Chapter 1. John 117

John 117 lay on the cool grass and gazed up at the stars like he used to do as a child. As he had back then, he still wondered what was out there. It had been 6 months since his last mission where he gained gifts from the Librarian of Requiem, but also lost Cortana, and he felt that even though the Didact was defeated that his mission was not yet completed. Something kept beckoning him back to Requiem. As much as she unsettled him, Chief knew he needed to somehow check in on Dr. Halsey to see what further findings she had uncovered about the Promethean planet.

She was now considered a criminal by the UNSC and he was under orders not to interact with her under any circumstances. Despite the UNSC's mistrust of Halsey's motives, they still recognized her value and brilliance as a scientist and allowed her to continue her work, provided she was monitored at all times. Chief decided that reviewing her research might give him the closure he needed.

He sat up. It had just grown dark. Her lab would be empty at this hour, and he could review the files she had to report to the UNSC on a daily basis. He was not sure whether he could trust Dr. Halsey's reports, but he felt drawn to her for information anyway. She was blunt, brilliant, and ruthless. If anyone knew anything about what was still happening on Requiem, it would be her, and she was so dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge that he thought her reports would still contain kernels of truth, even if she did not reveal everything. Most of the scientists were afraid to get near any of the artifacts that the UNSC Infinity had brought back, but Halsey had the wisdom to treat the artifacts what they were—threats with secrets to tell. They were not toys to tinker with and she knew it.

Mind made up, Chief walked back to the base and got into a warthog to head to the lab. When he arrived, the area was quiet. He strode into the science building with his access key and made his way to Halsey's lab. Sure enough, Halsey's lab was empty and dark. He silently slid his access key in the door and crept inside.

Chief sat in a chair in front of the computer and eyed the Promethean artifact sitting on her lab table warily. It remained still and did not react to his presence. He let out a breath and turned on Halsey's computer to review her entries.

In her reports folder, her recorded entries were highly disappointing. The entries included dry descriptions of the artifacts, their behavior, and a few assumptions of their purpose. It was so unlike Halsey not to include anything deeper that Chief had a feeling in his gut that these were not her true notes. There was just enough detail to keep the UNSC satisfied, but he knew that there was more. He began clicking through all of her folders, not finding anything out of the ordinary. The other folders contained much of the same. Chief began to get frustrated and was just about to give up for the night when he clicked on a folder called "Miscellaneous transcriptions." To the naked eye, it just looked like a jumble of code that Halsey may be trying to decipher from the relics. However, Chief immediately recognized the series of symbols as the special alphabet code that the original Spartans were taught to communicate with each other and no one else. Only an original Spartan and Dr. Halsey knew of the existence of the code. Chief's heart beat faster in anticipation as he began to decipher the code:

While most of these artifacts are lifeless pieces of Promethean history, a few of the newest relics that I have been studying have revealed some interesting breakthroughs. A repetition of symbols and a drawing that looks like a map suggest there is a key still on Requiem that could fully unlock the secret of Requiem's power. Without the key, I am only scratching at the surface, uncovering only recent memories of the Prometheans. There is a piece missing; there must be some way to investigate the planet further to fully understand the extent of Promethean knowledge and technology. I think it is related to the "Librarian," wife of Didact and keeper of Requiem's secrets. Perhaps this map leads to her. Note to review my findings on the Librarian to confirm this assumption.

Chief paused in his reading. Captain Lasky of the UNSC Infinity was planning a return trip to Requiem in two days. As he studied the map and the symbols that he unlocked using the Spartan code, he made a decision. He needed to go back. Pulling his memory card from his pocket that he could later plug in to his helmet, he copied all of Halsey's notes from the folder, including the map.

Chief knew there were younger Spartans that were now relied upon for the special missions that remained on Requiem. He recognized that he was frequently seen as an older soldier, only called upon in times of great need. It was almost an advantage that so many of them underestimated him; he could often go on solo missions and work much faster without anyone watching over his movements. He also knew that Lasky would let him go along on the Infinity because he, more than anyone, understood his need for closure. He would not deceive Lasky. Any findings that he uncovered on Requiem, he would share. First thing in the morning, he would request permission to return to Requiem to collect further field reports.