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The following is a fan-based

FICTION

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"Throw your best shot!"

October 19 2525 - Hour 1938

PFC Logan 'Log' Sutton

Covenant CPV-Class Destroyer 'Servitude', Orbit over Planet of Harvest

I knew how to fly, but I sure sucked at landing the big bird I was driving.

My epic entrance was highlighted with the pelican slamming into a couple of Seraphs that had been stored within the inner section, the loud action alerting any pilot or guard within as volleys of plasma stormed the vehicle. The metal was sturdy, but it wouldn't hold for long against an intense plasma assault. Thankfully, Sif worked fast and the few turrets within the large room activated and started to kill as many Covenant troops nearby. I picked my bag and quickly retrieved my shotgun, turning around just in time as a Brute had decided to rush inside and check for the pilot. As the bastard opened the door, he sure got a surprise when he was met with the barrel of the shotgun forced into his nose.

"RAA-!"

*BANG*

The reinforced plates over his head hardly protected it by a point-blank shotgun blast, the pellets tearing through his skull and killing him instantly. He fell backward and the few Grunts that watched the scene in pure aghast quickly ran away from my grinning self. I could recall this scene from many situations back when I was playing the many installations of the series.

"AH! The boss is dead!"

I wasn't even sure if that's what they were saying, but I could already feel it was something along those lines. And I wasn't planning to let go of them anytime soon. I pumped a new shell inside the gun, but quickly used the silenced handgun to kill the cannon fodders before they could break free from their own panic. There were five Grunts in total within my range, and each could easily decimate me if they just turned their plasma pistol on me.

So, classic strategy against the little shits: headshots only, make them jump in imaginary confettis, and leave quickly through the pathway highlighted by my limited VISR mode. The helmet was pretty basic and Sif could only give me a 'landmark' to reach. I didn't know which path to take, but I knew that if I arrived there somehow, then I was going to find the command room. It was a simple plan, but also a pretty solid plan.

I remind you that these halls might make your current weaponry an advantageous one, but you're not immune to- Oh?

I didn't even let her finish when I brought up the personal shield I snatched from one of the Jackals back before entering the orbital elevator and activated it. This was its moment to finally shine.

Truly a surprise, do you have anything else to bring up?

"I have a plasma pistol, but I don't think it will do much if I can't get the time to charge it up to destroy shields-" I replied quickly, stopping just as I had to back away from turning the corner when I saw a large green plasma blast trying to slam into me from the corridor I was running into. "Shit, big guy."

A Mgalekgolo, or Hunter, was sitting its ass and blocking me passage to the other end of the hallway. Hives made of orange worms, they had a powerful shield to tank the worst frontal blasts short of a Scorpion's HE shot, while the other was armed with a Plasma Cannon. And as far as I was concerned, I couldn't backtrack with how limited the current window of opportunity was.

You're not going to pass through it.

I grinned angrily, feeling a bit pissed at the situation but feeling rather unwilling to give up about it. "Wanna bet?"

Refusing to further elaborate, I suddenly rushed out from my corner and ran towards the Hunter. If frontal attacks weren't going to get me any win out of this circumstance, then I would just get behind it. The behemoth prepared another blast from its plasma cannon, but the large projectile was off just enough for me to dodge and explode safely behind me. It charged back, running to try and push me away thanks to its armored left arm. It was there that I pulled a difficult stunt. As it jumped slightly to gain momentum with its attack, I slided below the bastard, turned around with my shotgun, quickly aimed at its exposed weak spot in his back and delivered four pellets onto it.

It didn't even get the chance to try and turn around as the hits were enough to kill the hive of worms making it for good. As it stumbled down, I turned back to resume my current mission and I smiled as a certain AI sighed. Still, before she could say anything about it, I felt her voice 'lag' or go glitchy for a moment.

H-Harvest's plants are- are- the best- No, I have to keep in- Control? Control! Or... Control. I-I-

"Sif," I muttered in concern. "Don't die on me here. We're close to getting this job done."

A-As- As if!

As she said that, her voice finally normalized.

"You alright?"

For now? Yes. We need to move.

"Gotcha!" I hummed louder, bringing my shield up as I saw three Grunts trying to stop my rush.

Two of them were using a Needler, while one of them, the one in the back, was equipped with a plasma pistol. While the pink shards that promised to explode me the moment they impacted on my body failed to pierce the shield, the plasma was damaging the barrier a fair bit and I knew that I had to intervene fast before it collapsed. Once again, the silenced M6C proved to do a fine job in claiming some skulls, but the Shield still took a beating and I didn't feel confident it was going to hold for long against a stronger assault. This wasn't going to bode well if I ended up facing heavy firepower. Despite the momentum I gained through these successes, I was quick to realize that our destination was... a couple of floors above our heads, and what we found at the end of this path was an-

"An elevator?" I asked, getting a positive light from Sif. "Can you make it work?"

I can control it. Get aboard.

A nod, then I entered inside the rectangular purple box and saw the doors close behind me. There was a 'shift' of gravity as it rushed upward, a smooth process that did nothing to assuage my worries. Soon we were at the same level where the target was, but... the doors remained closed. I frowned, thinking it was normal but... then I heard Sif 'struggle' about something.

"What is going on?" I demanded, but she took a while to actually answer.

O-One moment.

"What are you doing? What's on the other side?" I asked, fearing this was the moment she snapped and actually dropped the elevator to kill me. But no, what happened next was... more vicious. And beneficial.

I heard rapid plasma blasts, the very noise I had accustomed to the defenses within the ships' hallways, suddenly attacking a couple of enemies on the other side. A 'couple of enemy' would soon prove to be an entire battalion that had set up an ambush with a few Brutes, some Elites and several Jackals.

All resistance up to the command room is clear. Let's move.

Nodding, I started to run again. Adrenaline made me forget about any tiredness and previous wounds aching up at the strain- we were so close to make it, and I wasn't planning to die now that we were steps away from delivering the ultimate middle finger to the bastards. It was a straight path, all doors around closed as Sif made sure that nobody else obstacles our last lap. I entered inside the room, shotgun trained and ready to claim a couple of lives when-

"F-Fuck-"

I fell down, seeing just moments too late something rushing from my left and cutting into the... shotgun. I was holding half of it and I didn't even get the time to fully grasp the shitty situation as the Zealot rushed back at me and tried to impale me on the ground. Sadly for what I could tell was the Ship Master, he didn't take under consideration the flimsy nature of a Jackal's shield being able to be enough of a distraction to allow me to start stabbing him with the sharp end of what once was my boomstick. The shield managed to bounce off the first ten to fifteen stabs, but I was driven by a general unwillingness to die and I was stabbing in the same particular spot with the same amount of power for all attacks. The shield cracked, the panicked Elite finally tensed up as he perceived the sharp object pierce through its abdomen and... It crumbled onto me.

"N-Nasty bastard," I huffed, pulling him on the side and standing up before moving to retrieve another souvenir. A nice Type-1 Energy Sword. I was relieved when it didn't destroy as it tended to back in Combat Evolved. It was clear the Sangheilis had yet to implement the failsafe procedure meant to pull that dick move. Now I had my light saber... kinda.

There are other enemy contacts.

But while what I got from that brawl was a win, it was far from the last win I needed for this long day. Not when I heard two loud noises and growls, with two other Elites appearing from the deeper side of the room, brandishing their own blades and looking ready to avenge their dead boss.

Oh. There are two more...

Fuck.

The ensuing battle was more intense than before, but also less driven by panic on my behalf. The two Sangheilis weren't bearing the same strong armor as the Zealot, but their skill with their own blades was... troublesome. Especially in a 2v1 like this one. Still, I had a clear advantage. For some reasons, their posture to strike left them open for attacks, which helped a lot in landing some deadly hits on them before they even got the chance to exploit their numerical advantage against me. The first one to fall was the one on my left. The bastard tried to thrust his blade forward, only to be greeted by the blade once owned by the Ship Master as it pierced through his head. The second one was stunned by the sight, but he didn't falter as he tried to attack more aggressively. It was his undoing due to how unfocused all attempts were, giving me the win when I slashed across his neck, sharply cutting into his shields and severing a good part of the flesh in a single move.

That was... a troublesome skirmish.

"Yep. But we're here now. What do I need to do now?"

Bring me to the terminal... there.

New blue mark, it led me up to the central terminal. I stopped there, listening to Sif as she ordered me to 'insert' the chip for a while through the cubic hologram on the right side of the machine. Her avatar appeared, and she swiftly started to prepare the last touches to conclude this crazy mission of ours. Two minutes later I was asked by her to get the chip back in the hologram so she could get back inside of it.

We have half an hour. I managed to get everything set for our evacuations, from a new and more powerful jammer against their communications, to one of their long-range fighters that is currently set to be used by us for evacuating.

"Can we make it with a fighter?"

It's possible. At worst, we will just reach within the range of the closest CMA facility. At best? We should be able to get noticed by any ship sent to check on what happened to Harvest.

I nodded, putting her chip back in my helmet and running back to the hangar, knowing that now speed was a necessity. While I was busy with the evacuation, I ended up exchanging a conversation I was particularly nervous about. Mostly because it revolved around Sif and her Rampancy. And it reminded me a lot of what happened back in Halo 4... minus the hopelessness behind Cortana's situation.

Sutton, I have a question.

"What about, Sif?" I asked back with a frown, my attention still aimed at getting out of the Destroyer.

My rampancy, it's... it should be curable at this stage. Do you believe that... Should I try?

I blinked at that open question. "Try what? Getting fixed? Why not?"

Also, was that even possible? I remember Cortana theorized about it and, despite how thorough the details on the subject are, I wasn't confident this was feasible. Or was it? I would have to wait until we were out of there to be certain of this possibility. Still, the idea of letting Sif die after she helped me? I couldn't help but consider it a dick move. I was a goddamn Marine, and I had to support my comrades if they needed help.

I was trying to say... should I even try to live beyond what happened in these last weeks?

"What?"

I lost the planet I was mostly in charge of. I killed a fellow AI just to not die when protocol dictated it- I should be deactivated and-

"You also helped me set up a ship to cripple the bastards we are now at war with," I interjected. "And you're helping save my hide while we leave the planet. As far as I'm concerned, you should live."

Why?

"I think the real question right now, Sif, is 'Why not?'."

The AI went quiet for the rest of the trek back to the hangar, and I found the ship she referred to being ready for deployment. I jumped inside the open hatchet and allowed Sif to take over the system through a similar way back from the command room.

Systems are in full norm, fuel is at maximum and... let's make it count.

"Yes, let's make it fucking count."

Due to the unusual organization of the system, Sif took care of driving the ship as we left the hangar and promptly stormed through the scattered Seraphs trying to understand what was going on inside the ship. The Covenant Comms was definitely suffering a meltdown due to how many users were trying to make sense of the current events through it. But it didn't matter.

As Sif activated the ship Impulse Drive, we both looked to the side as the true spectacle unfolded: the Destroyer we boarded soon slammed onto the belly of the Battlecruiser, damaging both its shields and the ones of the ship it headbutted into before overcharging and exploding strongly enough to pierce the bigger construct and destroy its core in the process. A massive lightshow ensued, and I blinked in awe at the pure destruction we caused with a simple revenge plan.

Four hours of trip and the silent relief finally eased my bones. We made contact with CMA Colchis, one of the ships sent as an advanced scout to keep track of what was going on within 'Harvest Perimeter'. We were identified as Sif made contact and provided with all the details needed before we were allowed to land in one of the hangars within the ship. It sure made for a bit of a surprise to arrive in an alien spaceship. But I was a bit more surprised when I almost got detained when I left the pod. It would seem like the UNSC had confirmed all combatants in Harvest had died or had been evacuated after October 7.

Once all clarifications were made and I was freed from some uncomfortable shackles... I got stuck with a conversation I didn't expect to be subjected to.

"Private First Class Sutton," The caller replied with a calm tone. "At ease."

"Vice-Admiral, sir," I replied formally, eyeing Preston Cole with as much respect as possible within the best representation of decorum.

"Corporal, I hope you understand that this request to talk doesn't come just to announce a promotion."

"Yes, sir," I replied, not even expecting the top dogs had already prepared something like that. "How may I help you, sir?"

"You see, while we were investigating the footage of what unfolded on your little 'mission' to destroy the alien battlecruiser, we came to the conclusion that you might be someone we were interested to find for a while now."

I blinked. "Sir, I don't believe I-"

"I can't tell you much as of now due to this conversation ending up being recorded, and I understand that the way I'm describing this matter might make you assume this could be... unpleasant," The Vice-Admiral interrupted with a semi-apologetic tone. "The truth is that the recent circumstances might see this side-project shelved, and yet there is strong belief within the Navy and the Marine Corps that this could still make the difference."

"Understood, sir."

"You shall report to the Damascus Testing Facility in Chi Ceti. In there, we keep a prototype which we believe shall revolutionize warfare if we manage to mass-produce it. But we need someone to test it. Is this clear?

"Yes sir," I replied, feeling particularly confused by the request. If I remember correctly, the Facility was where the Mjolnir Mark IV was being prepared for the Spartan-IIs so... why was I supposed to go there? Despite that odd order, I still decided to make a small adjustment to the conversation now that I could speak with someone willing to listen. "Actually, sir, if it's not asking much, I would like to ask a favor."

Cole looked surprised. "What about, Corporal?"

"If it's not requesting too much, I would like to inquire about the current condition of the AI that helped me pull this move, Sir. I would be lying if I said that I feel concerned about her well-being."

A curious look appeared on the Vice-Admiral's face. "Truly? And what do you ask to be more precise?"

"If it's not asking too much, which I believe in part is, I would like to request if she could be reassigned to me for the time being."

...

"Corporal, do you understand that the AI was meant to keep vessels and large stations working at optimal conditions?"

"I'm also aware that the situation has changed a lot, sir. This is a big war and I believe individuals will make the difference now that we know they got the bigger ships."

...

Surprisingly enough, the man chuckled at my last comment. I guess my sarcasm just works nicely with people like him.

"A fair assessment. But the request might be difficult to satisfy due to recent developments regarding... abnormal conditions tied to her processes. Still, I will try to work things out and see if it is truly possible."

Did they pick up that she was going Rampant? If so, then why were they just investigating her and not trying to fix her or dismantle her. I was confused about this very disposition but... I could tell Sif herself will explain this once I got hold of her one way or another.

"I will not ask for anything else, sir."

The high officer nodded. "Glad to hear that. Now rest, you shall take your leave at 1500 for Chi Ceti."

"I will, sir."

"No, thank you, Corporal. Your service made humanity proud of you."

And probably pissed off most of the Covenant in a single move. But... you know what they say-

Hate is the first element to prosper in war.

AN

Some guarantees I can make right now: No, he will not be given a Spartan Armor. That would be plain stupid. What I have in mind is... an unique feature that no Halo Story approached. Mostly because it would feel 'silly' to implement considering the importance of elements that are necessary to face plasma and other threats employed by the Covenant. It will be a suit, but I would say it is neither a Spartan-II one nor a Spartan-III one. It will just 'improve' MC's chances of survival by a small margin. He will remain a marine through and through!