Chapter 4

When dawn came the planet didn't look much different from when it had been night. Chris went to find Fred and Linda. Maybe he could have a decent conversation with one of them. Chris passed John's resting place as he walked around the camps. He considered waking John but decided against it. Another argument would achieve nothing, except more injures. He found Kelly in the makeshift training area that the marines had put up. He watched he for a small time, and he was surprised when he saw her using all her speed to attack the targets flashing up for a second or two before disappearing. He left without saying anything to her. He didn't know why but he felt that intrude at that point would've been very wrong. He found Fred in the main ship. He wasn't doing much just standing there. He had removed his helmet and had his eyes closed though he was facing the Earth.

"Earth, you haven't seen it in ages have you?" Chris asked.

"No, very few of us remember it at all. Not the space view mind you, I mean actually being on it. Walking on the streets like a normal person without everyone staring at you. Could you honestly go back to life before here? With nothing to kill, nothing to kill you. Just living?"

"No, I wasn't one of the chosen 200 but I have become a man of war. The marines here, they still can laugh, make jokes they get to go home and if they get through all of this war they get pensions and everything. At least in my time they would. But what about us? The Spartans I mean. You were all brought up for war."

"We John, myself, Linda, Kelly and you, will do whatever we have to. That is what we always do."

"And after the war?" Chris asked.

"I don't know." Fred answered.

"What happened back on that planet?"

"We were overrun. John said that he wouldn't give up the planet without a fight. It's supposedly the home of his family. Yes he has one, we all do somewhere."

"Family," The word didn't come easily, after all Chris's family would've been long dead in this time and could he ever get back there? "How old are you guys?"

"Younger than we look, I am in my mid twenties I think. John is in his twenties. Linda and Kelly are in their very early twenties. I actually think Kelly just turned 21 not too long ago." Said Fred. They were all young men, not even 30 yet and they dealt with more hell then anyone should have to deal with. Chris left bidding Fred farewell and went to find Linda. He found her in the sniper field. She really was a fine shot with the rifle. Only in her early twenties. Amazing. He didn't remember the books discussing ages but he'd thought of John in his early thirties at the youngest. Had Chris altered the timeline by coming here? Or had this been going to happen anyway? Chris was deeply confused. He walked up to Linda and tapped her on the shoulder. She lowered her rifle and looked at him before taking off her helmet.

"You were right." She said.

"I was lucky." Said Chris.

"I don't know why I followed John down to the planet. I've always trusted him for some reason."

"He's a good leader. You should follow him." Said Chris.

"This coming from the man who tried to kill him last night." Smirked Linda.

"Shut up." Chris said forcing a small laugh. They talked a bit and Linda helped Chris learn to shoot a sniper rifle well and he became quite good at it though he wasn't ever going to be as fast or as good at her. Later Chris left thanking Linda for the lessons and he went back to the training area seeing Kelly leaving it.

"Kelly!" Chris called out. She turned and looked at him, she had taken off her armor, Chris had never seen it done, but he remembered a part of the Halo books saying that John had reported the bridge without armor so they had to be able to take it off.

"I like to train without my armor, it limits my range of motion and I get more of a workout in training. It still helps in battle you can't push yourself farther than you can go you know."

"Yeah I suppose that's true. Listen I think we need to try and make contact with Earth. After all that's why we're even here, so might as well check up on it." Kelly agreed with him and both headed over to the marine's communication center and sent a call to Earth. They got a quick response.

"Human demon! We have overtaken your planet." It was an Elite's voice. Chris looked to Earth and saw a large ship dropping shipments of plasma weapons.

"Those Elite bastards!" Chris shouted angrily. He ran quick yelling for the marines to wake up and climb in the main ship.

"We're heading for Earth!" Shouted Chris.

"Marines when you get there I want you to start shooting down anything that is an enemy, if it's dead shoot it's body, drive the sick faces into the dirt make them regret ever coming to earth. Is that clear?" John asked.

"SIR YES SIR!" Came the cry from the marines. Chris reloaded his shotgun and grabbed up his assault rifle. John grabbed an assault rifle and a sniper rifle. Linda grabbed her sniper rifle and a pistol. Fred had dual SMGs and an assault rifle. Kelly had dual pistols and a sniper rifle.

Every Spartan and Orbital Shock Trooper or hell-jumper climbed into a drop pod and launched off. The second Chris's pod landed he kicked the door open and shot down an Elite and two Grunts that had been stupid enough to run towards the pods. Chris then ran on ahead to hunt the Elites and Grunts bound to be back in the wood that they had landed near.

"BLUE-2 WAIT!" Called John, but Chris didn't listen he ran headfirst into the wood and assassinated two guard Grunts before shooting two Elites. He reloaded his shotgun and pulled out his assault rifle the bullets cut into the flesh easy. Just like cutting butter with a hot knife. Chris smiled and stuffed the barrel of his shotgun into and Elite's mouth before pulling the trigger. Holding his shotgun in his right hand and the assault rifle in the left Chris charged the elites using his foot and knee to cock the shotgun and often scraping the guns against his waist to reload.

"MOVE!" Chris shouted hearing the marines land not too far away. Their weapons cracked and Several of the Elites fell. Chris turned his attention to the grunts who were trying to flee. He shouldered his shotgun and let his four frag grenades fly. The bodies flew everywhere. Chris ran onward again and reloaded the rifle. Elites tired to stop him and were killed. A few that managed to get past him out of the hundred or so that were there were killed by the marines or spartans. Chris then swapped his weapons and let the shotgun join the cracking of all the assault rifles, pistols, sniper rifles, and frag grenades. Chris yelled bashing and Elite's eye out and plunged his hand down and Elite's neck before and yanked out it's vocal cords causing it to die painfully. Chris, John, Fred, Kelly and Linda shot their way up to a small city.

"Freeze!" The command didn't come from a human mouth but both men and Eiltes froze. Chris turned to face the Elite then pointed the assault rifle at the approaching Arbiter.

"Arbiter!" Said two Elites.

"The next Elite to harm one of the humans falls to my blade!" The Elites looked scared and angry and confused but backed off. Chris walked up to the Arbiter.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"The great ones all lied to us. We felt it but now we do nothing about it. Halo is a weapon that would destroy this universe." Said the Arbiter, ignoring Chris. He then pointed to the main group of Marines and two Elites sent Johnson and Commander Keys to the group.

"The Brutes and Flood are our enemies. We need not fight." Said John to the Arbiter.

"Now he listens to me." Muttered Chris. An agreement was made. The Elites turned Earth back over to the humans and an alliance was formed, though neither side really became friends. Each stayed in there own groups, their own ships and attack groups stayed the same but neither killed each other anymore. The Elites were really far more brilliant then Chris had given them credit for. They worked hard and made fine strike groups and attacked quickly without mercy. The next week a large Brute group had come within their group's area on the rock planet. Chris picked his shotgun and grabbed some plasma grenades. Although Chris disliked the aliens he liked their weapons. He saw the Brute Chief ordering the others around. He brought Linda and two commander Elites with energy swords to help him kill the brutes.

"Kill the chief." He told Linda.

"If you want I can get his guard too, if you want."

"That'd be great, wait for my mark though." Then Chris looked at the Elites.

"We follow your orders, secluded killer." Said the Elites.

"What does that mean?" Asked Chris.

"You hide on this planet to escape from the war, yet we know with your power you could practically win the war yourself. That is why we don you with that name. It is an insult and a compliment."

"Ok... Moving one Linda's attack with flush out the Brutes and they'll come running at us, kill them all."

"Yes secluded killer."

"I am not getting used to that. Mark." Whispered Chris. Linda fired the rifle twice in quick succession and both Guard and commander fell to the ground dead. The Brutes did just what Chris planned to do and ran right at them. Two grenades landed on one brute and blew two brutes up. The Elites jumped forward and killed two apiece quickly. Chris shot down three of the brutes. He then looked and called for Linda to stop the two farthest beasts trying to make a run for it. Linda obeyed and Chris saw the two distant animals fall. There were merely four brutes left. The Elites worked together to take out one and Chris put a plasma grenade on one and shot down another. Linda took care of the last one.

"Come on, the others will want to hear about this. Not hurt are you?" The Elites both shook their heads no.