Disclaimer: If I owned Sonic and/or Halo, I'd be richer than J. K. Rowling and you'd be reading this as hardcover and paperback books or playing it as a video game.
Back to Earth, Without Jump Drive?
"Chief, Chief, get up already!" It was the voice of Cortana, the AI Program for the Pillar of Autumn. Although, the small shuttle they were currently riding in was all that was left of the once mighty Halcyon-class cruiser, destroyed when the ring world Halo was blown into billions of tiny space particles. She and the SPARTAN-II soldier, only known as Master Chief, were the only survivors of the entire crew.
"The interior of the small vessel consisted of the pilot and co-pilot seats at the bow facing the forward view and multiple screens that showed several vital statistics of the craft. Behind those was a single chair where any passengers were situated, which was also where Master Chief was sleeping before Cortana disturbed him.
"Alright, I'm up." Master Chief grunted in his gruff, militaristic tone, hardened by countless engagements with the Covenant. He was quite an imposing figure standing more than 7' tall. He had his camouflage green MJOLNIR battle suit which he left on at all times with the exception of his helmet that he had removed to sleep. "What's the deal?" He asked stirring from his chair, sorely missing the cryosleep chamber back on the Pillar of Autumn.
"You've had enough sleep; it's about time we start looking for a planet with suitable technology to build a jump drive so we can get back to Earth. You know this shuttle isn't capable of a jump by itself."
"Okay, can you scan wherever we are for any inhabitable planets were we can find the right parts?"
"I already did that, Chief."
"Then why did you have to wake me up?"
"Do you really want to be woken up by an atmospheric reentry?"
"Guess not, so where's this planet you've found?"
"We're currently orbiting the planet. Of course, I can't guarantee that it will have the appropriate resources for a working jump drive, but it's the best chance we've got. It has a massive city that seems to have the most advanced technology I could find on this world, however, it's putting out large amounts of pollution interfering with the radar. We should land far enough away so that it's not affecting any of our systems; we have enough to worry about already."
"Fine, what can you tell me about the planet so far?" Master Chief asked as he moved to the pilot's seat and proceeded to type in the required codes for reentry.
"Not much, apart from the city, it seems very much like a primitive Earth with large oceans and varying climates from arctic poles to sandy deserts. The only other thing that's different from our world is the fact that there are only two major continents."
"Did you make any maps of the areas you scanned?"
"Some of where we're orbiting above now."
"Have you scanned for any life signs on the surface?"
"I've only detected small numbers of life forms scattered across the landscape. Most of the population may be located in the city, but why would anyone want to live in such a mess?" While she was pondering this, Master Chief brought up the maps Cortana loaded onto the ships database.
"Who knows? Hold on tight, we're going in." He warned as the shuttle's nose pointed down and began to enter the planet's atmosphere.
"Where are you headed, Chief?" Cortana inquired.
"The closest desert to the city." Master Chief replied.
It was a rocky ride through the atmosphere for Master Chief, but he managed to keep the ship together as he navigated it to the bottom of a valley that would conceal the ship from sight. Cortana transferred herself back into his suit in case he needed help in any necessary data retrieval while out.
"What's the status on weapons?" asked Master Chief as he placed his helmet on his head. "I didn't have a chance to check the inventory."
"We've got two assault rifles, three pistols, one sniper, a rocket launcher, and three frag grenades."
"What about ammunition?"
"There's plenty for the assault rifles, decent for the pistols, only a few rounds for the sniper, and just two missiles for the rocket launcher."
"Good enough, I'll take an assault rifle and a pistol." He confirmed taking them out of the compartment above and loading them to capacity.
"Why are you taking weapons if there aren't many possible enemies in the area?"
"That's the point, they're 'possible' enemies and I'm not going to risk being unarmed if they prove hostile."
"Fine, be that way; just don't go shooting before you think."
"Don't worry, I'll be good." Master Chief assured her in a mocking tone.
As Master Chief stepped out of the shuttle, a quick scan by Cortana revealed a climbable area of rock where they could reach the top. The sun had sunk completely when they emerged over the edge of the valley.
"Now which way do we go, Cortana?"
"Just straight ahead Chief and we should make it to the city in little more than a few days as long as you're up for a hike."
"I'll be fine."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get the lead out!"