FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

the reference picture I used when thinking up the planet the UNSC forces landed on.

And here is another one because I wanted to visualize some of the landscape of the planet.

https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--DilTFMKm--/18j2ngiif5jxcjpg.jpg And this is how I see the camp on the planet looking after it is set up, minus the space elevator in the background of course.

http://orig10.deviantart.net/8c0a/f/2014/359/c/3/unsc_fleet_3d_cgi_fan_art_by_styf22-d8b9pwe.jpg And this is because I think it looks cool.

Also I know my writing is not the best in the world, but I feel I can improve with some more practice. Just bare with me for a little while as I get settled into this role and please enjoy the story I am crafting.

Anyways, enjoy and criticize that is how you grow as a writer.

Three weeks after slipspace incident.

Keyes felt the mossy ground beneath his boots give slightly, it was somewhere around fifteen thirty as he walked through the base camp the UNSC survivors had managed to set up on the planet they had discovered after their blind slipspace jump had shot them god knows where. Keyes watched out of the corner of his eyes as the marines unloaded the equipment from the three frigates that had landed on the surface of the planet. Crates were being opened and equipment was being set up as Keyes strolled through their perimeter the marines had set up in the large clearing they had landed in. The sounds of pelicans flying overhead brought Keyes out of his thoughts as he looked up, spotting a drop ship carrying a section of a radio tower overhead and outside of the clearing.

It had been like this ever since they landed on the planet, many of the marines had been either working non-stop on setting up the base camp and housing. Either that or they were on patrols, mapping out the planet and finding sources of water, food and minerals that they could use if their stay on the planet became more long term.

As much as all of the men and civilians wanted to get back to the UNSC, they all had to admit that the silence and peace was nice for once. Even Keyes had to agree as he felt the sun of the small system they were in peak over the horizon, the light of the sun washing over his body as the heat warmed him up. Keyes couldn't help but smile slightly as he looked around, the sunlight bathing the surrounding area in bright light, allowing the color of the plants to stand out even more as Keyes continued walking the entire area now looking a bit more lush in the afternoon light.

The sounds of tree's cracking could be heard from the far end of the clearing as marine volunteers began to chop wood for civilian housing and to make room for the equipment and tents they still needed to unload from the Autumn and the frigates. Keyes couldn't help but let out a sigh as he thought back to Earth, he only hoped the other ships managed to get back to the homeworld to help bolster the defenses of their last stand, if it hadn't already happened. For all Keyes knew, they were the last humans in existence at this point in time and if that was the case then they would need to start thinking about plans for the continuation of the human species as well as continuity of government and it would also mean he was the highest ranking UNSC officer currently alive. Which would make him the defacto leader of the entire UNSC at this point in time. Leader of their entire remaining military forces, which at the current point in time consisted of about four ships, a few thousand marines and civilians and everything they managed to salvage from the shipyard as well as what was brought in by the marines they saved from the burning planet of Reach.

And then there was the fact of Earth.

It was not a situation he wanted to be in at the moment, but the facts spoke for themselves. The covenant found Reach easily enough and that planet was on the doorstep of Earth, all the aliens needed was a few more lucky jumps and they would be at humanity's homeworld. Once they found it, Keyes had not doubt that it would be a complete and utter slaughter where humanity was the sheep and the covenant were the wolves ready for dinner. A few ships might make it out, but they would have nowhere to go then, the UNSC would be fragmented with no center holding it together and with nowhere to go the ships would just drift forever through space until the covenant managed to hunt them all down.

He could only hope that maybe some ships managed to survive the slaughter and get out of UNSC space, maybe find a new place to settle once again and begin a new where the covenant could not find them. Then after generations of peace, maybe the covenant would forget about them and they could finally live in peace after years upon years of constant war with the different alien races that composed their enemy. Maybe humanity could flourish once again amongst the stars, past the red line of UNSC space and into the unknown reaches of space where they could live without fear.

“Live without fear." Keyes muttered as he looked around the base camp, watching as several marine engineers further away began setting up groundside long range sensor equipment for what would soon become a makeshift airstrip for the surplus pelicans and falcons they possessed at the moment as those three words continued to resonate in his mind. To live without fear was something that seemed so foreign to him at this moment in time.

He was born thirty years before the covenant had began their systematic destruction of the human race and even then humanity had not known much peace due to the threat of insurrectionist attacks and bombings. If you lived on the mid or outer colonies you always feared to hear alarms blaring signalling another attack or bombing that most likely cost hundreds of thousands of innocent lives.

It had been a long time since they had known any kind of lasting peace. But on this planet one could not help but feel safe, it was like there was a kind of energy surrounding all of them when they landed on the planet though scanners could not detect a thing, but Keyes could feel it in his body and the back of his mind. It was like a tiny whisper of light that seemed to infect the thoughts, the energy seemed to want to draw him to this planet and have him and the rest of the people who had landed on it stay. Almost as if some unknown force wanted them to stay and protect the planet itself. It was a very strange feeling and one he knew many of the marines and refugee's also felt judging by the whispers he heard on the Autumn. Whatever it was, it has begun to affect the crew. Many of them felt as if this planet was a second chance for a life for them in the weeks since they arrived here. Even Keyes had to admit the proposal was a very tempting one, the planet seemed to be catering to their needs they had resources, food and freedom from the covenant threat.

But it wasn't UNSC space and whether he liked it or not Keyes still felt his duty to Earth in the back of his mind, whispering at him. Ordering him to find anyway to get back home and protect the cradle of humanity. No they would not stay on this new planet for longer the necessary

Keyes shook his head as he came to a grassy hill, there was no sense in dwelling on things he could not control now. He had to focus on the here and now or else they would never live to find out if they won the war or not. Shaking his head once again in a vain attempt to clear his mind for the road ahead. Keyes turned around and surveyed the clearing he had just walked through with his green eyes as the marines below continued their work on the camp, setting up tents and salvaged equipment. Stripping whatever they could not repair for parts to use on things that they could repair, falcons and pelican squadrons flew overhead scouting the surrounding area from the air as well as providing reports to the ground recon teams that dotted the landscape of the surrounding area.

The sounds of heavy machinery echoing throughout their little haven in the universe for the moment as Keyes watched the work from his perch. Looking up he spotted the outline of the Autumn followed closely by her escort ships Pegasus and Hornet. The two frigates orbiting the planet in formation with the Autumn. Watching over the UNSC base camp below them like a mother hawk over her nest. Looking back at the camp, Keyes observed as a pelican hovered near their makeshift airstrip a massive mass driver they managed to salvage from the shipyard back on Reach attached by a cable as the dropship began to slowly lower its payload towards the ground, a group of marines below using their comms to radio the pilot maneuvering directions as they slowly placed the mass driver at the end of the runway.

The captain clasped as his hands behind his back as he surveyed the landscape before him, he had to admit so far this planet was very beautiful with rolling hills and thick forests as far as the eye could see, with plenty of plant life and native animals to keep them going for a long time. If this planet had been in UNSC space during the height of humanities empire, then it would have been slated for settlement almost immediately due to its lush environment and after colonization it would've most likely become another military stronghold for the UNSC's outer colonies. With ships, weapons and men being brought here to train and supply the military's strength.

“We were lucky." Muttered Keyes as he continued to watch the work below, his mind still deep in thought as he did. To say they were lucky was a massive understatement on his part, the fact that they managed to find a habitable planet after a blind slipspace jump that went wrong was nearly in the negative percentiles, almost next to impossible and if they attempted to replicate the situation that brought them here in the first place Keyes had no doubt in his mind that it would most likely lead to the destruction of their ships. But it wasn't something he wanted to question right now, at this moment they were here and it appeared that they were staying until they managed to find a way back to UNSC space and Keyes was content with that for now.

“The men could use a break after Reach." Keyes muttered under his breath as if he was trying to rationalize the situation in his own mind as he began to make his way back down the hill, the grass compressing under his black leather boots as he strolled back towards the camp. The fact was that they could all use a break, civilians and marines alike. The trauma of seeing their homeworld glassed was still fresh in everyone's minds some had to be taken off duty for a time in order to work through the PTSD from seeing such an act committed on their homes and cities. Keyes hoped this planet would provide them with some respite as they attempted to find a way home, as long as the covenant didn't come knocking. Keyes grimaced, they had been lucky so far but he knew the covenant were most likely out there looking for them as they hid.

Thankfully there was one fact about the small system they were in that kept them a bit safer than if they were on the run and that was the massive nebula that surrounded the system. The radiation from the Nebula wreaked hell on the ship's sensors when they jumped in and Keyes was hoping that it was the same of the covenant ships, but it worked both ways. If the covenant did find them, then the Autumn would not be able to detect the ships until they were right on top of them, and then it would be too late their little nook in the universe would be burnt to the ground and what could be the last remnants of humanity would be destroyed along with the rest of their ships. That was why Keyes had longsword and saber squadrons patrolling the system around the clock for now, until they were sure the covenant was not coming back they needed to be on full alert and ready for any movement within the system that could signal an attack.

Strolling through the base camp as he began to make his way towards the Dauntless the frigate resting at the far side of the camp was being set up as a makeshift hospital for the injured they had managed to save on Reach as well as a barracks for the marines to rest in. Making his way up the loading ramp and into the ship, Keyes passed by marine fireteams going out on patrol and volunteers carrying equipment outside. All of them looked at him with undying respect, his choice to save as many as he could brought him the praise of every marine and civilian they had brought onboard. They had been following his orders to the letter without question since they came to the planet and he had no doubt in his mind that these men and women would die for him if it came to that.

Even though he would technically be tried with treason if they ever got back to UNSC space, given that he defied the orders of ONI and UNSC highcom by staying on Reach longer than needed, if they ever made it home then he would have to face the music at some point in time whether it would be during or after the war he wasn't sure, all he was sure of was that he had no regrets from the choice he made because he knew in his heart that he acted with humanity, something the aliens would never understand and if HIGHCOM wanted to execute him because of that fact then they could go to hell as well.

Keyes let out a sigh as he made his way towards the hangar bay where his pelican was waiting for him, ready to take him back to the Autumn at a moment's notice. “Cortana." He said over the comm piece in his ear as he continued walking through the gun metal grey corridors of the Charon-class frigate, passing by marines as he continued on his way to the hangar bay, the female voice of the A.I. coming in over the comm moments later.

“Yes Captain?" The A.I. asked as she responded over the earpiece.

“Any news from Noble or the Chief?" Keyes asked as he walked past the large doors and into the hangar bay, the marine guards saluting as he walked by.

“None so far sure, their last transmission was about twenty five minutes ago, they said they were about to investigate a cave with some promising mineral deposits." Cortana replied with a slightly worried tone in her voice.

“Try getting them on the comm, I want them back here ASAP." Keyes ordered as he stepped onto his personal pelican, the blood tray's door closing behind him as the pilot began the takeoff sequence.

“Yes sir." Cortana replied before Keyes cut the comm line, leaning back in the hard seat of the pelican as he felt the dropship take off, the motion causing his stomach to flutter a small amount as the pilot angled the dropship skywards, pushing the engines to full throttle as the dropship flew through the thick atmosphere of the planet.

Noble Six

Six felt his back hit the side of the cave wall as Emile and Chief opened fire on the massive, hulking creature they found when they went deeper inside, the sounds of rifle and shotgun shells being fired reverberating off the walls of the cave as the massive bear like creature attempted to take a swipe at Six with it's claws. The creature was much larger than a bear and instead of fur it appeared to be covered in thick scales, though it still had the shape of the earth creature.

The beast's claws caused Six's shields to flare as it attempted to peel away the titanium plates that covered his entire body. But it was stopped as the shield around his armor flared again, causing the creature to jump back as the golden light flashed in the beast's eyes as Six delivered another punch that hit the creature directly in the chest, the cracking sounds of bones crushing beneath his fist reverberating through the cave as the Chief and Emile took a few more shots at the giant bear creature, which seemed to direct its attention away from Six for a minute as the Spartan delivered another punch to where he guessed the creatures kidney's were located. The augmented punch delivering a fatal strike to the bear creatures abdomen, Six's armored gaunlet breaking the tough outer layer of flesh, burying itself into the bear creatures body as it let out a stream of blood and bile from its mouth.

“Yeah thats right you fucking animal!" Six heard Emile yell as he delivered another shotgun blast to the creature's head, the pellets nearly grazing Six as he began to pull his fist out of the creature's abdomen. Blood and gore dripping from his fist into the pool forming below him as Six pushed the scaly body of the bear creature off of him, blood pouring from the gaping wound in the creature's abdomen as Six got up. Blood soaking his armor as he looked over at Emile, the other Spartan reloading his shotgun as Six walked over.

“You nearly clipped with there with your shells Emile." Six said in a cold tone as he walked past the other Spartan retrieving his discarded weapon as he walked passed the Chief who was busy scanning the cave for any minerals they could mark on the map for later retrieval working his way towards the mouth of the cave as the Chief and Emile followed him out of the cave, small rocks and gravel crunching under their boots as they made their way to the pelicans landing zone. The sound of a pelican dropship nearby allowing the Spartans to zero in on their LZ as they continued through the dense forest that seemed to litter the entire planet they were on with thick dense trees that made it very difficult for the marine scout teams to move across great distances. They had to hack their way through most of the underbrush in order to get their warthogs and scorpion tanks through.

They approached a clearing where a pelican dropship lay in the center, its engines primed and ready to go as the three Spartans stepped inside, Six feeling the gravity of the planet attempt to pull him back down as the ship lifted off. “You boys have a good time?" The pilot asked as the dropship began to fly towards the UNSC basecamp.

“Take a guess foehammer." Emile shot back as he looked up at the small camera holding his middle finger up to it as he chuckled, the camera looking over at Six as he sat down on one of the troop chairs inside of the pelicans blood tray, leaning back against the titanium wall as he took of his helmet, his gauntlets breaking the magnetic seal on the armor as a hiss of air could be heard emanating from it as the suit depressurized.

“Seems like you got caught in a bit of a scrape, huh lieutenant?" The pilot asked as Six began to clean the blood of his armor, wiping it with his gauntlet as the blood dripped onto the titanium plated flooring of the pelican. Leaving a pool forming at the feet of the Spartan as looked at the camera.

“Any word from Keyes?"Six asked not bothering to retort to the attempted joke, instead he acted like it passed right over his head as he resealed his helmet with the rest of his suit, the armor pressurizing as Six looked at the camera waiting for the pilots response to his rather rude tone.

“Y-yes sir, there was a communication from the Pillar Of Autumn a few minutes ago, but I couldn't get much out of it. Something in the mountains around here is messing with the comm signal, might be magnetic for all I know." The pilot responded obviously thrown off by the Spartan's lack of interest in her comment as he continued to wipe the blood off of his armor.

“We better go see what the Captain wants." Chief said in his rough voice, Six nodding at him as the rather silent green armored Spartan finally spoke after a such a long silence.

“Yeah, something tells me he just wants to bitch at us for being out of contact for so long big man." Emile said in a sarcastic tone as the Spartan-III slid his combat knife out of its sheath, sharpening the blade on the titanium plates, his helmet hiding the man's expression as he seemed to look off into the distance as he sharpened the blade for what seemed like the thirtieth time in the few days they had been on this new, unknown planet.

“Foehammer bring us to the Autumn." Six orders as he shakes his head looking over at Emile, his armor mostly clean of blood now as he feels the pelican begin to raise altitude, the dropships engines powering up as it began to break through the planet's atmosphere, the outer hull of the pelican glowing slightly as the engines were pushed to the limit as the three spartans felt their armored bodies being pushed back into their seats by the massive amounts of g forces.

Then finally the force seemed to dissipate as the dropship broke through atmo and into the almost welcoming arms of space flight, the proximity alarm in the pelican went off

Keyes

Keyes stepped down from the blood tray of the pelican dropship as the engines of the ship began to cycle down as Keyes looked around the hangar bay. The bay was cramped and filled to the brim with supplies and vehicles, the sounds of pelicans taking off and landing echoing throughout the large hangar bay as Keyes made his way to the door, marines and deckhands saluting as he walked past them. All of them respected the Captain and Keyes knew that, he heard the murmurings that went on behind his back and Cortana, well the damn A.I. seemed to love keeping track of everything that was said on the Autumn a fact that had embarrassed several of the crewman on the bridge multiple times since they jumped to this new planet.

“Welcome back Captain."

“Speak of the devil." Thought Keyes as he came to the hangar bay door, turning to face the holotube next to the door, revealing the avatar of the Autumn's newest addition to her systems.

Cortana, the ship's A.I. both a gift and a curse from doctor Halsey. Though Keyes imagined that the doctor modelling the A.I. after her own body and mind was a deliberate attempt at playing with his mind while the intelligence was aboard the ship. “Hello Cortana, I take it the repairs are running smoothly?" Keyes asked as he unlocked the bulkhead in front of him, the large door sliding open as the keypad light turned from red to a light shade of green. The pressure door letting out a slight hiss as Keyes stepped through the door. Several marines with crates passing by him as he began walking down the large corridor, Cortana's voice now coming out of his ear comm as he continued on his way to the bridge.

“Well that's not a way to greet a woman, I thought Captains were supposed to be gentlemen." Cortana replied in a teasing tone of voice as Keyes continued to walk along the corridor towards the bridge, passing several more marine fireteams on their way down to the surface in order to give the civilians down there some form of security.

“An unfortunate lie that has been perpetuated by people who like to romanticize the war." Keyes replied with an unamused expression plastered on his face as he entered a lift, the doors closing behind him as it began to bring him up towards the command deck.

“Well aren't you just a ray of sunshine today, you know the men will notice that dark cloud over your head sooner or later." Cortana shot back as she spoke into Keyes's earpiece.

“I apologize Cortana, but in this situation the men will have to deal with it for now. We are currently an unknown amount of light years away from Earth, with no chance of resupply and little to no chance of getting back to UNSC space in our lifetime." Keyes spoke in a solemn tone as he stood rock still, not allowing his extremely taxed emotions and mental abilities at the moment.

“We can't have a captain under that much stress sir, you've been working for the past three days with little to no sleep." The A.I. replied with a concerned tone in her electronic voice as she appeared on the screen in the elevator, looking at Keyes directly with a concerned expression.

“I'm sorry Cortana, but that isn't up to me. I will do what I must for my men, in order to make them comfortable while we try to find a way to bring them back home in their lifetimes in order to defend their families from the covenant." Keyes sighed and lit his pipe as he spoke, puffing on the pipe as its contents lit up.

“And if we never make it back, what happens then sir. Do we just drift through space until we die, becoming a generational fleet of ships who roam the stars until the end of time."

“That's a chance we will have to take." replied Keyes as he took another puff of his pipe, the smoke filtering out of the elevator as the doors opened to reveal the corridor leading to the bridge, Keyes stepping out as he began to make his way towards the bridge, smoke still emanating from his pipe as he gave it a few more puffs as he walked along. Approaching the entrance to the bridge where the marine guards stationed outside of the door saluted as Keyes walked passed them, the captain giving them a nod as he walked passed.

The bridge was very dead as Keyes walked to his command position, standing near the large monitor in front of the thick windows that surrounded the front portion of the bridge. His hands clasped behind his back as he looked at the screen. “Any reports coming in Cortana." Keyes spoke, as he looked down at the holotube next to the command console.

“A few Captain, mostly supply reports and crew counts. We made it off Reach better then expected though, that's a relief as for supplies we have enough to last us about 2 years if we ration it correctly, though the medical supplies will most likely last us another 3 years if we are not caught in any massive engagements against the covenant again. Giving us plenty of breathing room in order to figure out a way home sir." Keyes nodded as Cortana spoke, glad to finally have some solid numbers.

Keyes stopped mulling over his own thoughts as he watched Cortana flinch in his peripheral vision, giving her a confused look as Keyes watched the A.I. grab her forehead as if she were in some form of pain. “Oh no, no, no, no!" She began to yell as Keyes watched her, his brow furrowing as he began to think of the one thing that could set the A.I. off like that.

“Cortana what's wrong?!?" Keyes asked, his mind already knowing the answer as the A.I. seemed to clutch her head in distress.

“Slipspace rupture! It's the covenant!" Cortana seemed to yell to the entire bridge as alarms began to blare and red lights began to flash as Keyes looked out the forward window of the Autumn, watching as the thing that they had all been fearing since they got to this planet appeared out of a slipspace portal in front of them.

A covenant corvette.

Unknown Space - Two Weeks Earlier - Spirit Of Fire

A large ship floated through space, her engines barely powered as she drifted along past planets and stars. An Obvious scar could be seen on her hull as she drifted along through the stars and if one had the right equipment a highly degraded message could be heard. “T-t-this is UNSC…...Spirit Of Fire, we have…...Slipspace drive…...covenant….if any UNSC forces are hearing this, we are in distress and need assistance."

The long range sensors let out a ping as it sent out a long range broadcast throughout the nearby systems, waiting for a message that seemed to never come. Until now, suddenly a ping was heard back as a UNSC transponder appeared on the sensors, alerting the ship's systems to wake up the ship's A.I. as it locked onto the transponder and began to plot a course towards it, but something seemed off with the signal, something the sensors could not detect, for it was something only an A.I. could figure out.

Serina began to wake from standby mode as the ship's systems alerted her to the presence of another UNSC ship, she brought up the sensors data sifting through it as she looked for any discrepancies that may be signs of a trap. A sense of hope seemed to form in her data streams as she looked over the data again and again just to make sure, before finally deciding that it was accurate, her light blue avatar glowing as the ship around her began to power up for the first time in years, the dormant fusion reactor letting out a hum as the secondary reactor began to power down, lights flickered and turned on as the cryo bay deep inside the ship began the process of quick thawing the crew of the ship as Serina looked out the thick glass windows near her holotube, she couldn't see really but the ship's sensors allowed her a form of sight out into the abyss as she “watched" the stars pass by them. “Captain I found something." She muttered to herself as the ship finished it's power up sequence, the engines now at full power as it began to push its way slowly towards the weak signal that the scanners had managed to pick up as they drifted through space.

Cutter

James Cutter fell to the floor as he came out of his cryo tube, his head felt like it had been through a meat grinder as he slowly got up, his black body suit standing out amongst the gun metal grey of the ships cryo bay, he had to concentrate to keep from throwing up on the deck as he looked around, he saw the other cryo tubes around him. Filled with the rest of the crew as they slept in the dreamless sleep of cryo. “Good morning captain Cutter." A familiar voice said to James as he spotted Serina standing on the holotube near the exit of the large cryo bay, her blue avatar glowing as she gave him a smile.

“What's going on Serina are we being rescued." Cutter asked as he rubbed the back of his head, his fingers passing over the neural interface imbedded in the back of his skull, the cool metal of the interface feeling out of place on his warm skin as he walked up to the holotube.

“Negative captain, it appeared to be at first but something was off in the signal and well I found something you should see, if you could meet me on the bridge I can show you." The Smart A.I. said before disappearing from the holotube, leaving Cutter alone as he leaned against the cold titanium wall of the cryo bay, it felt as if his strength had been sapped from his body after so long in cryo his body felt stiff and weak as he pushed off the wall and began walking out of the cryo bay, leaning against the door as he typed his security code into the control panel, his muscles slowly getting used to being back in action as he walked slowly through the deserted metal hallways of the Spirit Of Fire. Cutter leaned against the metal wall of the hallway as he took another deep breath, breathing in the filtered air of the ship's life support system as he slowly began walking again, making his way towards his quarters. Finally making it to his quarters Cutter stripped the body suit off of himself, the rubber material peeling away as he pulled open his closet door and pulled out his uniform, still looking freshly pressed as he put it on for the first time after years of being in cryo.

“I wonder how much time has passed?" Thought Cutter as he finished buttoning up his shirt, stepping out of his quarters before closing the door behind him as he made his way to the bridge, his walking speed slowly increasing as his muscles got used to carrying his body weight again. Rubbing his chin as he passed through the bridge door Cutter suddenly felt like he was back home after a long vacation, everything was just as they left it as he walked along the bridge towards the holotube next to the communications console, were Serina was waiting with a smile on her face. “Hello Captain, nice to finally see you up."

Cutter wiped dust off the console in front of him, The UNSC device powered up for the first time in 20 years since they went into cryo sleep. He had to admit his was proud of the Spirit Of Fire being able to last this long on low power without colliding with anything was a feat few ships could pull off without a bridge crew. “Serina, are we near any UNSC forces?" Cutter asked as he stood up, wiping the rest of the dust off of his command console before taking a step back into his captain's chair.

“No sir, we've just come near an unknown." Serina replied as she appeared on the holotube next to him, her blue, slender female avatar looking at Cutter as he sat back in his chair for the first time in the while.

“Put it on screen." He ordered as he leaned forward, his eyes fixated on the command console. A large space station appearing on the screen in front of him with what appeared to be a forerunner dreadnaught docked with it, he studied it closely. “What the hell am I looking at Serina?" Inquired Cutter as he looked at the large station that seemed to be orbiting a large sun came up on the screen in front of him.

“It appears to be an outpost of some form sir, initial scans show it seems to be of the same design of the structures we found on the shield world." Serina explained with a hint of disgust in her voice as her avatar looked at the image on the screen.

“Any Covenant ships in the area?" Cutter asked as his expression hardened as he was reminded of the last time they dealt with forerunner tech.

“Negative Captain, we are alone."

Cutter rubbed his temples as he went over the options they had, they were without a slipspace drive right now. The Spirit's fusion plant could last a long time but if they wanted to get back to UNSC space then they would need a drive to get back to earth and this outpost was probably their best bet at the moment. “Take us in Serina and order Red Team to prepare to board." As Cutter said this the Spirit's massive engines let out a low hum as Serina began to move on the station.

“Are you sure about this sir, the flood could be present in this station." Serina said with a hint of concern in her voice as the ship slowly began to move towards what appeared to be a docking port.

“I don't like it either Serina, but we need to atleast get our bearings and find a way to get back to the UNSC." The A.I. nodded as Cutter said this, but still she could not shake the feeling in the back of her 'mind', a feeling that they were not supposed to be here. She was shaken out of her thoughts as the ship came up beside the forerunner space station the docking clamps extending from the Spirit's airlock, the clamps let out a groan as they latched onto the forerunner station, the green light above the airlock lighting up green as the airlocks seal was locked in place.

“Seal is good Captain." Serina said as she crossed her arms over her chest, the ships sensors began feeding her information about the outpost, she began probing the data centers of the station.

Cutter flinched as he looked out the bridge window of the Spirit Of Fire, the larger space station dwarfing the Spirit. “Tell Red Team to move in Serina and tell professor Anders to meet me on the observation deck." Cutter ordered as he stood up, walking off the bridge towards the observation deck.

Spirit Of Fire - Jerome-092

Jerome stood at the entrance to the airlock his shotgun in hand as Alice and Douglas took up positions behind him. “Alright team, our orders are to secure this station and find an uplink for Serina, biohazard protocols are in effect for this mission if we find any flood contacts we burn em out with incendiary rounds." Jerome said as he snapped his shotgun onto the magnetic holster on his back.

“We know anything about the layout sir?" Alice inquired as she loaded a clip into one of her SMG's.

“Negative, we are in the blind here Alice." Jerome replied as he opened the airlock door, the heavy titanium door letting out a hiss as the air on the other side equalized with the airlocks air.

“Move, watch for hostiles." Jerome ordered as he grabbed his shotgun off his back as they began to move, their boots thumping against the metal of the airlocks tube as they made their way towards the entrance to the station.

The large door was glowing a soft blue color as Red Team moved towards it, the door letting out a soft beep as it opened for the three SPARTAN-II's. The three of the switching their helmet lights on as they entered the dark station, the only light sources inside were their lights and the soft glow of blue holographic interfaces. “Stay sharp, flood contacts could be present." Jerome muttered into his comm link as they turned a corner, his shotgun gripped tightly in his hands as he walked towards another door, Alice and Douglas close behind him as they explored the seemingly abandoned station.

“Sir I got a bad feeling about this." Whispered Alice over the comm as the three SPARTAN'S walked through the door, only to have it close and seal itself behind them. “Scratch that, I have a really bad feeling about this."

“Quiet." Jerome shot back as he scanned a hallway to his left, his boots thumping against the ground as the two SPARTAN'S behind him scanned the other corner. “Sir I think I found an access port here." Douglas said as he approached a console, the holographic interface lighting up in front of him as he walked towards it.

“Plug in, we'll cover you." Jerome replied as he took up a defensive position by a pillar near the console, scanning down the hallway for contacts as Douglas began his work as the other SPARTAN began his work Jerome contacted the Spirit Of Fire. “Spirit this is Red Team, we've found a console and are preparing the uplink now."

The comm crackled for a moment before letting out static, Jerome tried to make contact again but all he got was hissing static from the other end. “Shit, alright Douglas hurry it up the comm line to the Spirit is down." As Jerome said this the console began beeping, a hundred different things began happening on the screen at once before the console went dark.

“Jerome we may have a problem." Douglas said as he grabbed his SMG's from their holsters. The three SPARTAN'S took cover behind the beams in the hallway, the lights began to flicker on as they held their position near the console, the entire station seemed to hum as it came back to life.

“Suggest we head back to the Spirit sir." Alice whispered as he aimed her SMG's down the hallway.

Jerome nodded and motioned for the other two to form up behind him, but as they did a soft humming could be heard from down the hallway. The three SPARTAN'S took cover again weapons at the ready as they heard the humming get closer and closer a soft orange glow appearing from around the corner as Jerome prepared to open fire with his shotgun. He didn't know what to make of what he saw next, a floating ball with an orange eye right in the center of it. “Oh hello." It said in an unnervingly cheerful voice. “I am 006 Redeeming Spark, I am the monitor of Installation L-426 and I must say I am delighted to see reclaimers here." The monitor explained in its cheerful voice as it approached the three SPARTAN'S.

Jerome kept his shotgun pointed at the floating robot as he activated his armors external speakers. “What is this place?" He grunted as he held his shotgun tight in his hands, the monitor seemingly unfazed by the weapons pointed directly at it. “This is a research station created by my makers to study the effects of dark energy, but during a test the slipspace drive on my creators ship malfunctioned while it was docked with us, the resulting bubble threw both us and the ship into what we theorized is a new galaxy since then all units have been in standby mode awaiting reactivation."

He was unnerved to say the least when the floating robot mentioned a new galaxy. “If you could please follow me reclaimers I can show you the relevant data if you wish." The monitor chirped as it began floating away. Alice came up beside Jerome as the three of them began following the monitor. “Sir, I think we should report back to the Spirit Of Fire and let the Captain figure this out." She muttered as she looked at the monitor floating in front of them.

“Negative, not until we determine the station is clean." Jerome shot back as he sped up his pace to keep up with the monitor.

“Sir, we got contacts." reported Douglas as he aimed his SMG's down a hallway towards a group of covenant engineers. “Permission to engage?"

Jerome was about to give the order before the monitor chimed in. “No don't shoot they mean you no harm, these units are repairing damaged systems of the station, they have no affiliation to this covenant you speak of."

The SPARTAN'S all looked over at the floating ball simultaneously. “We've killed hundreds of these things, they've never tried to surrender." Jerome said as he kept pointing his shotgun directly at the group.

“It is possible they were enslaved by these beings you know as the covenant, the Huragok would not have resisted, they are programmed to be helpful." The monitor explained as Jerome looked at him unconvinced, but he stood down against his better judgement.

“Very well, lead the way."

The monitor machine let out a grateful hum as the SPARTAN'S continued to follow him, their boots thumping against the metal floor of the station as they passed through several glowing doors. “Are there any flood parasites on board?" Alice asked as she checked around a corner.

“No, we never had any contact with the flood, we were a remote station for a reason." The monitor chirped happily as they approached a large room, what Jerome guessed was the control room of the station.

“Here we are reclaimers, the control room now if you can just wait by the holoprojector while I bring up the data." The monitor said as the SPARTAN'S approached a large console in the center of the room, the console glowing blue as the monitor accessed its systems. “You should see the relevant data come up now."

Jerome watched as the holographic console in front of them changed to an exterior image of the station, all seemed normal except for the fact that the station was not orbiting a sun but a moon in this image. “What is this?"

“This is an external view of the station the moment the dark energy containment field failed." The monitor said as it shot a blue bolt at the console, the recording began playing as the SPARTAN'S stared at it nothing seemed out of the ordinary, until the recording hit the 2 minute mark. Then a massive black sphere seemed to expand and engulf the station and the ship that was docked with it, the sphere looked similar to a slipspace portal but there was one difference, The portal seemed to be blindingly white as it engulfed the station. The recording seemed to cut off into static there and Jerome was about to order his squad to move out, but then they saw the flicker of something an orange light and then the recording seemed to explode with colors that seemed to mix together in an endless swirling vortex before reverting back to the blackness of space. It all looked the same as before, except now the station was orbiting a sun.

“What the hell." Commented Douglas as he studied the image closely, the monitor floating closer to the three SPARTAN'S. “We theorized that the dark energy does not react well to slipspace radiation that the drives emit and if given the right circumstances it can cause a distortion effect that brought us here."

Jerome looked over at the monitor. “Then how did we get here, we don't have our slipspace drive anymore."

“Unknown, it could be that there was a build up of dark energy that caused you to come here a hole if you will that you may have slipped through, but without more relevant data I can only theorize."

Alice stepped forward. “What are the chances of replicating it?"

The monitor shook on the spot. “Unlikely, we have no evidence as to what the situation must be for the transit to occur, for now like me you and your ship are stuck here in an alternate galaxy."

“You gotta be kidding me." Jerome muttered as he looked over at Alice, the female spartan rubbing the back of her helmet as they all began to process this new information. “Captain is gonna love this."

An Alternate galaxy with almost no chance of getting back. It was a perfect FUBAR scenario, limited supplies and no allies to speak of or contact with the UNSC. All they could do now was drift around and try to either find a way back home, which according to this forerunner AI would be a next to impossible task that would most likely lead to the Spirit Of Fire's destruction if attempted at all. Which only left them one other choice, continuing the UNSC in this galaxy somehow.

“Cutter ain't gonna like this." Douglas said over the comm as the three Spartans watched the monitor float in front of them, as if waiting for their specific instructions.

“Yeah well, we all knew the score when we followed the covies to that shield planet, anything could have happened and something did." Jerome shot back as he looked over at Douglas, nodding at the other spartan as he slid his shotgun into the magnetic holster on his back, the weapon snapping onto his armor as he looked back at the monitor, his expression hidden under his visor as he spoke again to the ancient machine.

“Monitor, did the slipspace drive survive the transit?" Jerome asked as he clipped his shotgun to his back.

“Yes, it should still be operational." The monitor replied in a cheerful voice, its eyeball light flashing as it spoke to the Spartan.

Jerome nodded. “Would the engineers be able to install it on our ship and repair the damage we took in battle?"

The monitor chirped. “Orders relayed, it will take about two weeks to install the drive and retrofit your ship, if you wish your crew may use the station while I oversee the repairs."

“Cutter and the Dr. are gonna have a field day with this." Douglas muttered as they began walking back towards the Spirit Of Fire.

Spirit Of Fire - Cutter

Cutter stared in disbelief as he stared down at Red Team's report, looking up at the three SPARTAN'S and the forerunner machine they had brought with them. “So we have no way of getting back." He said in disbelief as he looked back down at the report.

“None sir." Jerome replied as he stood in front of the Captain.

“You know anything about this doctor?" Cutter asked his voice growing hard as he pushed his emotions down as Dr. Anders stepped forward. “None Cutter ONI has never studied the effects of dark energy when exposed to slipspace drives, the energy is so rare and synthesising it is a costly endeavour." Cutter nodded as he took a deep breath, coming to terms with what has happened to them. “We need to make contact with these aliens and humans ASAP, we need to find out if they know how to get us home."

“Sir, from what the monitor has said these people have vastly inferior technology." Jerome explained as he took a step forward. “The chances of them knowing what happened to us are nill."

Cutter nodded. “Then we find information, anything that could give us a clue of how to get back to the UNSC, I will not see my crew die without seeing their families again."

“We all knew this would be a one way trip when we followed the covenant to the shield world Captain." Anders said as she put a hand on his shoulder. “But we're alive at least, thanks to your efforts." Cutter nodded as she said this, his expression hardening they had a course of action that was more than nothing.

The monitor floated in front of the captain. “I will accompany you reclaimers if you will let me, the huragok and I have served no purpose since arriving here, It will be good to have one." Cutter nodded. “Everyone is dismissed except for the monitor, I want to know what the engineers are doing to my ship."

“Huragok." The monitor corrected in his cheerful voice. “They will be working alongside with the few sentinels we have onboard to repair your ship in our built in drydock."

“Very well huragok." Cutter spat as he leaned against the large table in the meeting room, Red Team and Dr. Anders left, the heavy pressure door sealing behind them as cutter looked out the small window near the table, the vast expanse of space before him. “So what are you doing to my ship."

Present time - Keyes - Pillar of Autumn

“Battlestations!" Keyes yelled as he watched the corvette in front of him finally exit its slipspace rupture. “Cortana bring the fleet up to combat alert alpha, alert all decks." Keyes ordered the A.I. as she gave him a nod as her voice began to echo over the loudspeaker system, that ran throughout the Autumn.

“Attention all combat personnel, please report to your action stations." Her voice rang throughout the ship as the Autumn's crew began to move to their battlestations, marine fireteams suiting up to engage any enemy boarders that attempted to take over the Autumn. Pelican dropships flying overhead as the ship was put on full alert for any inbound covenant forces, longsword fighters began being prepped for takeoff as the Autumn prepared to unleash her full might on any covenant forces that might follow the corvette. The two frigates also launched their own smaller complement of fighters a mixture of longswords and salvaged saber fighters from Reach joining the Autumns squadrons of sabers and longswords as they took up formations in front of the three UNSC ships, waiting for the corvette to launch its own compliment of Seraph fighters in order to engage the UNSC ships in combat.

But to Keyes's surprise the ship just drifted there, almost as if no one was currently home. “Cortana, what the hell is going on? Why isn't the ship attacking?" Keyes asked as he watched the corvette slowly drift towards the Autumn, the ship appearing to have minimal power or control at the moment as Keyes watched, waiting for more slipspace ruptures to open as the corvette just drifted along.

“Sir, I'm not getting any transmissions from the covenant battle net, encrypted or otherwise." Cortana said as she scanned the ship with the Autumn's sensor suite. “The ships engines are low on power and damaged severely…...wait." Cortana said as she focused on a particularly strange signal that appeared to be coming from the ship.

“I'm…...I'm getting UNSC transponder signals coming from the top of the ship, if I'm not mistaken they are saber fighter transponders." Cortana said in a confused tone as she looked almost dumbfounded from what she herself was saying at the moment.

“What!?!" Keyes asked, almost dropping his pipe from his clenched hand as he watched the corvette continue to slowly drift towards the Autumn. Looking down at Cortana as her virtual form seemed to follow his previous gaze out the front window of the Autumn's bridge. “Cortana try to open a channel with the corvette, but keep the squadrons on alert. If that thing tries anything I want it taken down." Keyes ordered as a squadron of longsword and saber fighters passed by the Autumn, taking up a recon positions near the corvette which did not seem to be attempting to power up its weapons or engines in order to attack the fighters.

“Talk about a ghost ship." Keyes heard one of the crewmen comment as the entire bridge crew continued to give darting glances at the corvette incase it attempted anything as Cortana attempted to open a channel with the ship.

“Covenant corvette, this is the UNSC Halcyon-cruiser Pillar Of Autumn, stand down and do not attempt to power up your weapons or engines. Boarding parties will sent to you shortly, any attempt to resist will be met with deadly force." The message was set on repeat as it was transmitted out to the corvette and Keyes could only hope that his hunch was correct as the entire crew seemed to wait, their breathing slowing down to a crawl as they waited for some sort of reply.

“Anything Cortana?" Keyes asked as he stood near the command console, his muscles tensed up as they awaited the reply from whoever was on that covenant ship.

“Nothing Captain, seems like no one is home……...wait." Cortana said quickly as she closed her eyes and held up her virtual hand as if signalling the entire bridge crew to wait as she attempted something.

Then suddenly a voice came over the comm system, full of static and other distortions as someone or something attempted to communicate with the Autumn. “Cortana try to clear up the transmission, I want to know what they are saying." Keyes ordered as he clasped his hands behind his back, his suspicions becoming more and more like reality as the static continued to play over the comm system.

“Compensating." Cortana replied as she attempted to clean up the signal coming from the corvette, then suddenly a signal with a very human voice came through the speakers loud and clear.

“This is chief warrant officer Jorge-052, code omega-delta 4453." A voice came over the comm, causing cheers to begin to echo throughout the ship as everyone heard the UNSC code over the loudspeaker.

Keyes couldn't help but smile a bit as he heard the voice over the comm, using the comm piece in his ear to reply as he watched the crew celebrate among one another. “Spartan-052 prepare to receive some visitors, do not attempt to power up your weapons or engines." Keyes ordered the soldier over the comm, before adding. “It's good to have you back Jorge, Halsey told me what happened over Reach."

“Likewise sir, did Reach survive though?" Jorge asked over the comm.

Keyes hesitated for a second, from what Halsey told him when he had access to the Spartan-II program. The Spartan was extremely protective of the planet and would most likely be devastated at its destruction. “I'll brief you on the current situation when your aboard the Autumn. For now I want you to stay put and wait for two old friends of yours, Noble Six and Noble Five are on their way to meet you."

“Roger that." Jorge responded before the connection was cut and the tense air that had been hanging over everyone on the Autumn's bridge seemed to dissipate as it became clear that this was not a covenant invasion force, but yet another unfortunate slipspace accident.

“Cortana." Keyes asked as the bridge seemed to return to a form of calm as Keyes looked back down at the holotube.

“Yes captain?" The A.I. asked as her electronic eyes looked up at the captain, her hands planted firmly on her electronic hips as she gave Keyes a slight smile.

“What are the chances of two slipspace accidents dropping ships in the same place." Keyes asked as he felt something terribly off with the situation all of the sudden, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up as his gut began to tighten a bit.

“Extremely low captain, almost nill in our situation given the fact that we performed a blind jump." Cortana said, her voice hinting that the A.I. had her own suspicions racing around in her processes as the two of them stood amongst the bridge crew.

“Tell Noble to be on the lookout for anything suspicious, if this is indeed the corvette from Reach, then maybe it could shed some light on how we got here and how we might get back home." Keyes ordered as he put his pipe back into his mouth, taking a rather large puff from the metal mouthpiece as he looked out the bridge window, his gaze never leaving the adrift corvette.

“Something doesn't add up here."