A short story set after Halo 4.

[Lacuna Paradox]

Hey everybody. This is my first time posting on the forums. I'm new. I've written a short story set in the Halo universe after the events of Halo 4 and from the perspective of Kelly, Spartan-087. I decided to sign up and post it here to get some fan feedback. So, without further ado, enjoy the story guys and let me know what you all think.

 

A Stroke of Luck

 

 

She couldn’t believe it. After four years being designated as missing in action, the Master Chief had been found. Found by the UNSC Infinity on its encounter with Requiem. Adding yet another commendation to his already incredibly impressive career, and being ever so typical, John had saved the human race. Again. He had disobeyed direct orders to pursue the Didact and his actions virtually single-handedly protected the population of Earth from a fate worse than death. Now, he was stationed aboard Infinity. She was going to see him. She, Fred and Linda had jumped as soon as they heard the news. None of them had seen John in nearly six years, and he could do with being reunited with his squad and friends. Kelly had also heard of the loss of Cortana. That must’ve hurt like hell. Cortana and the Chief had served together since the Fall of Reach. She was, at times, the only companion Chief had. Quite possibly the only thing keeping him sane. Kelly regretted that she would never get to tell her that she appreciated her looking after John. A rap echoed throughout her helmet and she turned to see Fred standing with his helmet tucked under his right arm. “We’ll rendezvous with Infinity in five hours. You should use that time to get some sleep.” He said. He was right. Since finding out John was alive, Kelly hadn’t been able to sleep well. “I think I’ll take you up on that thought.” She replied. “You should.” He agreed. “I’ll wake you when we get there, I promise.” His voice sounding slightly muffled as he pulled his helmet on. He turned about and left, throwing a half-wave at Kelly over his shoulder as the door slid shut behind him. She lay back on the bed, and fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

 

Jolting upright, Kelly glanced over at the door as it opened and revealed Fred standing behind it. “Okay, that’s still creepy the way you do that…” He muttered. “I was just coming to wake you. We’re docking with Infinity now.” “I told you before, I don’t do it on purpose. You wake when you wake.” She shrugged. “Right. Well, follow me. Linda’s already waiting in the hanger bay.” He called out as he started walking down the corridor. Kelly caught up then strode past him, in her peripheral vision, she saw him shaking his head and allowed herself a smirk. It was fun being the fastest Spartan. They reached the hanger and Linda was sitting on a crate, legs crossed, looking as calm as ever. “Well, look what the Spartan dragged in. Another still sleepy Spartan. You get any sleep yet, Kelly?” Linda’s faceplate depolarized showing her smiling face. Everyone was in good spirits after the news about John. “Yes, actually. A whole five hours.” Kelly told her. “Wow. Slacker.” Linda grinned. “Officer on deck!” Fred exclaimed, saluting. Kelly and Linda followed suit. “Captain Lasky, sir. Pleasure to meet you.” Fred said. “At ease, Spartans.” Lasky smiled. “The pleasure’s all mine.” He said, taking each of their hands in turn. “If you want to follow me, I’ll have transport arranged and show you to the Master Chief’s quarters.” The Spartans shared a look. “I get it. You’re Spartans. Transport is humiliating for three walking tanks. Well, I am not a Spartan, and I would very much like some transport. It’s a big ship.” You couldn’t not help but like Lasky. He was a good CO. Friendly with everyone. Kelly took an immediate shine to him, and by the body language of Fred and Linda, she could tell they approved too.

 

After fifteen minutes or so, they arrived at John’s quarters. Lasky keyed the intercom. “Chief?” The response was immediate. “Captain Lasky. What is it, sir?” “Visitors, Chief.” There was silence on the other end. Kelly knew John was weighing up who it could be. Then, “Thank you, sir. Send them in.” He sounded braced. As if he was expecting the visitors to be a pack of ****** off Jiralhanae. Lasky gave a nod to the Spartans and said, “I’ll leave you to it then. It was nice meeting you all.” “Appreciate it, sir. You too.” Fred replied. The door slipped apart and Kelly was surprised to see him sitting there, minus his MJOLNIR. He had always been the most comfortable in his armor. Every Spartan loved their armor, but John was almost never seen without his. “John. It’s been too long.” Fred took his helmet off with his left hand and extended his right. “Fred. Likewise, Lieutenant.” Fred grimaced. “You heard about that? You’re not allowed to call me ‘sir’. It would just be too damn weird, Chief.” “I’ll keep that in mind.” John turned to Linda who did the traditional Spartan smile, swiping two fingers across her faceplate. “Good to see you, Chief.” Kelly took her helmet off as Linda reached over and patted Johns shoulder. She caught him quickly look over at her, then turn his attention back to Linda. “Linda, how have you been? Looking after everyone in my absence?” She smiled. “Of course, Chief.” Finally, he turned to Kelly. She did something she’d never done before. She hugged him. To her surprise, he hugged her back. “I missed you, John.” She whispered. “I missed you too, Kelly.” He replied. Then, in a manner more befitting her usual self, she punched his arm. “That’s for making everyone think you were dead, dummy.” She grinned. “I get lost in space for four years with no means of contacting anyone, and I’M at fault.” Everyone laughed at that. “I’m going to hit the gym. You Spartans take some well-deserved R&R on Infinity. That’s an order.” Master Chief told them. “Understood, Chief.” Fred shook his hand once again, and turned to leave with Linda in tow. Kelly hesitated. “That includes you, Kelly.” She rolled her eyes at him, then said, “Aye aye, Chief.” And followed Fred and Linda out of the room.

 

After a quick meal in the Canteen, and having her MJOLNIR removed, Kelly went in search of John and found him still in the gym. “Do you ever switch off?” She asked questioningly. “On occasion.” He responded without looking around. “How about now? Fancy trying to switch off now?” She inquired. John set down the weight he’d been lifting and turned to face her. His piercing blue eyes focused directly on hers. He ran a hand through his short, brown hair. “I’m sorry about Cortana, John.” Kelly put her hand on his face. “I miss her, Kelly.” He patted her hand. “I know you do. I’m here.” He moved away from her and over to the huge window. She followed. “Do you remember what you said to me at Jericho VII?” He asked her. “It’s a shame to leave this place… there are so few left...” She replied. “And I told you there would be other places to fight for.” As she leaned her head against his shoulder she felt her mind at ease for the first time since the mission to Onyx. “Where are we fighting for now, John?”

[Rue]

Okay, first of all, welcome to the forum!!! I'm still what some users may consider "new", so I know the feeling :3

 

Nooooow~

I really do like this story!!! You have some clever things in it, and not a lot of grammatical errors. I hope you keep writing, I'm interested to see how it pans out.

[Lacuna Paradox]

Hey, thank you very much! I really appreciate that. I will definitely continue to write, and hopefully continue to gather support, such as yourself. Of course, i'm also open to criticism. Any feedback is always welcome. Thanks again! 

[Caboose The Ace]

Good story it has really good potential, keep going.

Edited April 3, 2014 by Caboose the Ace

[Lacuna Paradox]

Thanks Caboose. I will totally keep it up. I really appreciate getting feedback on this from other fans. Depending on what people think, I will either write a follow up to this, or something else. Considering how we don't exactly know where the plot of Halo 5 is going, I figured this short story would nicely tie blue team into the mix.

[Caboose The Ace]

Maybe instead of Kelly, Fred and Linda finding Chief in his quarters maybe find him in the gym aggressively punching a punching bag for his failure to protect Cortana or something like that.

[Lacuna Paradox]

That's a very interesting idea. Are we talking him aggressively "Captain America"ing the punch bag? (If you haven't seen it, there is a scene where Captain America is hitting a punch bag and with his last punch, it goes flying off the bracket.)

[Rue]

I haven't seen that but I'll look into it :3

 

Oh and I like unicorns

[Lacuna Paradox]

You should. It's a good scene.

 

Hmm. Master Chief riding off into the sunset on a unicorn? Somehow, I'm just not sure I can fit that into the Halo Lore. xD

 

HOWEVER, I may manage to get a nod to unicorns in there somewhere. Just for you. Wait and see.

 

Also, as soon as maybe more people see this, or depending on the general consensus, I'll get to work on my next short story. I'll leave it up to everyone else if they want it to be a follow up to this, or just another short story set in the Haloverse. I'm already playing around with a few ideas.

[Is not JL]

Personally, I think better paragraphing might be in order, and also that there might be a bit too many short sentences and a slight abundance of complex sentences.

 

I have to say, I cringed a little bit when I saw the touchy-feely between John and Kelly. It felt a bit out of character for them.

 

Otherwise, it was a nice little short story, despite slightly destroying canon with the fact that Chief's survival was kept top secret.

 

KUTNW.

[Lacuna Paradox]

Thanks for the constructive criticism Exia. Like I said, all feedback is welcome. In response to your comments, I will definitely take everything you said on board. It's pretty much my first attempt, so I will only continue to get better with time. 

 

In regards to the touchy-feelyness between John and Kelly, that sort of feedback is especially helpful. I was questioning it myself. I will defend my decision in the sense that I interpreted that there seems to be something between them in the books, but that is my personal take on it, so I will never overstep my bounds in that respect. I would never have them hook up or anything, but I feel like there is an affection between them.

 

I'm glad you liked it, and I decided that blue team would be let in on Chief's survival. Ultimately though, you are correct. This is purely based on how little we know of Halo 5. I would like to see blue team be implemented. Thanks again.

[D-38 Boss]

It seems like you made John a little TOO human in his mannerism.

 

While 4 did show him in a little more vulnerable state, at his base, he's still not overtly emotional.

 

Besides the issues of characterization, this is very well written.

[Is not JL]

[quote name="Lacuna Paradox" post="309989" timestamp="1396633780

 

I'm glad you liked it, and I decided that blue team would be let in on Chief's survival. Ultimately though, you are correct. This is purely based on how little we know of Halo 5. I would like to see blue team be implemented. Thanks again.

You might be in luck.

[Sniper0092]

Hey everybody. This is my first time posting on the forums. I'm new. I've written a short story set in the Halo universe after the events of Halo 4 and from the perspective of Kelly, Spartan-087. I decided to sign up and post it here to get some fan feedback. So, without further ado, enjoy the story guys and let me know what you all think.

 

A Stroke of Luck

 

 

She couldn’t believe it. After four years being designated as missing in action, the Master Chief had been found. Found by the UNSC Infinity on its encounter with Requiem. Adding yet another commendation to his already incredibly impressive career, and being ever so typical, John had saved the human race. Again. He had disobeyed direct orders to pursue the Didact and his actions virtually single-handedly protected the population of Earth from a fate worse than death. Now, he was stationed aboard Infinity. She was going to see him. She, Fred and Linda had jumped as soon as they heard the news. None of them had seen John in nearly six years, and he could do with being reunited with his squad and friends. Kelly had also heard of the loss of Cortana. That must’ve hurt like hell. Cortana and the Chief had served together since the Fall of Reach. She was, at times, the only companion Chief had. Quite possibly the only thing keeping him sane. Kelly regretted that she would never get to tell her that she appreciated her looking after John. A rap echoed throughout her helmet and she turned to see Fred standing with his helmet tucked under his right arm. “We’ll rendezvous with Infinity in five hours. You should use that time to get some sleep.” He said. He was right. Since finding out John was alive, Kelly hadn’t been able to sleep well. “I think I’ll take you up on that thought.” She replied. “You should.” He agreed. “I’ll wake you when we get there, I promise.” His voice sounding slightly muffled as he pulled his helmet on. He turned about and left, throwing a half-wave at Kelly over his shoulder as the door slid shut behind him. She lay back on the bed, and fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

 

Jolting upright, Kelly glanced over at the door as it opened and revealed Fred standing behind it. “Okay, that’s still creepy the way you do that…” He muttered. “I was just coming to wake you. We’re docking with Infinity now.” “I told you before, I don’t do it on purpose. You wake when you wake.” She shrugged. “Right. Well, follow me. Linda’s already waiting in the hanger bay.” He called out as he started walking down the corridor. Kelly caught up then strode past him, in her peripheral vision, she saw him shaking his head and allowed herself a smirk. It was fun being the fastest Spartan. They reached the hanger and Linda was sitting on a crate, legs crossed, looking as calm as ever. “Well, look what the Spartan dragged in. Another still sleepy Spartan. You get any sleep yet, Kelly?” Linda’s faceplate depolarized showing her smiling face. Everyone was in good spirits after the news about John. “Yes, actually. A whole five hours.” Kelly told her. “Wow. Slacker.” Linda grinned. “Officer on deck!” Fred exclaimed, saluting. Kelly and Linda followed suit. “Captain Lasky, sir. Pleasure to meet you.” Fred said. “At ease, Spartans.” Lasky smiled. “The pleasure’s all mine.” He said, taking each of their hands in turn. “If you want to follow me, I’ll have transport arranged and show you to the Master Chief’s quarters.” The Spartans shared a look. “I get it. You’re Spartans. Transport is humiliating for three walking tanks. Well, I am not a Spartan, and I would very much like some transport. It’s a big ship.” You couldn’t not help but like Lasky. He was a good CO. Friendly with everyone. Kelly took an immediate shine to him, and by the body language of Fred and Linda, she could tell they approved too.

 

After fifteen minutes or so, they arrived at John’s quarters. Lasky keyed the intercom. “Chief?” The response was immediate. “Captain Lasky. What is it, sir?” “Visitors, Chief.” There was silence on the other end. Kelly knew John was weighing up who it could be. Then, “Thank you, sir. Send them in.” He sounded braced. As if he was expecting the visitors to be a pack of ****** off Jiralhanae. Lasky gave a nod to the Spartans and said, “I’ll leave you to it then. It was nice meeting you all.” “Appreciate it, sir. You too.” Fred replied. The door slipped apart and Kelly was surprised to see him sitting there, minus his MJOLNIR. He had always been the most comfortable in his armor. Every Spartan loved their armor, but John was almost never seen without his. “John. It’s been too long.” Fred took his helmet off with his left hand and extended his right. “Fred. Likewise, Lieutenant.” Fred grimaced. “You heard about that? You’re not allowed to call me ‘sir’. It would just be too damn weird, Chief.” “I’ll keep that in mind.” John turned to Linda who did the traditional Spartan smile, swiping two fingers across her faceplate. “Good to see you, Chief.” Kelly took her helmet off as Linda reached over and patted Johns shoulder. She caught him quickly look over at her, then turn his attention back to Linda. “Linda, how have you been? Looking after everyone in my absence?” She smiled. “Of course, Chief.” Finally, he turned to Kelly. She did something she’d never done before. She hugged him. To her surprise, he hugged her back. “I missed you, John.” She whispered. “I missed you too, Kelly.” He replied. Then, in a manner more befitting her usual self, she punched his arm. “That’s for making everyone think you were dead, dummy.” She grinned. “I get lost in space for four years with no means of contacting anyone, and I’M at fault.” Everyone laughed at that. “I’m going to hit the gym. You Spartans take some well-deserved R&R on Infinity. That’s an order.” Master Chief told them. “Understood, Chief.” Fred shook his hand once again, and turned to leave with Linda in tow. Kelly hesitated. “That includes you, Kelly.” She rolled her eyes at him, then said, “Aye aye, Chief.” And followed Fred and Linda out of the room.

 

After a quick meal in the Canteen, and having her MJOLNIR removed, Kelly went in search of John and found him still in the gym. “Do you ever switch off?” She asked questioningly. “On occasion.” He responded without looking around. “How about now? Fancy trying to switch off now?” She inquired. John set down the weight he’d been lifting and turned to face her. His piercing blue eyes focused directly on hers. He ran a hand through his short, brown hair. “I’m sorry about Cortana, John.” Kelly put her hand on his face. “I miss her, Kelly.” He patted her hand. “I know you do. I’m here.” He moved away from her and over to the huge window. She followed. “Do you remember what you said to me at Jericho VII?” He asked her. “It’s a shame to leave this place… there are so few left...” She replied. “And I told you there would be other places to fight for.” As she leaned her head against his shoulder she felt her mind at ease for the first time since the mission to Onyx. “Where are we fighting for now, John?”

You need to space talking and descriptions. I like the reaction of the spartans, it should be in the next Halo game dammit. Why did Blue team not come in Halo 4? Also, I wrote a sci fi like Halo. It's called Raiku. I can send the link if you want.

[Lacuna Paradox]

It seems like you made John a little TOO human in his mannerism.

 

While 4 did show him in a little more vulnerable state, at his base, he's still not overtly emotional.

 

Besides the issues of characterization, this is very well written.

Agreed. Just trying to find a healthy balance of traits for the characters. Some, like the affection between John and Kelly, that's out of character. It's just my personal take on it. If I was trying to write them more in character, I would be able to. (I've played all the games and read all the books besides Mortal Dictata. Haven't gotten round to reading that yet.) So, If characters to be more like themselves is what people want, so I shall deliver. Thanks for the feedback.

 

 

 

You might be in luck.

Hopefully. I mean, 343 can't keep dropping hints for nothing. They've expressed interest in putting Blue Team in, as well as showing Linda in the scanned trailer and Fred and Kelly in Forward Unto Dawn. Why else would they do that other than to introduce more fans to the characters? Then again, people were angry that Steve Downes didn't voice Master Chief in Forward Unto Dawn even though Master Chief was only like, 15 in it. So...

 

 

You need to space talking and descriptions. I like the reaction of the spartans, it should be in the next Halo game dammit. Why did Blue team not come in Halo 4? Also, I wrote a sci fi like Halo. It's called Raiku. I can send the link if you want.

I'll work on that for my next one, thanks. Cool. I seriously love the Spartan II's, and we don't see enough of them. Jorge was cool in Reach, but I mean come on, we hadn't even heard of the guy until that game. I agree. They should've been in 4. I would put that down to time constraints, to be honest. Considering 343 had concept art for Blue Team. I guess we can only hope they'll be in 5. (I need me some Blue Team. *-*) Sure, you should link me to it. I would be really interested in reading it.

 

Lastly, what's everyone's thoughts so far? Follow up, or different story all together?

 

I'm feeling a different story altogether as sort of a fresh slate, but what do you guys think?

[Is not JL]

Hopefully. I mean, 343 can't keep dropping hints for nothing. They've expressed interest in putting Blue Team in, as well as showing Linda in the scanned trailer and Fred and Kelly in Forward Unto Dawn. Why else would they do that other than to introduce more fans to the characters? Then again, people were angry that Steve Downes didn't voice Master Chief in Forward Unto Dawn even though Master Chief was only like, 15 in it. So...

 

 

 

 

I'm feeling a different story altogether as sort of a fresh slate, but what do you guys think?

new story. This is, after all, a short story, and there's not really much of a continuation to this unless you decide to let Kelly and Chief had babies together

[Sniper0092]

 

 

 

 

new story. This is, after all, a short story, and there's not really much of a continuation to this unless you decide to let Kelly and Chief had babies together

The actress could voice act in H5, or star in the series.