Halo: The Search

Chapter 18

December 3rd, 2552
(Victor Huff) "Hey, wake up." I felt a hand shake my shoulder and looked up to see Garret standing above me. His armor was still on, which gnawed at me because I wondered what he looked like without it.

I swung my legs off the bed and leaned to the right, keeping myself propped with one arm while I rubbed my eyes with my free hand.

"What's going on Red..." I got up and slipped my shoes on, yawning.

"We're on a schedule so I'll explain on the way, c'mon." Garret walked out and I followed, putting a bit more pep in my step. I truly didn't want to leave the bed after such a good rest but I was ready to start the day even more.

We walked through a bright white hallway with many overhead lights in the ceiling. The white tiled floor was clean and brightly reflected the lights off the ground, creating a nice atmosphere. The walls were white and had multiple doors on the sides, like apartment rooms. I assumed this was where everyone checked in for the night when their jobs were done.

We walked into the cafeteria, which had many long, wooden tables with red, rectangular seats that could fit two people or maybe one in Vex's case.

"Eat breakfast first, then wait for Alice; Orange, if she hasn't told you her name yet. Your dad has a plan for the day. We're going to find out what you and Vex will be doing throughout your time on this ship. Lunch line is down there and... well, that's all. I'll see you later." Garret patted my back and walked down a different hallway that led who knows where.

One whole side of the cafeteria was dedicated to serving people. I walked up there and grabbed an empty tray, staring at the assortment of food I could choose from. People busily worked behind the counter, making sure the choices were loaded and that we didn't run out of food.

"So... you know that guy?" I glanced up at a marine who was looking down at me in awe.

"Red, err Garret? Yeah, I've met him on the field. They we're fighting this big brute and Elite. They were trying to save me and..." I trailed off as I noticed everyone in the line who was grabbing food had stopped to listen to my story.

"You were on the field with Huff's squad of ODST?" I couldn't tell if they were astonished a ten year old was on the field or if ODST were just really cool.

"Well, I mean..." I walked away with my tray of food and sat down. A bunch of adults humorously crowded around me, waiting for me to continue. My stomach growled and I sighed, preparing to talk more than I would eat.

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(Vex'Redna) "Rise and shine." My eyes opened up and I quickly sprang up, looking at the exit to see Commander Huff standing there. He raised an eyebrow and I straightened up.

"Sorry. Didn't realize where I was for a second." He shrugged and nodded.

"Understood. Victor is eating right now and I'm hoping to talk to the two of you to straighten some things out." I continued to stand there, waiting for him to continue.

"Oh, welcome aboard by the way. I'm Denver or Commander Huff. I hope Alice wasn't too harsh towards you last night."

I sighed in relief, realizing that he was completely okay with me being aboard. Of course, there'd be precautions but he had shown acceptance towards me.

"Did you want to head to Victor now?" He shook his head.

"I haven't gotten word out that we have a Sangheili on board yet, so I'd like to bring Victor to us. I sent Alice to grab him when he's done eating and I have Tye in the training room, which I've restricted anyone else from going to. There, we'll go over things and pick up from there. So with that said... follow me!"

Denver walked out the room and I followed him, feeling a bit antsy from the fact that no one may react positively to my presence.

We walked through a series of hallways that all had doors on the sides leading to who knows what. Soon, we entered a metal room with hi-tech lockers on the left side of the room. On the other side, a very hefty window gave view to a blank room. To the right, a door with a keypad sat, most likely leading into the training room.

"So lets hear your adventure while waiting for Victor, how about it?" Denver crossed his arms, leaning against the window, showing that he had plenty of time to talk. I took a deep breath and prepared to recollect over all that had happened once Victor had entered the picture. This time, I wouldn't leave out details.

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(Victor Huff) "You shot the elite with a shotgun and it just shrugged it off?!" I stared at my food, which was untouched and then at a marine, who was leaning towards me from the other side of the table, completely sucked in by my story.

"Yeah, he just got really mad. I-"

"How did you get saved?" Another marine butted in and I rubbed my fore head, taking a deep breath.

"I wasn't saved. Two ODST were too busy fighting the Chieftain and another had been injured. He managed to get away with me."

"Holy hell, that's insane! Wait, so you had to get rescued again, which means you survived being abducted!?" A lot of voices joined in after that and I took that time to shovel a lot of mashed potatoes into my mouth, hoping they'd never calm down.

"Yes, back up, keep going, move!" People, who were crowded around the table, quickly fled from the voice amongst the crowd. Orange appeared into view and stood in front of me.

"Let's go to the training room. Your dad's waiting for you there." I choked on my mashed potatoes and she didn't notice. She turned and began walking away with everyone's eyes on her. I grabbed two French toast sticks and quickly followed after her.

"Crap..." we walked through some more unfamiliar hallways that looked like the other ones I'd walked through. We ended up in a metal room and there stood Vex, along with my dad.

I began making a stride towards my dad but Oranges hand went out in front of me, her visor staring at Vex.

"At ease Alice." Her hand immediately went down and I walked towards my father, who welcomed me with open arms. Orange was already at the door, typing a code into the keypad as the door opened up.

"Vex'Redna gave me a rundown on your whole adventure, along with some of his own personal stories. That's a crazy experience you've gone through, huh?" My nostrils flared and eyebrows raised as I tried to think of all that I had gone through, leading to this moment. I just nodded and we followed Orange downstairs, onto the training grounds.

There was a fold-up table with guns against the wall. Garret and Tye were standing there, fiddling with the weapons.

When we were all in a happy circle, I made my way towards Vex, which seemed to make the three ODST slightly uncomfortable. My dad looked completely calm though, which was a confidence booster.

"Sorry for the awkward meet up. I need to let everyone know that Vex'Redna is aboard so that we don't stir up any negative commotion." Vex nodded in understanding and I rocked back and forth, waiting for him to continue.

"So to lay it to you straight, we weren't expecting alien company on this frigate when you arrived Victor. I just want to assure you that things will be fine but it'll just take awhile for everyone else to get used to our newest recruit." Vex looked at the commander, slightly confused.

"Vex'Redna, you're an official member of this frigate. You too Victor. I'm now your commander." Vex and Victor both looked at Denver with surprised looks. The three ODST glanced at Denver but you couldn't tell what they were feeling.

"...What?"