Chapter 2- O.N.I. SandPitt

UNKNOWN DESERT PLANET-// CARGO BAY OF FORWARD UNTO DAWN -// PELICAN ARRIVAL TIME 2 MINUTES

MASTER CHIEF walked out from the doorway, looking out over the vast desert. "They should be here any moment now." "Yes, they should, arrival aprox. Minute, 30 seconds. Chief, Put me in your head." Cortana replied annoyed. Chief pulled out a small chip from the computer systems in the cargo bay, and placed it in the slot in the back of his helmet.
He could feel the cold chill of another presence in his mind.

Out in the distance, the image wavy due to intense heat, a D77H-TCI Pelican Drop ship was speeding in there direction. Master Chief walked closer toward the edge of the open bay door. A click on a Comm Band, presumably the pelican contacting them.

"Incoming, this is LIMA 125 Pelican Drop ship inbound. I am here to pick up SPARTAN 117 and A.I. Cortana.
Please confer your Identification." Crackled voice from the Pilot.

"This is Master Chief- SPARTAN 117 responding, with A.I. Cortana in my possession. We are ready for pick up over by the Cargo Bay opening." Replied Master Chief.

"Roger that Master Chief. I'm coming in to pick you up, sit tight." The comm channel disconnected.

"I'm still not getting it, they said hot drop, they couldn't mean the temperature, and I don't see any kind of shooting or Covenant. I guess it might have been a error or something." Cortana exclaimed. 40 seconds passed. The Pelican came in,
with its bay door opening. There where several ODST's in the bay, leaping out of the Pelican, running toward the interior of Forward Unto Dawn.

"What are they doing?" Master Chief Demanded.

"Don't worry about it Chief, just hop in, they will be done in a few minutes." Over the intercom on the Pelican, the Pilot replied. Master Chief uneasy, jumped into the pelican, and sat down. Minutes passed, and the ODST's re-entered LIMA 125. They sat down, and the drop ship accelerated away from the Half Section of what remained of Forward unto Dawn.

"Chief, we will get you back to our base, and then get some information out of you." The pilot said calmly over the comm.
Master Chief rested his eyes, no more fighting after what he has gone threw, he could rest. The next thing he knew, a blinding light emerged from behind the drop ship. Followed by a loud boom, an explosion coming from the very ship he was standing on minutes ago.
Master Chief Jumped up, and pointed his gun toward the ODST in front of him.

"Explain. Now!" Chief Questioned loudly.

"W-w-w-e placed ch-ch-charges around the reactor, S-s-sir." The ODST replied nervelessly.

"Chief, we had to destroy the ship, or it would've blow our cover,we don't want any Covenant to know we are here." Breaking in from the Pilot.

"You better explain this." Replied Master Chief.

UNKNOWN KNOWN DISTANCE AWAY FROM FORWARD UNTO DAWN RUINS-// ABOARD PELICAN LIMA 20 MINUTES

THE PELICAN slowed its speed, to prepare for a landing. The heat intense, Chief couldn't see any building for them to land onto.
"This is Pelican LIMA 125, requesting to land, over." Said the Piolet, clicking one of the comm channels.

"Copy that LIMA, we are opening the bay doors now." Replied a stern voice over the response.

With that, the sand underneath them started to shift to the sides, revealing a Floor of Metal, with a faint Eagle Pattern on it, chief remembered this symbol from somewhere, he was sure it wasn't UNSC.

"That's the Office of Naval Intelligence's sign, just it seems to be tarnished by the sand and wind. Of all the people to meet out in the middle of nowhere." Cortana said into Chiefs speakers. The Pelican lowered down into the open bay, where it seemed to be dark, with little lights over head down the long corridors full of Pelicans and other tools working on different tasks.

"This is it, its a ' very' hidden base of ONI's many bases, and well, we like to keep it hidden." said the piolet, as landing the Pelican on a landing zone, lowering the cargo sections door more. The Chief jumped out onto the solid ground, as followed the ODST's behind him, moving in a group toward a different section of the Hanger. A tall man, in his 40's, combed hair, walked in the direction of the Pelican.

"Welcome to Sandpitt Base, surprise seeing a ghost of the Human-Covenant War?" The man said intrigued.

"Sir, Master Chief SPARTAN 117, we escaped from Delta Halo II, as it was destroyed, along side the Arbitar, we escaped on Forward Unto Dawn, but as the Delta Halo II fired, it snapped the ship into two sections, the section with Cortana and I made it through the slipspace jump, but to a unknown location, eventually when your base made a response to our distress signal, Sir." Chief Exclaimed.

"Well, I guess it is true; Spartans never die. Well I haven't introduced my self yet, I am Admiral Norman Stillmen, I'm the head of this whole operation. This is a Highly Classified base, operated by ONI, way on the edge of nowhere, way past the Covenant lines,
just watching over the area, making sure no Covenant try to comeback." Norman said calmly.

"That means that O.N.I still believe the Covenant can make a come back? They don't believe they will give up that easily. We stopped Regret, they shouldn't try again." Cortana said angrily.

"Ahh, well if it isn't CTN 0452-9; Cortana, a Smart A.I., I do believe that you may have a point, but if we don't take procausions they might make a deadly blow against us. We can not take the risk." Replied Admiral Norman.

"I can see you did your homework, well, seven months and no sign of them correct?" Cortana said.

"No, not at all. It's been a good break, so many years, and we won, thanks to you and all of the other Spartans. Now, Master Chief, everyone thought you died, since their was no way you could've lived it, but you have. But we are trying to decide weather to send you on your way back to the Inner Colonies, or to keep you here for a few days for you to rest. Its your choice Chief." Norman Questioned.

"Sir, I'd like to go back to the Inner Colonies, to get my Armor up-to-date." the Chief responded.

"If that's your choice, we will arrange the Frigate that will take you, you will leave first thing tomorrow morning, you can rest in the Barracks, over there they can get you a bunk to sleep in."

"Sir, one last question, why did you order your ODST's to blow up that section of Forward unto Dawn?" Cortana asked.

"Oh, well, if Covenant come and scout the Area, a downed section of a UNSC ship will look, quite suspicious. So getting rid of the evidence is just a safety pro-caution. Now, Cortana, can you come with us, to file the report for the last events for records, Chief can rest up now."

"If you insist, but I have never liked Spooks." Cortana said rudely.