Halo: Ghost of the Spartans

1600 Hours, September 25, 2517

Epsilon Eridani System, Reach Military Complex, Planet Reach

Dinner was some of the best food that I have tasted in my entire life. The turkey was fatty and rich, the juicy meat cooked to perfection, the corn on the cob was drenched in butter with the perfect roast, and the mashed potatoes and gravy to top off the perfect dinner. But the real treat was the brownie with chocolate melted in the middle and some vanilla ice cream that I scooped on top of the brownie to make it the perfect meal.

I had to hand it to the people running the program as they did not skimp out on food. I was finally full I sat back and let out a relieved sigh, that the team I was put with went along with my plan and worked together. Cal and Daisy both held their stomachs and groaned and mumbled about how their tummy hurts. Kelly was looking a little off put and slightly guilty towards her original team of John, Linda, and Sam. 

I stood up and grabbed another tray of food and shoving a multitude of foods on it. Then I briskly strode across the cafeteria and towards John, Sam, and Linda. For a moment they didn't notice me, but then looked stunned when they saw me headed towards them with a tray of food. Their mouths watered and you could see the hunger in their eyes, as I set the tray of food on their table in front of them. 

A heavily muscled trainer saw what I was doing and attempted to stop me before I set the tray down and took a swing at me with the the shock baton towards my face. But he didn't know that I had 360 degree vision and bent backwards 90 degrees to avoid the hit. I then shot back up and proceeded to deliver a swift straight kick to his jaw that sent him flying back towards the tables with food on them. Other trainers then proceeded to light up their shock batons and head towards me when "That is enough!" screamed Chief Mendez. They all went stiff, spun towards Chief Mendez, saluted and went back to their stations.

Chief Mendez then proceeded to head towards me from across the hall at a painstakingly slow pace. By this point all chatter had stopped and all heads were turned our way and watching the show. Mendez' dark eyes stared down at me as he stopped just in front of me, "001," Mendez declared. "Why have you brought food to the losers of our little game? They were strictly ordered not to be given food for the evening, because they lost."

He expected me to turn and run away but I stood my ground, looked up at Mendez, "Sir. You said it yourself. We don't win unless our team wins. Three people going hungry at the expense of us...they're members of our team. Besides sir, you said that you wouldn't be giving them any food ... not that we couldn't give them any food."

For a moment I thought Mendez was going to hit me, but then a small smile graced his face, "That is correct Trainee. I am glad that you have taken my words to heart and understood my lesson." He then glanced around the hall at the other Trainees and shook his head and crouched down to eye level with me, "Very well," he said suddenly straightening up and returning to his prodigious height. "I will allow you to feed them 001. This will be the only time I will do so. Next time when I say the losers go hungry they will go hungry." I gulped and nodded at his words.

I had been extremely lucky here as I got away with not only kicking a Trainer in the face across the cafeteria. But also lucky that Mendez had a soft side and that he didn't punish me for insubordination.

"Carry on Recruit." Mendez said, swiftly turning around and gesturing for the handler to follow him. When they were far enough away, I turned slowly with a smile forming, "So... who's hungry?" I asked looking at John, Linda, and Sam. I burst out laughing after seeing their faces look like little puppy dogs.

(Dr. Catherine Halsey POV)

As the weeks turned into months and month to years, she began to see significant changes in each participant. They were growing stronger, faster, and smarter. Their camaraderie was also growing stronger by the day; they were acting like a unit, helping each other through the grueling exercises and training simulations she set up for them.

At night, Halsey would review each child's progress and make notes for adjustments in their training. They had the kids focus not just on physical strength but mental agility and resilience, tactical knowledge, and teamwork.

In the Trainees downtime, the children were encouraged to bond with one another. There was some natural resistance at first - they were just kids after all, taken from their homes and plunged into an intense military program. However, over time, they grew closer. They formed friendships forged in shared hardship and mutual trust. John became something of a de facto leader among them - his quiet strength inspiring others. Indra had become the chameleon of the Trainees - fitting in to whatever team he was told to join for the day. But none more so than with Blue Team: John-117, Sam-034, Kelly-087, Fred-104, and Linda-058. To Halsey John and Indra will be key to the future and will achieve much when they enter the battlefield.

I pulled up an older security video of inside the barracks with Indra speaking to the rest of the Trainees: "Remember, we are not just soldiers. We are the defenders of humanity. Each of us has a purpose that extends beyond the battlefield. Our strength lies not only in our ability to fight but also in our capacity to comprehend and empathize with those we strive to defend." These were not easy concepts for the young trainees who had been rigorously drilled into believing they were merely weapons forged for war.

During the day, they trained hard - learning new combat techniques, studying military strategy, honing their physique to peak perfection. But in the evening, Indra would gather them all around to sit around a fire and weave stories about the legendary figures that hailed from long ago, when battles were fought with swords and bows instead of guns and bombs. However, their stories still hold significance and can influence our thoughts and actions even in modern times. 

This dichotomy - this contrast between being a weapon and being human - was something many took time to understand. There were moments of pushback and confusion, but Indra would ask assistance from Chief Mendez for backup as he slowly started to shape the other Trainees into something more than just mere machines of war. 

I had decided to tutor Indra myself as his ability to memorize and copy anything that he sees is immensely helpful and will go a long way in his learning journey. He asked me to teach him medical as he didn't think that any of the Trainees had chosen to learn past the basic first aid that was mandatory. I had agreed on the basis that he doesn't get distracted from his other duties. 

1300 Hours, July 09, 2519

Epsilon Eridani System, Reach Military Complex, Planet Reach

"It ain't looking good Daisy,"

"Yeah.....I wonder whose idea it was to give Jorge the machine gun on the other team,"

"I've absolutely no clue but whoever it was is a dick."

Daisy let out a small giggle from the trench we both sat in. Currently, we had lost both Jerome and Douglas when they were ambushed by Black Team, who had constructed a makeshift pill box with their prep time. Even now Jorge continued firing the red paintballs marking the entire back of the trench with maroon blotches wherever he aimed.

'War Games'

A newer training exercise Chief Mendez had implemented a month or two ago. The basic idea is that there would be two teams, sometimes it would be one team attacking, and the other defending, sometimes both teams would attack, or capture the flag. Today's war game, Red Team (us) attacking while Black Team would defend with prep time. Our goal was to have at lease one team member put their hands on the replica tactical nuke in the defending team's base.

"Time is running down," I said looking over at the digital clock that read only 7 minutes remaining, "Alright Daisy we got to make our move otherwise they will just keep stalling," Daisy nodded in agreement.

I pulled up my paint gun, a BR55 replica, "I think i saw a makeshift cliff on the right. Do you know of any straight shots into enemy territory and close to the objective? I think I can see a drainage pipe but I will not fit."

"Yes I think there is a drainage pipe just big enough for me to crawl through right there." Daisy replied. 

"Alright well this sucks, from our current situation we can assume that there is at least on person next to Jorge will he continues his suppressive fire. They most likely have someone watching the pipe, and possibly another for checking what side of the trench we attempt to maneuver past them. Alright I have an idea that they shouldn't have thought about....I need you to lay down cover fire for me as I double back through the ambush site that got Jerome and Douglas and head straight for the objective. I just need you to hold them here from this position for the next two - three minutes, take my BR55 and give me your M6G pistol."

"Sounds like a plan," She said with a determined expression before grabbing my BR55 and proceed to lay down some suppressive fire while I started sprinting back, "Good Luck!" and with that she resumed her selective fire to make sure that no one was able to notice me slipping away.

After running the back through the trench away from the objective and closer to the ambush site, I exited the trench and into the woods where Jerome and Douglas were taken out. As I passed through the area in a full sprint, I noticed that I could still hear Daisy laying down fire for me as a distraction. I slipped around from where Jorge was and could see the objective within 100ft but noticed that it was guarded by two people and not just one. 

Margaret-053 and Otto-031 from the looks of them. I proceeded to maintain my silent sprint toward where they were guarding the objective and saw that the clock not only had 5 minutes left. As I was out in the open and sprinting, Margaret and Otto noticed, but they noticed too late as I was already within 20ft of them. I proceeded to lift my M6G and fired with pinpoint accuracy as Otto was struck dead center of his forehead and two in his body. Margaret snapping out of it draws her MA5B and shoots with one skimming my shoulder. I then fire back with two quick shots but she dives and rolls out of the way but she made a mistake, as I never stopped running towards her. As I neared her she tried to whip her gun around toward me but I predicted it and kicked the gun out of her hands and put two shots in her torso.

As she was now down and no one else is defending the objective I walked over and completed the objective. "War Game simulation Complete," I heard a robotic woman's voice say, "Winner: Red Team, by method of taking the objective."

0630 Hours, July 12, 2519

Epsilon Eridani System, Reach Military Wilderness Training Preserve, Planet Reach

Indra held on tight as the dropship accelerated up and over a jagged snowcapped mountain range. The sun peeked over the horizon and washed the white snow with pinks and oranges. The other Trainees had their faces pressed to the windows and watched. 

John and Sam sat next to me and looked outside. "Nice place for a snowball fight."

"You'll lose," Kelly said as she leaned over John's shoulder to get a better look at the terrain. "I'm a dead aim with snowballs." She scratched the stubble of her shorn hair.

"Dead is right," John muttered. "Especially when you load them with rocks." Indra added.

Chief Mendez stepped from the cockpit into the passenger compartment. The trainees stood and snapped to attention. "At ease, and sit down." The silver at Mendez's temples had grown to a band across the side of his closely shaved hair, but if anything he had gotten stronger and tougher since Indra laid eyes on him two years ago.

"Today's mission will be simple for a change." Mendez's voice easily penetrates the roar of the dropship's engines. He handed a stack of papers to Kelly. "Pass these out, recruit."

"Sir!" She saluted smartly and handed over one paper to each of the seventy six children in the squad. 

"These are portions of maps of the local region. You will be set down by yourselves. You will then navigate to a marked extraction point and we will pick you up there."

As they all turned their pieces of the map over, they realized that it was just a portion of a much larger map. Someone on their piece had the extraction zone and they would need to gather all of the pieces to find out how to proceed.

"One more thing," Mendez said. "The last trainee to make it to the extraction point will be left behind." He glanced out the window. "And it's a very long walk back."

Indra turned to John and both silently communicated that they didn't want anyone to get left behind and that they would find a way to get everyone back.

"First drop in one minute," Mendez barked. "Trainee 001, you're up first,"

"Sir! Yes, Sir!" Indra replied.

Indra glanced out the window and scanned the terrain one last time, he noticed there was a ring of jagged mountains, a valley thick with cedars, and a ribbon of silver-a river that fed into a lake. He nudged John, pointed to the river, then jerked his thumb toward the lake.

John nodded, then pulled Sam who then pulled Kelly aside and pointed out the window. Kelly and Sam moved quickly down the line of seated trainees. The ship decelerated. Indra felt his stomach rise as they dropped toward the ground.

"Trainee 001: front and center." Mendez stepped to the rear of the compartment as the ship's tail split and a ramp extended. Cold air blasted into the ship. He patted Indra on the shoulder. "Watch out for wolves in the forest, 001."

"Yes, sir!" Indra looks over his shoulder at the others. All the trainees give an almost imperceptible nod. 'Good everyone got the message.'

He ran down the ramp and into the forest. The dropship's engines roared to life and it rose high into the cloudless sky. He zipped up his jacket. He wore only fatigues, boots, and a heavy parka-not exactly the gear you want to pack for an extended stay in the wilderness. 

Indra started toward one particularly sharp peak he had spotted from the air; the river lay in that direction. He'd follow it downstream and meet the others at the lake.

He marched through the woods until he heard the gurgling of a stream. He got close enough to see the direction of the flow, then headed back into the forest. Mendez's exercises often had a twist to them—stun mines on the obstacle course, snipers with paint pellet guns during parade drills. And with the Chief up in that dropship, Indra wasn't about to reveal his position unless he had a good reason.

He passed a blueberry bush and took the time to strip it before he moved on. This was the first time in months he had been alone and could just think. He popped a handful of berries into his mouth and chewed. He thought about the place that had been his home, his orphan brothers and sisters. . . but more and more that seemed like a dream. Indra knew it wasn't, and that he had once had a different life. But this was the life he wanted. He was a soldier. He had an important job to train for. Mendez said they were the Navy's best and brightest. That they were the only hope for peace. He liked that.

Before, he never knew what he would be when he grew up. He never really thought about anything—nothing had been a challenge.

Now every day was a challenge and a new adventure.

Indra knew more things, thanks to Deja and Dr. Halsey, than he ever thought he could have learned at his old school: algebra and trigonometry, medicine, the history of a hundred battles and kings. He could string a trip line, fire a rifle, and treat more than just a chest wound. Mendez had shown him how to be strong . . . not only with his body, but strong with his head, too.

He had a family here: Kelly, Sam, John, Daisy, and all the others in the program.

The thought of his squadmates brought him back to Mendez's mission—one of them was going to be left behind. There had to be a way to get them all home. Indra and John had decided they weren't going to leave if he couldn't figure it out. He arrived at the edge of the lake, stood, and listened.

Indra heard an owls hooting in the distance. He marched toward the sound. "Hey, owl," he said when he was close. Sam and John stepped out from behind a tree and grinned. "That's 'Chief Owl' to you, trainee."

They walked around the circumference of the lake, gathering the rest of the children in the squad. Indra counted them to make sure: seventy-five.

"Let's get the map pieces together," Kelly suggested. "Good idea," John said. "Sam, take three and scout the area. I don't want any of the Chief's surprises sneaking up on us."

"Right." Sam picked Fhajad, James, and Linda, and then the four of them took off into the brush.

Kelly collected the map pieces and settled in the shade of an ancient cedar tree. "Some of these don't belong, and some are copies," she said, and she laid them out. "Yes, here's an edge. Got it—this is the lake, the river, and here . . ." She pointed to a distant patch of green. "That's got to be the extraction point." She shook her head and frowned. "If the legend on this map is right, it's a full day's hike, though. We better get started."

John whistled and a moment later Sam and his scouts returned. "Let's move out," John said. No one argued. They fell into line behind Kelly as she navigated. Sam and Indra blazed the trail ahead. Indra had the best eyes and Sam had the best ears.

After several miles of marching, Sam dropped back. He whispered to John, "This is too easy. It's not like any of the Chief's normal field exercises."

John nodded. "I've been thinking that, too. Just keep your eyes and ears sharp." They stopped at noon to stretch and eat berries they had gathered along the trail. Fhajad spoke up. "I want to know one thing," he said. He paused to wipe the sweat off his dark skin. "We're going to get to the extraction point at the same time. So who's getting left behind? We should decide now."

"Draw straws," someone suggested.

"No," John said, and stood. "No one's being left behind. We're going to figure a way to get all of us out."

"How?" Kelly asked, scratching her head. "Mendez said—"

"I know what he said. But there's got to be a way—I just haven't thought of one yet. Even if it has to be me that stays behind—I'll make sure everyone gets back to the base." John started marching again. "Come on, we're wasting time." The others fell in behind him. The shadows of the trees lengthened and melted together and the sun turned the edge of the sky red. Kelly halted and motioned for everyone else to stop.

"We're almost there," she whispered.

"Me and Indra will scout it out," John said. "Everyone fall out . . . and keep quiet."

The rest of the children silently followed his orders.

John and Indra crept through the underbrush and then hunkered down at the edge of a meadow. The dropship sat in the center of the grassy field; her floodlights illuminated everything for thirty meters. Six men sat on the open launch ramp, smoking cigarettes and passing a canteen between themselves.

Indra motioned to drop back. "You recognize them?" he whispered.

"No. You?" Indra shook his head. "They're not in uniform. They don't look like any soldiers I've ever seen. Maybe they're rebels. Maybe they stole the dropship."

"No way," John said. "But one thing's for sure: I don't think we can just walk up there and get a free ride back to the base. Let's go back." They crept back into the woods and then explained the situation to the others.

"What do you want to do?" Kelly asked him. John wondered why she thought he had an answer. He looked around and saw everyone was watching him, waiting for him to speak. He shifted on his feet. He had to say something.

"Okay . . . we don't know who these men are or what they'll do when they "see us. So we find out." The children nodded, seeming to think this was the right thing to do.

"Here's how," John told them. "First, I'll need a rabbit." "That's me," Kelly said, and sprang to her feet. "I'm the fastest."

"Good," John said. "You go to the edge of the meadow—and then let them see you. I'll go along and hide nearby and watch. In case anything happens to you, I'll report back to the others." She nodded. "Then you lure a few back here. Run right past this spot. Sam, you'll be out in the open, pretending like you've broken your leg."

"Gotcha," Sam said. He walked over to Fhajad and had him scrape his shin with his boot. Blood welled from the wound. "The rest of you," John said, "wait in the woods in a big circle. If they try to do anything but help Sam . . ." John made a fist with his right hand and slammed it into his open palm.

Remember the moose and the wolves?" They all nodded and grinned. They had seen that lesson many times in Deja's classroom. "Get some rocks," John told them.

Kelly stripped off her parka, stretched her legs and knees. "Okay," she said, "let's do this."

Sam laid down, clutching his leg. "Oooh—it hurts, help me."

"Don't overdo it," John said, and kicked some dirt on him. "Or they'll know it's a setup." John and Kelly then crept toward the meadow and halted a few meters from the edge. He whispered to her, "If you want me to be the rabbit . . ."

She slugged him in the shoulder—hard. "You think I can't do my part?"

"I take it back," he said, rubbing his shoulder. John moved off ten meters to her flank, took cover, and watched. Kelly emerged at the edge of the meadow, stepping into the illumination from the dropship's floodlights.

"Hey!" she said, and waved her arms over her head. "Over here. You got any food? I'm starving." The men slowly stood and pulled out stun batons. "There's one,"

John heard them whisper. "I'll get her. The rest of you stay here and wait for the others."

The man cautiously approached Kelly, a stun baton held behind his back so she couldn't see it. She stayed put and waited for him to get closer.

"Hang on a sec," she said. "I dropped my jacket back there. I'll be right back." She turned and ran. The man leaped after her, but she had already vanished into the shadows.

"Stop!" "This will be too easy," one of the other men said. "Kids won't know what hit them." Another remarked, "Fish in a barrel."

John had heard enough. He ran after Kelly, but realized that neither he nor the other man had a chance to catch her. He halted when he got close to where Sam lay. The man stopped. He looked around, his eyes not quite adjusted to the dark, then spotted Sam on the ground holding his bloody leg.

"Please, help me," Sam whimpered. "It's broken." "I got your broken leg right here, kid." The man raised his baton. John picked up a rock. He threw it, but missed. The man spun around. "Who's there?" But all the man saw when he spun around was a blurry figure using a fallen tree as a ramp to jump off of when he was kicked in the jaw suddenly knocking the man to his knees. 

Sam then rolled to his feet and darted away. There was a rustling in the forest, then a hail of stones whistled through the trees, pelting the man. Kelly appeared and side-armed a rock as hard as she could—and hit the man dead center in the forehead.

He toppled and slammed into the ground. The other children moved in.

"What do we do with him?" Sam asked. "It's just an exercise, right?" Fhajad said. "He has to be with Mendez."

John rolled the man over. A trickle of blood snaked from his head into his eye socket.

"You heard him," John whispered. "You saw what he was going to do to Sam. Mendez or our trainers would never do that to us. Ever. He's got no uniform. No insignias. He's not one of us." John kicked the man in the face and then the ribs. The man reflexively curled into a ball. "Get his baton." Sam grabbed the weapon. He kicked him, too.

"Now we go back and get the others," John told them. "Kelly, you be the rabbit again. Just get them to the edge of the clearing. Duck out, and let us do the rest."

She nodded and started back to the meadow. The rest of the squad fanned out, collecting rocks along the way. After a minute Kelly stepped onto the grassy field and shouted, "That guy fell and hit his head. Over here!" The five remaining men stood and ran toward her. "When they were close enough, John whistled. The air suddenly swarmed with stones. The men held up their hands and tried to protect themselves.

They dropped and covered their heads. John whistled again and seventy-five children charged screaming toward the bewildered men. The men got up to defend themselves. They looked stunned—like they couldn't believe what they were seeing. Indra rushed ahead of everyone and did jumping kick off of one man's face and while he was coming down proceeded to do a split kick into the other two's face knocking over all three men.

Sam smashed his baton over a man's head. Fhajad was hit squarely in the face by one man's fist, and he fell. The men were overwhelmed by a wave of flesh, beaten to the ground with fists and stones and boots until they no longer moved.

John stood over their bleeding bodies. He was mad. They would have hurt him and his squad. He wanted to kick in their skulls. He took a deep breath and then exhaled. He had better things to do and bigger problems to figure out—anger would have to wait.

"Want to call Mendez now?" Sam asked as he pulled Fhajad shakily to his feet.

"Not yet," John told him. He marched onto the dropship. No one else was on board.

John accessed the COM system and opened the mail link. He linked up with Deja. Her face appeared, a scratchy hologram hovering over the terminal.

"Good evening, Trainee 117," she said. "Do you have a homework question?"

"Kind of," he replied. "One of CPO Mendez's assignments." 

"Ah." After a moment's pause she said, "Very well."

"I'm in an Albatross dropship. There's no pilot, but I need to get home. Teach me to fly it, please." Deja shook her head. "You are not rated to fly that craft, trainee. But I can help. Do you see the winged icon in the corner of your screen? Tap it three times."

John tapped it and a hundred icons and displays filled the screen.

"Touch the green arrows at nine o'clock twice," she told him. He did and then the words autopilot activated flashed on-screen. "I have control now," Déjà said. "I will get you home."

"Hang on a second," John said and ran outside. "Everyone onboard—double time!"

The children ran onto the ship. Kelly paused and asked, "Who's getting left behind?"

"No one," John said. "Just get in." He made sure he was the last on the ship, then said, "Okay, Déjà, get us out of here." The dropship's jets roared to life and it rose into the sky.

Indra and John stood at attention in Chief Petty Officer Mendez's office. They had never been in here. No one had. A trickle of sweat dripped down their backs. The dark wood paneling and the smell of cigar smoke made them feel claustrophobic. Mendez glowered at John and Indra as he read the report on his clipboard.

The door opened and Dr. Halsey walked in. Mendez stood, gave her a curt nod and then sat back in his padded chair.

"Hello, John, Hello, 001" Dr. Halsey said. She sat across from Mendez, crossed her legs, and then adjusted her gray skirt. "Dr. Halsey," John and Indra replied instantly. They saluted.

'None of the other grown-ups called him by his first name, ever. He didn't understand why she did.' John thought.

"Trainees 001 and 117," Mendez snapped. "Tell me again why you stole UNSC property . . . and why you attacked the men I had assigned to guard it."

John wanted to explain that he was just doing what had to be done. That he was sorry. That he would do anything to make it up. But John knew the Chief hated whiners, almost as much as he hated excuses.

"Sir," Indra said. "The guards were out of uniform. No insignia. They failed to identify themselves, sir!"

"Hmm," Mendez mused over the report again. "So it seems. And the ship?"

"I took my squad home, sir. I was the last onboard—so if anyone should have been left—" John stated.

"I didn't ask for a passenger list, Crewman." His voice softened to a growl and he turned to Dr. Halsey. "What are we going to do with these two?"

"Do?" She pushed her glasses higher on her nose and examined John. "I think that's obvious, Chief. Make him a Squad Leader," and her eyes moved to Indra. "I say that we give him some extra fight training to earn more experience."

"Thank you, sir and ma'am." John spoke with uncertainty but had a look of elation at her words. He shook Mendez's hand while Indra had a look of contemplation. "Thank you, sir and ma'am for the opportunity to better my fighting ability." Indra spoke after thinking it was a fair deal, after all he didn't plan much of the fight anyway just took part. 

"Very well I expect great things from both of you," Catherine said to which Mendez nodded in agreement. Indra then shook both of their hands before returning to his place beside John. 

"What is the highest rank one can attain, sir?" John, who had been silent decided to ask before he was dismissed. 

"The highest rank one can attain as an enlisted individual is Master Chief Petty Officer." Mendez said informatively.

"Then I will get that." John said with a fierce look of determination in his eye.

"See to it that you do succeed." Mendez said, nodding at John's commitment. "But the both of you be prepared." Mendez said, with a stern voice. "The next mission will not be so easy. There will be casualties, so prepare yourselves for that eventuality." He said with a grimace.