Insertion - The Defiance of Fate

by William II S043

William II S043 Status: KIA. Or so the UNSC thought. Following the events inside of the Micro Dyson Sphere, William wasn't KIA; no, he was very much alive. Fifteen years following his supposed death, he reappears inside of UNSC space, far from Onyx. Returning is a more talkative Spartan with one hell of a story to tell and will be key to introducing the UNSC to the galactic level.

Author's Note: This is the first story in several years that I will be writing a story for this site, and needless to say, I may be viewed as inadequate in terms of my writing skills. When I first wrote on this site, it was half a decade ago, was on a different account and I was barely in my teenage years. This story, Insertion – the Defiance of Fate, will be primarily written in 3rd person and I'm writing it for personal pleasure and for self-improvement. Please, send any advice my way possible, but I would prefer minimal flames unless it is done to get a point across. Anyhow, it's time for you to go forward onto the first chapter.

[Date] – [December 4th, 2567]

[Time] – [0758 hours, Military Time]

[Location] – [Onboard UNSC Odin's Shadow, Stealth Prowler, En-route to Earth]

"Again." ONI Lt. Commander Henry Walker was at a loss for words. Whatever he held in his cargo hold couldn't be alive, shouldn't be alive, yet he was reading life signatures contained within a now-filled storage crate in his prowler. Due to the radiation detected from the object that they just picked up, the hangar was cleared of the slim number of personnel that would normally operate in the area. Unfortunately for him, he would have to wait until he arrived back at earth for a hazmat team to lift the quarantine he enacted over the area. Glancing over the images of the object prior to being aboard, it was clear that there was a suit of armor partially fused into it. Though it was primarily composed of rock material, the object, a small asteroid of sorts, had the armor fused to and it was infamous for its high performance capabilities and efficiency during the war. The charred, olive green armor, a variant of the Mjolnir Mk VI Power Assault Armor, had three distinct numbers on it: 043.

Turning off the holoprojector, LCDR Walker proceeded out of the bridge in silence; the crew knew better than to disturb him, and being ONI agents themselves, chatter was kept to a minimum. Calling upon The Shadow's AI, Thor, Commander Walker proceeded down to the ship's decontamination chamber. "Thor, inform our science team that I'm in need of a hand full of hazmat suit. Have them prepare five; a hero deserves a welcoming committee."

"Aye sir, though I would advise you against entering the hangar. The amount of radiation detected could prove to be fatal." Thor, a digitalized copy of a god of a long forgotten earthborn religion, warned.

"I'm well aware of the consequences, Thor, but there are too many unknowns as of now. We need information and I intend on getting just that." Calling upon a fire-team of ODSTs via his neurolink, Walker entered the decontamination and prepared to suit up. It was going to be a long day indeed.

Entering into the hangar via a radiation-secured room, Walker and a team of specially suited up ODSTs walker onwards towards the asteroid. Making his way to the front of it, Walker looked up and admired the power armor. Though being charred, melted and somewhat deformed, the Mjolnir was still a force to be reckoned with; it was still one of the most powerful armor suits ever crafted by the UNSC and was infamous for the havoc that was wreaked on enemy lines during The War.

The Spartan, seemingly deceased, was anything but. Depolarizing his visor, Spartan 043 spoke into his helmet's microphone, "Spartan II 043, UNSC service number S043-S2 reporting for duty, sir." Just as Walker thought, it was going to be a very long day.

Exiting Slipspace several thousand kilometers away from earth and the Earth Defense Fleet, Lt. Commander Walker entered the bridge of The Shadow. Upon approaching the coms officer, Walker commanded, "I need a line to Cairo station, priority Sierra India India." Nodding, the coms officer, a young Lieutenant Junior Grade, did just that. Sitting in his command chair, Walker straightened his uniform, activated the holoprojector and prepared for one of the most important meetings in his career, communicating with Admiral Lord Terrence Hood, the commander of the EDF and subsequently, the UNSC. Appearing on the screen in front of him was the withered face of one of the UNSC's most seasoned officers, Hood. Though being "demoted" to the rank of Admiral as the UNSC was no longer in war, Admiral Hood remained in command of the UNSC's forces and was the highest ranking member of highcom. Coming to a crisp salute, Walker confidently yelled, "Sir!."

Hood smiled slightly at the sight of the younger officer's enthusiasm. "At ease, son. You should know that I'm not one for the traditional pleasantries." Getting a nod from Walker, Hood continued sternly, "That priority code hasn't been used in quite some time. Zero Four Three was confirmed KIA just over fifteen years ago, so there better be a good reason for its use."

"Aye sir, there is, and let me tell you now, you'll be pleasantly surprised." Walking up towards the holoprojector from further back on the bridge was Spartan 043 clad in his Mjolnir Power Assault armor, much to the surprise of Hood.

"Good Afternoon Admiral," the seven foot tall armor bearing Petty Officer exclaimed, "It's been far too long," said William in a gruff voice, a commonality among the remaining Spartans.

"Holy hell, Spartan," Hood said in shock, "It's good to have you back, though section three is going to have a field day with you seeing as you've been MIA for the better part of two decades." ONI, even following The War, was infamous for its interrogation techniques that were largely effective, though considered to be inhumane to the majority of the UEG: The UNSC's civilian counterpart.

"Understood, Sir. In all honesty, I have a lot to tell them as you, and the rest of the highcom, will see shortly." William replied honestly.

Hood nodded virtually through the holoprojector, "Good to know Spartan. I'd like to see you on Cairo Station ASAP. As for you, Lieutenant Commander, I'll see to it that you receive a promotion. You need a great job out there finding one of humanities greatest warriors. I'll charter a shuttle for the two of you. As for you, Spartan, be prepared for a welcoming committee." Hood saluted, "I'll be seeing you shortly, gentlemen." At that, the holoprojector deactivated as it was no longer receiving any video feed and the pair walked off to the secondary hangar.