Chapter 4: The Pillar of Autumn
"Halo?" Tails was definitely confused now. "I don't think I've ever heard of something by that name."
The AI shook its head. "Neither have I. They've teamed up with another group of aliens called the Covenant."
"That doesn't sound good..." Tails sighed. "I assume we need to find this 'Halo' before they do, as well as fighting them?"
The artificial intelligence of Shadow nodded. "Yes," it said, and looked at Sonic. "What do you think?"
The other AI was quiet. Then it spoke. "We'll be going after something we don't know anything about in the middle of a war. I think we should be cautious. Remember the kind of person Black Doom is."
Tails nodded, and looked at the AI. "So, where is this...Halo?"
"On the other side of the galaxy, but we can get there using hyperspeed."
Tails nodded. "Let's find some way to get going, then."
The two AIs vanished and Tails looked around for another ship. He saw one called the Pillar of Autumn, and went inside it, taking the two AIs data pads with them. Once inside, he saw that there was a crew already inside. He placed the datapads inside the holotank, causing the two AIs to come up in their holographic forms.
"We need your assistance to get to the other side of the galaxy," Tails said to the nearest person. "Please."
The person turned around and nodded. Tails gasped; he was a giant man, covered in green armor and wore a helmet on his head.
"Spartan John 117, at your service," he said. "I'm part of GUN's Spartan program."
The captain gulped. "Nice to meet you. I'm Tails." Tails stared up at the man, feeling much shorter than usual. He was also nervous.
The Spartan nodded and walked off. Tails gulped again; John was seven feet tall, while Tails stood only at five. The captain sighed and started the ship up, then blasted off into space.
"How long until we reach Halo?" He asked the two AIs.
"It shouldn't take too long," Shadow said. "I'm worried about whether or not the aliens have already gotten there."
Tails nodded and they flew on. The captain hoped they wouldn't come across any aliens on the way there. Everyone stayed on edge, looking out for any aliens. Fortunately, they didn't run into any. A few months passed, and they finally reached Halo. It was a large, circular construct hovering in space. Tails' eyes widened as he saw that both the Black Arms and the Covenant were already there.
"What do we do?" He asked the holographic AIs.
"Kill them," Shadow said. "What else?"
Tails looked at the artificial intelligence. It disappeared before controlling the cannons, firing at the alien ships. However, both the Black Arms and the Covenant were beginning to board the ship.
"Get to the escape pods," Tails said. "And kill any aliens you come across."
The soldiers nodded and ran off.
"Sir," John said. "I would like to go as well."
Tails nodded, looking at the Master Chief. He loaded Sonic onto its data pad and gave it to the Spartan, who put it in his helmet.
"Not a lot of room in here," the AI said. "Hello, Master Chief."
"Hello. What should I call you?"
"Call me Sonic," the AI said as it spoke.
The Master Chief nodded and looked at Tails. "What about the other AI, Shadow? Is it coming with me too?"
"Do you want him too?" Tails looked over at Shadow as he asked.
The other AI thought about it. "I'm not sure if his helmet can fit two AIs," it said, looking at John. "But I can give it a try."
John stood and waited while they tried. A few minutes later, Shadow's voice could he heard inside John's helmet. The Spartan sighed and nodded, then grabbed a battle rifle.
"See you on Halo," he told the captain, and walked out of the control room. It was time to kill some aliens.