Greetings to my fellow Halo fans! A new story for your enjoyment, written in response to a 'challenge' for a new fic (you know who you are!). Anyways, I'll let the story speak for itself. Enjoy! Disclaimer: I own nothign from Halo.

Halo: Silent Call

Cast Of Characters

John-117: The Master Chief, and the only known surviving member of the SPARTAN-II Project. He's survived Halo, the Flood, the Covenant, and countless other brushes with death. Now, as he prepares for one last mission, he wonders why he suddenly feels so empty…

Lieutenant J. L. Hawkes: A tough, competent ONI officer, assigned to the Master Chief for his next mission. While Hawkes has the backing of many members of ONI's brass, and is the only one who's intimately familiar with the Chief's files, there's much more to this operative than meets the eye…

Colonel James Ackerson: A long-standing opponent of the Spartan program, he's finally wised up to the Chief's skills, and almost respects him as a fellow soldier. He's sending his best operative along on this new mission, and can't help but wonder if he'll ever see Hawkes again…

Cortana: The formidable AI has assisted John-117 since before the fall of Reach, and has helped him survive countless close calls. Can she get him through this one intact? And how much does she know about the mysterious Lieutenant who's going with them?

Prologue

John came to wakefulness sharply, noticing the deceleration of the Prowler as he sat up. We must be near Earth, he thought as he cleared the rest of the sleep from his mind. His armor was nearby; as comfortable as he felt in it, it certainly wasn't designed for sleeping. The Master Chief ran a hand through short brown hair, then pushed himself out of the bunk. Even though he knew it was in top shape, he ran a diagnostic on his Mjolnir armor just to give himself something to do.

It was times like these, when all was practically quiet, that a feeling of discontent stole over him. He'd been raised to serve the UNSC, and it was all he knew; he'd done so to the best of his abilities, he and his fellow Spartans. Now most of his comrades were either missing or dead, he was the last, and he felt empty, alone. There was no reason for it, but nevertheless, he felt the emptiness steal over him. Why? To that he had no answer.

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"A mission? With the Master Chief?"

"Is there something wrong with your hearing, Lieutenant?" Colonel James Ackerson leaned back in his chair, eyeing the opposite side of his desk. Hawkes was one of his best, which could explain some of the reasons ONI turned a blind eye to some of the officer's "unusual" methods.

"No sir," Lieutenant Hawkes straightened in stiff respect. The circumstances surrounding the Lieutenant's assignment were unusual enough, since lieutenants rarely got high-profile assignments, but this…to be fighting alongside a hero…Hawkes looked the Colonel squarely in the eye.

"I merely find it unusual for someone of my standing to be assigned to a war hero, sir."

"Understandable. And there are any number of operatives who could easily perform on such a mission, and who have a higher rank with more experience. There's a reason you were picked, though, Lieutenant, several in fact. The first is, of course, your unique approach to your missions. While successful, many of your actions have raised quite a few eyebrows with HighCom, and this may be your opportunity to prove yourself." Ackerson watched the younger officer stiffen: Hawkes was well aware of the operations in question, and to be reminded of them was definitely not necessary.

"Second, your training in stealth is practically off-the-charts, for a non-Spartan. That coupled with your decryption skills will be a valuable asset. And since this will primarily be a reconnaissance mission, you'll need both skills more than you will a firearm.

"And finally, you are probably the only operative who happens to be intimately familiar with the Master Chief." Hawkes' head shot up, green-flecked hazel eyes holding a worried look. Ackerson chuckled.

"Those decryption skills are going to get you into trouble one day, Hawkes. Things were left out of the Spartan's file for a reason, and you definitely stirred up the hornets' nest when they found out you knew."

"So that's why I'm going? So ONI can shut me up?" There was a definite edge to the Lieutenant's voice.

"No, Hawkes, you're going so I can finally prove to ONI that you're one of our best. Just make sure you don't prove me wrong."

"Sir!" Hawkes snapped off a crisp salute, then turned and headed off, presumably to prepare for the mission. Ackerson sighed. More trouble than you're worth, sometimes. He hoped he was doing the right thing; too many lives had been spent for the security of mankind, and here he was potentially spending more. He hoped he could stomach the price.