September 2nd 2552 Reach.

Six sat outside a cave and looked over a map that one of the locals had. They needed to make a decision on what to do. There was a short rout in the north to the spaceport, but it was dangerous which meant that they had leave the sick, old and young. But she wasn't going to do that. She did that once to many times to do it again. The screams of the dead that she left behind still haunted her as she slept.

Which meant that there was one other option. To the east was an abandoned UNSC base that would still have vehicles inside. Trucks, warthogs, mongooses' along with supplies and weapons. Even if they made it to the spaceport, that didn't mean that they would have enough supplies to survive on. She sighed as she got up and walked into the cave were over a hundred people sat around camp fires.

A few looked to her as she passed and walked up to the leader's fire. The leaders were made up of Kai, the civilian leader Rose, a former head for a small company and Major Lee, the 'military' leader.

"I've been going over the plans in my head," Six said as she sat down. "I think we should go for the base,"

"Why?" Kai asked. "We have baggage, let's dump them,"

"Let her speak," Rose said with a nod from Lee.

"It's not about the baggage," Six said. "It's about the supplies. How long are we going to ask without food? Water? Medicine? Basic necessities, we don't even know if the ship has any supplies on board,"

"You make a good point, Six," Lee nodded. "We do need supplies,"

"What we need to do is get off Reach," Kai insisted.

"And I agree," Six said. "But we need to look at the bigger picture here," she indicated to the people in the cave. "Regardless of baggage we have people to feed and water. How are we expected to escape in a ship that probably has nothing?"

Kai sighed and fell silent. "We need to get of Reach, if we go to the base, and get supplies that means that the Covenant will find us and kill us. The sooner we get off this planet the better,"

"If I might add," Rose said making heads to turn to her. "What if we split the group? One group goes and secure the ship and brings it over to the base?"

The three military officers fell silent. "Well, the problem is that it would attract attention," Lee said. "Don't get me wrong it's a good idea but…" he trailed off.

"There's more that goes into starting a spaceship," Kai said. "But that may not be such a bad idea, we can split the group," Six nodded at that.

"That's not a bad plan," she muttered looking at the map. "If you take a contingent of marines and spaceship engineers to the port, you can try and get the ship working while I take the rest over to the base and get as many supplies as possible,"

Lee nodded at that. "Makes sense," he muttered. "But you need a contingent of soldiers as well,"

"I know, but we'd also have former civilian militia with my group," Six said. "I think we can manage with that," she nodded. "But there's one question that comes to mind, where do we go?"

That made the group fall silent as they looked to one another. "Well Earth of course," Kai said.

Lee shook his head. "No, I don't know about the rest of you but I'm done with the UNSC,"

That got him a deathly glare from Kai. "That's treason,"

"That's my feelings," the Major said. "The UNSC abandoned us here, here, Reach. Their proud fortress world. No evac orders, nothing, just left us to defend ourselves,"

Six and Rose nodded. "Now is not the time to get divided," Erica said. "Now is the time to unite and get off this planet," she sighed. "But since we all agree on the split, that's what we should do,"

"Let's get the groups organised," Six said as she stood with Lee and Rose and walked over to the refugees.

Kai watched them before standing and walked over to the entrance were Dan stood. "We have a plan, but we may have to take out a few traitors," he said earning himself a look from Dan. "Just be ready," he said before walking away.

OOOOO Present

As Kelly escorted John, the Chief looked at the flag of a wolf hanging from one of the walls. "What's with the wolf?" he asked.

"It's our emblem," Kelly smiled. "Not of Mars, but of the Spartans. Mars has 180 Spartans under its command. This ship, the Dire wolf, is our command base," she shrugged. "Not quite what we are used to but it serves our purposes for being a rapid deployment force,"

"So, it's been modified?" John asked.

"Yes, to be faster and lighter," Kelly nodded. "We're a special response unit, not an assault unit. So, we've had to ditch quite a few things,"

John nodded and fell silent; he didn't know what to ask. This new age just seemed alien to him that even after everything was said to him, he still couldn't process it all. Soon they arrived at one of the cabins. The two walked in and looked around.

"This is where you'll be staying for now," Kelly said. "A bit small, but all of us have to deal with similar sized rooms. "Feel free to roam around the ship. The ships mess is available at any time, other than that… well just the normal rules and regulations of the ship," she shrugged.

"Thanks Kelly," John removed his helmet and turned to her. "I…" he tried to say but came up short.

Kelly walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder. "I know, I've been here. Just take your time. Fred, Linda, Kai, August, Adriana, Victor and the others. We all took our time to decide what we were going to do. I'm here to talk if you need it,"

John looked to her trying to avoid smiling. "Thank you," he said as he sat on the bed. "I… I agree, I need time,"

"Not a problem, just call if you need," she said as she left. "Get some sleep, you'll need it," as she said that the door closed leaving John to his thoughts.

But the Spartan just looked at his reflection in his helmet. "What would you advise me to do?" he asked.

OOOOO 2 days later.

John walked onto the deck of the bridge as the Dire-wolf exited slipspace. As soon as they did warning lights for lock on came on. The screen above the bridge activated and a short-bearded man appeared.

"Unidentified ship, this is Cairo station, we have target lock on you. Identify or be destroyed," he said.

"Cairo, this is Commander Six. Authentication code, Delta delta zero nine sierra," Six replied with practiced precision. "We have the package on board,"

A pregnant pause echoed in the bridge as Cairo checked the code. "Confirmed," the man said. "Welcome back Dire-wolf," he paused again as he looked to another screen. "It seems that President Parisa wants to meet the package ASAP. She has sent a car to Kenosha spaceport,"

"Understood, we are beginning decent," Six said as the Dire-wolf moved forwards towards Mars.

As they approached Six looked down at her tablet and checked her messages. Communications tech was sill light years behind from using tanslight systems. There were two examples of technology that could do it, but those where on Reach and Earth. Both of which were gone, in more ways than one.

John looked towards the Spartan commander as her brow furrowed. There was a spark in her eye, one of anger but something else as well. He couldn't put his finger on it, but ignored it and made his way to one of the airlocks. Kelly was close behind him and the two walked to a port side airlock with some of the other Spartans. Most of them had their helmets off and duffle bags in hand. A few gave sideways looks to John but continued with their conversations.

It wasn't out of suspicion either. John knew he had a sort of celebrity status, and he had seen how people would give those people got looks from the crowd. This was the same. He ignored it as the ship landed and the airlock cycled.

"All right lads, home time," someone yelled which was followed by a few yells of excitement.

One by one the Spartans then filed out and onto the docks. John and Kelly soon made their own way onto the docks with the latter watching as men and women ran up to Spartans, embracing them. Some of them even had children with them. The Chief looked to Kelly and was reminded of what happened of the past 15 years of him being on ice.

Something inside him moved, but he didn't know what it was. Kelly however looked at John with a smirk amused by how he was stunned by this. As her 'brother' watched the other Spartans connecting with family, Six walked out.

"Stop staring, it makes you looks weird," she smiled as she passed him. "Hey," she yelled as a teen ran up to her and jumped on her.

"Hey mom," she said hugging the big Spartan.

"Hey little light," Six said before the two broke the hug. "Now what did you sister do?"

"Errrrrr," the teen looked away. "She's not… well…" she tried to find the right word.

But Six looked at her with her mother/ commander look. It pierced though the teen though who shrank from her mother's gaze.

"Well?" Six asked not taking her gaze off her daughter.

"…. Sh… she got into a fight with Drill Sargent Kiia," she then blustered out.

Six sighed. "Damn it, ok come on," she said as she and her daughter walked off.

"What was that about?" John asked.

"Six's eldest has a bit of a… independence streak," Kelly answered trying to find the right words. "She kinda reminds me of you,"

John looked to her. "In what way?"

Before Kelly could answer two men dressed black uniforms walked up. They wore something that appeared to be a combination of a suit and ODST armour. The way they carried themselves also gave the Chief that these guys were well trained, but not Spartans.

"Master Chief?" one of them asked to which John nodded. "We're President Parisa's guard. She has requested your presence,"

John looked to Kelly then the guards. "I… errr…" he muttered wasn't sure what to say.

"It's ok John," Kelly smiled. "Go with them, The President is quite eager to meet you," she then pulled out her tablet and sent something to John's HUD. "This is my address, when your done you can bunk with me until you get a home,"

"Thanks," John muttered.

"Not a problem," Kelly smiled as she patted his gauntlet. "See you around," she then walked off leaving John with the guards.

"Let's go," John said and the guards nodded leading him over to a blue and white Pelican.

OOOOO

As the Pelican flew towards the Presidential palace, John couldn't help but take in the defences. Whoever this Parisa was, she had a small army as at her disposal. The palace itself also reminded him of large military bunkers instead of a place of government. As the pelican moved towards the landing pad, John spied several black clad guards waiting on the pad. Soon the pelican landed and the three exited the pelican.

The guards lead the chief to one of the entrances into the metal slabbed building. Inside was completely different however, furnished walls, paintings ever few feet and everything. It was like he took a step from a military base into a high-class hotel. It was a surprise, but not much of one. He'd seen several bases like this before, but given the outside he expected more of a military aspect to the inside.

The guards lead the Chief to Parisa's main office and imputed a code. The door opened, but neither walked in.

"Please go in Chief, the President wanted to see you," one of them said.

John nodded and walked into the Parisa's office to see the Spartan talking to a general.

"I don't care what it takes," Parisa nearly yelled. "We what's in those data files,"

The man on the screen in front of her sighed as he rubbed his bald head. "Fine, but we're going to need an increase in manpower and money. We're in a radioactive hellhole after all,"

"You'll get it, just get it done," she said before the link cut and she cracked her neck. "Politics. I'm getting tiered of them," she said before she turned to see John standing before her. "Ah, 117, good to finally meet you," she said walking up to him.

As she walked up to him, John gave her a good look up and down. She had blue-black hair piercing blue eyes, while she stood taller than a normal human, she was still shorter than John. Her body was clad in a Spartan bodysuit that was shaped oddly. It almost acted as suit that someone in the diplomatic corps would wear, but made it clear that she was a Spartan. As she looked at him, her eyes felt like they burrowed into his mind. But something at the back of his mind gnawed at him.

"Take your helmet off," she then ordered.

John blinked. "Ma'am?"

"Take your helmet off," she repeated, not looking impressed.

John reached up and deactivated the mag-clamps. He then lifted the helmet up off his head showing the President his face, but her expression softened. A tear then fell from her eye, she reached up and removed it.

"Ya know, you look so much like your father," she said.

That hit John like a bag of rocks. "My father?" he stuttered for the first time. "What do you know of him?"

"It's a shame you don't remember me," she said. "I'm Parisa Neova, you saved me Lake Gusev when we were six. Then you promised to marry me,"

With that the memory came flooding back to John making him drop is helmet and back up. "You're that Parisa?" he asked as tears of his own fell.

The Spartan in front of him smiled warmly and nodded. "The very same John. It's good to see that you never died,"

"I…" John lost the words in his mouth. "I… don't know…"

Parisa said nothing instead she walked up to him and embraced him. "It's so good to see you," her tears began to fall more freely now. "I though you were dead, we all did. Your alive and that's all I ever wanted," she cried. "All I ever wanted was for you to be back,"

John was unsure, but embraced Parisa all the same letting his own tears fall. This new age was just beginning for him.