Chapter 1

September 2, 2552, 1545 hours, UNSC In Amber Clad, Location classified as per Cole Protocol

Am I dead?

Mike opened his eyes and it took nearly a minute to register where he was.

No, I'm alive but where am I?

Staring up at florescent ceiling lights his brain seemed to be uploading information slowly. His granite grey eyes slowly scanned his surrounding as he felt the firm support of a bed underneath him. He was in a room without decoration, white in color. There were instruments in the room, one hooked to his arm that emitted a soft hissing sound and occasional beep. Beyond, he could hear, or perhaps feel, the steady hum of what he figured to be an engine though his trained ear could detect it wasn't running smoothly.

I'm in a ship

But what ship and where? The trained mind of the Spartan instinctively knew there were no threats in his surroundings so could relax and try to make sense of what was going on despite the wool on his brain. His body hurt, everywhere, particularly his chest. What had happened to him? It was like he was trying to grasp something in the dark he knew was there but couldn't find.

Then it all came crashing back.

Reach, his last stand against the Covenant there and then all the faces and memories attached to them. Jorge, Kat, Carter, Emile and all the one's whose name he didn't know or remember crowded in. They were all dead and the irony of his situation was renewed. His body hurt in a way he'd never known before. As his mind registered the searing pain the automated Pain Pump connected to his arm read his brain waves and so released an increased amount of pain medication designed to ease his suffering. But his were not just wounds of the body but the most intense ones were of the heart. No, that vital organ that circulated life-giving blood but also represented the emotional soul of a human being could not be helped with medication. His pain was that they were all dead and he wasn't. He who had for years wanted to die just couldn't, it was a sick joke.

Then another realization came to him-he no longer wanted to die, he had things to live for.

Mike Nantz, Noble Six, Spartan B312, had a different attitude than the fatalistic resignation he'd had when first he'd arrived on Reach in July. He'd been the Lone Wolf, keeping everyone at arms-length. On Reach, despite fighting ultimately a losing battle, he'd learned to be part of a team, to care for others besides himself and he'd even discovered love. The image of Natalia Misriah, the daughter of a billionaire industrialist whose name was on most of their weapons, flashed through his mind. He could see her emerald green eyes and pale, creamy white skin in his mind, smell her sent and feel her touch sending a fresh wave of pain through his broken body causing the Pain Pump to go into overdrive.

Natalia had been extracted from Reach during the battle for New Alexandria, arranged by her powerful father, a testimony to the privilege she enjoyed and just how far apart their worlds were. Mike groaned involuntarily at the thought.

"Yo, Wolf, you return to the land of the living?"

Mike thankfully was startled out of his misery by a familiar voice. Jun, Noble team's reserved sniper had been sitting quietly in his room the whole time.

"How long I been out?" Mike asked, realizing that perhaps his recollections were not as clear as he'd thought. He did remember Jun returning to save him from the Sinovet Ship Breaking Complex after the Pillar of Autumn and the precious cargo he'd been carrying had gotten away safely. He remembered being on the Pelican leaving the scene but after that he'd passed out.

"About two days," the somber, bald Spartan responded, loading and unloading a magazine for his SRS99 AM Sniper Rifle despite being dressed only in black BDUs and carrying no weapon. "Docs weren't sure you were going to make it but I knew you would. You're too stubborn to die," he chuckle to himself, blue eyes dancing.

I guess I am, Mike thought to himself. He'd always fatalistically thought he'd had a death wish but he now realized that had been false. He had a strong reason to not just exist but to live as he'd never done for most of his life. This was a game changer for him.

Mike also realized he wasn't the only one processing what had happened on Reach as he watched the bald-headed Noble team member continue to fiddle with the large mag. The few that had survived the slaughter would be changed forever by what they'd experienced. Or at least as long as their forever had lasted.

Two days...it felt like a lifetime.

Then it all came back to him…the desperate flight to bring the Smart AI Cortana to be extracted from the planet, Commander Carter sacrificing himself so they could get there, the fight to hold the loading dock, the image of the Energy Sword being thrust through Emile and then Mike staying behind to provide covering fire with the Mass Driver. Then the words of Dr. Halsey, who had given them the mission, came back:

She chose you.

Unlike Natalia.

A grim reality again invaded his thoughts. But she had chosen him, hadn't she? The attractive woman had professed that she loved him and he'd expressed similar feelings for her. They'd connected in a way that he'd never had with another woman. Sure, there had been Melanie at Camp Currahee but they were teenagers. Yes, the enhancements the Spartan III's went through changed more than their bodies. But this was different, it was deeper. There was more than a physical hunger though that was present, for sure. No, this was a deep emotional longing, spiritual even perhaps, to connect with someone and walk together as one. No, despite the carnage and horror of Reach they'd each found something incredibly special.

Then it had been taken from him.

The image of the simpering ONI officer forcing Natalia onto the Pelican at New Alexandria and her letting him set an edge to the conflicted Spartan and eroded the happiness of his previous thoughts. Plus much had changed since she left Reach even though it had been, what, nine days ago? It seemed like a lifetime. Yes, Natalia had walked with him through Jorge's death, when the big Spartan II had stayed behind on their mission triggering the explosion that destroyed a Covenant Supercarrier rather than him. It had been during that time their relationship changed from antagonistic to one of, dare he think, love.

But much had changed.

She had left before Kat had been killed by a sniper, before Commander Carter sacrificed himself to get them to the Aszod Ship Breaking Yards and finally before Emile had stayed in place to give them the shot they needed to complete the final mission. His death had been the hardest for Mike. The volatile Noble Four had been antagonistic towards Mike early on in the battle but they'd grown close, like brothers towards the end.

Before.

And Natalia missed all of that.

She'd missed it because she was away safe, daddy's little princess, receiving the benefits of privilege. Bitterness grew within the man as a resentment of what happened lodged itself like bile in his throat.

A female officer strode purposefully into his room in the Sick Bay and moved towards Mike interrupting his dark thoughts. She was just under six feet tall with dark hair and though attractive had an intensity about her. The three gold braids on her uniform denoted she was the captain of the ship.

"How are you feeling?" she asked in a firm voice that still showed genuine interest.

"I'll live, ma'am," Mike replied.

"I'm Commander Miranda Keyes. Your name's Mike, isn't it?"

He nodded his head, surprised the officer would not address him by his rank or title.

"So you were the one who delivered the package to the Pillar of Autumn?" she asked, absently pushing a loose strand of her shoulder length hair behind her ear.

"Yes ma'am."

"And so you got to speak to the captain of the Autumn?"

Then the connection came to him. They both were named Keyes which meant they were likely related. She was likely in her late twenties which meant this could have been her father. The look of anxiety on her professional demeanour showed the insightful Spartan was correct.

"I did, briefly, ma'am," Mike responded. "We met at the exchange of the package. He looked good and had things under control. I gave him what he'd come for and then he took off back to his ship. You'll likely know already they made it away from Reach."

"I do," she confirmed, a look of relief sweeping over her striking face, "I also know that you stayed behind and provided cover fire for them when you could have left. Thank you."

Mike smiled, a bit of warmth coming into his aching heart. "I was just doing my job. But you're welcome."

Commander Keyes nodded her head in appreciation at the simple response and said, "Take care of yourself Mike and get yourself healed up. We need you in the fight. The ship got banged up pretty bad fighting our way out of orbit from Reach so it's going to take us a bit longer to get to where we're going so use the time to rest." She began to turn to walk out but stopped and looked back, adding, "And if you need anything, let me know."

With that the woman turned and walked out of his room.

"Looks like you made an impression on the lady," Jun commented wryly. "I guess I must have been a piece of furniture."

Despite the pain Mike couldn't help but chuckle at the sarcastic comment but he did note the particular attention the officer had paid him.

We need you in the fight.

The words resonated with him and reminded him anew that as horrible as the situation had been on Reach out of it he'd learned some things. Like a refiner's fire he had discovered he had value to others besides his ability to kill. He also could care and be cared for, valued for who he was not just what he could do. He had purpose and a life worth living. No, he definitely wanted to carry on.

Then a dark cloud choked out the light of the moment as he thought about the scene of a daughter almost desperate to get information on her father and thought of his own family. Involuntarily his hand went to where he carried a faded medal in a utility pouch on his armour. He realized he wasn't wearing it and in a moment of panic wondered if the heirloom had been lost. Then he spied a bag with his effects on a table on the other side of his room and instinctively knew that it was there. Mike chuckled to himself, causing him to wince in pain, at the irony of the response. For years he'd treated the Congressional Medal of Honor awarded to the ancestor he'd been named after in the 21st century like a millstone around his neck, an impossible legacy he could never live up to. But now he felt free of that legacy and in fact it now encouraged him to look with pride on the heritage he represented and draw strength from it. No, the medal was now precious to him.

Still, the memory of how he'd gotten it brought back a pain even greater than the wounds he'd received on Reach. He'd been living on the planet Kholo at the time. His father was an officer in the garrison on that planet where he'd lived with his mother and two sisters. He'd been going on a field trip to Earth and among the sites the group was going to visit was the site of the Battle of Los Angeles in 2011 where his ancestor, a US Marine sergeant, had saved the city and by extension many said the world and so had been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. His father had given him the precious item before he'd left to help him connect more with the story from ancient history. Mike still remembered his father kneeling before him at the space port in his uniform to say goodbye.

"Michael," his father has said to him earnestly, looking with both affection but serious intent as he gave him the medal in its case, "this was handed to me by my father who got it from his father and so on. It's a sacred trust and sacred reminder that this family serves. We serve the cause of right and justice, ideas that may be lost in the 26th century but are still needed today as much as they were then. The blood of this man courses through your veins, you have his strength and my strength and that gives you power. But never, ever Mike, use that power for evil, only for good, and you will continue to honor what our family stands for. That's how we leave a legacy that far outlasts our brief time in this world." His father then got a sheepish look on his face at the speech he'd given, tossled his son's sandy brown hair and said, "And have fun. See you in two weeks."

That was the last time he saw him or the rest of his family.

It was the year 2539 and a week into the trip the Covenant attacked the poorly defended human-colonized world easily defeating the outgunned forces and then glassed the planet.

Mike's school group was diverted to Reach where he received the stunning news. It was there in the rage and confusion, with his father's words about legacy echoing in his ears and the medal burning in. his pocket, that he met a UNSC Army officer named James Ackerson who'd recruited him into the Spartan program. On the planet Onyx he'd been introduced to things no child of nine should have. He'd faced the torment of their training NCO, Senior Chief Petty Officer Franklin Mendez, he'd gone through the grief of the loss of his family though he did end up sharing it with his teammates, including Kat, who'd died on Reach too. It seemed like everyone he ever cared about was taken from him. He'd also gone through the painful augmentation process where his body was changed to physically give him the shape of a Spartan.

But it was his mind that ultimately made him into the super soldier of legend. He never forgot. Every challenge, every ounce of pain he turned into aggression and so when he'd left Camp Currahee prematurely for early assignment he'd been ready to go, eager even. Besides, he thought he'd do the job and then be reunited with his teammates for deployment. Instead, almost the entire whole of Beta Company, his new family, was lost on Pegasi Delta during Operation Tornado.

Once again, Mike Nantz was alone and so he became the Lone Wolf, keeping everyone else out in order to not hurt like that again. He'd endured incredible physical pain but that was nothing to the pain that seared his heart. Then he'd opened the door to his heart again on Reach and began to feel. The result was the loss of Noble Team except for Jun and even harder to stomach, Natalia. He chided himself for allowing this to happen. The pain wasn't worth it. Yet in the ashes of misery a spark lit. Jun had come back for him. He'd risked death and being left behind to come back for Mike even though he didn't know if the Lone Wolf still lived. You don't do that for a fellow soldier, or even for a team mate, you do that for a brother.

Mike Nantz had been carrying a family legacy with him ever since his father had given him the medal but now he was beginning to see there were things worth fighting for besides that, like family.

The medal. It wasn't there, no, it had been left behind!

In a panic Mike sat bolt upright, pain lancing his body but he didn't feel it instead frantically patting himself like he was swatting ants all over his body to find the cherished heirloom, his only remaining tie to his family.

Jun put a reassuring hand on Mike's shoulder. "You looking for this?" he asked quietly, holding out the faded Congressional Medal of Honor.

Mike calmed instantly as he took the precious item in his trembling hand and lay back down on the berth suddenly aware of the pain coursing through his body.

"I figured you'd be looking for this at some point", Jun stated simply, "So I grabbed it as the med techs were stripping your armor."

"Thanks," was all that Mike could get out, genuinely touched anew by the efforts of the quiet man.

The pair sat in silence for several minutes, allowing the moment to soak in.

"So what do you think happens now?" Mike asked, finally breaking the silence, unsure of what the future held but trying not to fall back into his previous pattern of fatalistic despair.

"I don't know. We get reassigned I guess," Jun said quietly, looking down at the metal deck. "I've been with Noble so long, they were family to me."

Mike pondered the statement for a moment. He didn't really have the bald sniper's experience but he had begun to feel it so had some sense of what it was like. "Sorry man, that sucks."

"Not your fault," Jun shrugged, "it's just war."

"You're right, but it still sucks." Mike was relieved that the Noble Team member didn't blame him for some reason for their deaths. For some strange reason a burden of guilt seemed to dog him.

"What sucks is the wakeup call the people of Earth are about to get."

"What do you mean?" Mike asked.

"Reach was a buffer zone between it and the Covenant. The walls been broken down," Jun declared.

"Yea, but that's only if they find it," Mike countered with a false optimism. A cold dread started to creep up his spine. "The Cole Protocol will keep them away."

Jun snorted. "It worked pretty well for Reach, didn't it?. Trust me dude, it's only a matter of time."

The statement sent a cold chill throughout Mike and a grim reality to the Spartan. Though Reach had fallen he was still alive and still in the fight. No, he couldn't defeat the Covenant on his own but he could do his part. Time to stop wallowing in self-pity, he told himself, and prepare to do what he could. A steely resolve settled over Mike Nantz.

As if reflecting that Jun turned to him from the porthole window he'd been looking out and announced, "Looks like we're here."