"We're Spartans. What could possibly go wrong?" Fred-104, First Strike

ToC

-Author Updates-
-Personal Info-
-Story Info-
-Sources of Information-
-Legal Disclaimer-

-Updates-

13 FEB 2012 (last update: 8 FEB 2012)

Took a ski trip to Folgaria last Saturday, had a friggin' blast. Can't wait to go skiing again. :D

Not much else new, just trying to get this house finished, get my computer set up so I can get to writing again.

-Personal Info-

A little about me...
My name is Jeff. If you want a last name you'll have to provide a full name of your own, a valid state ID and credit card numbers. Seriously though: I'm a 30 year-old guy and my favorite thing to do is work on my car and just...drive.

As far as writing goes, I think any skill I have of telling tales has evolved from the simple joy of interacting with people, whether it's face-to-face or in written form. I like to be social...most of the time (I have my limits like anyone else and am prone to the occasional reclusiveness). There's not many things out there that can match the satisfaction I get when I see eye-to-eye with people and I can be on the same page with them. I was lauded a handful of times by gradeschool teachers for my writing abilities, too many times by family and relatives. But I think my genuine stab at story-telling started here, about March of 2006 when I published/uploaded my first work of fiction to cyberspace, When the Smoke Clears. That story is horrible now that I look back, but I'm thankful for having created it because it allowed me to evolve. It allowed me to identify and assess my weaknesses and focus on my strengths.

Later that year when Eric Nylund's Ghosts of Onyx was about to hit retail bookshelves, he and the UNSCDF fan website co-hosted a writing contest. I don't remember how I heard of it, but I immediately thought of entering the contest.

But what to submit?

When the Smoke Clears was more of a manifestation of my boredom in between military assignments, and the story was going nowhere fast. I had spectacular yet disparate fiction ideas all centering around the HALO universe, but my writing experience wasn't robust enough yet. I needed a clean slate. I needed a new story.

It was about a month before the contest's deadline that I started to expand and hone another story I had created just a month prior, called, The Argo. It was still in development and needed huge amounts of time and thought for hopes of submitting a contest-worthy piece and winning the prize: a copy of the soon-to-be-released book signed by Eric himself.

So, The Argo turned out to be more than just another small project of mine. It was a mountain to climb. It was a small journey.

I won the contest by submitting The Argo, and I was very pleased (relieved) to see my name in the winner's section of that website! It was a milestone in more than one way, the most important of which was I found that I could work quite well under pressure and looming deadlines (I think I had one month to finish and submit that story!), plus back then I was strapped for cash so winning a free book was awesome as well.

Alone was the next milestone, February of 2007, I believe. I never expected it to get anywhere because it was designed to be a poetic one-shot (one chapter long, and very short too). Readers loved it, wanted me to keep going. So, I did...and it took off. Before I stopped to look around and take it all in, the story was over in less than 4 months, the longest story I'd written until then. Now, a trilogy based on that story is in develpoment, more or less halfway done as of January, 2010.

Underworld - my crown jewel of HALO fanfiction - I cannot even begin to describe how much time, thought, and sheer work I put into this story. Not to mention, the amount of satisfaction I had in crafting every sentence of every chapter were of memories I shall never forget. Almost two years in the making this story was and I accomplished everything I wanted to in it--a complete success both personally and...fanfictionally (sp?). I met a personal milestone of mine while seeing this story through: 100,000 words. Actually I shattered my personal record more than two-fold, and it was an easy thing looking back because Underworld was the most fun as well as the most enlightening experience I ever had in writing. Writing mechanics, characterization, plotting, everything that goes into a story was a whole new learning experience with Underworld. Now, a sequel is in development as well as ideas for a prequel, making for another possible trilogy. A trilogy in which I will have so much fun in creating, and equally as much fun in hearing/seeing readers' thoughts on.

I believe a definite progression can be seen in my writing abilities over the months and years and stories. I know I can see it when I dig up old works that I've published here, maybe others can too.

I'm big on Toponymy, so as for the various technologies (real or fictional), the namesakes of people and objects, chapter titles, and the many other facets of a story I create and/or weave together, much of them can be traced to historic or some other real-world significance via scholastics or the internet. I try to make every possible element in my stories (especially my more recent ones) relevent or nostalgic by some means. I love it when a story can present deep ties to real-world history. I also love encorporating mutliple meanings for singular words, chapter titles, etc. If in fact you don't readily notice them, don't worry, that's an intended effect. I make my readers work for the extra information, but you're rewarding yourself if you can find them. If there is ever a point where you perhaps ponder, "Hmm, I wonder where he got the name for that?" or "How does this story possess such technological gadgetry without the use of a Flux Capacitor?!", then let the world wide web be your guide in deciphering the methods behind all my madness. You'll find a great deal that provokes the imagination. ; )

Reading for me is a whole 'nother beast. Reading...took some time. Even though I've read quite a few novels over the years that have thankfully not been a negative time investment, I still shy away from browsing anything more involved than skimming over a magazine or brief news article; I have well-defined tastes and I tend to stick closely to them. I consider myself an effective communicator with an occasional flair for style and wit; couple that with a love for technology and a current real-world occupation that is technological and, well, I believe that is a concoction for writing success...in which case success equals writing good HALO fanfiction, which is all I write about here at this site. You can see my reportoire at the bottom just like anyone else's profile page, but know that more story ideas are in the brainstorming stage and will see the light of day sooner or later.

I don't advertise much info other than what you've seen here, but if the You wishes to know more about the Me, just ask. I enjoy neighborly conversation and I love to give and take knowledge to/from others.

Favorite authors of mine are: Eric S. Nylund, Joe Haldeman, Dan Brown, Michael Crichton, and maybe Lee Child if I'm not feeling critical of logical grammar usage.

Favorite Books: The Fall of Reach, First Strike, Ghosts of Onyx, Signal to Noise, A Signal Shattered, Prey, Digital Fortress, Old Twentieth, The Persuader, more still...

Personally-recommended authors at this site (in no particular order): Katsuhiro, Quirel, Mr. 125, Havoc-Legionnaire, Freelancer92, g0neWicked, Natination, Octane, MAC 720, and a few others I am shamefully forgetting.

Favorite music: Stone Temple Pilots, HALO OSTs, Army of Anyone, Dark New Day, Breaking Benjamin (saw them three times and they are AWESOME), Daughtry, John Mayer, Submersed, Metallica, Sevendust, and bands like that. Also, Jazz is the first music I ever remember hearing and I've always loved it. I also like a little bit of Country all the way back from Hank Williams Jr. to the more modern Kenny Chesney. I can sometimes get into Alternative Rock, but I dislike Grunge stuff like Nirvana (yeah, I know I sounded evil with that one). And you can't forget about Classic Rock like Doobie Brothers and Pink Floyd, etc. I also like anything with Don Henley in it. Sting is also easy on the ears. I also get into Classical, occasionally, and I listen to the HALO soundtracks quite often too. Only one genre that I absolutely dislike and that is Gangster Rap. Hate it. Sure, it occasionally has good beats and stuff, but the messages behind it are fowl and disgusting. All in all, I'm pretty diverse in my music intake. It's one of the most treasured things in life.

Favorite games: HALO series, HALO Wars, Gears of War series, Battlefield: Bad Company, Half-Life series, Portal, Call of Duty 4, Modern Warfare 2, Descent (very old PC game), Far Cry 2, Quake series. I'm on XBL but I don't give out my gamertag to just anyone.

Favorite TV shows: Prison Break is my all time FAV, Carl Sagan's Cosmos series, Top Gear, The Cash Cab, The Colbert Report, The Daily Show with John Stewart, Family Guy, John Doe, X-Files, and RvB. Also, if you have not seen it, rent The Andromeda Strain (a very good mini-series). I never have time for TV lately :(

Favorite Movies: The Next Three Days, Edge of Darkness, Avatar, District 9, Pitch Black, Tremors, Tremors 2, The International, Screamers (1995 sci-fi), Sunshine (sci-fi), The Andromeda Strain, War Games, Shake Hands with the Devil, 3:10 to Yuma, Reign of Fire, Gladiator, Braveheart, Underworld trilogy, The Count of Monte Christo (modern), Indiana Jones (trilogy), Stand by Me, Pay it Forward, The Usual Suspects, Maverick, Get Carter, The Hunt for Red October, Jurassic Park series, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Blue Streak, Raising Arizona, The Longest Yard (Adam Sandler), The Matrix (first one only), Bruce Willis stuff, Russell Crowe stuff, Van Damme stuff, Jack Black stuff, True Lies, The Lord of the Rings (trilogy), Army of Darkness, Grandma's Boy, Aliens (the second one), too many others...

Favorite comedians: Dave Chappelle, Dennis Leary, the late/great George Carlin.

People I'd like to meet/like to have met: Carl Sagan (RIP), Breaking Benjamin (done), Marty O'Donnell, Eric Nylund, the list is still growing...

Hobbies: Modding and driving my car, my computer, being an audiophile (I take my digital music seriously), snow skiing, wave-running, scuba diving, any sport that involves a motor, volleyball/football, cooking on occasion, writing (of course), going to movies, video games, and just hanging out with friends. I am definitely going to take up squirrel-suit jumping very soon, too. Also called Wingsuit Jumping. If you don't know what it is...it's where you wear this "winged" suit that let's you freefall at a slower rate, so you are actually flying!

Two important things you must know about my fanfiction writing:
1) I have only written fanfiction based around the popular Microsoft video game "HALO" as well as its sequels and novels. I try to make my works correlate to the canon as closely as possible, but what would artistic expression be if there wasn't a little deviation? But seriously, I always try to engineer my plots such that they don't conflict with canon.
2) It's not easy to update my stories with the amount of life events I encounter on a day-to-day basis.

Just a little random something that I completely agree with (I can't take credit for this):

THE JOB - URINE TEST

(Whoever wrote this one deserves a HUGE pat on the back!)

Like most folks in this country, I have a job. I work, they pay me. I pay my taxes and the government distributes my taxes as it sees fit. In order to get that paycheck in my case, I am required to pass a random urine test (with which I have no problem). What I do have a problem with is the distribution of my taxes to people who don't have to pass a urine test. So, here is my Question: Shouldn't one have to pass a urine test to get a welfare check because I have to pass one to earn it for them? Please understand, I have no problem with helping people get back on their feet. I do, on the other hand, have a problem with helping someone sitting on their ass - doing drugs, while I work. . . .
Can you imagine how much money each state would save if people had to pass a urine test to get a public assistance check? I guess we could title that program, 'Urine or You're Out'.

Pass this along if you agree or simply delete if you don't. Hope you all will pass it along, though.
Something has to change in this country -- and soon!

-Story Info-

Underworld Trilogy- Status: In-progress
-Underworld - Status: Complete - First of all, this story is a very intricate weave of various plots and original characters that all lead up to surprising and satisfying conclusions, all of them intertwined, and you may wind up getting lost in its telling. I'd recommend devoting time to this, especially since it's completed and there's no worries of the dreaded 'waiting on updates' plague. Luckily for you, should you decide to give it a read, most of the many questions and mysteries spawned in its progression come to light by the ending, so it's a story that you can feel free to immerse yourself in knowing that your time will not have been spent in vain. It's all done, it's finished, and every detail has been tallied and taken into account--its own little galaxy.

It's a story about the bleak outlook on life from the eyes of five mishappen colonists set in the HALO universe, yet no Covenant zealots show face and there are no one-thousand pound supersoldiers wielding revolutionary armor and the setting does not feature some exotic, alien ringworld whose glyphs and runes spell galactic doomsday. No, this story is essentially de-HALO'd. You might be asking yourself, how the hell is that interesting?!

Unfortunately, I cannot give you an explanation. It's better explained by simply taking a chance and reading. It is primarily horror and action and features a familiar enemy in the central plot line. If you want to see some wild shit go down, this is your story. From the very get-go, I decided this story would be very grown up and very dark in theme and atmosphere. A sobering read. I envisioned dynamic characters set in a very believeable, post-apocalyptic environment rich with strife and tradgedy and a dash of humor, which naturally oozes possibilities from the seams. I created a world that most certainly influences its characters, and maybe vice versa. So where did this story come from? I literally dreamt up a particular scene of it one night, and that's where the inspiration came from: a gun battle between unlucky colonists and rebels that happen to be sharing the same planet. I think I ate a little too much sweets before I went to bed that night. So, here you are.

Closing Notes: Well, at long last comes the end of a 2-year piece of fiction that I poured a lot of time and energy into. It's more like a journey for me. I saw my own writing transform over the chapters and the months.

I started this story 2/3 of the way into my active duty enlistment with the U.S. Air Force and I had experienced a great deal of life in those six years; I think some of it has made an impact on my writing. I had finished a large story before (Alone: 70K+ words), but nothing I’ve ever done even comes close to this scale, and it kind of boggles my mind that I've produced this much. I had a lot of satisfaction in creating it and watching it grow, and I’m glad to have given some of that satisfaction to some of the readers. Thank you for offering your praise and/or your criticisms, it is much appreciated.

Right from the start of this story, I had the aspiration of it being a very immersive and complex plot. There are so many things going on both character-wise and plot-wise, and it was a mentally labor-intensive process to mesh it all together and present it in a way that can appeal to any reader, keeping their interest. I definitely wanted a character-centric story in which readers can either find someone to identify with or just be able to ponder the many interpersonal relationships/conflicts taking place; but I also wanted this massive over-arching plot that not only drives the reader onward, but also profoundly influences the characters in unexpected ways - like real life. And I didn't want to simply do this in a slipshod way (one aspect: I didn't want to take the typical fanfiction approach of devoting a seuquence of miniscule chapters to each character, setting up rigid traits in that way, and then begin the actual story - that approach is not only hackneyed, but it also dilutes the real immersion value of the story and cheapens the experience. Granted, I believe all characters should have backstory, but it shouldn't be introduced in a smattering of paragraphs early on. I believe their backstories, while necessary, should be phased out over time and events.) So, instead, I wanted to show true character progression that spans chapters, and in some cases the entire story. I believe the effect of this approach speaks for itself when you sit down and read the story. I wanted a story that was canonically correct in as many ways possible, and I wanted to make this fanfiction a journey for the reader, not just for myself.

And on the subject of the journey of characters, this story delves into human morality again and again, and comes out very dark and horrid at times. I strived chapter after chapter to create an atmosphere that allowed you to get lost in the moment and make you look inward. The last two chapters are riddled with Dante's Inferno references, further adding another dimension of morality and human consequence if you will. The addition of that ancient lore is there as an attempt at illustrating the paths people can choose in life and how they wind up where they are in the grand scheme of things. This is all pure fiction, mind you, but all aimed at immersing the reader in that realm of human morality and consequence.

So, immersion, an experience I tried to create in this story. But there’s always the universal dilemma that plagues all multi-chapter fan fictions and bars them from accomplishing this effect: updating.

Ah, yes. It’s a different thing to sit down with a published novel in your hands and maintain a pace that is to your heart’s content; you can turn the pages and fly through the read and become as immersed as you want, or you can spread it out over a month or a year and take your time. You usually get no such choice in this place; the author’s update interval dictates your sustained level of interest in the story—provided it is a good story for you to begin with. Sometimes, updating is a nerve-wracking process and you just want to sit it out for a while and make sure it's proper, or perhaps to look back on all you’ve done to give you the boost you need in making a chapter better than you hoped. It's bar-raising. I never suffered from being my own worst critic to the point where I was apprehensive about publishing chapters or going through severe writer's block, but there was a couple of times in this story where I teetered on that line. Sometimes, you just have to know when to labor through and produce material no matter how dull or inadequate you think it is. That's what refinement is for: touching up what you've already produced - and it really does work, that approach.

Having said all this, I hope no one got too confused towards the later chapters. It harkens back to my mentioning of staying abreast of things, of a few pivotal events that occur in the later chapters which are largely dependent on the reader’s recollection of events transpiring in the earlier ones. The past is integrally linked to the coherency of the present in this story, of the characters and the entire planet they dwell in. Everything that happened in the story happened for a reason. In fact, I’d venture to say that 95 percent or more of all words in this story were there for a specific plotting purpose. Needless to say, the story can quickly become confounding from the amount of events and the character interactions in them if you don’t have a solid grasp on the ‘establishment’ chapters. I’ll give you an example:

In a review, someone asked me if the planet was a prison colony. It is most certainly not, although metaphorical devices throughout the chapters—both narrated and character-voiced—repeatedly suggest this. No, Traxus IX was not a prison colony. If anything, it was a gulag. A company-owned gulag. I can understand what the reviewer was getting at, as various influences in the story in one way or another, made it feel that it might as well have been a penal colony given the Traxus Heavy Industries’ treatment of its denizen-workers and their past ‘management’ practices, specifically in global crisis scenarios. But a penal colony would be a state-held piece of property, right? (as in UNSC-controlled)

This is an example of what happens when a reader loses touch with what has been established, probably to no fault of their own because the story is admittedly long, complex and spans an in-progress timeline of nearly two years. I don’t blame any of them.

But I love a good, complex story with comparitively-complex people and that’s what I strived to bring every time I hit ‘add new chapter’. I tried to stay cognizant of the fact that not all people were going to be as aware of my story and its details as I was. Therefore, I always tried to give a brief passage aimed at continuity at the beginning of each chapter, especially after large gaps between my updates. But I’m extremely content after these two years of perpetual creation even though I can never consider it perfect (the amount of piecemeal modyfing I do even after story completion convinces me of that). But I’m proud of the finished product, and I’m delighted people have liked it too.

A sequel to this story is most certainly in the works. When it arrives to your computer screen, I can’t be sure. And unfortunately I won’t give you a teaser chapter or even a brief synopsis of the plot; I don’t want to give anything away. Suspense is the keystone of Underworld and it has to stay that way for the sequel.

But I didn’t say it has to stay that way for the prequel.

The prequel will detail the events occurring in the main characters’ lives that lead up to their eventual situation in Underworld (Traxus IX)…among other things. There will be new characters as well. And you shouldn’t conjure any doubts as to whether it will possess action or suspense subpar to Underworld or its sequel. In fact, the climactic event in this prequel will be something worth reading—honestly, no bull shit.

I’m just trying to decide whether it’d be more entertaining to release the sequel first or the prequel. Eh, I’ll figure it out when the time is right.

Alright, I’m gonna end this closing note here. Once again, thanks for stopping by and checking out Underworld. Special thanks to all the reviewers! It has been fun! A prequel and sequel are in development so stay tuned. And I hope you all stay safe and happy wherever you are.
Underworld: The Calling - Status: In-progress - This will be the sequel to Underworld, detailing certain significant events in the HALOverse and the exploits of the survivors of Traxus IX. You won't want to miss it.
Underworld III (Title Pending)

The Halo Genesis Trilogy - Status: On hold
-The Argo - Status: Complete - This facet of HALO lore was never explored in-depth. This is my attempt at it. I created this as a standalone story in October of 2006 as a submission to UNSCDF's Fanfiction Contest, judged jointly by Eric Nylund for the prize of a signed Ghosts of Onyx novel. I was the winner, and I feel this event kicked off the start of my best efforts. Before that, my fanfiction was not something I'd be proud of. Now, this story is a part of a trilogy effort and it may get a face-lift, but probably later than sooner.
-The Last Drop - Status: On hold - Sequel to The Argo, this story deals with a Marine who took part in the most highly-classified operation the UNSC has ever commissioned.
-OPERATION: ZENITH - Status: On hold - Sequel to The Last Drop, this final chapter in the Genesis Trilogy that sheds light on the aftermath of the clandestine operation.

The Alone Trilogy - Status: In-progress (being integrated into a massive, hybrid story arc spanning multiple stories and two authors' imaginations)
-Alone - Status: Complete - A young enlistee recently out of training transfers from Reach to a forward assignment at Zagosa Prime, where he's embedded into a unique fighting unit: Lima Company. There, the newly-arrived Marine befriends equally strange and interesting Marines while they battle toward a nowhere spot in the middle of a nondescript valley infested with Covenant. Here, at a remote mining station, they witness extraordinary events unfold which bring them deeper to the bottom of a wonderful mystery.

Closing Notes: Well, I guess I should add something here after all this time (2.75 years after completion).

Alone...an impromptu success. Alone started as a very simple thing. Actually, it was just something to pass the time as I pondered the mythos and warrior ethos of the Spartan-II. It was my first attempt at poetry and I was not expecting much. I had some personal issues going on then, one of which was the death of my Grandfather, the first death I had ever known in my own family. It was a strange thing to deal with and it may have had an impact on the writing of the poem. Maybe I was feeling dark and depressed (probably so). Looking back, I think those feelings showed in the context of the poem. But I realized it had a lot of potential, especially when people who took the time to read and review it typed their thoughts on it. Heavy encouragement from those folks spurred me on, and I added about a thousand words to the poem to act together as the first chapter in the hugest story I'd ever undertaken since then. It was probably the second-most defining moment in my writing career, if that is appropriately termed.

This was also my first attempt at writing in the first-person point of view, which wound up working well because it makes the journey of the main character more personal - not to mention it makes all the poetry somewhat more valid in its exposition during an action/adventure story. I had to continually remind myself not to cross over into the cheesy area by not voicing the character's own thoughts too much, and sort of let others do the talking as he passively observed. Too much internal monologue can really be a drag to read, in my opinion. Balance was needed and I'm still going back to edit whole chapters in order to satisfy that need.

By the time I finished Alone, I decided to expand it into a trilogy and also post an alternate ending some time in the future. I guess right here is where I should thank all those loyal reviewers. THANK YOU!

-Alone: The Straight Path - Status: Rebooting - The sequel to Alone and second chapter in the Alone Trilogy, this story will detail the events that lead Lima Company and their commrades to Reach for their briefing on perhaps one of the most daring and ambitious missions the UNSC has ever devised. Battles will be fought, sacrifices will be made, friendships will be tested, and colonies hang in the balance of it all. It will be an epic journey.
Official Summary: Escape was only the beginning. Zagosa Prime's embattled survivors now find their true calling at Reach, but a vast number of worlds much like theirs are imperiled by the Covenant. The grave choices lie ahead as they decide which worlds can still be saved.
-Alone III (Title Pending)

The Call to Arms - Status: In-progress - This is a story dealing with Spartan-062, Maria. She is featured in the "Halo Graphic Novel". Her character is somewhat of a mystery and a very intruiging prospect in creating a story for. It's definitely a challenge, but definitely one I'm working on! This is one of my three stories being merged into a huge fanfic co-authored by Mr. 125.

The Yankee White - Status: On hold - This is a story I created after I sat deep in thought one day when I had a lot of time to kill. The story greatly reflects my own life and some of the people and acquaintances that I've known. To gain an understanding on what a Yankee White is without reading my story, simply google it. Basically, I thought about taking a job occupation whose work is secretive, noble, and perilous all in one...and meshing it with some of the experiences in my own life. Hope you enjoy!

Countdown to Doomsday - Status: On hold - This is a story I immediately started writing about after I caught "The Doomsday Clock" episode on the History Channel. It was, and still is about the looming threat of nuclear annihilation of mankind and came about during the Cold War. The human race has been on a countdown to war to end all wars. I gave it a HALO twist. I may convert this into a short. Eh, we'll see what becomes of it.

When the Smoke Clears - Status: Deleted - This represents my rookie work and is my first fanfiction created, and in my opinion it needs no display here. : |

Aim High, Dig Deep - Status: In-progress - This is a story that deatils the events of a small squad of Marines providing communications support to a military detachment stationed in Voi. On Earth, they think their mission is a cake-walk, far away from the front lines. But little do they know, they're about to be thrust into the thick of action when Regret arrives to claim Earth. Upon an e-mail brainstorming session between Mr. 125 and I, we decided this fic to be one of many included in a hybrid story model we cooked up that merges five into one, epic tale.

Believe - Status: Complete - This is a touching oneshot I did for Memorial Day, 2008. I always liked the character of Lord Hood/Sir Terrence Hood/Admiral Hood, whatever you wanna call him. I appreciated the fact that Bungie created a leader that was not only confident, commanding and empowering, but a leader who obviously valued John and the Spartans and respected them as true warriors who did their duty and didn't ask for a thing in return except the chance to serve again. And the cutscene at the end of HALO 3 is obviously what inspired this one-shot of mine. I thought it was well-scripted and the music there just makes every hair on the body stand. This one-shot features Lord Hood, as it should.

Starry Night, Fateful Day - Status: Complete - This is another one-shot I did, based on the HALO 3 TV commercial back in December of 2006. I absolutely love that video. It is so inspirational in many ways. I just had to write on it. It is a very simple, short one-shot but the main reason I created it was to provide viewers an in-depth look at what John and presumably Kelly were like when they were young and in their training days on Reach. This is all my own conjecture, of course, and shouldn't be taken as official canon. But I definitely wanted to make the connection between past and present as it relates to the Chief's life experiences, however little of them the scope of this writing offers (since the Starry Night video offered just the same). All in all, I really enjoyed Digital Domain's Starry Night video and the connection they brought with the childhood experience of the Chief and Kelly, lying in the field and just being children under a starry night.

-SoI-

Bungie.net
halo.bungie.org
Halopedia
Halo Movie Online
The HALO movie discussion forum at IMDB

-Disclaimer-

NO TREES WERE KILLED IN THE MAKING OF THIS PROFILE, BUT A GREAT DEAL OF ELECTRONS WERE TERRIBLY INCONVENIENCED.