"Cortana, all I need to know is did we lose them."
Leaves From The Vine
Samuel Kim
There was a dim hum inside the Sheathipede-class transport coming from either the void of space or the engine. The ship was infinitary to both Spartans and acted as a way of white noise. Both Jorge and John, sat facing from another inside of the shuttle. Gray metal seats lay across from one another. They were as large as they were and easily took up two seats. Indents and designs inside the hull were of course unfamiliar to The Master Chief but he had gotten used to it. But for Jorge, it was not even a Covenant, it was alien to a completely different degree.
Jorge started looking around trying to take in his surroundings. Both Spartans in service for almost forty years could read facial expressions through their MJOLNIR. It was a sisterly and brotherly appreciation, but something that even SIII's and SIV's could not even begin to comprehend.
"This is strange," said Jorge, "where the hell even are we," he looked up to John seeing his blank but deeply emotional response (in his regard), "eh, best I don't ask."
"How are you alive Jorge?" Cortana spoke with a soft tone through the helmet's microphone.
That voice sent a wave of shivers up Spartan 052's spine. Not what she said, but what she was. That tone is so motherly and coated in a form of sweetness that only an SII could understand. The all-mother of sorts could bring one of these super soldiers undone with just five words. Humanities best, torn asunder in confusion with just five words.
His tone was deep and low as if he was not worthy to speak to her "Ma'am?" (it sounded like he was trying to say 'mom').
"I'm…" she hesitated, never having had this type of interaction happening before, "not her."
"She's a clone of Halsey," said John tilting his head slightly, "a Smart AI."
"Dr. Halsey did hold you in high regard."
"I know," hearing her, her voice her cords say that as a form of appreciation rattled his heart. He had never been told by her how much or how well he was. It was strange in a way to hear it from the AI, but enough to rack his spirit with a sense of joy, "this is all a bit much."
"A lot can happen in four years," she said affirmingly.
"Four years?!" he gasped, "what the hell," then he got excited for a moment. He leaned forward zoning in on John. Eyes pierced through the visor to which even the Master Chief knew what Noble Five was going to ask next. His words were heavy and burdened as if he was begging for the sweet release of a positive reaction. He reached up to his helmet, gripping both sides tightly before lifting it. Sounds of air puffing came for half a second as he rested the helm to the side on the metal booth of sorts.
His face, narrow and firm shadowed over his older age. Gray short hair and mustache beard had never looked so serious. Faded skin and old pours tell of his work nature. He was old, but could not be any more focused. The level of ambition in his soul was that many should aspire to have and to be. The glare was sharp and even John himself shuttered through his blank Spartan expression. Vocal cords vibrated through his throat to form words that created an ambiance the AI was not prepared for (which was ironic because Cortana was an AI after all). But John instinctually knew what he was going to ask,
What any Spartan Two of the ORION program would ask if they were in Jorge's position? Hell, what any in all of humanity would be wondering…
"What about Reach?"
A thought of soft indignation came to 117, but not to Jorge. But to the thought of himself uttering a response. Reach, the homeworld of the Spartans, the crown colony of humanity itself did stand mighty in their achievement. It was in a way the combination of the past 4500 years of combined history of all cultures, religions, and languages all combining into a Tower of Babel of sorts, but this one was nowhere near the point of collapsing until it did.
Beyond the understanding of the AI, it was only in the grasp of all the sharp tangents. The slumbering void of both their minds knew the answer but the stillness of the answer itself still racked the room with grief. This level of somberance in the Master Chief's voice has not been heard since the death of Sam. It was heavy, thick, and yet light at the same time.
"We lost Reach."
Slightly expected, but still, it was brutal. Hard to hear was not the correct verbiage. It was beyond the realm of man's emotional capacity. The very existence of humanity was destroyed to its core in morality at the death of Mother Reach. Jorge being a Spartan, trained, chemically altered, and mentally trained for all types of scenarios, even the death of a fellow Spartan. But this shattered the meaning of all compasses. Up was down, right was left.
A single tear rolled down the left cheek of the Hungarian. The first he had ever shed, ever. In the history of his life, these emotions swelled to a bolstering burst. It could not be contained. Emotional suppression could not hide this back, no amount of technology or chemical alteration could stop that. This was pure grief, from someone who was supposed to be griefless.
They had been there for Her, Mother Reach, since the age of six. Jorge and John were in their forties now. Losing her was not just losing a close family member. It was a wife, a spouse in a way. She was theirs, and now it was gone.
Of course, John knew of this. But here, now he is, thinking of it. He went through the waning days of the Human-Covenant War and he had little time to process what was lost. But now amongst one of his brothers, he had a moment to catch up with the moment, to properly contemplate. This was unfamiliar to The Master Chief (unlike Jorge). It had been so many months since Spartan 117 was around another. He was in a way the last standing symbol of the Spartan as after Reach, Humanity thought John was the last one. Reach was only a few months ago, but it felt almost like a lifetime to what John has lived to see… but to Jorge, only a few hours.
Jorge gazed up from the floor to the Master Chief. His voice was patchy as he spoke through the moment of silence. The tone rang through their souls once more adding a layer to this figurative cake of grief.
"What of the others?"
John sighed and turned away. The sigh was enough to tell Jorge everything. John has never sighed, ever, not like this anyway. It was strange to see even for him since he has known John since he was a small child so many lifetimes ago.
Looking back to his life the Master Chief has been through so much. They were kids when they lost their first, Sam. From there on John had this impenetrable hide no one could ever break or enter.
Here and now, he broke a little.
Cortana herself thought she knew him, or was beginning to deeply know him. Through her silence watching these two heroes of humanity break amongst themselves told of their… humanity. Even as an AI, she could see the somberance of the moment. All her service to the Master Chief nothing brought him to his mental knees like this. Spartans were super soldiers but they were still people at the end of the day. No augmentations of mechanical mutations could change that. Born of man, trained to kill. The universe itself would bow its head in a way by hearing the words of the tired men. Worn and tired, this was the first time they thought about it. For all they knew they were the last. John sure knew and heard whispers of Grey Team, Black Team, and even his own Blue Team, but largely… the question remained,
Were they the last? Is this… it? Forty years of service down to just two? After all, what have they gone through, sacrificed, and seen?
"We lost them too. I don't know how many are left."
Eyes squinted from Noble Five. Being a Noble the thought of the lonesome came to him. Carter, Kat, June, Emile, and now even Six, was he the last? He bonded with them in a special way that he could never with the Spartan IIs. An older uncle of sorts, a wise one. One they could turn to for a sense of guidance and respect. He was one of the only Spartan IIs to ever serve with the IIIs (to his knowledge and he was proud of it. Kurt picked him to be with Noble Team. He viewed a life spent as a life wasted (which was the opposite mindset of the Spartan III program considering they were expendable). So being with a fireteam of them, gave him a sense of protection, a mother goose of sorts. And now, to think about it… they are gone.
Looking down and to the floor for a moment he could not begin to wrap his mind around it. As the thoughts were forced to dwindle, his recollection became more clear. Jorge wanted answers. Gaze came to a sharper point looking dead to the Master Chief,
"How many."
Instantly the AI retorted, "I don't think you should know."
"I need to know," he hesitated for a millisecond taking a huffed breath.
"Are…" she paused, "you okay with this? I'm not technically supposed to tell you this."
"I am, I've made peace with it," said the Chief.
"Alright… on what is not redacted I'll make a list," she coughed once then stopped seemingly searching through her records before compiling a quick section. With everyone… everyone.
"I thought you would have access to that," the Chief, confused, turned to the side.
She chuckled with a sense of sadness, of course still in the moment, "Actually no. There are still some things that ONI likes to keep behind closed doors."
"Figures," said Jorge.
Once again especially for John, this was the first time they thought about it. First, he grieved for them… all of them for that matter. He has not grieved like this in almost twenty years, it feels… off and almost wrong to do so now. It was strange to think that yes ONI would redact the files, but enough in this regard? It seems a little cruel. As if they would never be known, never to see the light of day. Their names unheard of or unknown, their valor was never commemorated. The only ones to know of their sacrifice were the two possibly sitting in this very shuttle. A foreign shuttle of a government not their own. Here and now, they would be grieved properly.
First to last in complete alphabetical order. Every Spartan, every name, every number, was a jab to both of their souls. An unholy matrimony of a feeling long lost to them, pain… true pain. Something so abstract it fractaled upon itself to the point of numbness.
This deep rooted feeling of loss… was as if one attended a funeral for them… each and every one of them individually, at the same time the group as a whole. A silent funeral for the greatest of warriors, between the only two in the whole UNSC who could understand.
And that is what it is like to be a Spartan.
"Spartan Two's registered as MISSING IN ACTION from the Defense of Reach,
Isaac, Zero Three Nine,
James, Zero Zero Five,
Jorge, Zero Five Two,
Joshua, Zero Two Nine,
Malcolm, Zero Five Nine,
Vinh, Zero Three Zero,
Spartan Three's registered as MISSING IN ACTION from the Defense of Reach,
Carter, Alpha Two Five Nine,
Emile, Alpha Two Three Nine,
Kat, Beta Three Two Zero."
A stillness filled the room. As the last of the words came over it really set in. John had never heard the numbers before, and it baffled him. Not the fact that there were almost ten registered, but of the unregistered. He knew them all by name. Every single one. He was their guardian, their protector. It was strange to think Cortana would only name half of them. If at all it was stranger to think the bravest of all warriors in human existence receive less of accommodation.
The Chief said slowly, "That's not all of them."
Jorge knew as well, they both did. This was horrible, unacceptable. Hearing his own voice sent a wave of fear and uncertainty up his back going all the way to his ankles. He WAS dead, and here he is, now and here, ALIVE. It was eerie and haunting to even contemplate let alone process properly… as much as it wounded him to think about, the others is what bothered him.
Even under the worst of circumstances the most feared of warriors should be remembered at least in the books of history. Not like this, not this way. They would be an echo in the wind of the cosmos. God and God alone would be one of the handful to know their sacrifice, their very existence for that matter.
As Cortana took in a deep sigh answering, "I have high access, but not this time. I hardly know about the few I've met."
Chief sharply responded, "William, Kurt, Jose, Kelly, Linda, Fred."
"I don't know. My file updates are behind. Since… Well, we haven't had any contact with the UNSC in almost four years."
Jorge was overcome with the mentality of death itself. He should be dead. He was on that list. He was supposed to die for Reach, not the other way around. But as the thoughts came flooding in there was a deep sense of questioning overcoming the sadness like a storm. Easy to focus on for Noble Five as the sharp sensation of pain is something unfamiliar to him.
It was of the one who remained. Who still could be?
"What of Six and June?" he asked.
Cortana in fact laughed, a lot. The more as an AI she thought about it, the deeper the memory. Luck was not his forte, it was raw skill. Terrifying and uncanny prowess is what attracted him as the perfect courier. She still remembers his words. The deep and final words… I have it.
The deep room had an ominous feeling. Glowing blue lights extravagantly lie along the flow of energy… of knowledge. Wires buzzed and connected one another to a central console. This was a madman's laboratory or a madwoman's.
Four Spartans stood at one end of this makeshift hallway looking to her backside. One, the blue one spoke with somberance in his voice, "I understand."
A woman with gray hair and a thick white winter dress coat hovered over the main console. She looked over her shoulder, "do you?"
She had a thrum of decay and jaded statutes. She was weary and tired, as were the Spartans, "mankind is outmatched when Reach falls… and it will fall, our annihilation is all but certain. Unless, we can glean from this artifact a defense against the Covenant. A game changer."
The Spartans veered to each other confused as they continued.
"On the level of the conical bullet in the nineteenth century, or faster than light travel in the twenty-third."
The same Spartan took a step forward with a doubtful gesture, "and what if we can't?"
"An apt question if there was somewhere else to place our hope. But there is not," she said, pressing a few buttons on the controls before reaching into the machine panel. Pulling out a massive cage-type disc with the same glowing blue energy on the inside, a puff of air came out as it depressurized. There was a single tear rolling down the side of her cheek.
Glancing back to the Spartans, she hesitated for one moment. Ambling to them with this massive thing in hand, she walked to one of them with a faint smile. A smile which she has not used in some time. A weary person like herself who simply, just does not smile anymore. But for now, she smiled again. It was faint and brief, but noticeable.
It was hoisted up to one of the men, which she looked to him sternly,
"Take it, lieutenant, she has made her choice."
A paused glare came from the warrior. He was slightly flattered but at the same time confused. After a moment of mental reconciliation, he reached out and grabbed the device with both arms.
Instinctually, she questioned him, "Do you have it?"
He responded as if taking orders from a commanding officer, "yes."
"Say the words please," her tone was deep with regret and a parting goodbye of sorts.
"I have it."
"I don't know," said Cortana."
19th of June 2557
32 days before The Release
It's me all. Sorry for the tear-jerker of a chapter. I wanted to experience what writing one was like, and well, it was very hard lol. Anywho, I'm back again and hope you like it. Nothing too much has happened but BATTLEFRONT HAS SERVERS NOW AHHHH!
I made a discord for it, just DMing my fanfiction for an invite to the server. It's more of just a friend group but it's still something, see y'all on the battlefront!
Anywho, with that out of the way this story I have a final direction to take it and it's gonna be so cool. Trust me. Let's see now what am I missing… Oh, YOUR AWESOME COMMENTS!!! Y'all got a lot this time and I'm so grateful!
ikusatsunagi - you welcome sir!
SupremeSongLeader - how's it going bro? Doing alright?? like to catch up with you sometime?
You are right one of the people that I run into that consider the sequels and non-canon is hilarious. there are a lot of people who even disregard it anyway. Which is honestly fair. It's sad to think there are more liked pieces of UNLIKED Star Wars media than decent or liked which is strange to me. But yeah Gias was a fun little pet project of mine. I'm personally bored of the 'ONI SPOOK' stereotype in my opinion, it's cliche and overwritten inHalo. I kinda had to add Fireteam Osiris at SOME point, but don't worry I'll make them interesting. Don't worry. I will save you all lol. Halo Five had beautiful multiplayer mechanics especially compared to Infinite in my opinion but in terms of story? Ehhhh we can just forget about that. Thanks, dude, as always your comments are a favorite of mine to your thoughts and ideas, keep them pumping!
Sci-Fi Guy 22 - Yeah ONI being ONI is well… just ONI lol. I wouldn't be surprised if they knew a lot more if this was 'real' and canon tbh.
Guest - glad you were not disappointed :).
DovaNova - the Malevolence was a very interesting ship in my opinion, and I feel like they kind of did it, dirty with its canon fate. In my personal opinion, I think they did this just to add a hook to the Star Wars, the Clone Wars Series, because there wasn't much going for it when it first came out, other than it was a Star Wars TV show I think the writers wanted to hit a homer the first couple episodes to hook people in. specifically kids since this was a kid show they just wanted to throw out the biggest and worst thing possible to attract people, and I guess it worked hah. i'm not gonna reveal anything, but I have so many plans you would not even begin to think lol. Just keep reading to find out :)).
Guest - I do agree with you. In many regards, I am very much a separatist, and I do not like the Republic. In fact, in law, if you want to stack up all the war crimes, the Republic committed far more war crimes in the separatist ever did it's just kind of weird to think, the most separatist just usedmostly legends were grievous would use gas bombs on the clones, which I don't even think you could consider a war crime considering the clones were assets a war not actually people… Which is kind of sad, but whatever. hence the clone civil rights movement in the bad batch. Anyway, I think the separatists specifically were nerfed by Palpatine because he probably realized that more and more people were joining the cause lol.
MasterofNonebut1 - thanks, I try to make my descriptions a little more on the interesting side, because I feel like most FanFiction writers focus to heavily and dialogue, and as yes, dialogue is important I do think that it's over saturated and very poorly done in my opinion by most writers. I'm a very 'show don't tell' kind of a person. It's more fun that way I think. Everyone keeps talking about the droid shutdown code. I don't know if that'll happen, but we'll see. I just feel like it's a very lazy way of writing it, but that's just me. I'm not bashing on your idea or anything. I just feel like there's so much more you could potentially do. but the droid switch code does give me a lot of ideas… hmmmmm
(did some reformatting of the chapters hope yall don't mind btw).
All of your comments mean so much and all of your ideas I do consider in ponder, multiple different alternatives, I thought of like 90 different ways to the story ending over the past week and most of them involved your guesses, so keep them pumping. I love you all and you guys being so much, heavily consider joining the discord. I want to get to know you guys as well as have fun playing battlefront lol.
HAPPY TENTH CHAPTER YALL!! :)))))
SEE YOU ON THE BATTLEFRONT!
~1DL1NG KN1GHT