Aragorn sighed, nearly at his wits end. These hobbits under his charge could be infuriating. One minute, they feared for their lives, and the next they were insisting on having supper. Supper, which according to the smaller one named Pippin, was very different from dinner. And they had just eaten dinner, not two hours ago! Their manners were curious to be sure.

He ran a hand through his thick black hair, gazing up into the heavens, just as he always did. He could feel the cold night air as it passed him by, ruffling his cloak as he stood atop the great watchtower of Amon-Súl. All he wanted to do was rest here for the night. Eat, rest, then get the Halflings safely to...hang on, what's that?

The ranger's eyes narrowed. Something had caught his eye. Had that star been there before? No, it certainly hadn't! A whole new star had emerged, inside the constellation of Telumendil at its northernmost tip.

"How strange!" The seasoned ranger thought to himself. He hadn't thought that such a thing was possible. Now, according to the immortal elves, who could study the heavens for so long, stars occasionally died. Great orbs that seemed as eternal as the world itself, would disappear. Consumed by cloud, cloud that proceeded to wander slowly across the heavens. But this was unheard of, never had a new star been recorded. There it was however, glowing large and bright above them. Unbelievable. To see the motions of creation with such clarity.

The others had also taken notice. For the moment they had abandoned supper, and had come to join Aragorn as he gazed upon the strange new star. Frodo looked up, and was the first to speak. "Isn't that star a little too bright?" He queried unconfidently. Frodo had often stared into the night sky during warm cloudless nights. Hobbits had their own names for the constellations, but Frodo preferred their more mystical and exotic names. Bilbo had fascinated him with their elven titles, and enthralled him with the remarkable stories and ancient mythologies that surrounded them. But despite this, he didn't know a lot about the stars themselves, so wasn't sure that he was asking a sensible question. Would Aragorn simply shake his head and think him a fool?

Samwise Gamgee, Frodo's long-time friend and trusted gardener, was also looking up at the curious, twinkling object. "Yeah, it is rather bright Mr Frodo. What star is that anyway?" It was an open question. Aragorn went to open his mouth, but to his surprise, Merriadoc answered Sam first. "That, I believe..." he began, quite confidently, "...is a new star! They name them after true heroes. You know, they'll probably name that one after me!" He said as he pointed to it, smirking at his own joke.

Frodo smiled and rolled his eyes. Merry was the most confident of them, not considering Aragorn of course, but he was also very strong headed! Merry's cousin and partner in pranks, Pippin, gave him an odd look upon hearing his arrogant remark. "What do you mean? You've never done anything worth mentioning! You have to do something important to become a hero." He jabbed his thumb at Frodo. "They'll probably name it after him!"

Aragorn, ignoring the hobbits, continued to watch the star intently. It seemed to be growing larger, the very heavens themselves aglow, eclipsing the sight of its neighbours. Incredible! This was no normal star, it was a shooting star. Or as elves knowledgeable about the heavens called them, meteors.

Meteors were curious pieces of rock. They would fall from the heavens, seemingly out of the nothingness above. Only to burn away again to nothingness, perishing as they entered into the air-filled sky. He personally thought that shooting stars were far better labels: They were rare in occurrence, and it was such a more romantic name for them.

He thought of Arwen again, his secret love. There had been a meteor shower the month they had first met. What a magical night that had been. This shooting star was falling away to the south east...towards the mysterious and uncharted Red Mountains, passing over the land of Mordor. He shuddered, just as he did every time he remembered that terrible name.

Sam meanwhile was transfixed, full of wonder as he stared at the incredible burning mass passing overhead. "A falling star!" He murmured with awe, "No one at home will believe me..." It twinkled against the heavens, its warm orange glow a stark contrast to the black sky and wisping pale-grey clouds. You could hear it. A faint and distant crackle, a whisper in the night. Nothing compared to what, up close, must have been a thunderous and ear-splitting roar.

With expert vision, honed by a lifetime of hunting, Aragorn slowly made something else out. Other fragments were falling away from the star, tiny twinkling lights owning different trajectories to the parent body. And, one seemed to be heading straight for them! The burning mass grew, until the entire sky burned with its fire. His heart began to quicken. The ranger's eyes widened, suddenly realising the danger he and the others were in.

"Get down!" He yelled, pulling the closest two hobbits down with him. As they all ducked, the rolling ball of fire shot right over them, clipping the highest point of the watchtower, sending broken masonry flying down towards them. Without a hesitation, Aragorn threw himself on top of the hobbits, shielding them with his own body.

With a deafening crash, the projectile hit the ground, somewhere not too far away. The ground shook with the impact. They could feel the impact with their bodies as they lay there, shielding themselves from the rock and scree falling all around them. That they could feel it at all revealed the amount of force the fragment must have hit the ground with.

Silence had fallen. Fate had been kind. As Aragorn stood and helped the hobbits stand, he realised that none of the stone had even dropped near them. Smoke began to descend on them, thick black smoke, causing Sam and Frodo to cough and splutter. The other two were fine, they were used to smoking! As was their guardian. Billowing clouds of the smoke could also be seen rising from a spot behind a thicket of shrubs and tall, thin evergreens. They all stared at the sight of the violent crash.

"What was that?" Pippin gasped after a few moments of silence, voicing the question in everyone's mind. The young lad looking back at Aragorn now, seemingly terrified. Aragorn himself remained silent, still stunned by the event. Then, with a sniff, Merry began to walk towards the stairs. The only one apparently unaffected by what had just occurred.

Pippin turned and looked at him. "What are you doing?" He hissed in question.

"I'm going to have a look, Pip!" Answered Merry, as though this was obvious. Pippin, equally curious, shrugged and started following him. Both were immediately stopped by Aragorn, grabbing them by the scruff of their cloaks.

"Hey!" "Geroff me!" The two complained.

"Are you both fools?" Aragorn barked. "Whatever that was, star or not, it will be too hot to go near right now!" The two hobbits sighed, and he let them go once they'd stopped struggling. "To make matters worse" Aragorn continued, "All within a dozen leagues of here would have seen that fragment fall. Wraiths will be arriving, drawn like moths to a flame! If we keep quiet, they may just slip by us without our presence being discovered."

The young Hobbits now looked quite horrified, making Aragorn think that he may have been too hard on them. It was their lives on the line however. They were naive and he had to be firm, he had to keep them safe. "Bed. Now. We can go look in the morning." He finished simply, striding back over to where he had left his belongings for the night.

Sam, Pippin, Frodo, and Merry all hobbled over to their blankets. Then, as the hobbits were preparing their bedding, Aragorn remembered the blades he had recovered from a dreaded Barrow-hole, not two moons ago. He looked back at the site of the collision. Such a remarkable event. A meteorite, fallen from the heavens, from telume above!

He had to take a look. It was necessary for him to search for danger anyway: For bandits, orcs...worse! Unlike the hobbits, he could keep himself safe. All the same, he didn't want to leave them helpless. There was a way however, if somewhat reckless! "Take these swords. Keep yourselves safe. I'm going to have a look around." So long as they kept their heads down, he would be back before they came to any harm.

The four friends stopped preparing their bedding and looked up at the ranger as he disappeared down the stairway. He had turned and left them, plain and simple! "Great! Now what? How come he can go and not us?" Merry complained. It was like being sent to his room without supper, like when he was a kid!

"Because he can handle himself." Frodo answered him, finishing off his bed for the night. But this justification wasn't good enough for Merry.

"What about a wraith chopping his head off?" He replied, annoyed to say the least. Frodo didn't answer. He didn't know the answer to that.

"So, what do you suppose we do now?" Sam asked them. Frodo thought for a little moment, quickly remembering Strider's words of advice.

"Strider is right. It's too dangerous to wander off. Try to get some sleep. It's going to be another long day tomorrow." Nods of acceptance passed amongst the other three, and they returned to their preparations. Pulling his blanket over himself, Frodo snuggled down, and relaxed. Exhausted by an entire day of walking and adventuring, he quickly fell fast asleep. Little did he know, the other three were building a small fire, and were preparing to cook a well-earned meal…

Meanwhile, whilst Aragorn was making his way towards the 'fallen star', John was freeing himself from his escape pod. "Chief! Can you hear me?" A concerned voice cried out. He'd blacked out for a couple of seconds, due to the violence of the crash. They had hit a piece of rock. A standing boulder, pointing into the sky like a stubby finger. The heavy shunt had confused the escape pod's guidance systems and the vehicle had plummeted downwards, digging a large ditch with a crater at the end point.

The sound of her Spartan breaking himself free from the ruined pod, the twisting of metal and armoured glass, informed Cortana that he was indeed fine. She began to relax. "That was a rough ride, wasn't it Chief?" She joked, trying to lighten the mood. "It was" The hardened soldier thought to himself...he had other priorities to focus on.

"What's our situation Cortana?" He immediately asked, in his distinctively deep and gravelly voice. Information immediately began to scroll across his HUD, displaying the data Cortana had gathered during their decent.

"The Dawn continued feeding me data right up until the point of collision. I have plenty of Intel on the planet. Its geography, its climate and a wealth of other vital information...where to start though!" She paused for a few moments, deciding which info to bring up first.

Meanwhile, John, Sierra-117, Petty Officer of the UNSC, checked over his armour and equipment. He was really low on supplies, he'd had to leave the ship pretty damn fast! No rations, and almost no weaponry. No guns whatsoever, just his combat knife, and three frags on his belt. His armour seemed to be in perfect working order, and he had no injuries to speak of. He felt drained after his long spell in stasis. His armour would manage water, and even basic nutrients for a couple of days as it fed him intravenously...but he needed to find food soon.

Chief couldn't help but sigh. He was really up 'shit creek'! Sergeant Mendez would have had his head if he'd made such terrible errors during basic. John wouldn't have eaten for a week if he had done this as a cadet! But, he couldn't dwell on it. He had to stay focussed, and be pragmatic. It was the only way he was going to survive.

At least it looked quite nice here. Calm, pleasant, almost like earth, like her in so many ways. He wondered if Earth was safe. It would be hell, rebuilding after the war. But again he pushed such thoughts down. He unsheathed his knife, a monomolecular blade that when wielded by a Spartan could dice through near enough anything. And it was in perfect condition. Rolling his shoulders to check his servos were functioning as normal, he felt the tell tale prang of freezer burn as his undersuit clasped his body tightly. Superficial damage, nothing more. It would heal in time, and he bore no concern over it.

"Ok Chief, this is what I have for you. The Dawn has most likely been completely wrecked. The point of impact is about 900 kilometres from your current location, and it took some pretty good scans of the planet's geography on the way down. We lost contact with the ship as it passed over a large region of volcanic wasteland. Active volcanoes are throwing up high density ash clouds, too thick for the data comms to penetrate. Structural readouts also tell me that it broke up during re-entry. We can't know if anything has survived the crash. All things considered, recovering supplies from The Dawn is a lost cause John. Who knows where the pieces ended up?"

It was a terrible setback. Alone in the wild, almost no provisions or equipment to speak of. He was away from those volcanic wastelands at least, but surviving alone would not be easy. Cortana continued her assessment. "The good news is that this planet's climate is near identical to earths. We also do not appear to be alone on this world. The Dawn was able to identify unusual features across the continent as it flew over, features too unusual to be natural structures...The Dawn saw buildings Chief! I've managed to locate multiple small settlements, villages and towns perhaps. I'll put them all on waypoints, I'm constructing a map for your HUD right now!"

So long as Cortana kept working, she could hold off rampancy. This would eventually wear her neural net out, but it would still buy her time. She wouldn't give up, she would keep going. For him. "However, there is no evidence to support the existence of advanced technology on this world. I'm picking up no radio signals or transmissions of any kind here, nothing is being broadcasted on this planet. The ship also failed to identify large quantities of surface metal: relevance, few metal buildings exist here."

High concentrations of metal within a nation's infrastructure is one of many indicators of industrial capacity within that civilization. Industrial scale manufacturing processes are vital for the production of metal alloys on such a vast scale. This planet had neither. "It is as good as certain that any civilizations we find will be at a pre-industrial stage of development. We could be stuck here for a very long time Chief." Yet at least there were people here, people and buildings meant he could always acquire provisions to survive.

"But...on the bright side, we do have a unique opportunity here Chief. The UNSC has never explored this region of space, and it's unlikely that there's any Covenant presence here. You'd have thought we would have come across them otherwise! A boarding party perhaps? If this is the case, we may be about to discover a whole new alien species. Although, if they are as primitive as we think, we might want to keep a low profile. Who knows how they would react to you John."

Little did they know, the inhabitants of this world had seen stranger things than the Master Chief!

"Are there any settlements nearby?" Chief asked her. Usually he wouldn't risk such a thing, but after spending four years in stasis his body was completely drained. At that moment, his stomach grumbled noisily. It was quite a comical sight, John's belly rumbling like a hungry child's...even the legendary Spartans had to eat.

Stifling a giggle, Cortana continued. "Combined scans from The Dawn and the escape pod has triangulated a small village not far from here. I've completed a rudimentary map of the landscape based on the data I've been able to process. Bring it up whenever you want! The settlement is 61.73 kilometres from your current location. A two days march as the crow flies. You thinking of 'borrowing' some provisions John?"

There were only a couple of alternatives right now: Risking it out in the wild, or starving to death. He knew how to cook, make fire and hunt in the wild. He'd mastered it all as a child. He could run something down easily of course! Out-sprint most, exhaust others. And his armoured hands could snuff the life out of some unfortunate creature in an instant.

However, he knew nothing about the fauna of the place. He wasn't going to take chances. He'd been in situations like this before. Had he been in ideal health, he would have stuck it out for a week or two and would not have risked going into settlements. He would have seen what he could manage alone, wing it a little. But this was not one of those times.

No, just as Cortana had joked, he needed to 'borrow' food and provisions from the easiest source possible. "Cortana, set the waypoint. Let's not waste any more time." One bleep later, Chief had a cool blue marker, leading him as the crow flies the shortest way to the village of Bree.

"Got it Chief! Let's hope these aliens are a little friendlier than the last lot we met." Chief wasn't sure if the dark joke was in good taste. Millions had died during the Human-Covenant war. But this was the past, and these were memories that would help him little. After these souring experiences however, Chief wasn't counting on hope. He was expecting no hospitality from this world. He set off, efficiently making his way through the undergrowth. At least his armour would help lessen fatigue...

Not too long later, Aragorn came picking his way through the undergrowth. Searching for signs of the fallen star. What he saw next surprised him a little. There was no rock, and was no fire. What little smouldering patches there had been had already burned themselves out. He saw the crashed pod, bent and broken. It looked a bit like a small boat to him, but it reminded him more of a coffin.

Aragorn didn't understand what he was seeing. This is what had fallen from the heavens? It was obvious that this 'box' wasn't natural. A savage of the ancient times could have seen that! He didn't like it. If this smouldering thing before him was indeed a coffin, where was the corpse? If ever there had been an occupant...he didn't like this one bit.

He walked over, examining it closer. The metal was still piping hot, the cratered soil seared black around it. He then identified depressions inside the pod. Aragorn recalled seeing similar depressions inside of tombs that he had seen in the north, tombs once occupied by the walking dead. An icy shiver passed down his spine, someone had been in this...coffin. Yet where was the occupant?

Anxiety began to grow in his mind, but nothing he couldn't cope with. He had scoured the wilds for decades. Looking around him, he couldn't see a thing. Not a trace, not of anyone. This coffin had fallen from the sky! What monster was haunting through these trees?

"Frodo!" He gasped suddenly. The hobbits! They could be in terrible danger!

He made his way back through the undergrowth, with haste. He had been a fool leaving them! After a few moments of running, he got back in sight of the weather top. His eyes widened, bulging almost, and he stopped dead within the centre of the clearing he was in. He was confronted by a sight that horrified him. "No! What are they doing? They can't have, not something this foolish!"

He couldn't believe it, the hobbits had built a damn campfire! The light could be seen for leagues around! Drawing his sword he sprant towards the watchtower. He had little time, the wraiths were searching relentlessly for them. They, along with what other terrors that might be walking these forests, would be on the Hobbits in little time at all. He then heard the distressed voice of Frodo drifting down towards him. "Put it out you fools. Put it out!"

At least someone up there had some sense! He just hoped Frodo hadn't been too late. Perhaps it hadn't been lit for long enou- "SHRIEEEEEEEEEEK!" The ethereal scream of the wraith drove sheer panic into Aragorn's soul, the scream that had the unnatural power to drive hardened men insane.

"No! No, no, no!" Their luck had run out. He could see the wraiths already scaling the tower, but this only steeled his resolve. Aragorn knew that he was in for one hell of a night!

Chief must have been walking for about ten minutes now. He felt like he was on patrol, and he couldn't help but feel tense. Would he encounter any of the locals? He was a big target, and as stealthy as a Spartan was he could only hide so well if something came his way. Stealth was never insured.

"Chief. I'm detecting a light source right in front of you, possibly a camp-fire. You could be in luck!" Chief could see the flicker of lights passing through the tree line. Their leaves and branches bobbed and whispered in the cool night breeze. "It's definitely a camp-fire Chief. I'm detecting voices on the armour's auto sensors. Move closer so we can get a better look!"

As Chief made his way through the last of the foliage, the light became brighter, and the voices more clear. He tuned his sensors to the sounds, and with a start, was immediately sure that he was hearing things. "Wait! That can't be right." He said out loud. "Cortana, there's something wrong with my armour. It sounds like, they're speaking..."

Cortana was 'shaking her head' in disbelief. "Your armour's fine" She said interrupting him. "I can't believe it either, but they're speaking...English!"

This was strange. Were there humans up there? John couldn't believe his luck! He began to jog towards the source of the voices. "Put a little more wood on the fire Pip, get the oil sizzling all nice!"

Cortana couldn't help but chuckle, "Sounds like they're having a fry up Chief! Better than the field rations you're used to I'd imagine?"

Chief wasn't used to the home comforts of a civilian's life. MRE's and UNSC ration packs were incredibly nutritious, and provided everything the body needed to survive. Rations weren't completely tasteless, but of course the taste food had never been a concern of his. Unless what he was eating happened to be poisonous! Yet, as he raised his visor slightly, broke his suit's oxygen seal and started to smell the frying meat, he knew that the food would be more than a match for any ration pack. He was still human. And it smelt good.

He approached the tower, trying to make sense of what his senses were telling him. "Think they're marines Cortana?" Perhaps their distress beacon had been discovered? He started to walk up the old and worn steps of the tower, cautiously. He climbed the stairway, his armoured boots ripping up moss as he went, and stopped just before he became visible to its occupants.

"Only one way to find out Chief! Poke your head round the corner and have a quick look. If they are human, unless they're of a rebel faction, they are unlikely to shoot on sight if they see you." Rebels, he hadn't considered that. Dealing with Covenant, he hadn't had to think about human terrorists in a long time. Still, a handful of troops versus a Spartan? He was crouching just out of sight, he could hear conversations taking place just behind the wall.

"Mmm. That smells good Sam!" Said a hungry Merry.

"Yeah! Even out here in the wilderness, you're still the most amazing cook!" Pip agreed.

Sam blushed a little. He had never liked bragging about his skills. It was an old habit, kids had often teased him in his childhood for being the way he was. A little on the larger side, and with a deep interest in cooking. "If you say so Merry. I wouldn't mind having a few 'erbs with me. Some sage or rosemary! Some nice fried 'taters! It's the best I could manage." He replied. As the others began to tuck into their meals, he smiled warmly, knowing that they were satisfied with what little he had been able to manage. He missed his kitchen!

"They don't sound like the most fierce of people, do they?" Cortana observed. "Go on chief! Use your charms. Summon up a couple of sausages!" Chief wasn't sure. Decades of experience telling him not to reveal himself. He wasn't exactly the most decorated diplomat in the UNSC. He hadn't been trained to ask questions first! But it seemed legitimate. He started creeping forwards.

"Well, I think it tastes delicious Sam. Pass me a couple more tomatoes, if you could?" At that very moment, a little body just outside of the fire's revealing halo began to stir. Frodo was waking up, bolting right round as soon as he sensed the fire behind him, wide awake.

"What are you doing?" He screamed, the look of horror on his face all too obvious. Chief consciously drew back into the shadows, detecting the sudden change in mood. He still hadn't caught a glimpse of them.

"Tomatoes, sausages and nice crispy bacon!" Merry replied, oblivious of the danger they were in.

"We've saved some for you too Mr Frodo." Sam answered politely, completely misinterpreting his friend's distress. Frodo was having none of it, and having rushed over, was already beating the fire out with his foot.

"Put it out you fools! Put it out!" Chief would stay out sight for a little while longer, see how this played out. He didn't like the tension in this Frodo's voice. It was thick with fear. Even soldiers of the 26th century hadn't forgotten the danger of building fires in stupid places. This...Frodo wanted to keep his position concealed. But, why? From what?

"Oh that's nice!" Pippin began to complain as his friend knocked the pan over, his uncooked food squashed into the ash and soil. "Ruining all my tomatoes why don't you!"

Then, it happened. A high pitched squeal stabbing out from the darkness. "What on earth?" Cortana gasped, dulling the auto sensors on Chief's armour to protect him from the deafening noise. Chief immediately pitched his head around the wall, trying to catch a glimpse of what was happening. What he saw stunned him. The people just in front of him, they weren't UNSC personnel, nor were they rebels for that matter!

"Cortana, the people at the camp-fire, they're just- " "-Kids! I know Chief!" She replied finishing his sentence, also shocked by what she saw. Human kids at that. None of this made any sense. They weren't even in their home galaxy! How the hell were any humans, let alone children, all the way out here?

"What are they doing all the way out here in the wilderness?" She wondered, her confused thoughts riddled with concern for them. "Perhaps they're out camping Chief? But I don't think that's what's going on here. Look at their clothes, they look like refugees! Something is wrong Chief, these kids look terrified. They need help!"

Chief could see that. He wanted to help, it was his duty to protect mankind. Against all reason, humanity was standing right in front of him. How possible could be revealed later. The answers could even lead to a way back home for them both. He had to help them, how could he not? "Chief! Look at your motion tracker, we've got movement. Six contacts!" Chief could see it on his scanner, half a dozen red blips surrounding the tower. He was too far from the cliff face to see who they were...But maybe they didn't have to. One of the kid's drew a knife suddenly as he looked over the side, and the others followed suit.

"Go!" Frodo yells out, pushing the others towards the stairs above. Leaving all their belongings behind, they sprinted up the spiralling steps of the tower. As they ran not two inches from him, Chief went completely still. Letting them pass without knowing he was there. Once gone, he ran to the edge of the cliff so that he could assess the situation. He could only make out five figures now, the last had disappeared. Even his motion tracker only showed five. They looked like humans wearing thick cloaks, with hoods concealing their faces. And all were carrying long, and heavy looking swords.

"It's clear the kids are running from these men. And it's obvious they either want to capture or kill them." Cortana observed.

John considered his options. He could leave now, go back down the stairs and slip by the figures who were approaching. He knew nothing of this situation, why these hooded figures were after these children. But there were potential reasons why these kidnappers were here, and whatever the motives be, no innocent child should be dragged into the wicked affairs of adults. His duty was to humanity, and humanity was right now at risk above him.

Damn bullies! Chief couldn't help but feel anger. The filthy cowards, picking on children? He remembered something terrible that had happened on Arcadia colony, dark memories of genocide. With awful images running through his mind, he took a deep breath and straightened out. He'd made his decision. And he would fight!