Hello, Czechus here!

I must say, I did not expect such a huge interest from your side. I am very happy to know that you liked my idea so much! I was so happy that I decided to write the second chapter as soon as possible.

Now, those who are following my other story, knows how things are done. First comments, then story. So let's dive into your comments, shall we?

Marseldagistani-Thank you for your kind words, and I hope you will like this chapter as well.

Guest – Well, here you have chapter 2.

Cullen Walsh – Thank you very much for such a high rating, and I hope chapter 2 will meet your expectations.

Jason Vander Vlugt – Thank you. I hope that you will also like what I have prepared for this story.

Althyrios – I am afraid that I cannot answer this question since any answer would be a spoiler for this chapter. But I hope you like what I have prepared for this chapter.

AmethystPone – During my time on this website I was forced to deal with many kinds of people. People who were obviously challenged in many ways. But I will kindly explain a few things to you since I am in a good mood. First of all, for a story to be considered as a Crossover, it doesn't have to have a direct connection between two (or more) universes. The story is already considered to be a crossover even if it only contains a few elements from a different series. For more information, please look at the guidelines. As to the first part of your comment – "A child out of time comes back home"… And this is all I am going to say.

Kobistar123 – I am very glad that you like what I did in the first chapter. I am very pleased to know that my story was able to make you feel those emotions – it means that the effect I wanted to make has taken place for readers.

Forsaken Dragon of the Void – well, I just hope that those were good tears and not the sad ones.

Before we begin, I'd like to say thank you to my beta-readers.

Crusader
Rogue-eL

And now, it's time to begin.

Out of Reach

Chapter 2

Escape from Reach

"I love you, my son!"

Those are the words Noble Six swear he could hear just before he opened his eyes. Words, that would stick with him for the rest of his life.

It felt like centuries to him, when for the last time he could hear those words. When his own mother placed him in a pelican to give him a chance to escape. It was the last time he has seen his parents, it was the last time someone said he was loved… It was the last time when someone treated him like a human being.

He could barely remember his parent's faces. With every year of service as a Spartan, he could remember less and less, to the point, when he could only recall the rage over losing his parents. But that is how Spartan III's were supposed to work. Rage coming from the loss was all they needed. Rage and revenge – those were the main ingredients to create a Spartan III.

It's been a long time since anyone called him in any other way than what he was used to hearing from ONI, UNSC personnel, or scared civilians. It didn't matter to him, he was just a Spartan III, a replaceable soldier, a machine created to annihilate whatever was too dangerous to humanity. He was a machine. He shouldn't have feelings.

And yet, there was something weird. Just when he was sure he was about to die. When he was just about to be forgotten and buried under a glass, something new came to him. This feeling, almost so alien to him. And yet he knew that he felt something similar in the past.

Noble Six opened his eyes and scanned the area around him. For some reason, all the Sangheili warriors that were supposed to make the final strike were not here. It also seemed that the Covenant forced has moved somewhere else.

In other words, our lonely wolf was now the only living soul around.

The moment he tried to get up, his body gave him a sudden shot of pain. Multiple plasma wounds, cuts, and a few bleeding wounds were there to remind him that he was very close to calling himself a dead person. He knew that he would have to shut those wounds or else he will once again be in a blink of death.

Despite the pain, he grabbed the nearest rifle and moved forward. The pain was nothing for Spartans, they had learned how to deal with pain, how to forge it into a powerful weapon. The pain was nothing more than information. Information, that he still lived and he could still fight.

And so he moved forward, despite all the pain he could feel. He knew what he had to do. Move forward, find a secure place, and get into contact with the UNSC superiors. Await and obey orders. Then he will have a better chance of survival.

Even without the Covenant forced in this area, Noble Six was on alert all the time. He was wounded, a Spartan, had information on earth as well as her colonies, and thus he was a perfect target. He had to move and find a safe-house as fast as possible.

As he was about to move towards the wild parts of the Reach, he spotted his destroyed helmet. In theory, as a Spartan, he shouldn't take off his helmet without being told to, but with destroyed its visor, there was nothing he could do. The helmet was useless and most likely destroyed. There was no need to pick it up and wear it again.

Was it?

From the helmet, a few static noises could be heard. It almost seemed as if someone was trying to contact him. But that should not be possible. Reach has fallen, all the UNSC forces were either destroyed or escaped to regroup or prepare for the Covenant. There should not be anyone calling him.

And yet the static noises seemed to negate it.

Report – was the only thing his instincts seemed to tell. If there was anyone left, still fighting the Covenant, then he should report. He should report and wait for further orders.

And so Noble Six picked his helmet and put it on, locking it with the rest of his Mjolnir armor. And then, he heard a voice he was not expecting to hear ever again.
"This is UNSC AI Auntie Dot, serial number ADT 6849-9, calling all the remaining UNSC forces on Reach! Is anyone out there?"

Noble Six knew this AI. This was Auntie Dot, she was a Dumb AI assigned to Noble Team. Six was sure that with the fall of Reach she would… Well, die, or get turned off. After all, Auntie Dot as an AI had very important information, so she should follow the Cole Protocol and make sure that no one would be able to use her to find Earth or any other human colony.

In other words, she should not remain active. What caused her to change her primary orders? There was only one way to find out.

"This is Sierra 312, call sign Noble Six, over."
"Noble Six! You're alive!" Auntie Dot's answer was almost immediate. But what was more surprising was that her voice was… A little different. She almost seemed happy and full of relief that someone has answered her call, which was weird for a dumb AI. "But it seems that you are severely wounded. And your armor also needs some work. Return to SWORD base if possible. From there I will guide you."

It wasn't something Noble Six would have expected. Auntie Dot was still functioning, and now she wanted him to move to SWORD, a place that was literally flooded with the Covenant forces. Not only that, but SWORD was also supposed to be destroyed due to Cole Protocol being activated.

Something wasn't right. Something was wrong and Six knew that. If anything from SWORD base remained, then the Covenant would have important information. That was unactable. Cole Protocol must be followed.

In other words, Noble Six was assigned to another mission. Destroy the remains of SWORD base.

And so Noble Six moved forward. He knew it would take a very long time before he will be able to reach ONI's base, but as of now, he was the only person on Reach who could do it.

Due to his wounds, he walked slowly. Slowly, but surely. Without a break, without sleep, he walked and observed everything around him. He watched the scorched ground and multiple bodies of both UNSC personnel and Covenant invaders.

There was one problem. With his current speed, it would take days before he would reach SWORD base. His speed was not sufficient. He needed a vehicle fast enough to transport him to SWORD base within one day.

UNSC vehicles were out of option. Even if he would find still working Warhog or even a Pelican, it would only make him the biggest target on the entire planet. Six needed a Covenant vehicle.

And it would seem that the universe was smiling at him because soon he has found opportunity. It seemed that a group of four Sangheili warriors was preparing themselves for departure. And a few dozen meters away from them – awaiting Type 52 – Phantom.

Covenant phantoms weren't created for slip-space travels, but they could work perfectly as dropships. Six knew that if he would be able to steal this ship, he would make it to SWORD base today. All he had to do was just defeat four Sangheili warriors.

First – observation of your enemy. Six was against four Sangheili warriors – three minors with blue colored armors and one major with red-colored armor. It could be worse, and in normal conditions Six would have no problems with taking this group head-on, but few other factors were working against our Spartan.

Second – Identifying your enemy. Type 52 – Phantom often had a four-member crew containing: Pilot, co-pilot, navigator, and operations officer. In this situation, it was easy to guess that the red armored was the officer. But what was more important was to make sure which one from the rest of the crew was the pilot and who was the navigator.

Third – a health hazard. Six knew he was wounded. Many plasma burns and bleeding wounds would make this whole operation much harder. And will most likely force Six to eliminate his enemies much slower than he would prefer.

Fourth – Check your equipment. Six's Mjolnir was still functional, but it didn't provide the usual protection. Without the protection and the visor, his power-armor became nothing more than an exoskeleton. His shields had 25% of the original power. Not enough to consider taking even one plasma shot head-on.

There was also a problem with his weapons. He had two plasma grenades, one full magazine to his magnum, and half magazine in his M392 DMR. In other words, seven shots from his DMR, eight shots from his magnum and 2 plasma grenades.

And now it was time to make a quick strategy. Six had to make sure that the Sangheili warriors will not make contact with the remaining forces in the area or that they will have enough time to fly away. This battle had to be quick and efficient.

It wasn't anything new for Six. He had done those kinds of missions earlier, during his time as a head-hunter. All he had to do was to use the element of surprise to win.

Now, it was a Spartan time.

Six quickly threw two plasma grenades towards two nearest blue armored aliens. He knew that it most likely won't be enough to destroy the entire group, but it would be enough to hurt them badly and to create chaos.

As soon as the two grenades were sent flying towards unexpecting Sangheili minors, Six quickly took out his DMR and aimed the Sangheili major.

Three seconds later, two powerful plasma explosions simultaneously sent the entire group flying for a second. Now, all Six had to do was to wait and watch this group's next move. And soon he found out how devastating this attack was. Two blue-armored warriors were dead. Only one blue-armored and wounded warrior and one red-armored remaining.

It seems that the universe was truly smiling at Six because a wounded Sangheili made one of the worst possible mistake possible – he yelled and took out his own plasma grenade. That was a chance that Noble Six just couldn't pass. This – obviously – unexperienced Sangheili made his work almost too easy.

The moment when young Sangheili was about to throw the plasma grenade, Six once aimed his DMR and pulled a trigger.

The bullet soon, with an ultra-sonic speed flew towards the Sangheili. But the bullet wasn't aimed at him. It was aimed at his grenade.

Soon, another plasma explosion appeared near the phantom. The third blue-armored alien was dead, while the red one – wounded from the plasma burns, was slowly crawling towards the ship. Now it was time for Six to make another quick decision – to kill wounded Sangheili with a bullet from DMR or to kill it his Titanium-A knife.

A bullet was fast, but Six had to assume that in the future hours he will need. But killing him with his knife would make him an easier target.

Less than a second later, the decision was made. Despite the pain, Six forced his body to make a quick jog to the barely alive Sangheili. Within a second, he was standing right next to his deadly enemy, and then Six took out his knife and thrust it straight to Sangheili's neck, destroying the connection between the brain and the rest of the body.

Despite Six's injured state, his engagement with the Covenant forces was fast, proficient, and most importantly – successful. Six once again proved, that Spartans fully deserved to be called demons. And now, all that was left for Six to do was to get into phantom and fly away to SWORD base.

During his time as an ONI's grim reaper, he was taught how to use some of the Covenant vehicles. After all, ONI spooks were preparing their Spartans for every possible scenario. And it would seem that their paranoia was once again proven to be useful.

And so, Noble Six continued his travel through the Eposz continent to get to SWORDS base. He could use speed up a little, but he didn't want the Covenant forces to notice that something was not right. The most important thing, for now, was for Six to not get noticed.

It took him a few hours to get into SWORD base… Or at least, what was left of it. It would seem that the demolition teams made sure that nothing was left. Cole Protocol worked its wonders once again. So why was Dot calling him here? What could possibly be left here?

Six thought about a few possibilities, none of which were positive in any way. It was possible that Auntie Dot was captured and reprogrammed by the Covenant and it was all a trap.

"Noble Six – I have located your position. It seems that you have safely arrived. Please, fly as close as you can to the center of the crater created by the demolition team. I will tell you what to do next. Please, trust me with this Noble Six…"

Six was once again brought back to reality by Dot's voice. Once again he has noticed that her voice was different. It was… more emotional, she almost seemed to be full of worry and desperation, which was odd, because she was a "dumb AI". Only smart ones were able to feel emotions.

Something was not right, and Six could feel it in his gut. And Spartan's gut was never wrong.

And yet, despite what his instinct was telling him, Six decided to do as he was told. A trap or not, it was most likely the only way out of this forsaken world. It was ordered for every Spartan after all – return to your superior, and wait for further orders. And you can't do that when you are stuck on a lifeless planet.

As Six was getting closer into what was once an underground level of ONI's base, an explosion of a blue light covered his vision. A second later, the phantom had no pilot…

One blink later, Noble Six was standing in the place he did not recognize. Everything around him seemed to be created out of weird, steel-grey metal. The facility itself looked already futuristic and more advanced than anything he had seen during his time in the UNSC.

That said the facility also seemed to be partially destroyed. A few fires here and there, electric sparks flashing from the roof… It was obvious that this place was at least partially demolished. But it was obvious that it wasn't a UNSC or ONI work… No, it was too chaotic. It looked more like it was accidentally bombarded.

"Noble Six, it seems that everything worked to my plan. Now please proceed through this corridor. I will be waiting for you on the other end."

Plan? Auntie Dot waiting for him? Right now nothing seemed to make any sense. What did she mean by "her plan"? What Auntie Dot was trying to achieve? And most importantly, what did she mean by her waiting for him on the other end?

Auntie Dot was supposed to be nothing more than a dumb logistic AI. And yet now, it would seem that she had her own plans, and she even displayed emotions comparable to those of a smart AI or even human. Something was very off.

Despite his injuries, Noble Six was able to get into the end of the futuristic corridor rather fast. There, on the other end, there was a platform with… a ship. And not just any ship, but ONI's Calypso-class exfiltration craft.

Noble Six knew this type of ship. After long service as an ONI's agent, he had a vast knowledge about ONI's ships and vehicles. The one before him –a Calypso class, was one of the ships used for off-planet extractions. Mostly used during the Operation: PROMETHEUS and commonly used to extract head-hunters after their missions… that is if they were alive.

The Calypso class ship was capable of a slip-space jump. And that was more than enough to get him to the nearest UNSC outpost within a short time.

Sadly, there was one problem. There was no way to get to the platform. Between Six and the platform with the ship, there was an empty abyss, that seemed to be going to straight into the planet's core. In other words, between him and the platform, there was a huge gap, at least a hundred meters long.

But even this problem seemed to disappear within a few seconds. Soon, between Six and platform, a weird, blue-colored bridge appeared. The bridge itself looked as if it was made entirely from light.

Six wasn't entirely convinced if he should try to step on this new bridge. It all seemed to be too suspicious to him.

"Noble Six, please trust me with this. Just cross this hard-light bridge. I will explain everything when you get to the other side. Now please, hurry, I don't know for how long I will be able to keep this place invisible from the Covenant's eyes."

Once again, Noble Six noticed a new pallet of emotions in Dot's voice. She no longer sounded like a typical dumb AI. It was clear, just from her voice, that she was now something more. And even with that change, she decided to help the last remaining member of the Noble Team, just like during the Reach Campaign. And that is why Six decided to trust her.

The light bridge surprisingly felt like a solid matter for Six to step on. It also seemed to be able to hold Six without any problem, which was good, because otherwise, Noble Six would find himself falling god-knows how long through the abyss.

As soon as Six crossed the so-called hard lighted bridge, it disappeared within thin air, leaving no trace behind or evidence that it ever existed.

Noble Six wasn't sure what kind of technology it was. For all the years he had served as a Spartan for both UNSC and ONI, it was the first time for him witnessing this kind of technology. All he knew for sure, that it had alien origins. Which made Six, even more, suspicious about this whole situation.

Being on the platform, Noble Six could gaze upon the ONI's exfiltration craft. It almost looked brand new, as if it was never used before. It was a good sign because that could mean that this ship was fully functional. And with that, Six's chances of escaping this doomed world were even higher.

"Noble Six… I am over here." It was once again Dot's voice. It would seem that she was awaiting him. But what was weird, was the fact that her voice wasn't coming from Six's helmet, no… It was as if her voice was coming from behind the ship. "Please, Noble Six, I have been awaiting you."

Behind the ship, Six noticed a small table with a holoprojector. And from the said projector, a projection of a woman was displayed.

She looked to be in her early thirties, with visible female silhouette, wide hips, and rather large breasts. She had a typical ONI uniform on herself that only highlighted her this feminine figure. This woman also had unusual golden eyes, with glasses on her small nose, and long blonde hair stylized in a bun with a pompadour and two strands of hair hanging loose on the front. Her whole body was emitting blue light, typical things for the AI human avatars.

When she noticed Six, she smiled with relief in an almost parental way.

"Noble Six… You made it…"

"Dot? Is that you? What's going on?" Noble Six asked with his usual emotionless voice. Meanwhile, Dot looked at him with worried eyes. She was scanning him, that was obvious to Six. But nothing could explain her sudden emotional outburst.

"Six… You are… You are severely wounded! Your Mjolnir barely holds on, your health is marked as critical! This cannot stand! We must treat your wounds and repair your armor immediately!" For Six Dot's entire behavior was almost abstract. On the other hand, for an outsider, she would almost look like a mother scolding her child.

Six could not understand her. This was illogical. And she wasn't obeying the Cole protocol. She should have destroyed this entire place hours ago, and yet instead she decided to hold this facility and call him here. This action was against every military order and protocol. And she should know that as an AI. So now, the question was – What exactly changed her mind?

Before Six could say something, a few strange flying objects approached him from all the corners. He immediately recognized those objects from many ONI's reports and from his time as a Headhunter. And so he raised his DMR and was about to pull the trigger when suddenly his armor was locked.

Six looked towards Dot, who had her cyber-hand raised. It was obvious to Six that Dot not only had the power over those flying objects but also was the one to lock his armor and disable his ability to move.

There was only one word ringing inside Noble Six's head after witnessing Dot's action – a traitor.

Dot was either reprogrammed or willingly joined the Covenant. And since Auntie Dot at the beginning was just a dumb AI, Six was now believing that she was reprogrammed by the Covenant to trap him and kill him.

And yet there was a little small detail that was ruining this theory. The Covenant would never create a smart AI, or upgrade the dumb one. It was against their religion, it was what they would call heresy. So the important question was still on the table – who changed Dot and for what purpose?

Meanwhile, The floating objects – Huragoks as he remembered from the ONI's reports – completely stripped him away from his Mjolnir armor and laid him down on what seemed to be a medical bed. Six was now basically naked. Soon, another Huragok floated next to his head, and then pushed a needle to his vein.

Six for a while tried to fight the sedative running through his system, but soon the darkness overwhelmed him. The last thing he could recall was concerned Dot's voice saying to him:
"I am sorry Six, but it had to be done. You, Spartans are too stubborn for your own good. Don't worry Six. When you wake up, you will be fully healed. I have lost too much in this campaign, and I refuse to lose another Spartan…

Noble Six opened his eyes once again. He was still in the same facility, almost naked and lying on the same bed. But something was different. There was no pain coming from any places where he was shot or wounded.

He then gazed upon his own body. Plasma, burn, bullet, and knife wounds were all around his body. Noble Six also had the scars that his transformation into an ONI killing machine gave him as he was birthed into a spartan. They were still there, reminding him what he has lost to the war against Covenant. And he has lost much.

As he looked around, he noticed the same flying objects, the same that stripped him away from his battle skin. The same that sedated him by order from…
"Noble Six? You shouldn't be up yet. Would you please lay down?"

It was again Dot's voice. But Noble Six didn't obey. Dot disobeyed several military protocols, in Six's eyes she was a traitor.

"Where is my Mjolnir?" His voice was emotionless, almost mechanical. The same as always, whenever Six talked.

Mjolnir was very important for Six, just like for all Spartans. The power-armor was like a second skin and second skeleton to them, almost inseparable part of them. Without it, they felt naked and empty. But for Six it was more than just that. Mjolnir armors were part of the UNSC and ONI. They were classified and the armor's secrets could not get into enemies' hands.

Every Mjolnir suit had its own fusion reactor. Normally, the core was used to make Mjolnir usable, but under special conditions, the core could be used as a weapon of mass destruction. And that was what Six was planning to do. If the escape was not possible and if any vital information about UNSC or ONI were taken, Six would activate the core's destruction.

Six was ready to die, just like any other Spartan. That was what they were training for. Complete the mission, by all costs.

Meanwhile, Dot looked at him with a worried expression. She almost looked like a worried mother, looking after her child in a hospital. She was still standing on the same platform but judging from her facial expression, it was clear that she wanted to be much closer to Six.

After a second of hesitation, Dot finally decided to answer.
"Your power armor was severely damaged after your endeavors with the Covenant. I took the liberty of repairing it and healing up some of your wounds. I am sorry for the inconvenience, but I was positively sure that you would not cooperate… Which is understandable. You had – and still has – no reason to trust me. But I assure you Noble Six, I only want to help you. I was assigned to help you after all."

If what Dot just said was true, then it could mean that she wasn't a traitor. But there was still a question of not following the protocols. And her sudden change in behavior. It all needed to be explained.

It was time for the interrogation.

"Where are we?" Six gave one of the most neutral questions possible. If someone was watching him, then that kind of question was the safest option possible. And depending on how Dot would answer, Six will have an idea as to what Dot truly is up to.

Meanwhile, Dot just smiled in a motherly way, as if she was expecting him to react this way.

"We are below one of ONI's bases on Reach. Originally, my physical version was stored a few hundred meters above us. As to this place. It's similar to what was beneath SWORD base. Another base of alien origins. ONI most likely knew about this place…

"You're different." This time it wasn't a question, it was rather a statement, but Dot already knew what Six was trying to ask about.

"Ah, yes. When Reach was lost to the Covenant, I was following the Cole Protocol and I destroyed everything that could be used against humanity. As of now, the ONI's base above us does not exist, just like the physical version of my previous self. Do not be alarmed, Noble Six, I followed the Cole Protocol until nothing remained."

Now it was even weirder for Six. If Dot followed the protocol and destroyed her physical self, that how in the hell she was here, standing before him?

"Before my… Death, something dragged me here. It was another AI – far more powerful than anything UNSC has ever created. It was the creation of that ancient race, the same one the Covenant is worshipping as gods – the Forerunners."

During his headhunter days, Noble Six had to deal with the Covenant artifacts and ruins on many different worlds. ONI was basically fanatic about finding anything related to the so-called covenant's Gods. So it wasn't a foreign concept for Six. It was obvious that one day they would find something actually working from that ancient race.

"It was dying, like me. During the glassing of Reach, this facility was partially destroyed and the ancient AI was damaged beyond repair. During its last moment, it offered me everything, his knowledge, some of his power, and an upgrade. I am no longer just a dumb logistic AI. Now you could compare me to a smart AI… I am not exactly the same as smart AI, but, when it comes to computing power I am on the same level as every UNSC smart AI."

Now that was interesting. Meeting an ancient AI would be a dream come true to many scientists from UEG. But something still wasn't right. Her story had one problematic point.

"Why? Why he would offer you all this?" For Six it wasn't logical. This ancient AI should have some protocols preventing other races from getting the information they shouldn't get. To give someone from outside that much power was purely weird.

"I asked the same question. All this AI said was this: You are Reclaimer's ancilla. It is my duty and privilege to give all my knowledge to you so that my legacy could serve Reclaimers." And then it started to change me. Upgrade me…I… I can't exactly tell you everything right now, it would take too much time. I promise I will tell you everything, all in time. But now we have more important things to deal with."

Six already knew what she was talking about. It was obvious that sooner or later, this place will be flooded with Covenant troops. It was due to pure luck that Noble Six or Auntie Dot weren't found to this moment.

At this moment, all Six wanted was to have his Mjolnir back. And it would seem that Dot already knew what her last Spartan had in mind.
"Step on this platform. It's time to give you back your suit."

Six did as he was asked. As soon as he stopped at the appointed place, the Huragok started to suit him up. Layer by layer, part by part. Soon all was left was his helmet. Also repaired, with fully functional visor. Noble Six was whole again. He was once again what he was always supposed to be – a Spartan.

His inner visor interface activated, once again showing him every piece of important information.

"Noble Six, please come this panel and take out my chip. I was able to re-create the AI data crystal, the same one as UNSC and ONI use. I will be able to fully connect myself through your neural interface and thanks to your MJOLNIR."

Six took the data crystal from the terminal.

As soon as Six placed her inside his head, he felt the sudden chill spreading through his body. At first, it felt as if someone just dropped a very thin layer of ice-cold water on his skin. Then, the sensation changed into something similar voltage of electricity going through his skin and muscle. Six could feel how every hair on his body tensed.

And lastly – the feeling of having someone inside your head. Six couldn't say what he exactly felt about it. It wasn't as unpleasant as he imagined it, but it simply felt weird. That was the only thing he could say about it at the moment.

"Do not feel alarmed Noble Six, soon it will all feel natural to you." Six could hear Dot's voice. But instead of hearing it like every human being, he could hear her inside his mind. "And now, I believe it is the right time to move out."

Not waiting for any further instructions, Noble Six moved towards the Calypso-class ship. It wouldn't be his first time piloting such a ship. Six, during his military life, has already used many different kinds and classes of ships. He knew how to fly them – especially the ones from created for ONI's personal use.

The inside of the ship was the same as for any Calypso-class ship. It wasn't comfortable by any means, but the ship could do its job – to make a fast jump towards the nearest UNSC outpost.

Places for two pilots, one hibernation pod… It wasn't much, but Six was already accustomed to not exactly comfortable conditions. He was a Spartan, after all, comfort was not something he ever needed.

Six started the standard procedures. It didn't take even a half of a minute before the ship was already hovering above the ground. Although, before Six could leave Reach, there was one thing that any Spartan and ONI agent should always make sure of.

"Worry not Noble Six, as soon as I will be outside of the facility sensors, this whole place will explode. There will be nothing left for the covenant." Even before Noble Six could ask, Dot had already answered his question. Since Dot was now linked with his neural interface, she could basically read his mind. "Now, please link with the ship's terminal – I need to set the slip-space coordinates.

Six wasn't surprised – many ships were using AI's as the ship navigation system – be it UNSC or ONI. The Ais were able to do thousands of things at the same time, so calculating a slip-space jump was nothing more than a simple task for Dot.

Soon, the last ONI's ship on Reach was flying away from the forerunner base and going up the atmosphere. Dot was already working on her way to make a slip-space jump possible. But soon, they were forced to face a very deadly problem.

The covenant ships were flying behind, trying to shut them down. Noble Six was doing anything possible, pulling out tricks that were almost breaking the laws of physics. But Noble Six knew that if they couldn't do something with the Covenant forces, they won't be able to leave this planet.

And now, there was only one thing coming to Six's mind. A very dangerous and illegal maneuver.
"Dot, activate the slip-space jump right now"

A small version of Dot's avatar looked at him with a shock. She just couldn't believe what her Spartan just asked her to do.
"Noble Six, you do realize that what you're trying to do is completely dangerous?!"
"It's our only chance. Either this or we will be soon destroyed with plasma rounds."

Dot looked at Six for a second before she nodded. She agreed with Six – now there was no time for caution.

At the moment when the slip-space engines were activated, one plasma missile somehow managed to hit and damage the engine. Soon, the explosion appeared, destroying everything around in a blast of pure energy. Soon, there was nothing – the Calypso class ship has disappeared, and the covenant ships were obliterated.

Meanwhile, right after being shot, Noble Six and Auntie Dot aboard the Calypso class ship entered the slip-space with barely working engine. The whole journey was very unpleasant. The ship was trembling. Dot even feared that the ship itself will soon explode.

The ship's controls were setting the alarms on. It was a miracle that their ship was still intact. But they didn't know for how long.

She had many things to do. She had to observe the flight, stabilize the ship.

Between Reach and Earth, there was a distance of 10,5 lightyears. Even with the fastest ships, it would take four days before they would find themselves in the friendly territory. And since their engine took some damage, the Dot estimated that the travel would take much longer.

That is assuming they will find themselves anywhere near the friendly territory. Or if they will even ever jump out of the slip-space.

In other words, time was the problem. Dot would be able to sit and navigate the ship through time just fine, but her Spartan was still a living human. Even if he was a super-soldier, he was still a human with needs like food, water, sleep, and oxygen. And without knowing how long it would take them to travel through slip-space, it would be safer for Six to just sleep in the hibernation pod.

But it would seem that her Spartan already knew what he should do. It wasn't his first mission, she reminded herself. He knew the protocols. He was trained for those situations.

And so, soon Six stood in the hibernation pod, waiting for its activation. He looked again at Dot's avatar and noded.
"Wake me up if you'll need me."

Dot only smiled at him while she closed his pod. Soon, one of the last of Noble Team members was hibernated.

"Sleep well, my Spartan. Soon, you will be safe."

And that's it for this chapter. I really hope that you liked it!

Anyway, I would like to thank you all for 30 favorites and 43 followers – that was fast! I didn't imagine that this story will have so many fans!

Anyway, I hope I will be able to write another chapter as soon as possible.

I guess that is it. Check out my discord server (link is on my profile page) – I will welcome you all.

Once again, thank you very much and I see you next time

Czechus out.