Prologue
James floated through the thick blackness of space gazing at the battle that was being waged over Reach. He knew that John and Linda wouldn't be able to help him, they didn't have EVA packs, he could only float around and wait an hour and a half before his oxygen gave out and hope that someone would find him before that. As he gazed toward the planet he had once called home, he hoped the Spartans would survive so that they could fend off this menace to humanity.
Captain Burke of the UNSC Destroyer Pegasus stared in horror at the battle before him, the UNSC's fleet was all but destroyed and the orbital MAC guns around Reach were done for.
"Lutenient Nagasaki, prepare randomised vector, we're getting out of here," he said in a weary voice. There was nothing more they could do, the Spartans were finished, the fleet was nearly destroyed and the covenant were cleaning up after themselves. To stay would just be a death wish.
"Captain, detecting anomaly in quadrant sierra"
"From slipspace"
"No sir, local, and tiny sir, shall I send a probe out to retrieve?"
"Yes, as quickly as possible we don't want to get caught by the covenant".
There was a pause then, "sir I have image on your monitor, maximising".
The Burke stared at his monitor, the shape was like a man, the drone approached closer, "Christ" Burke mouthed, it was a Spartan in that eerie green armour "Lutenient, retrieve that Spartan at once then we're out of here"
"Aye sir"
It was an agonizing five minutes before the Spartan was brought on board.
"Lutenient go to slipspace now"
"Aye sir"
They went through the slip just as the covenant ships began to turn towards them.
"Lutenient you have the bridge I'm going to the bay to see this for myself"
"Yes sir!"
As the captain left the bridge he struggled to keep himself at a brisk walk, his anticipation was bubbling inside of him, the walk to the ship seemed to take hours and as the automatic doors slid open he seen the Medical crew carrying the Spartan on a stretcher, there was nearly ten of them carry the Spartan. They got it to the medical bay and lifted it onto the bed with great difficulty. They ran a quick series of tests including a resuscitation but it was no good, one of the medical officers approached Burke and said "Sir, I'm sorry to report that he's dead"
"Christ" Burke said to himself "I thought these guys were invincible"
"So did I sir but there's a message for you, a recording in the Spartans helmet come here sir and I'll show you"
Burke followed the medical officer to where they placed the Spartan's helmet, they had plugged a cable in the data output slot in the back of the head, Burke nodded to the officer to play the message, a man's voice cam through the speakers "My name is James O'Connor and if your listening to this message then it means that my suit has stopped recycling the oxygen and I am probably dead. I had ninety minutes in space to live and my only thought was that I hope that the rest of the Spartans have survived and that I hope that there are more Spartans to come because otherwise humanity doesn't really have a chance at winning this war, to whoever finds my helmet I implore you, the Spartan project has been a success, we are the best the UNSC has so please keep the Spartan project alive", then there was only static.
"That's it I'm afraid sir"
"No thank you this has been enlightening, thanks sergeant".
With that done he left the room and returned to the bridge "Lutenient" he said as soon as he entered "I want skeleton crew on all areas until we've finished our three randomised vectors, then head for earth I need to talk to the ONI committee"
"Aye sir"
"I will be in cryo, wake me when we reach the last vector"
"Yes sir".
Burke then left the bridge and headed for his cryo pod. Along the way he started to think about what the Spartan, James had said. He understood that the Spartans were by far the best that humanity had, they could easily best a marine and an ODST trooper, these covenant elite things seemed to be one of their few equals on the battlefield, he understood the need that humanity had for these heroes. They needed all the help they could get and the marines seemed to not be able to hold their own without backup. He smiled to himself as he thought what ONI would say when he said he would want his own group of Spartans to train and teach as his own, they would be in memory of this Spartan that had delivered this vital message to him, they would be in memory of all the Spartans that had died back on reach they would be, the Ghosts of Reach.