0600 Hours, May 01, 2525
UNSC Carrier Atlas en route to the Epsilon Eridani system
As I jolted awake from my bed, I found Chief Mendez inside my room, immediately getting up from the bed and saluted.
"At ease, 001." Mendez said, and I relaxed although still in an attention position
"Was there something important sir?" I asked.
"Yes, you are to report to cryo-bay 2 to enter cryo," Mendez said. "Wear these black body suits, I'll be waiting outside."
As Mendez left the room, I started changing his clothes and wore the black suit which was extremely uncomfortable and soon stepped out of the room to find Mendez standing by the door. "Ready to go, sir."
A few minutes later I entered cryo-bay 2 escorted by Chief Mendez. Inside he saw Blue team or John, Sam and Kelly, all inside their own black suits, John was the first to notice us enter and Saluted followed by Sam and Kelly.
"At ease." Mendez said, "117, I am leaving, make sure that 001's cryo goes off without a hitch."
"Yes, sir!" John said. And with that Mendez left the cryo bay, leaving me inside with John, Sam and Kelly.
Kelly was the first to approach Tyler, "I was wondering when you would show up" she said, "Ready for cryo?"
"Well not really, it always malfunctions before the projected time." I said until Sam joined in as well and put his hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry Aedan, John and I here will show you how it's done." Sam said.
"I thought you said you will be going into cryo first?" John asked
"That was before Aedan entered." Sam countered. "And besides it's the job of the leader to go first."
"Fine, let's go now." John said and the rest followed him.
As they reached John's cryo-pod there were some technicians working on it, and soon John stepped inside the cryo and the lid to the pod closed, and John went into cryo.
"That looked simple so why is it when I do it something goes wrong?" Aedan said.
"There's no need to worry you usually only wake up a day or two early anyway, my turn now" Kelly said as she entered her pod as well.
"See you at Reach, Aedan." Sam said with a wink and went inside his pod as well.
"I guess it's my turn now." I mumbled as I looked at my pod which was open and also next to Kelly's, "Alright, let's do this." with that I entered his pod and saw the lid close and soon everything went cold and black.
1830 Hours, June 04, 2525
UNSC Carrier Atlas en route to the Epsilon Eridani system
It was all blank and silent for me until suddenly I woke up and came out of my cryo-pod and started breathing for air, as I was gasping for air a technician suddenly approached him. "Sorry for the quick wake up sir, but it seems your cryo pod malfunctioned a bit, so we had to take you out." said the Technician.
I nodded, as I got up and out of the pod and to my feet. I turned toward the technician, "Are we at Reach yet?"
"No, sir, but Reach is only a day away from slip-space now." the technician answered.
I nodded and exited the cryo-bay heading to my room to grab a change of clothes and get a shower. As I was walking through the hallways of the ship, I came into contact with Chief Mendez who was passing by and immediately saluted.
"At ease, 001" Mendez said. "Care explaining why you're out of cryo right now"
"Sir, the technicians said my pod had started malfunctioning, so they took me out. I was just heading to my room to grab my clothes and take a shower sir."
"Is that so?" Mendez said as he raised his eyebrow. "Carry on then." with that Mendez left walking in the opposite direction. I glanced at Mendez walking away into the distance and continued heading to my room.
As I entered the room, I immediately grabbed the PT uniform, T shirt with 001 on the chest and the Spartan insignia on the right arm with grey camo pants.
As I walked towards the shower, I started thinking about the weird dreams I had been having lately, 'What could they mean?' I thought.
After showering I had returned back to the room now wearing my PT uniform and decided to get some real sleep.
0830 Hours, June 05, 2525
Epsilon Eridani System, UNSC Carrier Atlas, Planet Reach
As the Spartans started waking up from their cryo-pods one by one all of them started heading for the exit. Except blue team, as John, Kelly and Sam, were looking around to find Aedan but couldn't find him anywhere, even his cryo-pod was empty.
"Where did Aedan go?" Kelly inquired, still scanning the cryo-bay which contained only them and the technicians.
"I have no idea; I did not see him when I woke up," Sam responded.
"Perhaps he awoke before us and has already left," John suggested.
"Well, let's go locate him," Kelly said as she moved towards the exit, followed by Sam and finally John.
"Do you have any idea where he might be?" Sam asked.
"He is most likely in the hangar bay, as all Spartans were instructed to head there after waking from cryo-sleep," John replied.
"Then let's proceed there," Kelly stated, quickening her pace.
"Kelly, wait up," Sam called out, pursuing her.
Upon their arrival at the hangar bay, they saw all their fellow Spartans—sixty in total—waiting for their Pelicans to load up. Kelly looked around, hoping to find Aedan, but he was not within sight.
"Where could he be?" Kelly murmured as Blue Team headed towards their Pelican, standing at its hatch while waiting for Aedan.
As the three continued to wait, Chief Mendez arrived and noticed that they had not boarded their Pelican. He approached them to inquire. Upon his arrival, the three Spartans immediately snapped into a salute.
"At ease, trainees," Mendez commanded. "Why have you not boarded your Pelican yet?"
"Sir, we were waiting for Aedan," John answered.
"001 is currently engaged with Doctor Halsey," Mendez informed. "He will join you on the planet later."
"Understood, sir," John acknowledged as they boarded the Pelican alongside Kelly and Sam, who sat next to him. As the hatch of the Pelican closed, it took off towards Reach. Inside the Pelican, a red-haired girl sitting opposite them spoke up.
"Who were you waiting for? Everyone else had already boarded the Pelicans by then," the red-haired girl asked.
"We were waiting for Aedan, Linda," Kelly explained.
"Oh? Is that so?" Linda queried.
Meanwhile, as Aedan walked along the hallways of the ship with Halsey, he asked, "Doctor, where are you heading?"
"I have been summoned to Earth to submit a report regarding you," Halsey replied.
"Wait, what?" Aedan questioned, perplexed.
"Yes, this report is to explain to the higher-ups why I specifically chose you," Halsey clarified.
"Hopefully, it doesn't become a problem, I am quite attached to everyone here," Aedan remarked.
"Do not worry about that, Lieutenant Leroy has already taken care of it," Halsey assured. "I am merely going to present proof that you were indeed eligible to become a Spartan."
"And how exactly will you do that?" Aedan inquired.
"Your footage from the fight against the ODSTs should suffice," Halsey stated, earning a look of surprise from Aedan.
"Wait, you recorded my fight against the ODSTs?" Aedan asked.
"Yes, that was a test for the Spartans after all," Halsey confirmed.
"Damn," Aedan muttered. 'I did not actually think they recorded it, I must have missed that part in the books,' He thought.
As they arrived at the hangar bay, Aedan observed it was mostly empty, except for one Pelican awaiting, with Chief Mendez standing next to its hatch. As they neared, Chief Mendez greeted them.
"Chief Mendez, I'll leave Aedan in your care until my return," Halsey stated.
"You can rely on me, Doctor," Mendez affirmed. Aedan boarded the Pelican alongside Mendez. As they took their seats, the hatch of the Pelican closed, and Halsey departed.
As the pelican entered Reach's atmosphere, Aedan felt the G-force from entering another planet's atmosphere. As the Pelican decelerated, Aedan observed the exterior through the window and saw the UNSC Military complex. As the Pelican landed, the hatch opened with Aedan following Chief Mendez out.
"Well 001, welcome back to Reach" Chief Mendez said.
Mendez continued his tour showing him the firing ranges, obstacle courses and an Olympic sized running track that spanned most of the compound. He could see about 60 people jogging along, some of them running faster than the drill instructors escorting them. Aedan recognized three of them as John, Sam and Kelly.
As Mendez left Aedan alone in the center of the ground he went ahead and dismissed the Spartans. "You are dismissed for the afternoon trainees" Mendez said. "Report to your barracks by 1900."
With that the Spartans started to disperse and started leaving the compound one by one leaving only Aedan standing in the middle of the tracks. Three specific people noticed the Spartan and decided to approach him.
As Aedan stood around thinking about what to do, he noticed three people who he recognized as John, Kelly and Sam approaching him. "Hey Aedan, we were wondering when you would show up." Sam said.
"What took you so long?" Kelly asked
"Had to discuss something Doctor Halsey" Aedan said. "Had to ride in with the Chief."
"Must have been one hell of an experience." John said
"It was a quiet and peaceful ride," Aedan said.
"Hey John, what's going on?" Fred asked.
"Just talking to Aedan," John replied.
"Hi." Linda waved. "Hey." Aedan waved back.
"Are you joining the Blue Team now, Aedan?" Fred asked. "After our losses, we expected some shuffling."
"I have no idea at the moment. We should find out soon." Aedan responded.
"Want to go to the shooting range, Aedan?" Linda asked.
"What? He's coming with me to the sparring grounds," Kelly said, trying to pull Aedan away. Aedan stood there, confused.
"Why don't we ask Aedan where he wants to go?" John suggested, snapping Aedan out of his thoughts.
"Oh, what..." Aedan said. "I was actually thinking about walking around and mingling with the others."
"Well then allow me to go with you then." Sam said as he snatched Aedan away from Kelly and started walking away with him.
"Hey, Sam, wait up!" Fred said running along to catch up with him followed by John, Kelly and Linda.
As Aedan went on the journey with Sam and the others, they ran into some people he hadn't seen since the funeral, like Jorge and Kurt.
Kurt was still his usual extremely friendly self so not much has changed besides being 7 feet tall. Sam and Kelly kept him company as they continued and met up with some more Spartans like William, James, Joshua, Malcolm, Arthur and Solomon.
As they entered the barracks Aedan ran into Naomi and she decided to accompany him while John and the others talked with the other Spartans inside like Grace, Vinh, Anton and Li.
As Aedan left the barracks with Naomi, he stepped outside to the obstacle course. Naomi returned inside the barracks after being called by someone. While observing the obstacle course, Daisy approached him.
"How are you managing? I heard about the incident during your augmentations," the girl inquired.
"I am doing well, thank you. At least, I believe so," Aedan responded.
"So, Aedan, what do you think about the Spartan Program?" Daisy asked.
"It's a great opportunity," Aedan replied.
"Really? You don't resent being taken from your family?"
"My parents aren't around anymore," Aedan said. Daisy's eyes widened.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories," Daisy apologized.
"No, it's fine, I only have a little memory of my parents. I mostly remember my time from being in the captivity of the insurrectionists." Aedan assured her. "I'm not mad about being conscripted."
"Well, I hope we meet again, Aedan," Daisy said, smiling as she left for the barracks.
As Aedan continued to walk around the base, Blue team began searching for him, having not paid attention to his movements while inside the barracks. As Blue team proceeded with their search, Aedan found himself near the outskirts of the base, where a wall had been erected. As he observed the wall, Aedan noticed Jai approaching from behind.
"Are you thinking of escaping?" Jai inquired as he stood next to him.
"No, just admiring the walls" Aedan said, "and thinking of what weapons will be effective at breaking it."
Jai just chuckled, "Damn, Kurt wasn't lying when he said you had a nice sense of humor."
Then two more individuals, Adriana and Mike approached them from behind. "Hey Jai, are you hogging Aedan all to yourself over there?" Adriana jokingly said.
Aedan simply gave Adriana and Mike a nod and a wave.
"So, what actually brings you to this part of base Aedan?" Adriana asked
"Just walking around." Aedan said. "But you could say I got lost on the path of life and arrived here."
"So, you aren't actually escaping the place" Adriana said to which Aedan nodded.
"What are your specialties, Aedan?" Mike asked.
"I'm skilled in close-quarters combat, especially with knives, and long-range combat," he replied.
"Interesting. I focus on technical activities," Mike said.
"That sounds like fun," Aedan remarked.
"It is," Mike agreed. "Have you ever worked on a vehicle?"
"I tried to fix a car once but made it worse," Aedan admitted.
"Damn, that bad?" Mike chuckled. "Oh, I forgot to tell you something," he added.
"John and the others have been looking for you."
"Well, I suppose I should head back now," Aedan said as he looked at Jai and Adriana, who were still in conversation. "Will these two ever stop?"
"I will last about ten minutes," Mike commented.
"It was nice talking to you, Mike," Aedan said.
"Same here, Aedan," Mike replied. "See you around." With that, Aedan left the area, heading back towards what he hoped was the barracks.
After walking for a few minutes, he came across Blue team. Sam immediately noticed him and approached.
"Where have you been?" Sam asked. "We were getting worried."
"Sorry about that," Aedan apologized. "Mike told me you all were looking for me."
"So, you met Gray team, then?" Kelly inquired.
"Yes, I met them near the wall," Aedan responded.
"How did you even get to the wall in the first place? I thought it was heavily guarded," John asked.
"I'm not sure," Aedan shrugged.
"We should probably get back to the barracks; it's almost 1900 now," Kelly suggested.
"Yes, we probably should." Aedan responded.
0900 Hours, June 08, 2525
Epsilon Eridani System, UNSC Military Complex, Planet Reach
For the next few days, Aedan participated in training exercises alongside the other Spartans. On June 6th, an incident occurred due to the Spartans' enhanced strength from their augmentations. One of the Spartans, Randall, accidentally tore off one of the drill instructor's arms when he attempted to grab him. Randall was inadvertently tasered by two other trainers. Subsequently, two Spartans, Cassandra and Sheila, intervened by subduing the trainers, resulting in both trainers sustaining head injuries before the Spartans were incapacitated with tranquilizer darts. Aedan immediately rushed to assist, followed closely by Kurt and Jorge, who administered CPR to the two trainers who had sustained head injuries, while Aedan tended to the drill instructor with the severed arm.
Aedan stopped the bleeding by tightly wrapping a cloth around where the arm used to be. Meanwhile, Kurt accidentally collapsed the ribcage of the person he was trying to perform CPR on, leaving blood all over the grass. When medical personnel and Chief Mendez arrived, the Spartans were removed from the scene.
The next day, the Spartans were confined to their barracks due to the previous day's incident. Chief Mendez spent the day deciding how to handle the situation, recognizing that the Spartans couldn't control their new strengths. Three of them had attempted to save the DIs, with only one survivor thanks to Aedan.
Ultimately, Mendez decided not to punish them further but kept them confined to the barracks for the day, allowing them out only for meals escorted by guards.
The following morning, Mendez and the other Drill Instructors informed the Spartans that a series of tests would be conducted to evaluate their new abilities. Consequently, the Spartans were reorganized into different teams due to some members having been lost during the augmentations. Aedan and Linda were assigned to Blue Team; however, Aedan's assignment was temporary, as Chief Mendez indicated.
The group proceeded to the medical complex where they were directed to various rooms before being led to the laboratory complexes. The initial test consisted of a written examination covering various academic subjects, predominantly mathematics and history. Aedan excelled in both history and mathematics, despite math not being his strongest subject.
Following the written examination, each Spartan was escorted into a dimly lit room. Aedan's eyes adjusted swiftly, imparting a slight yellow tint to his vision, but he managed effectively. Subsequently, Aedan was instructed to complete a small obstacle course. Demonstrating remarkable agility and proficiency, he navigated the course flawlessly, jumping over walls and obstacles, and climbing ropes with ease, all thanks to his exceptional flexibility and other skills.
Next, his reaction speeds were tested in various scenarios, from simply listening to sounds and identifying their direction, to having a dummy gun pointed at the back of his head by someone, which he responded to by quickly turning around, grabbing it, and throwing it away while stopping his punch a mere inch from the instructor's face.
Eventually, he joined Blue team for speed evaluations on a simple track in one of the lab complex's sub-basements. John completed his run, moving efficiently on the track and finishing the 5 laps in 3:20 minutes.
Kelly was next, astonishing Aedan with her speed. Even Kelly seemed surprised by her performance as she completed the 5 laps in 2:03 minutes. Aedan then took his position at the starting line. Upon receiving the signal from the instructor, he began his run and completed a lap in approximately 20 seconds.
Sam, observing alongside John, Kelly, and Linda, expressed his amazement. "He is just as fast as Kelly," he remarked. John nodded in agreement, and Linda appeared surprised. Kelly had a grin on her face.
As Aedan ran, time seemed to slow down for him due to his speed. He finished the 5 laps in 2 minutes. When he returned to the starting point, the instructor approached him and noted, "You are just as fast as Spartan-087, if not slightly more." The instructor then left.
"I guess I am the fastest now," Aedan commented with a small chuckle.
Suddenly, Sam, along with John, Kelly, and Linda, approached him. Sam then gave him a congratulatory pat on the back and placed his left arm around his neck in a friendly manner.
"You should be careful now, Kelly," Sam said. "Not only has no one defeated in a sparring match, but now you lost in a race. So don't count on winning the next capture the flag game with our new ace here."
"We'll see about that," Kelly responded. "And he will certainly be on my team."
"That's not fair," Linda commented.
"Should I try and run?" Aedan asked, joining the conversation.
"Probably yes," John replied.
1000 Hours, September 12, 2525
En route Epsilon Secundus System, UNSC Destroyer, Pioneer
Inside a briefing on the Pioneer, all 33 Spartans were present, with six individuals—Aedan, John, Sam, Kelly, Fred, and Linda—standing in the front. All the Spartans stood at attention before a command table that projected an image of a man in military uniform wearing a beret. On the other side of the table stood Doctor Halsey and Chief Mendez.
"This is a mission ONI has been saving for the right team," Halsey said. "Colonel Robert Watts earned his rank in the UNSC, but in 2512 he defected and now leads the insurrectionist forces in the Eridanus system. Watts has spent 12 years conducting raids against UNSC targets, resulting in civilian and military casualties. We have intel that Watts is planning to attack medical satellites in the outer colonies," she explained.
"Recently, one of Watt's men reached a deal with ONI," Mendez said. "We have known for some time that Watt's forces have been launching raids from the Eridanus asteroid belts, but there are millions of asteroids spread over billions of kilometers."
"Our informant did not know the exact location, but he did know that the freighter Laden is a supply vessel, Mendez" Halsey said motioning towards Mendez to continue the explanation.
"Our informant did not know the exact location, but he did know that the freighter Laden is a supply vessel, Mendez," Halsey said, motioning towards Mendez to continue the explanation.
"Laden is scheduled to leave dock in six hours for routine engine recertification; however, it has been loaded with enough food and water to supply a small city," Mendez explained. "Spartans, you will be dropped at the Eridanus II space docks. You will be dressed as members of the Laden crew. Once inside the base, you will infiltrate the installation and take Watts alive if possible."
John raised his hand. "Sir, what are our extraction options?" he asked.
"You will be provided with a panic button that will relay a distress signal to the Pioneer, which will be on station for a period of thirteen hours. Use the distress signal after you have retrieved Watts," Mendez said.
"Be prepared for anything. Finally, squad leader, you are hereby promoted to Petty Officer Third Class," Mendez added.
John saluted. "Yes, sir," he replied.
"Squad leader, assemble your team and equipment. Be ready to muster at 0300. We'll drop you off at the Eridanus Two docks, and you'll be on your own from there."
"Yes, sir," John said, turning around to address Sam, Kelly, Linda, Fred, and Aedan. "Sam, Kelly, Linda, Fred, and Aedan, meet me at the armory in ten minutes. The rest of you fall out; you'll have the more difficult part of the mission - you'll have to wait here."
"Good luck, Spartans," Mendez concluded.
As the Spartans exited the briefing room, Aedan lingered. "One moment, 001," Mendez called. Aedan snapped to attention. "Yes, sir."
"At ease," Mendez said. "Doctor Halsey wants a word with you."
Aedan relaxed and turned to Halsey. "Yes, Doctor?"
"ONI has another objective for you," Halsey explained. "While your team focuses on capturing Watts alive, your task is to gather intel on the insurrectionists in the Eridanus system, specifically their asteroid belt base."
"Understood," Aedan replied. "Should I inform my team?"
"No," Mendez stated firmly. "You were chosen for your stealth capabilities. Your team might jeopardize this mission."
"I understand, sir," Aedan responded, thinking it was unusual to hear Mendez call Blue Team a liability.
"Dismissed," Mendez said, and Aedan left the room.