I don't own Halo or any of its characters! Bungie Studios does (or is it now 343 Indisrtuties and Microsoft Corporation). I only own Nala 'Aidas character and other OC's that might appear in this story.

Halo: Crossed Fates

Chapter 34

The Spartan III's

Inside Slipspace. Flagship Striking Darkness. Few moments after entering The Forerunner Portal

Inside the Striking Darkness the tensions were high as they were heading for the unknown and towards Truth and his forces. While waiting for the enviable fight, Spartan II, John had decided to take his time to ask few questions for these new Spartans that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

After a while of searching, and few rather awkward questionings for directions from few Elites, the Chief was finally able to find the Spartan III's as they called themselves, in a weapon storage. All three of them had their helmets removed. "We were wondering when you might show up." Kat said, while leaning onto a wall. It could already see that the three of them had been waiting for him.

"You already knew I was coming?" he asked, letting them just slightly know that he was bit surprised by this.

"Some of our Elite friends wanted to give us a little heads up." Kat replied. Chief didn't reply to that.

"So, I guess you know want to know about us. Spartan III's right?" Jon asked this time.

"Yes." Chief replied. He then went to the straight question. "Were you created by Doctor Halsey?" the question was too obvious. The three shared glances between each others. Jun then turned to Chief.

"Sorry to disappoint but no. From what we've heard, it was Colonel Ackerson was behind it." Jun explained. "They recruited lot of orphan kids, just like us, telling us that with their help we could extract revenge on the Covenant from taking our home and families."

Chief could understand we this was heading. These Spartan III's were seemed to have created from out of desperation. But now it seemed like that there had been desperation for more Spartans than he had thought. But these weren't the same kind of Spartan as he, or any of his friends were.

"But unlike the legendary Spartan II's," Kat then started. "Were much more cheaper and expendable. So, we were much larger in numbers." she said. "While we would receive rather harsh training, we could never posses same kinds of skills like you." she pointed out. "Well, unless some of are really talented." she then added while for some reason giving few side glances towards Jon. Who seemed to look rather embarrassed.

"But as I said before, we were simple made to be expendable. We were sent to the missions that were pretty much like a suicide. And the SPI armor that pretty much every single Spartan III got, didn't help things either."

"The SPI?" Chief asked.

"Semi-Powered Infiltration armor." Jon then explained. "Nothing like the amazing MJOLNIR power armor. Just put it simply, it just camouflaged us somewhat and it didn't provide that much defense against Covenant plasma weaponry. Just few well placed shots and worst case scenario: you were dead."

This all sounded really strange to Chief. Why would these Spartans would get that kind of armor. But then he realized that the armor these three used didn't look anything what they had explained."But your armor resembles too much of MJOLNIR." Chief pointed out.

"Yeah, the Noble team was really lucky as we were employed special tactics, so we were in a way better equip than most of the other Spartan III's" Jun then explained.

"Although I wasn't that lucky at first." Jon suddenly cut in. "Unlike these two."

"What you mean?" Chief asked.

"I wasn't part of Noble Team from the beginning. At first I was part of Beta Company. Part of about three hundred Spartans." suddenly Jon's expression and tone got remorseful. "But I was soon pulled out from the Company because of my skills. And soon I was known as the Lone Wolf, taking out insurrection like nothing." he explained. "But then I had found out about the mission, my former Company had been assigned for."

"What kind of mission?"

Jon let out a long sigh before continuing. "The Beta Company had to take out a Covenant refinery at the Pegasi Delta's moon. And mission was... a disaster." he explained. "I wasn't told the details, but even thought the Company managed to take out the refinery, but at the cost of every single Sparatan in the Company."

While Chief and his visor didn't reveal the shock he was feeling. All three hundred Spartans... lost. It felt like... unreal. So many Spartans lost. Just for a simple sounding mission. But they way the other Spartan had made it sound, and his expression and tone, it sounded like there was something more than he was let to know.

And unlike Chief who was able to suppress any kind of emotions, not showing what he was feeling, as he was trained. These Spartans didn't seem to care about it and it showed, he looked at the saddened look on the Spartan III's eyes. "Only few survivors were reported..." Jon almost muttered. "That was one large strike for the Beta Company..." he said. "I lost lot of good friends back then.."

"But I couldn't let that interfere with my missions. And soon, before I knew it. I was being told that I was going to join Noble Team, to replace a member they've lost just recently." Jon said, now looking at his fellow Spartan III's. "I was then given the much weaker version of MJOLNIR power armor. And then send for Reach."

"Reach?" Chief asked in slight surprise. There had been more Spartans in Reach. Beside him and his team, he had no idea that there were more Spartans working on Reach. But it was no doubt that the presence of these Spartans were mostly meant to be hidden. From the at least, as he was all to aware of Halsey's and Ackerson's rivalry. "What happened then?" he asked. Finding himself becoming rather curious about what had happened on Reach that he wasn't aware of.

Jon, Kat and Jun then went on to explain most of their missions to Chief. About when Jon, or Noble Six had joined them and then went to investigate the disabled Communication Arrays, only to find the Covenant already there.

Then moved to the part where they had found a Covenant Cloaking Spire and then went to destroy much larger Cloaking Spires, only to reveal a large Covenant Super Carrier which had hovered above them the whole time.

Only them to loose one of their own when taking out the Super Carrier. "Jorge..." Chief muttered in thought. He never really got to know the Spartan, but he had some memories of a man with that name. But that was so far in the past he couldn't remember anymore. But what he found really strange is that a Spartan II had been working with Spartan III's. As Spartan III's seemed to be Ackerson's creations, and they were working Halsey's creation.

"And pretty soon, this happened." Kat said, pointing her mechanical eye. That then brought something to Chief's mind. Back while they were still on Earth.

"Back on Earth, the female Elite, Nala, was rather shocked seeing you," Chief started. "That tells me that you three probably had met her before. And she seemed to be rather confident that you were all dead. What is your story with her?" he asked.

"We had few runs into her back on Reach." Kat then said. Sounding just slightly smug. "I had the most direct "contact" with her." she explained. "And she certainly can give you one hell of a fight if you aren't careful."

"That's it?"

"Pretty much."

"I see." Chief said thoughtfully. He had found the story behind these Spartans both shocking and interesting. But that also worried him as the way the ONI didn't seem to care about the Spartans, the way they had created the III's. But these are right now desperate time, and desperate times calls for desperate measures. And while their story has been an interesting one, there were still many questions that Chief wanted to be answered. At least for him.

"Just how were you able to escape Reach?" he asked, his voice getting a slight interrogative tone. "As I never saw you when I came there." he said, although he already knew the answer.

"And why did you return to Reach again?" Jun asked. "What was there so important to return?"

"Doctor Halsey?" Jon then suddenly suggested. And Chief found himself becoming bit tense. But he still answered.

"Yes." Chief simply replied. "Were you involved with her?" he then asked.

"Yeah. She had us to bring something rather precious to the Pilar of Autumn." Jon explained. He then went on details as he explained after the believed death of Kat, they had ventured back to Sword Base and later discovered a secret elevator that led to a some kind of Forerunner complex where Doctor Halsey's lab had laid. And how they had defended it against the Covenant forces. "After that, Jun here was left with the good doctor." Jon pointed at Jun next to him.

"Then why I didn't see you with Halsey and few other survivors that were on Reach?" Chief asked. He found himself even more actually intrigued about these three. As they, in some bizarre way, reminded him of himself, of being so damn lucky.

"We got separated when a small band of Spec. Ops Elites ambushed us. I was able to leave her to safety before anything really bad could have happened to her." Jun explained. "After a really long and tiresome firefight. They came." Jun said, meaning the Fleet of Striking Darkness. "But Jon-boy here is more acquaintances with them than me or Kat." he then said sounding bit amused while pointing at Jon.

"Is it true?" Chief asked.

"Yeah. It's true." Jon said, rubbing back of his head. Making the impression that this was rather bothersome topic of his. "Me and the Three Siblings go way back."

"Three Siblings?" Chief queried. "Why they are called that?"

"That's the title the Covenant gave them." Jon explained. "Because they always worked together and that's what got them to rise in ranks rather quickly. You could say that Rani is their leader, but always share each others ideas and try their best to work those on their advantages." he told. "Truth to be told, while Rani might be called Fleet Mistress, her real title is Supreme Commander as she commands the entire Fleet of Striking Darkness."

That puzzled Chief greatly as he knew rather well how much honor meant for the Elites, and the rank and title was one of them. And one of didn't wish to be addressed as "Supreme Commander" that was no doubt one of the highest honors. "Why wouldn't she want to be addressed as such?"

Jon was quiet for a moment, as if thinking of what, or should, say to the Spartan II. But after a couple moments of thinking the Spartan III answered. "Let's just say that it's because of respect. For a dead 'comrade'. That's all I can really say." Jon then told Chief. "Sorry but, this is really sensitive for Rani and I don't think she, her other sibling, or the whole damn fleet in this matter, wouldn't appreciate if I'm going around telling her private life to someone like... well, you." Jon then quickly raised both of his hands defensively. "No offense. But I'm so far the only human they fully trust."

"I understand." Chief replied. And he did, so he decided to leave it to that. And he really wasn't interested in some female Elites life time. He never had any thoughts about anyone's private lives, unless they were somewhat part of his mission.

"So how long have you known them then?"

"I think it was probably three or four years ago." Jon answered. "Couple years before I joined with Noble Team."

If that was true, then how did they never appeared. Or why did the Spartan had decided not to report about it. It would have been certain that if he had, the news would have spread fast, but that would have also given the humanity a better edge and chance against the Covenant.

But then Chief remembered something that had happened back on Earth. While they were flying to the Crow's Nest. When Johnson had questioned the female Ultra Kani about them of helping them. "Our fleet is already stretched really thin as we try to protect some of your outer colonies that we were able to save. "

" I guess she was speaking the truth..." Chief wondered. "So they came to Reach after the Pillar of Autumn left, and rescued you?"

"Since you put it that way, yes." Jon answered. "And after that, we went back to one of the outer colonies where the most of the fleet was gathering. As we found out what Truth had found Earth. And you can probably figure out the rest." For a moment Chief just stood and eyed the Spartans before him.

They certainly had gone through quite a lot. And it showed, especially on Kat's and Jon's faces. Both of them shared rather large scars from Covenant weaponry mostly. While asking about them, and the small details he seemed to miss at the moment, he had found himself respecting these three quite a lot. They were survivors, just like him and the few Spartan II's that were still around.

"So, do you have anymore questions?" Jun asked, when the Chief was rather awfully quiet, at least for the Spartan III's.

"No." Chief replied. "I think I'm done for making you feeling uncomfortable." Chief said, while trying to actually make a joke. Which seemed to both surprise and amuse the trio. "And we need to be ready since we might be close on our objective. I hope you three are."

"Well, no need to worry Chief, for we are ready to kick some Prophets ass, while taking down his Brute goons." Kat then replied. "And these Elite friends of ours want to have some payback from the lies this guy have spread." she smirked.

"And we all are waiting to see what lies on the other side of this portal." Jon then said, this time walking to Kat, warping his arm around her, almost protectively. "And ready to help you and our other fellow marines with the best we can."

"So, just say the word, and we are ready to help you out." Jun said.

"I will appreciate it." Chief replied, giving them an appreciative nod.

"What you say if we take out few "Practice Drones" before we go out from the Slipspace." Kat then suggested. "I would love to see if the famed Spartan-117 can be out matched by our very own Lone Wolf here." she said, glancing at Jon with a amused grin.

While Jon looked really embarrassed now. "Not this crap again..." sighed, knowing that there was no way out of this. He couldn't argue against Kat on these kinds of matters.


Well, here it finally is. And sorry if you expected to have Nala appear in this, but I thought it would be a good time to little flesh out my Noble Six character bit more. And if you are new and wondering who he is? Just check out my "Six Plus Eight Equals..." one-shot. Which is by the way connected o my "Crossed Fates" universe.

But anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. And don't forget to comment/review!

Till next time, THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT!