Halo: In League with the Spartan

1

John pitched forward onto his hands and knees."Uhh, where am I?" He said to nobody in particular, he was still a little groggy from the sudden space trip. As it turns out, John had materialised in a huge room of some sort. There was a small podium on the far side, and he was on a platform with a small, man sized ring on it. He automatically reached to his back, expecting his gun, but none was there.

"Reclaimer! I see the teleportation process has succeeded." John recognised that voice. 343 Guilty Spark.

A monitor flew down from the end of the long room, heading towards John.

"Hello reclaimer, I am 734 Potent Vigilance, monitor of installation 000-mark X."

"Mark X?"

"Indeed reclaimer, this installation was built as a back up military base for the Didact should the halo rings not have been activated. The Master builder himself programmed me, giving me access to all of the halo rings, the ark included."

"I see...How did I get here?"

"I scanned you and my calculations predicted that because of internal organ failure, a ruptured lung, several broken ribs, adrenaline alone could not keep you alive until recovery, so I activated the teleportation system, although regretfully, it is a single use device, only in its prototype stages, since it had the ability to cross galaxies."

"So where are we?"
"Installation 000-Mark X  is a military space station designed to be out if reach frim the flood. We are currently in sector 11247962, just outside the Andromeda galaxy."

"Ive travelled so far?"

"The teleporter was a more efficient way of cutting through the space time vortex. In essense, it is the same as any slip-space drive, except it conpresses space so much, the traveller can get to the destination instentaniously."

"I see."
" Reclaimer, my scanners detect that your vitals are declining, we must get you into the medical bay."

"Sure, but I want explanations later"

"As you wish Reclaimer."

But before John could say anymore, he fell forward, unconcious.

/////a few days later/////

John's eyes slowly opened, half due to tiredness, the other because of the sleep accumilated on his eyes, which was quickly gotten rid of. He stirred and slowly got up from his shining metal bed.
uughh, my head.

"Good! You are awake reclaimer."

"How long have I been out?"
"In Earth terms, you have been in the medical bay for five days seventeen hours and thirty seven minutes and counting."

As John got up, He quickly realised that instead of olive green armour on his arms, he could see skin.

"Where is my armour!?" He didn't raise his voice, but his tone revealed it all.
"Your combat skin is undergoing repairs, although I request permission to improve on its rather crude technology."

"Granted, but dont take too long."

John, just like any other spartan, save grey team, felt almost naked without their armour. Their mental assessment indicated that they had since they had the armour for so long, they grew a bond with them, to a mental level.

"I have also found some data in your neural interface, it appears that there is a fragment present in your neural lace. I have taken the initiative to trace the other fragments and rerouted then here to put it back together. The ancilla appears to be the one the librarian talked to on Requium, she left specific instructions to aid the ancilla. I have upgraded her to a Contender class A.I., so she will no longer suffer from rampancy and has more computing power,  in a smaller amount of space. She also now has a pod in which displays a hard light image of her, so she can interact physically. It will follow her around, displaying her image,  once turned off she is still fully functional,  just not visible. "

Ancilla....wait..."Cortana! Where is she!"

"This way reclaimer, she is in shut down currently, but can now be activated by you."

John was teleported to a bio-mechanics room, where Huragok were silently working away with some mahinery. As john neared they made space for his giant form. On a small podium there was a button. After years of experience (AN-Halo: A game which involves shooting, running and pressing buttons to all who play the capaign), John took a highly educated guess and pressed it.

"I have some other business to attend to reclaimer, just 'do what you do' as they say. I will return soon" and in a small flash, the monitor was gone.

A light shone on a small holo-pad in front of the towering spartan, whos anxiousness was only revealed through his tense body language. A small, light blue figure lay curled up on the pad, asleep, hugging her knees. The smart A.I. slowly got up, and looked about her. Without any feeling or emotion, she stated.

"I am Smart A.I. serial number CTN 0452-9, awaiting instruction."

Shock was the only thing John could feel right now.

"Cor-Cortana, Dont you remember me?"

"Facial recognition established, Spartan II commando John-117, Master Chief Petty Officer of The Navy. Greetings John, If I may call you that."

"Cortana, dont you have any memory at all? About what happened? Requiem? Reach? New Mombasa? Delta Halo? The Gravemind?"

"Acessing....." A smile played on her petite holographic lips. But they went straight again.

"I have no recollection of anything mentioned of the said subjects..."

"No.."John whispered, aghast.

"?..Not even when I put a hand on your chestplate, which I could feel for the very first time."

John's jaw dropped. By this time, Cortana had made a solid hard light version of herself, grew to human sized and approached John, her blue hue lighting up her immediate area. Then she slapped him playfully on his chest, considering her head only reached the top of his chest, doing that casually was no easy feat, but John felt it none the less.

"Of course I remember you big lug, how could I forget. Although the question is, why am I still alive, and how do I have so much power,  I feel so light, and also where are we?" She spun on her toes, like a ballerina, albeit clumsier, falling. John, with his near instantaneous reactions, caught her and brought her back up. Cortana looked at him, smiled and gave him a hug, which happened to the first for them both.

"Now," Cortana let go," lets go, you can explain everything over dinner." Ignoring the Huragok, they both walked out the door and outside, not into flying bullets and bloodshed, but peace and tranquility.

=="I leave home for a few days, and look what happens."==

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Well, thats it for now. Of course cortana can't have food, but she likes using more human terms, although maybe I might vonsider giving her a body. Anyways, lemme know what you think!!

Thanks,
-John