Location: Lifeboat, Descending Toward Halo
Time: 04:44 AM
The lifeboat shook violently, turbulence rattling every bolt and joint in the hull as we plunged toward the ringworld below. It felt like the whole thing might rip apart mid-flight. My teeth ground together as I slammed back against the seat, gripping the restraints tightly. The marines around me were silent, faces pale, their knuckles white as they clutched their seats. Through the viewport, I could see a chaotic swirl of clouds, flaming debris from the Pillar of Autumn, and glimpses of the surface we were about to crash into. Somewhere up there, Captain Keyes was crash-landing the cruiser—buying us whatever precious time he could.
But there was something else that held my gaze, something that stopped the breath in my chest.
"Look," Cortana had whispered. Her voice in my helmet was both distant and calm, but it brought my attention back to the sight before me.
Halo.
The ring stretched across the sky in a surreal arc, curving up and away, defying all sense of reason. It disappeared into the distance, where it met the horizon in a way that made my mind spin. This was no ordinary battlefield. The landscape below us was like nothing I had ever seen before. Majestic and terrifying all at once, this place was both a fortress and a weapon, designed by an ancient intelligence far beyond our comprehension.
I had seen it before—played through its story, fought across its surface—but seeing it now, not as a game, but as my reality... The awe and dread were overwhelming. Every detail was razor-sharp, from the massive cliffs that towered over the alien valleys to the bizarre, geometric structures that dotted the landscape. This wasn't just some distant object in the sky. This was real. My heart pounded with the weight of that realization.
This was Halo.
My thoughts raced back to the Flood, the nightmare hidden deep within the ring, waiting to be unleashed. I had the knowledge of this world, and it terrified me in ways I hadn't expected. I wasn't ready to face what lay within this place. Not yet. But I had no choice.
I tore my gaze away from the horizon and focused on what mattered right now—surviving the landing. The Covenant would be scouring this world for us. We couldn't afford to be found first.
"Chief, I'm picking up Covenant signatures converging on several crash sites across the ring. We need to move fast once we're on the ground," Cortana warned, her voice sharper now.
I nodded, knowing exactly what was at stake. "We land, we regroup, and we survive," I muttered under my breath. That was the mission.
Location: Lifeboat, Halo's Atmosphere
Time: 04:48 AM
The descent became even rougher as we broke through the atmosphere, the pod jerking violently as it fought against the immense friction. The clouds rushed past, and the faint, distant sound of thunder added an ominous backdrop to our rapid fall. The ship's systems groaned, warning lights blinking on the control panels. There was no turning back now.
The marines, strapped into their seats, exchanged nervous glances. Some whispered prayers. One of them—the same young marine from earlier—looked at me again, his eyes wide with fear.
"We're gonna make it, right, Chief?" he asked, his voice small against the chaos outside.
I stared at him for a second. His fear was palpable, and I could see that he was holding onto hope—hope that I, as the Chief, could give him some reassurance. I wasn't sure if I believed it myself, but I couldn't let him or the others see that.
"We'll make it," I said, keeping my voice steady. "We don't have a choice."
The pod lurched again as it neared the surface, and I could see the outlines of hills and valleys coming into view. This was it—the beginning of our fight on this alien world.
Suddenly, Cortana's voice cut through the tension. "Chief, the Pillar of Autumn is on a collision course with Halo. Keyes is attempting to bring her down in one piece, but it's not looking good."
I glanced out the viewport, catching glimpses of the ship in the distance, flames and debris trailing from its hull. It was a testament to Keyes' skill that the ship hadn't already been reduced to scrap. But even if the Pillar of Autumn survived the crash, we couldn't rely on it. We were on our own, deep in enemy territory.
"Prepare for impact!" Cortana's voice broke through once more, this time with urgency.
The ground rushed up to meet us, and I braced for the landing.
Location: Surface of Halo
Time: 04:51 AM
The lifeboat slammed into the ground, sending a jolt through my body that rattled my bones. Metal groaned as we skidded across the terrain, the impact throwing the marines around like ragdolls despite their restraints. The pod finally came to a violent stop, settling into the ground with a loud groan. Dust and smoke filled the air as we sat in stunned silence.
I was the first to move. My body reacted on instinct, driven by the urgency of the mission. I unbuckled my restraints and stood up, scanning the surroundings. The door hissed open, and cool, fresh air rushed in.
As I stepped outside, the beauty of the landscape hit me like a punch to the gut. Rolling hills of emerald green stretched into the distance, disappearing into the impossible curve of the ring. Strange, alien trees dotted the landscape, and towering cliffs loomed in the distance, casting long shadows over the land. The sky above us was a soft blue, with streaks of orange from the rising sun—or what passed for a sun on this ring.
For a brief moment, it was easy to forget the danger. Easy to forget that we were on a weapon designed to eradicate all life in the galaxy. But the sense of awe was quickly replaced by the cold reality of where we were.
This was a battleground.
"Chief, we need to move," Cortana said, her voice cutting through the surreal moment. "The Covenant will be searching for survivors, and we're exposed out here."
The marines filed out of the pod behind me, their faces reflecting a mix of awe and fear as they took in the alien landscape. One of them, the young marine from earlier, let out a low whistle.
"Man… this place is something else," he said, his voice trembling slightly. "Never seen anything like it."
I didn't respond. There was no time to admire the scenery. We had work to do. My mission was clear: find survivors, regroup, and prepare for whatever came next.
"Stay sharp," I ordered, my voice firm. "We're not here to sightsee. Our priority is to find any remaining UNSC forces. We regroup, we defend, and we survive. Stick together and follow my lead."
The marines nodded, their fear replaced by determination. They trusted me—trusted Chief—to keep them alive. And I would do everything in my power to ensure that.
Cortana pulled up a tactical display on my HUD. "There are other pods in the area. We're not far from their last known coordinates. If we move now, we can reach them before the Covenant does."
I gave her a quick nod and motioned for the marines to follow. "We move fast and stay low. No unnecessary engagements."
As we moved out into the alien landscape, the weight of what lay ahead settled into my chest. The Covenant weren't our only enemy here. The secrets buried beneath Halo's surface—the Flood—were waiting. Watching. And when they were unleashed, this world would become a nightmare.
But for now, the mission was simple: survive.
And so, we marched. Into the unknown.