Disclaimer: No, there will be no MC-Halsey romance, as this is an action-oriented story. I have no room for any of that. Also, the song Halsey is singing is Amorphis' song Reformation. Lastly, I do not own Halo or Star Wars. Halo belongs to Bungie/343i. Star Wars belongs to Lucasfilms, Ltd.
The next morning, John awoke and within five minutes was in armor. He reported down to the Birkutgrad Station mess hall without his helmet and sat down at a table, where he was greeted by staring faces. The Chief got up, put on his helmet, and gave up trying to eat. He went to Lord Hood's office and reported in.
"Good morning, sir," he said to the stony-faced old man at the oaken desk.
The admiral sat up in his chair and replied, "Likewise, Spartan. I just received a call from the UNSC Plataea. It was Dr. Halsey asking about your status. I suggest you go and greet her, as I know that it's been a while since you two met last. I've already arranged a Pelican to take you to the ship."
The armored soldier thanked his superior and went to the launch bay to board the dropship.
Dr. Catherine Halsey sat in her chair aboard the Plataea. She had not believed that John was alive and well after that incident on the Ark, but Admiral Hood assured her that her favorite Spartan was fine. Since then, she had sat at her desk, humming a song to calm herself.
She had been humming the lyrics when Kelly-087 came into the office.
"Ma'am, the transport is here. John will be at your office shortly."
Halsey thanked the Spartan runner and sent her to check systems on the lower decks. Five minutes later, there was a knock at the office door.
"Come in," said Halsey.
The door opened, and the Master Chief entered. Her eyes brightened when she saw him.
"So, I take it you're not a ghost," Dr. Halsey said, "or some other apparition?"
"No, ma'am, I'm not dead. As you said, reports of my death are greatly exaggerated."
The doctor half-smiled, and then came back to her normal state.
"Well, now that you're here, I suggest you meet up with the rest of Blue Team. They're waiting downstairs."
The Chief thanked her, and then promptly left. Finally, Dr. Halsey thought, my mind can be at peace.
Fred-104, Kelly-087, and Linda-058 waited anxiously for their comrade to arrive. When he finally did, all three Spartans jumped up to greet him.
"It's an honor to have you back, sir," said Fred.
"You know the mantra, Fred: Spartans never die," the Chief replied.
Kelly and Linda walked over and welcomed their commander back from the dead. After the formalities were past, Fred was the first to speak up.
"Sir, there's something NAVCOM needs us to see. I suggest we head over to the Enterprise and see what all the fuss is about." Remembering that John had just gotten back, he added, "The UNSC Enterprise is the Navy's new flagship. It's 15 kilometers long, 3 kilometers tall, and 2 kilometers wide, and it looks like an oversized version of the Pillar of Autumn. Now, who's up for some briefing?"
