Disclaimer: I do not own Halo.

Warning: This is rated T for a reason.

Year: 2563

The meeting came to a close after that, and everyone but Mitchel-C420 and Ryan-D207, the Commander and Second-in-Command, pooled out of the Conference Room. Once he had exited the room, Daniel-D223 let out a light laugh. "Thought we were never gonna' make it out of there…" Nigel-D108, who had just walked past Daniel in his typical pompous way, scoffed,"Better be careful, Daniel. He may just call us back in there." I glared at Nigel as he continued striding down the east hallway. He had never been good at holding his tongue back in training and probably never would be, the smart ass. Daniel held his hands to his throat as though another meeting would kill him, which it just might. Daniel has never been one for meetings, deeming them "boring and pointless". Having two consecutive meetings in the same day may just do him in.

Erika-D056 then walked over, standing straight and tall, in a ready-to-fire-a-joke stance. "Welcome to the FFS, men. You do know that not many who accept this job live, don't you?" She asked, using a strong, commanding voice, unlike her own softer one. Wasn't that always the case in war? Thousands sign up, but few live to tell the tale? This would be no different. Daniel straightened up considerably, and replied,"Yes, ma'am. We know and accept any and all challenges or consequences we may face while serving the FFS." He then saluted her, most likely grinning behind his verdant visor. Erika copied the motion quickly. The duo held this pose for nearly a minute, bursting out laughing afterwards, as though they were balloons that a small child had accidentally popped.

I couldn't help but chuckle a little at their child-like behavior. After their jovial laughter subsided, Erika ripped off her helmet in a swift motion, holding it to her hip with one hand. Her face was strewn with perspiration and her light cheeks were flushed with a color that resembled a red rose. Her dark brown hair was latched on to her perfectly shaped face due to her sweat. Erika's slightly arched, short eyebrows gave her a gentle and caring look that would have made anyone want to talk with her. But the one feature that captivated me the most, though, were her beautiful, honey-glazed hazel eyes that seemed to hold millions of shining stars inside of them.

She smiled, her rose colored lips upturned so delicately that someone who didn't know her would think she couldn't snap your neck in half. "Ahh…," she sighed. "It's good to finally be able to take that old thing off." Daniel, getting sick of his own stuffy helmet, then followed suit, saying,"If she gets to take hers off then so do I." His dark brown skin glowed with beads of sweat that trickled down his face every few minutes. Under his seemingly pitch black eyes were deeply carved bags that made him look five years older than what he really was. There were painful looking gashes and scars surrounding his right eye where a Covenant terrorist attacked him two years ago on what was supposed to be a simple "mission". His black eyebrows were slightly burned off and sharply angled, fitting his rough look. His hair was buzz-cut, like most Spartan males I knew.

"Whew! That's more like it!" He huffed, smiling from ear to ear. Erika then turned to me, giving me the "puppy eyes" look while pouting in an extremely unprofessional way. "Will you take off your helmet today, Sai?" Her eyes held a pleading glow that most wouldn't be able to say no to, but I'm not "most". "No." I said flatly. Not receiving the message, she continued her childish routine, somehow managing to make her saucer-like eyes even larger. "Pleeeeaaassse?" She tried again. Obviously, she needed further reasoning as to why I wouldn't remove my helmet. "It's better to be prepared." I answered shortly. It may have been a short and easy response, but it was true enough. You never know when you're in a ship loaded with highly dangerous weapons. Finally giving up, she stuck her pink tongue out at me and turned again to chat with Daniel, who had been standing by, mimicking Erika the whole time behind her back. The funny thing is, she didn't notice and wasn't suspicious of him either.

Daniel and Erika began talking casually as I listened silently. Their conversations were usually amusing and about the most trivial topics, completely irrelevant to anything involving the "missions" of the day. Finally, after a good 20 minutes of chattering, the communication between the two died down as it typically does after a while. "I'd better get-" Daniel began, being interrupted by the Conference Room's door swinging open, letting out Mitchel, Ryan, and the new AI. As the trio walked past us, down one of the many twisting halls, Ryan gave us a passing glance and nod, showing acknowledgement. Mitchel, however, made no such effort, acting as though we weren't even there. I watched the three as they continued down the hall. The Commander is cold, even for a Spartan. Then again, he had a team before us, back during the Human-Covenant War. He was the only survivor. The rest of his team? Gone. Killed. We believe his icy, harsh personality is a result of that.

After the three disappeared to somewhere else on the Blackhole, Daniel resumed speaking. "I have to get going, now. The Blackhole won't defend herself, y'know." He smirked, knowing the ship was fine. He then shoved his steel colored warrior helmet back on his head and began to walk off in a random direction that he would probably get lost in. You would think he would know the ship by now, after walking its halls almost every day. Erika placed her own helmet back on her head. "I'd better go, too. Mari is probably lonely by herself monitoring the ship's controls." She gave me a slight wave and took off in the same direction as Mitchel, Ryan, and the AI, tearing through the halls like a kid who had just discovered coffee. I allowed myself a small smile before beginning to ponder at what my team had just gotten in to.

Though I had voted to join the FFS, I had an uneasy feeling about what may ensue. A feeling that ensured a difficult path with no happy ending…but I brushed it off as mere paranoia. Besides… I thought. It's too late to change my mind now… I would just have to trust them. I lowered my head, gazing at the metal floors. Who knows? We may just get lucky and win. I laughed inwardly. "Luck" wouldn't save us from this mess. Only skill would.

Rrrrr… Rrrrrrr… Rrrrr…

My head snapped up, staring at the ceiling as the ship began a deep, low rumble. What the hell is happening?! I thought as the ship's moans increased in volume. The lights lined on the Blackhole's walls flickered, threatening to blink out and leave its interior blind. Soon, they too, were buzzing in rage, adding to the unimaginable noise that nothing could block out.

Rrrr… Rrrrrrr… Rrrrrr…

Suddenly, the ground began to tremble, attempting to throw me off my feet. Quickly, I rolled over to a wall, using it for support. What is this?! The apocalypse?! I thought, as the violent shaking continued. On top of that, the ship's AI, Theodora, began speaking, her voice echoing through the halls.

"FFS units are boarding the ship. Location: East Halls, line 857. All members of Team Hawk are to report to the Control Room on the Upper Floors immediately. Units are armed and marked as dangerous. Use caution."

Apparently, no one had told Theodora that we had decided to join the FFS. I grunted as I tried to regain my balance with the ship's ceaseless swaying. A few lights had gone out completely, while others still refused to go out. Somewhere deeper into the Blackhole I heard Daniel shout,"Goddammit!" Knowing this was probably another one of those "boring" meetings that he despised so much. I chuckled, completely and utterly amused by his anger.

I, on the other hand, was actually interested to see who had come. I wanted to find out what this insanity was all about and whether or not it was worth it. I smiled to myself. This might be them coming to inform us of our first real mission. My smile broadened, which isn't an everyday thing.

It was high time I saw some action.

A/N: Done! Okay, I know this took a while to write and it sucks, but I promise you (hopefully) it will get better! This is still only the beginning and I'm really, really trying not to rush it and make a huge mess of it. I accept constructive criticism and flames (which will be used for camping…). Thank you to ghostleon and StargateFFWriter! I appreciate your support! A big special thanks to Jun no Otaku! I highly recommend reading some of her stories. :)