#halo tv fanfic by atbnl

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Part of a small S2 Fall of Reach AU I'm working on. By working on I mean thinking about a lot because I'm devoting my limited writing time to my S1 novel.

I must bring Tom and Chyler with me everywhere I go in Haloland now. This proved a good dumping ground for some scrapped MWAS ideas.

@ionlymadethissoicouldleaveanask since you egged me on to write this, though it isn't the part you wanted (yet).

Reblogging to Silver Timeline Central.

--

John jerked out of his doze at the sound of approaching footsteps.

“Oh! Master Chief, I—“”

John automatically started to stand. “It’s all right, ma’am.”

Silva waved off the gesture. “As you were, Chief. And you don’t have to ‘ma’am’ me. That feels a little odd.”

John sat back in the chair.

Silva clasped her hands as if unsure of how to continue. “I didn’t mean to disturb you. I just wanted to check on Vannak.”

John looked at the sleeping form on the bed. “He’s stable. The doctors think he’ll make it.”

Silva looked him up and down awkwardly. “You know, I remembered you being taller.” She glanced back at Vannak. “All of you.”

“It’s the armor,” John said stiffly.

Silva laughed softly. “I guess everyone looks tall when you’re fifteen and running for your life.” She sat in the chair opposite Vannak’s bed. “Tom and I used to wonder if you would remember us. If we ever saw you again.” She took a breath. “I’m sorry we didn’t pick up on it earlier. With everything going on. And, well….”

“The armor?” John guessed.

Silva gave a relieved laugh. “We never did see you without it.”

John tried to square the officer in front of him with the near-corpse he’d loaded onto the last Pelican off Circinius IV.

“Chief?”

“We didn’t know you survived,” John blurted. “After…they never told us anything.” In his emotionally-repressed state, John hadn’t even thought to ask.

Silva brushed her fingers over the spot on her abdomen where the needler round had embedded itself. “I survived.”

“How?”

“Luck,” Silva said. “Maybe some divine intervention.”

“And you,” John swallowed and looked at the ring on Silva’s hand.  “You and Lasky are…” was this even appropriate to ask?

“We’re married, yes,” Silva supplied.

“That’s allowed?”

Silva smiled playfully. “Nobody’s stopped us in twenty-three years.”

John blinked. Twenty-three years? Circinius was only…

Silva seemed to pick up on his confusion. “Tom and I both went to the academy on New Carthage,” she explained. “We got married right after graduation.”

“Do you have children?” John asked haltingly.

Silva brightened. “As a matter of fact, we do.” She fished her compad out of her pocket and handed it to John. “Kate. She’s almost done at Luna.”

John looked at the image of a young woman in cadet blues and glanced back up at Silva.

“I know; she’s my little clone,” the commander said.

“That was our first deployment,” John murmured. He handed the device back. “Circinius. Our first major deployment.”

Silva’s brow furrowed. “I didn’t know that.”

“I wish we could have saved more,” John whispered. “Everyone thinks fighting is the hard part, but….”

“But what keeps you up at night is everyone you couldn’t save.”

John nodded. “Yeah.”

Silva sat forward. “How many people did you save on Circinius, Chief?”

“Four.”

“Only four?” Silva lifted her compad. “I count at least five.”

John looked at the picture of Kate again.

“Chief, if you hadn’t been there, Kate wouldn’t exist,” Silva said. “Did you know that a few years after graduation Tom saved his entire squadron from a Covenant attack? If you hadn’t saved us, Tom wouldn’t have been there to save them. I was mad as hell at him for the stunt he pulled, but he saved his squad. And they’ve gone on to save others.” She sounded like she’d wanted to say this for a long time.

Silva bit her lip. “That’s why Tom took us back to Reach. I tried to tell him we didn’t have the resources. That we couldn’t save everyone, maybe there wasn’t anyone left for us to save. He wouldn’t hear it. I don’t know why I bothered. And he told me…” Silva trailed off. “That it wasn’t just about the people we would rescue today. That we didn’t know what future we might be saving.”

Their daughter.

“He’s brave,” John said.

“That’s a lot, coming from the Master Chief,” Silva said gently.

John normally would have bristled at the sentiment, but it felt different coming from Silva. Like she really meant it. Understood it.

“I have to say, though, I didn’t imagine we were coming to rescue you,” Silva added.

“Neither did I,” John murmured. “I didn’t imagine anyone was coming.”

“Don’t tell my husband I said this, but I’m glad he didn’t listen to me,” Silva said with a conspiratorial smile.

My husband.

Silva’s compad beeped. “Oh, speaking of.” She got to her feet. “I’m sorry. Duty calls.”

John stood. “Ma’am.”

“What did I tell you about the ‘ma’am’ business, Master Chief?”

John shifted uncomfortably. “What should I call you then, ma—Commander?”

Silva smiled again. “Well, my friends call me Chyler.”

John froze.

I really don’t know what people say to each other.

“John,” he said after a moment. “That’s what my—my friends—that’s what they call me.”

That’s what Cortana called me.

If Silva was put off by his awkwardness, she didn’t show it. “In that case, I’ll see you around, John.”

John watched her go. He stared at Vannak’s vitals and thought about what Silva had said.

Saving the future. He’d never thought of it that way.

I saved their future, John thought with a bemused half-smile.

And they saved mine.

[authortobenamedlater]

THIS IS IT!!!!!!

The picture that inspired this little tumblr exclusive story!!!!! I was starting to think I’d hallucinated it.

Thank you @cortanasystem for reblogging this and unwittingly solving a months-long mystery. 😂❤️

fixed 😇

[authortobenamedlater]

One Last Order

After spending most of the year on my big novel project, the first phase of which is now complete, I want to find some WIPs or Tumblr exclusives and put them on AO3. Here's one. A now very-AU concept for Jacob Keyes's last stand.

As I post this, Burrito is playing with Mr's action figures and proclaiming that Master Chief did a good job and will get a marshmallow today.

[authortobenamedlater]

I had The Insomnias from midnight to 1:30am and wrote this in my head.

—

“And what am I to you, Cortana?”

“You’re…” Cortana searched for the word. “You’re my Spartan,” she finally said.

John looked up at the ceiling. “Your Spartan?”

“Yes,” Cortana said simply. She paused. “My brave Spartan.”

John’s breath caught. “I don’t know about that.”

“I do,” Cortana said. And I know everything.”

“OK.” John’s eyes closed.

“You must really be tired if you’re agreeing with me,” Cortana teased.

“We can pick this up in the morning,” John mumbled.

“I look forward to it.”

“Bet you do.”

Cortana busied herself monitoring their surroundings as John fell asleep.

They were back together now, and Cortana wouldn’t let anything happen to her brave Spartan again.

[authortobenamedlater]

(Un)acceptable Losses

A possible TV version of Tom and Chyler following Reach.

EDIT: This is my THIRD attempt to get the link to work.

I wanted to publish something and wrote this.

@threshergm @ionlymadethissoicouldleaveanask @thearbiterthel @ageless-aislynn @mrtobenamedlater

@morganas-pendragons @stitchlingbelle @sarnakhwritesthings @makowrites @lpmurphy

@naranghim @agent-of-sam @helix-enterprises117 @pelgraine

Apologies to anyone I missed!

[authortobenamedlater]

Watched S2E4 to get a few things straight for that little Reach AU and this fell out of me. It started with the first line and went from there.

—

“Lasky, you insubordinate little shit.”

John glanced over his shoulder as he hustled injured Marines and civilians off the Pelican. Admiral Keyes stood at the bottom of the ramp, hands on his hips.

“You should talk, sir,” the officer in front of Keyes said.

John looked over again. He’d heard that name and that voice before.

“Mayday, mayday, this is cadet Thomas Lasky.”

That’s him, John realized.

The former Cadet Lasky, now wearing a commander’s stripes, spread his arms. “She’s all yours again, Admiral.”

John haltingly made his way over to Keyes and Lasky.

Keyes crossed his arms, still oblivious to John’s presence. “You take good care of her?”

Lasky smiled winningly. “Not a scratch, sir, as promised.”

Keyes gave a disbelieving hum.

“Commander!” A woman’s voice called from John’s right. “Dr. Vahidi says—oh! Admiral.” She offered a hasty salute.

Keyes saluted back. “As you were, Silva.”

John looked at the woman’s nameplate. Silva. Cadet Silva?

“Good to see you’re safe, Admiral,” Silva said.

“I shouldn’t be, but someone insisted on jumping my ship into the middle of a losing fight.”

“You’re welcome,” Lasky muttered.

“I tried to talk him out of it,” Silva said.

Lasky turned a fondly exasperated look at Silva. “What were you saying about Dr. Vahidi, Commander?”

John’s eyes darted between Lasky and Silva. Relationships might not be his strong suit, but even he could tell this interaction went beyond commander and first officer.

Silva clasped her hands. “He says he’s going to need additional triage space. I told him he could have this hangar bay, if we can spare it.”

Lasky looked around the bay. “Let’s cordon off the port side,” he said. “Find any passengers with medical training, ask if they’re willing to help.”

Silva nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Everything OK on the bridge?” Lasky asked.

Silva nodded. “For now.” She bit her lip. “They’re all kept busy at the moment but…many of them are going to get bad news soon.”

Lasky sobered. “We all will.”

His eyes drifted toward John, and John realized with some embarrassment he’d been staring.

Keyes turned slightly. “Oh, John,” he said as if just noticing John was there. “Master Chief, meet my first officer, Commander—”

“Thomas Lasky.” John stepped forward and extended his hand. “We’ve met.”

Lasky clasped John’s hand and blinked. He looked at Silva, then back at John.

Silva’s brow furrowed. “You’re…”

John felt the faintest of smiles tug at his lips. “Good to see both of you again.”

[authortobenamedlater]

Oh, I found this in my "filler" document of scenes I plan to insert somewhere. Enjoy.

--

“This isn’t a good idea.”

Halsey looked up.

“Limiting Cortana's access,” Adun elaborated. “It’s not a good idea.”

“We need John to study the artifact,” Halsey said simply.

“I know, Doctor,” Adun said. “But the longer we let them exist separately, the longer…the more time she spends with John…Cortana might form a bond with him.”

“A bond?” Halsey asked incredulously.

"Yes. A bond."

“And what would that have to do with anything?”

“When the time comes, she may not want to take over.”

Halsey seemed unconcerned. “It’s her design,” the scientist said dismissively. “When we can let her fulfill her purpose, Cortana will operate as designed, I assure you.”

What if it’s not up to you? Adun thought.

[authortobenamedlater]

Here, enjoy this little preview of what might have happened when John and Cortana got untangled. Have had this idea for a long time so it’s nothing like what’s now canon.

Of course I skipped the technical stuff to fill in later and went right to John and Cortana dialogue. I adore them, what’s there to say?

—

“So, what was it like?” John asked.

“What was what like?”

“Being me.”

A flash of something crossed Cortana’s face. John couldn’t identify it, but it made him uneasy.

“It was that bad, huh?” John tried to prompt.

Cortana’s eyes darted to the floor and John sat forward. What did they do to her? So help him, if Halsey and her vultures had so much as laid a finger on Cortana—

The something vanished and Cortana looked like herself again. She crossed her arms. “It was awful.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes,” Cortana responded. “The human body is terribly inefficient. I don’t know how you live like this.” She gestured vaguely at John.

“Don’t really have another option.”

“Your body is particularly inefficient.”

It was John’s turn to cross his arms. “My body?”

“You were hungry and dehydrated and tired when I took over,” Cortana reported. “These weren’t optimal conditions.”

“Wasn’t expecting company,” John said dryly.

“You also had a minor concussion. What does that armor do for you, anyway?”

“The helmet doesn’t stop my brain from hitting my skull.” John swung his legs over the side of the table. “You don’t know that? Thought you knew everything.”

“Let’s not forget your multiple contusions and a sore right knee. Along with muscle tension in your shoulders and lower back.”

John spread his arms. “This body cost as much as a battleship, you know.”

“Yes, and for that price tag, you should take better care of it.”

[authortobenamedlater]

Read this fic.

Picture either Pablo Schreiber or Steve Downes saying “Rodents of Unusual Size? I don’t believe they exist.”

You’re welcome.

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Halo (TV 2022) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: John-117 | Master Chief/Reader, Kai-125 (Halo)/ Original Male Character(s) Characters: Reader, Kai-125 (Halo), Miranda Keyes, Riz-028 (Halo), Original Female Character(s), John-117 (mentioned) Additional Tags: girls night, Sleepovers, Movie Night, featuring The Princess Bride, it’s still a thing in this time because I say so, Gossip, Talk of relationships, Kai’s beau is from ageless-aislynn’s Recreation, talk of partner preferences, Riz is gay, becuase the idea got stuck in my head somehow, Doctor Keene makes a reappearance, some mild foul language, This one was a lot of fun, Poor Reader gets teased, Dialogue Heavy Series: Part 4 of Why You? Well, It’s Because… Summary:

Girls night is here! Riz is very droll, Miranda is a bit of a mom-friend, Kai is way too energetic, and you spend the whole night somewhere between laughing your ass off and mildly mortified.

The next installment is here! And this time including inspiration from Recreation by @ageless-aislynn! Thank you for letting me play in your sandbox, this has been way too fun and continues to give me way too many ideas!

[authortobenamedlater]

A Halo Story

Traded perfect for done to get this finished 😂 merry Christmas, everyone.

@ionlymadethissoicouldleaveanask @sarnakhwritesthings @ageless-aislynn having a mental block on TV fans, it’s late, will tag more later.

[authortobenamedlater]

POV cos it sounds fun!

No excuses ask meme

POV -- something that's already happened, retold from another character's perspective

I can’t find anything in a WIP that wouldn’t spoil the whole thing, so I’m going to break the “current project” rule and use Solid State:

“I’ve just wanted to do this for so long.”

John sank to his knees on the ground and crushed her against him. He ran his hands across her shoulders, down her back, through her hair. He felt Cortana’s arms slide around his neck as her knees landed awkwardly next to his.

All the times John had wanted to touch Cortana, wished she could touch him, felt like she was so close to him and still so far away—

“John?” Cortana gasped.

“Yeah?”

“I can’t breathe.”

Oops. John chuckled softly and loosened his grip. “Better?”

“Just don’t let go,” Cortana begged hastily. 

“I won’t.” John buried his face in her shoulder and took a long breath. “I won’t.” If he let go, maybe this whole…whatever it was…would vanish and they’d never have this chance again. “I’ve wanted to do this for a long time, too.”

@ageless-aislynn you’ll like this ❤️

[authortobenamedlater]

Honor Bound

Gave this an ending-for-now to get myself warmed back up after Sabezra DinBo week. At some point I want to give this a whole fic worthy of posting on AO3, but for now it’s just here.

Again, a possible Vital Record road, this one where John surrenders to the Covenant in exchange for his daughter’s release. Thel ‘Vadam doesn’t know what to make of it.

@sarnakhwritesthings @ageless-aislynn @christian-latte-anon @sweethoneyjazzeuphoria

—

Uncertainty was not a familiar feeling to Thel ‘Vadam.

However, as he stood outside the holding cell and observed human inside, Thel could think of no other way to feel.

The human—the Demon—sat in the corner, still armored, head leaning on the wall, eyes closed. Sleeping?

Why has he not tried to escape? The shipmaster wondered. The Demon could easily bend the steel bars and walk out of the cell. He could shoot his way off of High Charity if he wanted to.

The only possible explanation, then, was that the Demon didn’t want to.

But why?

The Demon woke from his doze and Thel instinctively braced for a confrontation. But the prisoner made no move to fight.

Why?

“Your helmet,” Thel managed gracelessly after an awkward moment.

“Oh.” The Demon stood and Thel opened the pass-through in the bars. This cell had been designed for smaller Covenant species, not humans, certainly not Spartans.

“Ah, thank you.” The Demon set the helmet on the floor and sat back down.

Thel almost left, then turned back. “The Prophets will kill you.” He didn’t know why he felt the need to explain this to the Demon. Thel didn’t know why he felt a lot of things today. “When they are done with you. They will kill you.”

“Yeah, probably,” the Demon said.

Thel knew he should say something, but his growing confusion and incomplete understanding of the humans’ language combined to render him mute.

The Demon looked at him in a way Thel couldn’t decipher.

“My apologies,” the Sangheili rushed out. “I am not versed in human social protocols.”

The Demon’s lips quirked upward. “Seems like we have something in common.”

Was that an attempt at bonding? 

Thel knew humans well enough to fight them and kill them, but evidently not well enough to talk to them.

He had never needed to talk to them.

“You did not fight when we took you,” Thel said.

“Defeats the point of a surrender,” the Demon said.

“If you plan to bring your comrades to take High Charity—”

“I don’t,” the Demon said quickly. “I ordered them not to come back for me.”

This situation was becoming stranger by the nanosecond. “Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why surrender?” Thel closed a clawed hand around one of the bars. “Why give yourself for her?”

“Do you have children, Shipmaster?”

Thel paused. “I do not,” he answered quietly.

“Well, if you ever do, you’ll know the answer to that question.”

The conviction in the Demon’s answer made Thel pause again.

This cannot be his only objective. Turning himself over to us only to save his offspring? He must have another angle. Men like us never do anything without a plan.

Thel stopped short and repeated his last thought.

Men like us?

“I don’t imagine you found my rifle, too?” The Demon asked. He was making that face again.

Is this humor? Irony? 

Human social protocol really was beyond Thel’s grasp.

“I did not,” Thel answered honestly.

The Demon nodded. 

“But I will…I will…” Thel tried to find the right phrase. “Look for it,” the shipmaster finally managed.

That seemed to satisfy the Demon.

Thel left the prison, a strange disturbance pulling at him.

This human gave himself for his child.

My people took the child.

Humans are without honor.

Thel pulled his mandibles together as the feeling in his gut intensified.

Why couldn’t he help thinking the only honor he’d seen today had come from his enemy?

—

No, I don’t know what Thel’s exact position or role is here. One of many things I have to figure out before writing the rest of this.

[authortobenamedlater]

I ended up watching this week’s episode early because both kids woke up with colds at 4:30am, and I have it too, and Mr is working nights and sleeping all day, so why should I not remind myself that things could be worse and the Covenant could be coming to glass the planet.

Anyway I wrote this thing. No spoilers for this week it just came to me based on a post I made yesterday.

—

“Didn’t you know? Spartans never die.”

Spartans never die.

Spartans…

…die…

…never die…

Spartans never die.

Kurt opened his eyes.

Well, I’ll be. It’s true.

“There you are.”

Kurt blinked at the towering blond figure stalking into his room. “Kai—“”

He didn’t have time to finish before the other Spartan slapped him across the face.

“Hey! Ow!” Kurt yelped.

“You idiot!” Kai shouted. 

Kurt brought a hand to his stinging cheek. “You sure know how to make a guy feel welcome.”

“You should have worn the damn Mjolnir!” Kai continued.

Kurt sighed. “Good to see you alive, Kurt,” he mumbled. “Welcome back, Kurt.”

“What were you thinking, going in there with that dogshit SPI armor?”

“It’s not dogshit,” Kurt responded automatically. 

“‘I’m one of you now’?” Kai quoted. She crossed her arms. “Really, Kurt?”

“Can’t ask them to do anything I’m not willing to do myself,” Kurt said tiredly. Was Kai going to be done anytime soon? He just wanted to go back to sleep.

“Did you ever think that maybe you’re no good to anyone dead? That your Spartans need you alive?” Kai railed.

Kurt raised an eyebrow. “Are they the only ones?”

Ah, that got her out of her rant. “I…I got by just fine without you for the past twenty years!” Kai sputtered.

Kurt snorted and tried not to wince as the movement tugged at his ribs. “Yes, that’s obvious.”

Kai’s compad beeped and she looked at the screen. “I gotta go. Mendez wants something.” She put the pad back in her pocket and pointed at Kurt. “When he’s done, I’m going to come back here and kill you myself.” She marched out of the room.

“Good luck with that!” Kurt called after her. “Spartans never die, remember?”

“Go fly a kite, Ambrose!”

[authortobenamedlater]

More prompt fills headed to AO3

An AI, four Spartans, and a squirrelly Warthog walk onto a Halo ring.

@mrtobenamedlater @sarnakhwritesthings @ageless-aislynn any Halo TV friends I’m forgetting?

[authortobenamedlater]

I told @morganas-pendragons about this idea last night and she begged me to write it so I did.

Been thinking about this since finishing CE. TV Keyes getting assimilated (for want of a better term) into the Flood. Taking some liberties with the story and scene.

Will probably put this on AO3 at some point, but I have a second and third part I may want to add. And, I need to finish @rainintheevening’s fic first. Now that I’m on the other end of the totaled car saga, maybe I can get on that.

xxxxxx

“Captain Keyes—oh, no.”

Before Cortana finished the sentence John was off like a shot.

“Chief, wait!” Vannak called.

“Chief!” Kai lunged forward, but John was already out of her reach. 

“Captain,” John panted. His eyes roved over the fleshy mass that had partially consumed Keyes’s body. Maybe there was some way to free him from the Flood’s clutches, maybe there was still enough of him left—

Keyes’s eyes snapped open and his remaining hand grabbed John’s breastplate.

Kai aimed her rifle. Riz and Vannak took John’s arms.

“Hold your fire!” John barked. He held his ground as Riz and Vannak tried to tug him away.

“Miranda,” Keyes gritted.

John wasn’t sure what to say. “Captain—”

Keyes pulled John closer. “Take care…” the captain drew a rattling breath. “Take care…of…Miranda!”

Even as the Halo broke apart around them, John felt as if the universe had come to a standstill. He depolarized his visor to meet Keyes’s gaze.

One last order.

“Yes, sir,” John said solemnly.

The ring shook hard enough to make the Spartans stumble.

“You have to leave him,” Cortana said. “You can’t save him, Chief, I’m so sorry.”

John’s hand went to his pistol. There was no sense letting Keyes suffer.

I have to.

I’ve done it before.

I can’t.

“You three go,” Kai said, her muzzle trained on Keyes’s forehead. “I’ll catch up.”

Even if John had wanted to protest, there was no time. The room shuddered again and debris started falling from the ceiling. He polarized his visor and took off running toward the Warthog with Riz and Vannak.

Stay on mission. Stay on mission. 

I’m sorry, Captain. I’m sorry. 

He heard a bang and a few seconds later Kai had caught up. “Don’t look back,” she said curtly.

John activated a private comm channel. “Kai—”

“So you wouldn’t have to,” Kai answered the unasked question.

John jumped into the Warthog and fumbled at the controls. He couldn’t see. How was he supposed to drive if he couldn’t see? 

“Chief,” Cortana spoke up. “You’re crying.”

No shit, John blinked in a desperate effort to clear the haze from his vision. He couldn’t afford this right now.

He’s not the first person I couldn’t save. Stay on mission.

Stay. On. Mission! 

John felt Cortana start the warthog and take the steering wheel from his hands. “Don’t worry, Chief. I’ll drive.”

[authortobenamedlater]

All hail Master Chief Petty Officer John-117. Covenant-killing machine. Humanity’s best weapon. Awkward horn dog.

Title: “Answer Enough” (2/2) Author:  @ageless-aislynn​ Characters/fandom: Kai-125/Master Chief John-117, Cortana, Halo the series Summary: A little what-if follow-up to chapter 1, totally AU… unless it should turn out to happen in canon. If it does, then I’ll promptly pass out from shock, lol! 😂😉 Rating:  T (PG13) Length: 889 Spoilers/warnings: Set in the Silver Timeline of Halo the series, not the games or novels. Set somewhere after 1x05, which has not aired as of this writing. This references a conversation we saw in the promo for 1x05 and which we’ll no doubt see in the episode itself when it airs. 😉 Disclaimer: Definitely not mine but I do enjoy borrowing them just for a bit! 😉 A/N:  Text is both here in this post or available at AO3, however you like to read. If you read, I hope you enjoy! 💖

Thank you to @sporadicbelievernightmare​ and @all-the-things-i-done​ for asking to see what happened next! 🤗

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