A/N: So yes, here's more of this story. I hope you like. It will be kinda serious in the beginning but will soften as it goes on. hopefully I can stick with this one for a while. And heads up for all you RvB fans, apparently season ten starts on the 28th of may. Don't take my word for it, just heard from someone who's met RT.

And since i forgot the disclaimer, here it is.

I DO NOT own any characters related any video game, movie, book, tv show, and soon. I can dream, but it'll probably never happen unless I start making video games... which probably will also never happen. happy now? Good. I am too =3

**EDIT**: had to fix some details here to improve the flow. There's been a slight change in how this begins, only so I can continue writing without feeling guilty! By doing this, I feel better :3 Very slight change... .

Chapter One: The Origin Of Life

April 23, 2556

"Today's the day we set out from Earth. Myself, along with a small security detail of seasoned Marines are leaving for Harvest today. The journey will take 2 days through slipspace, and I am not willing to sacrifice any chance at losing time.

I had employed the use of the UNSC's long-range scanners two days ago, and altered them to search for life signs of the faintest. I was in luck; a faint signal had come from Harvest, one of Earth's former colonies before the Covenant found it and laid waste to the planet. Then there was also the tale of Sergeant J. Forge, and his crew. The Planet of Harvest had been glassed though, and if I do find something here, even if it's the tiniest leaf, then I will know that there is hope to save at least one colony. Reach is lost to us for many years to come... Will Harvest be the same?

Beginning the journey,

Dr. Hayden MacMillan

The pen's click as it hit the steel desk broke her from the trance that held her. For ten hours now, she and her crew had been flying through slipspace. Their destination was growing near, and she couldn't help but ponder what the life form would be. A plant, a small animal, and she'd be damned if it was just a bacterial cluster...

Harvest wasn't usually warm by any means though, but the glassing had made most of the surface a desolate land. Snow covered a few patches here and there, while the rest remained as frozen dirt. The Marines claimed she was not in the right state of mind to be going to such a place, but Lord Hood saw the readings himself, and as he wanted to restore Earth to its former glory, granted the doctor leave for two weeks.

The Covenant, though disbanded, still lurked in the quadrant, which in turn riled up the Marines. They just wanted to get their hands back onto their guns and become trigger happy, which was perfectly understandable.

The ship itself had very little for entertainment, so the men slept on shifts, and the doctor kept to herself in her quarters. It was only another forty-two hours until Harvest had its first human visitors in years...

April 24, 2556

**Aboard the Stalwart-class frigate Howling Winter, Dr. MacMillan had loaded her gear into a warthog, and suited up in light winter gear. The ship remained in orbit above the half-glassed planet, and the group of five had taken a Pelican down to the surface, arriving at the Northern Poles of Harvest, her bio-scanners leading her to the Forerunner building in the vicinity. The Marines, on the other hand, just wanted some kind of action, though she reassured them that an encounter with some kind of enemy would be very unlikely.**

Yet, that didn't sate them. They were men of war, and blood of the enemy was their vice. In her quarters, she tied back her black, straight hair, tucking it under a wool touque that she pulled over her ears. Zipping her jacket up, a voice echoed over the PA system. Her security detail was ready to leave.

The Northern Region wasn't as cold as one would have expected, though the snow remained on the ground without any sign of melting sometime soon. Despite the area having been glassed, the planet itself was showing good signs of recovery. The atmosphere was still breathable without any strain or side effects, and the climate still lingered around what it used to.

Forerunner architecture was littered across the snowy valleys, though the pillars stretched a height that was truly formidable. As the team left their craft via an M831TT, the doctor riding as passenger, they drove through the valley, and she kept her hands firm on her scanner, hoping a blip would show itself. Armed only with a pistol, they all hoped that the trip would be quick.

Arriving at the Forerunner structure once called "The Relic", the three marines that had been riding on the back jumped off, hit a switch, and opened the elegantly carved blast door, a long, deep tunnel that lead into the mountains becoming their road. And yet, the doctor refused to allow them to drive through, demanding that they proceed on foot.

Once inside, the proceeded in caution, the men gripping their rifles with firm hands, and the Doctor proceeding without a care in the world. Her objective was all she wanted to reach. And that was when something caught her eye.

"Hey Doc, what's the hold up? Got a reading or something?" One Marine questioned, looking over her shoulder. The scanner seems off... It was showing movement other than their own. "Doc?"

"Shut up." She whispered, looking across the chasm they had stopped at. "Look over there, see if you notice anything... odd."

The man did as asked, using his binoculars to see across. Everything seemed in place, and the walls stood still. There were no shadows that were cast off of someone else. "Doc, I don't know what you're talking about, but there's nothing over there. Take a look for yourself. Maybe that tool of yours is just dysfunctional."

She stood at its monitor, nothing popping back up. A sigh, she crouched and checked the ground, running her fingers through the faint snow. "Maybe... Let's proceed then."

Continuing, they crossed a bridge made of what seemed to be highly condensed energy. And although the Marines may not have heard a sound, the Doctor was positive she could hear footsteps ahead of them. Her scanner still appeared silent though, contradicting her mind. Maybe it was dysfunctional and needed some kind of repair.

Progressing, a shadow moved across the floor, though nobody could be seen casting it. Her suspicions rose, and she placed her scanner into a pouch that rested within the left of her jacket, drawing the pistol she had holstered on her right thigh. "Stay quiet..." She whispered to them. "Keep against the wall, at all times... There's someone else here." Crouching down a fair ways from the door, the Marines took point, rifles at the ready. The one in the lead peeked around the corner, only to have a small burst of green energy fly past his face.

"Covenant!" He screamed, unloading a full clip at a small group of Kig-Yar, Jackals, who backed off and jumped away. The other marines moved from the doorway forward, tracking as best they could. "What the fuck are they doing here? The fucking Covenant was supposed to have split!"

The Doctor raised her pistol and fired into the air. "Enough... I may not be a soldier anymore, but shouting at the top of your lungs isn't going to help..." She looked all around her, her scanner beeping gently. "A reading?" Taking the device back into her hands, it showed a faint reading, stationary, 100 meters ahead. She weighed the options, slipped the device back into her pocket and started to walk forward.

"Doc?"

Looking back at her men, she smiled. "I came here for a reason, and I'm not leaving without finding it. Sure, there may be enemy forces here, but that's why I brought you along. So we can go forward, or you can explain to Lord Hood why one of his top researches is dead." Her smirk only grew darker. "Are we clear?"

Grumbling with distaste, the Marines looked up at her and saluted. "Crystal, Ma'am."