Matt-038 (Halo Fanfiction)

Chapter 25: Red Flag

Author's Note: If you have any tips writing tips, please feel free to comment.

Again, I gratefully accept constructive criticism as a means to help me develop my skills further as a writer.

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Chapter 25: Red Flag

Location: Epsilon Eridani system, planet Reach, FLEETCOM Military Complex

August 27, 2552

0800 hours

This was the third time Matt had been in the highly secure briefing room on Reach. The amphitheater had an aura of secrecy as if matters of grave importance had regularly been discussed within its circular wall. Certainly, every time he had been here, his life had changed.

His first time was his indoctrination into the Spartans—a lifetime ago. He recalled with a start how young Doctor Halsey had looked then. The second time was when he graduated from the Spartan program when he had last seen Chief Mendez before reconnecting with him on Onyx. He had sat on the bench next to him and John—where both aforementioned Spartans were now sitting along with Linda. And today? He had a strange feeling that everything was about to change all over again.

Clustered around him were two dozen Spartans: Fred, Linda, Joshua, James, Kelly, and many others he had not spoken to in years; the constant battle had kept the tight-knit Spartans light-years apart for more than a decade. Dr. Halsey and Captain Keyes entered the chamber.

The Spartans stood at attention and saluted. Keyes returned their salute. "At ease," he said. He escorted Dr. Halsey to the center stage. He sat while she stood at the podium.

"Good morning, Spartans," she said. "Please take your seats."

As one, they sat down.

"Assembled here this morning," she said, "are all surviving Spartans save three, who are otherwise engaged on fields of combat too distant to be easily recalled. In the last decade of combat, there have only been three KIAs and one Spartan too wounded to continue active duty. You are to be commended for having the best operational record of any unit in the fleet." She paused to look at them. "It is good to see you all again."

She slipped on her glasses. "Vice Admiral Stanforth asked me to brief you on the upcoming mission. Due to its complexity and unusual nature, please disregard your normal protocol and ask any questions you have during my presentation. Now, on to the business at hand: the Covenant."

Holographic projectors overhead warmed and sleek covenant corvettes, frigates, and destroyers appeared in a neat row on Dr. Halsey's left. On her right were a collection of covenant species, roughly one-third their normal size. There was a Grunt, a Jackal, the floating, tentacled creature John had seen on Sigma Octanus IV, as well as the heavily armored behemoths Matt and Blue team had bested.

A spike of adrenaline burned through Matt at the sight of the enemy. Intellectually, he knew that the images were not real... but after a decade of on and off fighting, his instincts were to kill first and to get the details later.

"The Covenant are still largely unknown to us," Dr. Halsey began. "Their motivations and thought processes remain a mystery—though our best analysis points to some compelling hypotheses."

She paused, and added, "The following information is, naturally, classified.

"We know that the Covenant—our translation of their name for themselves—are a conglomerate of a number of different alien species. We believe that they exist in some kind of caste structure, though to "date the exact nature of that structure remains unknown. Our best guess is that the Covenant conquer and 'absorb' a species, and adapt its strengths into their own."