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Year 2550

The human-covenant war is raging; humanity is vastly outmatched by superior technology and an endless horde of aliens. The UNSC fights the covenant, but it is a hopeless war. Dr Catherine Halsey led the Spartan project to combat their enemy but to no avail. Her super-soldiers were the best fighting force in the UNSC but it was not enough. Halsey's next move was to make more Spartans, but different.

Planet Modar-

Seth swung a punch and it connected with the bully's nose, most likely breaking it. Seth was strong for a six year old child but he preferred to observe from a distance. Today was different however when his daily bully Bronson took it too far. Seth had been eating his lunch far away from everyone else in his school as he watched the other kids playing when something wet and sticky abruptly coat him. He spun around to see Bronson had tipped orange juice all over him. Some distant kids came over to watch the commotion; the embarrassment was too much for Seth.

He was considering whether to run away or just cry when Bronson pushed him over. The bully jeered at him then bowed to his audience. By the time he turned back to Seth, there was a fist in his face. The blow sent him staggering back as he held his face in pain, the surrounding children were awestruck. Bronson clenched his fists revealing his bloodied face and snarled a challenge. Seth launched himself at the bully but was knocked down when Bronson shoulder-rammed him. Bronson knelt down and Seth head-butted him, leaving them both dazed. They recovered and were about to clash again but a surly voice blared through.

"STAND DOWN" A man in a suit eyed them both when an older woman came to his side. She spoke with a calm voice, "Relax Palmer, they're just children". The reply was submissive and the woman turned to Seth, "Seth Balter, I would like to see you". Seth had no idea who this woman was, but she seemed nicer than that idiot Bronson. The other children slowly left not wanting to get caught up in whatever this was. He cautiously walked over to her with a little blood in the corner of his mouth and covered in sticky juice. "My name is Catherine Halsey; I would like to ask you some questions".

Seth nodded and she started making small talk, "What were you doing over there?" He shifted between his feet, "Fighting" He didn't really feel like small talk but she kept at it, "Do you like fighting? Were you winning?" Seth replied with as much dignity as a sticky six year old child could, "He started it, but I think-". Halsey cut him off, "Would you like to win every fight? Win everything?" Seth wasn't sure what this woman was getting at, but he replied with a shy nod. "Very good Seth, we need to take some tests then we'll come back later maybe"

After half an hour of blood tests, an IQ test and some other tests he didn't understand, Halsey and Palmer left Seth to his own will. It was getting late so he went home, which luckily wasn't far. He arrived home to see his mother cooking dinner and his father reading the daily news on his glasses Heads-Up-Display (HUD). "Hey son did you hear? The UNSC found some sort of alien life far away from here". Seth considered sharing his story but his parents would disprove of him getting into a fight.

They sat down and ate dinner whilst discussing various things. Afterwards Seth went upstairs and took a shower, it was pure luck they hadn't discovered he was sticky from juice for a couple hours. He came out feeling renewed and went to bed. His pet husky 'Jeff' was sleeping on the bed. Seth slid into bed and Jeff woke up, the husky yawned then climbed in next to Seth and licked him. He chuckled and set his dog down next to him. Seth hugged the warm ball of white fur to sleep, and they both quickly dozed off. Seth didn't know why, but he really liked huskies, especially Jeff.

Seth awoke next morning and started his waking up routine for school. He said his goodbyes to his parents, kissing each on the cheek, and then he ruffled Jeff's fur and left the safety of his house. About half-way to school, he was ambushed from behind. He felt his arms being instantly restrained and thought Bronson wanted to go another round, but then a syringe delicately inserted into his neck and offloaded the drug. The figure and an unconscious Seth faded to the shadows, never to be heard from again.

UNSC prowler 'Night Hawk'- travelling away from Modar-

Seth awoke in a cot inside a metal room with a few other cots inside it each holding another child. He groggily got out and tried to recall what was happening when he saw a window. I could use this to escape he thought. His plan was foiled quickly when he realised his home planet Modar was outside that window, and shrinking steadily. I'm in space. Seth started to panic and rushed over to the door and slammed on it with his tiny hands. This door would obviously not open and the other children seemed to be sleeping, so he found little to do but sleep in the cot he awoke in.

There were only two people to crew the Night Hawk, excluding their cargo children. Palmer set a course to jump and started charging the slipspace drive. A couple centuries ago, these drives were invented allowing humanity to spread their reach across the stars. The small ships engine let out a small hum as Palmer floated across the cockpit in null gravity to check some displays. Catherine Halsey sat strapped in her chair to prevent the lack of gravity from pulling her away as she was writing into her journal. Palmer couldn't see what she was writing; she could even be drawing as far as he knew. But his job wasn't to pry at Halsey, just to escort her and assist when necessary in her mission, whatever that was. All he knew was that she went around collecting data on certain small children then occasionally instructing Palmer to abduct them. It seemed creepy.

As Palmer ensured all systems were in check, Halsey stowed her journal then asked Palmer, "Have you come to realise the purpose of these abductions yet?" Palmer found his chair and strapped himself into it, then gave a lie for his answer, not sure of what was expected, "Are we collecting children to pit them against each other in a pit-brawl?" Halsey did not see humour in that, she just vaguely replied: "This is another Spartan project, hopefully more successful than the legendary Spartan twos" He was aware that Halsey created humanity's finest soldiers, but he couldn't see how this would be any different. "Ma'am, with respect It feels like we're repeating what you did". She leaned forward from her chair and activated their set course now that their slipspace drive had finished charging. "We are repeating history Palmer, at least so far". The prowler vanished into the darkness of space, leaving no trace of what had been done to alter the course of humanity.