One. Outside

Planet Reach

July 24, 2552

07:28 Hours

It was too early in her opinion. She had taken off her helmet because the rough foam had been rubbing the skin on the bridge of her nose raw. Though the dust flying back into her face wasn't exactly amazing either. She huffed a bit out of her nose and coughed loudly. Swatting the dust from her face she choked out a few more loose hacks glancing only briefly at the Driver who chuckled lightly.

"Put on your helmet dumbass," he smiled.

"Over my dead body," the SPARTAN woman in the passenger's seat declared. The Driver, Private Jaxon Aarons, had been the woman's friend for as long as she cared to remember back. He was sent with her almost everywhere- like an underpaid escort.

"Either way, the paint job looks good," Aarons told her.

"Beauty is a pain I suppose,"

"Toni, I fail to understand why you hate it so much." Aarons briefly turned his head towards her before looking back ahead. The SPARTAN woman rolled her eyes in annoyance and snorted loudly-

"It's hard to breathe in," She said shortly. "What I fail to understand is why the UNSC insisted on giving me new armor. I was perfectly fine with my old set. Granted, it was an older model- but it was ten times easier to move in than this. Plus my ass wasn't as defined."

"You're a SPARTAN woman Toni, your ass is always going to be defined because the suit is tight," Aarons told her. A normal man would've gotten decked for that- but Aarons had been Antonia-B312's best friend for years now. He'd been by her side since she was pulled from Beta. Toni knew that she could count on Aarons for just about anything. Comfort, a shoulder to lean on. "Toni?"

"Hm?"

"I ask what you thought of Reach so far." He chuckled lightly. Toni examined her friend's dirt dusted shades protecting his eyes. Toni looked out of her side of the warthog as it swept itself over another small hill. She'd been told that Reach was a peaceful colony. A beautiful one. In a way, she kind of figured so. Rolling hills, fields of wheat. The sky earlier that morning had been lighter but as the warthog traveled through the low hills, the weather had cooled down. The wind had picked up making the trees in the far distance sway. Toni had even seen some lightning earlier.

"Bipolar,"

"How so?"

"Not even two hours ago it was warm and sunny. Now it's cold and windy. Looks like a storm is coming in even," Toni focused her eyes on the darkly shaded clouds in the distance. She furrowed her brows slightly and shook her head, looking back to her helmet.

"It's just a bit of rain I'm sure," Aarons assured her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm being forced to go into a team of people I've never met."

"You read their whole file."

"That's different than speaking to them in person, Jax," Toni argued slowly. She settled her helmet between her legs and used one hand to push back pieces of hair that strayed from her ponytail. She had in fact read up on the team. From the Commander to the Chief Warrant Officer all the way to their past Noble Six. The position she would be taking up. Going by Six gave her some relief, the concept seemed to assure her. Having people call her by her real name would distract her.

She wasn't going to Noble Team to make friends. She was going to get a job done.

"I don't think they want a Noble Six."

"Why do you say that?" Aarons inquired.

"Because of the connections he apparently had with the rest of the team," Toni took a breath, sitting back in her seat. "I dunno. Call me paranoid,"

"You're paranoid," Aarons said. "If it was really going to end up being problematic- well I think Colonel Holland would've let you know ahead of time." Toni wished she could be as certain as Aarons. She turned her head to the side slightly, glazing over the hills that they passed. She sighed softly and looked back ahead.

"How long till we're there?"

"About three minutes," Aarons confirmed. "Think you can hold out?"

"Maybe," Toni muttered. "I'll do my best."

"What are you not going to do when you get there?" Toni threw him a look.

"Jaxon-"

"Answer the question, Toni." The SPARTAN woman heaved a long and deep breath, looking up to the sky.

"Kill them,"

"No- I mean. Yes but not specifically," Aarons shook his head. "Please respect the Commander, Antonia. He is a no-bullshit kind of guy. He won't put up with you sassing back at him. And I would much rather not deal with you getting into a physical altercation with the Lieutenant Commander. It'll be hard enough to pull you off as is. I'm nearly half your size. I can't imagine having to push two of you apart."

"You worry too much,"

"You have a bad habit of disrespecting the chain of command. I think this worry is fairly reasonable." He pointed out. Toni rolled her eyes and looked up at the falcons that soared ahead of the warthog. She took a breath to stabilize her nerves- looking down at the visor of her helmet. This was it. Noble Team accepting her as a member- whether they had any say in it or not...well that was up to her own interpretation. Antonia twirled her helmet in her hands, her eyes scaling the rigid back of the helmet. She swallowed- huffed a breath and then pulled it on. She adjusted her breathing to slow and steady, allowing her eyes to focus through the visor. She glanced at her bullet count, grenade count, motion tracker, and her name at the top left corner.

Her SPARTAN number that is.

B-312.

Toni didn't bother to think further on the subject because her eyes locked onto the tall chain-link fence that surrounded a box-like base. Aarons slowed the vehicle as they began their approach to the base. The falcons flew overhead of them, setting down on the far side of the base. The gates of the base were slowly opened. Toni clenched her jaw and watched as the vehicle slowly passed by a small group of troopers being yelled at by their Sergeant. Toni smiled a bit behind her helmet and then looked back ahead as Aarons slowed the vehicle a few feet away from a freshly landed Pelican. She went to stand up when Aarons caught her arm-

"Good luck."

"Thanks, Dad," she snorted. "I'll talk to you later." Toni stepped out of the vehicle and dropped onto the soft dirt. She shook out her legs slightly as she walked. Her eyes skimmed across a bald man in one of the Falcons. He paused and stared back at Toni- shifting sniper bullets into a magazine. Toni didn't linger long and started walking towards the open base. Stepping up the stairs she entered into a small tin box-like base filled with four other SPARTANS. At the far front, a tall man in blue armor. Off to her right, a buffer and older man in an array of orange, red, and green armor. Toni's eyes specifically stared down the man with the skull helmet.

He was sharpening his large kukri knife against his armor plating when he looked up. Toni quickly looked away swiftly.

"And now you're sending us." the man at the front said.

"ONI believes that deployment of a SPARTAN team is a misallocation of valuable resources," Colonel Holland's voice said sternly. "I disagree."

"Typical ONI. Bunch of sketchy bastards anyway," the skull-helmeted man sneered. Toni nodded her head to the side in agreement. She went to step forward and gain the man's attention when a robotic arm flew out in front of her.

"Hey-" she snapped.

"Commander." a woman's voice commented. Toni looked into the woman's face and lifted a brow. She was about the same height as Toni, maybe a little taller. Thin and yet seemingly well built. She seemed like the type of woman who would threaten someone to hit her- only to strike back just as hard.

"So that's our new Noble Six…" he said slowly. "Didn't think anyone survived Pegasi sir."

"SPARTANS never die, Jorge, they're just missing in action." the man in front of the COM terminal said simply.

"Kat. You read her file?" the knife-man asked the woman beside Toni.

"Only the parts that weren't covered in black ink." the woman let her hand fall from in front of Toni, looking the other SPARTAN up and down as though to assess her. Toni remembered Aarons warning to not start a fight with her- though she made it very tempting.

"Which was how much?" the man 'Jorge' asked.

"Everything except her first name,"

"I'm surprised they gave you even that much," Toni spoke up.

"So she does speak." the knife-man chuckled, leaning forward onto a knee.

"Yeah. It's pretty nice. I have a voice." she nodded. Looking back ahead to the man who she could only assume was Commander Carter, she watched him turn his back to her.

"He's usually more approachable," Jorge told her with a firm nod.

"He's busy." Toni countered. There was a light chuckle from the man with a skull helmet.

"You'll see a lot of that around here,"

"I like the art. You do it yourself?" Toni asked him,

"Yes. I'm very proud of it. You like the color red?" He gestured to her. Toni glanced down to her armor and nodded.

"Touche." she glanced back up to the Commander who kept his eyes on the console in front of him. Toni didn't dare try to interrupt and tried to listen in on what was being said, just to get a grasp on the situation at hand. Her eyes flickered to the big man, eyeing her with a careful look. He said nothing and eventually turned his attention to the Commander once again.

"Is there a problem Noble One?" Colonel Holland asked.

"No sir," the Commander said. "Our new recruit just arrived."

"I see…" there was a few seconds of silence, "Give Noble Six my regards." Toni was taken aback by the entire room wincing, besides the Commander. She blinked a few times and squinted at the floor, not bothering to ask any more questions.

"Has anyone claimed responsibility, sir?" he asked the Colonel.

"ONI thinks it might be the local insurrection. Which by all hands is possible in my opinion. Five months ago they pulled a similar job on Harmony. They hit a relay to take out our eyes and ears then stole two freighters from dry-dock. That cannot happen here. Reach is too damn important." the Colonel faded out for a few moments then spoke up again, "I want that Relay back online Noble One."

"Sir. Consider it done."

"Then I'll see you on the other side. Holland out." The Commander turned around, the man with the EVA skull scratched helmet and the taller man both standing in unision, following the woman out of the base.

"Commander sir-"

"Lieutenant," both Toni and her new Commander spoke up. Toni cleared her throat as the Commander gestured for her to speak.

"Commander, sir. Antonia-B312, ready for service. I'd be preferred to be called Six."

"Annie not suffice enough, Red?" the skull helmeted man chuckled.

"No. I usually go by Toni, thanks for the suggestion though." Toni rolled her eyes.

"Why Six?" the Commander asked.

"It's comforting," she responded simply. The Commander glanced at the big man who simply chuckled and nodded.

"If that's what works for you, Six." he nodded to her. He gestured to himself, "I'm Carter. Noble Team's leader. Though I'm told you know that already."

"I like to do my homework, Commander. It pays off to know who you're working for." Six informed him. Carter chuckled slightly and shook his head.

"You won't hear me arguing." he said. "That's Kat, Noble Two. Emile and Jorge- four and five. You saw Jun out in the falcon I'm sure."

"I did."

"Good." Carter said, walking ahead of her. "Can you handle a shotgun Noble Six?" he asked, pulling one off the rack at the edge of the base.

"Yes sir," she caught it as Carter slid on his helmet.

"Even better. You're riding with me Six," he said. Six quickly walked up behind the Commander and managed to keep up with his long paced strides. "I'm not gonna lie to you Lieutenant, you're stepping into some shoes that the rest of the squad would rather leave unfilled. Me, I'm just happy to have Noble back up to full strength. Few things. I read your file. Even the parts the ONI sensors didn't want me to. Glad to have your skill set, but we're a team."

Carter helped the Lieutenant into the falcon. She hunched down slightly and took a seat next to Noble Three. Jun nodded to her as Carter leaned out of the Falcon and swung his hand, signaling for them to take off.

"That lone wolf stuff stays behind. Clear?"

"Got it sir."

"So this is our new Six?" Jun leaned back.

"Yeah," Carter sat down completely in his seat and readjusted the DMR in his right hand to sit comfortably on his leg.

"You picked one hell of a day to join up, I'll tell you that much." Jun chuckled. "Welcome to Reach,"

"Happy to be here. Though, I do wish the clouds weren't so thick. I've been told that on a good day, the sky is stunning."

"It is," Jun assured her. "There have been storms coming in and out of the area. Lucky for you, they usually clear up by night time." Six nodded at his response and sat back in her seat, watching the ground drift away as the falcons soared away from Noble's headquarters. Six listened in on the small conversations that occurred throughout the fly towards Visegrad. Mainly all about some card game that Jorge had won the night before, Emile accusing him of cheating all while Jun laughed at Emile trying to find solid evidence. The team seemed very well put together despite the silence of the Commander and his Lieutenant Commander.

Six didn't know where to input any comments and figured that it may just be best to keep to herself. That is until Emile piped in-

"You played before Red?" he asked.

"Oh," Six looked across the way at the opposite falcon. "No. I never really had the time to learn or understand how to play Poker…" she told him. "I'm pretty good at solitaire though."

"She doesn't know how to play Poker…" Emile echoed. "Jorge, you'll have to teach her." Emile turned his skull faced helmet towards Jorge and hit him shoulder with one hand.

"If she wants. I won't force her into anything just so you can have a reason to beat someone." Jorge chuckled. Six smiled a little but it fell as soon as it appeared when she looked back to the ground below. It was a long way down...she took a breath and shook her head a bit.

"Scared of heights Six?" Carter spoke up.

"No." Six countered. "Not fond of them, but not scared. Looking down and being shocked at how far down you can fall is a pretty average reaction actually."

"You must not fly often," Kat snorted.

"I actually made a habit of not." Six nodded. "It's loud and noisy. Moving on foot is far more efficient. Though sometimes there isn't much of a choice. An example being right now, yeah?"

"Valid," Jun piped in. Six nodded her head to the side and watched the sky once again. The clouds seemed to be getting darker. It made her gut twist in a way she didn't particularly like.

"I know it's not my place to ask these kinds of questions Commander, I just got here but…"

"But?" Carter looked at Six.

"Sir, are we sure this is Insurrection?" she questioned, tilting her head. There was silence between the team- even Emile and Jorge's nagging had ceased.

"Why?"

"It just seems so off putting. I thought the Visegrad area was farming land." Six pointed out.

"It is." Carter nodded. "But it's also a military outpost."

"But why would they want to cut Reach off from the rest of the Colonies? Wouldn't that prevent them from resurfacing on other worlds too?" Jorge questioned.

"I don't know Jorge. You get a chance, you can ask them." Carter told him. Six sat back again and shifted her feet so that her ankles were crossed. The Commander seemed rather fidgety. He better not be one of those leaders who always left the questions she had up for interpretation. It annoyed the hell out of her. Six's eyes rolled over the hills that they began to pass.

" Listen up, Noble Team. We're looking at a downed relay outpost, fifty klicks from Visegrad. We're going to introduce ourselves to whoever took it out, then Kat's going to get it back online."

"Get me under the hood Commander," Kat spoke up.

"I'm beginning to see Six and Jorge's perspective." Jun spoke up. "It does seem odd that the Rebels would do that…"

"They're psychos Jun, does anything they do make sense in twenty-twenty hindsight?" Emile sighed deeply.

"We'll just have to wait and see," Carter started.

"Commander, we just lost our signal to HQ." Six looked over at Kat's falcon and then turned her head back towards Carter.

"Any back ups?" he asked her.

"Searching...nada. Can't say what's jamming us."

"Alright team, you heard her. Dead zone confirmed. Command will not be keeping us Company this trip." Carter told the team.

"I'm lonely already." Emile sighed deeply. Six leaned off to the side slightly, her eyes examining the large twirling turbines they approached. The scenery was beautiful. Very beautiful actually. A part of Six's logic though, told her that something darker was hiding behind the rolling, grass covered hills. She just knew it.