Hey everybody! DinoJake here with a special announcement!

As you all know, The Last Spartan is easily my most popular fanfiction with almost fourteen hundred follows, fourteen hundred favs, eighteen hundred reviews, and its very own TVtropes page! However, as some reviewers point out, the story's flaws are many. Particularly, the setting.

When I first started this fanfic three years ago, I didn't really know much about the Halo lore, to be honest. Really, the only reason I had Humanity do away with slipspace was purely for story's sake; I KNEW that slipspace was faster than Mass Effect FTL, and at the time, I saw that as a problem. Less time in space meant less time for Chief to spend alone on board the Normandy which means less opportunities to develop as a character.

Not only was that completely stupid reasoning (Eezo, slipspace, there'd still be plenty of time to kill on that ship regardless of FTL method), but I also unwittingly made Humanity to be a race of weaklings, which is isn't the Humanity that Halo fans know and love.

I tried to justify it. I've even claimed that, though this was a mistake, I would keep it since it may open up other opportunities to create my own takes on both Halo and Mass Effect lore. Hell, me and another author on this site were actually talking about co-writing a First-Contact War-based fanfic in order to explain how it all went down in a believable way that would actually be kind of in-character for Halo's Humanity.

But recently, I've finally realized that, from the very beginning, this fanfic's setting was flawed, and nothing I can do could really change that. World-building is the most important aspect of a good space opera, and I failed in that department, which basically means I failed in general.

But I'm not going to give up so easily. Even my most harshest critics have said that characterization is this story's biggest strength. The concept isn't flawed, just the execution, which means I just need to try again. Thus, I've decided to completely reboot The Last Spartan. What you're about to read is, hopefully, a more accurate portrayal of Humanity in the 27th Century.

The first scene is an edited scene from Chapter 2. The rest is completely original material, written especially for this bold new project of mine. Just keep in mind that this is a rough draft, so I may change things upon request. Think of this as the pilot to a new series. In any case, enjoy.

…..

0832 Hours, February 16th, 2683

Undisclosed Location in the Hades Gamma Cluster

…..

There he was. Master Chief Petty Officer Sierra-117. Or simply 'Chief' as he was often called. Inside the pod, his Mjonir MK-VI armor still brandishing fresh scars from the Battle of the Ark. It was a near-religious experience, to be in the presence of the Chief's body. For many of the UNSC marines present, he was the reason they joined the Alliance.

Captain Anderson could hardly believe it. Over a hundred years ago, this man practically saved the Human race single-handed. When the Arbiter crash-landed on Earth alone all those years ago, Lord Hood said that the Master Chief, both body and soul, belonged to history.

Until today, when a UNSC exploratory vessel stumbled upon the wreck of the Forward Unto Dawn. UNSC Command sent in nearly all of Fifth Fleet to completely lock down the star system to make sure nothing else got in or out. The history books said that the portal through which the Forward Unto Dawn escaped the Ark had been unstable. Some physicists believed that, instead of being destroyed, the Dawn's wreckage had simply been teleported to some random part of the galaxy. God only knew how long it was floating here.

The captain walked up to the pod, and paused for a moment. He took a long look inside at the motionless SPARTAN-II within. "He must've climbed in here after dropping a distress beacon, hoping he'd be found." he said to the marines with a hint of sadness in his voice. "Been in this cryo-pod ever since." he sighed.

The Chief was a hero. If it wasn't for him Humanity, possibly even the rest of the galaxy, would be dead right now. He deserved a better end than this. A moment of silence fell over the room, honoring the Chief for all he had done for his species.

"Alright." Anderson said as the moment of silence passed. "Let's see if we can't unhook this pod. It's time this hero came home. Michaels, think you can do it?"

"Sure." Cpl. Timothy Michaels said. He was his squad's tech expert, so he definitely knew his way around machines. He walked up to the pod and his omni-tool lit up. "The ship's systems aren't based on Prothean tech, but they ARE very primitive. Hacking the cryo-pod shouldn't be too hard..."

After about thirty seconds of continuously pressing buttons on his omni-tool; "Got it. I'm in." he said. He then pressed a few more buttons. "Okay, now I just need to find the..."

He paused, his sentence stopping dead in its tracks. Anderson turned to the tech expert. "Need to find the what?" he asked.

"That can't be right." Michaels stated while shaking his head. He pressed a few more buttons, then paused again. "Holy crap..."

"What? Is something wrong?" Anderson pressed, becoming more and more concerned.

"Uh...I think that depends on what your definition of 'wrong' is, sir." Michaels answered. He looked up from his omni-tool and looked at the captain square in the eye. "He's still alive."

A moment of shocked silence took the room for a few seconds. Then, Anderson took it back. "What do you mean alive?" he asked.

"According to my omni-tool, all of Chief's vital signs are still good." the tech replied.

"Let me see that." Anderson said as he walked up to the tech. He looked over Michaels' shoulder. Sure enough, there on the omni-tool's holographic screen was a series of pulsing lines, all indicating that the Chief is still alive and well.

"I don't believe it." Anderson said in disbelief. "I mean, Cryo-Sleep does do a good job preserving the human body but...130 years?"

"What do we do now, sir?" Michaels asked. Anderson paused in thought. The intent of this mission was to retrieve Chief's remains and ship them off to Earth so a proper funeral service could be held. At the very least, they could've taken some things from the ship to the museum in New Mombassa. But the Master Chief still alive in his cryo-pod? That was the last thing Anderson was prepared for. Needless to say, it made the situation a little more complicated.

"Sir, I've found something." said another tech expert. He was kneeling at what looked like a terminal of some kind, less than ten feet away from the chief. He was tapping away at his omni-tool, his vision frequently switching between it and the terminal.

"What is it?" Anderson asked as he approached.

"It's a data terminal of some kind." the other tech replied.

"Can you get anything from it?" Anderson asked. Now that the situation had changed, he wanted to know every last detail he could. He didn't want any more curve balls thrown at him and more info couldn't hurt.

"Maybe..." the tech said as he tapped away on the omni-tool. The omni-tool ran on element zero technology, while the computers on this ship don't. Using an omni-tool to lift data from the databanks of a 26th century ship was kind of like getting a software product made by one company to co-operate with another from a different company. It wasn't impossible, just difficult. Thankfully, it was nothing a skilled hacker couldn't handle as only five minutes at most went by before the tech said; "Okay, I'm in. Let's see what we got here..."

He tapped a few more keys on the omni-tool as some interesting displays popped up on the screen. "Okay, I think we got something. Data storage program, from the looks of it. Maybe it can shed some light here..."

Turned out, that program was storing data alright. Just not the kind of data anyone was expecting.

After a few more taps from the omni-tool, the holographic light on top of the terminal lit up, and a blue feminine figure appeared. She was about a foot in height, had short hair, and seemed to wear a body suit of some kind. She smiled upon seeing the startled tech expert.

"Oh good. Rescue." she commented in a rather cheerful tone.

The room fell deadly silent, something that did not go unnoticed by the holographic woman. "What?" she asked. Anderson took a step forward. He didn't want to ask this question, knowing what the answer was and that it was going to make things even more complicated. But he had little other choice.

"Are you...Cortana?" he asked.

The hologram smiled as she stood before the captain, puffing her chest out with pride. "UNSC Artificial Intelligence serial number CTN 0452-9. At your service."

It was then that Cortana realized that something was amiss. She took a look around the room. Rather than wearing the modified ODST uniforms typical of space troopers (soldiers trained for zero-G missions), the marines wore what looked more like skin-tight uniforms and their helmets looked nothing like the original ODST. Cortana knew that it would probably be a few years and that she should have foreseen some degree of change in the uniform. But this was extreme. There was only one conclusion the AI could logically draw. She turned to Captain Anderson.

"Chief and I have been here a while, haven't we?" she asked.

"Yes." Anderson answered with a nod. What else could he say?

Cortana paused, processing the new data. "Don't sugar-coat it. How long?" the AI braced herself for the worst.

"To put it bluntly, well over a century." Anderson replied.

"131 years, to be exact." Michaels added.

Not since the revelations of Halo had Cortana been so shocked. Over a century? Was it even possible to be in storage that long and still be operational? Cortana ran a quick self-diagnostic, worried that something might've become corrupted, ignoring the worried mutterings of the new aliens. The AI sighed in relief, seeing that there was nothing wrong with her. Her concerns than focused to her spartan.

"Is Chief alright?" she asked.

"According to my tech expert, his life signs are still stable." Anderson answered. Cortana accessed the computer in Chief's pod to confirm. True to the stranger's word, the Chief was still stable. She turned to the Captain, viewing that there was now only one thing left to do.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Wake him up." she said.

Anderson was actually taken aback by this. "Er...well..."

"Weeeellll?" Cortana asked, not liking where this conversation was going.

"We came on board this ship looking for the Chief's remains." Anderson explained. "We thought that after over a century in cryo-sleep he'd be dead. While it's nice to see he's not...it complicates things a little."

"Well, you can't just leave him here." Cortana pointed out.

"We don't plan to." Anderson replied. Cortana glared daggers at the captain. He sighed in defeat. "We just need to figure out the right way to go about this. I'll contact my superior and inform him of the situation. We'll play it out from there. Excuse me."

…

"So let me get this straight." Hackett began at last. "Both Chief and Cortana are still alive?"

"Cortana seems to be fully operational. Doesn't seem rampant." Anderson said. "Chief is still in cryo-sleep. All his vital signs are stable at the moment. But I don't want to do anything without your say-so."

There was a pause on Hackett's end. Understandable. It was a lot to take in. "Well, this is quite the dilemma. We can't just leave him there, but we can't just wake him up either."

"With all due respect Admiral, this is the Master Chief we're talking about. He's the living embodiment of everything Humanity stands for. It's a hard thing to just let lie on the shelf." Anderson commented.

"I know. If it weren't for the Master Chief, Humanity would be extinct right now." Hackett admitted. "We could definitely use him, but….it's been so long since his time. I don't know if he's psychologically fit for battle in this century."

"Considering the kind of enemy we're up against, I say we give it a shot." Anderson said.

Hackett paused again, this time out of thought instead of shock. "Chief would be a valuable asset." he admitted. "He definitely earned the title of humanity's greatest hero. Defeated the Covenant and the Flood."

"He's the only reason any Human is still alive." Anderson added.

"President Harper can't question his courage, that's for certain." Hackett stated. "Are we sure about this?"

"Humanity needs a hero right now." Anderson said resolutely. "Chief's the best we've got. I say we do it."

Another pause. Then; "I'll make the call. I'll be labeled crazy for it, but it's not like there's a rule against it. In the mean time, you know what to do."

"Roger that. Anderson out." the captain said. With that, he re-entered the pod chamber. Whatever conversation Cortana was having with the marines ended right then and there. The AI looked at Anderson expectantly.

"I've just gone over it with my superior, Admiral Hackett." Anderson stated. "And he seems to be all for the idea." He then turned to Michaels. "Wake him up."

The tech expert was taken aback. He looked around, unsure. "What, you mean right here, right now?"

"No time like the present." Anderson said. Cortana was smiling ear to virtual ear.

"About time." the AI commented.

"Are you sure you want us to do this?" one of the marines inquired as he approached the AI. "If the Chief wakes up, he'll be waking up to a galaxy that's very different from the one he knew."

"I've seen him survive grenade explosions, plasma fire, and even ACTUAL fire once. He's stared death in the face too many times to count." Cortana replied. "Trust me. I think my Spartan can handle a little culture shock."

Within moments, Michaels was tapping away furiously on his omni-tool as he laughed nervously to himself, not believing this was actually happening. At one point, he stopped. "Something wrong, Michaels?" Anderson asked.

"I just realized...we're bringing back the greatest hero in Human history." Michaels said. "We're MAKING history right now. I...I need a moment to take this in."

"We haven't got all day." Cortana said. "Sometime in the NEXT 131 years would be nice, thank you."

"Right, right. Sorry." the tech quickly apologized to the AI as he resumed his work. "Okay. I don't have a drumroll, so a countdown will have to do. Cracking open the pod in 3...2...1..." He tapped his omni-tool one last time.

There was a loud hiss as gas blew out from nozzles as the pod was de-pressurized. After that, the pod started to glow a little. The screens on the pod's control panel blinked to life, showing the Chief's vital signs and the progress of his thawing. That's when it happened. He moved. The Chief shifted around a little in the pod, apparently waking up. The Human marines dared not breathe another breath.

"Easy Chief." Cortana said, seeing the way the spartan shifted. "You're still thawing. You don't want to hurt yourself."

Chief nodded in acknowledgement. He continued shifting, but at a slower and gentler rate this time. Eventually, the pod door opened up just as the Chief was finally starting to get some feeling back in his limbs. He floated out of the pod and activated his magnetic boots, sticking to the floor with a dull thud that startled several of the room's occupants. He looked at Captain Anderson, recognizing him as, due to the manner of his space suit, the highest-ranking officer here. He saluted.

"Master Chief Petty Officer Sierra-117. Reporting for duty, sir." The marines were so breathless that at this point, they were practically blue.

"Captain David Anderson." Anderson saluted back. "At ease, Chief." the captain was grinning ear-to-ear. He still couldn't believe it. The Chief, alive and well, standing right in front of him. It was surreal, yet exciting.

Just like with Cortana, the new UNSC uniforms did not pass by Chief. "How long have I been in there, exactly?" he asked.

"Approximately 131 years." Cortana answered. Chief turned to the AI, who smiled at him. "Welcome to the 27th century."

While Chief was happy that Cortana was okay...did she really just say 131 years? Chief paused to contemplate this for a brief moment. Of course, a brief moment for a spartan was about 2 or 3 seconds. 4 at the most. He then turned to Captain Anderson.

"Guess I've got some catching up to do, huh?" he asked. Anderson nodded.

"Grab Cortana and the marines and I will escort you back to our ship, the Mt. Everest. We'll bring you up to speed on everything you've missed once we get there."

Chief nodded before walking to the terminal to take out Cortana's chip. He then inserted it into the back of his helmet. He walked over to where he put away his MA5C assault rifle to take it out of the weapons rack. "So where are we going, Captain?" he asked as he placed the rifle on his back.

"We're going home, Chief." Anderson answered. "We're going to Earth. Now that you're back, there's a lot that needs to be done."

….

0511 Hours, February 23rd, 2683

UNSC Ghengis Khan

High orbit over Palaven

Trebia System, Apien Crest

…..

John balanced the combat knife on the tip of his finger, handle up. It was a trick that Fred-104 taught him way back in the Human-Covenant War. The Human-Covenant War. Over a hundred years ago. Had it really been that long? He still couldn't believe how much had changed. As he stood in the Ghengis Khan'scargo hold, he thought about everything that happened on New Mombasa that lead him to this new mission.

Upon arriving on Earth, the Master Chief was immediately taken to ONI Headquarters in New Mombasa. The first couple of hours were spent on physical exams to make sure the Spartan was still healthy and in good fighting condition. Running on a treadmill? Check. Whacking knee with a hammer to test reflexes? Check. Weight-lifting? Check. Chief passed that last one with flying colors, obviously. There was worry among the medical staff that the Battle of the Ark left Chief in a bad way, but thankfully his armor was built tough and absorbed most of the damage. Save for some minor scratches, bruises and burns (minor by SPARTAN-II standards, anyway), Chief was given a clean bill of health.

Once the docs gave him the all-clear, ONI got their hands on the Chief and filled him in on everything he missed. First and foremost, the Covenant were no more. The entire Sangheili race, through a combination of in-fighting and a mysterious disease that wiped out their food crops, were now extinct. Chief didn't know how to feel about that. On the one hand, the Sangheili glassed many Human colonies and killed many Humans, a few of which were the Chief's friends. But extinction? That seemed harsh. But at least now there was no chance of the Sangheili ever rising up again to threaten Humanity.

The rest of the former-Covenant races were in a state of disarray since the Great Schism. Kig-Yar and Jiralhanae lacked anything resembling a formal government and mostly lived in remote outposts out in a new area of the galaxy known as the Terminus Systems. With nowhere else to go, many Unggoy went to the UNSC, pleading for asylum. Thus, the Unggoy became the first client race of the UNSC, but they wouldn't be the last. The Yanme'e tried to make a name for themselves by attacking Human territory while it was still recovering from the Human-Covenant War, but an aggressive counter-attack with chemical weapons, basically pesticides on steroids, wiped out so many Yanme'e that they were effectively brought into line, forcefully made into yet another client race of the UNSC. The Chief judged it harsh but necessary.

After their brief war with the Yanme'e, the UNSC saw a period of relative peace lasting eighty or so years. Then, one day in the year 2648, they discovered alien ruins of unknown origin on a planet on the very edge of the Orion Arm. Found in the ruins was a starmap that lead the UNSC to something spectacular.

It lead them to a mass relay.

Upon discovering the mass relay network, the UNSC realized that the galaxy was so much larger than they could've possibly imagined. So many new worlds, so many new treasures, all theirs for the taking.

Of course, with the rest of the galaxy open to the UNSC to explore, it was inevitable that they make first contact with new alien races. In 2657, that's what happened. An alien race known as the Turians attacked a ship activating a dormant mass relay and traced the ship's to Shanxi, one of the new colonies that the UNSC settled. The Turians then invaded the planet and took it over. ONI had reason to suspect that they planned on using it as a staging ground to gear up for further incursions into UNSC space.

After the UNSC took the planet back, it was learned that the Turians were part of a greater collective of alien races known as the Citadel Races. Their capital was a large space station, not quite as big as High Charity but still very big, known as the Citadel. In charge of this collective was the Citadel Council. They managed to call off the Turians and broker a truce. They then approached the UNSC and gave them a choice; either give up AI's and Slipspace to join their collective, or remain a separate state and risk war with the Turian Hierarchy.

The Chief was happy to learn that then-President Goyle told the Council to go fuck themselves.

Since then, the UNSC remained a separate state, completely independent from the Citadel races. No technological exchange, no cultural exchange, the UNSC weren't even interested in having an embassy on the Citadel. As a result, the UNSC and Citadel Council had been in a state of cold war for over twenty years, each preparing for war with the other while the UNSC continued to expand its territory into the Attican Traverse.

The expansion was not without problems. In 2671, the Batarian Hegemony, another member of the Citadel Races, demanded the UNSC ceased its expansion into the Skyllian Verge, where the Hegemony hoped to expand its own territory. The UNSC refused, colonizing those worlds before the Batarians had a chance to. The Batarians reacted with what became known as the Skyllian Blitz in 2676, a mass attack on the Human colony world of Elysium. The Batarians officially denied having anything to do with the attack, claiming it was mostly pirates and raiders of various races that attacked the planet. ONI investigated the matter and found that the Batarians were only telling half the truth. It was indeed a multi-species fleet of pirates that were responsible for the attack, but the Batarian Hegemony bank-rolled the attack. The UNSC took this as an act of war.

The UNSC ignored any warnings from the Citadel Council not to attack a member race and began its incursion into Batarian space. What historians now call the Skyllian War lasted for a little under two years. In 2678, the war reached its climax in what became known as the Desolation of Bahak. ONI agents strapped rockets to a large asteroid from the asteroid belt of the Bahak System, a key system for the Batarian Hegemony due to its colony on Aratoht. ONI then used the rockets to launch the asteroid directly at the system's mass relay, blowing it up, and completely destroying the Bahak System. Demoralized by such a heavy loss at the hands of such a powerful foe, the Batarians surrendered. Khar'shan was now a UNSC world, the Batarians now a client race of Humanity.

Though the Batarians were a Citadel Race, the Citadel Council was hesitant to declare war on the UNSC. However, relations between the two galactic governments grew worse and worse with each passing year. Eventually, the Council decided that enough was enough. The Turians launched a pre-emptive attack on the UNSC world of Eden Prime, followed by a declaration of war. The Citadel War had begun.

The UNSC began by reinforcing colonial defenses all around its territorial border with Citadel Space. And now, in what is being called Operation: LOW BLOW, the UNSC is launching its first major attack; Palaven. The Turian homeworld. Using the mass relays in combination with their superior slipspace technology, the UNSC has launched a fleet to make a beeline straight for Palaven. The Turians make up the majority of the Citadel Council's military muscle, so taking out the Turian homeworld right out the gate will put a serious dent in the Council's fighting ability, giving the UNSC a crucial advantage right out of the gate.

The Chief checked his internal mission clock. 0515. Almost time to drop. He put his combat knife into his sheath and walked over to where his new squad had gathered to talk. It was made up of seven men and women.

His immediate second-in-command was Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko. Despite the asian name, he was actually from Vancouver, Canada. What made him unique from the rest of the squad, besides his rank, were his biotics. Biotics was a term given to what could best be described as telekinesis fueled by element zero. The Citadel Races had known about biotics for centuries and even had biotics-users within their own ranks for about as long as they knew about them. However, ONI was able to gain information on biotics with its extensive spy network and quickly began training their own. Kaidan Alenko was one of the first. In the time Chief he knew him, he found Kaidan to be calm and rather laid back. According to his profile, Kaidan was a professional soldier, the very model of what a good UNSC marine should be.

The squad's marksman was Ashley Williams. Ashley was interesting, as she was the granddaughter of the infamous General Williams, a controversial general from the First Contact War. General Williams' forces were originally staged in New Taiyuan, Shanxi's capital city. However, the city came under heavy siege by the Turians during the First Contact War, the Turians willing to bomb entire city blocks just to take out a single fire team. Williams pulled his forces out of the city, but not before feeding the Turians false information that his forces were planning to surrender. Williams had fallen back to a reasonable distance just as the Turians moved into the city to seize control of it. Williams then detonated several small nukes his forces had left around the city, completely destroying the city and every Turian inside of it. Though he was applauded for eliminating a huge Turian ground force, many hated General Williams for killing all the Human civilians still in the city. Her psych profile states that Ashley was looking to prove herself worthy of the Williams name, saying that a real Williams gets the job done at any cost. Chief made a note to keep an eye on her. She might be a little overzealous.

Speaking of overzealous, up next was Sergeant James Vega, the squad's man-at-arms. His background wasn't as glamorous as Kaidan's or Ashley's; a young man who grew up in the rougher parts of California, James joined the UNSC Marine Corps to make himself into a better man. When he wasn't out on missions, he was subjecting himself to a physical regimen of pull-ups, push-ups, and sit-ups. Unfortunately, his profile mentioned a tendency to be reckless on the field. During the Human-Batarian War, he took out an enemy shuttle by driving a shuttle of his own into their shuttle at ramming speed. When asked why, James simply shrugged and said 'cuz it was fun.' The Chief would have to keep an eye on that one.

Next was Jennifer Jacquis, the squad's biotic combat expert. While Kaidan was a powerful biotic in his own right, he was trained as a sentinel-class biotic, biotic-users who also specialize in combat and field engineering. Jennifer, on the other hand, was a vanguard-class biotic. Not only did she know a wider array of biotic techniques, but her biotics were also more powerful and she uses them much more aggressively. While she was absolutely vicious on the field, her psych profile detailed that the Human-Batarian War was extremely traumatic for her, due to having been captured and extensively tortured by the Batarians during the conflict. The incident gave her post-traumatic stress disorder, and according to ONI, she had never been the same way since. Thankfully, she's still psychologically fit to serve.

Next was the squad's close quarters combat expert and runner, Kyle Nolan. According to his profile, Kyle Nolan was a veteran of the First Contact War, during which his hand was shot off by a Turian sniper. He gained two things from that experience; an artificial hand, and a burning hatred of the Turians. Similar to Jennifer, Kyle was diagnosed with PTSD, but is still considered psychologically stable enough to serve. He'll certainly be motivated to fight down on Palaven, but the Chief was worried that his own personal hatreds would get the better of him.

The remaining two members of the Chief's team were, surprisingly enough, non-Humans. In their exploration of the galaxy, the UNSC found that not every species was a fan of the Citadel Council. The sqaud's grenadier and heavy weapons expert was Urdnot Wrex, a Krogan mercenary hired by ONI, one of many for this campaign. The UNSC was able to win the Krogan over with promises of a cure for the 'genophage,' a sterility plague the Turians and Salarians inflicted on their species a thousand years ago. Chief wasn't sure if ONI was actually working on a genophage cure, or just made false promises to make the Krogan want to join their side. He secretly hoped for the latter. Without the genophage to curb their numbers, the Chief knew that the Krogan would eventually overtake the galaxy again; a fight that the UNSC would have difficulty winning. Anyway, Wrex was also a biotic who, much like Kyle, had a healthy hatred of Turians. As long as ONI continued signing his checks and promising his race a future, Wrex should be sufficiently loyal to the Master Chief.

The other alien squad member was Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, a Quarian. Quarians were a race of engineers who made a race of AI's called the Geth. The Geth turned on the Quarians three hundred years ago and drove them off of their own homeworld. Since then, they've been wandering the galaxy in what they call the 'Quarian Flotilla.' They used to be a Citadel race, but they were kicked out for breaking the Council's 'no AI's allowed,' rule. When the Citadel War broke out, the UNSC approached the Quarians and offered them vengeance in exchange for their engineering expertise. Though the Quarians were wary of the UNSC's liberal use of AI's (understandable, given their history with AI's), they agreed to lend their aid. Tali was a combat engineer and team medic. The squad would have to keep her covered. No doubt the Turians would want to shoot her first if they ever figure out her team role. Chief wasn't too worried about it though; she was good enough with a shotgun to cover herself if need be.

As the Chief approached, the team ceased their conversation and stood to attention. Cortana then appeared on a nearby terminal. "So Blue Team, ready to move out?" she cheerfully asked them. She was now the ship AI of the Ghengis Khan

"What's our objective?" Chief asked.

"You'll be dropped onto Palaven's surface via slipspace pods." Cortana explained. "The planet has a class-1 radiation hazard, so keep those hardsuits sealed up tight. Your objective is a massive anti-aircraft battery. You'll have the element of surprise on your side, but Turian positions are legendary for their fortifications, so you should still expect a tough fight."

Cortana crossed her arms across her chest in a haughty sort of pose. "Looks like you're gonna have your work cut out for you." she teased.

"Don't I always?" Chief asked. He turned to his squad as Cortana's image shimmered away. "Let's pile into the pods, people." With that, he lead his squad to where the drop pods were located. They made their way out of the cargo hold and down a series of corridors, and down a fleet of stairs to the drop chambers. Doors leading to drop pods lined the walls of the narrow corridor. Dozens of other soldiers navigated the corridor in search of their own pods, only to stop and applaud as they saw the Master Chief and his team walk by.

The Chief sighed. He waved back at the marines, silently wishing that he wasn't so damn important to UNSC morale.

The squad eventually found their own pods and climbed in. The Chief took a seat and pushed a button, the pod door automatically sealing. "All squad, check in." Chief ordered over TEAMCOM. He was greeted with a series of green winks, except for two. "Blue-Seven. Blue-Eight. What's the problem?"

"It's cramped in here." Wrex protested. "This drop pod was clearly not designed with Krogan in mind."

"File a complaint to brass, frog-boy." Jennifer slandered.

"I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do." Tali said. "I've never really dropped before."

"Never?" Chief asked.

"My training was kind of rushed." Tali replied shyly.

Chief sighed. "Blue-Five. Give Blue-Eight a crash course." he ordered.

"Will do." Kyle replied. "Okay Tali listen up, cuz Uncle Kyle is gonna teach you how to drop into Hell."

The drop pods descended into position. "Step one: Make sure your seatbelt is good and tight. Step two: Make sure your helmet is secure."

A vidscreen of Wrex's face appeared on Chief's HUD over TEAMCAM. "Don't need a helmet." he said as he tapped his head crest with a chuckle.

"Suit yourself, Wrex." Kyle said. "Finally, the third and final step…."

The pods finally exited the ship's hull, exposed to the midnight blue of slipspace. They were locked into firing position, ready to launch.

"Pray to whatever deity you believe in for dear life." Kyle finished.

"I don't believe in God." Jennifer said.

Kyle chuckled. "Trust me, Jen. According to the launch clock, you're gonna turn into a born-again christian in three…..two…one….."

The pods launched. A few seconds afterward, they exited slipspace in orbit over Palaven. They and thousands of other drop pods plummeted to the snot-green surface of the Turian homeworld below.

….

1917 Hours, March 10th, 2683

Surface of Palaven

Trebia System, Apien Crest

…

The Battle of Palaven had been going on for well over two weeks. The Master Chief wasn't surprised. He did his homework on the Turians. They were a warrior culture similar to the Sangheili from the Human-Covenant War, and their homeworld reflected that. Every last settlement, from small rural villages to bustling metropolises, were each a fortress by its own right. The UNSC had not encountered a single Turian civilian, because every Turian they encountered was armed and eager to open fire on the Humans. UNSC forces were pushing their way to Cipritine, Palaven's capital city, but it was slow going. The Turians were covering their retreat with mines, chemical traps, and even ambushes. The Humans were inching their way forward, but the Turians were making them pay for each and every inch in blood. Casualties on both sides were high.

Blue Team had just been issued a new assignment. They were tasked with eliminating a key target, a tactical guerrilla expert who's been leading some kind of civilian militia against the UNSC. The Turians called him 'Archangel,' making him a symbol of hope in the battle. ONI believes that terminating the Archangel would deliver a heavy blow to local Turian morale.

His last known location was at a gatehouse along the Nanus River. The good news was that UNSC forces were able to wipe out his whole team and have been keeping him pinned in that position for over a day. Bad news was he was slaughtering every soldier the brass sent over. The bridge in particular was a deathtrap. Tunnelers were working around the clock to dig underneath the gatehouse and take him by surprise. Until then, all the UNSC can do is fire on that position and hope that the next wave of soldiers charging across the bridge would last longer than the last one. The Spartan found it odd that the UNSC did all of this just to take down one Turian.

The Master Chief stood with his team behind a building adjacent to the bridge. Across the dirt road in the small town on the outskirts of Cipritine, was another squad of UNSC marines. Everyone was checking their weapons, getting ready for the charge. "Okay, here's the plan." Chief began over TEAMCOM. "Tali, James, you two are with me. We're going to charge straight across the bridge. Once we do, we'll activate our overshield programs. That should help us stand up to Archangel's sniper rifle better."

"You sure these overshields will work Sparks?" James asked Tali, addressing her by the nickname he gave her.

"Positive." Tali boasted in reply. "I designed them myself. Quarian shields are ironclad shields."

"Here's hoping you're right." Chief replied. "Everyone else stay here and open fire on Archangel's position. Keep his head down, just in case."

"Will do, Chief." Kaidan replied.

The Master Chief held up three fingers and wordlessly counted down. Once he tucked his third finger back in, he pumped his fist. He, James and Tali then activated their overshields and charged across the bridge. Chief looked up, expecting to see Archangel on the balcony of the gatehouse, clad in his by-now signature blue armor and aiming for the Spartan's head.

Except Archangel wasn't there. That's when he realized something was wrong.

It was then that the trio were suddenly enveloped in an explosion of blue static electricity. "Tech mine!" Tali yelped. It was then that Chief saw a Turian-shaped glimmer standing in the gatehouse's doorway.

"Take cover!" Chief yelled as he dived for the sandbag at the end of the bridge. He made it, but his two squadmates weren't as lucky. The Turian caught James right in the chest, knocking him to the ground with a yell of pain, clutching his chest wound.

"James!" Tali yelped as she tried to help her Human compatriot. Archangel fired again, the shot ripping through Tali's helmet, exiting the other side. The Quarian fell to the ground, blue-purple blood pouring out of the head wound.

Chief vaulted over the sandbag pile. Archangel decloaked in the doorway as Chief charged towards him, getting ready to hit him with a heavy punch. Archangel activated his overshields just in time. The Spartan punched the Turian right in the chest, sending Archangel flying across the room. He rolled backwards across the floor as he landed and came to a stop on one knee, his sniper rifle aiming for the Spartan.

Chief dived behind a table, but not before Archangel's shot brought down his shields. "So, you're the Master Chief?" Archangel asked.

"Yeah. And you must be Archangel." Chief said as he switched to his shotgun as he waited for his shields to recharge.

"Oh, that's just a name the locals gave me for all my good deeds." Chief heard the Turian taunt. "I don't mind it, but you can just call me Garrus."

"You call setting traps for UNSC marines good deeds?" Chief said. "You call killing my team in cold blood a good deed?"

"Considering you're all invading my home planet, yes. Yes I do." Archangel said.

"Well, I do good deeds too…." Chief said as he vaulted over the table and charged. Archangel rose from behind another table and fired off a shot. Chief's shields took the brunt of it as he rose his shotgun and fired, bringing down Archangel's shields as well. He rushed forward.

Spartan time kicked in.

He saw the Turian reach to his thigh and pull out an SMG in slow motion. He recognized the weapon as an M-8 Tempest, a small but powerful submachine gun that'll tear the Chief to shreds if he allows it to. But it wasn't even a contest. Chief could already tell that he would deliver his melee strike faster than Archangel could take aim and fire.

Chief smacked the side of Archangel's head with the butt of his shotgun, knocking the alien to the ground. The Turian tried to roll onto his back to raise his SMG, but Chief stomped on the arm that held the weapon, pinning it to the ground. The Turian yelled in pain as a snapping sound was heard.

Chief pointed the shotgun at Archangel's head and pulled the trigger.

…

1022 Hours, March 20th, 2683

Undisclosed Location in the Hades Nexus

….

The Battle of Palaven went on for another week. To their credit, the Turians fought until their last breath. But even they could only take so much. Once all the major population centers, including Cipritine, were taken, the Turians of Palaven knew the battle was lost.

n taking Palaven, the UNSC took the largest military installation in Citadel Space as well as the cultural and economic hub of the Turian Hierarchy. In addition, the UNSC hoped that the loss of Palaven would demoralize the Turians as well. Unfortunately, it only wound up strengthening the Turians' resolve. Compounding the issue, while the UNSC successfully killed Primarch Fedorian, the Hierarchy's political leader, a new Primarch has been named; Primarch Victus. Victus is a former-general and has galvanized the Turian colonies. Even after the Fall of Palaven, they still display no interest in surrender. The Citadel War was far from over.

The Master Chief walked through the halls of the ONI ship. His thoughts drifted to his squad. James and Tali were dead. Tali was shot in the head. Medical examiners said her death was instantaneous. James wasn't as lucky. Archangel's shot pierced his lung, which subsequently filled with blood. James died slowly, choking on his own blood. He was a good man. He deserved better than that.

The Chief was summoned here by ONI after the Fall of Palaven. Something about a new mission. Eventually, the Spartan came to a door that automatically opened, allowing him to walk through. The room was the admiral's quarters alright. Plush carpet, private bar, a desk made of real oak, as well as a massive window that took up an entire wall, though the window shutter was closed at the moment. Sitting at the desk was a large man with a shaven bald head and a thick raven-black beard. He had a single scar across his right eye; a souvenir from the First Contact War. The name on his desk read Admiral Angus McCallister. He was the current head of ONI.

The Chief saluted. "Sir."

"At ease, Chief." Admiral McCallister said in a Scottish accent. "Take a seat." he added as he pointed to one of the chairs in front of him.

The Spartan walked up to the desk. "Mind if I stand sir?"

McCallister chuckled at that. "I suppose not, in retrospect." Indeed, if Chief took a seat, he'd probably break the chair. "You're probably wondering why you're here."

"Yes sir." Chief replied.

"Well then, I won't beat around the bush." McCallister began. "For several years now, ONI Section Three has been secretly working on a new model of stealth frigate. I can't give you all the details; classified, you understand. But all you need to know is that it is capable of being completely invisible to ship sensors for up to several hours, making it a deadly reconnaissance weapon if used correctly."

The Admiral paused. "Two weeks ago, it was stolen."

"By who?" Master Chief asked.

"This Turian." McCallister said as he handed the Chief a datapad. Chief took the datapad and looked at the photo. It was a barefaced Turian with no tattoos, as well as elongated 'horns' extending back from the sides of his skull. "Saren Arterius. He and a small group of other Turians, plus some Salarians and Asari, broke into one of our compounds and stole the stealth frigate from dry dock."

"Hierarchy Blackwatch?" Chief asked.

"You wish." McCallister replied with a chuckle. "Spectre. One of the Council's personal lap dogs, and one of the best ones they've got. Your mission will be track him down."

The Chief was taken aback. "Track him down, sir?"

"We can't have a Council Spectre flying up and down the galaxy with a sophisticated prototype stealth frigate." McCallister stated. "He could be in UNSC territory right bloody now, and we'd never know it."

"With all due respect sir, how am I supposed to track down someone like that?" Chief asked.

McCallister smiled an evil smile. "Saren isn't the only one with a fancy ship." McCallister then got up from his desk and walked over to the window. He pressed the button to open the shutters. Chief walked up to the window and saw something floating in space.

It was massive. Five kilometers from bow to stern. It was black as night in color, though the Spartan could just make out some red lights along its surface. Most odd of all, its shape reminded the Chief of a squid or cuttlefish. It was being tended to by smaller UNSC research and maintenance ships that looked like cleaner fish before it. "What is it?" Chief asked.

"A ship." the admiral plainly answered.

"Another prototype from Section Three?" Chief asked.

"Nope. Prothean artifact. It's in pretty damn good shape for being over fifty thousand years, but I suppose the vacuum of space probably helped with that. Section One found it floating around near the Perseus Veil and brought it here for study. From what we can tell, it's a warship." McCallister explained. He turned to the Chief. "She's yours now, Chief."

"Mine?" Chief asked.

"The Sovereign is intimidatingly large and overwhelmingly powerful. Perfect ship for a Spartan." McCallister said.

"Sir, I don't know if I can be a ship captain." Chief said. "I'm just a Master Chief."

"Not anymore." Admiral McCallister said. "On behalf of the United Nations Space Command, I hereby promote you to Commander. You are now the acting commanding officer of the Sovereign and all her crew. Are we clear on that?"

"…Yes sir." Chief replied.

"Good." the admiral said. "And don't worry. Humanity has seen you adapt to various circumstances before, and you came through for us every time. This time will be no different." He turned and began to walk out of the office. "Be in the hangar in thirty minutes. The engineers will give you a tour of your new ship and show you all the bells and whistles." With that, McCallister left.

Chief looked back out the window to the odd ship….his ship, he realized.

…This was good. This was good that he was going to be the commander of this ship. The Sovereign was going to serve the Chief well. Not only will it help him track down Saren Arterius, but it will also lead Humanity to victory.

Chief wasn't sure why he felt that. Just a good feeling, he supposed.

…..

And there you have it, folks! The Last Spartan; finally perfected! And this is just the beginning! I look forward to writing about the Master Chief's adventures as he travels the galaxy on board the Sovereign. Great things are on the horizon, I think.

I apologize if my grammar and spelling aren't up to par here. I didn't have time to proofread like I usually do, as I had a tight deadline to meet. Thankfully, I was able to post this exactly when I was supposed to post it :)