Chapter One;

First Encounter.

Disclaimer; The Halo Universe is all owned by groups which exclude myself. The only thing I own within this story are a few characters (Lex, Darryl, Draven, ect.) and the words I'm writing to describe their adventures and lives.

So, anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I REALLY enjoyed writing this. But, for all original Halo fans, this may be a stretch. It's more of a girl story then a guy story, though parts will be gruesome later on.

-Lex-

I never really believed in aliens while I was growing up.

My father, on the other hand, was a strong believer. Nearly every night, he'd be on the computer, researching. I'd find him in the same spot the next morning, and he'd always try to convince me that I was wrong. And, after a few months, I realized just how right he had always been.

News about the Covenant invasion and the destruction of Reach was everywhere. My brother, Darryl, had been called out, and he was serving throughout space somewhere, fighting off the enemy that I had always thought to be imaginary. Rumors of a program, Spartan II, flew from colony to colony, provoking fear and hope in every human still standing. Nowadays, you either stood up for yourself or you'd be burned by neon colored plasma; neither were very pleasant, usually. If there were Spartans around, warriors who were deemed indestructible, maybe this war would be cut short.

When the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, ODST for short, appeared at my door, my father had already passed, and I was serving along with them, too. The daughter of the infamous Catherine Halsey, founder of the Spartan II program, who seemed to have forgotten that she had a daughter until she met her son, which led her to stopping at my father and my apartment. That sure gave father-dear a jolt.

"Lieutenant Halsey; you're mother requests you visit her."

I internally cringed. No one, it seemed, understood that you need to earn a rank. You can't just magically get one due to relations. But, Catherine had insisted, saying that if Darryl was a captain, I should at least be one rank under him. I'd earn my rank as captain soon enough. I still thought it to be impossible; I was only sixteen.

I nodded quickly, refraining from slamming the door in their faces, and turned on my heel, heading back into my small, but not too shabby, apartment. One wall was lined with all of the most current technologies; from motion sensors to weapon diagnostics stations. That was another thing that my mother had insisted on; I needed to constantly be up to date.

Upon entering and shutting my bedroom door, I changed into what I called my casual uniform; hunter green turtleneck, khaki slacks, knee high lace up boots over the legs of the aforementioned slacks, and, of course, my uniform coat, the lieutenant pins put in perfect place. While all of this was going on, I was trying (and failing) to mentally figure out what it was that my mother needed. She never requested my presence on short notice. As I thought, I yanked my long, black hair up into a high ponytail, tying it quickly and staring at the incredibly changed reflection staring back at me. I was, without a doubt, not the same person I had been less then a month ago. I blamed my mother's rushed attempts to get me to grow up.

Upon hearing one of the many ODSTs sigh impatiently, I quickly exited my room, smiling in satisfaction as all of the men within my living room snapped to attention. Maybe rank wasn't such a bad thing after all.

"Well, let's go. I don't think Catherine will appreciate it if I'm late."

We made our way out of the rundown apartment building I called home, walking to the Pelican across the lot. The bird was surrounded by four guards; one of them who I knew quite well. "Darryl!"

My brother smirked as I hastily made my way to him, and when I threw my arms around him, he grunted, then laughed. Returning the hug, he murmured, "It's good to see you, too, Lex. Boy, have I missed you."

When we broke our embrace, I smiled at another familiar face, "Hello, Draven."

The Pelican's captain acknowledged me with a nod; which was more then enough, seeing how his lips were still healing. They had been sewn shut for quite a bit, and now his voice was something everyone knew would never be heard again. He had just recently been saved from two years of brute torture. Everyone was still amazed that he had, somehow, managed to get out alive. I almost thought he'd rather be held hostage still, since he had been my personal chauffeur ever since.

When everyone was done greeting one another, we clambered into the Pelican, all sitting across from each other. Well, except for Draven and Darryl; they were lucky enough to sit in the cockpit. Everyone else was crowded in the back.

As the Pelican lifted into the air, my mind went into fast forward. I still couldn't figure it out. My mother acted as if she was...well...my mother. But she had no right to. I mean, my father had raised me for sixteen years on his own, and he had told me time and time again that my mother had left us after I was born. She had given birth to Darryl, then two years later I was born, and she had left to 'follow her own path without us'. According to everyone who knew her now, her path had led her simply to destruction. No one seemed to like her, especially the Spartans, who I had only recently discovered were real.

My eyes wandered momentarily, resting on all of the ODSTs, their faces concealed by helmets. Not being able to see their eyes was making me nervous; I HATED not being able to tell if they were looking back at me.

"Landing in five," Darryl called back to us, and everyone braced themselves.

The landing wasn't rough, mostly because Draven didn't land; he pulled close to the ground, yes, but instead of placing the Pelican on landing pad, he hovered, dropping the hatch in the back and creating a ramp for all of the soldiers enclosed in the back to leave.

We unstrapped ourselves, making our way out of the Pelican on shaky legs. As soon as my feet hit the asphalt, though, I was bombarded; this time by my mother. Her arms, wrapped tightly around me, pulling me away from the aircraft and more towards the large, towering building she called her office. It was actually just a vacant old hotel, with the ceiling caved in by a plasma beam from one of the Covenant ships, yet it was the only building still somewhat intact for miles.

My mother was practically squealing, "Lexianna! Oh, I've missed you!"

I grunted, "It's only been a day, mother." I detached myself from her stiffly, straightening my attire and glancing around; until my eyes rested upon the bulky man standing in my mother's shadow.

He was tall, and, in comparison to all of the people nearby, he was the size of the Hulk. In appearance, he looked, maybe, forty-years old. But his face betrayed all of the muscle; his features made me know that he was probably only ten years older then me, not thirty. His skin, though, was the color of paste; pearly white, with an odd shine, and barely any color, maybe just a little peach.

At this point, my mother was watching me survey him, and smirking the entire time. "Lexianna, this is John. He is my favorite Spartan, one of the first." At this introduction, John's eyes snapped to mine, his hand shooting up in an awkward salute. I couldn't contain myself; I smiled, laughing, and saluted back. Sometimes my immaturity got the best of me.

"Professor Halsey speaks fondly of you," John's voice resonated as he eased his arms back to his sides. I could tell, within that second, that he was not accustomed to being out of armor.

I glanced to my mother, frowning, "Is that so."

She shrugged, and John's lips dropped into a momentary frown. But the small emotion dissappeared quickly, and he was back to looking expressionless.

I turned fully to my mother.

"So, why did you want me here?

Now, if you haven't noticed, my mother is often ecentric. And with her next words, I stongly questioned her sanity - "Well, Lexianna, I have a mission for you to go on. It'll let me know if you're ready for that promotion."

My jaw dropped. "A mission?!" The thoughts were raging in my mind. Me, sixteen year old Lex Dawn Halsey, the only person in her class (yes, we still had to go to school) who had no idea how to shoot a gun, going on a mission against the aliens who were threatening the universe we called home? "M-mom, thanks for the offer, but I have to decline. I mean --"

"Let me finish, Lexianna."--I shut my mouth audibly-- "You'll be on a mission with well trained officials. From standard Marines, to ODSTs, to John here. I already have your own armor set out, and a wide selection of weapons. You'll be just like the ODSTs you seem so fond of. It'll be fine. And, besides, I'm not dropping you in the middle of a war; you'll get to sit on the sidelines, observe, pick off enemies with a sniper rifle. When you think you're ready, you can get closer to the fight," Her eyes flickered across my features, "Understood?"

Mutely, I nodded, and she smiled reassuringly. "It won't be so bad, Lexi. Just promise to remember who you are." Catherine stared into my eyes, mirror images of hers. I wish I had been born without so many similarties, like Darryl. I nodded once more, and she hugged me.

When she pulled away, she gently took my shoulders and pushed me in John's direction. I looked up at him, at his expressionless demeanor that I momentarily envied. "Are you ready?" he asked.

I shook my head, glancing behind me at my mother's eager expression. "No. But I never will be." My eyes met John's once more. "Let's go."

I could practically hear my mother cheering internally as John and I walked away.

------- To Be Continued