Well, here it is: the end. I was almost putting it off because I didn't want to admit that my story was over. Oh well, I suppose all good things must come to an end eventually.
Together to the End
Growing up, John had always been surrounded by death in one form or another. He had seen countless numbers of enemies fall before him, many of which had their lives taken by John himself. First had been Insurrectionists and various pirates and rebels. Then had come the Covenant, and John had spilt blood from a wide variety of colours and species over the course of nearly three decades. Then there was the Flood, but that was another matter entirely. And there had been a lot of people on his side that had paid the ultimate price, leaving behind people who had cared about them.
And yet, through it all, John had managed to survive. Managed to live through the terrible conflict that was the UNSC-Covenant War, and those years spent in cryo floating through space. Why? Well, as Cortana had told him many times, he was just lucky. And yet, none of that managed to change the fact that war had been all he knew. It was all he had been raised upon, and it seemed peace was a concept he would never be able to grasp. Would he ever be able to make such a transition?
In her experience, Cortana had been forced to confront mortality as well. There had been times when she had been forced to take lives as well, usually not through brute force, as the Spartans tended to do, but through finesse and intelligence. Being hooked into the system of an enemy vessel, she could have detected large numbers of Covenant heading their way, and for her, it was a simple matter of opening up a few key doors and flushing them out into space. And that was just one example.
But for the first seven years of her own life, Cortana had been constantly reminded of the fact that that particular stretch of time was all she would have. That her constant craving for data and information would inevitably cause her to go rampant and shut down. It ate away at her core that she would never be able to enjoy the simple facts of life that most people took for granted: experiencing the tastes and smells, or being able to touch anything. Worst of all, she would never be able to be with the man she loved with her entire being. Her John.
Two souls, one flesh and bone encased in steel, and the other composed of lines of coding. And yet, those very souls were supposed to be together. To the very end. But how?
And then the answer came when Cortana had been given her own body, and thus these two individuals began their second lives. Lives not of war, but of peace. Ones that included not fighting and killing, but simply living and being happy. The peace that they had fought for, that so many of their friends and comrades had died for, now reigned across the Earth, and what few human colonies remained. The time of rebuilding had begun, and John and Cortana built their own life with each other.
The remaining Spartan II's; Fred, Kelly and Linda, had been John's comrades-in-arms since he was six years old. But now that their soldiering careers were over, what were they to be? Well, simply friends, of course! Barely a month would go by without one or more of the former Spartans dropping by John and Cortana's place for a visit. Food and drink were consumed, conversation was made, and merriment was all around. Even the Spartan III's became a fixture. Despite being a different breed to their predecessors, they were nonetheless accepted as brothers and sisters. Then there were ones like Fhajad, who had been crippled by the augmentation process. Or Maria, who had retired to marry and start a family. Or the three members of Grey Team; Jai, Mike and Adrianna. All were accepted.
Astoundingly, many members of the ODST would become good friends. Particularly, Buck and his friends would pop around and pay a visit, and whenever that happened, it seemed as though the whole rivalry between the two groups did not exist. If anything, it was the start of a new relationship. Before long, it was quite common to see Spartans and ODSTs supporting each other in combat and watching each other's back. And to think it all started with to men talking to each other in the sick bay.
Even the Arbiter would visit, usually when he was on the planet for a diplomatic reason. Nonetheless, Thel'Vadamee and John would reminisce on the missions where they had watched each other's back. Two adversaries forced to depend upon each other, and in the end, a friendship was forged, which would carry through for many decades to come.
Then there were others who had continued to guide the Spartans, such as Lord Hood. He had led them into combat, and then proceeded to help them adjust to peace. All looked up to him, and even John and Cortana's children would see him as a grandfatherly figure. And, of course, Cortana would never forget that it was Lord Hood who walked her down the aisle on her wedding day. He passed on before all the others, and a great service was held for him. Many of the Sangheili, including Thel, paid their respects as well.
And Chief Mendez, the one who had trained the Spartans. Any hard feelings had long been forgotten, and they all continued to support him throughout the years. At family gatherings, he was always one to spin tales of his own military experiences, and of the hassles that the 'hooligan Spartan children' caused him. Needless to say, these anecdotes always drew laughs and evoked fond memories of absent friends.
Tragically, the career soldier that Mendez was, it seemed inevitable that he would meet his end in combat, and this eventually came when the UNSC fleet did battle with a hardcore band of pirates harassing the newer colonies. Mendez would sacrifice his ship in a last ditch attempt to take out the pirate base, destroying it and the enemy in one final blow. Many would mourn his passing, but his final act earned him the Medal of Honour posthumously.
And there was Doctor Catherine Halsey. Even after all these years, she still felt guilt over having deprived the Spartans of their childhood. But they had long since forgiven her, and often credited the good doctor for having given them weapons and abilities to fight the Covenant. She had been a mother to them all, and they loved her for it. And there had been no denying the special bond that she had shared with John. He was the one amongst the Spartans in which she had placed much of her hope; her star pupil. Catherine could admit that she had been absolutely proud to have him as a son-in-law.
But it was Cortana who had loved the good doctor the most. If it had not been for Catherine, then she would simply have never existed. It was out of her mind that the AI had originally sprung, with the doctor's extensive intelligence and wit, and yet being her own person. Then when the day had come when Cortana had become a human, her cloned body being made with Catherine's DNA. The day that Cortana could truly be called Catherine's daughter; a title that she carried with great pride, even going so far as to adopt her surname as her own. Her mother had given her so much, and Cortana could not thank her enough.
When Catherine Elisabeth Halsey had passed away, she had been lying in her bed, surrounded by her family. Her daughter and son-in-law, her grandchildren, and all of the other Spartans who had looked up to her for so long; those whom she had been proud to be a surrogate mother towards throughout both the easiest and harshest of times. When the good doctor finally breathed her final breath, her final vision had been that of her family surrounding her.
Everyone mourned that day, and not a day did not go by when they did not miss Catherine Halsey, her guidance, and her love. But through her daughter, her surrogate children, and her grandchildren, her legacy continued to thrive greatly.
As for John and Cortana, they continued to grow old together, and they watched their children Sam and Joy grow into the fine young people that they knew they would become. Sam decided to join the UNSC military, but opted to become an officer, serving with honour and distinction worthy of his father's legacy. He never felt ashamed of being compared to his father, rather he was greatly honoured and proud of being his son, and strove hard in everything he did.
Joy followed the path of her grandmother. Using the intelligence she had inherited from her and Cortana, she got the highest marks possible in nearly course and subject, graduating at the top of her class. Using her finely honed academic abilities, she became one of the lead scientists behind the newest group of Spartans, but unlike her father, aunts and uncles, they were not kidnapped as children. Rather, they were people who volunteered for the program. The original process was one that needed to be done before puberty, but Joy came up with a new method that allowed augmentations to be done at virtually any stage with nearly zero percent failure rate.
Catherine Halsey had still been alive at this point, and words could not describe how unbelievably proud she was of her granddaughter.
As Sam and Joy grew older, they eventually found partners of their own, married and had children; who were absolutely doted upon by their grandparents John and Cortana. The former Spartan and AI soon began to live a more quiet life, though still making more than enough time for their friends and family.
But as time grew on, John started to feel his age creep up on him, and the many scars and wounds he had sustained in the wars (which had never really bothered him in the course of his life) began to pain him. Cortana herself was also feeling her body start to deteriorate; it had been a much more gradual rate than her original descent into rampancy when she had still been a construct. For both of them, simple tasks became more of a chore, and they both knew that their time was starting to run out. What had once been only a few years had stretched out to many joy-filled decades, and neither would have traded it for anything in the universe.
Both of them eventually became bedridden. It actually did not seem like much of a shock to those who knew them well; John and Cortana were essentially two halves of the same soul, and when one started to pass on, it was inevitable that the other would follow. Their friends and family all came to see them, paying their respects, and knowing that the beloved members of their family, the great warrior and great intellect, were sadly not long for this universe. John and Cortana both managed to say that there was nothing to regret; they fought the wars they were meant to fight, and in return, they got to live the lives they were meant to live. They had a family that they loved dearly, and there was nothing more that they could have asked for.
One night, the two of them were lying together, when Cortana noticed that John had gone quiet. Looking at her husband, she realised that he had passed away. Instead of crying, she simply smiled and lightly touched the coin that she still wore around her neck, the one that her mother had given him, and the thing that had ultimately brought them together. "You're not leaving me behind this time, John," she said softly. She then leaned over painstakingly and planted one final kiss on his lips, then laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Within moments, she had passed away as well.
The two of them were buried together, the funeral overseen by many, many people. Not just family and friends, but those in the service who continued to look up to them; Marines, officers, scientists, newer Spartans, ODSTs, Sangheili, and many more.
But even as time went by after their passing, those that knew them remembered a story that John and Cortana told. How when he was young, he used to look up at the stars with wonder. And how on the day when she first became human, he and Cortana had looked up at the stars together, and underneath them they had shared their first kiss. John had said that if Cortana were a star, she would be the brightest and most beautiful in the sky. Many people believe that they are up there in the sky together, two bright stars continuing to shine brightly.
Together to the very end.
Well, that's it. A life well lived, I believe. I would like to thank everybody who read my story and gave reviews. I used to be somebody who was very uncertain about his abilities to write, but you are the ones who picked me up and encouraged me to continue, and for that, I cannot thank you enough. Your support is what made this all the more possible.
As for my other projects, I am now working on a series of stories set in the NJO era of the Star Wars universe (though an altered version, since I despise the NJO series and everything that came after it chronologically, with the possible exception of the Legacy comics, which I admittedly have yet to read), and my stories include an adversary from another sci-fi brand. Can't say whom though, as it might spoil the story. (wink, wink)
Don't worry, though. I plan on returning to Halo someday. I mean, how could I not?
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading "A New Life Together" as much as I enjoyed writing it.
PS: If you feel compelled to write any stories set in this particular little number, by all means, feel free to do so. Just be so kind as to PM me first, thanks.
PPS: Also, I did have a chapter that I removed due to its content. It's called 'Hangover' (three guesses what it's about). It's not exactly racy, but I took it out because I did not want to have to bump up the story's ratings. It's actually kind of funny in a grownup way. If you want me to send it to you, please PM me. Thank you.
And remember, true fans are like Spartans; THEY NEVER DIE!
