Chapter One: The Mission
The Master Chief felt mildly surprised at being escorted through the heart of HighCom on Earth. The secure facility was similar to the CASTLE facility on Reach, but there was higher security here. Remembering the Reach facility brought back a pang of regret: Grace, Li, Anton, all the others who had escaped Reach with him were either dead or missing. I'm the only one left, he thought; while he'd known for a while, being here suddenly brought the point home to him.
"If you'll wait here, Master Chief, Colonel Ackerson will be with you shortly," the young petty officer who had escorted him said. He turned and exited discreetly, leaving John to ponder his words. Colonel Ackerson would be with you shortly. It was no secret that the Colonel strongly opposed the Spartan program, and John remembered vividly how the man had tried to rig the obstacle course during the test for his new armor.
"Cortana, any thoughts?" he asked, seemingly to empty air.
"Several, in fact, but you might not like what I'm thinking," the AI's voice replied through his speakers. "I still haven't found much on that lieutenant we'll need to be babysitting, but if Ackerson's involved that means trouble. For all we know this guy could be going along just to sabotage us."
John frowned: while he didn't like to think a fellow soldier would do something like this, Cortana did have a point. He reviewed the mission perimeters that had been sent to him. He and Lieutenant Hawkes were to scout out a possible Covenant base, and establish the threat level. There was also some suspicion of Forerunner artifacts at the site, which placed an even greater urgency to the mission. It makes sense that they'd send an ONI officer along to observe, but why a lieutenant? And why is Ackerson coordinating this mission?
Behind him the door clicked softly; it took all his control to keep from responding to a potential threat. The Chief stood at attention as Colonel Ackerson entered the room; someone else moved behind him, but so calmly one knew it to be nothing more than an aide. Indeed, if it hadn't been for the faint movements he made when he slipped in the door, he never would've known he was there.
Colonel Ackerson sat down behind his desk, taking a long look at the Master Chief.
"At ease, Master Chief." He took a long look at the Mjolnir armor and reflective faceplate. "Thank you for arriving so timely; I'll have to make a note for them to give you a chance to rest next time. No doubt they pulled you off the ship as soon as you arrived in system."
"Sir!" John snapped off a crisp salute. "I came as soon as I heard you wanted to see me." Ackerson nodded calmly, but the Chief noticed one hand clenched in a fist; the man was uneasy.
"Have Lieutenant Hawkes report to my office at once." The aide nodded and exited the room. Ackerson finally looked at his hand and relaxed it.
"I won't mince words, Master Chief. I'm no fan of the Spartan program, but I think you're the best bet for this particular job. As soon as Lieutenant Hawkes gets here, I'll brief both of you."
"Or I could just find out on my own," Cortana's voice echoed over the Chief's helmet speakers. Ackerson smirked.
"Ah, just as charming as ever, Cortana. I should have guessed you'd be there as well. Nevertheless, I'll brief both of you when Hawkes arrives."
The Chief barely heard the door behind him open and close, and the movement flashed on his suit's motion tracker just before a woman's voice drifter through the office.
"You wanted to see me, Colonel Ackerson?"
"Lieutenant, thank you for coming so promptly." Ackerson turned back to the Master Chief. "Master Chief, I'd like you to meet Lieutenant Hawkes. She'll be going with you on this mission."
John took a good look at his new teammate. Chestnut-colored hair was pulled back into a tight braid, and hazel eyes stared at him in what seemed a mixture of admiration and apprehension. She stood about five-foot-eight, and her uniform covered a slim sinewy frame. This mysterious lieutenant had an attractive enough appearance, but he found himself wondering what good she'd be in a combat scenario.
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Jessica Hawkes had been in the UNSC for a fair amount of time, most of which had been spent in stealth-recon missions. She'd seen enough to make anyone think they'd seen everything, but all that paled in comparison to right now. The Chief in his armor was over seven feet tall, and she held no illusions about his skill in progress. Hell, she'd practically memorized his entire file, a fact she silently hoped would go unnoticed. Forcing her expression to maintain neutral, she returned her gaze to the Colonel.
"Colonel, with all due respect, this is highly irregular. As I mentioned before--"
"And as I mentioned before, Lieutenant, you're the best candidate for the job, you and the Master Chief. Now, are you going to continue arguing with me or are you going to listen for once in your military career?"
Why, that… Jessica couldn't help the scowl that crossed her face; for Ackerson to remind her of her 'unusual' tactics in front of the Master Chief was both embarrassing and infuriating. And now he was ignoring her completely, going back behind his safe little desk, and leaving her to stand in confusion next to a legend.
"Hawkes, you can stand at ease at any point in time," Ackerson frowned her way, and she realized she'd been unconsciously standing stiffly.
"Sorry, sir." Relaxing her posture, she forced herself to calm down.
"Good. Now that we're all here, we can begin." Ackerson activated a holographic display, showing a planet near what used to be the Outer Colonies.
"We just found this planet not too long ago, and from the looks of things the Covenant got here first. Our Prowlers have detected a sizable Covenant force already planetside, and several cruisers in orbit. We've also decrypted a number of Covenant transmissions; from the sounds of things they're looking for more Forerunner technology."
"So why aren't we going to wipe them out now?" The voice coming from the Chief's helmet caught Jessica off guard—she'd forgotten about the AI Cortana.
"The planet's atmosphere is having an unusual effect on our scanners. We don't know how many Covenant troops are down there, anymore than we know what kind of troops we'd encounter. If we were lucky it would be Elites, but ONI's operating under the assumption that it'll be Brutes, Jackal, etc.," Jessica smiled at Ackerson's disapproving look. "Colonel, when you tell me I'm being assigned to an op and tell me I'll have to wait for the briefing, you can't expect me to not be curious."
"We'll discuss that later, Hawkes," Ackerson growled. "As far as this mission is concerned, you and the Master Chief are going to see what's going on down there. Lieutenant Hawkes is highly proficient in stealth insertion and recon," he said to the Chief and Cortana, "and has exceptional decryption skills. Meaning no disrespect, Cortana, but there may be too much risk to send just you. If there's a need to crack any Covenant codes that risks your capture, Hawkes will step in."
"Why do I not like the sound of that?" Cortana muttered.
"I agree," Jessica scowled. "Something about this mission smells to high heaven. What aren't you telling us, Colonel?" The emphasis on his rank screamed annoyance, and the Chief stared at her in what she probably guessed was surprise, but Ackerson merely looked troubled.
"ONI has issued orders regarding the planet. If the Covenant forces find out you're there, you're on your own. There'll be no rescue party, at least not until the UNSC comes to deal with any potential threats. As it is, you may not be able to get out of there at all."
Trying hard to ignore the Chief's burning stare, Jessica fixed her own eyes on the Colonel. "And you were going to tell us this when?"
"I wasn't. You didn't need to know, so it seemed unimportant." Ackerson frowned in concentration, before returning his gaze to the lieutenant and the Master Chief.
"Get your gear together. The Athens will be leaving in three hours. You can figure out your plan of action then."
"Sir!" The Master Chief saluted and exited, pausing when he realized Hawkes wasn't with him. She just stood there, stiff and glaring.
"So that's it then? Nothing else you're withholding that may be pertinent to the mission?" Her voice sounded strained, tired.
"No, Lieutenant, nothing else. Now get going or you'll miss your flight." A trace of a smile flickered across his face.
"Sir!" Jessica saluted and left, slipping past the Chief in his armor. For a little while both walked along the corridor in silence, but when John turned to speak to the Lieutenant, she had disappeared.