Spoilers' Warning! - That's all you get. I'm not going to waste more time telling you.
Halo: Reach is property of Bungie, Havok, and Microsoft. I do not own Halo, nor am I making money from this story.
A/N: I had just played through Reach for the first time, and this was the result. My brother called it 'being raped by plot-bunnies'. Whatever. And you wouldn't believe how much I had to cut out. It was starting to drag on a bit.
Anyways. If you don't like it, go write your own!
This is a Fem!Six.
Halo: Reach - In Memory Of
She hadn't been on a team with Spartans in years.
"You're stepping into some shoes that the rest of the squad would rather leave unfilled."
ONI wants the Spartans to be considered the elite, as Titans of War. She had forgotten, in the Sabre facility, that she was human too.
"When Kat runs an Op, 'direct action' is always necessary."
After so long with awed reverence and cold formality she didn't expect anything different when she was assigned to Noble Team.
"We're a team, you leave that 'lone-wolf' stuff behind."
But they surprised her.
"Six! That AI chose you. She made the right choice."
The camaraderie, the jokes – they even called each other by name, when it was 'just them'.
"So this is our new Number Six."
But she was the outsider -Six- and they resented her for it, which in turn made her resent her new post.
"Reach has been good for me. It's time to return the favor."
Even after what Jorge had said and done, it wasn't until now that she realized how they had grown fond of her. That 'Six' had become her nickname.
"Go east, Six, and don't stop for anything."
After so long of just being 'Spartan', she had a family again.
"Make it count."
Her only regret was that she hadn't known them longer.
:::
Planet Reach, Ahzad Shipyard
August 29, 2552 17:34 Hours
"Lieutenant! Get aboard, we gotta' get the hell out of here!" The marine shouted at her, almost hysterical.
She longed to step onto that Pelican; to rendezvous with the other Spartans on the Pillar of Autumn, to be with her brothers and sisters, to survive. But at the same time, she couldn't bring herself to abandon her home and, regardless of how recent her post, Noble Team.
Besides. The Autumn wouldn't escape atmo with that Corvette there.
"Negative. I have the gun." Her voice didn't shake, even though grief gripped her heart like an icy fist.
"Very well, Lieutenant." His face was serious, his voice hard, but his eyes were sad, and Six knew he understood how much she had lost this day.
Her team. Her family. Her home.
She pitied him this, having to watch another subordinate die for the sake of many. Because there was no doubt.
She would die here.
Whether it was today, or maybe even tomorrow, it made no difference. The Covenant would glass Reach, and any remaining soldiers would burn with the planet.
"Captain." Returning her weapon to its holster, Six searched her pouch for the only item of any worth to her. "Please give this to Sierra-117," stepping forward, she pressed the item into Keyes' now-free hands, "-and tell him that Noble Team is keeping Hell warm for him; but we'll kick him out again if he dares to show up before he's defeated the Covenant." With an unseen grin, she stepped away from the Pelican and pulled the gun from her back.
"Good luck to you Spartan." Keyes said after a moment's pause. "Move out!"
The Pelican lifted away, returning to the Autumn. She didn't even pause to watch it go, instead, turning back to the base.
Time was short. She had to reach that gun.
:::
Pillar of Autumn, Slip-Space
September 3, 2552 14:25 Hours
The Pillar of Autumn had escaped Reach, but not before watching as the planet was glassed behind them. Cortana had been up-loaded into the Autumn, and the Master Chief was situated in a cabin until they could get the cryo bay online.
Keyes had just returned to his quarters for 6 hours of shut-eye, when a soft jangling sound came from his pocket.
The item from Noble Six.
He hadn't had a chance to examine the item, let alone pass it on. It had been shoved into his pocket as soon as the Pelican took off, only to be forgotten in the evacuation from Reach.
With minor apprehension, Keyes pulled the metallic items from his pocket.
They were ID-tags.
No one was there to see the single tear slide down his face. A single tear for those that died so that others may live.
He idly caressed the platinum cross as he reveled in the victory of Noble Six. ONI had recently ordered -in an effort to improve moral- that Spartans cannot be listed as KIA. Their deaths -their courageous, worthy scarifies- will not be acknowledged.
She may have died on Reach with her team, but Six still managed to get them out; to make sure that their sacrifices would be remembered, if only by a few.
Jacob slowly, reverently examined the disks in his hand. Wishing he had known each of these Spartans, so that he might remember them better. He figured that's why Noble Six wanted these to reach the Chief.
He checked the time; 15:45. The Chief was scheduled to enter cryo at 20:00, it wasn't enough time, but it was all they had.
Keyes stood and stretched; sleep could wait, right now he had a last request to fulfill.
:::
Planet Reach, Ahzad Shipyard
August 29, 2552 18:04 Hours
The Autumn had just breached atmo, taking the hope for humanity with it.
Six stood on a cliff overlooking the sea, watching as Banshees and Phantoms flew past. Plasma flares were visible on the horizon, each indicating the destruction of UNSC forces. Ash, dust, and smoke were thick in the sky, and to north there was a lightning storm cause by the heavy ozone disturbance.
Her heart cried out for her once-beautiful home - and Reach is her home, she and her family were raised and trained here. She doesn't blame Jorge for never wanting to leave.
Jorge. Kat, Jun, Carter, and Emile. Noble Team.
Everything. All the genocide, the battles, the glassing, just to destroy the hope that now rested with one AI.
And the Covenant were too late.
A proud smirk flashed across her face; Noble Team -her team- had beaten the Covenant. They may have died, and Reach will burn, but that hope escaped, and she knew that it would come back to bite the Covenant in their collective asses.
With prejudice.
Just then a message was broadcast over the channel. "All UNSC ground forces, report to-" She memorized the coordinates, automatically checking her gear as she searched for weapons and ammo. Defend the generators for the Orbital Defense grid – sounded like a last stand to Six.
That would do fine.
With a last check to make sure that her ordinance was secured, Six turned towards her next objective.
Jorge did tell her to 'make it count', after all.
:::
A/N - Revised: The Lonely Fox made an off-hand comment that insisted being looked into. - Apparently, Jorge was the only Spartan II in Halo: Reach. (Fucking Bungie.)
For everyone who pointed that out in Reviews, gomen.
:::
Note: Sometime between the Fall of Reach and Alpha Halo, ONI did create a directive that no Spartans were to be listed as KIA, so as to support the propaganda 'Spartans Never Die'. - It upset John greatly that those -few- Spartans who were really MIA (Kelly) would be lost among the record and forgotten.
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No, I'm not planning to write any more for this. I may later feel inclined to post more Halo: Reach one-shots after this one, to give the characters more depth, but no promises. (Honestly, the story is clearly marked as 'Complete'. I thought people were more observant.)
:::
Ja ne!
~ Zoa Naramyon