Hello again, everyone, and welcome to my first Halo/Star Wars Crossover.

I've decided to do a complete redux of my Halo/Star Wars crossvover. The original version, now that I read it, irked me greatly, and I was bothered by how shallow it was. This time around, I will be including more lore and a more sensible story line. To do this, I am working with two beta readers, Michael StarBorn and Aquabird1, to make this story as excellent as I can. I'll also be sharing this story with drakensis in order to get the best results possible.

Either way, I hope you enjoy the pilot chapter of my crossover redux, and I hope that you'll stick with me on this crossover to the very end.

As always, leave a review and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or Star Wars franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of Microsoft Game Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, Lucasfilm, Disney Films, 20th Century Fox, etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers, producers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to it's original composers and/or artists.

UNSC Infinity

Deep Space

October 26th, 2558

Captain Lasky looked out the bridge viewport as memories from over thirty years ago came to the forefront of his mind. It had been a long time since he had gone from a lowly cadet at Corbulo to his new position as Captain of the Infinity. Part of him wondered what would've happened had he taken another career path. I was dead set on becoming an officer, he thought. Wouldn't have it any other way.

He sighed. I wish Chyler was here, he thought. I wonder what she would think, given all that has happened. She certainly wouldn't have approved of our handling of the Storm Covenant, and the Prometheans? That's one really fucked up mess, all thanks to the Storm Covenant and the Didact.

"Captain," a voice said to Lasky."You there?"

Jolted out of his thoughts, Lasky asked "What is it, Gabriela?" Gabriela was one of the two main AIs onboard the Infinity, and was charged with keeping the ship in good condition. Created specifically for the ship itself, she was about as old as it was, which was to say, around six years old. In terms of personality, she was authoritative, but compassionate, and she also possessed a wry sense of humor. Assisting her was Roland, a military focused AI that was stationed onboard the Infinity. A third, Aine, would've been present, though she had been destroyed during the Battle of Requiem.

Gabriela was quick to reply, as she said, ""We've got an incoming message from FLEETCOM. They're relaying a message from NAVCOM that says that we've got new orders. Shall I send them to your quarters?"

"Yes," Lasky replied. "Commander Conners, you have the bridge."

Conners was Lasky's XO, and unlike the previous XO, he got along well with Lasky. "Roger that," Conners replied, his thick southern accent loud and clear on the bridge. Proceeding off of the bridge, Lasky began to make his way to his quarters.

The Captain's Quarters were larger than that of a typical officer's room, or even those that the Marines had. On a small warship, a large Captain's Quarters would've been an expensive frivolity, but on a larger warship like the Infinity, larger quarters were a given. Inside was a desk, a queen size bed in the back, a small refresher, as well as a series of cabinets. Good thing I got rid of the liquor inside of them, he thought. I don't like having my wits muddled.

He tapped part of the desk, causing a holographic keyboard and monitor to appear. Putting in his password, he quickly navigated to an inbox that was connected to Waypoint. Thank goodness for Waypoint. If it wasn't for the invention of FTL communications via Slipspace, we'd still be using courier ships.

Lasky's eyes quickly scanned the document. Before long, he could see what FLEETCOM's orders for them were. Looks like the engineers onboard are going to be conducting tests to the Slipspace Drive.

He spotted a small report that had come from Dr. Glassman via the ship's internal Waypoint system. Looks like he wants me to talk to his protege, Jordan MacCallum. Turning his computer off, he said, "Gabriela, can you have Engineer Jordan MacCallum speak with me please?"

"Aye, sir," Gabriela replied. There was a pause, then, "Ship Systems Specialist MacCallum has been notified. He will arrive in around eight minutes."

"Very good," Lasky noted. Eight minutes later, he heard a knock at the door. "Come in." The door then opened, permitting a young man wearing an engineer's uniform into the room. MacCallum looked like your typical engineer, complete with splattered uniform. "You called, sir?" he asked, his voice low and rough.

"At ease," Lasky replied. "I wanted to speak with you, MacCallum."

"Is there something wrong? I know I haven't done anything wrong. Have I?"

"No," he replied. "I wanted to get your opinion on something."

MacCallum relaxed, relieved that he wasn't in trouble for anything. "OK," he replied. "What do you need my opinion for?"

"I was recently informed by NAVCOM that you and the other engineers aboard the ship are to conduct a series of tests on the Infinity's Slipspace Drive. From what I can tell, they want to perform a routine safety check on the drive. My question is whether or not we can do the tests right now."

"Sure!" MacCallum excitedly. "We've had to put off the routine maintenance tests for some time. I'll have to talk to my boss, Dr. Glassman, about it, but I'm certain that he'll agree that we should conduct the routine maintenance"

Lasky nodded. "Good. I was kinda hoping to hear that." He was about to continue when the computer winked on, before beeping loudly. "Excuse me. I have a message coming in. Step outside please?"

"Sure," MacCallum agreed. With MacCallum out of the room, Lasky checked his terminal again. This time, he saw another message, though the contents worried him slightly. "You can come in now," he told MacCallum as he turned off the computer again.

Walking inside, MacCallum asked, "What is it?"

"FLEETCOM just informed me of a new development," Lasky informed him. "Apparently, they also want the tests to be a joint effort between the UNSC and the Swords of Sangheilios. Are you familiar with them?"

MacCallum nodded. "I am. I visited Sangheilios around a year ago,. Its still pretty turbulent over there, but I learned a lot about Covenant Borer Drives."

Lasky nodded."Can you work with them?"

"I can, and so can my boss, but I'm not sure about the others. Ever since the war, and especially since the last attack on the Infinity, the rest of my colleagues have been looking at them warily" MacCallum shrugged. "Still, Glassman and I'll make sure they do their jobs, even if they curse us every meter of the way."

"Good," Lasky remarked with a sigh. "A battlecruiser is currently on its way to drop off the Sangheili that will be participating in the tests. Might want to get your engineering staff ready."

"That I will, Captain."

Once MacCallum had left, Lasky stood to his feet. Might as well get to it, he thought. Hopefully, Hood's idea of strengthening relations with the Sangheili doesn't blow up in our faces.

. . .

Eight hours later, the Infinity was holding position in deep space. Standing in the hangar bay, Lasky awaited the arrival of the Sangheili engineers. I hope we don't' wait too long, he thought, or this test will be delayed again.

Off to his left, Jordan checked his watch. "They'll be here any moment now," he said. "Sangheili are known for being punctual."

"It's not that I'm worried about," Lasky said. "What I'm worried about is how things will fare between them and our crew. We're asking a lot of our people, and I'm not sure they can handle working with a species that tried to wipe them out less than a decade ago."

"You leave that to me," another voice said. Lasky turned to see a dark skinned woman with bright green eyes. "I'm confident in my ability to prevent more trouble breaking out. I won some respect with the Sangheili during the debacle at Carrow."

"You think so, Azikiwe?" Lasky asked.

Envoy Azikiwe smiled. "Trust me. I know how to get two sides of a fight to listen."

While Lasky and Azikiwe spoke, the Master Chief and his squad silently waited for their guests. "You think it's a good idea for Sangheili to be onboard?" Fred-104 asked. "Not sure how the Spartan-IVs will handle having to work with them."

Chief's gaze went towards the Spartan-IV's. Eight of them, Fireteams Majestic and Windfall, were in the hangar. "They will," he said, "because we'll make sure they do."

"I'm not worried about Fireteam Majestic," Linda said. "Thorne and his people have worked with Sangheili in the past. I'm not too certain about Fireteam Windfall, though."

"We'll handle things as they come," Chief decided. "Focus on the mission." The Spartans nodded, then turned their gaze back towards the magcon field.

Just as they did, a Phantom flew through the magcon field and into the hangar bay. Chief tensed, then relaxed. We're no longer at war, but the tensions still remain, he reminded himself. The Phantom came to a stop, then deposited two Sangheili via the gravity lift in the back. One of them had a pair of missing mandibles, while the other was slightly shorter, and was wearing an Artisan-Engineer's outfit.

The former of the two was immediately recognizable, as he advanced forwards and clasped his hand over his chest. "Greetings, Captain Lasky," he said, his voice echoing in the hangar bay.

"Shipmaster R'tas Vadum," Lasky replied. "I take it the journey here was agreeable?"

"Yes," R'tas replied. Spotting Melody, he said, "Greetings, Envoy Azikiwe. I remember you from the aftermath of the Carrow Conflict."

"As do I," Melody replied, smiling slightly. "It is good to see you again. I take it your compatriot is here for the test?"

"You presume correctly," R'tas replied. "This is Artisan-Engineer Zanaka 'Vrakum. She requested an assignement onboard the Infinity. Your Chairman was kind enough to convince your superiors to acquiesce to her request."

"Greetings," Zanaka replied. Her voice was higher in pitch than R'tas', but it was still characteristically deep for Sangheili. "It is an honor to be aboard your ship, Shipmaster."

"It is an honor to make your acquaintance as well, Zanaka," Lasky said.

"Indeed," Zanaka remarked. Looking at MacCallum, she said, "You look familiar, Human. Is it just my eyes, or do I see a certain Jordan MacCallum standing before me?"

Jordan smiled. "You're eyes are as sharp as ever." With that, Zanaka smiled. The two advanced towards each other, then hugged.

The show of affection surprised Lasky. "You know each other?"

"Yes," MacCallum replied. "Zanaka was my teacher when I was at Sangheilios."

"That I did" Zanaka agreed. "He had as many questions as a bush has leaves, but he was also my best student. I had a considerable amount of enjoyment working with him. It will be even more enjoyable to work with him on this test."

"Good."

R'tas cleared his throat with a cough. "Zanaka isn't the only one that will be participating in your mission." As he said this, two more Sangheili dropped down from the gravity lift the Phantom was using. Both of these Sangheili, Lasky noted, were the same height, and wore the same armor save for two notable differences. "These," R'tas explained, pointing the the first, then the second. "Are Zoram and Zorak 'Vortum. They will also be participating in this mission as well."

"Welcome aboard," Lasky greeted. Noting the similar height and body armor, he asked, "Are you two siblings?"

"Twins," both Sangheili said simultaneously. "We shared the same egg," Zoram said.

"Ah, I see. Is there anyone else coming aboard, R'tas?"

"Yes," R'tas replied. Several more Sangheili dropped down from the Phantom. "The Arbiter requested that a few of his warriors be brought along as a protection detail for the engineers. Now that they are onboard, I will be taking my leave now."

"Very well. May whatever missions you are undertaking proceed smoothly, Shipmaster."

"And yours as well," R'tas replied before stepping into the gravity lift for the Phantom.

Once it flew out, Lasky turned to the newcomers and said, "We'll hold a short meeting with Dr. Glassman. I've also spoken with ONI, and they've agreed to allow Dr. Halsey to join us as well."

MaCallum groaned. "Not her, please."

"Why?"

"Professional ethics. She and I are like oil and water: we don't mix well. Still... if she's coming along, then I'll just have to bite the bullet and stick it out."

"I thought as much," Lasky noted, "and I'll take your request under advisement."

A few minutes later, everyone that had been in the meeting party for R'tas Phantom was now inside a conference room The room was large enough to house around twenty people, with a large table in the center taking up most of the room. Dr Glassman was the first man to speak. "I've been speaking to MacCallum on whether or not the Infinity can perform in-field maintenance on the drive," he said at length.

"And the verdict is?" Lasky asked.

"We can, but we'll need to be careful. I'll let MacCallum explain."

"Thank you," MacCallum replied. "As you all know, the Infinity is a very unique ship given her use of a Forerunner SS drive. As such, given the Sangheili's experience with Forerunner technology, and the fact that Dr. Halsey helped upgrade the ship, we'll be performing some routine maintenance to ensure everything's working properly. Personally speaking, I think there's no risk at all, though in this line of business, you have to act as though a single miscalculated adjustment could cause the entire ship to explode."

"Reasonable," Lasky admitted. "Glassman, what's your opinion?"

"I don't think there's any harm in doing so.. Like MacCallum said, though, we'll have to be careful when we run the tests. One wrong move, and we'll all be free floating atoms, if not worse."

"Which it is why it's a good thing that Dr. Halsey's onboard," Lasky added. "As you said yourself at one point, she participated in the upgrades of the Infinity. If the Forerunner SS drive that's installed goes wacky on us, she'll be able to figure out what caused the malfunction. I know that she hasn't proven herself trustworthy as of late, but she's really our best option."

MacCallum looked like he was about to protest, then thought better of it. He could be logical when the situation demanded it. Better to leave his complaints at the door in this case. "I understand," he sighed. "If she does anything to our ship, though..."

"She won't," Lasky reassured him, "especially when Chief and the Spartan IIs are aboard. That much I am certain of." He looked at the three artisan-engineers. "You three know more about SS Drives than most everyone in this room, save for MacCallum and Dr. Glassman. What is your opinion."

As she preceded Zoram and Zorak in seniority, Zanaka spoke. "I believe that it will be quite risky. We are working with technology created by a species that we once worshiped as gods. Yes, we know more about Forerunner technology than most, but we are stepping into the unknown here. I advise caution."

"I agree," Zoram added, with Zorak nodding in agreement. "We will need to tread carefully, otherwise, there will be very little of us left."

"Very well, then," Lasky decided. "Glassman, MacCallum, you can show our guests to Engineering. Inform us when the tests are ready to be conducted. The rest of you, dismissed!"

. . .

For the rest of the day, everything seemed to go well. I'm so glad the maintenance is finally over, Lasky thought. For a while, I was holding my breath while they worked on the drive. Now it's time to see if the drive still works properly. "Everyone ready?" Lasky asked.

"I'm ready," Lieutenant James, the ship's Navigator, replied.

"Same here," Lieutenant Austen, the ship's Principal Weapons Officer added.

"I've got a Slipstream Space COM channel to FLEETCOM ready," Lietuenant Jespersen, the ship's Communications Officer, reported. "If we have a malfunction, we can call FLEETCOM for help." One by one, the other officers added their own replies and reports as well.

"Good," Lasky noted. Keying the ship's intercom, he said. "Bridge to Engineering. What's your status?"

"Green," Dr. Glassman replied. "I'm with MacCallum and our Sangheili guests here. We're monitoring the SS Drive right now. We'll let you know if something goes wrong."

"Check," Lasky replied. "Bridge out." Looking at Lieutenant James, he said, "We're ready. Begin the jump. Gabriela?"

"We're all set," Gabriela replied. "SS drive is active."

"Course set for Earth," James added. "Slipspace jump in five... four... three... two... one... now!"

Outside, there was a slight flash, before a large portal into Slipstream Space opened. It stopped once it was wide enough to envelop the entire ship. Within a few seconds, the entire ship entered the portal, whereupon it closed with a burst of gamma radiation, the quantum mechanical equivalent of a shrug. "We're in Slipstream Space now," Gabriela reported. "ETA to Earth: two days."

"Roger that," Lasky replied.

For a few minutes, nothing seemed to be out of place, but then, things went wrong. "Captain?" Gabriela said "Automatic failsafes for the drive have failed to activate. Our AIs are working to correct, but I'm getting reports of mechanical failures as well!"

The words rang alarm bells in Lasky's head. "Gabriela, bring us out of Slipstream Space now!"

"I can't!" Gabriela shouted, panic lacing her voice. "SS Drive is not responding to commands! Attempting bypass!"

"Glassman?!"

"I know what it is!" Glassman shouted. "The Infinity's Drive's gone into overdrive! Our speed is exceeding 15,000,000c! The automatic safeties have disengaged! Jordan!"

"I'm working on it! HANG ON!" Jordan shouted. "Initiate emergency shutdown protocols! Cut the power to the drive and get Dr. Halsey down here! NOW!" For a few seconds, there was silence on the bridge as the engineers worked frantically to stop the runaway drive.

"We're dropping out now!" Gabriela shouted. Then the bridge lights suddenly went out. Only the holo-table remained powered.

"How bad's the damage?!" Lasky asked.

"Damnit!" an Ensign shouted. "I've lost readings on the entire ship! I can't get those readings until the power's back!"

"Get power back as soon as possible!" Lasky ordered Gabriela. "I've got a bad feeling about this."

"Incoming object ahead of us!" Gabriella shouted. "We're going to hit!"

"Brace for impact!" Conners thundered

Lasky gripped the table, just as the ship hit whatever it was Gabriella had spotted. An awful tearing sound tore through the air. Before he could react, Lasky found himself being thrown forwards. His head smacked into the holo-table as darkness claimed him.