Chapter 1: The Ring

"Chief? Chief can you hear me?" Cortana's voice rang in John's ear as he got to his feet. "At last! Are you alright? Can you move?"

John grabbed his MA5B from the floor of the lifeboat escape pod, beginning to look around at the dead crew.

"The others… the impact." Cortana said, her voice almost expressing emotion, uncommon for an Artificial Intelligence program. "There's nothing we can do."

John exited the crashed lifeboat and surveyed the area. It was similar to the grassy plains on Reach, the occasional tree here and there, but mostly grass. John saw a waterfall at the far end of the plain before looking to his left and realized that this world wasn't completely natural. A bridge linked the plain and a small cliff leading to another plain together, the bridge looking futuristic, but was noticeably old, being covered in rust in some areas, along with the environment connected to it having settled around it. A Covenant "Spirit" dropship flew from the ocean behind the crash site, surveying the area.

"They're looking for-" Cortana started, but the AI was interrupted when something unbelievable happened.

A meteor fell from the sky and crashed through the dropship, causing a bright purple explosion from the middle, where the projectile struck. The dropship fell to the sea, spiralling around in circles all the while. The meteor crashed into the low cliffside, embedding itself into the surface. John rushed to the cliffside attached to the plains, searching the crash site for any Covenant survivors. He mounted the MA5B on his back and grabbed the M6D mounted on his hip, looking down the scope for more precision. Jackals emerged from the wreckage of the dropship, snarling and attempting to get out of the water. Multiple grunts emerged from the wreckage as well, entering the ocean and sinking below the surface, weighed down by their methane tanks. Elite armor was thrown from the inside of the wreckage and the Elites who wore them swam from the wreckage, swimming towards the cliffside. Multiple of the aliens began to climb up the side of the cliff, knowing that they were the only ones who could escape.

"Chief, they're trying to climb up to you!" Cortana told John, who took aim at one of the Elites. "Take them out before they can fight back!"

John shot at the Elite in the lead, killing it after a few missed shots. The other four aliens noticed this and began to maneuver while climbing, the two in the front still getting killed by John. John aimed at the second-to-last Elite, shooting at it with the remaining four bullets in his mag, missing all of them. John ejected the mag and replaced it with another, shooting his previous target before turning his attention to the final Elite. He aimed his M6 at the Elite and fired, killing it and causing the body to fall into the ocean below. He glanced to the side of the other cliff, looking for other Elites, but found something much more surprising.

A muscular man in a derivation of MJOLNIR armor climbed up the side of the cliff, the armor covering his left arm brown, but some of the armor was missing, revealing large biceps. The man wore a helmet with a blue visor, giving John a faint view of his face. There was a circular, red light on the left side of his chestplate, which was attached to orange plating connecting it to the rest of the armor, and a brown lower chestplate, covering his abdomen.

"Who is that?" John asked, finally speaking after the crash.

"I don't know." Cortana answered as John placed his M6 on his hip and grabbed his MA5B from his back. "I can't find any data on him."

The Spartan reached the top of the cliff and pulled himself onto the surface of the hills across from the plains where John was standing.

"Patch me through." John told Cortana, who quickly patched him through. "Sierra 117 to Spartan. Who are you?"

The Spartan turned towards John, receiving his communication, but did not respond. He hit his helmet with his right fist, trying to sever the connection, but it was severed by something different. John rushed after the Spartan as they sprinted up the hills towards the small plain at the top. He crossed the bridge and rushed up the hills, MA5B at the ready. He heard gunfire.

John reached the plain at the top to find Covenant reinforcements engaged in battle with the Spartan, who John now realized possessed a blade mounted on the underside of his left arm. The Spartan swung the blade through an Elite's torso, breaking its shields and cutting it in half in the same swing. The surrounding Grunts ran away, screaming, only to be gunned down by the Spartan with a pale red, slightly slow firing, automatic rifle with a scope attached. John lowered his Assault Rifle as the Spartan finished killing all of the Grunts and turning around to face John, who again was patched through to them.

"I understand that you won't tell me who you are, but it would be best for both of us if we work together." John told the Spartan, the two locking eyes.

There was silence between the two for multiple seconds before the Spartan approached John and reached out to shake his hand. John shook it before stepping away and drawing his MA5B.

"Flynn." A robotic voice said over the comm. "My name is Flynn Taggart."

John was confused. No Spartan that he knew of had a last name, only a number. A Spirit dropship flew over the two and over the rock walls surrounding the plain. John heard fire from MA5Bs and M6Ds as the Spirit descended behind the rock walls, and he knew what he had to do next. Taggart heard the gunfire too, causing him to raise his rifle and cock it, making a satisfying clicking sound. He was ready for a fight.