Disclaimer: I don't own Halo.
WARNING: Spoiler alert for Reach! If you haven't played Reach yet, STOP READING NOW!
Basically, I love Halo Reach. A lot. So I decided to write a novelization of the game before anyone else tries. Anyway, I'm going to be adding extra dialogue between Noble 6 and the rest of Noble Team, as it provides a more interesting story, in my opinion.
For everyone's sake I'm depicting a male Noble 6 in all-black default armor. Of course, you can picture Six as the way you designed him, I'm not gonna stop you. However, I am giving my Six a physical appearance. But as with the armor, you can picture him any way you like.
Anyway, read and enjoy. Reviews and criticism always appreciated.
Planet Reach, July 24, 2552, 07:28 hours
The SPARTAN-III in the pitch-black armor sighed and placed his helmet over his head as the Warthog came to a complete stop in front of the Noble Team base. The young driver, Frankie or something, seemed slightly nervous the whole drive over, as if afraid that the SPARTAN in the passenger seat would suddenly reach over and stab him. Of course, who could blame him? The infamous SPARTAN-B312 was a so-called 'hyper lethal vector', a killing machine and nothing more. His reputation was legendary, even among fellow SPARTANs.
In a way, the SPARTAN felt almost unwelcome. He had read about Thom-293 and how he had sacrificed himself to destroy a Covenant ship. And now, the black armor-wearing soldier was supposed to replace him, something he knew that the rest of Noble Team wouldn't be too thrilled about. So his first objective was simple: follow the CO's orders and try not to piss off any of the team members. He had already read files on each of them, but that was completely different from actually getting to know the members of Noble Team.
312 stood up in the Warthog, making sure to grab his MA37 Assault Rifle and M6G Pistol, attaching the former to his back and the latter to his hip, before stepping out of the vehicle. The 'Hog began to drive away almost immediately after he stepped out.
The new arrival shook his head in annoyance and began walking toward the comm center, which had two Falcons parked in front of it. They looked ready to take off, so he had arrived just in time.
He looked to see a bald man in green armor sitting in the back of one of the Falcons, loading bullets into a rifle clip, with a sniper rifle sitting next to him. The bald man carefully watched 312 as he approached. The new arrival thought back to the files he had read on Noble Team, remembering the basics of the man in the Falcon.
Jun-A266. Noble Three. Sniper. Warrant Officer. Considered "chatty" by superiors, though still an excellent shot. Weapon of choice: System 99 Anti-Materiel Sniper Rifle
As 312 walked by the falcon, the SPARTAN known as Jun kept his eyes on him, watching his every move. The bald man's face was devoid of emotion, as if he was only studying the new arrival. It was perfectly understandable, of course. Nobody knows what to think of the new guy at first sight. It applied to all situations. Still didn't make it easier for the new guy, though.
312 walked by the Falcon, the sniper's eyes still following him. As he approached the comm center, he heard voices inside.
"...which have since been declared MIA," the first voice said. The new arrival recognized it as the voice of one Colonel Holland, Noble Team's supervisor. Another voice then spoke up. "And now you're sending us?" it asked. Male voice. It was more of a soldier's voice; tougher and with a slight edge to it.
"The Office of Naval Intelligence believes deployment of a SPARTAN team is a gross misallocation of valuable resources. I disagree," Holland responded.
At that moment, 312 reached the doorway to the comm center. The first thing he saw was a SPARTAN in white armor wearing an EVA helmet with a skull carved into it. Naturally, this would have drawn anyone's attention, but 312 also noticed the man sharpening a strange-looking knife (a kukri knife, if he remembered right) on his right shoulder plate, and large amounts of grenades strapped across the front of his armor. The helmet looked up, and it felt as if the skull's eyes were drilling into him, judging him. He remembered the files on the skull-faced SPARTAN as well.
Emile-A239. Noble Four. Assault specialist. Warrant Officer. Highly bold and aggressive, somewhat antisocial. Weapon of choice: M45 Tactical Shotgun
As the newest member of Noble Team attempted to enter the building, something mechanical darted out in front of him, cutting off his entrance. At first, 312 thought that it was a gun. But on closer inspection, he saw that it was a bionic right arm. The owner stepped forward, revealing a female SPARTAN in blue armor. She had short brown hair and a couple small scars on her face, though she was still attractive in a way. She held her helmet under her left arm, which was actual flesh and blood. The woman looked at 312 in a way that made him feel like he was being analyzed for strengths and weaknesses. The files once again sprang to mind.
Catherine-B320. Noble Two. Hacking, intelligence, and strategy. Lieutenant Commander. Often called Kat, she is considered brilliant and dangerous, though overly curious. Weapon of choice: M6G Pistol
The woman turned and spoke. "Commander."
The two men on the other side of the room turned to acknowledge the new arrival. One was standing in front of a communications terminal, wearing dark blue armor. The other was seated, wearing orange armor, and much larger than the man who was standing. He also had a bit of a beard.
"So that's our new number six," the seated man stated, raising an eyebrow. Once more, 312's mind brought up what he knew about the man.
Jorge-052. Noble Five. Only SPARTAN-II in Noble Team. Heavy weapons specialist. Chief Warrant Officer. Noted as being tough to read and vocal about his opinions, yet easy to get along with. Weapon of choice: M247H HMG machine gun turret adapted for mobile use.
312 then decided to step forward, Kat moving out of the way to allow him to do so, her eyes still following him.
"Kat, you read his file?" Emile asked, his kukri knife still clutched in his left hand.
"Only the parts that weren't covered in black ink," Kat responded, glancing at both Emile and Jorge. 312 took note of her accent.
And the judging begins, he thought as he stood there. He knew all eyes were on him, but he was used to it. SPARTANs were always stared at once they entered a room, 312 even more so due to his 'hyper-lethal assassin' reputation.
The man in blue armor turned back to the comm and spoke. "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. That cannot happen here. Reach is too damn important," Holland told them. "I want that relay back online, Noble One."
"Sir, consider it done," the man known as Noble One responded. The final file sprang up in 312's mind.
Carter-A259. Noble One. Leader of Noble Team. Commander. A born leader and an excellent soldier, with a noted desire to keep every member of the team alive. Weapon of choice: MA37 Assault Rifle
"Then I'll see you on the other side. Holland out," the Colonel said as the connection ended. Carter nodded and picked up his helmet, turning to the new recruit. Next to him, Jorge stood up, heading for the door.
"Lieutenant," Carter said to the new arrival.
"Commander, sir," came the response, 312 stepping forward.
"I'm Carter, Noble Team's leader. That's Kat, Noble Two. Emile and Jorge, Four and Five," Carter said, introducing each of the squad members as they left the building, leaving 312 alone with his new CO. Carter then tilted his head slightly, watching his new recruit carefully. "Though I'm guessing you read up on us already, huh?"
312 shrugged as he answered. "Pays to be prepared."
"True enough," Carter said, giving a small shrug of his own. "But before we head out, I better fill you in."
312 tilted his head in confusion, but allowed Noble One to continue.
"I'm not gonna lie to you, Lieutenant. You're stepping into some shoes the rest of the team would rather leave unfilled," Carter said, pacing slightly, never removing his eyes from his new Lieutenant. "Personally, I'm glad to have Noble back up to full strength."
Carter stopped his pacing and locked eyes with 312, his gaze like that of a hawk. "Also, I read your file, even the parts ONI censors didn't want me to. I'm glad to have your impressive skill set, but we're a team. That 'lone wolf' stuff stays behind. Understood?"
The so-called 'lone wolf' answered without hesitance. "Got it, sir."
Carter then nodded in approval and placed his helmet on his head. "Then let's go. You're riding with me, Noble Six."
Noble Six. Guess that's my new call sign, the lieutenant thought as he followed Carter through the doorway. The newly designated Noble Six turned to see Kat, Emile, and Jorge huddled together in one Falcon, and even though they all had their helmets on, he knew that they were once more watching him.
Don't they have something better to look at than me? Six thought. He wasn't annoyed, however; he understood what they must have gone through, losing a close teammate, only for their lost comrade to be quickly replaced by a mysterious SPARTAN with a dark reputation and a heavily redacted file. They would be wary of him for a while, and maybe they would never trust him. Either way, he wouldn't hate them for it.
Six and Carter climbed into the second Falcon, Six taking a seat next to Jun, who had also put his helmet on his head.
"Since you read up on us, I assume you know Jun?" Carter asked as he signaled for the Falcons to take off.
"You read up on us?" Jun asked, turning to Noble's newest member. He also had an accent, though a very different one from Kat's. Six looked to him and responded in a calm, casual manner.
"You didn't do the same to me?"
Jun chuckled as Carter sat back in his seat, the Falcon lifting up from the ground. "Fair enough."
"And by the way," Jun continued as the Falcons flew into the air, heading for their destination. "Welcome to Reach."
I know, I know, short chapter. But the opening cutscene was only about four minutes long. What do you want from me? Anyway, reviews are appreciated, and always helpful.
And, I will admit, I'm not too reliable an author. I might work on this story, then jump to another, and then jump to another. But I'll try to stick with this until the very end.
Remember Noble Team. Remember Reach.
