Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Halo Universe and all the Halo franchise is property of 343 industries. I take credit only for my own ideas that I bring to life in this story. This story is simply for entertainment purposes of the FanFiction audience.

Disclaimer: I do not own the cover image for this story. I have been granted permission to use it and this permission does not go to anyone else unless you contact the artist and speak to them yourselves. You'll find their Instagram name at the bottom of the chapter.

Side note: Some of the details in this story may sound as though they are my own however, they are only documented in the books and extended lore of the Halo universe. For example, Kelly and Fred were indeed on Reach with Dr. Halsey as well some other Spartans, but I don't know if Jun was there. If there is something that you notice such as a mistake in spelling or maybe something that doesn't belong in the story for reasons other than my own implementation then do not hesitate to contact and correct me.

"Commander we must leave now! The Covenant is glassing the planet and we cannot afford to wait any longer." A young man exclaimed he was visibly shaken up and it was not hard to guess why, what with the events of the past month. He stood tall however, refusing to let his fear consume him. He wore the standard crewman uniform of the UNSC Navy however, the badges on the left side of his chest indicated he was of the rank Lieutenant Commander, the first officer to the Commander themselves. "Calm yourself Lieutenant Commander. I gave my word to Spartan A-266 that we would be here when he returns, and before you say it, he will return. I saw the look in his eyes, he will return." The young man stood silent as his Commander gave his orders, they were to wait while their impending doom closed in around them, and for what? Two suicidal Spartans who bit off more than they could chew.

The young Lieutenant Commander was about to speak up again when suddenly the comms blurted to life as a heavy accented voice broke through. "Spartan A-266 to Command, come in Command do you read me?" He sounded tired and desperate, what had happened down there? Was he about to call for help that would never come? Surely, he knew this. "We read you Spartan. What's your situation?" the Commander broke the silence as everyone awaited the reply that would determine whether or not they were going to leave these men to die alone…

"Commander we are receiving heavy fire, but we are en route to the frigate. Three Banshees are on our tail and we have lost one of our turrets entirely, the Pilot has been shot through the chest and he's barely hanging on by a thread. Requesting air-support, over!" and there it was the moment of relief that washed over everyone as they realised, they no longer had to make such a daunting choice. And a few even rejoiced as the Commander relayed the order to send out a two Falcons in support. Then the Commander looked over to the young man and realising his outburst was purely out of fear for his and his fellow soldiers lives he gave a nod of acknowledgement.

Jun aimed his sniper out of the right side of the Falcon to act as a replacement of the lost turret as the marine who had formerly manned it kept some pressure on a wound he had received. The three banshees in pursuit of them were relentlessly firing at them, driven purely on their determination to kill the Demon who had shattered their forces many times over in this month-long war. Taking two quick shots, Jun managed to knock out one of the support fins of the middle Banshee in their arrow formation, sending it spinning to the ground so far below. "Spartan, he's dying! We need to get him back now!" one of the two medics screamed out as Jun leaned back against his seat as he looked down to Noble Six, his friend, his brother in blood sweat and tears.

Suddenly, as Jun had turned to return fire again both Banshees were blown out of the sky and as Jun looked behind him, he saw two more Falcons that had arrived just in the nick of time. Now, they just had to get back in time. Looking to Six once more, Jun kneeled next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Just a little longer Spartan, just a little longer."

Six felt light, lighter than he had ever felt in his entire life, as though he was floating in pure peace. There was no gunfire, no blood on his hands, no dead friends to be found. Just a peaceful silence as he floated in this empty space. But where was he? Was he dead? It was after the suicide mission he took upon himself. And yet, something tugged at the back of his mind, refusing the thought that he was dead. If he had died then how come he still felt as though he could move, as though he could open his eyes and stand up.

Where was he?

Jun walked the corridors of the frigate as it sped through the sky to reach a hidden outpost that held some survivors. The original plan was to rendezvous with the Pillar of Autumn and escape the planet since the frigates own slip space drive had been damaged. However, after it had jumped through slip space there was no hope of achieving that plan and so a secondary plan had to be put into action; the frigate would land and hide at an unknown outpost on the planet Reach and hope that they could survive the glassing. "This is a nightmare" Jun sighed

Entering the med-bay of the frigate Jun took in the sight of Noble Six's chest slowly rising and falling, he had never seen the man so at peace. Moving to his friends' side, Jun took note of the many injuries that he could not previously see due to Six being in his armour. His arms were bruised to all hell and his left shoulder had been fractured and pulled out of place. The tendons in his right calf had torn leaving him immobile until they could be repaired. Jun stopped in his train of thought to focus on that word 'repaired'. That is how the medics had referred to healing Six, as though he was just a machine to be fixed and put back into duty. Shaking his head and continuing to recall Six's numerous injuries he was once again pulled from his thoughts.

Six shot his eyes open and within seconds reacted to the presence beside him as he grabbed the figure by its throat. Pulling it down, Six angrily glared into the eyes of his enemy until he noticed something… Its eyes were human and strangely familiar. "Jun?" the sudden question caused Jun to ease himself as he gently pulled his friends' hand away and smiled equally as gently at the weary man. "Hello my friend." Six laid back onto the bed as the many wires and tubes stuck in his body moved with him; it had surprised Jun how six was still alive after losing so much blood… always was a persistent bastard.

Looking around Six took note of the overly white walls and the OCD cleanliness of the room leading him to the obvious conclusion that he was in some form of medical room. It was bright, annoyingly so at that. Yet all of this was a minor detail compared to what he had first taken note of after coming to his senses: His armour was gone. That oddly comforting weight that had sat on his shoulders for a month straight was gone and it left him feeling vulnerable. Jun must have noticed this as he nudged him lightly to take his mind from overthinking too much. "You'll get your armour back six. Afterall, what's a Spartan without his trustworthy protective shell."

Six looked at his friend and without knowing it a single tear fell and dripped on his open hand causing it to twitch slightly at the sudden contact. "They're gone Jun. They're gone and I couldn't save either of them." Six recalled the way his team had died, the way they had their loves stolen from them when they were so close to the end. "How did it happen?" Jun asked quietly as he looked down at his feet in a silent prayer for his fallen brothers. "We were trapped, me and Emile. This Scarab had come out of nowhere and before we could even think of a way to escape the Commander sacrificed himself. He went out with courage. Emile too. Some Elites had gotten to him as I was delivering the package to Captain Keyes, there was nothing I could do but watch." Jun listened intensely as Six recalled their deaths only to be taken aback by Six chuckling to himself. "He went out like the hard bastard he was. He took an energy sword through his chest and without a second thought he pulls himself off it and says, "I'm ready, how about you?" such a fool."

Jun nodded as Six once more fell silent before they were interrupted by a marine who informed them both that they were arriving at the outpost. Six was visibly confused by this and now it was Jun's turn to chuckle at the sight of his friend so evidently frowning.

The frigate landed at the outpost. Jun had taken a Falcon a little earlier to arrive at the outpost just before the frigate. He was doing this for two reasons: the first reason was to alert Halsey that the package had been safely escorted off the planet and was now safe with the UNSC Pillar of Autumn. The Second reason, however, was to give the medical staff at the outpost some time to prepare procedures for the mortally wounded Spartan aboard the incoming frigate. What Jun had not expected to find upon arriving at the outpost was a squad of Spartan ll's more specifically the remaining survivors or red team: Fredrick, S-104 and Kelly, S-087 as well as numerous other Spartans. Before any questions could be asked though, another figure emerged, revealing the all too recognisable Dr. Halsey.

"Ma'am." Jun have a quick nod of acknowledgement. "We recovered the frigate and most of its crew and on-board personnel. We also picked up Spartan B-312 as he was engaging enemy forces, but he is heavily injured, and I feel he will need intensive medical care using resources from both the frigate and the outpost." Halsey looked at the Spartan lll something she was initially shocked at once she had had learnt the truth that Noble team was not just a special team and was in fact part of a larger project for many, many more Spartan lll's. He was not like her Spartans; he wasn't as tall or as well built, and his augmentations weren't as extensive as the Spartan ll's. But, he was still a Spartan. Still a super-soldier in his own right, and that was what Halsey saw when she looked at him: A warrior, a human warrior who would still give his life for humanity.

"Yes well, he is a good man from what I could tell, we'd be lucky to have such a soldier with us and I will do all I can to help in guiding his recovery. As for the new arrivals, these, as you already know, are some of the Spartan ll's their squad leaders Fred and Kelly. They'll be trapped here with the rest of us for the time being." Jun looked to his predecessors and held out his hand respectfully as he nodded to each of them. "Nice to meet you Jun, hope we get along." Kelly spoke up "Yeah hopefully we can share stories when we've got some time." Fred added as he joked with the Spartan lll.

Before any more jokes and greetings could be made, the three Spartans and Halsey took notice of the huge man being reeled over in a medical bed as some liquids and blood bags hung at the bed still supporting the Spartan, stopping him from dying. Fred and Kelly were the ones most intrigued however, as the sight of him alone reminded them of their friend, their brother John. He was barely awake and yet they could see the resilience, the determination to survive. His eyes held that same dim light that could be briefly seen in John's own eyes sometimes. And they watched him closely even as he was reeled away at a quickening pace towards the outpost for more medical attention.

"His armour, requires some attention and whilst I know there isn't much you can do for it, I was hoping there might be a few things you could maybe take a look at since it will be his only form of defence while we are here." Halsey turned back to Jun and nodded quickly before suddenly pacing away from the group of Spartans, leaving them to engage themselves in helping the marines unload some resources into the outpost.

"Cortana, all I need to know is did we lose them?" Captain Keyes asked tiredly as he looked at the many console screens in front of him whilst simultaneously keeping an eye on the space ahead of the ship. "I think we both know the answer to that." Cortana briefly and bluntly replied as she continued to run her many calculations on the ship and whatever else it was, she was occupying her complex database with. However, it seemed the galaxy wanted her mind on something else instead, as the Master Chief walked onto the bridge and saluting respectfully yet briefly at the Captain before turning to look at Cortana, giving her a brief nod and turning his gaze once again to the Captain.

"Sir, Spartan Linda is safely secured in her Cryo-pod and should remain there until we can get her some emergency medical attention." Captain Keyes looked to Chief in understanding before Cortana startled him. "Captain it would seem we were correct in assuming the Covenant had beat us here. They were waiting for us on the far side of the planet and are already assembling groups to engage us with at least three capital ships per group." The Captain only sighed heavily at the half expected, half unexpected news before setting his gaze straight and narrow as he turned to give his next instructions. "Cortana set the ship back into Combat level: Alpha. I want everyone in Combat stations." "Everyone sir?" Cortana questioned as she subtly glanced over to the Chief which he did catch but decided against bringing it up. "Everyone. Chief I can assume you are combat ready?" John looked between the two before nodding silently and leaving the bridge to head for the armoury.

It was chaos on the ship, not only had the covenant managed to drop the shields incredibly fast, they had also managed to take out the internal defensive systems within the first few minutes of boarding the ship, this meant the only defences on the ship were whatever force the marines could sum up from their own individual efforts. But then again, isn't that what soldiers do. Running past a group of marines the Master Chief was suddenly blown back by a huge explosion coming from the armoury sending him into one of the walls, denting it and destroying some internal wires in the process. A marine noticed this and after ordering his squad to steadily pull back he ran over to the Chief. "Sir! Are you good?" he was young, and the younger you are the more ambition you had. Ambition was dangerous as a soldier these days. But he was also determined that much was obvious from the way he held fast and fought back even against overwhelming odds, something John could relate to very much.

Standing up the Chief took the magnum pistol being handed to him and, after checking the magazine and cocking the gun, joined the marines in their fight against the covenant. John hated this feeling; war was never something he had ever had many opinions about as it was really all he had ever known since he was six years old. But shooting, the feeling of consistent chaos and destruction all around was something John had always hated, ever since he fired his first gun. It wasn't the blood that would pour out of his enemies, or the fire that came from the mini explosion of the gun shooting. No, it was the loud sounds that John hated. The sounds that came from battle, the sounds of screams and shouts that came from both ally and enemy, the sounds of explosions and crashing structures. All John wanted was peace, but he also wanted to save people even if they meant nothing to him personally, and that feeling outweighed the feeling of his hate.

After dropping a few grunts from well-placed headshots, John ran left into a thinner corridor that housed a few Jackals and with some quick calculation and a little help from his visor, he feigned a step right and instead dove into a roll left, coming to a steady stop behind the three Jackals and shot two in the back before swiping the third at the legs and crushing its head with his boot. The covenant was getting smarter and each battle only improved their tactics: six years ago the covenant would've simply bombed the ship to pieces however, history had taught them to infiltrate ships and bases to gather as much intel as possible. It was damn right annoying how intelligent they were, but as a soldier it was also respectable to John that they adapted and fought back with conviction even if he vowed to destroy them. Continuing down the corridor John took note of the lights turning off even before they had fully switched off, he never did get the full rundown of what his augmentations did to him, it was moments like these that convinced him he didn't want to know.

Arriving on the other side of the corridor John swept the oddly quiet and empty room for hostiles and even after his radar showed none in the area he still kept his guard up, his first fight with the covenant had taught him many things, caution however, was something that was drilled into his head. John stopped moving and slowly lowered his gun to waist height before bending and turning into his left side narrowly dodging the energy sword that flew past his head as he simultaneously swung his MA37 rifle into the side of the enemy behind him revealing a sea blue coloured Elite. Roaring in pain, the Elite backhanded him which only served to knock the Chief's head back slightly and using the momentum, John spun himself around ending on the Elites wide open side as he took out his M11 combat knife and ran it deep into the Elite's ribcage whilst grabbing it by the neck and dragging it to the ground, and as he tussled with the 7 ft alien the Chief took quick action and ended the brawl by snapping its neck.

"Chief this is Keyes! Get to the bridge now!" Johns comms blurted as he stood and sheathed his knife before picking up his rifle. If Keyes wanted him on the bridge then odds are this ship was utterly lost, which only meant one thing. Abandon ship.

Chief ran onto the bridge and was immediately engaged by an enraged Elite as it swung for his head before being killed from behind by three marines as they then killed off a few more Grunts, finishing the small skirmish. Chief lowered his weapon but kept his guard up as he approached the Captain and a waiting Cortana, she was something he was entranced by and for the life of him he couldn't figure out why. "Chief, I'm glad you're here. The ship isn't going to take much more of this and we now know that the Covenant are here after Cortana. They had tried capturing her back on Reach but were obviously unsuccessful. Now, take her with you, your suit is deliberately designed for A.I. accompaniment. Take her an get yourself to a pod, and don't worry about Linda we ejected her cryopod into space earlier on. She's cloaked and has a tracker on her so she will be fine until she is picked up." Chief didn't like the idea of Linda being alone in space, even more so since she was in cryosleep, but she was safer like that and so, rolling his neck and shoulders he took Cortana's A.I. chip and clipped it into the slot on the back of his helmet. "Hmmmm, your suit structure isn't that much different from the Autumns." "Don't get any funny ideas."

Arriving at the escape pods Chief took some time to cover some Marines and a few of the surviving crew as they all loaded into their respectable pods. The Covenant were becoming desperate as their chance at grabbing Cortana was coming to a fast end. After dropping an Elite and its supporting Grunts the chief lobbed a grenade at another group of enemies before backing up into the last pod left. "Damn I'm gonna die here!" a marine sobbed out as he tripped and fell. Chief shook his head at the cowardice of would be soldier and grabbed him before chucking him into the pod with little ease as he too entered. "Punch it!" the Chief ordered as the pilot of the pod flipped a few switched before launching them from the ship and down toward the ringed structure that the Autumn had stumbled upon. "Look!" Cortana exclaimed as the Chief moved over to the front of the pod getting a literal front row look at the ringed structure. "The Autumns been hit!" a marine screamed as every took notice of the Autumn in all its burning glory shooting past them at full speed towards the ring as well. "I knew it Keyes is going in manual. Are you sure you don't want to take a seat?" Chief smiled at himself as she asked him that, maybe he could get used to her being in his head. "We'll be fine." He replied bluntly not giving away a single tint of humour in his voice as they descended faster and faster towards the surface of the ring.

"If I still had fingers, they'd be crossed."

Authors note: Hello there. I hope you enjoyed the second chapter of this story, it takes me a few days to write these chapters and after posting every chapter I do tend to take a few days break away from writing so those two things combined I should update either every week or just after a weeks' time. I also would like to thank all those who have read, followed, and favourited the story. To those who have favourited and followed I hope you are enjoying this story and if you could take a moment of your time to maybe leave a review for me that would be great as even if it's criticism it just lets me know that people genuinely are taking the story into account and your thoughts are always welcome.

With that out the way i again hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I shall try to get the next chapter up within a week. Til' then, Spartans.

Cover Artist: Instagram - anjum_faiz please make sure to give them a follow. They are incredibly nice and have some beautiful art on their page.