A/N: Short chapter is short. The next one will hopefully and most definitely be longer than one and two tho, i swear to you. Chances are a lot of people are getting Nostalgia from Halo Wars, should some of you played it. I personally love HW because of the CGI that Ensemble does. :3 And yet, I assure you that this is an original story.

Now it'll start to pick up... Why rush, right? Rushing makes for a shitty tale, as I've seen may inexperienced writers do, especially when it come to romance of any kind... relationships don't happen in a day, people! .

Also, I'm a beta reader now! :D if you need any help, lemme know! Enjoy!

Leave me reviews if you see anything you think I need to add or change or if you have an idea I might be able to slip in. I've got tonnes of material to work with here, but some reader input is ALWAYS welcome.

EDIT*: Also, I went back through Halo Wars again and realized I screwed up my years a little...Halo Wars took place in 2531, not whatever year I claimed... If i did claim... . Anyways, like i said, sorta AUish, but not really. Yes, I'm bringing some characters that died back to life... why? Because I needed them to be alive again... ;3

Chapter Two: The Origin Of Life

"We have to push forward, men. You see this?" She asked, showing them her device. "That is what we need to reach, and I'll be damned if we die here or go home with nothing." She stared the five soldiers down, glaring at the pathway leading forward to the secondary chasm. Faint speckles of snow drifted between her and them, her gaze remaining solid. The men said nothing, and only gave a small nod.

Shouldering their weapons, one stepped ahead of the group. "If we push for this, we're gonna be compromised. We will have to fight our way through, Doc."

Giving a heavy sigh, her shoulders fell and she drew her pistol once more, reloading the clip after taking it out to examine it. "I know that... I don't want to spill blood, but I need to get to that life form. That's what will make or break the future of Harvest." Her gaze focused on the ice-covered ornate walls that surrounded them. "Are you really willing to sacrifice the life of a planet, of one of Earth's most productive agricultural producers?" Her voice rang heavy with desperation.

"No."

Pushing forward as silent as they could, they entered the room to the second chasm on the south side, their objective just beyond the north. Then, there was the issue of a swarm of Jackals and Brutes. They littered the north side, appearing to either be setting up a defensive line for an excavation, or because the scouts had told them that humans were approaching. Weapons being loaded and charged could be heard across the empty expanse. And then the sniper fire began.

Two men fell, blood seeping from the cracked skin the plasma beams had made against their temples, just in front of the ear. "Sniper!"

And so the group of what was now 3 ran for cover behind the pillars, shots still being fired at the structure once used by Forerunners. A rumbling growl echoed, and the Jackals stayed their hands. They stood tall, armed with energy shields and beam rifles, careful to take aim. The Brutes behind them roared, and the Jackals once more fired, beginning to move closer, stepping foot on the bridge of light.

"Enough!" A voice roared, "The Humans are only here to distract us! We must hurry!" More growls and chatter among the group than was necessary was heard.

Hayden stared at the ground, her icy gaze shifting from side to side, pondering over what it was that the remainders of the once feared Covenant could be looking for. Was it possible they had detected the life on Harvest too, that they wanted to claim the Planet as theirs? Or perhaps they had missed something all those years ago when it was first discovered by Professor Anders and Sergeant Forge. A voice rang in her ears, the screaming and shouting of the Marines that remained alive. Perhaps coming to Harvest hadn't been the greatest idea, but she needed this... Earth needed this. The voices grew louder with each moment.

"Doc! Doc!" Still hazy, the calling continued, her mind finally coherent enough to realize she was being called to. "Doctor! You have to run!" One Marine cried, taking cover behind a bole that acted as part of the bridge opening. "Go, run! You have to escape! They're advancing!"

Her eyes shot up in an instant, her mind finally taking into account what was really going on. He was right; she had to run if she was going to live. An army of Jackals was a slight worry, but Brutes? There was an almost certain chance of death awaiting that route. So she ran as fast as her feet would allow her, panting for air as the screams of two dying men behind her became her motivation. But even then, once the Brutes had realized a human female was trying to escape, and they had ordered a full on pursuit of her.

And as such, her heels carried her as they only could, but in her efforts of breaking into a full sprint, passing into the foyer of the structure, her toes caught ice and forced her to lose balance. Having fallen on ice and snow whilst catching her breath, she landing face first in the cold powder, her right ankle seared and pain, and her enemy had caught up to her.

So this is it? She thought to herself in cold silence. Am I really mean to die here? All my projects and research...all of it gone to waste, and for what? A dead planet...? A dead place that We will never be able to call home again?

A roar was heard behind her, and the Jackals gave way to the Brutes, one particularly large Brute who carried a Gravity Hammer in his hands. "I will be one to finish her. The Humans remain tainted, poisoning the Holy Relics. For that alone, I will mark my face with your blood! The price will be paid!"

Rolling onto her side to look back at him, all she could do was glare. "What makes us so wrong, so filthy? You're the ones who spill blood over everything and taint the world! You have no ri—"

She was silenced as he threw his weapon to ground, stomping the earth beneath her, shaking it with his might. "You will be silenced!"

Another roar echoed as a heavy foot came towards her skull, though pushed away by something. All she saw was a shimmer of a silvery metal, and several bodies, tall, with slender limbs. "Your words poison your surroundings, Tartarus. Let him up." And so the Chieftain stood, thought to be dead for four years, along with the Covenant. "I know not by which the means you live, but as you slander innocent life, my blade shall be the one to silence you, for good this time..."

Hayden's vision was covered with snow as she inched herself away from the aliens. Injured, she was thankful for a surprise of the sort, but at the same time, wished to return home with the prize she came to claim. Was that too much for her to ask? Apparently so, but the shimmery figures that stood in front of her had issue a challenge. Blinking, she took a moment to focus on her saviours. They were Sangheili, Elites.