You stood behind Fireteam Raven, slightly nervous of the fight to come. Ava Lang, looked at you and held your shoulder.

Lang: You okay, rook?

Y/n: (nervously) Y-Yes, ma'am. Just... butterflies.

Graves: Well, get a grip, trooper! This is what we trained and signed on for.

Y/n: Yes, sir!

The five of you make your way to the briefing room and see Major Silva and our Artificial Intelligence guide, Wellsley.

Major Silva: How much time do we have, Wellsley?

Wellsley: Approximately two minutes, Major Silva, before the Covenant forces board our ship.

Major Silva: Do you have our orders?

Wellsley: Captain Keyes is placing the Pillar of Autumn in Combat Alert Alpha. All Shock Trooper battalions are required to defend the ship from invading parties.

Major Silva: You heard it, Fireteam Raven! Gear up and-

Wellsley: One moment, Major. New orders just came in. Private Y/n L/n has been ordered to meet Captain Keyes on the bridge.

Hudson: What?! Y/n can't go by himself!

Ramos: One of us should go instead-

Major Silva: Stow it, troopers! Private L/n!

Y/n: (steps forward) Sir!

Major Silva: You get to the bridge and see what the Captain wants, then regroup with Fireteam Raven ASAP! Is that understood?

Y/n: (hesitant) Sir, y-yes sir!

Major Silva: I said, IS THAT UNDERSTOOD, PRIVATE?!

Y/n: (yells) SIR, YES SIR!

Wellsley: You are to report to the cryo-bay and retrieve the Autumn's Priority Alpha.

Y/n: Which is... what?

Major Silva: The Corps doesn't pay us to ask questions, trooper! MOVE!

Y/n: Y-Yes, sir!

Y/n grabs his SMG from his right hip and sprints out of the room. Y/n follows the direction signs onboard the ship and eventually enters the cryo-bay.

Thom Shepard: Ah! Trooper L/n! The Captain said to expect you.

Y/n: Do you know what this is about?

Samuel N. Marcus: See for yourself, sir.

Y/n looks through the window and almost dropped his gun at what was down in the cryo-bay.

Y/n: Oh, my God. Is that-

Shepard: The Master Chief.

Y/n then see the orders from someone named Cortana, come up on the screen to "unseal the hushed casket".

Marcus: Whoa! Sir?

Shepard: Right. Let's thaw him out.

Marcus: Okay. Bringing low-level systems online. Cracking the case in thirty seconds.

The cryo-pad hisses open and Shepard approaches the console as Y/n stands to the right.

Marcus: He's hot! Tube shows green. Cycle complete.

The pod door lifts and the Master Chief looks at Shepard.

Shepard: Sorry for the quick thaw, Master Chief. Things are a little hectic right now.

Marcus: Welcome back, sir.

The Chief then looks at Y/n.

Y/n: (in his mind) Oh, geez! He's looking right at me! What do I say?! What do I do?!

Shepard: This Shock Trooper L/n. He'll be taking you to the bridge once we've finished all of your diagnostics, sir.

Y/n: (in his mind) There goes my chance to impress the Chief. (out loud) Private Y/n L/n, sir! (salutes) It's an honor.

Master Chief: (nods to him) Trooper.

Shepard: Vital signs look normal, no freezer burn. Okay, sir, go ahead and climb out of the cryo-tube.

Y/n stands back as the seven-foot armored soldier hops out.

Shepard: (to the Chief) I gave you a double dose of the wake-up stim. Take a quick walk around the cryo-bay and join me at the optical diagnostic station when you're ready.

Y/n winces as the Chief crack his joints and rolls his neck and shoulders.

Chief: How much fighting have you seen, trooper?

Y/n: A decent amount, s-sir. Reach was... Reach was... (sigh) I just can't put it into words, sir.

Chief: War has always been ugly. There's nothing glorified or beautiful about it. Remember that.

Y/n: Yes, sir.

Y/n watches as the Chief tests his vision optics. After they'd finished, the Chief follows Shepard to the shield test station.

Female Voice: (over speakers) Fire teams: report to defensive positions Alpha through Sierra. Sensors show inbound Covenant boarding craft. Standby to repel boarders.

Y/n: (gulps) Oh, shit.

Y/n looks as the Chief feels his shields activate. They then hear Captain Keyes' voice after the testing was done.

Captain Keyes: (over speaker) Bridge to Cryo 2, this is Captain Keyes. Send the Master Chief and Trooper L/n to the bridge immediately.

Shepard: Captain, we'll have to skip the weapons diagnostics-

Captain Keyes: (over speaker) On the double, crewman.

Shepard: Aye aye, sir. (to the Chief) The Skipper seems jumpy, we'd better get moving. We'll find you weapons later.

Marcus: Okay, I'll leave the self-diagnostics running, at least.

Suddenly the doors start coming apart up in the cryo control room.

Marcus: Oh, God! They're trying to get through the door! Security! Intruders in Cryo 2!

The doors blow open and an Elite appears, roaring.

Marcus: No! Please don't-

The Elite grabs Marcus by the head and holds him up before stabbing him in the stomach with an energy sword.

Shepard: Sam! SAM! Come on, we've got to get the hell out of here!

Y/n: Shit, shit, shit!

Shepard opens the door and Y/n was about to follow, but the hallway explodes and kills Shepard before blowing Y/n away.

Chief catches him and sets him back on his feet.

Chief: Are you good, trooper?

Y/n: Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!

Chief: This way. Come on!

Y/n follows closely behind the Spartan and they avoid various plasma explosions. Another door opens and Y/n was met with an Elite backhanding him several feet away.

Y/n struggles to go for his pistol, but stopped as the Chief had tackled the Elite in a headlock and snapped his neck.

The Chief extends his hand which Y/n took and they both get behind cover with a Marine.

Marine: Sirs! Captain Keyes needs you two on the bridge ASAP. Better follow me.

The Chief and Y/n follow the Marine and avoid fire from the Covenant, before finally making it to the bridge and seeing the Captain.

Chief: Captain Keyes.

Captain Keyes: (shakes his hand) Good to see you, Master Chief. Things aren't going well. Cortana did her best, but we never really had a chance.

The Captain looks at Y/n.

Captain Keyes: Trooper L/n, I presume?

Y/n: (salutes) Yes, sir!

Captain: At ease, Private. Well done, escorting the Master Chief here safely.

Y/n: (chuckles nervously) More like the other way around, sir.

A blue, holographic, female appears on the pedestal next to the combat screen.

Cortana: A dozen Covenant superior battle-ships against a single Halcyon-class cruiser. With those odds, I'm content with three— make that four kills. (to the Chief) Sleep well?

Chief: No thanks to your driving, yes.

Cortana: (smirks) So you did miss me. (to Y/n) Private Y/n L/n. Seems you made it.

Y/n: You're Cortana?

Cortana: Last I checked. Is there a problem, trooper?

Y/n: N-No, ma'am! It's just... I've... never seen a female AI before.

Cortana: Well, I guess it's a day of firsts for all of us, isn't it?

Suddenly the ship jerks and everyone falls forward.

Captain Keyes: Report!

Cortana: It must've been one of their boarding parties! I'd guess anti-matter charge.

Crewman: Ma'am! Fire control for the main cannon is offline!

Cortana: Captain, the cannon was my last offensive option.

Y/n: We are so SCREWED!

Captain Keyes: Stow it, trooper! Alright then. I'm initiating Cole Protocol, Article 2. We're abandoning the Autumn. That means you too, Cortana.

Cortana: While you do what? Go down with the ship?

Captain Keyes: In a manner of speaking. (gestures to the giant ring in space) The object we found, I'm going to try and land the Autumn on it.

Cortana: With all due respect, sir, this war has enough dead heroes.

Captain Keyes: I appreciate the concern, Cortana, but it's not up to me. Protocol is clear: destruction or capture of a shipboard AI is absolutely unacceptable, and that means you're leaving ship. Lock in a selection of emergency landing zones, upload them to my neural-lace, and then sort yourself for a hard transfer.

Cortana: Aye aye, sir. (disappears)

Captain Keyes: (to the Chief) Which is where you come in, Chief. Get Cortana off this ship. Keep her safe from the enemy. If they capture her, they'll learn everything. Force deployment, weapons research... Earth.

Chief: I understand.

Y/n: And me, sir? Wellsley said you needed me for something.

Captain: That's correct, trooper. You're as green as they come, L/n. But I need an ODST to help the Chief and Fireteam Raven has already got their own mission objective. I'm promoting you to Field Lieutenant and hereby assigning you to have the Master Chief's back at all times.

Though Y/n was wearing his helmet, everyone would've have seen his jaw drop to the floor if it hadn't been on.

Y/n: Sir, I- Major Silva or Graves would be more suited for this kind of assignment.

Captain Keyes: You're probably right. But that fact that you're green, also makes it easier to assign you to this because of that said fact. The Master Chief will show you the ropes. And you are to watch his 6' no matter the cost. Am I understood?

Y/n: (salutes) Aye, sir.

Cortana: (reappears) The Autumn will continue evasive maneuvers until you initiate a landing sequence. Not that you'll listen, but I'd suggest letting my subroutines handle the final approach.

Captain Keyes: Excellent work, Cortana. Thank you. Are you ready?

Cortana: .... Yank me.

Captain Keyes taps at the console and pulls a chip out of Cortana's pedestal. He then holds it out to the Chief.

Captain Keyes: Good luck, you two.

The Chief slides the chip into the back of his helmet and slightly jolts at the sensation of Cortana's presence.

Cortana: Hmm. Your architecture isn't much different from the Autumn's...

Chief: Don't get any funny ideas.

(AND THAT'S THE FIRST CHAPTER OF HALO: CE DONE! QUESTIONS? COMMENTS?)