Hey guys! I'm still alive!

I was digging through my old video game chest (yes, I have a literal treasure chest filled with video games. …Don't judge me.) when I stumbled across my no-doubt favorite action/fps game of all time. (If any one of you just thought of any Call of Duty title, I'm gonna appear behind you and have some words with you.)

Halo Reach!

So, in my typical style, I decided to play the game again, and I got the inspiration to write a novelization fic!

So, in my typical writing style, everything gets shunted to the back burner while I work on my newest brainchild. (Actually, it's Bungie's brainchild, but the fic is my idea…brain-Siamese-twins?)

To those of you wondering exactly what the high holy hell happened to my stories, there you go.

Also, fair warning: I hereby enact the author's right to creative liberties. That means I get to change things! Exactly what I'll change will be obvious when you see it.

So without further ado, let's get started! I'll be seeing y'all planetside!

(AN: I know it probably goes without saying, but Noble 6 is based off my in-game character, and his mannerisms are based on my own playing style. Also, I don't own the Halo Franchise nor any recognizable characters therein. I just buy the games.)

The Life and Times of Noble Six

Chapter 1: The Winter Contingency

Reach was a relatively peaceful planet most of the time. Remarkably similar to Earth, too. In fact, if you were to put the two of them side-by-side, you may not be able to tell the difference at first.

Of course, just because something looks peaceful doesn't mean it is. Not all the time, anyway.

Recently, there had been strange happenings on Reach. Rumors of entire villages vanishing without a trace circulated through the communities. The fear and paranoia kept building and building until, finally, the UNSC decided to act.

The UNSC, or United Nations Space Command, was the branch of government dedicated to the managing of Earth's extraterrestrial colonies. Their primary goal was to explore the vast reaches of space, searching for inhabitable planets to colonize.

Their secondary goal, however, was as the military power of the United Nations. UNSC Marines were the Army, Navy, and Air Force of every nation on Earth, all bundled together to form the largest military power in human history.

Then the Covenant attacked.

The Covenant was an alliance of alien species united by a common religion, one that considered the complete extinction of any "heretics" a proper form of worship.

War raged. The Covenant, with their superior soldiers and weaponry, easily slaughtered the humans and destroyed their colonies for ten years.

Then, Dr. Catherine Halsey introduced her brainchild: the theory behind a procedure that could turn an ordinary human into a super-soldier capable of laying waste to entire infantry teams by themselves.

They tested the procedure for the first time on one hundred applicants.

After the test, twenty had died from the strain of the procedure, fifteen were permanently disabled, and five had been rendered vegetative. Sixty applicants survived the procedure and made a full recovery.

It was apparent by the first test that the new super-soldiers, codenamed "SPARTAN-II's", were a new breed entirely. Thanks to enhanced strength, speed, and reflexes, five SPARTANs single-handedly obliterated a Covenant Corvette-class cruiser and sent it spiraling into a star.

When the UNSC heard about that, they demanded more SPARTANS, faster and cheaper. Thus, the SPARTAN-III's were born.

Designed to be the "disposable super-soldier", the SPARTAN-III's would form the overwhelming majority of the UNSC SPARTAN program. Rumor had it that a single SPARTAN could keep fighting for a week without food, water, or rest.

Aaron-B312 was one of the SPARTAN-III's that could do exactly that, as well as be a gentleman and wipe out the enemy base of operations while he was at it. He was, essentially, the perfect soldier, even by SPARTAN standards. He was the one to call if you had an army you needed dead.

He spent years as a lone-wolf assassin, going deep behind enemy lines and taking out high-value targets with ease. His combat prowess was unmatched; he once wiped out an entire Covenant battalion without them ever knowing he was there.

After a few years, UNSC received word of situations on Reach that made no sense; com outposts going dark with no trace of their crew to be found. The colonies of Reach demanded something be done.

A week later, Aaron-B312 received a secure transmission from Dr. Halsey, ordering him to investigate.

He was going to Reach.

[Ohlookatthatitsalinebreak]

Aaron-B312 had forgotten exactly how much he hated Warthogs.

When in one, there was no such thing as a smooth ride. The independent suspension sent a jolt through the vehicle with every bump, and the front-and-rear steering took quite a bit of getting used to.

He stared at his Mjolnir V helmet as they bounced along a dirt road, flanked on either side by a UH-144 Falcon gunship. 'Lucky bastards,' he thought, staring jealously at the aircraft. They didn't have to deal with the rocky terrain.

Eventually, a military outpost came into view. The Falcons flew on ahead and landed in front of what appeared to be the command building. Shortly thereafter, Aaron's Warthog skidded to a stop next to them.

"Here's your stop, SPARTAN," said the driver. Aaron nodded absently and hopped out; the Warthog was moving again before his boots hit the dirt. 'Jackass.'

After ensuring his gear was secure, he made his way to the command building.

As he walked inside, a bald SPARTAN-III stared at him, absently loading rounds into a sniper rifle's magazine. The bald SPARTAN sneered, which Aaron responded to with a cold gaze, one that had previously made many an officer distinctly uncomfortable.

This time was no different. After a few seconds, the bald SPARTAN returned his attention to his work.

'Jun-A266, callsign Noble Three. Expert marksman and recon specialist. Preferred method of fighting, long range pinpoint marksmanship. Weapon of choice, Type 99 Anti-Matériel Rifle, 14.5 by 114mm. Personality: Cool, calm, and collected. Takes a lot to get him worked up. Minute symptoms of PTSD, but he's had rehab. A bit of a chatterbox, but good at what he does,' thought Aaron, remembering the briefings Halsey had given him to memorize. They gave him an insight into his new team.

He walked further, hearing the unmistakable voice of Colonel Holland on the comms.

He stopped when he heard the sound of a knife being sharpened. Turning his head, he saw a SPARTAN with red armor, sharpening his kukri combat knife on his shoulder pauldron while staring right at him. A skull design was carved on his Mjolnir EVA visor, something that Aaron took minor note of.

'Emile-A239, callsign Noble Four. Close-quarters combat specialist, explosives expert. Preferred method of fighting, up close and personal. Failing that, liberal application of explosives. Weapon of choice, M45 Tactical Shotgun, M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose Grenade, Combat Knife. Personality: sadistic, loves to fight. Masks his emotions with dry humor. Says he wants to win the war, but he really just wants to kill the enemy. Boasts an impressive collection of Covenant contraband, but nobody's stupid enough to try and take it from him.'

Aaron glanced at Emile's kukri knife, then at his own (which was substantially larger), then back to Emile, as if to say 'Mine's bigger, so there.'

"Contact with Visegrád relay was lost last night," he heard Holland say. "All signals flatlined at twenty-six-hundred hours. I responded with trooper fire teams, which have since been declared MIA."

A SPARTAN in dark blue armor was standing in front of the holographic communicator, or holo-com. "And now you're sending us," he said. It wasn't a question.

"The Office of Naval Intelligence believes deployment of a SPARTAN team is a gross misallocation of valuable resources," said Holland. "I disagree."

Aaron made to step forward but was blocked by a robotic arm. The arm's owner stepped into view, a female SPARTAN with short black hair and several scars. She looked over to the blue-armored SPARTAN. "Commander?" she asked/announced with a Slavic accent.

'Catherine-B320, callsign Noble Two, nicknamed "Kat". Systems and Technology expert, master cryptanalyst and hacker. Preferred method of fighting, up close and personal. Weapon of choice, M6G Magnum sidearm. Personality: witty, sharp-tongued, occasionally sarcastic. There isn't a system, human or Covenant, that she hasn't been able to hack. Very curious if something intrigues her, but that curiosity often leads to lapses of situational awareness; hence, the mechanical arm.'

The blue-armored SPARTAN turned, revealing chiseled features and tan skin. At first glance, it almost looked like he and Kat were siblings.

"So that's our new number six," said a deep Slavic voice. Sitting next to the Commander was a truly massive SPARTAN with heavy yellow armor and short, brownish-grey hair.

'Jorge-052, callsign Noble Five. Heavy weapons specialist. Preferred method of fighting, fill the problem with bullets until it goes away or dies. Weapon of choice, modified M247H Heavy Machine Gun. Personality: Empathetic and compassionate towards civilians, especially children. Not afraid to speak his mind, but usually quiet. He is the only SPARTAN-II on Noble Team. Rock-solid, performs well under pressure, inspiring to those around him. Fluent in Hungarian, apparently has an excellent poker face.'

Emile looked over to Kat. "You read his file?" he asked, gesturing toward Aaron. Aaron couldn't quite place his accent. Possibly Hispanic.

Kat snorted. "Only the parts that weren't covered in black ink," she said. She hated not knowing something like that.

The Commander gazed at Aaron for a few seconds, then turned back to the holo-com. "Anyone claimed responsibility, Sir?" he asked the Colonel.

"ONI thinks it might be the local Insurrection," said Holland. "Five months ago, they pulled a similar job on Harmony. Hit a relay to take out our eyes and ears, then stole two freighters from dry-dock." Holland's voice hardened considerably. "That cannot happen here. Reach is too damn important. I want that relay back online, Noble One."

"Sir, consider it done," said Noble One.

"Then I'll see you on the other side. Holland out." With that, the holo-comm went blank.

The Commander turned and stared at Aaron. "Lieutenant," he said firmly.

Aaron snapped to attention. "Commander, sir," he responded.

"I'm Carter, Noble Team's leader," said the Commander. "You've probably already read their files, but that's Kat, Noble Two." He gestured at the retreating figures of the rest of the team. "Emile and Jorge, Four and Five. You're riding with me, Noble Six."

'Carter-A259, callsign Noble One, nicknamed "Boss". Skilled in all forms of combat. Preferred method of fighting, whatever works. Weapon of choice, M392 Designated Marksman Rifle. Personality: Very effective leader. Charismatic, understanding, and professional. One of the oldest SPARTAN-IIIs in the program. Never one to get worked up, and never leaves a man behind.'

'Noble Six, huh?' thought Aaron as he followed Carter out of the building. 'Guess that's me from now on.'

"Not gonna lie to you, Lieutenant," said Carter as he put his helmet on. "You're stepping into some shoes that the rest of the squad would rather leave unfilled. Me, I'm just happy to have Noble back up to full strength." He paused as they walked over to a waiting Falcon and climbed aboard; Kat, Jorge, and Emile were already in theirs. Aaron took a seat next to Jun.

"Just one thing," continued Carter. "I've seen your file, even the parts the ONI censors didn't want me to. I'm glad to have your skill-set, but we're a team. That lone-wolf stuff stays behind, clear?"

"Got it, sir," said Aaron. Carter nodded as Jun looked over at Aaron.

"Welcome to Reach," he said as the Falcons took off.

While they flew, Carter thought about what Aaron's file had said.

'Aaron-B312, callsign Noble Six, nicknamed "Grim Reaper". Master of all known forms of combat. Preferred method of fighting, whatever works. Weapon of choice, whatever happens to be nearby; failing that, fists work well too. Notes: Very little is actually known about Aaron-B312. From what we gathered from Dr. Halsey, the best way to describe him would be "less of a soldier, more of a hyper-lethal vector." ONI calls him when they have an army that they want dead. He's wiped out entire Covenant battalions single-handedly. Personality: Doesn't talk much, but he'll follow orders. Capable of working alone or as part of a team. Tends to keep his distance socially.'

For some reason, after reading the file, Carter was left with more questions than answers. 'We'll just have to see what he can do,' he thought, as he got comfortable in his seat. They had a long flight ahead of them.

[Heylookyhereitsanotherlinebreak]

It didn't take long for the Falcons to close in on their destination. When the relay was in sight, Carter decided to brief his team.

"Listen up, Noble Team," he said through the comms. "We're looking at a downed relay outpost, fifty clicks from Visegrád. We're gonna…introduce ourselves to whoever took it out, then Kat's gonna get it back online."

Aaron swore he could hear Kat's smirk over the comms. "Just get me under the hood, Commander," she said proudly.

"Sir," interjected Jorge, "why would rebels want to cut off Reach from the rest of the colonies?"

Carter shrugged. "You get a chance, maybe you can ask 'em, Jorge," he said.

As they flew past a wind farm, Aaron couldn't help but get excited. He loved the thrill of combat. He looked up when Jun nudged him. "You've been quiet," said the sniper. "I thought you'd be bursting with questions."

Aaron shrugged. "I don't like to talk much," he said shortly.

"Aww, is the wittle wookie scawed," teased Jorge. Obviously, the SPARTAN-II had not read Aaron's file. Not that he had the clearance, anyway.

Aaron, for his part, just gazed over at Jorge from his Falcon. "That's a pretty big gun, Jorge," he said. "You sure you're not…compensating for something?"

Kat and Jun snorted, Jorge looked slightly offended, and Carter shot Aaron a disapproving look. Emile, however, burst out laughing.

"I like this guy!" he said happily, saluting Aaron from the other Falcon. Suddenly, the datapad Kat was holding beeped.

"Commander, we just lost our signal with HQ," she said, fiddling with the buttons.

"Backup channels?" asked Carter sharply.

"Searching…nada. Can't say what's jamming us." Carter sighed.

"Alright everyone, you heard her, dead zone confirmed. Command will not be keeping us company this trip," he said. Emile snorted. "I'm lonely already."

The relay outpost was situated high on a mountain, with wind farms scattered here and there among the peaks. The occasional farmhouse dominated what little flat land could be found.

They were flying past one such building when Aaron noticed something. "Sir," he said, getting Carter's attention. "Black smoke coming from behind that farmhouse."

"Jun, you're up," said Carter, handing the sniper a thermal scope.

"I'm seeing a heat signature. Too big to be anything human. Best guess would say it's a vehicle fire," said Jun, taking a look through the scope.

"Alright. Get ready, Noble Team," ordered Carter. "Pilot, put us down near that smoke."

As they came in for a landing, they saw it was a burning Warthog.

"Shoot-down attempts are likely, so keep your distance," warned Carter, receiving confirmation from the pilot.

"Let's stay focused," Carter told the rest of the squad. "Watch your sectors."

"There's the communications outpost," said Jorge, indicating a large dish-like array some distance away. Carter acknowledged his teammate and made a waypoint on the HUD.

"Picking up a distress beacon," interjected Kat, looking down at her datapad. "Could be the missing troopers," said Carter. "Let's check it out."

The Falcons circled, then landed on a nearby bluff at Carter's direction. "Jun, I want your eyes in the sky," he told the sniper. "Sir," acknowledged Jun, slapping a magazine into his sniper rifle and chambering a round. The thermal scope Carter had given him was attached to the top of the standard scope.

"Let's go, Six!" said Carter as they hopped out of the Falcon, which took off again so Jun could provide overwatch. Jorge, Emile, and Kat joined up with them at the base of the bluff.

"Alright Noble Team, spread out. Watch the approach," Carter ordered as the team set out towards the farmhouse. "Distress beacon's coming from just south of you, Commander," said Kat, checking on everyone's position on her datapad. "You're close."

"Structure point three-four, looks clear from this angle," said Emile from the top of a boulder, overlooking the farmhouse.

"Roger that," replied Carter. "Eyes peeled."

Noble Team continued searching until Kat's datapad began beeping rapidly. Emile knelt to examine some broken wood pallets next to the burning Warthog, tossing them aside and holding up a red device.

"Found the beacon," he said, tossing it to Kat, who examined it.

"Make out any I.D.?" asked Carter. Kat shook her head. "Negative, but it's military," she replied, dropping the beacon.

"So where're all the troopers?" asked Jorge. No one had an answer for him.

Meanwhile, Kat was examining the Warthog. "Why isn't there explosives residue?" she wondered aloud. Carter furrowed his brow.

"Noble Three, can you confirm any E.X. residue in the area?" he asked Jun. There was a pause, followed by "Negative, sir."

Emile nudged the Warthog with his boot. "Plasma, maybe?" he asked. "Can't be," said Jorge immediately. "Not on Reach."

"There's a lot of blood on the ground," Emile continued, scanning the ground for any clues.

Aaron knelt and examined the blood. The ground around it had been disturbed, and there were marks leading down a dirt trail. Whatever had been in the Warthog when it wrecked had been dragged away. Aaron explained his reasoning to Carter.

"It's a distinct possibility," said the Commander. "Be on your guard and be ready for anything." He turned to address the rest of the squad.

"Alright Noble, looks like there's nothing else here. Let's keep moving." The team moved carefully down the trail, following the blood and disturbed ground.

"Smoke coming from the next structure, boss," warned Kat, indicating another farmhouse a hundred yards away. "Circle west and check it out," said Carter. "Noble Team, you have permission to engage, but be selective. We don't want to telegraph our presence."

The team stealthily made their way to the farmhouse; Aaron got there first.

"Noble Six, move into the house. Go in quiet, we're right behind you," said Carter. Aaron nodded, drawing his Magnum, and silently opened the door, scanning each and every corner. The room was empty, but a hole was blown in the wall on the far side.

"Boss, I'm seeing heat signatures in the structure ahead!" warned Jun. Emile lifted his shotgun to his shoulder as a nearby door opened, and an old man came stumbling out, babbling in Hungarian. Emile quickly aimed his shotgun at him. "On your knees! Now!" he commanded, only to be stopped by Jorge.

"They're not rebels! They're farmers," explained Jorge, having easily understood the man. "Look at them." Indeed, the man was dressed in overalls and boots.

"Ask them what they're doing here," said Carter. Jorge turned to the old farmer and had a quick conversation in Hungarian.

"Hiding, sir," he said. "Neighbors were attacked last night. He heard screams, gunfire; stopped around sunrise. He says something in the fields killed his son."

Carter paused. "Something?"

Suddenly, Jun spoke up, his voice urgent. "Commander, be advised, I'm reading heat signatures in that structure directly east of your position!" he warned.

"Copy that," replied Carter, before turning to Jorge. "Get them back inside!" Jorge barked something in Hungarian, and the old man scampered back into the house.

"Noble Team, double-time it!" ordered Carter, and the team sprinted up the hill towards the structure Jun marked on their HUDs, making full use of their enhanced speed.

The trail of blood and disturbed ground led to an open door on the west side of the structure. Aaron pushed the door open further and froze. "Damn," said Carter as he walked up behind him.

Bodies, at least six of them, most of them civilian but two were wearing white UNSC armor.

"Fill me in Commander," said Jun. "What do you see?"

"We have military casualties," replied Carter. "Two of the missing troopers. It looks like they were interrogated. …It's messy." He knelt and removed the Troopers' dog tags before gently closing their eyes.

Meanwhile, Aaron and Emile were venturing deeper into the structure, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. A sudden impact on the roof had them bringing their weapons to their shoulders.

"I've got movement," said Aaron. "Watch your motion trackers." Another impact further away caught his attention. "What the hell was that?" wondered Emile, shotgun aimed at the ceiling, as though weighing the option of blasting a hole through it.

"Jun, you see anything?" Carter asked slowly. "Negative," replied the sniper. "Thermal's clean."

Noble Team carefully moved out of the building, into an interior courtyard. Aaron checked his motion tracker: no movement to be found except for his teammates. He took point as the team advanced on another structure, once again with an open door. They had made it to the middle of the room when Aaron's motion tracker went haywire, red dots covering the display.

"Boss!" Jun shouted. "I see movement outside the structure!"

"Noble Team, keep moving!" Carter barked. "We're about to be flanked!"

Aaron and Emile took point, rushing through the building, only to stop short as a violet projectile flew past them, shattering against the wall.

"Contact!" shouted Emile, aiming his shotgun and blasting a Skirmisher's head clean off its shoulders. Aaron dove behind a pile of steel pipes and opened fire with his assault rifle, his body working on autopilot. He vaguely heard the sound of Jorge unleashing hell with his machine gun, and Emile laughing as he bashed a Grunt over the head with his shotgun.

Kat charged out of the building amid a hail of Needler fire and baseball-slid next to Aaron, who had pulled the pin on a frag grenade and hurled it at a group of Grunts. Not being the most intelligent creatures, the Grunts surrounded the blinking device in confusion before the grenade exploded, splattering the ground with blue blood.

"Hope you don't mind me dropping in," Kat said, reloading her Magnum and putting a round through a Skirmisher's head. When she didn't hear a reply, Kat spared a glance at her new teammate.

He was quick and methodical, taking down the Covenant forces with well-placed shots and the occasional grenade. Kat just sat and watched for a moment, when suddenly he whirled and threw his knife right at her.

With an uncharacteristic yelp, she ducked, but the knife wouldn't have hit her anyway. She raised her head, glaring daggers at Aaron. "What the hell was that?!" she screamed at him. In answer, Aaron just pointed behind her. Turning, Kat saw exactly what Aaron's true target was: a Sangheili Elite, dead on the ground with a knife in its head.

"Oh." Suddenly she felt very, very small. "Uh…thanks," she said lamely. Aaron sent her a calculating gaze as he wrenched his knife free. "No problem," he said, sliding the blade into its sheath. He turned back to the action just in time to see a Skirmisher get taken out by a headshot, courtesy of Jun.

Suddenly, Aaron heard repulsor engines. "Banshees!" he shouted into the comms. "Jun, get outta there!"

The Falcon pilot quickly increased altitude, allowing the Banshees to fly right under him, as well as putting them in range of the Falcon's twenty millimeter cannon.

"We got Banshees!" said the pilot, successfully blasting one out of the sky with a well-placed burst. "Heads up, Charlie Two!"

The two gunships made short work of the Banshees, but the action wasn't over yet.

"Noble Leader, enemy dropships inbound!" said Jun. Carter cursed and reloaded his DMR. "Understood, Noble Three," he replied. "Let's take 'em out!"

"Falcon, moving to assist," said the second pilot, maneuvering for a gun run. The Falcon flew low, the twenty millimeter cannon decimating the Covenant forces almost as quickly as they jumped from the dropship. Whatever survivors remained, Noble Team easily took care of.

"Stand down, Noble, stand down," said Carter, once the last Grunt had fallen. "Contacts neutralized."

"Contacts?!" Jorge said incredulously. "It's the damn Covenant!"

"Cheer up, big man," said Emile, clapping Jorge on the shoulder. "This whole valley just turned into a free-fire zone." Hidden by his visor, Aaron rolled his eyes at Emile's sadistic nature.

Carter turned to Kat. "We've got to warn Holland. Kat, I need you at that relay outpost now." Suddenly, Jun gave them a warning. "Boss, I'm showing more activity to the east!"

"Copy that, Jun, we're on it," replied Carter before turning to Aaron. "Six, you've got point."

The team moved stealthily down another dirt path toward a rushing river. Suddenly, three Ultra Elites appeared from behind several boulders, supported by at least fifty Grunts.

"Contact!" cried Carter, taking cover behind a boulder with Kat and Emile. Aaron and Jorge leapt behind a downed tree, using Jorge's massive machine gun to provide covering fire.

Aaron could feel his heart pounding in excitement. With several quick bursts, ten Grunts fell with holes in their heads. Another dozen fell to a well-thrown frag grenade. Unfortunately, they still had the Elites to worry about. A burst from a Plasma Rifle that nearly took Jorge's head off reminded him of this fact.

Carter was on the same wavelength. 'Alright, let's see what you can do,' he thought, before shouting over to Aaron. "Six! Take out those Elites!"

He was not disappointed. Not bothering to acknowledge Carter's orders, Aaron broke cover, with Jorge laying down cover fire. The other SPARTANs watched in slack-jawed awe as Aaron charged the Elites, bullets filling the air between them. A well-placed burst knocked the Plasma Rifle from one's hands, and Aaron pounced, his large kukri knife severing the Elite's spinal column easily. As the dead alien slumped to the ground, Aaron bashed the second in the face with the butt of his assault rifle, his SPARTAN strength easily overloading the Elite's energy shields, which shattered with a loud crashing noise. A quick hammerfist stab made sure the Elite wouldn't be getting back up.

While Aaron was busy decimating the Elites, Emile turned to Carter. "Can I keep him?" he asked, voice full of glee from watching such magnificent carnage.

'Well, now I know why ONI called him "hyper lethal",' thought Carter, watching as Aaron threw the final Elite over his shoulder and dispatched him with a single shot from his Magnum. The remaining Grunts, seeing their leaders fall, turned tail and ran.

Kat was still staring at Aaron, and the brutal efficiency with which he took out the Elites. A cough from Carter brought her out of her thoughts, and she turned to see Carter looking at her with a raised eyebrow. Emile stood behind him, and Kat could almost feel the smile on his face. "See something you like, Kat?" he asked cheekily.

Before Kat could come up with an angry retort, Jun spoke over the coms. "Commander, I'm seeing more hostile activity to the northeast," he said.

Carter acknowledged Jun's warning as Aaron walked up, sliding his knife back into its sheath. His Magnum was in its holster, his assault rifle attached to the magnetic mount on his back, and he was carrying one of the discarded Plasma Rifles. When Carter raised an eyebrow at him, Aaron shrugged. "It looked cool," he defended.

Carter rolled his eyes but said nothing, deciding instead to turn to the rest of the team. "Emile, you're with Kat. Five, Six, and I will run interference on the ground. We'll meet you at the outpost." Both SPARTANs nodded and Kat radioed for an air-lift.

Aaron, Carter, and Jorge began walking down the nearby dirt road. "It'll take forever to get there at this rate," said Jorge angrily. Aaron wanted to retort that if he didn't lug around that massive machine gun, it wouldn't be much of a problem, but something caught his eye: a flatbed truck.

Jorge blinked when he saw it. "That'll work."

Aaron investigated the abandoned vehicle, finding the ignition slot empty. 'Looks like I'll have to hotwire it…I hope I still remember how to do this,' he thought as he popped open a hatch under the steering wheel and began fiddling with the wiring. In just a few minutes, the truck was idling happily.

Carter jumped into the passenger seat. "You're driving, Six," he said as Jorge clambered onto the bed of the truck and set his machine gun on the roof, making a makeshift turret.

"Let's go, Noble," said Carter.

[horyshetanotherlinebreak]

The drive was rather eventful, what with the Covenant patrols covering the dirt road. Jorge made short work of most of them, and whatever he didn't kill, Aaron ran over.

"Boss, I'm picking up a distress signal," said Jun, still overhead in the Falcon.

"Mayday! Three Charlie Six, does anyone read? We were attacked by Covenant forces. The Covenant is on Reach. I repeat: the Covenant is on Reach!" shouted a frantic voice.

Jorge looked at Carter. "The troopers?" Carter shrugged and slapped a fresh magazine into his rifle. "Could be," he replied. "Let's move, Six. We've gotta find the source of that distress call." Aaron nodded and punched the gas.

"No disrespect," said Jun, "but don't we have more important things to do than round up strays?" Carter glared up at the Falcon. "We don't leave people behind, Jun. You see those troopers, you let me know."

They continued to drive in silence, until Jun spotted something. "Noble Leader, I'm seeing possible friendly forces under attack south of your position, over!"

"We're under attack!" cried the same voice from the distress call. "Repeat: mayday, mayday, Three Charlie Six, we're under attack by the Covenant! I've got wounded, cannot hold this position!"

"We need to find those troopers now,' Carter said urgently.

"Sir, dropships inbound," said Aaron, pointing. Sure enough, there were several Spirit dropships on approach.

"Punch it, Six," said Carter immediately. "I want us there five minutes ago. Jorge, lock and load." Jorge snarled beneath his helmet as he readied his machine gun.

After a few minutes, they found a flipped Warthog with several military personnel taking cover behind it as Covenant forces hammered it with Needler and plasma fire.

"Hang on tight," Aaron warned, lining up the truck with a group of grunts and punching the gas. The Grunts, hearing the truck's diesel engine, turned to face the new arrival, only to be run over. Aaron pulled the handbrake and sent the bed of the truck skidding around, smacking a Skirmisher and flattening it. Jorge then opened fire with his machine gun, sending the rest of the Covenant forces into a panic.

Aaron steered the truck next to the Warthog to provide additional cover and hopped out, Jorge and Carter right behind him. "Noble Three, we've located the trooper squad. Request immediate evac, my coordinates!"

"Solid copy, Commander," replied Jun. "Recalling Falcon Charlie Two. Hold that evac position."

Aaron let out a burst from his recently-acquired Plasma Rifle, reducing an unlucky grunt to a pile of ash. Thinking quickly, he scooped up the Grunt's plasma grenades.

"Noble Leader, I have visual on inbound Covenant dropships," warned Jun as the Falcon came into view. Carter waved them off frantically. "Evac transport, keep your distance!" he barked. "Six, hold this position and clear an LZ!"

As the first dropship approached, Aaron had an idea. He waited for the transport's doors to open, then hurled both plasma grenades, one after the other. Both grenades stuck to the inside of the ship, right on target.

Three seconds later, the grenades detonated, filling the interior of the Spirit with superheated plasma.

"Impressive, Six," said Jorge, machine gun blazing. Aaron nodded and kept firing his Plasma Rifle until he was out of ammo. Cursing softly (he quite liked that particular weapon), he hurled it at the nearest Grunt, successfully knocking it unconscious. A quick shot from his Magnum easily dispatched the downed alien.

Up above, the Falcon pilots were laying waste to the dropships with their twenty-millimeter cannons. Inside, Jun was picking off aliens one by one with his rifle.

Carter took out a Skirmisher with a headshot as he made his way to the lead trooper.

"SPARTANs?" asked the trooper. "Corporal Travis, Three Charlie, sir. The Covenant…" Carter cut him off. "We know, Corporal. Let's get you out of here."

Jorge and Aaron laid down cover fire, supported by the second Falcon, while Carter helped Corporal Travis get his men into the first. A quick slap to the side of the Falcon had it taking off again, bound for the military base.

Aaron threw a frag grenade that killed the last few Grunts. "Sir, LZ is clear!"

Carter nodded and waved to the Faclon. "Transport, LZ is clear. Move in for evac," he said.

"Affirmative," replied Jun. "Transport inbound." The Falcon landed smoothly, and the three SPARTANs climbed aboard. The Falcon took off, heading for the relay outpost.

"Noble Two, sit-rep," said Carter.

"We're at the relay outpost," replied Kat over the coms. "Door's locked open. Mechanism's been flash-fused."

Carter furrowed his brow. "Can you beat it?"

"I dialed up my torch, cut a way through. Gonna take some time."

"Okay, we're en route to your location," said Carter, before turning to the rest of the squad. "Get ready. We're probably gonna have to fight our way in."

As Carter predicted, the relay outpost was swarming with Covenant forces.

"Approaching the com outpost," said the pilot as the Falcon circled overhead.

"Drop us in the courtyard," said Carter, readying his DMR. "Uh, LZ's a little hot, sir…" said the pilot, but Carter cut him off forcefully. "Put her down, pilot, then back off and give us some cover fire. Break's over, Noble Team."

The Falcon descended rapidly, not even touching the ground as the SPARTANs jumped out.

"Weapons free!" shouted Carter as the Falcon took off again, circling the courtyard. Jorge grinned under his helmet and opened fire, decimating a portion of the Covenant forces.

Aaron, Jun, and Carter made their way to the open door, where Kat had her torch out, while Emile provided cover fire.

Suddenly, Aaron was blindsided by an Ultra Elite, which delivered a savage kick and sent him tumbling. Aaron winced as his armor's "no shield" warning screamed at him, pushing himself to his feet.

"Six! You okay?" asked Carter over the com. Aaron grunted as he faced the Elite.

"Give me a minute," replied Aaron as he dodged a burst from the Elite's Plasma Rifle. Drawing his Magnum, he put two precise shots into the firing mechanism, successfully disabling the weapon. The Elite roared and charged at him, but Aaron was ready for it. He flipped his Magnum around and dealt a vicious backhand strike, shattering the alien's energy shields, before finishing it with a single shot to the head.

Carter absently watched Aaron's fight with the Elite. "How we doing, Kat?" he asked. The only female SPARTAN gave an irritated huff, her torch still blazing. "It's taking a little longer than I hoped, Commander. I've cut about halfway through the door."

Suddenly, a trio of Spirit dropships appeared over the courtyard wall.

"Contact!" shouted Emile, blasting a Grunt away with his shotgun.

"Hold them off until Kat can hack the controls!" ordered Carter. Jorge bashed a Skirmisher away with his machine gun and opened fire, eliminating a good portion of the enemy force, but more kept taking their place.

Up above, the Falcon was blasting away with its cannon, taking out as many enemy troops as it could.

"Kat?" questioned Carter as he killed a trio of Skirmishers.

"Just about…there! We're in!" Kat cried triumphantly.

"Everyone inside!" shouted Carter, backing through the door. "Go, go, go!"

Aaron and Jorge provided cover fire as Emile and Jun sprinted for the door, which was starting to close. Seeing the rest of the squad safely inside, the two SPARTANs turned and hauled ass to the door, slipping inside with barely any room to spare.

"Alright Noble Team, we need to find the control room," explained Carter. "From there, Kat can get the relay back online. Emile, post here. If we flush any hostiles, kill 'em." Emile nodded happily and loaded a few more shells into his shotgun, cranking the pump enthusiastically.

"Alright, let's do this," said Carter, opening the door to the next room, which was pitch-black. When the relay outpost went down, it seemed that something cut the main power. The station was running on its backup generators, which wasn't enough to keep the coms open.

"Can't see a damn thing," said Carter. "Noble Team, turn on your night vision."

Aaron flipped a switch on his helmet, and his visor switched into night-vision mode, revealing burns on the ground and pools of blood. The blood trailed through the corridors, eventually leading to a dimly-lit room with several large monitors.

"Here's the control room," said Kat. "Go easy."

Aaron slowly crept into the room, assault rifle at the ready. The room was deserted except for a prone figure on the floor; his HUD determined the figure was deceased.

"I got a casualty," he said, scanning the room. A wet cough made him spin around, only to find an injured trooper slumped against the wall. "And one wounded. Military trooper, I need a medkit now!"

The rest of Noble Team moved into the room. "Six, search that body," said Kat as she inspected the monitors. Carter made his way over to the injured trooper and helped him sit up, opening a medkit.

"Where's the rest of your unit?" he asked as he sprayed biofoam onto the trooper's wounds.

"We got split," replied the trooper with a scratchy voice. Carter handed him a water cup, which the trooper accepted gratefully. "I don't think they made it," he continued. "It sounded bad on the coms."

"Alright, Corporal, stay put. We'll get you a combat surgeon," said Carter, patting the trooper on the shoulder.

A sudden curse from Kat drew their attention. "Damn. Plasma damage!" she said, punching the monitor in frustration. Aaron, who was searching the body for identification, saw a data module on the ground underneath the dead man. He scooped it up, taking a closer look at it. 'This looks awfully familiar…' he thought. He held it up for Kat to see. "Found something."

Kat snatched the device from his hand. "I'll take that, Six," she said. "Not your domain." Aaron rolled his eyes when Kat turned away. 'You're welcome,' he thought sarcastically. 'Bitch.'

"I've got a live one over here!" called Jorge. There were sounds of a struggle, mixed with frantic shouting in Hungarian; whoever Jorge had found was putting up a hell of a fight.

"Come on, out you come," said Jorge softly, pulling a teenage girl from behind some boxes. The girl was resisting, punching Jorge's armor and yelling in Hungarian.

"Jorge…" said Carter, stepping forward, but Jorge interrupted. "I've got her," he said, laying down his machine gun and lightly grasping the girl by the shoulders. "Keep still, and I'll release you," he said slowly. The girl started to relax, but looked up past Jorge's head and went pale. "Még…Itt vannak," she whispered.

Jorge dove out of the way just in time, taking the girl with him and covering her with his body as a Sangheili Field Marshal leapt down from the ceiling, barely missing him with its Energy Sword. Two more Zealots dropped down behind the Marshal, growling a challenge.

The Marshal swung its Energy Sword at Kat, but Carter pushed her out of the way as Aaron rugby-tackled the Marshal into the wall, knocking it for a loop.

The Marshal recovered remarkably quickly, however, and tossed Aaron away. Aaron slid across the ground, opening fire on the Marshall as Emile came over the com, wondering what the hell was happening.

"We've been engaged!" shouted Carter, opening fire with his DMR while Kat did the same with her Magnum. The Marshal's shields collapsed, and the alien turned tail, knocking into Aaron as it ran for the door.

"Bad guy coming out!" roared Carter as he kept firing, but he missed.

Aaron was sitting up when another Zealot grabbed him by the collar, activating an Energy Dagger. As the alien brought the weapon down, Aaron grabbed the Zealot's hand, forcing it into the ground beside him and punching the alien in the face, stunning it momentarily. It recovered and roared at him, bringing its Energy Dagger up again, but Carter viciously kicked it away, sliding Aaron's assault rifle over to him while Kat opened fire, draining the Elite's shields.

The two Zealots ran for the door, seeing themselves outnumbered. One grabbed the injured Corporal, using the man as a human shield; Noble Team had no choice but to hold their fire.

The two Zealots backed through the door, amid both the girl's and the Corporal's screams. In seconds, they were gone.

Emile came over the coms. "That tango blew past me. Permission to pursue?" he asked. Aaron could hear the sound of his shotgun over the coms.

"Negative, Four, stay on the entrance," said Carter. "Two, handle the girl. Five and Six, clear the hole!" Kat knelt next to the girl and tried to calm her down, while Jorge and Aaron reloaded and charged through the door, with Jorge sealing it behind them.

The door shut with a resounding boom, plunging the room into darkness. Aaron hit his night-vision switch as Jorge ignited a flare and hurled it to the other side of the room. One of the Zealots leapt from behind a crate, firing its Concussion Rifle at the two SPARTANs, followed closely by a horde of Grunts and Jackals.

A few frag grenades from Aaron and wanton gunfire from Jorge made short work of the aliens, but the Zealot escaped down a nearby corridor.

"There's more," warned Jorge as the two SPARTANs followed the Zealot. "Flush 'em out, I'll cover you." Aaron nodded and tossed a grenade into the next room. When it exploded, Aaron and Jorge burst into the room, capitalizing on the aliens' panic and confusion. The Zealots from before appeared on the other side of the room, one wielding a Concussion Rifle, the other igniting an Energy Sword. The one with the sword charged Aaron, while the other traded fire with Jorge.

Aaron dodged the first slash and bashed the Zealot in the face with his rifle, backing up and unloading his magazine towards it. Only a few of the shots hit before the Zealot recovered and knocked the rifle from Aaron's hands, bringing down its Energy Sword as it did so. Aaron sidestepped, letting the sword pass harmlessly by, then grabbed the Zealots wrist and breaking it with a sharp twist. The Zealot roared in pain and rage as the Energy Sword tumbled from its now-useless hand, and Aaron took the opportunity to finish it by pressing his Magnum to the underside of the Zealot's jaw and pulling the trigger. The fifty-caliber Magnum bullet easily punched through flesh, bone, and armor, and the Zealot fell dead to the floor. By this time, Jorge had finished off the other Zealot.

"Noble Five reporting," he said into the com. "Contacts neutralized."

"Excellent," said Carter. "Kat needs you to reset a junction that should be in that room. Do it and get back here." Jorge acknowledged Carter's orders while Aaron searched for the junction. Finding it, he hit the reset button, waiting until the light turned green before exiting.

As the two SPARTANs left the room, something caught Aaron's eye; the dead Zealot's Energy Sword.

He picked it up and ignited it, watching as the blades hissed to life, crackling with plasma energy. After a few minutes of consideration, he deactivated it and attached it to his belt. Jorge raised an eyebrow, but decided not to mention it as they resumed their trek.

[Ohaiitsmeanotherlinebreak]

Kat was fiddling with the internal wiring when Aaron and Jorge returned.

"How long?" asked Carter. Kat scoffed. "Question of my life," she said bitterly. "If the question is when will this station be back online…two weeks, earliest. This is plasma damage. All major uplink components are fried."

"Two minutes is too long," said Carter impatiently. Aaron found it interesting to watch the Commander get irritated.

"Which is why," Kat continued, with a tone one would use to explain something to a small child, "I'm splicing into the main overland bundle to get you a direct line to Colonel Holland." Carter shut his mouth with a snap, suitably chastised.

"…You're in my light, Commander."

Carter backed off, hands raised in surrender, before turning to Jorge. "Find out what she knows," he said, gesturing to the girl they found. The girl had since gone quiet, siting against the wall with her knees pulled up, head buried in her arms.

Jorge knelt down next to her and tapped her on the shoulder, but she shoved his hand away. Emile chuckled.

"What's your name?" asked Jorge softly. "Do you live around here?" When the girl didn't answer, Jorge decided to take a different approach, moving in front of the girl and taking off his helmet, allowing her to see his Hungarian features.

"A nevem Jorge," he said, gesturing to himself.

There was a pause, then the girl whispered, "Sára."

Jorge brightened slightly. "Sára…szép határozott név. Your accent sounds familiar. Sopron?" he asked.

The girl shook her head slightly. "Tengeri." Jorge noticed her gaze lingering on the body nearby. "Friend of yours?" he asked softly.

The girl's grip on her knees tightened. "Father."

Jorge winced. "Sajnálom. I'm sorry."

The girl glared at him. "Why would you be?" she asked bitterly. Jorge was struck speechless by the venom in her voice.

Emile turned to Aaron. "Big man forgets what he is sometimes," he said mockingly. A shadow loomed over them and they looked up at Jorge, all eight feet of him. "She just lost her father, fattyú," he growled, before walking over to Carter. "She needs a full psychiatric workup," he said.

"She's not the only one," called Emile. Jorge turned and started toward the sadistic SPARTAN but Carter and Aaron jumped between them.

"Lock it down, both of you!" Carter barked. "Six, get her on her feet. The body stays here. Jorge, take a walk and cool off." Jorge sent one last withering glare at Emile before stomping out of the room.

Aaron looked at the girl, then walked over and whispered something to Carter. Carter looked thoughtful, then nodded. "If you think it'll help," he said, and turned back to the monitor as Kat managed to get a signal.

Aaron searched the room, finding a blanket in an emergency supply kit. Walking over to the body of Sára's father, he wrapped him in the blanket and gently picked him up, motioning for Sára to follow. The girl looked uncertain, but eventually rose and followed the SPARTAN outside.

She found Aaron piling wood in the courtyard in a lattice pattern, before gently placing the body on top. He then pulled a piece of burning wood from the nearby wreckage of a truck and handed it to Sára.

Recognizing what the SPARTAN wanted her to do, she stepped forward and placed the burning torch in the pile. Within five minutes, the pyre was a blazing inferno.

Sára couldn't take it anymore. She turned into Aaron's chest, making him stiffen slightly, and cried.

Aaron, unused to physical contact outside of combat, stood awkwardly for a moment before gently putting his arm around the girl, letting her get all her tears out.

He heard someone walk up behind him. It was Kat, followed by Jorge.

They didn't say anything, they just stared at the blazing pyre until Carter came out and radioed for transport.

And that's the end of the first chapter! Hope you enjoyed!

Unlike my other stories, this one will be updated regularly! This I swear!

For those of you wondering about the potential pairings…you'll just have to wait and see!