Chapter 1: When the Ice Melts…
0550 Hours, December 1st, 2558
Unmapped Space Region, Approx. Sector /D
Aboard the Missing Half of UNSC Forward Unto Dawn
It has been five years since the end of the war. Five years since the duo had human contact. Five years spent drifting in dark, empty space, without the means of propulsion or communication. The ship's fuel would last for another year, after which they would have to rely on emergency backup units that would last for another six months. After that would be the end. With no electricity both of them would be dead. Just like the many billions who perished over the last century.
An electrical signal was sent to the cryotube. A red light began flashing and the process began.
His brain, frozen for the past few years, began to wake itself up. Chemical and electrical signals were sent at steadily increasing rates and his muscles began to twitch ever so slightly. His heart rate increased. A 25-centimetre tall woman with symbols all over her body sat cross-legged on the holotank, watching Earth's greatest hero thaw from his deep slumber.
He felt warm. A swirl of colours filled his vision. The image gradually came into focus. He saw a girl. She was an old friend that, like any other old friends, had been tucked away in the furthest, most unreachable corner of his mind since 40 years ago. She was a beautiful young lady of Japanese roots. She had tanned skin and her face was angular but feminine. She had a slender build. Her hair was black and long and her eyes, blue.
The image seemed impossibly crisp and vivid. It was as if she was right here, in front of him. But he knew that was impossible and was probably never going to happen, and this brought forth a pang of sadness and misery that enveloped his mind. Millions died in the war. She could easily be one of them.
Parisa. Parisa Hanabusa. That was her name. She was the girl that he had promised to marry. But then things became complicated. And that was one of the rare occasions that he had failed to keep a promise that he had made.
The only remnants of that friendship were a picture and a half-coin that he had kept through countless battles. In that picture were Parisa and him, standing side by side and holding hands. Behind them was Lake Gusev. He still remembered their conversation back then.
"Be careful next time. I might not always be around to save you."
"Thanks, John. And stop nagging at me. You're not my mother."
"Yes, but I care about you, Parisa."
"Oh, you're always so charming. Whatever you say, John."
"I'm not kidding. When I grow up, when we grow up, I promise to marry you. I will keep you save."
"You can never be sure what's going to happen in the future, silly."
"You know me. When I make a promise, I keep it. No exceptions."
The half-coin was another story. He gave it to her on their first date. It was an old coin from the 21st century. He had cut it in half using a laser at home and brought both halves with him.
When he gave Parisa the tails she had asked him what it was for. He just told her to keep it. It was a simple gift. But it meant much more than he had realized at that time.
Both the half-coin and the photo were with him now, stashed neatly in an armored compartment of his MJOLNIR suit. The photo had faded and was stained with blood, and the coin was dented in several places. But the meanings and emotions that they had carried within remained.
"Chief…can…hear…me…" A muffled voice penetrated his dreams.
The memories faded as he was pulled away from the realm of the past and forgotten. His mind drifted through the memories of training, hardship and battles at an ever increasing rate. The flip of the coin. The injections and surgeries. The firing range. Then the fall of Reach. The events at Installation 04. The release of the Flood. The detonation of the reactors. The desperate fight for survival at New Mombasa. Installation 05. Alliance with the Arbiter. The battles at The Ark. The firing sequence. Forward Unto Dawn. And his last sentence, "Wake me, when you need me."
"Chief! Chief! Can you hear me?" A familiar voice called out. His eyes opened for the first time in five years.
The lid of the cryo-tube opened with a hiss and a dense mist leaked out onto the floor, where it continued to flow until the titanium deck was covered with a fog so thick that the grey hue of the alloy was completely hidden by the cloud-white color of the mist. An armored leg stepped out from the container, and then another. John was back online.
