Xidia.

Yup, that's just what they called it. Third planet in the Rimadois system. 14,152 kilometers. 30 hours in a day. 602,325,200 in population. Basically for those who want to get away from Earth.

It was colonized in 2579, after the Glados stumbled upon it. Building came along pretty fast. Hell, by '89, the capital was already built.

After a while, they began to call it the "New Reach", since it was now the new military hub. Apparently, a Spartan like me wouldn't be able to see it, since I'm held up in this damn brig.

I completely fucked up over the years. Four demotions. Two medals.

After all that, this is what I deserved. Been in here for twelve months. No Spartan should deserve this, but I did.

~Jones. Four-Five-Eight.

A ship silently drifts in Xidia's orbit. "Ah. Another gift by our lords. Desecrated by the footsteps of the humans." A voice said, finishing with a growl as the ship set it's course for the planet.

November 11, 2611

06:24

UNSC Bossu, Xidia Low Orbit

A ship silently drifts in Xidia's orbit. "Ah. Another gift by our lords. Desecrated by the footsteps of the humans." A voice said, finishing with a growl as the ship set it's course for the planet.

A D77 Pelican flies through space to a UNSC Halcyon-class Cruiser, known as the "Bossu". Radio chatter took place. "Pelican Echo 421. Sierra 458 onboard. Enroute to Bossu." The Pilot acknowledged, as the Pelican began to dock with the Cruiser in Deck 8. "Copy 421. You are cleared for landing in Deck 8. Over!" A navigator onboard the ship requested. It's troop bay opened, as a green-armored figure stepped out: Ensign Jones-458. "Alright Spartan, be ready. Might be some punks to get in my way." He spoke, walking over to an elevator. It ascended, as he gripped his wrists. As soon as the elevator reached it's destination, a door infront of him opened, revealing a corridor. Jones proceeded through it and through multiple doors and corridors. He eventually tangled himself up, "Ugh! Where the fuck is this Bridge?" He cursed. Jones had never been through the crew segments of a Halcyon-class Cruiser, only on the outer halfs.

Just when he thought he would never find the Bridge, a voice communicated with him, "Spartan-458. Follow these waypoints, please." It was that of an A.I., female, with a British accent. Jones entered a moment of silence, but snapped out of it when the voice cleared it's throat. He followed the navigation points, each one showing him the path to the Bridge. As he walked through corridors, Marines and Navy Crewmen who he approached quickly ran off, obviously scared of the news about him. Many personnel referred to Jones as "that bad-mouthed, mean green, obnoxious piece of shit that is Spartan-458", except for other Spartans of course, but they never said it out loud, so he would hear it.

Meanwhile, Jones eventually came to the Bridge. The Navy Officer before him turned to greet him; Nerash Elso. "Captain." The Spartan remarked. "Spartan-458, good to meet you." He introduced, as the two shook hands. Nerash was of African descent, and spoke with a sharp tone. "I've had ONI lift you from the brig for a special purpose, Ensign, and one that solely involves you. So listen up: Over fifteen hours ago, the Skilute Relay Outpost on the planet had recently went into a blackout. We suspect it was a major power failure or the local rebels; ONI goes with the latter on that one. Because of your past data, they believe sending you in is advisable."

"Me? Alone? Out of all the Spartans? Give me a fuckin' break. Why not Xander or...Joana?" Jones cursed. "You'll have a Marine Fireteam with you. We just need you to go in, report your findings, and if you can, get the power back on. We've had reports about an unknown ship at around an hour before this all occurred, this lead us to suspections. I surely hope this problem is not what we think it is."

"I'll do my best." Jones agreed.

"After this operation, you will be placed into a cryo tube to-"

"A cryo tube? What did I do now?"

Nerash sighed. "To CHECK your augmentations. We want to identify if you are a true Spartan and not a Pirate."

"Pirate? I don't understand."

"I'm sure you know about the Spartan training riot, in 2586? Over ninety trainees. Haven't heard from them since. It's just six years, Ensign. Anyways, on this mission, you'll be accompanied by your new assistant A.I."

A holo-panel next to Nerash lit up, as Jones turned his attention towards it. Eventually, the avatar of a woman in a large white gown appeared. "Spartan...meet Heartless Winter."

"Insurrectionists are getting more and more tideous. It's a wonder they hate us now." The A.I. looked at a viewscreen showing a map of the Gizza region on Xidia, then turned towards the Spartan. "Did you get lost?" She joked, smiling, "She's fresh out of production, so go easy on her." Nerash soon pulled a data chip out, and handed it to the Spartan. "Good luck, Spartan." He said, handing Jones the data chip, and inserted it into the back of his helmet.

"You have the statistics of another honorary Spartan."

"Not exactly."

"Head to the armory and load yourself up, son. And when you're ready, head back to Deck 8 and Echo 421 will be waiting to transport you there." Jones nodded, and left the Bridge, then came to the Armory. Stacked amongst the racks were MA5C's and M6L USP's. Jones grabbed one of each. "I'm missing-" He started, before he was cut off. "Grenades? They're all gone. We'd best be heading to the Pelican." Heartless Winter informed. Jones agreed, and headed towards Deck 8.

When he arrived, he slowed down, and walked slowly to board the Pelican. His Marine Support Fireteam was already onboard. It's troop bay doors closed, as it departed for Xidia.