Orion: The Revised Generation

Prologue

Rain...

Rain was the only thing that made the otherwise silent hillside in the Scottish highlands seem to feel alive. Which held a bit of irony to the Spartan Admiral, who stood beside the fancy coffin he had placed his father in.

Dressed in the general white dress uniform of the United Nations Space Command Naval Hierarchy, Blaine was not a Spartan in this moment. No, he was a young man mourning the loss of his otherwise alienated Father. Silently, he glanced down at the closed coffin, deciding it would be best for any friends to not see his condition.

In his right ear, the minister continued to speak a prayer for the deceased, a final closing for the man within the coffin. Blaine took up his spot, beside Phil, Josh, and Scott. The ODSTs beside him too were dressed in typical Marine dress clothing, Scott and Josh holding a pair of snare drums in front of them.

Phil pat Blaine on the side, passing over the Morgan's tattered old bagpipes, the only property he retained. Blaine accepted them, priming the bag to be played, as Phil pulled his own set off of his back. Waiting for the minister to stop, the man in the robes turned to Blaine, waving an arm, inviting him to start.

Scotland the Brave

Playing alongside Phil, the two bagpipers' sound echoed throughout the hills, drowning out the sound of the rain. The small crowd of soldiers and civilians that had happened to know Morgan became even more somber, as Autumn stood there, tissues held to her eyes.

Joining in with the pipers, Josh and Scott played the drums in front of them in time with the pipes. For Blaine, each strike of the snare drums reminded him of the machine gun rounds that Morgan had been firing before his death. Continuing to play the pipes, he saw a trio of flute players, some trumpeters, and a tuba player approaching, joining in to play the otherwise cheerful tune.

Phil and Josh had told him that Morgan requested they play Scotland the Brave, whenever he had 'kicked the bucket'. He didn't want his funeral to be just sadness, he wanted the song to play, reminding people of his cheerful, almost playful attitude.

However, as the sound ceased, the music echoing a final time over the hillside, Blaine stepped forward, surprising many of the crowd. Clutching the bagpipes tightly, he stood there, in silence, as everyone watched, even the ODSTs behind him.

Amazing Grace

The somber Funeral song echoed from Blaine's bagpipes, having practiced for the past couple of years with his father's guidance in their downtime. Phil and Josh looked at each other, as Scott bowed his head. Blaine's solo of Amazing Grace pierced the hearts of all in attendance, as he slowly walked towards Morgan's final resting place.

Standing over the wooden coffin once more, tears openly cascaded down Blaine's cheek, as he realized that- while he never got to know Morgan as a kid, something he had always dreamed of, he was lucky and happy to have known him in his adult life. Phil started to echo Blaine from behind, as the Spartan stopped playing his bagpipes, bowing his head.

Autumn walked over, as the crowd dispersed to talk about the old man in their own ways, the Minister placing a hand on the Spartan's shoulders, before walking away. Hugging an arm around his chest, Blaine shook uneasily, his bagpipes slung around his back. Turning, the duo hugged, as Phil continued to play in the background, louder and with much more feeling than he had before.

As time went on, it was only Blaine and Autumn, standing there over the filled hole that his father now resided in. Autumn turned to face him, standing on her tip toes, before pecking him on the cheek, rubbing his back.

"C'mon." Autumn said. "Let's let the old man rest now."

Blaine nodded, as the two of them walked down the hillside, into the Pelican that awaited them. Scott, Phil, and Josh went to honor the old man in their own way, knowing Blaine didn't drink alcohol, that left Blaine and Autumn in the Pelican.

"Pilot." Blaine said, breaking his silence. "Take us to Glasgow, please."

"Aye, Admiral." the Pilot held a thumbs up, turning the Pelican in their course correction.

"What's at Glasgow?" Autumn asked.

"A promise I need to fill, for my uncle; Morgan's brother Craig."

Family Bonds

The Pelican set down on the outskirts of the Scottish village, which had strangely retained it's small population over the years. Blaine stepped out, with Autumn at his side, as they walked down the cobblestone alley into the heart of the village.

Straight ahead of them, a lone chapel stood on the hill, re-purposed into an Orphanage. Little children, a mixture of ages from teenagers, to toddlers, were outside, enjoying the rare occasion of sun. Walking up to the fence, one of the little girls, no older than ten, ran into the building.

Soon after her disappearance, she exited the building, a lithe elderly woman with a stern face, in black robes followed her. Glaring at the pair approaching, she passed the small girl, walking over towards the fence, holding a hand up.

"Excuse me." she cleared her throat. "What is it that you think yer doin' here?"

"Many apologies, sister." Blaine bowed his head in respect. "Some time ago, a friend of mine, Thomas Haselton, left a young boy by the name of David Connery here?"

"Whose askin'?" she replied gruffly, glancing at his medal covered dress uniform.

"Blaine Harlowe, Admiral of the UNSC Navy, ma'am." Blaine replied, pulling his hat off of his head. "I'm here because it was David's father's wish that I be his caretaker."

"Oh mai." a portly, young nun piped in, approaching from the doorway. "Mother Superior, this is the Harlowe lad that Mr. Fields signed the papers with!"

"The paperwork is already filled out?" the older woman growled, turning to the younger one. "Heavenly father, is that why poor David could never be adopted? You have some nerve comin' here Mr. Harlowe. David's been waitin' some time."

"I had... obligations to take care of, ma'am. David was on my mind during all of that time. I just- I wanted to make the Universe a safer place for him."

"An' who even are you to him? Friend, relative?" the older woman snarled.

"By rights, I'm his cousin, ma'am." Blaine said, keeping eye contact with her. "His father, Craig, was my uncle."

"With all respect, Mother Superior, Blaine has had some depressing events come up. All he wants to do is, at the very least, check on his cousin." Autumn piped in, only to feel the cold stare of the older woman.

"If the paperwork is filled and filed, then you can do more than just check up on him. We do charity here, Mister. But we cannot afford to maintain an already adopted child for much longer."

"Alright." Blaine nodded with a sigh of relief. "I can take David now."

"You best not conscript him into yer military, boyo." the older lady growled. "David's a good kid, an' I'd hate to see him dyin' fightin' yer stupid wars."

Following the old nun and the younger one, they stepped inside the building, where David shyly sat in the corner. Despite the supposed charity, he was covered in dirt, and looked like he hadn't eaten well in a long time.

Walking over, Blaine hesitated momentarily, as the young boy played with a small choo choo train. Looking back, Autumn nodded, as Blaine quietly stepped over, crouching onto one knee over the boy. David continued to scoot the train back and forth on the hard wooden floor, giggling with childish glee at the small conductor painted in the front window.

"Uh- nice train, boyo." Blaine smiled, as David looked up at him.

"Hello mister." David said, before turning back to the train, continuing to play.

"Is that one your favorite?"

Without turning, David closed his eyes and nodded. Blaine turned back to face Autumn, who continued to smile at him. Upon turning back, a small Warthog figurine clouded his vision, David holding it up to him.

"You can play with this one, mister." David smiled.

Blaine smiled at the kid, before gingerly taking it from his hands, rolling the small toy on the floor. As the Warthog and Train ran alongside each other, Blaine chuckled with happiness, remembering the small fraction of his childhood when he played with others.

It seemed like so damn long ago, and with the Covenant War over, it was much too late for him to even consider rekindling whatever childlike things he could have had. Blaine's eyes widened, however, when the front right wheel of the toy snapped off.

Frowning, Blaine picked up the small wheel, examining it. Looking over, David stared at the broken car.

"Sorry," Blaine shook his head. "I didn't mean to break it."

"It's okay." David smiled, taking the toy back, placing the wheel back into place. "See, all better mister!"

Resuming their play, Blaine cleared his throat, as the kid continued to watch his train.

"I don't know if you remember me, boyo. My name is Blaine, I was there on your fifth birthday?"

"You were daddy's friend." David said, not turning. "I remember you."

Blaine's heart dropped as the young boy brought up Craig, who had passed five years ago. Shaking his head, he placed a hand softly on David's shoulder, turning the young boy to face him.

"How'd you like to stay with me?" Blaine asked, holding up the toy Warthog. "My job let's me ride in these as much as I want."

David's eyes lit up, as he turned to his train, frowning.

"Mother Superior." David said, gathering the older lady's attention. "Can I keep the train?"

"Yes, lad." she smiled for once. "You can keep the train."

David chuckled, hefting his new toy, as Blaine stood, towering over the boy. Reaching down, he lifted David up, seating him on his broad shoulders. David looked around in amazement, seven and a half feet above the ground. Looking over, the boy saw Autumn, who waved cutely.

"Is that my new mom?" David asked, looking down. "Are you my new dad?"

Glancing over at Autumn, Blaine frowned, a single tear rolling down his right cheek.

"Yeah, boyo," Blaine nodded over towards her.

"I'm yer dad."

Project Polaris

"Sir," the pilot said, standing in the troop bay of the Pelican.

Blaine stepped up into the bay, David riding on his back in a piggy-back ride. Autumn followed shortly behind him, taking her seat, placing David next to her.

"Yes?" Blaine replied.

"It's urgent. He knows you've only been on shore leave for a week now, but Lord Hood is requesting your attendance."

"Affirmative. Take us there." Blaine nodded.

"It's private, sir."

"Autumn is a ONI operative, she likely already knows whatever it is. The boy is my adopted son, and I'm not leaving him in someone else's care right now. If it's that important, I'm not making a detour."

"Aye aye." the pilot nodded. "We'll be there in a bit, sir."

---------------------------------------------------

Province of North America, Earth, Solar System.

David held his hands above his head as the Pelican made it's descent into the massive facility. Blaine, deciding to spend time with the other two, still silently worried about what was so damned important that Hood took him off of leave for it.

The pilot tapped on the back wall of the machine, as Blaine replied with a sharp rap on the metal. Autumn walked alongside David, as the troop bay doors opened. Peering around their surroundings, they realized in a hurry this was a Frigate manufacturing plant.

In front of them, the older man with the big white hat approached.

"Admiral, Captain." Hood nodded to Autumn and Blaine respectfully. "Private."

The old man smiled at the small kid hiding shyly behind Blaine's legs. Before returning his attention to Blaine.

"I'm sorry I called you from your leave so soon, Spartan. The pilot took my message as a supremely important call. While it's important, it's nothing dire, so you can relax." Hood replied, placing a hand on the Spartan's shoulder.

"The reason I had you brought here is because, as a member of the Admiralty, I'd like to show you one of the UNSC's newest and brightest creations."

Stepping alongside Hood, the four of them walked through the hallways, the sounds of machinery echoing all around them. Hood walked with his arms held behind his back, Blaine offering David a good look at the UNSC manufacturing plant through the glass tunnel surrounding them.

"When the Covenant first arrived and decimated Harvest in it's first campaign, we realized we were completely out matched and out gunned." Hood continued, eyes forward. "With Doctor Halsey's discoveries on Reach, and the Chief's discoveries of Halo, we knew that Forerunner technology was our game changer."

"So, while the war was still raging, I had actually sent off some of the fleet to locate other Halo rings. What we found was astronomical, the wealth of knowledge and technology, unlike anything we've ever seen before."

"It didn't take long until Doctor Halsey, along with Professor Glassman to decrypt this information... and format it onto a ship's weapon systems."

Blaine ignored the majority of Lord Hood's prior statement, his mind focusing on a pair of words: Doctor Halsey. Hood's eyes turned to the Spartan, who appeared to be deep in thought.

"Yes, Spartan. Doctor Halsey is very much alive, but her situation might make her wish otherwise, I'm afraid." Hood sighed. "Your fellow Spartans, Fred, Kelly, Linda. They are also very much alive, but they work solely for ONI now."

"I see." Blaine nodded. "I'm sorry sir, please continue. You mentioned ship weapon systems?"

"Yes." Hood paused, as a pair of Marines saluted the two of them, opening a pair of double iron doors. "A UNSC ship outfitted with the majority of our understanding of Forerunner tech. We realized that our potential in the stars would be limitless. Aptly named, Project Infinity is coming to fruition."

Before them, a massive ship, easily twenty thousand feet across, looked nearly complete. Blaine and his company stood in complete awe at the immensity of the starship.

"She's an Infinity-Class starship, said to become Humanity's flagship. Construction began in the Oort Cloud, towards the edge of our system. But as she was nearing completion, a couple of other members of the Admiralty caught a glimpse of it."

"But I'm the newest member." Blaine turned to Hood. "Why do I deserve this honor?"

"Because I want you to pilot her." Hood replied with a grin. "It may be the UNSC's most expensive play thing. But I also believe you have great promise to be a ship's operator. Also, quite frankly, I don't much care for the alternative that Director Parangonsky's got lined up."

Almost as if on cue, a man and Parangonsky herself appeared. The man's face gave the impression to Blaine that he knew nothing about his job description, yet he held himself high and proud. Blaine knew, just by glancing at the man, that he was going to hate Del Rio.

"Ah, I can tell by the way you hold yourself, you must be a Spartan II." Del Rio smiled, holding out a hand. "A pleasure to meet you."

"Admiral Blaine is here to learn about the ship." Hood coughed, causing Del Rio's smile to deteriorate and his hand to promptly salute the Spartan.

"My apologies sir, I did not mean offense!"

"At ease." Blaine waved him off. "I'm not in my suit at this moment, and currently, I'm still on leave."

"As I was saying." Hood turned, pointing to the massive ship they were gawking at previously. "Should you decline my offer, the only alternative to run the ship is Captain Del Rio here."

Blaine stared at the majestic ship for some time, pondering his options. It was an honor to even be considered for the position, but he also realized that he was likely to run more ground ops instead of actually running the ship.

"Sir, I must respectfully decline." Blaine sighed. "If I were to head the ship, then Del Rio, whom I would assume would be my second in command, would likely run the ship anyways."

"And why would that be?" Parangonsky prodded.

"Because Spartans prefer their feet on the ground, ma'am." Blaine replied. "I can head a Frigate, but something as expensive and crucial to the UNSC's advancement in the stars? I'd have to be on board at all times, and it would eat at me."

"However." Blaine continued, staring at Del Rio. "If Lord Hood would approve of it, perhaps you can station the Aura of Armaggedon to the Infinity's defense? That way I can occasionally keep an eye on the ship's inner workings, if need be."

Hood turned for a second, clearly disappointed that he'd have to choose Del Rio for the position. Pondering his choices, the older man turned back to see the Spartan glancing at him.

"It's better than nothing." Hood nodded. "I'll see what I can do. It's truly a shame that the Spartan Admiral couldn't head the UNSC's greatest ship. But I understand your position, Spartan, and I won't condemn you to that. I'll run it through the Office, try and get the Aura restationed."

"Excellent." Parangonsky said, Del Rio following her to the nearby Pelican, which would give the Captain yet another tour of his ship.

"She's in a fine mood." Autumn sighed.

"She's always in a fine mood." Hood chuckled, shaking his head. "Well Admiral, there is only one other thing I need to discuss with you."

"Sir?"

"Remember a few weeks ago, when I made mention of the SPARTAN branch of the military?" Hood replied. "Our first batch of augmentation is readily available. As I speak, Jun-A266, previously affiliated with Spartan Noble Team, is currently recruiting and training members of the newly formed Spartan-IV program."

"He's already selected the first group to undertake the augmentation, and he's going to supervise them until your leave is up. However, the reason I bring this up with you is there is another side of the spectrum we'd like to... work with." Hood sighed, glancing down at David.

"You want to reattempt the Spartan II augmentation." Blaine grit his teeth, clenching his fist.

"Yes." Hood bowed his head. "But I want YOU heading that portion. Jun is focusing on the adult IV's training. I want you to train the kids, and I know how much your training has impacted you, so I expect you to train the kids in an efficient manner, but more humane."

Autumn held Blaine hands, as the Spartan glanced down at his boots, then to David.

"Who even is going to participate?"

"I have an associate in ONI that will be your assistant in this endeavor, she has the list for you." Hood replied. "Take the remainder of your shore leave to locate these children. You will find her on board the Aura, prepped and ready to go. She goes by the name of Bailey."

Future and Forever

Hours later.
Aura of Armaggedon

Blaine sharply rapped on the door of the barracks. Blaine stood there, fully garbed in his armor. As much as he enjoyed his shore leave, whenever he was on his ship, he preferred to wear his armor, civilian clothes wouldn't cut it.

"Who is it?" a voice replied rather sternly from the other side of the door. "The Doc is busy."

"I was under the impression Bailey was a woman."

"She is, you got a problem with that?!"

"No, but I got a problem with you keeping the door locked." Blaine replied harshly. "Open this fucking door, and that's an order."

With a hiss, the door opened, revealing a Spartan in dark brown SPI armor, standard issue for Spartan III operatives. The helmet resting at the young man's side reminded Blaine of a fish bowl, causing the Spartan II to stifle a chuckle.

"You must be the Admiral." the Spartan replied. "My apologies... sir. But the Doc couldn't be too sure. Being with ONI, she's made quite a few enemies."

"I think I can handle the security of my ship, thank you." Blaine replied curtly. "Admiral Blaine-115, UNSC Navy, you?"

"Lieutenant Blake F-069." the man saluted him. "Blake Johnson, Spartan III, ONI Operative."

"So, you're a spook too?" Blaine shook his head. "The more the merrier."

"Indeed." a sultry voice echoed from the back of the room. "Though you can stop the charade, John. Admiral Blaine is a Spartan we can trust. I've personally witnessed him in action."

Blaine gave a questioning look to the Spartan blocking his path, the young man rolling his eyes, before allowing the Admiral entrance. Returning to his chair, 'Blake' sighed, returning to his book.

"I apologize for John's harshness, Admiral. He's led a tough life, something I'm sure you can relate to." the woman replied, adjusting her form fitting white scientist garb.

"Please, just call me Blaine." Blaine held his hand up. "You'll find I'm not to strict on formality during down time.

"I see." she pursed her lips, before holding out a hand. "Billie-Jean Bailey, a pleasure to meet you at last."

"Likewise." Blaine nodded, before glancing at the pictures of young children pinned on her wall. "I take it those are our likely candidates?"

"Yes." Bailey replied, a twinkle in her eye. "Actually, this method is not unlike the process Doctor Halsey- well you know."

"You chose the genetically best children from each planet that would be most fitting for the augmentation."

"Precisely." Bailey replied, pointing her datapad's stylus at him. "-taking a play out of Katherine's handbook, we're going to pose as a couple. You'll find that these children, however, are orphaned. I don't believe in ripping children from their parents, and I've always secretly despised Halsey for doing that to you Spartans."

She paused for a moment, as Blaine's fists clenched.

"Right, I'm sorry. Moving on. Every child on this list has the capability of being augmented with a low percentage of fatality."

"Woah woah woah." Blaine held his hands in a 'T' formation. "The UNSC hasn't perfected the augments yet?!"

"Unfortunately... no." Bailey shrugged. "It's a gamble, and while I'll despise myself for it, Humanity needs Spartans, now more than ever."

"-And why's that?" Blaine asked, crossing his arms.

"Classified. Your role is merely to train these kids-"

"It sounds like my role is to condemn these kids to a life of sociopathic tendencies, misery, and war." Blaine huffed.

"Don't worry Knight in shining armor." John rolled his eyes, without removing them from the book. "It happens to everyone eventually."

"-Besides." Bailey growled at John. "Unlike Mendez, I truly believe you can train these kids to be proper Spartans. But I also believe you'll be able to show them so much more out of life. Instead of fearing you, they will love you like a father, and they will WANT to fight alongside you."

Blaine shook his head for a moment, when Hood had requested it from him hours before, he had assumed the UNSC had perfected the augments. His worst nightmares from his own bootcamp had come back to haunt him, if he augmented these kids, there was a good chance a quarter of them would end up dying. However, he was still a member of the UNSC military, and if he wanted to keep the people he loved safe, he'd have to do it.

"Fine, whose first on the list?" Blaine asked.

"Believe it or not, it's a set of twins." Bailey smiled, pulling up the children's faces.

----------------------------------------------------------------

"C'mon you little bitch." one teenager growled at the ten year old girl, pulling her hair out. "Show us!"

"NO!" the girl screamed, tear steaming down her cheek.

"You hear that boys? She's not going to play nice!" another teenager, the ring leader, replied before ripping the stuffed rabbit from her hand.

Holding the fluffy, dirty and patch covered animal above his head, the teenager sneered as he ripped it's head clear off of it's body. Fluff rained down on top of them.

"Fluffykins!" she cried.

Cupping his hand beneath the girls chin, the teenager smirked.

"You're kinda cute when you cry." he smiled. "Too bad you're UNSC supporter scum. What happened? Your stupid father and your whore mother run away to join their beloved Military while you sat here and rot?"

"You going to take care of her Bret?" the first teen asked.

"In time." the one called Bret replied, smushing his face against hers. "In time."

---------------------------------------------

A little boy started running down the street at the sound of his younger, twin sister's cries. Dropping the small bits of food he had scavenged for them, he bolted through the narrow allyway. Behind him, somewhere, he could hear what sounded like an explosion, yet the ground did not shake.

That noise didn't matter to him now though, he focused solely on the screams of his sister. While they were ten, they were old enough to have known what had happened to their parents, and rather live unhappily in an orphanage, they decided to brave the streets.

Jumping over a tin garbage can with a single bound, the young man had practiced running away from shop owners after he had stolen whatever he could pocket. Jumping down a small flight of stairs, the young boy saw the pair of teenagers. One pinning his sister to the ground, the other gingerly rubbing his hand down her cheek.

"Hey!" the young boy yelled.

"Well, wouldja look at that?" Bret, the young boy knew, grinned. "If it isn't Benny boy. How's our little UNSC fag?"

"Get off of her!" Ben growled.

"Or what?" the teenager chuckled deep in his throat. "No, I think I'd much rather go through with this."

Ben roared, charging the teenager pinning his sister to the ground. Bounding off of the brick wall with his left foot, he swung his right foot across the teen's jaw. Despite his small size, the blow was enough to push the teen backwards. Bret stood, fists clenched.

"You're really going to attack Dirk? You think you can take on two of us, you little spitfuck? When I'm done with you, I'll force you to watch me ravage your sister!"

Dirk, the teen he had kicked in the jaw, wrapped his arms under Ben's pits, meeting his hands together behind Ben's back. The manuever effectively immobolizing Ben, who was not strong enough to face them. Bret walked slowly over, fist cocked and ready. Ben, in his state, was at Bret's mercy.

The teenager bared his teeth, snarling as he smashed the ten year old in the chest. Ben grit his teeth, attempting to endure the pain, hoping his sister would run with them distracted. Bret's fist winded back for another swing, smashing Ben square in the jaw. Seconds turned to minutes, and the minutes slowly became eternity, as Bret's fist lashed out against Ben's small frame.

Swinging once more, Bret's fist connected with Ben's stomach, causing the young man to spew whatever contents were in his stomach onto Bret's shoes.

"UGH!" Bret growled, wrapping his left hand around Ben's neck. "No UNSC asshole is going to make a mockery of me."

Ben flinched as the fist darted at him, he closed his eyes, bracing himself for the pain... but it never came.

"You, boyo... are sadly mistaken." a man's voice rumbled above him.

Looking up, Ben realized he was on the ground, Dirk having released him to help Bret deal with the adult. Bret stood there, shocked that the man had his fist locked so tightly in his grip.

"You UNSC assholes are all the same." Dirk growled. "You don't do jack shit when us normal folk are in trouble. But when one of your own is in danger, you always come to their rescue."

Dirk swung his fist, the man not even flinching. The man's head tilted to the side from the blow. Ben wasn't quite sure, but he thought he saw a fire erupt in the man's eyes. Releasing his grip on Bret's hand, the man slowly turned to face dirk, a wide grin on his face.

"A good hit." the man nodded. "Try again."

"What?" Dirk asked, dumbfounded that his haymaker had done nothing to the man.

"Hit me again." the man challenged, holding his hands behind his back.

"What?" Dirk asked again.

"Hit. Me. Again." the man said, holding his hands back there. "I'm giving you a free attempt to knock me out."

Dirk grinned at the opportunity thrusting his entire body weight into the blow, the fist smashing against the man's jaw. Chuckling the man turned to face him, a hearty laugh bellowing from his throat.

"No offense kiddo, but that was the weakest punch I've ever taken."

Dirk growled, Bret watching flabbergasted, as his friend through volley after volley into the man's face. None of the blows had once seemed to make the man flinch or show any sign of weakness.

"Oh? You're done now?" the man asked, as Dirk sighed. "I'd say you're about eighteen, right? That makes you an adult, and the amount of times you've struck me... I'm entitled to self defense."

Grinning, the man stood at his tallest, towering over everyone present. Ben, while shaky, crawled over to his sister, who trembled in on the concrete, clutching the remaining parts of her beloved toy.

Dirk attempted to run, Bret swinging a fist. The man swiftly, faster than Ben's eye could travel, parried the blow, flipping the teenager with little effort. Arching his right fist low, the man's baseball sized fist twisted, making contact with Dirk's ribcage. All present heard the audible snap and crack of numerous bones breaking, the force of the punch more than enough to launch Dirk into the brick wall.

Brushing off his shoulder, the man huffed, as Bret stood there, dumbfounded. The man stood there, arms crossed, as a woman appeared from the alleyway behind Bret, rushing over to Ben and his sister.

"You guys okay?" she asked, glancing quickly over at the man and the teenager. "Oooh, that doesn't look good."

Ben didn't pay any mind to the woman however, as he watched the man slowly walk towards Bret, who held up his fists, shaking like a dog. The man's slow, menacing gate pierced the resolve of Bret, causing the teenager to turn tail and flee. Before he could get far, however, the man's massive hand grabbed the collar of the teen's shirt.

"Hey." the man said, holding the teen up to his face. "I heard everything of what you said to these two. Under normal circumstances, I'd of let you two walk away with a warning, but those things you said? They are to be punished."

"Wh-what are you?" Bret asked fearfully.

"You're worst nightmare." the man growled, as Bret attempted a last ditch maneuver, headbutting the man.

Chuckling with malice, the man turned Bret around, tossing him lightly in the air. Arching his right foot behind him, he timed it perfectly, and when Bret began his descent, the unthinkable happened. Bret screamed as Blaine's boot firmly blasted his hind end, launching the teenager into the wall with a sickening crunch.

"Jesus Christ Blaine!" the woman roared. "Did you just kill two teenagers?"

"Nah." Blaine shrugged. "But I taught them a lesson they won't soon forget. 'Cept for maybe number one over there?"

Blaine pointed with his thumb to Dirk, who lied in a crumbled heap.

"He hit that wall headfirst, and that was likely the force of a freight train hitting him. He'll live, but I don't expect him to remember anything, or anyone."

Ben stood shakily, as his sister whimpered beside him. Stepping forward, Blaine's attention fell on him. Stumbling towards the man, Ben had his arms out stretched. The edges of his vision were filled with darkness, and every movement he made only added to it's intensity.

Reaching his goal, he wrapped his arms tightly along Blaine's legs, before everything turned black.

------------------------------------------------------------

"Jesus, is he okay?!" Bailey asked, the young boy passing out at Blaine's feet.

"You're the Doctor here." Blaine scratched the back of his head. "You tell me."

Bailey glared at him, as he shrugged. Hoisting the boy in his left arm, he turned to the young girl, who sat next to Bailey at this point.

"A-are you going to hurt him?" she quivered with fear.

Chuckling lightly, Blaine took a knee beside them, glancing at the girl softly.

"I wouldn't hurt you kids." he smiled, his eyes falling on the rabbit in her arms. "Uh oh, we got a man down over here."

The girl sniffled, holding up the two pieces of the toy.

"Those mean boys hurt Fluffykins." she sobbed.

"It's okay." Blaine said, gingerly taking the pieces of 'Fluffykins' in his hand. "I know a nice lady who can play doctor and help Fluffykins, if you'll come with us."

"He's right, if it just you two?" Bailey asked.

The girl didn't speak, she only nodded. Bailey stood, taking the pieces of Fluffykins from Blaine's possession. The girl stood, holding her arms up at him. Shaking his head, Blaine hoisted her in his right arm. As soon as she had made it to his shoulder level, she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Blaine's eyes opened wide, as he felt a trail of a few tears race down his neck. With both of his hands full, the only comfort he could offer her was shushing her, and telling her everything would be okay. Before long, she fell asleep. The two of them made their way to the Pelican. They were going to get these kids some medical treatment, and then they were feeding the poor, starving kids.

/////////////////////////////////////////////

Blaine's-Log:Entry-01 wrote:
Admiral's Log, Blaine Harlowe reporting.

It is the first day of the reboot of Project Orion, something Bailey is calling; Project Polaris. Our first pair of candidates, David aside, have been brought back for safe keeping. You wouldn't believe the shit show, Mars has definitely deteriorated since I was there last. Firstly, almost everyone on it's surface is anti-UNSC, so going in with my suit was a no-go.

Then I find out who these kids are, and why they were bullied; Benjamin and Naomi Feldspar. Mother, Irene Feldspar died following the birth of the aforementioned children. Father, Godfrey Feldspar, joined the UNSC in the middle of the war, after hearing the news of his wife's pregnancy. This was to help develop more income for his developing family, joining the ODSTs with the promise that his pay come in advance as a lump sum, to afford the medical costs.

Regrettably, I ran into Godfrey during a mission on Sigma Octanus IV three years ago. Reading his dossier, he used all of his sick leave time to go home and check on his two children; Ben and Naomi. The pay he was receiving wasn't enough to make ends meet, and his house was foreclosed. He had trained his son the basics of survival, in case they needed to live on the streets.

I didn't get a chance to know more, at the time, the objective had been so damned important I didn't pay much attention to what he had said. It all flew south when that lone Insurrectionist bomber killed himself and Godfrey. After the mission, I had always been curious about the kid's wellbeings, having gone so far as to search for them.

I had guessed that a kindly neighbor had taken in the children. Perhaps I just never searched hard enough. Now, three years later, and I'm taking them from their life on the street, a feeling I'm entirely familiar with, and prepare them to become war machines.

Part of me is truly wondering if this is worth it. I mean, we stopped the Covenant, and with the construction of the Infinity, they would be fools to try anything further. What point is there for more Spartans? This would likely be the point where Mendez would slap me on the back of the head, reminding me that my job isn't thinking, but rather killing anything that doesn't have a green arrow above it's head.

It's late, and I need to consult with Autumn about the situation regarding a wounded warrior, alias; 'Fluffykins'. More logs are sure to follow as this program moves along.

I do wonder, however, what Morgan would think about what I'm doing now. I dunno, perhaps I'm just exhausted.

End Log  

Quality Time

Blaine sighed, shutting the power down on his datapad, before placing it on his desk. Rubbing his face, he grunted before standing. The boy and his sister were in the medbay. Those teenage punks had done more of a number of the kids than he had previously thought. Worried as he was for their health, he was also extremely impressed by Ben's drive.

He arrived just in time to stop that teenager from beating Ben to death, but from the distance he could make out the ten year old getting some fair hits in of his own. Autumn hummed some tune behind him, busily running a sewing needle through the stuffed animal's neck, mending the toy.

"What's the sit rep?" Blaine asked.

"What?" Autumn asked, turning her head to face him. "Oh, you mean the rab-"

"-Fluffykins." Blaine replied curtly.

"Right, Fluffykins." Autumn smiled at Blaine's remark. "Fluffykins will be just fine."

"Good." Blaine nodded. "I'm gonna go check on them. You can stay here or come with me, either way, I'll need Fluffykins prepped for duty, ASAP."

Autumn chuckled, before handing the toy rabbit to the Spartan, who handled it with great care. Following alongside him, Blaine could feel something was off about her.

"Something the matter?" he asked, as the two walked down the hall.

"Yeah." she frowned. "I dunno how I feel about all of this. I know you don't have a choice, but... doing the same thing you went through to kids? I work for ONI, and even I think that's dark."

"Apparently it's necessary, and I assume ONI knows the reason why. But I've had a few close shaves with those assholes for a while, so I'm just going to keep my head down for a bit." Blaine shrugged. "Besides that, anything else on your mind?"

"Well." Autumn rubbed her shoulder. "A colleague in the Office suggested that I get augmented myself, that way I can run Ops top-side with you. They think it'll provide more intel."

"Out of the question." Blaine growled, his tone changing a complete one-eighty.

"I'm sorry Blaine." she frowned. "But I'm scheduled to take it when these kids do."

"Why?" Blaine's fist clenched. "Why couldn't you have told me sooner, I'd have rather discussed this together."

"Because you need the extra help on your team, and because Josh and Phil were chosen to partake too."

"Oh great!" Blaine threw his arms up, in a small fit of rage. "While we're at it, throw those augments at everyone on board the Aura!"

"Blaine," Autumn shook her head.

"No." Blaine growled. "Everyone thinks augments are a breeze. They were EXCRUCIATING. I literally lied in my bed, completely immobile for WEEKS, as I watched seventy-five Spartan recruit's corpses get dragged out."

"It's bad enough that the Military is expecting a Spartan II to essentially do the same damn thing all over again. But to expect his squad to follow as well, that's where I'm drawing the line."

"Blaine, it's my choice." Autumn frowned. "I may not know what it's like to be in the situation you were in. But you have no idea the heartbreak I go through, every time I watch you and your squad go planet-side."

Crying now, Blaine sighed, as he attempted to comfort her, Autumn shrugging him off.

"I always fear something is going to happen, and you'll throw your life away. I'd of thought you'd know by now that I love you, and others care for you. If you throw your life away, you're doing those people a disservice." Autumn replied, clenching her fists. "I will not be raising a daughter alone."

It was at that point that Blaine's eyes widened, the Spartan taking a step back. Autumn, realizing what she just said, reached out, as the Spartan sprinted for the sick bay. Holding her hands together in a praying motion, Autumn decided to explore the ship, knowing Blaine would likely want his quarters to himself.

---------------------------------------------------------

A daughter?! Blaine thought to himself, clenching his fist. "Whatever happened to the'reduced sex drives' Halsey?!"

Continuing his brief jog through the hallway, he nearly barreled over Josh and Phil, who both grumbled as the Spartan didn't bother to apologize.

"Um, did Blaine just have a rabbit in his hands?" Josh asked, his twin brother waving him off, not even bothering questioning it anymore.

Nearly trampling John, Blaine burst into the door, Fluffykins still miraculously within his hands. Bailey turned, the med bay doctor continuing to check on the kids on the beds.

"Bailey, we need to talk." Blaine barked.

"Can it wai-"

"Now."

----------------------------------------------------

Med Bay

"Believe me when I say this is an extremely awkward procedure you've asked me to perform." Bailey shook her head. "-and had it not been for the fear of your mental stability, I likely would never had agreed to this."

Placing the sample on a machine, it whirred for a few moments. Bailey turned to face him, her arms crossed.

"Look, Autumn just slipped some news. Something I didn't think was possible." Blaine clenched his fist. "You're the only person I know that has studied Halsey's research so extensively that you're like a branch off of her wisdom tree."

"I'll take that compliment in jest." Bailey smirked. "It's entirely possible you're the father. Halsey may've just warned you Spartans about a suppressed sex drive to prevent you from actually trying anything risque."

Shrugging, she turned back to the machine behind her, tapping a few commands into the holographic keypad. There was a strange noise, as Blaine sat on the gurney, all but biting his nails.

There was a sudden green flash, causing Bailey to smile widely, her eyes quickly glancing at Blaine.

"-and this only proves it." she said, holding the datapad up to Blaine. "You're capable of having kids."

Blaine's stomach dropped, the Spartan glancing at Fluffykins, the rabbit lazing against the wall in a slump. Glaring at the rabbit, his delirious mind felt the rabbit's stare cold and filled with malice.

"You act like it's the end of the world." Bailey snickered. "You're all but raising a horde of kids for the next few years anyways, why can't one of them be biological?"

"It's not the fact I'm the father that bothers me." Blaine shook his head. "It's that I don't think I'm ready. I'm a Spartan, I'm needed when Humanity is in danger. If my kid is born, they'll likely end up like me and not have a father for the majority of their life."

"This is a time of peace in the UNSC." Bailey shook her head reassuringly. "By the time the child is born and living, I'm sure the UNSC will be too fearsome for any enemy faction to fight us."

"We can only hope." Blaine shook his head. "That was Morgan's biggest regret, not being there for me."

'Don't make the same mistakes your father did, boyo.'

"What will you do now?" Bailey asked, placing a hand on her hip.

"Well, I've got Fluffykins to escort." Blaine stared at the toy again. "Then, I should probably talk to Autumn about this in a more level headed fashion."

"That there is the reason why you're one helluva Admiral." Bailey smiled.

------------------------------------------------------

Naomi's eyes creaked open, and the only thing she could make out was white. Everything about the doctor's room was white, the walls, the ceiling, the sheets in her bed. She squirmed under the covers, actually able to enjoy a bed after so long, it felt like a gift.

Ben was the first thing on her mind. Shifting her eyes over to her left, her brother lay there, a tube down his throat, and several bandages covering him. She could feel her eyes welling with tears, when those bullies had attacked her, she didn't try to defend herself. She blamed herself for it, she couldn't protect him, even when he nearly died trying to protect her.

"Hey." a young voice said from her right, her eyes peering uneasily to the right.

The young boy's emerald green eyes greeted hers, a shy smile on his face. She stared at the boy with curiosity, she had never met him before. Before she could speak, however, the boy reached to the bed stand beside him, producing a small tin can with a colorful label on it.

Pulling his finger along the tab on the top, the can hissed, the young boy offering it to her.

"You've been sleeping for some time." he smiled. "Want some?"

She looked at him uneasily, before accepting the fizzy beverage. Tilting the can, she was careful not to rush it. Taking a brave gulp, she burped cutely, before handing the can back to him.

"Thank you." she replied horsely, her voice spent from her constant screaming earlier.

"My dad told me to keep you guys company." the boy replied, taking a seat in the wooden chair next to her gurney. "Well, he isn't my dad. But he's like my dad."

The boy stared into space, as if deep in thought, a bright smile on his face.

"Blaine is really cool, and he said he was going to take care of you guys."

"W-what's your name?" Naomi asked, the boy stopping his tangent, staring at her like a deer in the headlights.

"David." David replied, his cheeks glowing red. "What about you?"

"N-Naomi."

"I like that name." David looked at the floor, now completely unable to look her in the eyes.

"Thanks." she smiled. "I like yours too."

David looked back up at her, his beaming face returning in a flash. Before David could continue their conversation, however, the man from earlier stepped into the room.

Naomi flinched at the sight of him, but remembered what he had done for her brother and herself. That, and he had Fluffykins in his hands, all nice and new again. Walking over, he pat David on the shoulder with a prideful grin.

"Hey buddy." the man said. "Can you leave me alone with Naomi and her brother for a second?"

"Okay." David said, waving to her.

Naomi, too weak to really move, smiled as he left. The man smiled at her, holding out Fluffykins. The rabbit seemingly smiled at her, as she gingerly pulled it from his hand, hugging her friend tightly.

"How you holding up?" the man asked, Naomi staring into his deep blue eyes.

She noticed something sad about them, despite his happy face. Frowning, she looked down at the rabbit in her hands.

"I hurt." she frowned.

"I'm sure." the man replied, gingerly placing a hand on her shoulder. "You two were really brave out there, you know that?"

"Ben was brave." she sobbed. "I was a wimp."

"You were really hurt, but you stayed by your brother." the man's grip became a little firmer, but not enough to hurt. "That's bravery too."

Naomi smiled at that, reaching her hand out cutely.

"I'm Naomi."

The man removed his giant hand from her shoulder, using his middle and index finger to gently wrap around her small hand. Shaking the man smiled.

"I'm Blaine. But you can call me whatever you like."

"Dad?" she asked, the man's eyes opening wide, before that sad look appeared in them again.

"Yeah." he smiled. "You can even call me Dad if you want."

-------------------------------------------------------

"I dunno if I can do this." Blaine paced around the room, Autumn sitting nervously on the couch. "Every kid we've recruited so far thinks I'm their father."

"That's not entirely a bad thing, Blaine." Autumn said shyly.

"That reminds me, I wanted to talk about... earlier." Blaine said, taking a seat beside her. "I was surprised more than anything. I wasn't angry. But, with the whole Morgan thing, I just questioned if I was ready or not."

"It's an adventure, Blaine." Autumn smiled, pulling his hand to her stomach. "You have no idea what's coming next. But I think it'll be bigger than we can even imagine."

Author's Notes:

Few things I want to mention here. The next chapter's beginning will showcase Ben and Naomi, along with the others at this present point in time. But after that, there will be a minor time skip. Really, I want the action to start to kick up soon, but I'm not going to rush the story building. However, with my lack of skills to type a decent training portion, I'll be doing it piece by piece. You'll get the vital parts, and we'll avoid all of the common sense bullshit.

Dawn

"Naomi." Ben muttered quietly, his younger sister painfully turning to face him.

"Yeah Ben?" she asked.

"Who was that boy?"

"His name is David. He's really nice." she smiled.

"I don't want you to be friends with him anymore."

"Why?" Naomi asked, turning to face him.

Before Ben could respond, he blanked out again, leaving Naomi alone again, but not for long. David walked into the room, Blaine having left some time before. This time, however, instead of a soda can, the boy had a small toy that he brought in. Propping himself on the wooden chair, he smiled at Naomi, the toy behind his back.

"I got something cool, you wanna see it?" he asked.

Naomi, trying to follow her older brother's advice, attempted to shake her head. David, however, didn't notice her answer. Beaming with pride, he produced a small train from behind him.

"It's my favorite." David smiled, but frowned as she frowned at him. "You don't like it?"

"No, I like it." she said, looking at her brother. "But, Ben says we can't be friends anymore."

David's heart plummeted, as he glanced down at the train in his hand. A small trail of liquid ran down his cheek, as he wiped it away with his sleeve. Nodding silently, David quietly lowered himself from the chair, walking for the door. Before he exited, he turned to say something, stopped, and continued out the door without another word.

Naomi frowned, she didn't mean to hurt his feelings. But Ben knew what was best, he had to have, how else would they have lived for the last three years. Sighing with exhaustion, Naomi lazed back, before falling into a deep sleep.

--------------------------------------------------

Blaine walked through the hallway, deciding to patrol the ship that night rather than sleep. Tomorrow, he'd have to go out and search for more of the kids on the list, hopefully the other one hundred or so candidates wouldn't be in similar situations as he had found these two in.

Pausing momentarily, he heard a young boy sobbing around the corner. Rounding the sharp turn, he found David sitting against the wall, knees under his chin, his train on the floor next to him. Frowning, the Spartan took a seat next to David.

"Heya kiddo, what's the matter?" Blaine asked, David not paying any mind to him. "Did your train break?"

"No." David sobbed, wiping his face, staring at his feet. "I don't have any friends."

Blaine nodded in understanding, well before he had met Halsey and Keyes, his life had been pretty lonely too. When he was in that orphanage, the only decent person there was the tenant, and she didn't even live there. So most nights, Blaine would end up beaten by the kids, despite being relatively bigger then them.

That was what had influenced him to leave the Orphanage one day, and never return. Despite Morgan's constant visits, Blaine's torment had continued to his breaking point, and he rathered death than living there any longer.

In fact, the only real friend Blaine has ever really had was Jorge, and Jorge was gone now. Sure, many of his other Spartan brethren had been friends of his, but they too were gone. Shaking his head from his dream scape, Blaine placed a hand on David's back.

"If it's about Naomi, she's scared and upset right now. Don't take anything she says to heart." Blaine smiled, placing a finger under David's chin. "Us Harlowe boys? We're strong, we keep our chins high, and we prove that we can be hurt by words. They'll understand some day."

"I hope so." David said, yawning.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Nine Months Later
August 27th, 2553

"Congratulations, Admiral and Captain." Bailey smiled, holding the small bundle up. "It's a beautiful little girl."

Handing the bundle over to Autumn, the woman smiled at the little girl squirming in the blanket. Blaine had sent Darryl out to train the trainees while he and Autumn were dealing with the newborn.

Standing beside Autumn, the Spartan's eyes grew softer as he looked at the kid in the pink blanket. It was the most surreal feeling he had ever experienced. All of Mendez' training had never prepared him for a moment like this.

While hardly noticeable, Blaine could tell the kid was going to have his hair color, instead of Autumn's auburn color. Smiling at Blaine, Autumn held the bundle up to him. Blaine's eyes opened wide, as if she had just passed him a live grenade.

"Uh no, I don't wanna hurt her." Blaine stammered nervously.

"You can't hurt her." Bailey snickered. "Just hold her with her head slightly propped up, resting in the crook of your arm."

Blaine cautiously lifted the baby in his arm, doing as he was instructed, before gently rocking her back and forth. Sitting down in the chair beside Autumn's bed, Blaine glanced at the baby's closed eyes, a overwhelming sense of pride emanating from within him.

For some reason, his mind flooded with thoughts of his father. Is this how Morgan had felt the day Blaine had been born? Would everything he said and did in this moment be remembered by the girl in his arms?

Smiling at Autumn, Blaine chuckled with absolute happiness, as the small kid sneezed cutely, one of her tiny hands reaching up and grabbing his nose. Suddenly, however, the baby started to wail. Blaine froze, as Bailey came over, quickly bringing the child to another part of the room.

Within moments, Bailey returned with the baby, who was much more relaxed now. Handing her back to her father, Blaine gently rocked her back into sleep again, glancing at Autumn.

"I just thought of it, how exactly do we plan on raising this kid if you're on missions with me?" Blaine asked.

"Well, with my augments, we'll be able to take shifts." Autumn shrugged. "Besides, that's a year from now anyways. We'll cross that bridge when we get there. However, I AM going to need to start training soon, to prepare."

"We'll worry about that after we've found a schedule to take care of her." Blaine said, nodding down at his daughter.

"Which reminds me." Autumn smirked. "Why don't you name her?"

"What?" Blaine asked, glancing down at the baby in his hands. "Don't you want a say?"

"I trust you to come up with something. All I ask is that it's something cute."

Blaine paused for a second, thinking of the one thing that always kept him going in his times of needs. The one event that always seemed to follow him throughout his life. Looking out the window to his left, he watched the Sun peek over the horizon of Earth, nearly blinding him, as he turned to face Autumn with a smile, before smiling down at his daughter.

"Dawn." Blaine smiled. "Dawn Renee Harlowe."

I know it seems like I'm rushing through it, what with three uploads in one night. Well, I actually had the first two pre-typed, meaning to post them here for some time. This is my last update for tonight, but I assure you the next chapter will actually be a bit more lengthy and will actually progress the story a bit more.

Bonding

Months Later
January 5th, 2554

“Greetings Admiral, I assume your training of the newest batch of Spartans is going well?” Hood asked, as the Spartan nodded, delivering a crisp salute to the holograph of the older man.

“Affirmative Admiral, they’re all learning a great deal. I was told to have them ready by May for the augments, and I think they’ll be more than ready, sir.”

“Good. I assume all is well with your daughter and the Captain?” Hood asked.

“Affirmative sir, I do my best to have her trained in time as well.”

“Excellent.” Hood nodded. “However, I bring some bad news.We lost contact with one of our science squads on the Echelon Halo. I need you and your team to get over there, locate those men, and get them outta there if possible.”

Blaine nodded an approval, as much as he hated being separated from the others, he had to do it. If it was the Covenant Separatists rising up again, the UNSC’d have to quell them before they got too far. Hailing Josh and Phil, Blaine quickly sent a message to Autumn, before headed down to the vehicle bay, where a Pelican waited to transfer him to the Infinity.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Echelon Halo

"Alright boys, standard anti-Covenant mission here." Blaine said, standing towards the back of the Golden Eagle's troop bay.

"Permission to speak freely sir?" Josh asked, raising a hand.

"Granted." Blaine nodded.

"THIS IS BULLSHIT!" Josh growled. "Why the fuck don't we have these covvie assholes under lockdown already?"

"Hey." Phil shrugged. "I suppose it's a lot better that they're attacking subtly than full on invasions, like the old days."

"I say stow the bellyaching." Blaine loaded a fresh clip into his DMR. "The amount of time you guys have spent assisting me train the new Spartan trainees has softened you from live combat. Besides, we don't actually know if this is Covenant forces we're up against or not."

"Actually, you're both right." Scott nodded. "Just got a contact from NAV, they see an unregistered Marathon-Class Frigate on the other side of the ring. Not only that, but there seems to be a Covenant Super Carrier orbiting the nearby Planet. It'd be safe to assume we'll deal with both."

The modified Pelican roared upon entry of the ring-world's surface, Blaine walking towards the cockpit. Tapping the pilot on the shoulder with his left hand, he peered out the window at the landscape. With his enhanced vision, Blaine could barely make out the luminous violet color of an emergency flare in the distance.

"Over there pilot, a few klicks due west." Blaine pointed. "My money's riding on that."

"Aye aye, sir." the Pilot nodded. "Preparing descent now."

Working his way back into the troop bay, he checked to ensure the three ODSTs had their jetpacks fastened correctly, Phil making sure Blaine's was attached as well. The door in front of them opened, the four soldier hoofed it out the back, jumping into a free fall. Spreading their arms wide, the four squadmates went into freefall. Pointing their faces forward, they shot like an arrow towards the ring world's surface.

On Blaine's mark, they engaged their jetpacks, drastically reducing their velocity. Using their 'fuel' sparringly, they touched their boots to the ground, raising their weapons. Blaine held up a fist, crouching behind a massive boulder. Not to far from their landing zone, the blue flare shimmered. Suprisingly, the armed guards at the door didn't appear to notice them.

Likewise, the guards wore armor completely familiar to Blaine, but unfamiliar to the UNSC. The Insurrectionist soldiers spat at their feet, watching with sheer boredom.

"Of course it'd be innies." Phil shook his head. "What the hell are they doing here?"

"Well, perhaps the UNSC found something important here. So maybe the Innies are here to claim that. Or they're here to hold the Universe hostage. This is one of the few rings we've located where we haven't secured the Control Room." Scott shrugged.

"We can ask them after we've dealt with them, c'mon." Blaine said, shifting from cover to the nearest thing, attempting to stay out of sight.

As they drew nearer, they froze as a pair of rebels talked, taking a leak over the cliffside. Blaine held his ODSTs, listening in to what they had to say.

"I'm just saying Chris, something about this seems odd. The UNSC have a base here, and it's attacked, and there's been no counter insurgence? I don't care how valuable this discovery is, being on this ring gives me the creeps."

"Don't worry, in case you've forgotten, our boss isn't afraid of any of those UNSC bastards."

"Yeah, we'll he's also a full blown psychopath. I mean, shit, he strangled Eric because he refused to finish a young girl on that last op."

"Hey, if nothing else, that kind of attitude can scare the UNSC pigs away!"

"I wouldn't be too sure." Blaine said, grabbing both of the defenseless men by the back of their necks, squeezing gently.

"Oi." the man on Blaine's left sighed. "I always thought it'd be YOU that died with his pants around his ankles, Andy."

With that, Blaine threw both of the men off of the cliff, their bodies tumbling to the ground below. Turning back, he nodded his head to the facility wall to his left. The four soldiers hugged the flawless metal wall, sidling across it.

Blaine stopped the men, waiting around the corner, as two more guards huffed.

"God damn, what's taking those two imbeciles so long?" one of the guards sighed. "The boss'll come out here, an' they'll STILL be pissing."

"I wouldn't worry about that. Butch'll likely kill them. But if it concerns you so much I'LL go look for them, maybe, if we're lucky, they fell off."

The Innie turned the corner, Blaine's hand lashing out and grabbing him by the mouth before he could scream. Twisting with little effort, he heard the audible pop of the man's bones crunching. Tossing the corpse past him, it tumbled down the cliff. Peeking his helmet around the corner, the last guard stood, facing forward.

The double doors leading into the facility whisked open, as Blaine watched a neon green armored Spartan exit the facility. Blaine's knuckles clenched, as the guard trembled in fear.

"S-sir!" the man saluted him.

"Where are the other three in your squad?" Butch growled.

"I just sent Rick around the corner sir, he's probably joining them in a piss break, sir."

"Ah." Butch nodded, before grabbing the man by the throat, lifting him into the air. "Well when they return, do be sure to shoot them all dead. If you fail... well, I'll kill them myself."

Throwing the guardsman on the ground, Blaine turned back around the corner, his nemesis stopping for just a moment, perhaps sensing his presence.

"Hmmm." Butch sighed. "That you Blaine? It's been a while."

Blaine's stomach plummeted, he had been seen. Indicating his ODSTs to stand down, he turned the corner.

"Fine, you got me." Blaine smirked behind his helmet. "You plan on cheating this time?"

"Strategy isn't a cheat." Butch waggled a finger. "You might be wondering why the Insurrectionists are here?"

"It crossed my mind."

"Well, this ends one of two ways. You beat me, I'll tell you. I beat you... well, you won't need to know, 'cause you'll be dead." Butch grinned.

Turning his pistol quickly, Butch plugged the remaining guard in it's face, turning his attention back to Blaine. Blaine fired a trio of rounds, Butch diving to the side, returning fire with his pistol all the way along. Blaine gave chase, placing the DMR on his back. Vaulting over the rock Butch hid behind, Blaine thrust both of his fists down, Butch jumping backwards to avoid the blow.

Gaining a small bit of momentum, Butch swung his right foot up, clipping Blaine in the chin, launching the Spartan up a few inches. Using that same momentum, Butch scrambled to the top of the rock, flipping over backwards. Swinging his foot down in an axe kick, his boot met Blaine square in the ribs, thrusting him into the ground.

Rolling out of further harm's way, Blaine jumped to his feet, glancing at Butch, who cracked his knuckles in anticipation. Charging towards Butch, the two Spartans sent a flurry of fists and kicks at each other, likewise blocking whatever the other sent at them. Feigning a sweep with his left foot, Blaine used the spinning speed to bash Butch square in the visor with his elbow.

Finishing his turn, Blaine jumped, planting both feet into Butch's chest in a drop kick, launching Butch through the boulder. The rock shattered into dust, Butch rolling along the floor and into the double doors of the facility. Bursting his jet pack once, Blaine thrusted forward, hopping slightly to remain above ground. Using the speed, his boot crashed into Butch's chest, smashing him into the brilliant metal wall.

Lifting Butch by the throat, Blaine planted a swift punch into his nemesis' helmet, cracking the visor of the helmet, the helmet itself denting the wall.

"Answers, what are you doing here?!"

"Fug you." Butch chuckled. "I'm not beaten yet."

Smashing Butch up against the wall, the renegade Spartan only chuckled with every hit he got.

"We came here searchin' for a weapon." Butch continued his laughter. "But all they found was some insignificant metal. Useless to our cause!"

Whipping his head forward, Butch threw Blaine off of him, launching his rival out the door the way he came.

"You're lucky, Blaine." Butch growled, a Pelican descending for him. "I was just on my way out. Otherwise, I'd of had to kill you."

"Do you always run when I kick your ass?!" Blaine yelled, attempting to stand, as Butch hefted a rocket launcher off of the wall of the troop bay, aiming it at him.

"No mercy?" Butch asked, firing a rocket at Blaine. "Have it your way. Later!"

The Pelican propelled towards the atmosphere, as Blaine gasped, swinging his left hand across. Luckily, his hand brushed the side of the ballistic, knocking it away from him. The blast, however, launched him into the facility, knocking him out cold.

------------------------------------------

"Much like he always runs, you almost always seem to black out after fighting him." Phil chuckled, offering a hand to the Spartan.

"Oh good, I feared he had died." a young woman shivered in white robes. "I'm Doctor Amanda Birch, I'm part of the research team that was sent here to study Forerunner technology."

"Are you alone?" Blaine groaned, standing.

"Unfortunately." Amanda frowned, her eyes cast to the floor. "It appeared that one of my colleagues had actually been an inside man for the Insurrection, which explained their sudden appearance here."

"That soldier you fought." she shook. "H-he killed all of them. He spared me, only because he thought I could point him to the Control Room. I just got here, I, I dunno where it is."

"The discovery?" Blaine asked. "He mentioned that it was supposed to be highly important, but it was just some 'useless metal'."

"Oh!" Amanda said, quickly waving him over, as Blaine ushered his three ODSTs back to the doorway.

Walking alongside her, he was confused to see a strange, onyx black metal sheet on the table, with numerous parts of it scattered across the table.

"It's an unnamed resource unlike anything we've ever seen. We think that this might be what the Forerunners use as a mending agent for their ships. Have a look!"

Pressing a button next to her, a laser activated, cutting a corner off of the metal, not unlike the pieces all over the table. Blaine's eyes widened, however, as the main sheet seemingly 'regrew', the cut off piece remaining.

Picking up the cut off piece, she handed it to Blaine, who looked at it.

"This is an astronomical discovery, as it can replace whatever was destroyed in a short amount of time. But here's the cooler thing, the parts that were removed from the main part can be molded into something else. Given the right amount of heat, it can permanently harden into it's shape, AND it gives off this really cool gleam."

"So, it's almost like a renewable metallic alloy that can constantly be renewed, so long as it isn't super heated?" Blaine asked.

"Precisely." Amanda nodded with a smile. "It's unnamed, and seeings how I'm the only one here... I suppose I should name it."

"Sounds fair." Blaine nodded. "But save it, grab whatever research you've gotten, I'll carry the slab out."

"I'll tell you what, then." Amanda said, turning to the computer to copy all of their research. "If you get me out of here Spartan, YOU can name it."

"I'm no egghead." Blaine shrugged. "I highly doubt I could come up with a name for this. ODSTs, get prepped for exfil!"

"Aye aye sir, the Eagle's inbound!"

"I implore you to try." the doctor smiled. "It'll be my gift to you."

"Fine." Blaine rolled his eyes. "Valkyrium?"

"As in... Valkyries?" she asked. "That fits the general naming protocol, well done sir."

"Good, Phil, sit rep?"

"That Super Carrier is keeping the Infinity busy." Phil shouted back. "You'd think Del Rio would know what the hell he's doing!"

"You'd think, how long is the Pelican delayed for?"

"Twenty minutes, tops."

Blaine turned, staring at the corner in his hand.

"If you really want to do a favor for me, I'd like you to form this into something for me... and perhaps show me what the heating does."

--------------------------------------------

One month later
February 5th 2554

Outskirts of New Mombasa, Africa.

"C'mon slowpoke!" Blaine chuckled, jogging backwards as Autumn struggled to follow along. "You want to be a hands on operative? You should be able to do a ten kilometer run, easily!"

"Bite me." Autumn growled, huffing and puffing. "This is the third quarter way mark, and Dawn kept me up last night."

"She kept me up too." Blaine smirked.

"Yeah, but you've been doing this all your life!"

"Excuses, excuses." Blaine said.

"You also never told me what we were doing."

"Surprise training. This is a test to see your ability to just get up and run, in the instance of an explosion or other such thing." Blaine turned back, slowing down slightly to accomodate her. "Besides, with the Phil babysitting, and Darryl taking his turn training the trainees, I figured you and I could use some bonding time."

"So you decided to spend it running across an African Savannah?" Autumn asked. "The only bonding I need is a bottle of water."

"Ouch." Blaine chuckled, pointing to the nearby hill. "That's our end point. C'mon, you can do it!"

After a few more minutes, the pair made it to the top of the hill. Autumn closed her eyes, the sweat rolling down her forehead into her eyes. Blaine, standing in her way, produced a bottle of water, handing it to her. Placing an arm around her shoulders, the two of them walked together. Blaine, however, covered her eyes with his massive hand.

"Mmph, what're you doing?" she asked.

"Just wait." Blaine chuckled. "Don't open your eyes just yet."

Blaine eased her down beneath the lone tree at the top of the hill, sitting her on the red and white checkered blanket he had sprawled out. Sitting beside her, he pat her on the shoulder, indicating she could open her eyes.

The scene in front of them was stunning, wild zebras roamed the plains, nature untouched by the UNSC or other civilization. Glancing underneath her, she saw the red and white checkered blanket they sat on, and a lone wicker basket between them.

"B-but-"

"I lied." Blaine smirked, opening the basket, producing the necessities to make a sandwich. "Remember how you needed time to get ready before we began this run? Yeah, I came set this up in that time."

Lightly punching him on the shoulder, Autumn's cheeks burned with embarrassment.

"I dunno why you're embarrassed. I already told you we haven't spent much time together with all that's going on." Blaine shrugged. "Now, one pickle slice or two?"

Shaking her head, Blaine opted out of the pickles, forming her usual ham and cheese sandwich. The two sat there for a time, glancing at the scenery in the shade of the tree. As they ate, the two enjoyed the small talk. Autumn shared a good amount of her childhood, and Blaine spoke of the shenanigans him and Jorge would pull on Mendez during boot camp.

As the sun slowly began to sink over the horizon, Blaine felt something lightly tap on his shoulder. Glancing over, the auburn haired woman's head nuzzled gently into his shoulder, Autumn slowly dozing.

"Hey Autumn." Blaine asked, as Autumn sleepily sat up.

"Yes?"

"We've been together for some time now, right?" Blaine asked.

"Nearing two years." she smiled, hugging him tightly. "Two of the best ones of my life."

"I see." Blaine said, shifting slightly, producing a small black velvet box. "-and how does 'forever more' sound?"

Opening the box, Autumn's eyes twinkled in the sunset light, or rather, the ring did. Resembling a crystal all it's own, the ring actually resembled pure diamond, a scientific marvel to craftsman everywhere.

"Blaine, it's beautiful." Autumn asked. "But... how'd you acquire a solid diamond ring?"

"I didn't." Blaine smiled. "It's actually something known as Valkyrium, a modifiable metal that, when heated, can take on numerous other sheen's. I was extremely lucky that it gave off the look of diamond. In fact, I crafted it with the little help from a friend. That ring? It's one of a kind."

Autumn smiled at the ring, nearly forgetting the question Blaine had posed for her. Tears streamed down her face in pure joy, as she practically tackled the Spartan to the ground, wrapping her arms around his chest.

"Forever sounds perfect."

Inspiration

Author's Notes: So, call me a nerd or whatever have you. But because I'm just THAT bad with training scenes, I'm going to make them into training montages that do several time skips. The reason you'd be calling me a nerd, however, is because of the song choices I've decided to use.

The songs, should you choose to listen to them along side the story are the following:

I'll Make a Man out of You- Mulan

Son of Man -Tarzan

Blaine stepped into the weight room, the kids chatting in an among themselves, giggling to whatever jokes they were telling. Slamming the wall beside him, the kids stood to attention, saluting him.

When he was training them, he acted as coldly as he could to help them understand the chain of command. So when he gave them the evil eye he had been staring at them with, they knew to be serious.

"You all have made some significant progress over the past couple of months, and I see promise in each and every one of you. But there is a LOT of room for improvement." Blaine said, walking in between them. "So then... let's get down to business!"

To defeat... the Huns!
Did they send me daughters?
When I asked... for sons?
You're the saddest bunch I've ever met.
But you can BET, before we're through.
Mister I'll... make a Spartan... out of you!

Leading them into the battle simulator room, Blaine left the settings off, opting to use the room as a giant running space. Jogging ahead, the kids huffed and puffed behind him, attempting their hardest to keep up.

Turning back, he was un-surprised to see several of the kids on the ground nursing fake wounds, attempting to get him to stop the group. Barking for the others to begin, he was shocked to see David, Naomi, Ben, and Jenna being among the fakers.

Tranquil as a forest...
but a Fire, within.
Once you find your center-
you are sure... to WIN!

Growling, the kids all turned to face the Spartan, standing quickly. Jogging behind them, he herded them back to the remainder of the kids.

You're a spineless, pale
pathetic lot!
And you haven't got a clue!
Somehow I'll... make a Spartan... out of you!

A trio of individuals appeared in the doorway, only two of them familiar to Blaine. Autumn sprinted in, joining the pack for training, while Jun and his guest stood there, arms crossed.

"I'm never gonna catch my breath!" David mumbled to himself, straining for air.

"Say goodbye to those who knew me!" Ben whined.

"Why was I a fool in school for cutting gym?!" Jenna moaned.

"This guy's got them scared to death!" Jun said, wide eyed at the scene.

"Hope he doesn't see right through me." Autumn muttered.

"Now I really wish that I knew how to SWIM!" Darryl brushed past the other two to yell, yielding a stare from everyone in the room.

Darryl's eyes shifted back and forth between them, before he left them to their thing.

"Be Spartan!" the kids chanted as Blaine ran them around in circles for the remainder of the day.

"You must be swift as a coursing river!"

"Be Spartan!"

"With all the force of a GREAT typhoon!"

"Be Spartan!"

"With all the strength of a RAGING FIRE! Mysterious as... the dark side of... the MOON!"

-------------------------------------------------------

Standing before the pre-teenagers, their augments were no less than a month away. They all snapped to attention without him needing to gather their attention, with the exception of David, who still showed signs of insecurity. Nodding his head towards the weight room, he jogged them down the hall to their destination.

TIME IS RACING TOWARDS US!
Till the Huns... arrive.
Heed my every order!
-And you might... survive!

David grunted, attempting to lift a weight that most of the other trainees, including Naomi, had no trouble lifting. After completing one rep, Blaine stood above him, a look of disappointment in his eyes. Shaking his head, Blaine walked away, as Naomi frowned over towards him, David not noticing. Ben grabbed his sister's chin, pulling her attention back at the treadmill in front of her.

You're unsuited for... the rage of war!
So pack up!
Go home... you're through!
How could I... make a Spartan... out of you?!

David frowned, as Autumn's hand gently pat him on the shoulder, nodding her head towards Naomi, who snuck yet another look at him. Clenching his fist, David clenched his teeth, going back down, Autumn there to spot him if needed.

"Be Spartan!" David roared, stopping Blaine in his tracks, the others Spartans following along.

"You must be swift as the coursing river." Blaine turned.

"Be Spartan!" Naomi and Ben turned, as Blaine walked back, all eyes on David.

"With all the force of a GREAT typhoon!" Blaine watching David lower the weights to his chest.

"Be Spartan!"

"With all the strength of a RAGING FIRE!" David roared, lifting the weight in a single rep, continuing multiple reps beyond that. "Mysterious as the dark side of... the MOON!"

Blaine nodded his head in pride.

------------------------------------------------

Blaine took the Spartans outside, their Augments were to follow the next day. Setting up an obstacle course, he wanted to time them individually, so that he could compare their times after the augments.

One by one the trainees sprinted to the other side, using every bit of combat knowledge and manueverability that Blaine was able to teach them to reach the other side.

"Be Spartan!" the majority of the trainees chanted as David started.

"You must be swift as a coursing river!" David ducked and weaved through barbed wire, mud traps, and over obstacles that got in his way.

"Be Spartan!"

"With all the force of a GREAT typhoon!" David barged through a breakable obstacle in his path, continuing his nearly flawless run.

"Be Spartan!"

"With all the strength of a RAGING FIRE!" David ducked under an open stream of fire, barreling across a pitch black enclosure, searching for the door. "Mysterious as the dark side of the MOON!"

"YEAH!" David roared as he passed the finish line.

---------------------------------

"How're you holding up?" Autumn asked Blaine, who paced back and forth nervously within his quarters.

"Tomorrow's the big day, Autumn." Blaine shook his head. "If it's anything like it was for me, I dunno how I'll react. Especially knowing you're in there."

"The Adult batch saw a 97% survival rate." Autumn said. "I don't like the fact it's not 100%, but it's still better than anything else."

"Yes, but these kids are twelve now." Blaine clenched his fist. "I dunno, maybe I'm overreacting."

----------------------------------------------------------------------

A month later

Blaine sat there, staring at the wall. He himself had not moved in well over a week. The surviving few kids slept peacefully, not having moved much due to the pain.

It had been just as he feared. He had condemned these children to death, he should have just said no in the first place. The first day, at least twenty percent of the kids didn't wake from their sleep. A week later, another forty percent of those that were supposedly through the worst of it were found dead in their bed. Besides Autumn, there were only forty recruits, no, KIDS remained.

The worst of it was him having to carry them out, one by one. Due to the nature of the program, the kids hadn't even been given a proper burial. He had to send them to the morgue for instant cremation. Clenching his fists, he still stared at the wall, sitting beside Autumn's bed.

"Don't blame yourself." she replied hoarsely. "Blame the UNSC for forcing you to do this."

"I could've said No." Blaine shook his head. "They'd still be here."

"-And risk the UNSC punishing you?"

"I'd rather have died as a rebel than single-handedly murdering sixty kids." Blaine growled, as her hand with her ring reached up to his cheek.

"Instead of crying over those that are gone, promise them you'll protect the ones that are still here." Autumn smiled. "Besides, I'll be right there beside you from now on to help."

Blaine nodded, as he watched David's eyes peer open in the corner. Walking over, he produced the boy's train from behind him.

"Admiral, sir?" David asked, peering over

"You know better David." Blaine said, crouching beside his adoptive son's bed, handing him the train. "How're you holding up?

"I dunno if I can do this." his eyes cast down at the toy.

"What?" Blaine asked. "You're doing fine!"

"I know, but, my inspiration only comes from Naomi. If she doesn't make it... I dunno how I'll be."

"Aww." Bailey smiled, having entered the room with a napping Dawn. "It's alright sweety, she'll come around some day."

"Bailey's right." Blaine nodded. "Ben doesn't trust you yet, so he's trying to keep his sister safe."

"Then I'll make him trust me." David said, tightening his grip on the train in his hand. "I'll be the best Spartan ever!"

Blaine chuckled, rustling David's hair carefully..

"I'm sure you will boyo, but for now, get some rest."

David nodded, looking over towards a resting Naomi.

----------------------------------------

A week later

Everything was so new to the remaining recruits. With their augments, they found themselves able to do and perceive things differently then they had before.

David stood there nervously, as the recruits ran back through the obstacle course, shattering their previous times. Blaine stood there, stopwatch at the ready, smiling at the progress of the remaining recruits.

Oh the power to be strong!
-And the wisdom to be wise!
All these things will come to you in time!

David ran through the course for his turn, stumbling over a couple of obstacles, his new speed throwing him off. Tripping over barbed wire, he yelped in pain, the metal barbs shredding his ankle, face planting into a puddle of mud.

Looking up, David frowned as Ben laughed, Naomi standing there, a hand cupping her mouth. Dragging his sister away, Ben shook his head in disbelief.

On this journey that you're making,
there'll be answers that you'll seek!
-And it's you who'll climb the mountain,
it's you'll who reach the peak!

Blaine stood there, offering a hand to David, who accepted. Blaine quickly escorted David to the nearby hose, quickly spraying the boy off. Placing a hand on David's distraught face, Blaine smiled, crouching slightly to look David in the eye.

"Son of man look to the sky. Lift you're spirit; set it free." Blaine nodded. "Some day you'll walk tall with pride. Son of man a man in time you'll be."

----------------------------------------------------

One year later

David was once again back in the weight room, hefting weight far surpassing the ones from before his augmentations. Continuing his reps, he had gained a bit of a reputation from the others for being one of the strongest of the young trainees, Autumn exempt, of course.

Puffing outwards, he completed his impressive streak, Ben standing there, arms crossed. Still shaking his head, he walked away, Naomi standing there with a cute smile.

Though there's no-one there to guide you
No-one to take your hand!
But with faith and understanding,
you will journey from boy to man!

Peering up at the sky-light above him, he smiled at the blue skies and the sun he could see. Breathing deeply, he stood from the weights and decided to go for a run on the treadmill instead.

"Son of man look to the sky." David quietly said to himself. "Lift your spirit set it free. Someday you'll walk tall with pride, son of man; a man in time you'll be!"

---------------------------------------------------------

Six months later
February 27th, 2556

Ben grunted as him and David sparred in the boxing ring. Blaine sat in the corner as a ref, watching the sparring match go on. The two trainees exchanged blows back and forth, blocking the other's with expertise.

In learning you will teach,
and in teaching you will learn.
You'll find your place beside the one's you love!

Glancing quickly over towards Naomi, he saw her smiling at him, not at her brother for once. Encouraged, David grit his teeth, baring his mouth guard. Ben's eyes widened as David hopped off of his left foot, swinging his right foot beneath Ben's chin, launching his foe into the far corner.

Oh and all the things you dreamed of!
The visions that you saw!
Well the time is drawing near now,
it's yours to claim in all!

"Son of man look to the sky." Blaine muttered to himself, glancing at David, standing proud. "Lift your spirit; set it free. Someday you'll walk tall with pride. Son of man; a man in time you'll be."

Taking one last look at Naomi, David pounced on Ben. Pinning his foe to the ground, he raised a fist as if to finish Ben by K.O. Instead, he offered a hand, helping Ben up. Ben stared at him with confusion, before nodded his head with a smirk.

Blaine stood, prouder than ever, whistling.

"Son of man. Son of man's a man for all to see!" Blaine cheered, as the group all jumped into the ring congratulating him.

Behind him, Darryl tapped the Spartan on the shoulder.

"Urgent mission from Lord Hood, Blaine." Darryl said. "Might be a good chance to give the recruits a taste of actual combat?"

"What's it about?" Blaine asked. "You know?"

"It's Jorge." Darryl said. "They've located him."

Megszakad a szivem

"What?" Blaine replied, pulling Darryl aside. "How is that-?"

"Believe me, I was just as baffled as you are." Darryl frowned. "I could see everything from Tr- sorry."

"Alright." Blaine sighed. "I'll go talk with Hood over comm. You get these trainees ready for their first mission."

"Already?" Darryl asked.

"They've been augmented for almost two years now, and they've had their suit training already." Blaine shrugged. "They need an actual combat scenario to improve further. Besides, you're coming with me to keep them safe."

"What about Phil and Josh?"

"Augments kicked the ever loving shit out of Josh." Blaine shook his head. "He's been in a coma for over a year, it's only due to my personal requisition that Phil has been allowed to be by his brother's side."

Turning to the trainees, Blaine cleared his throat, the celebrating teens turned.

"Spartans!" Blaine barked. "Go get suited up. I've just been contacted by Lord Hood. You're all going into the field for your first mission. I want you all back here promptly. The Lieutenant will remind you how it's done."

////////////////////////

"Our first mission?" Naomi's eyes opened wide, glancing at Ben. "Oh god. I'm nervous."

"If Blaine's leading us, I think we'll be fine." David shrugged, walking over.

"Oh, and I suppose now that you've kicked my ass, you think you've earned the right to talk to my sister?" Ben growled, clenching his fist.

"We're all that's left of the Spartan IVs in our group, we have to all work together, or bad things will happen." David growled back. "I don't know what you've got against ME, but don't risk HER life over it."

Turning on his boots, David followed Darryl out the door, along with the other recruits. Ben stood there, fist clenched, as he sneaked a glance at his sister in his peripheral vision. Glaring at him, she even stomped away.

"You said I could be his friend, if he proved he was brave enough to protect me." she growled. "You lied, and I don't need protection. Not anymore."

////////////////////////

"Good for you." Darryl said, placing a hand on David's shoulder. "You're right. A squad is only as good as every link in it's chain, even the 'weakest'."

"I'm just- I'm sick of his attitude. I dunno what I did to him to deserve his hatred, but I'm done."

"I wouldn't worry about my brother." Naomi sighed, walking beside him. "He's starting to get on MY nerves now."

Placing her hand in his, David looked over, shocked. She turned to face him, smiling.

"I don't need protecting, I do need a friend; though."

David nodded with a smile, the Spartan IVs entering the suiting room.

////////////////////////////

"Lord Hood, sir." Blaine stood at attention, as the hologram of the balding man appeared.

"Admiral Blaine, at ease son."

Returning the salute, Hood's hologram paced back and forth along the Admiral's quarters aboard the Infinity. Stopping at a photograph of Blaine, Autumn, and Dawn, Hood smiled at the image.

"Nothing makes me happier then to see you Spartans finally getting the life you deserve." At the sentence, Hood's fist clenched. "It shames me to no end that the Chief won't get that chance."

Turning on his intangible boots, Hood's hologram approached the fully armored Spartan.

"But Spartan-052 can." Hood looked down for a moment. "Our records say you were with him when he first went M.I.A."

"Yes sir." Blaine nodded. "We were delivering a slip-space bomb on board the Covenant Super Carrier Long Night of Solace. It was the UNSC's last ditch effort to slow the Covenant invasion long enough for the fleet to arrive. But it was too late, and Jorge paid the ultimate price for it."

"Or so we all thought." Hood grinned. "A few years ago, that Unmarked Frigate you encountered at Echelon Halo? The Infinity was successful in placing a tracking beacon on it."

"The strange thing is, the tracking device pinged back to us. But it wasn't the usual ping. It was manually modified somehow, so when it pinged to us, it was pinging in Morse code. Something only you Spartans would use to understand each other. Director-in-training Osman was the first to decipher it."

"Megszakad a szivem?" Blaine asked, as Hood's eyes opened wide.

"That was the one."

"This breaks my heart." Blaine nodded.

"I mean, I heard he was a friend of yours, but-"

"No sir." Blaine said. "It means 'this breaks my heart' in Hungarian, his native language. He was hoping to reach me, sir."

"That's what we had assumed. Besides, you're one of the best for target recovery we've got, if anyone can do this, it's you."

"But... whose to say it wasn't Butch, or one of the other renegade Spartans?"

"Butch?" Hood pondered it for a second. "It's possible, but the Infinity's scans of the ship showed numerous amounts of Covenant ordinance on board. It's safe to assume they located the Long Night of Solace and got Jorge out first. If that is the case, the Insurrection are likely using him for experiments to make their own Spartans. If that's the case, you must stop them, and delete whatever research they've uncovered."

"Affirmative. Do we have a definite location?"

"Yes. In the Alpha Centauri system. We've been tracking him the entire time, but this is the only time and place where it's stopped. The pings repeat every day, at the same time too. This is no coincidence, it's him."

----------------------------------------------------------

Days before
Covenant Super Carrier
Long Night of Solace

"BLAINE?! BLAINE GET BACK HERE!!!" Butch screamed. "I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"

"Yet you'd be eager to risk his life by throwing him down the hill?!" Jorge asked, as he, Fred, Kurt, and Sam lowered a tree branch for Butch to grasp onto.

Butch growled as he slammed his right fist into Jorge's cheek, the unconscious Spartan's left eye swollen. The memories of boot camp fueling Butch's rage.

"If he hadn't of acted like such a know it all, if he hadn't have taken HER away from me!" Butch roared, thrusting punch after punch into Jorge's face.

"You were his best friend, I DIDN'T HAVE A BEST FRIEND!" Butch growled. "All I got was torment, hate, and rejection!"

"But you all favored him, the 'light' in your imaginary 'dark'!" Butch ceased his punching. "Keep sending your message, Jorge. Then he can come, he can come... and he can DIE."

Missing in Action

"Y'know, barot." Jorge chuckled, as Butch stood to walk away. "A lot of the problems you're thrusting on Blaine? You brought those things on yourself. Blaine wanted to be friendly to you, but you were so mean to everyone else. You always wanted to pass the blame to someone else."

"You don't know a goddamned thing."

"I wasn't born yesterday, Butch." Jorge growled, glaring at him. "You may have rescued me from that Super Carrier, but I'm not going to play stupid with you. You are a manipulative douchebag, and a whiny little szuka*bitch*."

"We'll see you sing that tune when you don't get fed for a week." Butch smirked. "Rest well, barot"

"Suit." Jorge looked down at his chest piece. Without his helmet, he didn't have the strength boosts that Mjolnir offered him, but it didn't make his suit completely useless. "Send the ping, in morse. But change the message to; Olly Olly Oxen Free."

-------------------------------------------------------------

Present Day
Hours later

"This is what we in the Military know as a 'standard extraction' op." Blaine said in comm. over the roar of the Golden Eagle carrying them to the surface of the planet.

"Our target is known as Spartan 052, or Jorge. He fought with me back in the old war, and he's our priority target. Secondary objective is to secure and destroy any intel on Spartans the Insurrection have acquired."

"This is your first live fire operation. You will be shot at, this isn't your old Saturday Morning cartoons. These bad guys will shoot to kill you, they will NOT demonstrate mercy, and therefore, you will not either." Blaine continued. "You ten have been selected, because you are some of the best we have in the trainees. The other fifty Spartans have been sent on a much lighter assignment."

Pulling up a Hologram layout of the base, the ten trainees sat rigid and focused.

"Autumn, David, Ben, Naomi, and Jenna." Blaine turned to them. "You will be with me on Alpha team. Everyone else, you are with Darryl on Omega team. Omega team, using Darryl's explosives expertise, will punch a hole in the main defenses at the front of the base. They will work their way to the middle of the facility and disable anti-air systems."

"Alpha team, while Omega team is in searching for the plug on those AA guns, we will be infiltrating through the rear of the facility. Omega team will be acting as our diversion. We will locate the VIP and extract him out the way we came. I will contact Omega team when we've evacuated, and they will call for extraction. When that happens, I've ordered for carpet bombings at my go-ahead."

"What if something goes wrong, sir?" Jenna asked.

"It always does with that attitude, private." Blaine turned to her. "Keep your wits about you, and use everything we've taught you, and you'll be fine. In the case of an emergency evac, Darryl and I have flares on our persons. Get out of the building, light the flares, and hold your ground."

-------------------------------------------------

"Move up." Darryl said, leading the Spartans through the thicket in the forest, just on the edge of the Insurrectionist base. Hiding behind a tree, he used his H.U.D to pull up Blaine's topographical map.

"Alpha team is in position." Blaine said in their comm.

"Affirmative. I'll ping you when Operation is a 'go'." Darryl nodded, a green light flaring in his H.U.D.

"Spartans, let's kick some Innie ass." Darryl grinned, hefting the dual pod rocket launcher onto his shoulder.

Taking aim at the front door, a couple of armed soldiers stood there, their eyes peeled on the forest's edge. Firing a single volley, he delayed four seconds, before firing the second. The first round zoomed at the guardsmen, catching them completely off guard.

The door was showered with blood and gore, the explosion crumpling the metal. The second round, unobstructed, pierced the doorway, blowing metal debris into anyone on the other side.

"Move move move!" Darryl barked, as the Spartans shuffled into the door.

Replacing the rocket launcher on his back, Darryl pulled his shotgun down, loading a last shell into the chamber. Barging through the ruined door, he held his shotgun at the ready, his Spartans checking their corners. Flashing the acknowledgement light for Blaine, Darryl waved his Spartans to the next door.

Producing a brick of plastic explosives from his pouch, Darryl made short work of rigging the explosive. Ushering them away, they took cover out the door they had come, Darryl pulling the plunger. There was a shake, a crimson and orange fireball erupting out of the first door. The Spartans walked back into the facility, the younger Spartans holding their Assault Rifles ahead of them.

Darryl chuckled as the alarm for the base had finally gone off, a man's voice on the speakers calling all hands to their location. Grabbing an Insurrectionist by the collar of his shirt, Darryl smashed him against the wall, the trainees beside him keeping him covered during his interrogation.

"The control room, where is it?" Darryl asked.

"I ain't telling you shit, freak." the man growled, spitting at Darryl's visor.

"Listen." Darryl said, using his spare hand, his shotgun now on his back, to grasp the man's right index finger. "There is nothing sweeter in this world than the sound of a man breaking."

Swiftly applying pressure to the finger, the pair could audibly hear the bone snap inside, yielding a pained roar from the rebel.

"Wouldn't you agree?" Darryl smirked. "You think I'm a freak now? I can go ALL sorts of psycho for you, if that's what you want."

"You won't do sh- AUGGGGGGGGGGH!"

"Don't tempt me. It's been a LOOOOOONG time since I've gotten to deal with you rebel bastards, and how I do enjoy killing you."

"F-fine! I'll tell you! J-just no more!" the man shivered. "The Control room is just ahead, you'll find the AA guns, and all of our data there. Just don't hurt me!"

"Fine, I won't hurt you.." Darryl sighed, placing the rebel down, before lightly tapping him on the ass with the heel of his boot. "But one last thing?"

The rebel, certain he was fine, turned, opening his mouth to speak. There was a loud bang, as the man's face was reduced to bone shrapnel, blood, and bits of brain.

"I never said I wouldn't kill you." Darryl smirked as the headless corpse flopped to the floor. "Continue your advance Spartans! Remember, these people are the reason your Parents are dead!"

------------------------------------------------------

"Warning! Intruders spotted on Alpha block. All available Units to Alpha block!"

"Hmpph." Jorge shook his head with a grin. "Have to make the entrance, barat?"

Grunting, he pulled his right arm forward. Using his super human strength, Jorge had been doing this daily for a couple of months. The wall, no longer durable to stop him, crumbled to dust as he ripped his restraint from the wall. Standing, and able to use his right arm, Jorge braced his left foot against the wall, pulling with all his might.

The second restraint ripped out, a perfect ball of concrete swinging from both ends of both of his arms' chains.

"H-hey!" one of the guards gulped, raising his Assault Rifle at Jorge. "You best stay in there!"

"Or what? You gonna shoot me?" Jorge chuckled. "You are a weak man, pointing a gun at an unarmed one. Face me in hand to hand combat, and I'll spare your life."

"Bullshit, I have the gun, I have the pow-"

Before the rebel could finish, Jorge was already on top of him. Wrenching the Assault Rifle from the man's arms, Jorge fired it crudely into his neck, causing the guard to fall to the ground, sputtering.

Throwing the weapon aside, he was more interested in the chain gun mounted in front of him, placed just in case he had planned to escape.

"Should've stayed on your post." Jorge shrugged, ripping the turret off of it's legs. "You aren't Betty, but you'll have to do."

Walking to the nearby elevator, Jorge used the keycard he had pocketed off of the guard to ride it up a couple of levels.

---------------------------------------------------------

It had been relatively quiet for Alpha team, all of the guards in the base were advancing on Omega's location. Peering around the corner, Blaine saw a group of guards staring at the Elevator, weapons at the ready. Holding his Spartans still, he watched things unfold.

"Who the hell is coming up from the bottom levels?! The boss isn't even here right now!" one of the rebels said, turning to his superior.

"Like hell if I know. Probably the newbie decided to grow a pair and join us on the front-line."

"Boss' orders were to kill anyone from the lower levels though when we're at high alert." another rebel said. "So shut yer damn mouths and fire on my command."

Blaine was about to turn the corner, when the elevator dinged. The doors cracked open, as the Rebels opened fire. Before he could turn and open fire, he heard the bubble shield disengage, the rebels reloading. There was the continuous sound of a chain gun firing, the yelps of the rebels filling his ears.

"You're so fragile." the gruff man chuckled, examining his work. "Olly olly oxen free."

Blaine shook his head, before rounding the corner, the trainees at his side raising their weapons.

"Stand down." Blaine said, Autumn and the others lowering their weapons. "He's our target."

"I'd have said you changed, barat. But I guess I'd be lying." Jorge chuckled, approaching. "I also see that corner peeking still isn't your forte."

"Yeah." Blaine shrugged, offering a hand. "Good to see you Jorge."

"You as well, Captain."

"Actually, it's Admiral now."

"Jesus." Jorge shook his head. "Butch told me it's only been a few months."

"Well he lied." Blaine growled. "It's been about five years since last I saw you. Speaking of that asshole, is he still here?"

"I don't imagine so, he had plotted for you to come days ago. But I guess something must've pulled him away. He hasn't been on base since I've last seen him, apparently."

"Hold on." Blaine said. "Yeah Darryl? Good, shut them down, and get the hell out. Yeah, Jorge is here. Freed himself. Yeah? You can tell him that yourself."

"Sorry, I'll explain more once we get you out of here." Blaine nodded his head. "Keep your head down, big guy. I don't have a helmet for you."

"I'll just stand behind you." Jorge chuckled, remarking on their height differences. "Your pretty mug can be their target."

"Oh thanks."

"Hey, I seem to remember you saying something about us being at each other's backs, back in the day."

"I seem to remember you breaking that by throwing me out of a ship." Blaine chuckled. "Szuka."

"That's funny." a new voice growled, as Ben gasped.

Blaine turned, as all of the Spartans turned to face Butch, who had his left arm grappled around Ben's throat.

"I seem to recall you both never quite seemed to mind your own business." Butch smirked, staring at the young teen in his arm. "Tell you what, you can keep Jorge, and I'll take this young soul. I'll train him where YOU couldn't!"

"BEN!" Naomi roared, charging at Butch, who squeezed his arm harder.

"Naomi, get back!" Autumn barked, pulling Naomi back, her Battle Rifle pointed at Butch's helmet.

"Fiesty ones you've got here, Blaine." Butch chuckled.

Before Butch could continue, Blaine's DMR sent a shot off, plugging Butch square in the helmet, knocking him backwards. Ben, released from the strong grip, fell to the floor, gasping for air.

"Get out, all of you!" Blaine barked, tossing a flare to Autumn. "I'll be out after I've dealt with this asshole."

"But-"

"THAT'S A GODDAMN ORDER!" Blaine growled, lifting Ben and tossing him out of the way of Butch's counter attack.

The Spartans obeyed, running around the corner, while Butch and Blaine stared each other down. Butch pulled a weapon off of his back, grinning as he fired it at Blaine. Blaine somersaulted backwards, an explosion ringing in the place he had just been standing.

Butch continued the barrage, grinning beneath his helmet, as Blaine continued to jump, dive, and roll out of the way of every explosion. Blaine ran around the corner, hoping to bait Butch around the corner. Butch stepped forward, figuring his nemesis was standing just on the edge of the corner.

"C'mon out, you wannabee majestic!"

"He's more of a man than you are!" a feminine voice called out from beside him.

Blaine's eyes widened, Autumn had chosen to stay behind. With Butch's experience, she'd be killed easily. Turning to his right, he located a pipe sticking out of the wall. Pulling it off, steam hissed from the hole he had made. The pole in his hand, about five feet long, would be perfect.

"You're not all that bright, are you lady?" Butch grinned, turning his attention to the female Spartan standing there. "Oh... Blaine must mean something to you. Well then, you can both die together!"

Around them a group of armed guards appeared to assist Butch in dispatching Autumn, flowing from the other side of the building. Autumn stood there, fist clenched, her grip on her Battle Rifle tightening.

The armed guards rushed at her, figuring she'd be easier to kill in close quarters. Swinging a mighty right hook, she glanced the first guard under his cheek, dishinging his jaw, and knocking him out cold. Turning on her boots, she jumped slightly, swinging her right foot in a high arch, striking one man in the temple.

Preparing to fire his grenade launcher, Blaine swung his weapon across Butch's chest, knocking him backwards and into the wall. Blaine charged forward, jumping into the air, swinging kick after kick in a circular pattern at one of the guards, assisting his wife in dispatching them. Upon landing, he took a stance, swirling the pole around him, before striking one man in the chest with the edge.

The guard flew backwards into the wall, as Blaine turned a complete one eighty, smashing the pole into the temple of the next guard. The man crumpled under the power of the blow, but still they kept coming.

Butch chuckled, stepping forward, as Autumn's eyes opened wide. Jumping towards the Spartan II, she swung fist after fist at him. Being one of the faster Spartan IVs, she was able to dodge his blows, even so much as being able to appear on all sides of him. Butch, with his experience, however, was able to dodge and out maneuver her.

Swinging a mighty punch, he caught her square in the visor. She reeled back momentarily, before resuming the fight. Blaine had trained her personally, so if any Spartan IV could fight a Spartan II, it'd be her.

The two continued to exchange blows, while Blaine finished the last of the armed guards. Turning, his eyes widened as Autumn bravely, yet vainly, fought Butch in hand to hand combat. Swinging his grenade launcher into her side, she flinched for just a moment, before he swung the butt of the weapon into her helmet, reeling her backwards. Chuckling at the ease of the fight, he slammed the butt of the weapon down on the base of her helmet, knocking her to the floor.

Blaine, already on top of Butch, kicked his nemesis square in the chest, knocking him out into the courtyard. Autumn stood up shakily, deciding to let Blaine handle the fight for a moment. Blaine swung his pole around in a circle, as Butch countered with his launcher, using the lithe, robust weapon as a baton of sorts.

The two swung their weapons at each other, as Butch actually began firing his grenades in an attempt to frighten Blaine. Blaine however, knocked the weapon aside every time his nemesis fired, the grenades pelting the walls around them, but never hurting either of the combatants. Out of the corner of Blaine's eye, he could see Autumn charging over, swinging his pole upwards, the weapon snapped in his hands, but not before knocking Butch's launcher upwards.

With his guard down, Autumn was on top of him. Jumping into the air, and shifting all of her weight to her feet, she smashed Butch in the chest with a dive kick. Butch skid along the ground, groaning as he glared into the sky above him. Above Blaine and his little friend, one of his support Pelicans hovered there, waiting for his call.

Aiming his grenade launcher up, the explosive clipped the wing of the flying machine, sending it spiraling down towards Blaine and Autumn's location. Blaine dove forward, as Autumn jumped backwards, both avoiding the explosion. Blaine, however, landed awkwardly, knocking the wind out of him.

Butch grinned beneath his helmet, pointing the grenade launcher at him.

"HEY!" a girl's voice cried from a distance.

Butch turned, as a single sniper round plugged the launcher, popping his shields, knocking it out of his hands momentarily.

"NO-ONE MESSES WITH MY DADDY!"

Blaine sat there, watching Naomi, by herself, stand at the roof of the complex, her weapon trained on him.

"Oh, is this your daddy?" Butch sneered. "I think it's well past your bedtime, kiddo."

Her attention turned to Blaine for just a moment, all the time Butch needed to raise the weapon and fire it at her. Luckily for Naomi, the round exploded just behind her, the round having traveled between her legs. The blast had only popped her shields and sent her flying forwards, unconscious.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Blaine roared, his voice booming in the courtyard.

Standing in a flash, Butch was helpless at Blaine's onslaught. Slamming his fist square into Butch's throat, Blaine's nemesis reeled backwards, Blaine always on top of him. Grabbing Butch by the shoulder, Blaine's fist struck Butch in the stomach, followed by a chest shot.

Autumn stood in awe as Blaine went all out on Butch. Butch spat, jumping backwards. Swinging an impressive right cross, Butch's eyes widened as Blaine caught it. Standing there, Butch stared, dumbstruck, as Blaine just paused.

"You are misunderstood, and you blame others for your own faults." Blaine said darkly. "You deserve death for all that you've done. But before you die, you must be broken, as you have broken others before you."

Roaring, Blaine's grasp on Butch's fist tightened, snapping upwards. Butch roared in pain as his right fist snapped upwards, breaking his wrist. He didn't focus on that pain long, however, as Blaine's right foot smashed down on his right knee, snapping Butch's leg.

Releasing his grasp, Blaine turned, kicking the weapon away from Butch. Standing there, Butch groaned at the pain, staring at Blaine.

"You always said I'm no hero. You're right, I'm not a hero. Like you, I'm a monster, a creature of nature that is viewed as a lesser being." Blaine said, his back turned to Butch. "Unlike you, I don't punish the people for their ignorance, I try to prove them wrong. This is why I always beat you. You use your rage to fight, not your drive."

"If you survive this encounter, and I find you anywhere near my family again." Blaine's head turned to look over his shoulder. "I will make you cease to exist, without hesitation. I'm not playing your games anymore."

"She's dead, isn't she." Butch growled, clenching his teeth. "The reason we fought to begin with, she's dead."

"Yeah." Blaine's fist clenched. "Katie's dead, and neither of us were there for her. I suggest you take this time now to think about your life critically."

Walking away, Blaine gently lowered himself, lifting the unconscious Naomi from the ground. Autumn lifted the Sniper rifle she had been wielding, as the couple walked back through the hole in the wall, through the now vacant facility, and outside where the Pelican waited for them yet again.

Talks

Hours later
UNSC Infinity, Infirmary

Blaine, Ben, and David stood there, Naomi shivering in the cot in front of them. Her eyes were cold, and her breathing was labored.

"The medic said that she'll be okay, Spartans." Blaine said. "Go and debrief for now. You can come back when you're done."

Ben hesitated, as David saluted Blaine, sneaking one last glance at Naomi.

"Naomi! Where are you going?!" David had shouted.

"Daddy needs help!"

"The Admiral will be fine! Just sit down!" Ben roared, reaching for his sister.

Sighing, David left the room, as Ben clenched his fists, following the orders Blaine had given him. Blaine watched as they left, Naomi's eyes cracking open only slightly.

"Did I- did I do good?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah kiddo." Blaine smiled, running his hand gently along her cheek. "If you hadn't have come, things could've gotten bad back there. You saved the day."

"Yay." she smiled, before sinking back to sleep.

Blaine frowned, sitting in the chair beside her cot. Resting his elbows on his knees, he stared at the floor. He didn't know what had happened back there, but after he saw what had happened with Naomi, he snapped.

"Blaine, I'd like to talk with you, if you don't mind." Autumn asked, Dawn in her arms.

"I really should be checking on Jorge, catching him up to speed."

"He's resting now." Bailey entered the room. "Spartan 052 is very exhausted, you can talk with him later."

Blaine took one last look at Naomi, before walking out of the room with Autumn.

"Alright, you have my attention." Blaine said. "What's up?"

"What's up?" Autumn asked. "I want to know what's up with you."

"What do you mean?" Blaine asked.

"Don't think I didn't hear what you said back there." Autumn asked. "You're entire rivalry with that Spartan is based off of a girl?"

"Initially? Yes." Blaine sighed. "Katie was a common interest for both of us, we rivaled each other to get her friendship. When she chose me, he came upon the notion that he was 'utterly alone', and even went so far as to kill one of our squad mates."

"The reason he's always been sour is because I was sent away from the rest of the IIs, and he had alienated himself after the murder of Rochelle. He hated me for leaving Katie alone, when he could have 'had' her initially, as if she was some sort of object."

"That's not all, though. He's hated me because, during numerous of our squabbles, I had friends to help me and back me up, whereas he's had to rely solely on himself." Blaine sighed once more, opening the door to the Admiral's quarters.

"But, why did you say those things? You ARE a hero, you aren't a monster."

"You're my wife, of course you'd say those things." Blaine chuckled, taking Dawn from her grasp. "You weren't there when us Spartans first became known. It used to be taboo for UNSC soldiers when Spartans came in."

"Why?"

"Because that was the time smit hit the fan." Blaine shook his head, placing Dawn in her crib. "Spartans were called in for missions that ODSTs couldn't do, and ODSTs were the best of the best. If the best of the best couldn't do it... what hope did a Marine have?"

"The ODSTs hated the Spartans for taking their title, and the Marines feared us, solely because they feared the mission."

"Then why do people look up to you-"

"Us."

"-Now?"

"During the Covenant War, Spartans were called in to help get people evacuated, or to take down Covenant ships/leaders. Eight out of ten times, the Spartans were successful in their missions, and lives of normal people were saved. Even if it cost us many."

"Spartans don't think they're humans." Autumn shook her head with a frown. "But you ARE Human."

"We were trained to be killing machines, to show no mercy to our enemies, and no emotions to our allies." Blaine clenched his fist. "Mindless lap dogs, leashed to do our Superior's bidding."

"But Jorge, Darryl, even the Chief and you had personalities."

"That's because we were able to interact with people, moreso than the other Spartans."

Blaine sighed one last time, headed for the door, as Autumn's arms wrapped around his torso, stopping him dead in his tracks.

"Fine, if nothing else... you're MY hero." Autumn smiled. "Clark Kent didn't think he was Human, either."

"Clark Kent?" Blaine asked. "Who is that?"

"Nevermind that." Autumn turned him around, pecking him on the lips. "Just remember what I said. You're a good man, Blaine Harlowe. Otherwise, I wouldn't have fallen for you."

----------------------------------------------------------

"There he is!" Jorge boomed from the cot, Blaine standing in the doorway. "Hello baratom."

"Barat." Blaine nodded, taking a seat beside him. "How're you holding up?"

"I feel like I've fought a thousand wars, imprisoned for decades, and hungrier than a tiger on the hunt. Besides that, I'm okay."

"I wanted to talk with you, if you had a moment?"

Jorge nodded, sitting up a little further in the bed.

"I heard from Darryl the war is long over." Jorge smirked. "So I guess us Spartans have all the time in the world, eh?"

"You'd think." Blaine shook his head. "Covvies are still attacking the Outer Colonies."

"But that's old Innie territory, why do we worry about that?"

"Because the Insurrection has all but dissolved." Blaine shrugged. "Butch's factions were one of the few still in existence that still openly fight the UNSC."

"I feel there is more to this conversation than just Insurrectionist talks."

"Yes. I wanted to tell you a few things you should know about what happened after you... you know."

"Okay." Jorge shifted. "I'm ready."

--------------------------------------------------------

Hours Later

"Now, in regards to the peace treaty between us and the Covenant Loyalists, we don't go to Halo, and they don't go to Halo. Any of them."

"That's... a lot to take in, barat." Jorge exhaled, sitting backwards. "Especially now that you tell me the war ended just under a month from the battle of Reach. Makes you think, y'know."

"Yeah." Blaine frowned. "It was harder, knowing that all of our old friends... gone."

"Yeah." Jorge reached over, placing a hand on Blaine's shoulder. "I'm truly sorry about Katie too. She was certainly something."

"She sure was." Blaine smiled, remembering her smiling face. "Perhaps, in a different world, things were different."

"Though Darryl's told me a few interesting things." Jorge grinned, looking at Blaine.

"Yes, I'm married with a kid." Blaine waved off Jorge's smirk.

"You're a regular ol' joe now, aren't you?" Jorge bellowed with laughter.

"You should know!" Blaine chuckled. "I could've sworn you were married to Betty."

"It was more of a domestic partnership." Jorge shrugged.

Blaine looked at the clock, realizing he had kept Jorge up way later than he should have. Nodding, Blaine offered his hand, Jorge taking it in a firm shake.

"It's good to have you back Jorge."

"It's good to be back." Jorge paused. "I hope."

Walking out of the room, Blaine's eyes widened as Bailey sprinted over towards him with a datapad.

"I hate to hit you with yet another issue, Admiral."

"A Spartan's work is never done, Doc." Blaine said. "What's the sit-rep?"

"An Outer Colony world, Sedra, was recently attacked by a Covenant faction. They used technology unlike anything we've ever seen before. ONI Agent Commander Locke and his group were there at the time, and they want to debrief. You're the closest ONI certified Admiral available."

"They're Spartans?"

"Agent Locke is, his companion... isn't."

"Are they on board?"

"Yes."

"Then I won't keep them waiting."

Heirlooms

Interrogation Room

If you had ANY intention of watching Halo:Nightfall, do NOT read this part! Out of respect, I will hide the portion that is spoilers for the show in a spoiler tag. Read if you dare, but only if you absolutely don't want to watch the show.

Spoiler:

Stepping out into the hallway, Blaine was surprised as Autumn walked over, a box in her hands.

"Hey hun." she smiled, which quickly dissolved as she took a glance at his face.

"Hi Autumn." Blaine smiled. "Never mind me, debriefing always puts me in a thinking mood. Whatcha got there?"

"Mmm." Autumn frowned to herself, about to turn away. "Perhaps I should show you another time."

"N-no, I'm good. What's in the box?"

"It's your father's possessions. Josh woke up today, and told Phil to tell me to give it to you."

"After all these years?" Blaine asked. "Why not after the funeral."

"I dunno, Josh said something about a time and a place."

Walking alongside his wife, the duo ended up back in his quarters. Sitting on the small loveseat, Blaine pulled Dawn's wheeled crib over towards the seat. Placing the box in his lap, he gently handed his toddler over towards Autumn.

"Let's see what Grandpa left Daddy, huh?" Autumn asked. "Y'know, I think Morgan would've loved to have met her."

"Yeah." Blaine nodded, lifting the cover off of the box.

What confused him, however, was he already had the bagpipes. So what other item had been waiting for him all this time? Upon glancing into the box, his question was swiftly answered, only to bring more.

"A music box?" Autumn asked.

Yep Vale, hate me if you will.

Upon opening the box, Blaine and Autumn's hearts sank as the soft, almost saddening tone filled the air. Dawn however, giggled with excitement at the sound. The wooden box was very sleek and beautiful, the inside was laced with red velvet of some sort. At the top, Blaine could see a picture of a young woman and a younger version of his dad. Beside this image was the word 'Lilium.

"Lilium." Autumn said. "That's-"

"Latin for Lily." Blaine frowned. "My mother's nickname."

"How pretty." Autumn smiled, pointing to a folded piece of paper in the box.

Blaine lifted the note, reading it quietly to himself, as Autumn listened to the music.

My son,

This note has likely been waiting in this box for a very long time. Perhaps so long that I may not even be around when you read it. If all goes well tomorrow, then you will be brought into this world, and this note won't be necessary.

But if the doctor was right, then this will be my ONLY chance to communicate with you. My name is Amber 'Lily' Fleming Harlowe, I am your mother, by the time you're reading this.

I haven't met you yet, but there is so much I want to tell you, so much I want to share with you. But as we draw nearer to the big day, I find myself having a hard time of what I want to say, so I'll keep it to a minimum. I want you to have the best life you can, I want you to have a good life, preferably out of the military.

I dunno why, but as I wrote that, you stirred a little bit just now, and I had a feeling of happiness. I know you will be destined for greatness, I just hope that that greatness doesn't come from a loaded gun.

Your father and I, we have been fighting since we were young. While I will never regret meeting him, or growing to love him. I regret that our lives will never be whole because of our duty as soldiers. You must be the one to break the chain. His family has been in the Military since the twenty first century.

I don't want that to be your future, I don't want to imagine you in a uniform. I don't want to imagine you bearing the UNSC flag, because I know that it will bring you a life of pain and regret.

I'm getting lengthy with my words, and I'm so tired. Just know, if nothing else, that everything that I am is with you. Never give up on your dreams, and have a family.

See you tomorrow,

-Mom <3

Blaine stared at the page for a time, his eyes scanning over the entirety of the message. Autumn, who didn't read a word of it, frowned as his face became red. Blaine couldn't help himself, staring at the words, they began to jumble together into something completely illegible. He kept reading them, as if to bring her back, if only for just a moment.

See you tomorrow

That's when the tears flowed, Blaine's head bowing in sorrow. Autumn kept Dawn steady in her right hand, before accepting the note from Blaine's hand, the music still playing away in the background. Reading it quickly, she lowered it for a moment, hugging her husband. Blaine returned the embrace, albeit more gently for Dawn's sake.

Looking into the box, he noticed a CD, along with another note.

Heya boyo,

I'll assume that, if yer reading this, I was stupid enough t' forget giving you this box an' died before I could. She always hated me for that, but what can I say, it was a family trait.

She was something, an' not a day goes by where I don't regret you not being able to meet her. Perhaps if UNSC science gets off their lazy arses and builds a time machine, you might get that chance. But this is the UNSC we're talkin' about.

While we were still in S.C.O.R.E., I took a small detour to Reach during some down time, an' found our old home in New Alexandria. Right down the road from the orphanage. Yeah, that good fer nothin' place. While searchin' I found this ol' thing, and after listening to the song a few times, I remembered she had sang this to you on your birthday, just before she... y'know.

I found the CD she had recorded of her singing to the song, seemed to have kept you in a good mood, for the few minutes she knew you. She really liked her Latin, an' I was pretty into it as well. It's depressin' as hell, knowing that if yer reading this, I never got to share the box with you.

I know you've been eyein' that ONI spook. Autumn I think? If you do tie the knot with her, an' ye have a kid. You might like to share this song with her an' the kid. It was Lily's favorite, and it's a helluva lullaby.

I even remember the lyrics clear as day, so I'll write 'em below. Yer a smart boy, I'm sure you'll know how to read it.

Os iusti Meditabitur sapientiam
Et lingua eius Loquetur iudicium
Beatus vir qui Suffert tentationem
Quoniam cum probatus fuerit
Accipiet coronam vitae


Kyrie, fons Bonitatis
Kyrie, Ignis Divine, eleison

O quam Sancta
Quam Serena
Quam Benigna
Quam Amoena
Esse virgo creditur

O quam Sancta
Quam Serena
Quam Benigna
Quam Amoena
O Castitatis Lilium

The mouth of the just shall meditate wisdom
And his tongue shall speak judgement
Blessed is he who endures temptation
Since he, who shall have been tested,
shall receive the crown of life

Lord, fountain of goodness
Lord, fire divine, have mercy

Oh how sacred,
How serene,
How kind,
How lovely,
To be the trusted Virgin

Oh how sacred,
how serene,
how kind,
how lovely,
Oh, lily of chastity

Anyways, we'll be headed out for the Ark now. I trust that this war will finally end, and your mother's final wishes carried out. I can't stress this enough, lad. We loved you both very much, and we couldn't be prouder of the good you've achieved.

Frowning, Blaine stood, placing the now silent box on the table in front of him. Autumn attempted to stand, as Blaine gently pushed her back down. Working his way across the room, the CD in his hand, he pushed it into a machine. It whirred for a moment, before a video of a black haired woman lying in bed appeared. Blaine recognized her eyes, most importantly, having been the common trait between them.

"C'mon Lily."

"Scotch, not now."

"He's due any time now, I think he'd like to look back and listen to you sing the song. Hell, you were singing it before I even got this thing rolling!"

"Fine."

Blaine worked his way back to the couch, as him and Autumn sat there. Blaine took Dawn from Autumn, gently resting her on his lap.

"Hey, that's Grandma." Blaine smiled at his daughter. "We both finally get to meet her, eh?"

Looking back up, Morgan's shoddy camera work didn't do the video justice. But the sound quality was good, and Morgan had the instrumental version of the music playing. The moment she started singing, however, Blaine turned his eyes away, now instead focusing on the four year old in his lap.

Dawn's face was nearly plastered on the hologram, the young girl swaying back and forth at the sound of the young woman's voice. Blaine smiled at his daughter's delight, wrapping his right arm around Autumn. The three sat there, listening to the musical performances of a mother to be, singing to her child, forty four years later.

"Blaine?" Autumn asked.

"Yeah?"

"Speaking of family. I have some relatives on Earth I'd like to visit, perhaps, on our way back, we could go stop in?"

"Sure. I'll have the Aura unlatched and give us a quick lift." Blaine said. "Whereabouts on Earth?"

"New Phoenix, Arizona."

On that note, I'm just going to put this out there.
I know this story in truth was a tad bit short. I've got a few more chapters that I want to throw at you. Mostly to develop the characters a tad bit more, especially the Spartans, whom this story was written for.

But I wouldn't be surprised if two or three more chapters appear. I promise that at least one of them will have a fight. Staring the Spartan IVs, of course.

Thanks for reading!

See you tomorrow.

Just to let you know, I have been keeping up with this. Pretty solid, and the improvement from previous tales of Blaine's life shows.

He feels more like a person, more so than before. Things like Blaine commenting on Fluffy being "a man down" and his dialogue when he first reunites with Jorge seemed a lot more human. It's something that people could/would actually do.

Legion

Amid the destruction of the facility, debris occasionally cascaded from the ceiling. To anyone that would have been in the area, it was eerily silent. Dust hung in the air, saturating anyone without a helmet's lungs.

I dunno what I did to deserve this injustice.

Among the rubble, there was an end to the utter silence, as burnt slabs of metal and drywall shifted. The courtyard had been spared in the recent bombing, but the building around it had collapsed, spreading evenly along the ground.

Humans are the real monsters. We were nothing but victims; brothers in arms. Victims of the system. A system YOU defend without fail.

There was an audible groan, as more of the debris shifted. The militants in the area that were combing the building picked up on the noise, attempting to locate it.

Where you fought for the machine, I fought for the people.

The rustling stopped, the militants stopping momentarily. The leader of the group stepped forward, his onyx black and red armor shining in the sunlight. Holding up a fist, he gave a quick wave with his right and left hands, splitting his men up to search for the survivors.

In your quest to fight for your system, you took HER away from me.

The militant leader continued his search, his eyes scanning the ground for signs of any life. He was attempting to be careful with his steps, as not to step on anything alive.

-and now she's gone. Yet you replaced her.

There was the rustling again, the Militant leader turned his attention, working his way towards the noise. But before he could pinpoint it's location, it stopped again.

I hate you.

Waving his men closer, the leader believed he knew where the shaking originated. Placing a gloved hand onto the concrete and metal debris, the man started digging as fast as he could.

The people adore you, all of them.

The debris beneath him shifted again, the entity inside obviously aware of his proximity.

You're right about one thing; Blaine. When next we meet-

Before the leader could move the last piece of drywall, it shattered, another gloved fist piercing it. Grasping the hand tightly, the leader waved his men over to dig up the Spartan buried underneath.

Pulling off the slab of metal to the left of the hand, the leader found the Spartan's head. The modified Mk. V helmet's visor was shattered, shaking his head, the buried Spartan freed his eyes of the glass shards. Sitting up, the Spartan growled, staring at the sky above him.

You're gonna wish you'd killed me.

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"Hey!" the militant leader growled. "You alright there?"

The Spartan he had uncovered only stared ahead, unfazed by his words. Before the militant could move, however, the Spartan raised a broken wrist without a single flinch. Flicking his eyes downwards, the militant leader saw that the man's leg had been snapped in the opposite direction.

"Jesus." the leader shook his head, pulling up his comm. "We got wounded down here."

"Who the hell are you?" the Spartan growled, using his gimp arm to swat his savior's arm.

"I'm a friend." he said.

"Last person that said that to me lied." the man growled. "They're also six feet under."

"Then call me a business acquiantance."

"General, sir. This wasn't a Covenant assault. We think it was the UNSC." one of the armored men approached.

"General?!" the Spartan sneered.

"Not UNSC, not Insurrection." his rescuer grinned, his helmet removed.

"Then who're you?"

"I am Manuel." the man's eyes flickered towards the Spartans. "I hail from the Legion."

A little short chapter to remind you of the Legion's involvement in this story. It also will help explain where Butch has been.

The next chapter will expand on this a bit more, and then the two following that will rap up Orion.

Hours Later
Unknown Location

"So lemme get this straight." Butch growled, sitting on the gurney. "You wanna cut off my arm and my leg... why?"

"Ugh, vhy are you Spartans so dense?" the doctor sighed. "It's simple. Vhatever attacked you reduced your bones to dust. I have never seen such a force in my entire life capable of zis. Observe."

Lifting Butch's leg, the doctor moved the leg around like some sort of formless putty. The man in the corner with greased back blonde hair gagged.

"Christ sakes Pesty! I know I eat putrid shit, but that's enough to gag a maggot!"

"It is much cheaper to give you prosthetics zen to regrow your bones. Vithout your bones, you vill not be able to valk, or use your hand. Famine, mein tools."

"Why can't you get them, pesty?"

This angered the Doctor, whose dark face wrinkled up, a vein appearing above his temple.

"Schweine! Holen Sie mir meine Werkzeuge ! Schnell! SCHNELL!" Pestilence roared, ushering Famine to his feet.

"Alright alright jeez! Ease off the pisswasser mein fuhrer!" Famine yelped on his way out the door.

----------------------------------------------

After several hours of unrelenting pain, Butch was finally free of the insane doctor's grasp. Of course, he felt better going in then out, but he was also whole when he entered.

Looking down at his new right arm and leg, he quickly tested them for any signs of lag. He found it funny, they complained that the process to regrow bone was expensive, yet they spared no expense on the technology in his arms.

He was now sitting in a dark office type room. To the common reader, of which Butch was not, the setting was very akin to an old style Victorian era den. There was a subtle fire place to his right, the fire crackling ever so softly. In the back of the room, a giant window loomed over them, the glass stained with the visage of a man, posing on a rock, with crimson red eyes. Just before the mirror was a teak desk, complete with a massive, red velvet covered office chair.

To complete the old fashioned look, a bottle of scotch and a pair of shot glasses sat towards the front. Just beside it, of course, was the commonplace quill and inkwell, perhaps for cosmetics. Butch had been left in this room by Manuel, the 'Spartan' that had saved him.

After a moment more, the silence finally broke, the door to his right opening ever so casually. A small bit of light broke in, illuminating the otherwise dark space. There was the occasional footfalls of a man approaching from the darkness.

"Ah, welcome indeed to my office."

"Who're you?" Butch asked the shadows brashly.

"I? I am the man that foot your bill, child." a man's voice filled the air.

"Show yourself!"

"In due time, my eyes have a hard time adjusting to this environment." the man's voice replied.

Butch's eyes stared into the shadows, as a pair of red iris' suddenly glowed from the darkness, staring at him. Something about the gaze intimidated him, but he sat firm.

"I can sense your fear. Do not cross me, and you will have no reason to be afraid." the man's voice was calm, almost reassuring, as he approached the desk.

Stepping into the ambient light, the man wore a very formal attire. Standing rigid and proud, he worked his way over towards his seat, the curtails on the back of his coat bouncing off of his calfs. Seating himself in the massive, almost intimidating chair, Butch stared with confusion at the nearly average man in front of him.

"You're just an average joe!" Butch sneered. "Why would I fear you!"

"Because most people, even your... friend, the Admiral, quake in fear at the sight of me." the man's red iris' flickered again.

"Holy shit." Butch said, quieting down again. "How'd you know about Blaine?"

"Because he's a giant thorn in my side. I've had quite enough of his meddling in our affairs!"

"So, you are members of the Insurrection?"

"No." the man replied with a shake of his head. "We are the Legion. We are a Private Military Company with a single, simple goal in mind; the betterment of the Human Race."

"Alright! This is something I can get behind!"

"Indeed." the man removed his collected tone, sneering at Butch's brashness. "I have invested heavily in you, and a colleague of yours; Soren I believe his name is. I expect your complete and utter loyalty to my causes, in return."

"Point me in a direction, and things will burn."

"Perhaps I am not clear. We do NOT fight Humans in the Legion. As much as the UNSC meddles and sniffs too closely to my affairs, they are a much needed ally. Our true enemies are the aliens in the stars, the ones that would destroy Humanity."

"What of the Humans that would destroy Humanity?" Butch asked, issuing a grin from the man behind the desk. "Blaine and the UNSC will be the end of Humanity."

"Perhaps, but we do not follow their folly." the man said, before lifting the bottle of scotch.

Pouring a small amount into both glasses, he pushed one forth, Butch accepting it.

"Should you choose to drink, you will forever more become a member of my Legion." the man replied. "If you drink, you will denounce your loyalties to any other faction, you will fight for the betterment of Mankind as a whole. Under the sole word of Walter A. Law, you will guide Humanity to greatness."

Butch stared down at his new prosthetics, then to the small shot glass in his hands. Shaking his head for a moment, he downed it.

"I will have my revenge against Blaine, mark my words." Butch said, placing the glass upside down on the desk. "Grant me this much, and I will do your biddings without fail."

"You will wait. Something is coming, I can sense it." Walter replied. "Whenever it arrives, that will be your time. In the meanwhile, I have other assignments for you to undertake."

So I know I said I had another chapter in mind for this one, but during my phase of conception for it, I realized it isn't truly necessary. I promised you all big changes in Blaine's story. If you hadn't read it, Goldenheart is the next 'chapter' for this part of Blaine's 'saga'.

This? This post, however, will serve as a sneak peek of what's to come after the events of Goldenheart. The story that I've promised forever, something that is solely my own.

What is it in this world, that makes you feel the most alive?

Sitting atop the quiet, green hillside. The bearded man grinned from ear to ear, playing his bagpipes into the wind. The onyx haired woman seated beside him gently humming to the songs her lover shared with her.

Stopping their muses, the couple leaned in close, planting their lips on each other. As the man smiled, gingerly placing a hand on his wive's stomach.

The thing that, no matter how battered and beaten you are, you always find yourself getting back up?

The man and his cousin stomped forward, providing covering fire for the man and his younger twin. The man's wife stood beside the twins, providing medical support for the younger of the two.

The wounded soldier growled, gritting his teeth as he silently swore to himself. Looking at the fear in his older brother's eyes, he would do anything to keep himself alive, to make his older brother proud.

That moment when, even when you're knocking on heaven's front gates, you always find yourself protecting those you love?

Standing from her bed, the woman nestled the young boy in her arms. Her legs wobbled, her muscles tested to their absolute limits. The man, whom had been by her bedside, stammered as he stood. Attempting to place her down on the bed again, the thumps and ringing in the air outside of their home caused the newly coined mother to get defensive.

Handing her newborn son to her husband, the man gingerly grasped the child. Pulling on the nearest pair of pants, the woman shakily stood back up, a pistol in her hand.

The man frowned, they would have to escape, before the rebels located them. Kicking the front door down, he tried to calm the child crying in his arms. His wife stumbled behind him, firing her pistol with expert precision at the rebels.

In the distance, a transport vehicle descended. Keeping a light jog, the man's eyes opened wide as his beloved wife shoved him out of the way of a sniper's round. The high velocity round pierced her, just below the left shoulder.

Knocking the woman off of her feet, the woman wouldn't go down without a fight. Raising the pistol, in one last act of defiance, the woman fired her last round, killing the sniper. Her husband stood there for a moment, his wife lay there, still. Bowing his head, his squadmates roared for him, weapons ablaze.

That drive, that no matter how angered you are- you answer those in need of help?

The two teenagers growled, circling each other in the snow, high in the mountain range. A perilous cliff rest besides them, fatal to whomever should fall.

The two young men, pained as they were, stared into the other's eyes. They weren't sure why, but they hated each other, and would stop at nothing to ensure the other suffered.

Charging at each other, the smaller of the two teens lashed a boot out, smashing his opponent in the face. The larger of the two stumbled backwards, his arm lashing out to the cliff. Catching himself, the boy cried for help, while the other one stood there, shaking his head.

Four other teens, who had arrived on the scene, hesitantly offered the young man a hand.

So what is it? Is it love? Is it honor? Is it valor? Or compassion?

Time slowed for the young man, as he watched the massive spike pierce the old man's chest. Nodding with wiseness, the old man allowed himself to fall out of the back of the transport, a smile on his face, despite his fate.

The young man dove for the exit, attempting to make purchase and save his father from most certain death. Shaking with anger, the soldier dove from the back of the ship, diving headlong towards the nearest of the two massive vehicles. He would make them pay.

These were the questions I always asked myself. The questions the world, even Fate, asked of me.

Standing in his finest dress clothes, the decorated soldier bowed his head in respect. Standing before a monument, of a war that had all but swallowed the entirety of his life. As he and his men fired their rifles into the air, he shook his head, pondering what it was all for.

A hand gingerly placed itself on his arm, a young woman smiling at him for the sake of comfort. Smiling back at her, he supposed he had his answer.

I waited my entire life to find my purpose. Fifty long years have I waited for the answers to those questions.

Sitting there on the couch, the soldier and his fiancee smiled at the small girl sitting in between them, her head rested gently on her father's chest. The man, despite how pained he had been in the past, had finally been happy.

But with every answer given, comes new questions.

Turning towards his fiancee, his eyes opened wide as she slumped to the side; unmoving. Gently prodding her to move, the soldier stood, lifting her gently.

Rushing her to the medical bay, the soldier waited patiently outside, pacing back and forth, his daughter in the careful hands of his half-brother.

The doctor opened the door, turning to face him. Casting her eyes downwards, the man fell to his knees, his fists clenching. His head dipped to the floor.

One such question is; Who are you? Who do you choose to be?

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"Well?" the pale man said behind the desk, the soldier chained to the floor in front of him. "Who is it that you choose to be?"

"Hmph." the soldier scoffed. "Y'know, I'm still searchin' for the answer."

The pale man, along with the counsel of men and women around them, started shifting in place. Judgement would have to fall on someone.

"This is preposterous!" an older man growled, removing his cap for a moment to rub his bald head. "The accused has done nothing wrong!"

"Hold your tongue, Terrence." the pale man hissed. "You will find this counsel does not listen to you... anymore."

"Former Lord Harlowe, Spartan Blaine-115. You have been charged with the murder of countless Spartans, the abduction of numerous children, and for acts of treason on the UNSC and her allies. How do you plea?"

The room fell silent, however, as chuckles echoed from the soldier in the center of the room. The men and women in the room, some even his closest friends, stared in fear at the super soldier on his hands and knees before them.

"There's another question." the man's eyes glued to the floor. "HAVEN'T I SACRIFICED ENOUGH?!"

Shifting onto his right knee, the soldier chuckled as he stood. Everyone in the room, even the guards tensed, as the Spartan ripped the chains apart, freeing himself from his imprisonment.

Kicking the nearest guard away, the Spartan grabbed the soldier by the neck, spinning in time to have the soldier's ally shoot him in the chest. Policing the dead man's rifle, he riddled the other guard thoroughly, turning on his boots to aim at the pale man.

"A better question would be; Even if I am guilty to these charges-" the man shook his onyx black hair out of his eyes, which turned from blue, to gold, to red, back to blue. "-Can I be stopped?"

--------------------------------------------

Some time earlier

The black haired man hugged his daughter, handing her to his adoptive son and his girlfriend. The girl whimpered, reaching out for her father's hand, who gingerly gave it to her, for only just a moment.

Separating, the man tapped the side of transport vehicle, the bay door closing. Clenching his fist, he stared as the vehicle blasted off into the void of space, all inside guarunteed to be safe. Behind him, a group of Spartan IVs came to arrest him.

As the Spartans' gauntlets snagged his shoulders, the man stared at the Pelican. Whispering to it as it as it disappeared in a miniature Slip-Space rupture.

---------------------------------------------

The old man stood in the transport's troop bay, glaring at the bloodied corpse of his beloved wife. Bringing his eyes down towards the child in his arms, he could see his blue eyes, but also a small tuft of her onyx black hair.

Cradling the now silent child close, he whispered into it's ears as the door closed, removing the man's line of sight from the outside world.

"Don't make the same mistakes your Father did."

Halo: Dark before Dawn.

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Sooo, Breaking Benjamin breaks their four year hiatus when I announced this story. The single they released the other day actually fits the idea for this new story completely.

Give it a listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2B8bXYXTb-o