Chapter 1

Aboard UNSC Frigate Against All Odds

Year 2551

Master Chief Spartan John-117 looked out at the vast emptiness he sighed heavily the recent incursions into the now glassed outer colonies looking for possible survivors had proved fruitless as usual. He had been the only Spartan on call at Reach do to recovering from a recent mission to rescue Dr. Halsey from a Covenant armada. Fred and Kelly his two squadmates that made the insertion with him on that mission were given leave for the next 72 hours. Barely a day after they had gone to ground John had been ordered by the brass at CASTLE to undertake a recon mission on the Against All Odds. The ship was slightly larger than the Halcyon class cruisers that use to run back in the early part of the war. It had one MAC gun but over two hundred missile pods, what it lacked in firepower it made up in volume. The ship had exited slip-space just under an hour ago Captain Jessie Hall was already at her station on the bridge conversing with one of the two ship board AI's this one called Diana she was the ship's natural AI, the more widely used dumb AI. He approached the Captain and saluted, "At ease Chief."

"What system have we jumped into, Ma'am?" John asked

Hall turned to the readout, "Arcadia not much out here but one of our light cruisers patrolling this sector a month ago picked up a faint distress signal. The ship was badly damaged from a fight in one of the outer colony battles and couldn't stop to check it out."

"Then why are we checking it out, Ma'am. The signal has probably died by now or it could have been a trap set by the Covenant," the Chief explained.

"Except were now picking up the signal and it's not a manufactured signal by the Covenant," another voice stated this one coming from the Master Chief's internal radio. This was the secondary AI that was brought specifically for this mission created by Dr. Halsey. Her name was Tana, she was a smart AI and very pushy, reminded John entirely too much of a civilian. One her holographic avatar and voice was that of a ten year old girl, second she was a new wetware intrusion and hacking being. Although the chief suspected she was simply a rough draft for some future AI the mother of the Spartans was developing.

"Why's that Tana?" Hall asked looking confused.

"Please I may look young El Capitan but I can tell the difference between a real or manufactured signal. Covie's aren't real good at creating legit UNSC distress signals," Tana's voiced vocalized through the speaker's in John's helmet. "This is a legit UNSC signal and it's a really old one, I'm talking like before the war old."

Hall eyes darted to the readouts, "Diana what's the ETA?"

"Two hours out captain," Diana stated her avatar was as different as Tana's as night was to day. She was statuesque tall woman dressed in an old twentieth century military uniform and eyeglasses, that sometimes changes into a woman dressed in single piece swim wear with stars and a golden breast plate looked like two W's. This usually depended on her mood which for a dumb AI was erratic.

"Anything on long range scans?" Hall asked.

"Ship's power is minimal, life support however is stable, the ship call number is one of our heavy cruiser's the Acheron's Call," Diana replied pursing her lips concluding that whoever programmed her programmed some minor smart AI inflections in her.

"Well it's not a complete derelict but there's no telling what kind of situation we're facing," Hall said cupping her chin thinking. "Chief I want you, a four man squad of ODST's and two Marine specialists to go in. We need to keep this operation small."

"Understood Captain," the Chief saluted and headed off to get ready no doubt he would meet his squad at a pelican when they got within transport range.

"Well isn't this fun?" Tana chirped. "The ship is listing to one side, underpowered, but not a mark on it. Might still be a Covenant trap, Chief."

"The thought had crossed my mind," John stated.

"So what if it is and there's a fleet out system waiting for a pelican to leave the ship to board that one," Tana asked sounding almost gleeful waiting for his response.

"Simple we take the ship we're boarding and shove it down the Covenant throats," John replied.

Tana giggled, "My sister's going to like you."

John blinked a couple of times frowning in confusion at that reply, after a few minutes thinking of the reply he could only come up with one thing. Sometime in the future he's going to meet either a younger or an older version of Tana. With a dry frown he entered his personal quarters and began assembling his gear for the mission wondering when Dr. Halsey will introduce him to Tana's sister. He also hoped this sister wasn't as bad as Tana was.

Reach

SWORD Base

Hearing a light sneeze Dr. Catherine Halsey turned to look at the tiny avatar floating in the pool coding she was typing into the consol. "You're not coming down with a virus are you Cortana?" Halsey asked.

"Nope I don't think so, maybe some hot Marine is thinking about me," Cortana joked.

Halsey sighed shaking her said, she might have recreated her brainwaves a bit too precisely if Cortana was cutting jokes this early. But that was the point she wanted to create a smart AI that could live beyond the seven year threshold, one that could protect her favorite Spartan in everyway possible. She doubted that Cortana even knew that she would be different from others and she prayed the AI would never realized it at least until she reached her seventh year. "Well please run an internal check , want to make sure your system is clean."

"Sure," Cortana stated closing her eyes, "Say when am I going to pick my Spartan by the way?"

"When your sister gets back from her mission," Halsey stated. "I want to make sure you get to see all of them before making a decision."

Cortana crossed her arms, "Sounds like you want me to meet the one Tana's teamed with." Halsey kept her eyes glued to the screen but her face pigment changed ever so slightly. "Wow, I'm barely a month old and you're already fixing me up with someone."

"Shush, besides you'll like him," Halsey stated a faint smile appeared. "After all I did the moment I laid eyes on him."

"He was what six at the time, you don't strike me as the pedophile type," Cortana stated.

"Not in that way," Halsey said sadly looking back at the screen. "He's the son I never had I tried to keep myself detached especially when the augmentation process started. But couldn't I tried time after time, each time he went onto the battlefield I sat behind the lines here or on Earth waiting for that dreaded phone call. While I want you to keep your mind open another part of me wants you to choose him, because I know deep down you'll keep him safe, and the rest of his team," Halsey turned back to the screen

UNSC Derelict Cruiser Acheron's Call

Master Chief John-117 had met his team at the pelican, four ODST names, SGT. Robert Shaw, CPL. Chris Hudson, PFC. Lisa Reyes, and CPL. Mickey. Also two Marine specialists, namely Corpsman Jillian Roberts and First Lieutenant Miyuki Wall, the corpsman encase they found any possible survivors in cryostasis and the lieutenant to establish communications with the Against All Odds. The ship's vehicle pool was empty and had no power running to the hydraulic lowering gear. The Master Chief went EVA and entered the ship through a pressure hatch. Using the manual override to lower the entrance flap, so the pelican could fly in The Master Chief waited until the dropship landed before closing the doors. "Is the atmosphere useable chief?" Miyuki asked, she had a rather exotic look to her, dating back to the Twenty-first century when her ancestor married a Chinese woman. She had been the first woman born to the family in a long time. She joined the corps proudly like many of her family. "It's all good, Lieutenant," Tana replied. The pelican's landing plank settled to the ground a minute later.

Robert scanned the empty pool the only thing present were a couple of Warthogs, Scorpions, and a lot dimly lit empty space. "God reminds me of every space horror vids I've ever seen."

"Thanks, Sarge I needed that bit of imagery to add to the whistles in the air," Chris stated. The chief checked his weapons oblivious to the comments from the ODST's who were trying to ease their own tension at the situation. "So how do we play this LT?"

"We'll head to the Cryosleep chambers if there are any survivors they should be present there. If they're empty we head for the bridge and investigate what happened," Miyuki ordered. "Folehammer, make sure your pelican is airtight if there are hostiles on board I don't want them taking out our ride home."

"Roger that LT, buttoning it up now," Folehammer replied and the ship's landing platform moved up into place with an audible hiss.

If the motor pool had been a silent graveyard, the rest of the ship turned out to be the grave, silent cold hallways, not a single body in sight however there was signs that the ship had been infiltrated. Huge melted bulkheads, they assumed from plasma rifle fire. However Tana pointed out the melted metal in some areas were far too small for plasma pistol fire, while still others were way too big for possible fuel rod blasts. "If it's not Covenant plasma fire Tana, then what else could melt metal like this," Mickey asked. Master Chief noted that Mickey was this ODST squad resident explosives expert, no doubt brought in to cause the Acheron to go boom if it turned out to be a Covenant trap.

"Molecular acid, I'm like talking the highly concentrated kind," Tana replied. "But that's like crazy I know who'd risk bringing stuff like that onboard a ship where it could like hit a view port and melt it. But that's what I'm seeing from the sensor's I got on Chief's helmet."

"Not a good sign at any rate, if the Covenant have a new weapon that could spray Molecular acid then no ship in the UNSC would be safe," Lisa replied resting one hand on her hip while the other was lazily draped over her sniper rifle.

"Let's hope there are some people in those cryo pods," Miyuki led the group down at least three more corridors to the Cryo pod chamber, inside none of the Cryo pods had a single living soul inside, mainly because all of them had been completely destroyed. "Shit," was the lieutenant's solitary whispered word.

"The ship is compromise, Lieutenant," the chief stated.

"Kind of the understatement of the century chief," Jillian replied in her quiet southern twanged voice. She went the shipboard AI pedestal and checked to see if there had been anybody in the pods when they were wrecked.

An AI appeared for a second before the holographic pad shorted out. "Y…you shouldn't…, be here," the AI replied. "N..N…not safe."

"We responded to a distress signal, your ship has been drifting for some thirty years," Miyuki replied to the AI.

The Ai sounded mournful when it replied, "I…I thought…I sent out…the…quarantined…signal…maybe…the…bastards… figured out…the systems."

"Describe them, might be Covenant," Robert stated.

"Black…long…s…segmented…tails…molecular acid for blood…sensors…were cut…couldn't track…them…hideously grotesque…sleeping probably waiting… for ship to make planet fall…" the AI was in bad shape having gone long past its survival date.

"What's your name AI?" Miyuki asked.

"Tea," the AI responded. "I…tried…to save my crew…creatures are amazingly adaptable…also…death sentence…anything that isn't them…other aliens came some … thirteen years ago…firefight…the other aliens lost…though one…may still be alive…hiding…on…bridge," Tea explained.

"So the Covenant did come aboard," Chris stated. "Great an unknown Alien species mixed in with a lone Covie on the Bridge this mission is just getting better and better."

"Shut up corporal," Robert stated. "Any ideas Lt?"

"A few," Miyuki sighed glancing up at the Master Chief. "Chief take corporal loud mouth and Private Reyes to greet our guest up on the bridge. If he resists kill him, if he doesn't or is already dead take him to med lab, we'll meet you there I want to get our AI friend examined and check the medical logs. Retrieve the captain's logs if you can."

"Yes, Ma'am," the chief saluted and waved the two assigned to him to follow. The trio left the cryo room and headed for the bridge. Like most of the ship it was silent as a grave but as they neared the bridge the trio noticed for the first time several bodies lining the corridors. "Lieutenant, we have bodies near the crew quarters. Look like both human, Covenant, and," he paused looking down at the creature that Tea briefly described.

"Jesus H. Christ," Chris said in horror. "What the fuck is that?" he kneeled down to examine it, a huge plasma hole burned into its side prevented the acid blood from escaping. "Fuck me this thing is a nightmare."

"Killed no doubt by an Elite, judging by hole in its side that's plasma rifle round," Lisa said trying to hide her own horror at seeing the dead nightmare. "If this thing was killed by Covenant then it's not part of their group."

"Something new and ten times more dangerous," the Chief stated gripping his assault rifle tightly.

"Again with the understatements chief," Tana responded. "Well good news there's one life sign on the bridge, more good news it's not one of those things, bad news is it's an Elite, armed with a plasma rifle, energy sword, grenades, and surprisingly one of our shotguns. He no doubt spotted the Against All Odds, when we pulled in closer."

"So he knows we came on the ship," the chief finished the AI's assessment.

"Yeppers, Chief," the AI said cheerfully. "Course he could be glad to see us, after all thirteen years in this hell he probably be glad to see any reinforcements."

"We'll see," the chief replied and the trio made their way into the bridge they spotted the Elite quickly enough hunched over a console looking remarkably small.

"Demon," the Elite muttered but didn't raise his arm to aim the plasma rifle.

"Seems to know you Chief," Lisa responded coming around behind the Spartan to stare at the Elite casually. Chris meanwhile was guarding the entrance into the bridge .

"I know of him and his kind, the only ones among you humans we actually fear, at least until I saw what was on this ship," getting a better look at the Elite it was easy to see he had black armor which signified his rank as a black ops special unit for the Covenant. The chief also notice that part of the ships consoles were up rooted particularly the distress beacon and warning beacons.

"I see so Tea wasn't exactly crazy you rewired the Quarantine beacon to send out a distress signal, hoping a Covenant cruiser passing through the system would pick it up," Tana stated. "To do what me thinks."

"Hopefully to destroy this ship and the abominations that reside in it, they are worst if that is possible than the parasite," the Elite stated which confused the Chief and the two Marines.

"Chief this is Lieutenant Wall, did you find the Covenant survivor?" Miyuki asked over the comm.

"Yes Ma'am, aside from being weak from lack of food and rest he seems to be in good health," the chief responded. "He's an Elite, Black ops division judging by his armor."

"Is he willing to help us, if he does will give him passage off the Acheron 's Call to Arcadia once this mission is over, I've already cleared it with Captain Hall, considering the hell he's gone through it's the least we can give him," the Lieutenant stated.

"Any reason why you're being so generous with an enemy Lt?" Lisa asked.

"All of you better come to med lab, that way I can show you, what we found here quite frankly scares the crap out of me," Miyuki responded through some very tight teeth.

The chief glanced at the elite who nodded, apparently the old adage an enemy of my enemy is my friend was at the fore front in this case. The Master Chief also downloaded the captain's logs before the four of them left the bridge. They quietly moved down the hallway, the Chief noticed how the Elite was staring intently at each darkened shadow. "They use the shadows I take it?" the chief stated.

"Yes and they can see through our cloaking suits, these abominations are deadly. When we boarded this vessel thirteen cycles ago. It was three squads, more than enough to defeat any resistance. Except there was none, we did what you did. Went for your sleep pods, when we found them destroyed we searched the vessel. It was only when a squad entered the ship's engine room that we first encountered them and what remained of the ship's crew," the elite explained.

The chief opened up his suit communications to both the med lab and the Against All Odds. "What happened when one of the squads entered the engine room?" the chief asked.

"A brief description was that of a hive, black, littered with eggs both empty and full. It wasn't until my brother's found the live human that things went wrong," the Elite looked remorseful.

"And?" Chris asked.

The elite's eyes looked haunted, "The human woke when my brother disturbed him, he was described as glued to the wall by a secreted resin, the only words that came from the human's mouth was, 'kill me!' When I heard that over the communications array I ordered them to retreat. The next thing I hear was several auditable crunches, the human screaming in pain, then hissing, just before a Plasma rifle blast."

"Man, that didn't sound good," Chris stated scanning the corridor as they continue their trek.

"It was not," the elite sighed heavily. "Shortly that there were several deeper sounding hisses echoing through the array followed closely by the first of my brother's screaming in both fear and death. The first of several firefights, and with each our numbers dwindled, those that did not die in battle were dragged away screaming a day later new versions of those creatures appeared they looked different than the one near the bridge, bigger, faster, more vicious."

"How long did the last of your squad last before it was only you?" Lisa asked actually feeling some pity for the Elite.

"Barely a year, we grew hungry and they braved the ship looking for food," the elite replied. "Most of the time they lie dormant on occasions leaving the engine room to look for more hosts or bodies to use for material to extend their hive."

"So like we don't go into the engine room they won't know were here, until we leave or something like that?" Chris asked.

"Eventually they will over run the ship, until it crash lands on an inhabited world then they will spread like a plague," the elite stated.

"Can't have that happening, Covenant or Human," Hall stated. "Chief once you and your team finds out where this ship picked up these things, have Mickey set enough charges blow the ship to hell and gone. The elite will be given a ride to Arcadia three once your op is done, complete with communication equipment. He can phone home then."

The elite nodded, he would catch a ride home then retire let the rest of his brethren find the Great Journey without him.

Author's Note: This is a Halo/Alien crossover that was done in the spirit of other's like this and let's face it the Halo series has eerie similarities to the Alien series. Or at least to Aliens, James Cameron wrote the book that everyone since has followed, from Stargate SG-1 to Mass Effect to Halo, he made the mold that all sci-fi action movies, games, and TV follow