Being my first real attempt at a Halo story, I don't expect this story to be particularly well-received. It is very heavily based off of the game content, especially the dialogue and cutscene actions. Everything else, Noble Six's actions and thoughts, are from my own gameplay and imagination. Bungie and (heaven forbid) 343i are the legal copyright holders of the Halo franchise, and I do not claim any rights to it. Reviews are welcome, but not required, as I will finish this work with or without them.

~VENM

Dust kicked up behind the M831 TT as it hummed along the road. The vehicle held a marine driver and a SPARTAN passenger, and was accompanied by an escort of two UH-144 Falcons. The young and enthusiastic driver had long since given up on trying to talk to the silent soldier, who had only rapped her armored fingers against the frame of the Troop Transport in quiet annoyance. She was not one for conversation.

G-136 stared at the red Recon helmet in her hands before fitting it snugly over her head. The black visor prevented her face from being seen, except in extremely close proximity. The ETA to their destination was less than five minutes and the M831 jostled and bounced its way over the rocky hills. As they rounded a corner, the super soldier could make out the camp. There were a few rigs and bunkers clustered together in the desolate wasteland of Planet Reach.

The Falcons pulled ahead of the convoy and landed on the edge of the camp with the Troop Hog close behind. As soon as the vehicle stopped, the SPARTAN stepped out and headed towards one of the bunkers, the marine driving off behind her. A male green-armored SPARTAN was sitting by one of the Falcons, sliding rounds into a spare SRS99 AM clip. He watched her with suspicion as she passed. He was rather pale and bald, and had a tattoo of a hand grasping three arrows on the left side of his head. As she neared the doorway of the bunker she picked up the end of a briefing.

"The Office of Naval Intelligence believes deployment of a SPARTAN team is a gross misallocation of valuable resources… I disagree," a slightly static voice stated. The interference and official tone of the man's voice gave away that he was one of the higher-ups currently in the darkness of space.

G-136 walked through the door of the bunker and looked around. There was a SPARTAN with silver and red armor sitting to the left, sharpening a large Kukri knife on his shotgun shell-clad right arm. His helmet was unique, an EVA variant with a skull carved into the visor. A robotic arm braced itself in front of her to stop her path. The arm belonged to another female SPARTAN, clad in blue with regulation short, black hair and scars scattered across her face.

"Commander," she alerted a man standing in front of a desk to the presence of the intruder. The man in darker blue armor turned around and a large, older man wearing modified, mustard yellow armor spoke.

"So that's our new number six."

136 wasn't sure if it was meant as a statement or a question. She stepped forward before the skull-faced SPARTAN spoke to the other woman.

"Kat, you read her file?" His voice sounded African American.

"Only the parts that weren't covered in black ink," she replied, shifting her weight. The Commander turned back to the screen on the table to address the person 'number six' had interrupted.

"Anyone claim responsibility, sir?"

"ONI thinks it might be the local insurrection. Five months ago they pulled a similar job on Harmony. Hit a relay to take out our eyes and ears, then stole two freighters from dry-dock," the voice on the other end took a breath. "That cannot happen here. Reach is too damn important. I want that relay back online Noble One."

"Sir. Consider it done," the blue-armored SPARTAN said. The large man in yellow MJOLNIR armor started to walk towards the door.

"Then I'll see you on the other side. Holland out." The Commander turned off communications and turned around to confront the new addition to the group.

"Lieutenant."

"Commander, Sir," G-136 stepped forward to her new commanding officer while the others prepared to move out.

"I'm Carter, Noble Team's leader," he glanced at the SPARTANS walking out the door. "That's Kat, Noble Two; Emile and Jorge, Four and Five. You're riding with me, Noble Six." He too moved to leave, the soldier in red following. Carter placed his helmet over his head and waked down the stairs outside of the bunker.

"Not gonna lie to you, Lieutenant. You're stepping into some shoes the rest of the squad would rather leave unfilled," they approached one of the Falcons that had escorted Six's transport. "Me, I'm just happy to have Noble back up to full strength." The blades of the copter began churning, preparing for departure.

"Just one thing: I've seen your file; even the parts the ONI censors didn't want me to," The bald man from outside had already taken a seat in the Falcon and 136 took her place next to him while Commander Carter hopped aboard and gave the signal for takeoff. "I'm glad to have your skill set, but we're a team; that lone wolf stuff stays behind. Clear?"

"Got it, Sir," she said in her strict military tone. The UH-144 outfitted with Emile, Kat, and Jorge lifted off first, with her own transport following suit. The SPARTAN she was sitting next to, the only one she hadn't been properly introduced to, turned to her. She determined, underneath the buzz of the Falcons' blades, that his accent was Slavic.

"Welcome to Reach."