Space.
The Final Frontier.
The one thing in life we can study, observe and experiment with, and yet come no closer to understanding any of its secrets.
The one thing we will never be able to fully comprehend.
And yet…
That doesn't stop us from wanting to try.
"COMMANDER URARAKA!"
Uraraka turned away from the window to the door, a soldier standing at attention.
"At ease ensign." Uraraka stated with a smile.
"Yes ma'am!" The soldier relaxed his shoulders. "Captain Aizawa requests your presence on the bridge!"
Uraraka sighed. "Thank you, dismissed."
"Ma'am!"
He saluted and left, leaving a chuckling Uraraka grabbing her helmet as she left for the bridge.
I don't even want to know what I was like at that stage.
She entered the turbo lift and watched as the ship passed by her, a giddy smile etched onto her face.
It had been 6 months since she had been assigned to the Infinity and she still was like a kid in a candy shop.
The Infinity was the most advanced ship designed. Its design was a clear homage to the Forerunner technology that helped create it. Its sleek and study interior was matched only by its exterior. It was like looking into the future.
A future she was helping to keep safe.
The opening of the turbo lift door brought her to the bridge. She entered the bridge and made her way to her captain.
"Commander Uraraka." A tired voice sighed.
Uraraka giggled. "Sensei."
Aizawa huffed and sipped his coffee while he monitored the screen. "I thought I told you to refer to me by my rank."
"You did." Uraraka chirped before imitating his typical pose and voice. "But you also said, 'I will always be your teacher, and you my student.'"
Aizawa groaned and rubbed his eyes. "We are approaching the planet."
Uraraka looked at her captain with worry. "What?"
Aizawa turned to the nearby console and motioned at it. "We've been picking up some strange readings. Higher ups want us to take a look at it."
Uraraka approached the console and studied the monitor.
"This is a shield planet?"
"Yes. One of the Forerunners 'special worlds.'" Aizawa grumbled.
Uraraka shivered under her armor at the mention of the Forerunners.
"The last time we had mention of anything related to them, we almost lost the galaxy, and now, almost twenty years later, something of theirs goes awry." Aizawa said with clenched teeth.
Uraraka stared at the oncoming planet, her eyes filled with worry, but a small sliver of intrigue.
She turned back to her captain, her eyes full of questions and her voice shaky. "You…you were at the battle. The battle of Installation 00."
Aizawa turned to her, his eyes full of sadness. "Yes. I was there."
Uraraka fidgeted her fingers. "Y-You knew him."
"Yes, everyone knew the Master Chief."
He was the one that every person in the galaxy knew of. The one that every soldier wanted to be, the one that every Spartan wanted to emulate.
He might possibly be the greatest soldier to have ever lived.
And he was most certainly the greatest hero in the galaxy.
Uraraka shook her head. "No, you KNEW him. I have seen the pictures of your squad from the war."
Aizawa sighed before walking up to the glass and leaned against it as he studied the planet below.
"What do you know of the Master Chief Commander?"
Her eyes widened as she thought over his question.
"He was brave. "He was a light to everyone around him. He cared for others, and he was a leader on the battlefield. He inspired his comrades, and even his enemies. Everyone respected the Master Chief." She declared.
Uraraka was taken by surprise when Aizawa gave a short chuckle.
"I met him shortly after initiation day. Everyone else in our squad I knew from the academy. We had forged bonds through years of training, except him."
A small smile graced Aizawa's face, catching Uraraka off guard.
"We had no idea what to think of him. He was quiet, only speaking when necessary. I was unsure of him, until our first battle. The way he fought; we had no worries that he was a Spartan after that. But that is not the only part of the Master Chief."
Uraraka looked at him with newfound curiosity. "He didn't attend U.A.?"
Aizawa shook his head. "He was trained at Reach."
Uraraka's eyes shot open and her mouth dropped. "R-Reach? As in where All Might was?!"
Aizawa grumbled at the mention of All Might. "The one and only."
Before Uraraka could ask more questions the ship suddenly shook and groaned.
"STATUS REPORT!" Aizawa yelled as he gripped onto the ledge.
"It's the planet! We are being sucked in by a gravity well!" The helmsmen replied.
The ship continued to groan and shake as it was pulled into the planet. "CAN YOU PULL US OUT!" Aizawa yelled.
"NEGATIVE!"
"BRACE FOR IMPACT!" Aizawa yelled.
The last thing Uraraka saw was the ship slamming into the ground.
"URARAKA! OVER HERE!"
Uraraka turned and smiled as she saw her closest friend Asui waving at her.
"Hey Tsu!"
She joined Asui and a few of her friends.
"Uraraka!" Iida exclaimed.
"Hi Iida."
The two hugged briefly before sitting.
"This is where we are supposed to sit?"
Asui nodded. "They want all of our class to sit together. Makes it easier when they call us up."
The rest of their class joined them, some more excited than others.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" Kirishima hollered, only to be shushed by those around him. "We are actually graduating! We get to become spartans!"
"Keep it down Shima!" Mina huffed.
"Yeah man!" Kaminari sighed. "Last thing we want is to get in trouble on graduation day!"
"SHUT THE F*CK UP YOU STUPID EXTRAS!" Bakugou whisper yelled.
"We are starting!" Yaoyorozu chided as she slipped her hand into Todoroki's hand.
Everyone quieted as the ceremony began.
"Look!" Mina whispered.
Walking up to the stage were the UNSC Security council, the leadership of the Navy.
"It's your dad, Todoroki!" Kirishima whispered.
Todoroki pursed his lips as the Fleet Admiral walked up to his seat with the remaining security council members.
"Endeavor." Todoroki whispered.
Endeavor turned to his son and gave him a small smile as a small rodent walked up to the podium.
"Welcome everyone! If you would all stand and give a round of applause for the Commander in Chief!"
A gasp broke through the crowd as a blonde-haired skeletal man approached the podium.
"ALL MIGHT!" Several classmates whispered as everyone stood and applauded.
Toshinori approached the podium and gave everyone present a large smile.
"Thank you all! I am honored to be with you here today. Please be seated."
Toshinori waited until everyone was seated before speaking.
"Today is a sacred day, as it has been for the past twenty-five years. We have many who enter this academy, but few that leave as Spartans."
He turned and pointed at 1A.
"You all have worked hard, have gone above and beyond to be here today. I am honored to call you my brothers and sisters in arms."
His smile faltered a bit before he spoke again.
"This ceremony is vastly different than it was twenty-five years ago. The world, no, the galaxy has been transformed in ways none of us could have possibly imagined. And it is now up to you to keep that peace. To protect his galaxy. But first, I have a very special visitor to give some words to our graduates."
A gasp broke through the crowd as a figure approached the podium, his golden armor shining against the sunlight.
"Please welcome Thel 'Vadam, the Arbiter ."
(I can't properly describe his design, so I will leave a link to his wiki article with his physical description.)_
The Sangheili soldier approached the podium and shook Toshinori's hand before speaking.
"I do not come to earth often," His deep booming voice spoke. "But in light of what anniversary it is I made an exception." The Sangheli spoke in a deep booming voice with his quadruple split jaw.
"There are those who said this day would never come. What are they to say now..." The Arbiter spoke solemnly.
"When I first heard of the Spartans, I laughed. I never considered what they were capable of, that they were nothing more than fodder that stood in the way of the prophets will. That is, until I met him."
The Arbiter smiled and gave a low chuckle. "After that, I knew just what a Spartan was. I knew that only a fool would dare underestimate what you were capable of. He was the first human I ever met who I had genuine respect for, and the only one I ever dare call my brother."
He turned to the graduates. "His sacrifice was a testament to what every Spartan is to be, and what each of you should hold your brothers and sisters in arms to. You all have a tremendous legacy to live up to, a tremendous burden to uphold. Do it well, like he would do. Thank you."
The arbiter stepped away from the podium before Toshinori spoke.
And now, we are going to give respect to the man who made that change happen."
"ATTENTION!"
1A stood at attention.
"FACE RIGHT!"
They turned to their right and looked at the massive statue in the nearby courtyard.
"SALUTE!"
1A saluted towards the statue of the Master Chief.
Ochaco felt something shift in her when she stared at the statue, her eyes drawn toward the helmet.
Thank you.
"..aka! Uraraka!"
Ochaco groaned as her head throbbed.
"Ochaco!"
Ochaco opened her eyes to see the worried eyes of her captain.
"Are you alright?" He asked brokenly.
Ochaco groaned "Y-Yes sir."
He held out his hand which she took. He helped her to her feet and they looked at the state of the ship.
"Damage report?" Aizawa barked.
"Minor interior damage and some external damage, nothing too serious." A helmsman replied.
"Can we get airborne?"
"Negative sir. It seems we are still being held down by the gravity well."
"F*ck!" Aizawa cursed under his breath.
He turned to Ochaco. "I need you to assemble a scout team. We need to find out what grabbed us and why, take whatever you need."
Ochaco nodded and saluted. "Yes sir."
She grabbed her fallen helmet and ran down to the cargo bay.
"Listen up!" She declared to the security team. "We are loading up for a recognizance and surveillance mission!"
"Gonna find out what hit us?" An officer asked.
"That's the plan. We're taking five Pelicans, load up three Scorpion, eight Warthogs and whatever weapons you need in case we run into what hit us." Ochaco declared.
"YES MA'AM!" The officers replied with a salute.
Ochaco pressed a few buttons on her communicator while they assembled the gear.
"Captain, I have them assembling the gear, we should be ready to head out in a few minutes."
"Good, make sure to stay in constant contact. There is something strange going on."
Ochaco pursed her lips. "Yes sir."
They were ready to leave a few minutes later and boarded the Pelicans.
"This is Gold Leader, is everyone ready?" Ochaco asked.
The four other Pelicans replied enthusiastically. "AFFIRMATIVE!"
Ochaco smiled. "Let's roll out!"
The bay doors opened up and the Pelicans exited the infinity.
As they flew, new worry entered Ochaco.
What group has the technology to pull the infinity onto a planet? What do they want?
"Commander! We are approaching the source of the disturbance!"
A sudden surge shot through the air and hit the pelicans.
"Losing power, can't keep up!"
Ochaco gripped the railing. "Can you land us?!"
"I THINK SO!"
Ochaco put on her helmet and sent a communication to the Pelicans.
"BRACE FOR IMPACT!"
The Pelicans crashed into the ground but were able to minimize the damage.
Uraraka stood to her feet. "Status report?"
"We've crashed in a desert and jungle area. Looks like the engines are shot."
"What about the other Pelican crews?"
"The other crews are checking in, it seems we are all alive."
Uraraka gave a sigh of relief and tested her comms.
"Captain Aizawa? Can you hear me?"
"Loud and clear, what happened?"
"The Pelicans were hit out of the air by a disruption. We are going to see if they can be repaired."
"Negative. We don't have time for that. Finding what hit us is the priority. More Pelicans can be deployed. Take your team and find what hit us."
"Understood. Uraraka out."
Ochaco turned to her team. "LISTEN UP PEOPLE! We are going to find the people who attacked us! Grab your gear and load up!"
They were off minutes later, traversing the terrain in an assortment of vehicles.
"Commander, we are approaching the source of the disturbance."
Ochaco readied her rifle, "Be ready for anything!"
They arrived at a forest clearing. Ochaco exited the Warthog and turned to her team.
She pointed at a group of soldiers. "I want you and your and your men to stay here, radio if there are any problems."
She turned to the rest of her squad. "We are going in!"
She turned and entered the jungle with her team.
The forest was lush and thick. Sounds of wildlife all around them as they journeyed deeper into the forest.
"Check in."
"We are getting closer, about 50 m. away." A soldier replied.
"Hey! What's that up ahead?"
Ochaco turned and her eyes widened.
Laying in front of them was wreckage from a ship.
"Think this is the guy who brought us down?" A soldier asked.
Ochaco approached the ship and found a UNSC logo attached to the side.
"Don't think so."
She activated her comms as she examined the ship.
"What is it Uraraka?" Aizawa asked in a gruff but concerned voice.
"We found the wreckage of a UNSC ship."
"Does it have a serial number?"
Ochaco examined and found the number. "77263.000_A."
The line went silent.
"Sir?" Ochaco asked as dread filled her.
"Are you absolutely sure?" Aizawa asked, his voice cracking slightly.
Ochaco was surprised by the tone in Aizawa's voice. The man was not known to get emotional, at least visibly.
"Yes sir."
She heard Aizawa exhale deeply. "Continue with the rest of the mission, but radio in if you find more of the ship. Aizawa out."
"Strange." Ochaco mused. "Ensign Johnson."
Said soldier stood at attention. "Yes ma'am!"
"Run that serial number through the database and see what you can find."
"Understood ma'am!"
Ochaco turned back to her squad. "We continue forward."
They continued deeper into the forest, each step filling the team with apprehension.
"Why aren't the birds singing?"
Ochaco ignored the question as they found their target.
"Woah."
It was a massive fortress. Its design sleek and otherworldly, like it was made by gods. Pillars floated and moved around, while in the center was a massive sphere.
"Captain, we've found the source of the disturbance."
The sounds of scraping metal screeched around them.
"WEAPONS HOT! WEAPONS HOT!"
They looked in all directions as they searched for the disturbance.
"Where is it?" A soldier asked before he screamed.
Ochaco and company turned to the scream, only to freeze.
The creature was large, over nine feet tall, it was mechanical with an insect like design. Wings on its back twitched and fluttered. It had four arms, two large ones and two smaller ones below the others. Their legs were large and imposing, its feet resembled talons. Its eyes glowed deep yellow and its mouth displaced a set of sharp teeth.
And it had a large, yellow blade currently in the chest of a now dead solider.
"Open fire!"
They opened fire on the creature who screamed as it threw the dead soldier away. Its arm transformed into an energy rifle and returned fire.
Bullets bounced off harmlessly until Ochaco increased the power of her rifle and drew its attention.
The creature glared at Ochaco long enough for a rocket slammed into the creature causing it to scream. It then disappeared in a flash of light.
"Where is it?!" A soldier screamed.
The creature re-appeared in a flash of light on top of the group, slashing several soldiers with its blade.
Ochaco yelled as she shot at the creature. The creature thrusted its sword at her, only to have Ochaco dodge and press her fingers against its armor.
The creature found itself floating in the air, unable to move around.
"Kill it!"
The marines fired at the creature, until it finally gave a final scream before dying.
"Release!"
The creature slammed into the ground with a resounding groan.
"What the f*ck was that?!" A marine panted.
"I don't know." Ochaco replied as she caught her breath. She approached the dead creature, her weapon ready in case it was not as dead as they thought.
"Think that was the thing that brought us down?"
Ochaco shook her head. "Unlikely."
A sudden screeching noise rose up and shook them to their core.
"INCOMING!"
A pack of metal beasts burst through; they had an array of glowing hard light spikes. They resembled dogs, but their jaws were sideways.
"FIRE!"
A hailstorm of bullets shot out as the fight raged on.
"They look like the thing we just killed!" a soldier screamed.
Ochaco grit her teeth as she continued to fire, taking down more of the mechanical beasts. One leapt at her with its teeth bared. Ochaco dodged and activated a blade in her wrist gauntlet and impaled the creature's head.
Another creature attacked, this one biting down on her arm. Ochaco roared as she pried the creature off of her and stomped its head in.
She looked to her arm, seeing blood trickle out of her armor.
"Not good."
"Commander! More of them!"
Ochaco turned to see more of the dog like beasts, and the large humanoid ones from before.
"Retreat! Get to the fortress!"
Ochaco and company began to run and gun, desperate to put distance between them and the monsters.
The creatures were vicious as they pursued them. The dogs pounced on some marines before the others impaled them.
Ochaco pulled several grenades and threw them at the creatures. Several explosions went off where the creatures stood while they escaped.
"That won't stop them! Get inside and prepare to defend!"
They made it inside, Ochaco found a panel and pressed the large black button. The massive door sealed behind her.
"Barricade the door with whatever you can!"
The marines moved everything they could to block the door, while Ochaco inspected her damaged arm.
"Uh, ma'am?
Ochaco looked up and her eyes widened.
The inside of the fortress was scattered with dead bodies. Some were the mechanical beasts, and others were familiar faces.
"These are…Covenant forces?!" A marine cried out.
Ochaco was speechless as she looked over the dead bodies from various races.
"What are they doing here?" Another asked.
"They are supposed to be fighting the Arbiter, what are they doing here?!" Another Marine cried out.
Ochaco approached and examined the wounds.
"These wounds were made with an assault rifle."
"Excuse me ma'am, but what does that have to do with our current problem?!"
Several drones detached from Ochaco's armor and scanned the other bodies.
Ochaco huffed with annoyance. "How many Covenant troops do you know that use UNSC assault rifles?"
Banging on the door interrupted their train of thought, the screams of the metal monstrosities sending shivers down their spine.
"That barricade won't hold them! Take defensive positions!"
Ochaco reloaded her rifle and moved her drones into firing range of the door. The marines did the same, each ready to fight to the death.
The sounds of screaming and scraping metal was expected, what was not expected was the sound of gunfire.
"What?" Ochaco gasped.
The screams from earlier changed to shrieks as the sounds of blaster and bullets echoed outside. Distinct noises of metal crunching and whining could be heard.
Eventually the sounds died out, leaving only deafening silence.
Ochaco pressed a few commands on her wrist gauntlet and sent a drone outside.
"Holy…"
The enemy forces had been decimated. Each beast had parts of its body ripped or blown to pieces as their lifeless shells laid dormant.
"What could have done that?" A soldier asked.
A blue light flashed and three of the metal monstrosities appeared.
"LOOK OUT!"
They swiped at the marines before Ochaco jumped on one of their backs. She activated her wrist blade and stabbed the creature in the neck. The creature howled and flew into the closest wall, slamming Ochaco into it.
Ochaco was then grabbed and thrusted into the air, her weapons discarded as the monsters glared at her.
"COMMANDER!"
The door to the fortress was blasted open before a hail of gunfire erupted in its wake.
The creatures dropped Ochaco as they turned to their new foe, his identity concealed by light and smoke.
The mysterious enemy shot at the monsters with a rifle, before he pulled out a new weapon. The weapon resembled a sphere and had a large head with a blade on its side. He waited until then enemies were close enough before slamming it on the ground.
The monsters were sent flying in the air before crashing on the ground. The unknown figure leaped high into the air and slammed his weapon on one of the creatures heads, crushing it to dust.
He then threw it at the other creature, sending it flying while he pulled out an energy sword. The metal monster screamed as it tried to slash at him, only for the figure to grab said arm and slice it off cleanly before impaling the monster through the chest.
While the final creature was dazed, the figure moved at incredible speeds and lifted the creature into the air. The creature screamed as it was then ripped in half before falling silent.
The marines stared in shock at the display of power.
"It just…"
"Who is this guy?!"
Ochaco was speechless. The smoke began to dissipate, and her shock became full blown disbelief at what she saw.
His armor had changed slightly, but not enough to where it was unrecognizable. The iconic green color scheme glistened from the sun as his helmet turned to her.
"Commander, we are all in grave danger." The man spoke, his voice gruff and synthesized.
Ochaco gawked at the man in front of her as she spoke.
"M-M-MASTER CHIEF?!"