Chapter One: Ruptures
Reach
August 30, 2552
Three Banshees flew through the skys of fire, the one leading the group leaving a trail of black smoke in its wake.
The two following fired several rounds of plasma into the lead Banshee, aiming for the engines. Blue bolts hit the canopy, missing the target. The lead Banshee boosted forward, outrunning the latter two.
"Suckers," Ashley B341 muttered. Her Banshee was smoking from the left engine, which would mean that she couldn't boost as much in order to avoid a malfunction.
The Spartan was flying toward a Covenant Cruiser, which seemed to be making preparations for slipspace. She didn't know much about the Covenant modius operandi, or their ways of operating, but her best guess was on a slipspace jump. She had seen several others making their way out of the system this way, some still near the ground.
Ashley sighed as she floored the booster once again, risking the overheating and possible explosion of the engine. "Almost there," she muttered, ignoring the warning lights flashing on the inside of the Banshee.
A flash of blue appeared at the head of the ship, signaling an open slipace portal. This wasn't good. She accelerated one last time, managing to get through the hanger shield. Ashley kicked the canopy open in mid-air, and bailed, letting the Covenant vehicle crash into a pile of purple crates.
She hit the ground, yellow shields flaring around her orange Air Assault armor. The Spartan jerked her MA5B off of her back, aiming it in all directions, only to see that there were no Covenant troops in the hanger.
"That can't be right," Ashley thought aloud, lowering her Assault Rifle. "The Covenant must have know I was coming, they could track the Banshee." Her eyes wandered up to a Phantom held by docking clamps. "I guess that's my new ride."
Ashley took a look out of the hanger, and saw the warped space that engulfed the ship. "Slipspace," she shook her head. "Now I have to wait."
She leaned against a wall, letting her thoughts wander around. Eventually, they settled on the fight that she and Noble Six had eariler. "Sucker," she said out loud. "I'm gonna live, and that kiss-ass no life will die on that glassed ball of dirt."
Even with all the malice that she had said it, she couldn't take it to heart. There was no way she could mean what she had said. She loved him too much.
All of a sudden, warning lights blared out across the hanger, signaling some disasterous event was about to unfold. Ashley looked up just in time to see the hanger's shields deactivate, sucking her out into the cold void of slipspace. There was no chance of surviving this at all...
...
Valhalla Outpost Number One
Date Unknown
She cracked her eyes open, only to be blinded by the harshly bright sunlight. As she heard a few muffled voices, Ashley blinked a few times and her vison returned to normal. She took a good look around, noting her surroundings. She was in a building, laying on the ground, and there were three Spartans standing around her. Two were in red Mark VI armor, the other in orange Mark VI armor.
"Are you okay?" The voice came from the red Spartan holding a Battle Rifle.
"Ugh... Yeah, I'm fine." Ashley took off her orange Air Assault helmet, letting her red hair fall to around her neck as she was inspecting her helmet for any damage. I shouldn't be alive. What the hell happened? She stood up, staggering as she tried to regain her balance.
"Holy shit! It's a girl! Dibs!" The orange one exclaimed.
Ashley looked up at him in surprise. She then punched him in the head as hard as she could. "Son of a bitch!" He exclaimed as he fell. That was weird. She didn't see any shields. Maybe he had them deactivated.
The red Spartan holding a shotgun chuckled. "Can you hit Grif again so I don't have to?" he asked her. Ashley smiled. "Sure." She kicked the one called Grif as hard as she could in the stomach.
Ashley turned to the one with the shotgun. "Now that that is out of the way, who are you?"
The one with the Battle Rifle answered. "I'm Simmons," he guestured to the one with the shotgun. "That's Sarge, he's in command here. Grif you already met." Grif moaned in response. Simmons looked at Ashley. "Who are you?"
Ashley put her helmet back on. "I am Ashley-B341."
"Why the hell do you have a number as a last name? That's weird," Sarge asked.
"Uh...because I'm a Spartan. Duh."
"What the hell is a Spartan?" Grif asked as he stood up.
That was the single most stupid question that a Spartan could ask. "Is he for real?" Ashley asked Sarge.
"Sadly, he is real." Sarge answered with a sincere tone.
"Well, you should know what a Spartan is. After all, ya'll are Spartans."
"Really?" asked Simmons, unconvinced. "I don't think we are. Command never called us that."
"If you're not, then why are you wearing Spartan armor?" Ashley countered. It was a completely legit question.
"This is just what was issued to us. It's red, since we're Red Team," Simmons answered. "Mine's maroon, though. Grif's is orange because he's an dumbass."
"Red Team," She whispered to herself. Then she asked in a noraml tone; "Is Blue Team nearby?"
"Those dirty Blues are on the other side of this canyon. Why?" Sarge replied.
"I'll explain later," Ashley yelled as she sprinted out of the door, headed for the other side of the canyon. She had her helmet under her should, and let her hair feel the breeze. She reached the top of a hill, and noticed another base. Not too far from the base, there was a Phantom crashed in a waterfall.
That had to be Blue Teams work. She had heard the exploits of Blue Team. Spartans 117, 87,and 104 were legends. She ran up into the base, there was no one inside. Ashley exited out the door opposite of the one she entered. She noticed three Spartans observing a Sangheili corpse.
"What the hell is that?" The Spartan in teal armor asked, poking it with his foot. He had a Battle Rifle slung over his back, which he grabbed and checked the clip in it. "I could shoot it, if you want me to."
"No, Tucker, it's already dead," said the Spartan with gray-blue armor. He had a Sniper Rifle in his hands. "It looks like thing you gave birth to."
"What the fuck, Church? Junior was a lot smaller," Tucker shot back.
"Well, it's been like, a while, since we last saw him. Things grow."
"Heck yeah they do. My thing grows all the time. Bow-chicka-wow-wow."
That was way too much information, Ashley thought. Wait, how can the teal person have a baby if they have a 'thing?' She shuddered and tried not to think about it. This can't be Blue Team.
"Can you stop fighting? Tucker's baby is trying to sleep." This time, it was the normal-blue Spartan with Mark V armor and an Assault Rifle.
"Caboose, you're an idiot," said Church. "We should bury this thing."
"I'm going to bury my thing in a-"
"Tucker, just stop right there."
Ashley walked out of the base, hoping to get some useful info from these people. Something hit her hard in the head from behind her. What the fuck? With a cry of pain, she collasped to the ground, and sunk into unconscienceness.
...
Drai Sel'gath felt something on his face. It felt like dirt. He opened his eyes and saw a pile of dirt next to him. I'm in a hole, he noticed. It had seemed like a while since he had fallen asleep inside of his Phantom, which was docked in the Covenant Crusier.
"Tucker, you should have made the hole bigger. His feet are sticking out."
"I thought you were supposed to get his feet."
Those are human voices, Drai realized. He jumped out of the hole, his hand flew down to his hip, grabbing the hilt of his Energy Sword. "Demons!" He yelled when saw the two people trying to bury him.
"Holy shit! It's alive!" shouted the teal one.
"Maybe he's friendly," the one with the Sniper Rifle suggested.
Drai let out a roar and flicked his wrist, activating the weapon's dual plasma blades.
"Then again, maybe not," said the teal one.
"Tucker, use your sword," the one with the sniper raised the rifle at Drai's head. A moment later, Drai's sword cut through the barrel of the Sniper Rifle. "Son of a bitch! Those are expensive!"
Tucker swung at the Elite with his own sword. Drai easily blocked the attack. The blue-gray demon jumped at the Minor with a Magnum. Fool! Drai brought his sword up to the Spartan while kicking the teal one. He rolled down the hill, dropping his sword on the way down. The other was stabbed in the chest when he landed on Drai's sword. The demon muttered some last words, "Mother...fucker." Drai grabbed him by the neck and threw him toward the other one. The body hit the ground and rolled a few feet before hitting a rock.
The Elite activated his Active Camoflauge and took off running. There was a crashed human dropship nearby, with a cave next to it. He dectivated his sword, and put it back on his hip.
"Excuse me."
Drai turned around. There was a human. He was average height, wearing a black trenchcoat that went to his knees, cover most of the black jeans he was wearing. On his head there was a black fedora, blocking the Elite from seeing the man's eyes. An interesting selection of clothing. He had a gruff chin with stubble around his chin. Between his thumb and index finger, he was holding a cigarette.
The Sangheili looked for the person this human was addressing. Surely he couldn't be talking to him, he was practially invisible with his Active Camo.
"Yes, I'm talking to you, Drai Sel'gath." The man rasied his hand, and Drai was lifted up. He was left hovering in midair, unable to do anything. The man's hand began to glow, and the light soon enveloped the helpless Sangheili. "Hmm...sheild strength level three," the mysterious man said in a Texan accent. Drai's sword detatched from his hip and levitated closer to the man. "Plasma sword, damage level five. That should be a slight improvement." he muttered, pocketing the dumbell-shaped weapon. The Sangheili managed a few words, "How are you doing this, human?" It was said the the Sangheili language.
"My power is now, almost, unlimited. You'd be surprised at what I can do," the man answered, fluently in the Sangheili's native language. Drai was speechless. Humans couldn't speak their language. There were too many sounds that could only be made with Sangheili mandibles. The Elite's Active Camo module flew into the man's hands. He studied it for a minute. "This should replace those old, outdated Stealth Boys that we've been using."
With a wave of his hand, the man sent Drai flying backward out of the cave. He waved his hand again, causing a portal to appear in front of him. "Adios," he waved at the Sangheili and stepped through the portal.
Just staring at the rip in space seemed to draw him in, as if it had some sort of supernatural powers. Well, it kinda did, as random portals don't open every day. Drai summoned all the courage he had in him, and jumped head first into the portal. It closed behind him.
...
All around her was white. All she could see was white. Nothingness. She was still in her full armor, with her Assault Rifle on her back, stolen Plasma Rifle on her hip, and three Plasma Grenades on her other hip. I guess I died, she thought.
"Really? When I intend to kill, I kill."
She turned around. There was a man, dressed from head to toe in black. Black hat covering his eyes, black trench coat, black jeans. She grabbed her Assault Rifle and aimed it at the man. "Who are you?" She asked.
"My dear Ashley, now is not the time for violence." With a flick of his hands, the Assault Rifle flew out of Ashley's grip. "The MA5B Assault Rifle doesn't meet my standards. However..." Her stolen Plasma Rifle levitated into the man's hand. "This could make a decent sidearm." Raising his other hand, the man levitated her Plasma Grenades to him. "These can replace the Thermal Detonaters."
Ash just stared at him. "You're the reason that I was knocked out? Why? And where the hell are we?"
The man stared at her. For once she could see his eyes. They were yellow, sinister looking. Ashley took a step back, toward her fallen Assault Rifle, which was sitting on nothingness. "I came here since some technological upgrades could've been found." He smiled one of those evil smiles. "Ashley B-341, you are not from this world, and this is not the last you will visit."
Another step back. "Not from this world? What do you mean?"
"Come on, you remember the Covenant ship, Truth and Reconciliation, I think was its name."
She looked at him. "How did you know about that?"
"I know everthing." With that, he waved his hand and vanished, Covie weapons with him.
Ashley stood there alone in the white vastness. She felt someone poking her shoulder. "What the-"
She jerked her eyes open. The person referred to as Tucker was standing next to her. "What the fuck happened? We found you knocked out," he said, leaning over her.
"Something hit me in the back of the head," she said, keeping what had happened afterward in her mind confidential. Ashley sat up from the floor, groaning at the pain in the back of her head.
"You're name's Ashley, right?" Tucker asked next.
"Yeah, how'd you know?"
"I told him." She noticed Grif standing a few feet away.
"What are you doing here?" she asked Grif.
"Sarge sent me on a siuicide mission to rescue you from the Blues. He said if that if I died-" He was interrupted by a orb of white light in the middle of the room. It grew bigger and bigger until it exploded. The room was now empty.
Caboose walked in holding a tray of cookies. Then he noticed that lack of people in the room. "Where did you guys go? Are we playing hide-and-seek? I love hide-and-seek!
