How long…has it been since her bare feet had touched grass? Smelled the fresh air? Slept under the stars? Too long. Three years too long. Kaiya had counted each day that went by in her concrete room…or at least she tried to. Her room was bare with no windows, nothing on the walls, just a cot, a sink and toilet in the corner, and a steel door. The only time Kaiya even saw the outside world was when she was being forced to the lab for testing or the training room.

ONI had kept her under lock and key within a base, from the windows she could see out of, it looked like the base was stationed on the edge of a forest of Reach. Over the three years of her imprisonment, she had begun to dislike humans, especially anyone who was an agent of ONI. With each passing day, her power grew, but ONI made sure to keep her under control with torture if she stepped out of line. Zapping her with her handcuffs.

Every day she would wish for a miracle to happen so she could escape. Or…kill her captors. She wondered if her friends were missing her and if they thought she was dead. She wondered if ONI had faked her death so they wouldn't come looking for or ask about her.

One evening, while Kaiya was asleep in her room, she felt the room shake and a loud explosion was heard outside then the alarms went off. She quickly sat up and looked around, confused by what was going on. As she climbed out of her cot, the steel door swung open, and several agents quickly rushed in and grabbed Kaiya by her arms. She grunted as she was forced out of the room and rushed down the hallway.

She could hear gunfire and plasma blasts nearby. Wait. Plasmablasts? Here? On Reach? The Covenant had finally found Reach. This was both a blessing and a bad thing. As she thought she suddenly realized…they had forgotten to put her cuffs on and she smirked to herself. This was her chance to escape, but she had to think quickly before they realized their mistake. She then noticed a couple of soldiers running towards them and spotted one had a knife. She carefully used her ability to make the knife slip out of the soldier's holster as he ran past.

Once the soldiers were gone, Kaiya glanced at the two agents holding her and the other two in front of them. The knife hovered behind the two agents that held her and with a swish of her finger, the knife slit both their throats, deep enough to kill, blood splattering everywhere as they gurgled and collapsed to the ground.

The other two quickly turned around just in time to see Kaiya standing there with blood splattered on her tan skin and on her grey tank top and sweats.

"Why you little freak!" One said as he pulled out a button to zap her, but nothing happened when he pressed the button. Kaiya just smirked and showed her wrists.

"I think you forgot something…" She said calmly. The agent pulled out his pistol to shoot her, but Kaiya forced him to stop and slowly aimed the gun at his companion. The agent at gunpoint looked terrified and swallowed.

"Easy there…Ms. Kaiya…you don't want to do anything rash." He said as he tried to remain calm. The young woman stood there quietly as if she was thinking to herself then flicked her finger, the gun went off and the agent collapsed to the floor with a bullet size hole in his forehead. The agent gasped and looked at Kaiya.

"You little bitch…you'll be punished harshly for this!" He said as he tried to reach for his radio, but he suddenly felt like he was being choked and grasped at his neck only to feel nothing was there. Kaiya slowly lifted the agent off the floor.

"If…they catch me…which they never will…" She said and snapped the man's neck and let the body hit the floor. Kaiya slowly looked at her hand and saw it was shaking a bit. She had never killed anyone before. She felt a bit sick and shaky, even though she hated these people, it still felt so off to her. She slowly looked at the bodies of the agents she killed and shook her head before she kneeled down and took one of their ID cards and quickly ran down the hallway.

As she ran down the hallways she could hear the language of the Covenant coming from the direction she had left. She had to hide quickly. She spotted a door to the left and quickly used the ID card to gain access. Once inside she quickly locked the door and held her breath as she listened. She could hear Grunts barkings then scampering down the hallway when a gruff growly voice of an Elite barked commands before the heavy footsteps walked after the Grunts.

Kaiya let out a sigh of relief after a moment and slowly looked around the dimly lit room. Her eyes widened in horror and covered her mouth at the sight before her. There were several different incubation tanks filled with reddish liquid and inside the tanks…was her. Different versions of her. All misshapen and mutated. Slowly, she approached one of the tubes and laid a hand on the glass as she looked at the misshapen clone.

Tears slowly formed in the corner of her eyes as she looked at each of them. Each incubation tank was labeled with a number. KFR01, KFR20, KFR13, KFR24, and KFR25. This empty one was where she was made. Her sorrow turned to rage as she tore away from the tank as she gritted her teeth.

"Humans…disgusting, vile, beasts!" She snarled then she froze when she said beasts. She slowly touched her mouth. She sounded like the Covenant. Kaiya looked at her blood-covered hand and gripped it tightly. She used to think she was human until the day when her life was turned upside down. Where she was forced into a prison by the very humans that made her. Perhaps it was better that she no longer was considered human. Maybe she'll look into the Forerunners and discover who they were.

Carefully she looked around the horror room and saw a skull within a glass case. Curiously she approached it. "Is…that…?" She whispered and picked up a datapad next to it and read it over. Her thoughts were correct. It was the Forerunner she was cloned after. A one-hundred thousand-year-old skull. She felt her skin crawl at the thought that this was her from a lost age.

"I'm so sorry…you should be resting…not here…" Kaiya said as she slowly removed the case and picked up the skull. She looked into the empty eye sockets for a moment before she grabbed a flash drive that was next to the case and downloaded everything before deleting and destroying all the files in the ONI system.

After destroying all the computers in the room that held files on her and her DNA, she looked at the misshapen clones for a moment and rubbed her chin. "I need to get away from ONI…but they'll always be hunting for me…as long as I'm alive…unless…" She glanced at a vial of her blood. Her eyes sparkled for a moment when an idea appeared.

"She ran this way!" A soldier said as they chased Kaiya up the stairs followed by several agents, soldiers, and Mr. and Mrs. Walker. Kaiya punched a soldier in the face when he got close enough to her.

"Back off!" She snarled as she bolted further up the stairs. An agent appeared on the stairs in front of her and aimed his pistol at her, but Kaiya used her ability to throw him over the edge where he plummeted to the ground, screaming as he went.

"Kaiya! Please stop!" Mrs. Walker called out to her as they came to the rooftop door. Kaiya swung it open and ran to the edge of the roof. She stopped and looked down below her to see a raging fire caused by the Covenant invading. She shivered from the sudden cold. What season was it? Fall or winter? It was freezing and being in a tank top, sweats, and bare feet did not help!

She looked over the edge of the roof and then around quickly, but she was trapped. Between the fire below and the ONI agents and soldiers behind her. She quickly climbed onto the ledge and turned around as the soldiers aimed their rifles at her.

"D-Don't shoot! Let me try to talk to her!" Mrs. Walker said as she slowly approached with her hands up. "Kaiya…sweetie…please…get off the ledge and let's talk…yes we lied to you for so many years…but my love for you as my daughter is real."

Kaiya clenched her fists. "Love?! Is it love to have me imprisoned!? To run experiments and tests on me without my consent?! No! It's not! You would have never let these bastards take me away! Keep me locked away from everything!" She said as tears formed in the corner of her eyes and glanced behind her to the fire raging below.

"Kaiya, please we can make this right. Just step away from the ledge." Mr. Walker said as he took a step. "We can go back to Drotonia…Let us earn your trust again" He said to her and slowly offered his hand to her. Kaiya looked at him and closed her eyes tightly as tears fell down her cheeks.

She slowly looked at them and shook her head. "Never…never again…" Kaiya closed her eyes and outstretched her arms before she took a step backward and fell off the ledge.

"NO!" Mrs. Walker screamed and ran over to the ledge with the others just in time to see Kaiya disappear into the flames below. Mrs. Walker was pulled away from the ledge and into Mr. Walker's chest where she began to bawl and cry.

The flash clone did the trick. Now Kaiya was considered dead in ONI's eyes, giving the real Kaiya a chance to escape without being noticed. While they had chased the flash clone to the roof, the real Kaiya had destroyed the lab and all of her DNA so they wouldn't be able to make more of her and took the Forerunner skull.

Quietly, she snuck out of the ONI building and shivered from the cold as her bare feet touched the even colder cement. Her body shivered violently as she quickly and carefully ran from the building she had been trapped in for so long. She quickly went into the nearby forest as fast as her legs could carry her until she was far enough away to stop and catch her breath.

Kaiya leaned against a tree as she slowly calmed down her breathing and slowly felt the bark of the tree she leaned against. Smooth to the touch with horizontal pores. With the tips of her fingers and could feel the grooves in the bark as she slowly looked up. A beautiful birch tree. Oh, how she missed being outside with trees. The golden leaves slowly danced upon the crispy wind. Her toes slowly dug into the cold grass and she closed her eyes as she could feel the freedom awakening deep within her soul.

Sounds of gunfire and plasmablasts pulled her out of her peaceful moment and quickly ducked behind the tree as she listened. It sounded like it was coming from ahead of her. She bit her lip as she began to think. Should she head in that direction? Maybe find proper clothes? Or would she be caught in a crossfire between the marines and the Covenant? Again her body shivered from the crispy wind.

Kaiya knew she would have to risk it if she was going to find a base at least with some clothes she could… "borrow". She looked at her toes and sighed a bit. Oh yes, she definitely needed socks and shoes for sure. The Covenant was the least of her worries compared to getting frostbite on her toes. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she quickly and carefully snuck over to where she had heard the fighting.

Soon enough, Kaiya came upon what looked like a military outpost. She hid behind a turned-over warthog and carefully examined the area. There were a few dead bodies of Marines, Grunts, some jackals, skirmishers, and a few Elites. She didn't see or sense anyone alive nearby. This could work in her favor. Carefully, she kept low and crept into the outpost and went to the barracks.

There she began to dig through the lockers and found some socks and combat boots that were her size. She set them aside and looked around some more until she found what she was looking for. Quickly she changed from her bloody clothes to the military marine clothing. She wasn't an expert on how everything went, but at least she'll have some warmth and protection. As she placed the skull into a bag, she noticed a shattered hand mirror on the floor and slowly picked it up and looked at herself. Slowly she touched her face as she stared at her eyes.

"I need to hide my eyes…but with what…?" She muttered to herself as she set the mirror down and slowly walked around the room until she found a helmet with a visor. With a smile, she picked it up and put it on, strapping the chin tight and secure. She lowered the visor and smiled.

"Now that is taken care of…let's see if any weapons and ammo are left behind…" Kaiya slowly peeked out of the barracks and then quietly walked down the hallway towards where the armory was. She felt herself smile a bit when she saw there were some weapons left. She picked up a MA5C assault rifle and looked it over carefully then grabbed a pistol and tucked it into a holster on her leg she had strapped on then quickly grabbed some ammo for her weapons.

She took a moment to familiarize herself with her new weapons, even though she preferred a bow and arrow, they would have to do. She then noticed a combat knife and grabbed it. "Never know when I need this…" she whispered as she sheathed it and strapped it onto her belt. As she placed some protein bars and a canteen into her bag, she suddenly felt a presence coming.

Kaiya slowly continued to put the food and ammo into her bag as she felt the presence come down the hallway and into the armory she was in. Whoever was behind her was silent like the grave. No footsteps. No armor clanking. Whoever was behind was a master at stealth, but with her abilities, she could sense someone was behind her. She quickly rolled out of the way just in time to avoid an energy sword swinging down at her.

She pulled out her pistol and aimed at her attacker. Standing before her in white armor and a large crested helmet that covered his face, was an Ultra Elite. He slowly pulled his sword from the ground and watched her quietly.

She cursed under her breath. He must have seen her come into the Outpost or he had been searching for survivors. Either way, Kaiya knew this was going to be trouble for her. Ultras are very dangerous on the battlefield and especially for those who aren't combat-ready. She cocked the pistol and watched him. He didn't make a move as he watched her as well.

The uneasiness between them was thick like pea soup. Kaiya could feel her heart beating against her chest. What is he waiting for? Is he waiting for her to make a move? Or is he studying her? Whatever it is, it made her feel uneasy especially since she could not see his eyes behind those soulless glowing white eyes of the helmet.

Kaiya quickly fired her pistol at the Elite, which in turn made the Elite block each of her bullets with either his shield or sword as he charged at her. She quickly got to her feet and backed away from him, dodging each of his strikes and thrusts. Growling, the Elite Ultra grabbed her pistol and tore it away from her, tossing it to the side.

"Crapbaskets…" She muttered as she quickly backed away from the warrior and dodged him again until she tripped over a dead body of a marine. Kaiya shook her head as she tried to get back up and yelped when the Elite grabbed the back of her shirt and tossed her across the room. She slammed against the wall and groaned. Through her now cracked visor she saw the Elite charge at her with his sword in a striking position.

Quickly she raised her hand and made the Elite hover in the air. Startled, he began to speak in his native tongue and struggled in the air before he looked at Kaiya who slowly stood up with her hand outstretched. "Didn't…your mother ever teach you not to pick on someone smaller than you?" She said before she slammed the Elite into the wall, making him drop his sword.

Slowly she picked up the energy blade. It was a bit bigger in her hand as she dropped the Elite and brought the blade to his neck. "Don't move…I am already in a bad mood…I know you can understand me and can speak my language. You are going to answer a few questions for me…" She said to the Elite who only growled and then huffed.

"Speak then human…" He replied.

"Good…how many encampments are nearby?" She asked even though she hated to be called a human now she had to play along. He snarled and she could hear his mandibles clicking.

"Seven…" The Elite replied. Kaiya heard a loud boom and glanced over to the exit.

"Well…that doesn't sound good…" She muttered then looked at the Elite. "Show me."

He slowly raised his wrist only to grab her wrist and quickly try to pin her down. She grunted as they began to wrestle one another until the Elite knocked the sword out of her hand and ripped her helmet off only for him to freeze when he saw her eyes.

"What…are you…?" he whispered. Kaiya glared and used her abilities to make him hover above her.

"Not a human…that's for sure…and definitely none of your business.." She growled and slammed him into the wall and dropped him once he was out cold. She slowly huffed as she picked up her helmet and grabbed the energy sword, turning it off and putting it in her bag. Once she had everything she needed, she quickly left the outpost.

Once outside she looked up to the sky. It was now evening and she could clearly see the stars and the moon above. If it wasn't for the banshees, phantoms, and UNSC flying around, having dog fights, it would have been a peaceful sight. Star gazing. Kaiya longed to do it once she was completely away from the UNSC and Covenants. She slung her rifle over her shoulder as she climbed up the hill to get a better look at her surroundings. There in the distance, Kaiya spotted what she guessed is New Alexandria. The capital city of Reach. Above the city were several large Covenant battlecruisers, sending down powerful beams into the city. They had begun to glass everything.

Kaiya watched in silence as she felt a small amount of pity for any humans that were trapped. It truly looked like the end of the world. She looked up to the sky and could see more Covenant ships coming out of the slip-space. The fleet was huge and deep down, Kaiya knew this was a losing fight for Reach. She had to find a way off the planet and quickly.

Suddenly she heard radio static coming from a dead marine and quickly went over. She turned the body over onto its back and winced at the sight of the gaping hole in the man's chest. Quickly, she grabbed the radio and moved away from the body, and listened. It was hard to make out what was being said.

"Noble Team–Pillar of Autumn—-docked for repairs—near the ship-breaking yards at Aszod–" a voice said over the radio.

"Pillar of Autumn…? Aszod…? That's not far from here! If that's a ship…then hopefully I can board it and get the hell off this planet!" Kaiya said to herself as she thought the plan over in her head then looked at herself, hoping her outfit will help get her on the ship without too many questions. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves once again, Kaiya begins to hike through the forest as fast and as carefully as she could toward Aszod.

Kaiya hiked and jogged throughout the night and into the late afternoon, resting only for a moment to catch her breath, eat and drink until she came across what looked like a canyon area. She took cover within the rocks and sipped her canteen. She could sense many presences nearby. It was impossible to tell if they were friends or foes. But she guessed mainly foes. She pulled out her rifle as she quietly crept through the canyon.

She turned around quickly when she heard pebbles roll down the sides of the rocky walls. Kaiya could feel someone watching her as she slowly continued on her way, her senses, and her guard was on high alert. Her heart pounded against her chest as she could sense several presences quickly approaching her position.

"Crap…" She whispered as she quickly bolted down the dirt path. Leaping over rocks and dead branches, Kaiya could hear roaring behind her. They didn't sound like Elites. Taking a chance, Kaiya glanced over her shoulder and to her horror, she saw several aliens she hoped she would never face…Brutes. She cursed under her breath as she kept running as fast as her legs could carry her, even though they were being burned. All of her leg muscles had begun to burn and scream for her to stop, but she couldn't, not with Brutes trailing close behind her.

She made a left turn, but soon realized she had made a mistake. A deadly mistake. She ended up at a dead end. She tried to climb up the side, but it was too slippery for her to grasp anything. Behind her, she could hear the Brutes laughing at their cornered prey. Quickly she pulled out her rifle and turned to face the Brutes and took aim.

"Lookie here boys! Fresh female meat! Aww, she wants to fight!" One Brute said as he raised his spike rifle at her with a sickly toothy grin.

"A good pounding will make her meat even more tender! Ahahahahaha!" Another one laughed. Kaiya glared a bit at them.

"Tell the Chieftain to make sure the fire is re-" The brute fell into a heap. The other Brutes looked down at their fallen comrade, confused, and looked back to Kaiya who had fired her pistol.

The Brutes began to snarl and quickly began to fire their spike rifles at her. Kaiya quickly ducked behind a large boulder before she could be hit by the yellow spikes. She glanced over the boulder and tried to fire her rifle at them, but one of them threw a sticky grenade behind her. Kaiya heard the beeping and looked behind her before she gasped. She managed to dive away from it, but the force of the explosion sent her flying. Letting out a yelp, the young woman slammed and tumbled across the dirt.

Before she could get back to her feet, one of the Brutes quickly wrapped his hands around her neck and slowly began to squeeze. She gasped for air and began to struggle, clawing to pry his hands away from her throat. The Brute smirked down at Kaiya as her lips began to turn blue and her vision began to see stars.

No. Not like this. She didn't escape ONI just to end up a meal for a Brute. Before she could even try to think of a plan, rapid-firing was heard and the Brutes were killed off while a black large armored man tackled the Brute off Kaiya. She gasped deeply and gulped as air returned to her lungs.

She sat up and coughed violently before she looked up to see two large armored men. SPARTANS. One had a skull etched on his mask and the other one was dressed in black. The one dressed in black approached her and offered his hand, "You alright?" He asked. Kaiya looked at his hand and coughed a bit before she took it and let him help her up.

"Yeah…I'm fine…thank you." She replied and cleared her aching throat. She felt the one with the skull staring at her intensely.

"And what are you doing out here, marine? And where is your squad?" The one with the skull asked in a suspicious tone. Kaiya glanced at the Spartan for a moment, coming up with a story.

"My…squad was killed…I'm the only one left…and I'm on my way to the Pillar of Autumn before the Covenant glasses this planet." She replied to the Spartan as she picked up the rifle she had dropped and her bag. She shook her head, pretending to be sad about her "team's" death.

"What's your name?" The one in black armor asked. Kaiya adjusted her bag.

"Ka-…Kayla…Perez." She replied to the Spartan. "And who are you two?"

"Noble Six and the one with the skull is Emile. We're heading to the Pillar of Autumn ourselves." Noble Six replied in a calm tone. "You can tag along since we're heading in the same direction." He suggested. Kaiya nodded to Noble Six as Emile only scoffed a bit and walked on ahead with Noble Six and Kaiya following behind them.

The sky turned dark grey and rain began to pour from the skies above as Kaiya and the rest of Noble Team arrived at the platform in Aszod. Across the way, Kaiya's eyes landed upon the Pillar of Autumn that was docked for repairs. It was such a massive ship. She could feel her heart racing in her chest with anxiety as she stared at the ship. Her one way to get off Reach.

"Perez! Get your rear in gear! We got company!" Emile snapped at Kaiya who quickly looked away from the large UNSC ship to see several Phantoms heading their way. "Six! You and the marine handle the ground assault! I'll get on the big gun and take care of the ships. We need to clear the platform for Captain Keyes!"

"Understood." Six replied as he gestured to Kaiya to follow him. She nodded and followed him to the top of one of the buildings while Emile went up to a large gun. Kaiya took a kneeling position and aimed at the approaching Phantoms. Once the Phantoms had arrived, Grunts, Jackals, Skirmishers, Elites, and a few Brutes began to flood out of the ships and began to fire at the two. Kaiya quickly fired away at the oncoming danger and threw a few grenades at the Covenants. The one thing she was thankful for about her imprisonment, she knew how to use most of the UNSC weapons.

Kaiya sensed something behind them and quickly looked over her shoulder to see an Elite Minor throw a sticky grenade at them. "Look out!" She yelled as she tackled Noble Six out of the way of the grenade. They both went tumbling down the stairs and Kaiya's helmet was knocked off.

Noble Six rolled away from her and quickly got on his feet. "Perez! Are you alri-" He stopped when she slowly looked at him. She blinked a few times.

"What? Is something wrong…?" She asked, then touched her head and gasped. "Damn it!" Kaiya quickly looked around and grabbed her helmet once she found it and strapped it on tightly. She looked at the Spartan for a moment.

"Do not tell anyone what you saw! And yes it's none of your business what's up with my eyes!" She said as she pulled out her pistol and shot a Grunt in the face. Noble Six kept quiet as he studied her face and body language. Whatever was going on with her was her business, not his. He had his own mission to complete, but he couldn't help but be curious about those strange eyes she hid behind the cracked orange vizor.

"I won't say a word. Come on. We still have a job to do." Six replied to her before he sniped a Jackal off a platform. Kaiya nodded and continued to fight alongside Six while they could hear Emile shouting over the comlink while he opened fire on the Phantoms that kept approaching the platform.

Wave after wave the Covenant kept coming until they managed to clear them all out. Kaiya leaned against the railing, panting softly as she looked around.

"Noble to Keyes! The path is clear!" Emile said over the comlink. Kaiya looked over to the Pillar of Autumn to see a Pelican fly over to them. She wiped the rain and sweat off her face and looked over to Six.

"I'm on my way." A man's voice replied.

"I guess our ride is almost here," Kaiya said to him. Six merely nodded to her as they quickly rushed over to the landing platform.

"Six, Perez. Time for you to leave. Get the package to the pad and your asses off this planet. I got your back." Emile said to them as the Pelican slowly began to descend on the pad.

"This is Keyes, on hot approach to Platform Delta. Ready to take possession of the package, Noble."

Kaiya looked over her shoulder to see the Pelican open its ramp and a man dressed in white, covered in ribbons, stepped off the ramp and approached Noble Six who pulled out a small container from his back and handed it to Keyes.

"Good to see you, Spartan. Halsey assured me I could count on you." Keyes said to Noble Six. Six was quiet for a moment, remembering his fallen teammates.

"Not just me, sir…"

Keyes knew what Six was talking about and laid a firm, but gentle hand on Six's arm. "They'll be remembered."

"Mind giving her a lift as well? She lost…her teammates and is seeking safe passage off Reach." Six said as he gestured to Kaiya who looked over and saluted Keyes. Captain Keyes looked at her closely. He could tell there was something off about her, but if a Spartan was giving her a pass, then he might as well lend a hand.

"I do not see why not. What's your name marine?" He asked. Kaiya looked at Keyes and cleared her throat.

"Kayla Perez, sir." She said to him, Keyes nodded and offered his hand to her. She looked at it for a moment before she slowly shook it. "Welcome aboard the Pillar of Autumn. Get on. We'll be leaving in a moment." He said to her, Kaiya nodded firmly before she slung her rifle over her shoulder and climbed up the ramp. Just as Keyes turned to follow, he spotted a large cruiser heading to the Autumn.

"Cruiser! Adjusting heading for the Autumn! Noble Four, I need fire on that Cruiser or we're not getting out of here! Do you copy?" Keyes said over the comlink to Emile who replied by turning the large gun towards the cruiser.

"You'll have your window, sir."

Captain Keyes quickly climbed aboard the Pelican with the other marines. "Bridge, this is the Captain. We have the Package. Returning to the Autumn. Over."

"Copy that."

As they were preparing to lift off, the second Pelican was shot down by a Phantom and Noble Six had to dodge out of the falling ship. Kaiya cursed as she held onto the railing and looked out the door to see the Phantom flying over to the large gun. She pressed the button on her vizor to enhance her vision and could see a Zealot jump down on Emile, but the Spartan fired at the Zealot, killing him instantly.

"Who's next?!" He shouted as he climbed out of the cockpit. Another Zealot came up behind Emile and stabbed him in the back. But that didn't stop Emile as he pulled out his knife and turned on the Elite. "I'm ready! How 'bout you!?" He yelled as he stabbed the Elite in the neck and fell.

Kaiya closed her eyes as she zoomed out and sighed softly. The Pelican hovered in the air for a moment in front of Noble Six, who looked at the gun then to the Cruiser.

"Lieutenant! Get aboard! We gotta get the hell outta here!" A marine yelled to Six as he offered his hand to the Spartan. Six shook his head and held his rifle.

"Negative. I have the gun. Good luck sir." He said to Keyes then glanced at Kaiya who understood what he was going to do. She gave him a respectful nod and a brisk salute. He returned the nod before he headed off to the gun.

"Good luck to you, Spartan…" Keyes said before he turned away. Kaiya kept quiet as they flew back to the Pillar of Autumn. Even though she never got to know Six, she was thankful that he helped her out this far.

With Six's help, the Pelican landed on the Pillar of Autumn with no other issues and the ship was ready to cast off. Kaiya slowly got off the Pelican and quickly disappeared into the crowd before Keyes could question her.

Carefully, Kaiya moved throughout the ship as she felt the engine start up and the ship beginning to ascend and take off into the sky. She came across an empty room with a window that seemed to be less visited. Could be the perfect place for her to hide out, rest, and figure out the next step of her plan.

Once the door was closed and locked, she dimmed the light and removed her helmet. She set it on a table and sat by the window. They were in space now. Hundreds of stars. Below them…Reach. Before them, was a large Covenant fleet. But those little details didn't bother Kaiya for a moment as she took the time to breathe and calm herself as she focused on the stars instead. She knew she was in good hands for now.

There was one star in the distance that caught her attention. It was twinkling brightly from behind the main flagship of the Covenant fleet. She blinked a few times as she remembered her "mother's" words. She only shook her head and huffed.

"No…don't start thinking about that…" She muttered softly to herself and huffed then yelped as the ship rocked a bit. The Covenant was firing at them. "Here we go again…" She muttered to herself.

Aboard the main flagship of The Fleet of Particular Justice, Seeker of Truth, Thel' Vadamee had been directing his forces on Reach, glassing the planet with ease. His plans to find the humans' main planet of operation went wonderfully well. But as he directed his forces, he couldn't help, but think back to the woman he once held hostage. He glanced at the silk blue ribbon tied around his wrist, which he hid under his body suit.

He wondered where she was now. He still didn't understand why his thoughts kept going back to her on some occasions. It had been nearly three years since he last saw her. Maybe it's because she left an impression on him. Her fiery spirit burned in her eyes.

Thel 'Vadamee grunted a bit and shook his head to be rid of those thoughts. Suddenly there was a warning and he looked up from his wrist to see a large ship leaving the surface of the planet. He had his computer scan it. The Pillar of Autumn.

"All ships. Follow and fire at will on that ship." He commanded. "Let no humans escape our Covenant's wraith."

He clenched his fist and then noticed a strange star behind the Pillar of Autumn. It was twinkling brightly. He curiously tilted his head a bit then once again shook his head. It probably meant nothing. Just a star.

Just then the Pillar of Autumn had begun to go into slip-space. Thel growled.

"Follow them! Now!" He ordered. The crew quickly obeyed his command and put their ship into the same location as the Pillar of Autumn.

The Fleet of Particular Justice quickly followed in pursuit, but…when they left the slip-space, Thel's eyes widened in shock. Before him…was a large ring-like world.

"By the Gods…" He whispered.

Kaiya had braced herself for the slip-space jump once she heard the warning that they were going to jump. She didn't care for slip-space. She always felt a bit sick after it. After drinking in her canteen, the young woman began to wonder where the Pillar of Autumn had jumped to, to escape the Covenant attack. Looking out the window, Kaiya gasped and dropped her canteen at what she saw.

The ringworld from her dreams and visions. "It's…real…what is it…?" She whispered to herself.

To be continued…

Thank you so much for reading! The second part of Kaiya's adventures will be posted soon! Stay tuned!

if anyone is interested in joining my discord server I have a link on my profile! I hope to see you there!