but the gain is so much greater. A future where Humans and Xenos could coexist and not want to kill one another. John was a man of war, but only barbarians wanted nothing but it. John was weary of war and conflict. It's time to look for potential candidates to come with him to the elite home world.
