Title: Halo-ween

Author: Rubious

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: Halo © Bungie. This ficlet is for entertainment purposes only.

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"Chief, my sensors are picking up the lost Pelican It's just over the crest of the next hill," Cortana informed the Master Chief.

"Affirmativ. Let's go." The Spartan floored the accelerator as the Warthog careened madly through the hills, churning up dust and dirt like a stunt drivers steering SUVs in an elaborate Jeep commercial.

He pondered why a group of Marines would purloin a Pelican dropship and leave the base without orders without informing their commander. Disobeying orders was unconscionable. He was positive once I brought them back to camp they would be severely reprimanded.

A loud whoop from an AWOL soldier interrupted his thoughts. The Chief parked his vehicle behind the hill and took cover behind a pine tree; the sunlight dappling through the treetops and the shadows from the branches combined to make the Mjolnir armor inconspicuous to any onlookers. Bringing the binoculars to his eyes, he scanned the area below, shaking his head in disbelief.

Thunderous bass and the thrashing crunch of guitars blared from a boom box as several Marines sat around a blazing bonfire. One held a foil-covered pan of popcorn that exploded from a Flood Infection form hit by a shotgun blast. "Man, you gotta love blowing away those Jiffy Pops," he said with a grin.

"Yeah, those Scrubbing Bubbles are nasty bastards too," a comrade remarked, "They give me nightmares, especially when the El-Tee put me on latrine duty and the cleaning stuff reminds me of the Flood." Turning to his left, he said to the keg tender, "Pass me a beer."

The private manning the keg handed him a cup full of beer from a keg they "liberated" from the officer's club. He went back to strumming the guitar he had brought along and hummed softly.

200 yards to the right of the bonfire, a noncom was supervising two soldiers who were carving designs into pumpkins. When they = were done, the gourds were carried over to a ramshackle shack where dozens of jack-o-lanterns lined the porch steps, candles flickering behind their ghastly grins.

"Am I seeing pumpkins that look like Covenant Elites?" the Master Chief muttered. //Why aren't these soldiers doing something productive like drilling and preparing for the inevitable enemy attack?//

Getting to his feet, the Spartan decided he had seen enough and strode briskly from his vantage point to break up the festivities. "Marines, cease and desist. You're all supposed to return to base immediately," he said sternly.

"Hey, it's the Chief. C'mon and join the party," a corporal said raucously.

"No thanks, soldier. Drop the beer and pack up. Or you'll end up in the stockade."

"Chief!" Cortana rudely interrupted. "These men are just blowing off steam. After fighting the Covenant for weeks without a respite, they deserve some R&R."

"They could have gone through proper channels to request leave," he countered.

"All furloughs have been denied because all troops are desperately needed at the front. Besides, the men were following orders," the AI replied, her inflection turning to a lilt.

"I don't understand," the by-the-books Spartan said, baffled by the smirks and chortles of the Marines gathered around the bonfire.

"You will soon," one leatherneck guffawed, pointing to a Pelican arriving at the makeshift landing zone.

Spinning around, his assault rifle in hand, Master Chief squinted to see the Pelican disgorge a group of Grunts and other beings in flashy garb. //Did the Covenant hijack the dropship to make a sneak attack?= //

"Stand down, Master Chief," a voice called out.

"Yes, and take the stick out of your ass," Cortana whispered over the comm system.

"Yes, Admiral Halsey." The Spartan smartly saluted the gray-haired woman accompanying the trick-or-treaters. Her rank = was honorary since she wasn’t a member of the military.

"Come along, children," the woman said invitingly as they loped along to the shack where the Marines who had carved the jack-o-lanterns handed out candy to the costumed guests.

"It could've been a Covenant ruse,"he protested.

"Get a clue. Haven't you ever heard of Halloween?" the AI asked. After a long pause, she continued, "Wait. You wouldn't know about Halloween because you've been trained for combat since you were picked for the Spartan Project when you were a little kid. Chief, open your eyes. There's more to life than training and fighting wars. People have to make the most of those rare periods of peace = to enjoy themselves. Thankfully, this is one of those times.

Master Chief listened carefully to her words. After a few minutes of contemplation, he walked to a clearing Cortana had indicated to = him earlier.

As the sun edged lower in the western sky, its rays glinted off a granite column that was swathed in gold, orange, and crimson ribbons. Around its base were planted rows of chrysanthemums in varying shades of red, white, lavender, and bronze. Fallen leaves covered the ground as the Master Chief approached the monument.

"Do you know what month this is?"Cortana asked.

"October," the Chief answered.

"Don't you feel how crisp the air is or the leaves crunching beneath your feet?">/p>

"Not in this armor."

"Well, fall is in the air. To commemorate the season, the base decorated this spot as the Pillar of Autumn. I strongly suggest we go back and see if the party's still going on."

Glancing back at the Pillar, the Master Chief felt a shiver run down his spine when he saw a golden shimmer around the column and the faint outline of a figure smoking a pipe.

The End

Author's Note

Dedicated to a special someone who introduced me to the wonderful world of Halo.