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  • Subject: [FF] Dear Diary (Page 3 has been translated and posted)
Subject: [FF] Dear Diary (Page 3 has been translated and posted)

[WebMaster]-After about 20 years after the Fall of Reach I found a ragged, almost completely destroyed dairy that belonged to a young boy that was planet-side at the time. Most of the pages are unreadable, though due to technology, I can slowly bring these pages back to their original form using an advanced translation software. I will continue to update the pages as the process of regenerating this book continues. Hopefully it will shed some "light" on the battle, or maybe it will just contain some pointless stories or songs or poems the boy wrote. I'm not sure what will come out of this little project I have recently conjured up. But, hopefully, you will obtain some sort of enlightenment of the small part of the war.

Trailer for this fan-fiction.

Pages Recovered:

Page One - July 24, 2552
Page Two - July 25, 2552
Page Three - July 25, 2552

The WebMaster Speaks
[WebMaster]-Sorry for the Errors

[Edited on 07.09.2011 8:53 AM PDT]

  • 07.01.2011 7:15 PM PDT
Subject: [FF] Dear Diary (Page 1 has been recovered)

July 24, 2552


Today was my 16th birthday and also one of the most terrifying days of my life.

I remember waking up feeling the warmth of Reach's sun as it slowly made its way over the mountaintops as it did everyday. I laid there looking at the ceiling for a while, thinking of the events that were about to unfold on this special day. I remember hearing a herd of Moa screeching like the roosters that grandma had told me about some while ago.

I heard a slight creek in the house and a door quietly moaning as it opened. I heard footsteps heading down the hallway to my room. By the heaviness of the footsteps I assumed it was mom going to wake me up and sing Happy Birthday to me as she did every year on this day. I watched as my knob slowly turned and I shut my eyes and pretended I was asleep.

I listened as the door opened and as light footsteps barely made a sound on their way to my bed. I smelt the wonderful smell of Joklus flowers, which was the smell of my mom's perfume she had always worn since as long as I can remember. I felt my body sink a little to the left as she sat on my bed. Even though my eyes were shut I knew she was smiling at me. I could feel it was well as I could feel the sun slowly warming my face. She gently stroked my hair a few times and paused for a few seconds before she began to speak.

"Wake up, my sweet boy." She said in the softest, most motherly way possible.

I acted like I had just begun to wake up due to her voice. I stretched out my arms and made a rather convincing yawning sound. I barely opened my eyes and held my arm up to shield my face from the light emitting from the sun.

"Good morning, Mother." I said back to her in the most convincing sleeping voice I could muster.

She smiled at me and stroked my hair once more.

"I know you were already awake." She said again in the loveliest tone.

I grinned back at her and laughed. I rose out of my bed and gave her a big hug. As my arms were around her I inhaled her wonderful perfume and I kissed her cheek.

"You know what today is, right?" I smiled.

"Oh course, honey! How would I ever forget? Now get ready and come downstairs. Dad has got a surprise for you!"

My heartbeat began to race with excitement! What was it the surprise? A car? A motorcycle? Maybe its that new holophone that everyone has been talking about! My mind was already racing with several possibilities before mom had even walked out the door. As soon as I heard the click of my door close I began getting ready.

It only took me a few minutes to take a shower and get dressed. I couldn't think of what I should wear for my birthday. I finally decided to wear my favorite, black button-up shirt with fancy black velvet designs, and a pair of faded black jeans. I never understood why I had liked this outfit so much. I just did. I neatly combed my hair and ran downstairs.

I found dad waiting for me at the door with a pair of keys in his hand that looked unfamiliar to what I was used to. He smiled his well-known smile when he saw me and jingled the keys. My heart jumped and I grinned from ear to ear. Dad tossed the keys toward me and I caught them and stared at them with awe.

"Are you coming or not, son?" Dad asked his is kind, but powerful tone.

"Of course!" I said, snapping back into reality.

I made my way outside and felt the full warmth of Reach's sun hit my skin. I breathed in the fresh air and looked around the yard. There were a few Moa grazing on some grass in a field nearby, and I caught a glimpse of a few unidentifiable birds that quickly flew off when they caught me looking at them. My mom's car was in the drive way, as well as my dad's military-grade Warthog. I looked everywhere, but I couldn't find any type of thing that seemed new. I looked back at dad and he simply shrugged.

I looked around the yard a little more and headed toward the back of the house. There I found my mom next to a brand new, red and black Harventen 730X, only the coolest sports car in the world! I laughed in astonishment and almost fell to my knees. Mom had the most radiant smile on her face. I walked up to the car and it automatically unlocked itself due to the sensors in the keys dad had given me.

I slowly opened the door in amazement and carefully made my way inside. The car had everything. A full speaker system, black leather interior, built-in holographic GPS navigator, the works! I pressed a the power button on my keys and the car roared to life. I laughed with joy and got out and gave mom the biggest hug I think I had ever given her.

"Happy birthday, Kyle." She whispered in my ear and we hugged.

"Thank you so much mom," I turned around. "and dad-"

The expression on my dad's face stopped me from finishing my sentence. He had the most worried look on his face, as if he had just gotten news that his parents where about to die. He was holding a phone in his hand. He looked at us, mom and I, for a few seconds and gulped.

"Jane, Kyle," He said in almost a whisper. "I have to go now. And you two need to get off-planet as fast as possible."

Mom and I stared back at him. He was dead serious, I could tell.

"What happened, dad?" I asked him.

"I can't tell you, son. ONI's orders. But I'm sure that you all will find out soon enough."

Just then a pair of Longsword fighters flew above us, their engines causing a load roar that echoed through the valley. Then there was a distant explosion that shook the ground for a split second.

I stared into my dad's eyes.

"What is going on?!" I said, in a loader tone.

"I can't tell you, Kyle." He replied, trying not to completely spill out everything he knew.

"Ben, what is happening?" My mom asked him.

"I can't tell you!" He almost yelled.

"Ben." My mom asked him in her sweet voice.

"No."

"Dad?" I said, getting more worried by the second.

"No!" He yelled.

"Ben, you tell me right now!" Mom yelled back.

"The Covenant are here, Jane! The aliens found Reach! Do you hear me? Now if we waste anymore time here, we are all going to die, do you understand?" My dad screamed back.

We all stopped and stood silent for a moment, absorbing the information that was just told to us.

"Kyle, pack your things." Mom said in a calm tone.

I did what I was told.

  • 07.01.2011 7:16 PM PDT

No u

Interesting point of view to say the least. Anyways, it's quite good, can't wait for the next part.

  • 07.01.2011 9:22 PM PDT
Subject: [FF] Dear Diary (Page 2 has finished translating)

July 25, 2552

It was just yesterday morning since the news of the Covenant was invading Reach was officially announced. ONI knew that they couldn't hide something of this magnitude to the general population. Even though my dad works for ONI I have still heard very little of the projects and operations that they do. He was even reluctant to tell his own family the reason why we need to leave. Obviously he has followed his orders to the T. Until yesterday.

I'm sitting in an extremely overcrowded spaceport as I'm writing this with a pen I happened to find on the floor. I barely have room to write as it is. My mom is beside me with her handbag sitting in her lap like a small dog would to its owner. It is so amazingly loud in this room, the voices of hundreds -if not thousands- of people talking at once. All of them seem to be either trying to contact someone they know, or are talking about the Covenant on our planet.

So far we haven't seen anything that looked alien, but if we did I'm sure someone would notice. We all know what their ships look like, news stories of them glassing systems always showed them. To me the fronts of them reminded me like a fishing hook, or it could be the back of the ship, I can never tell. These aliens popped out of nowhere it seemed, and with no offering of peace. Though rumor has it that someone on Harvest had freaked out and shot one of the aliens and that is what started all of this. If that's true, I bet they're dead.

There was just a large explosion. The ground shook and the lights flickered for just a moment. It was similar to the one back home yesterday, but this time it was much closer. Everyone is quiet now, waiting to see what will happen next. Personally I'm grateful for the silence, I was beginning to get a headache from all the commotion.

A Longsword team just flew past us heading west of us, though if you didn't see them it never happened. The noise of them was unheard throughout the whole building due to the talking. I wonder what they're heading for? Are they heading for they're demise? Will a few fighters actually make a difference in this war? I guess only time will tell.

Mom is trying to act normal. But I've known her long enough now to see that she is worried about my dad. We haven't heard from him since we left for the spaceport, though that was normal. He wasn't allowed to make any outside contact when he was doing his thing, whatever that was. Mom is gripping her bag so hard it seems as though she thinks if she lets go the world will end.

I was just thinking of my friends and where they would be right now. Are they at the spaceport like me? Or have they gone somewhere else? I guess nowhere is safe on this rock as long as the Covenant can glass it.

Mom's perfume is still vibrant through this crowd of people. I wonder who else smells it? I guess that's not important...

The news just said that small Covenant skirmishes have been going on on Reach for the past several hours. So far we've been successful holding them off. Roughly 50 casualties so far. If we're so good fighting against the aliens on the ground and they're superior in the air, then why don't they just glass us now and get it over with? Are they trying to grow fear in us? Do they want to make us suffer?

I guess I'm writing to many questions in here. If something happens to me and you are reading this right now you will probably know all the answers to these questions, but I'm writing what I'm thinking so you will have to live with it for now. I'll try to stop in the future.

I've talked to some of the people surrounding me in the spaceport. Most of them seem to think we can hold them off long enough for all of us to get off the planet. A lot of them said the same thing, "This is a military planet, we should have enough firepower here to give every civilian one and then some.". I really hope it doesn't come to that. Could you imagine civilians fighting for themselves against an enemy so more advanced...sorry, no more questions. Promise.

A loud voice just boomed throughout the station and caused everyone to shut up. They said that the first ship off Reach will begin loading in just a few minutes, though knowing the chaos here, that could mean hours. We automatically get the first ride out of here, because of dad working with ONI. I guess it does have some perks, even though we don't get to see him much.

Alright they're loading the first shuttle. It's time for me to go.

For some reason the attendants and security wouldn't allow us on the ship. Mom is about to cry, which is extremely rare for her to do. I've tried to comfort her, but so far I've been unsuccessful. We're watching the first ship launch without us now. Mom is crying, but she's try1Ng n0TTT avbadsfjg!@#$1vi
gbaifgu32!!R ?.[]ad;iujoq

======
[ERr0R!!!]

[Syst3m Malfunct1on! System is tryi g to f1X the probl3mm. Ple se wait.]

[DatA Unr3adabl3...]

[Pr gram pr0ce3ded to next translat1bl3 w0rd/phr@se]
======

We are all going to die.

[Edited on 07.02.2011 3:59 AM PDT]

  • 07.01.2011 10:10 PM PDT

[From the WebMaster]-To whoever is reading this I do not know what happened when the program tried to translate the second page. I will try to fix the error soon. I am quite interested to see what had happened, but for now I know nothing. Hopefully if I can't fix the problem, then the next page should give us some valuable information.

[Edited on 07.01.2011 10:17 PM PDT]

  • 07.01.2011 10:15 PM PDT
Subject: [FF] Dear Diary (Page 2 and a message from the WebMaster)

The tide is turning, brothers! Let us take our kingdom back!

This feels eerily familiar. Where have I seen something like this before...?

  • 07.02.2011 4:24 AM PDT


Posted by: OfTheBloodguard
This feels eerily familiar. Where have I seen something like this before...?

I'm not sure? My work always gets commented about how the reader feels it's familiar. But I guess what's a good thing, huh?

  • 07.02.2011 6:56 AM PDT

The tide is turning, brothers! Let us take our kingdom back!


Posted by: Ric0chetSniper

Posted by: OfTheBloodguard
This feels eerily familiar. Where have I seen something like this before...?

I'm not sure? My work always gets commented about how the reader feels it's familiar. But I guess what's a good thing, huh?
Yeah, I suppose.

I just remembered. It feels like the data pads from Reach. Was that what you were going for?

  • 07.03.2011 3:42 AM PDT


Posted by: OfTheBloodguard

[/quote]Yeah, I suppose.

I just remembered. It feels like the data pads from Reach. Was that what you were going for?


No. I just wanted to give a view on a war from a kids point of view. I thought, "Hey! What if I was on Reach? What would I be doing when I heard that the Covenant were here?".

  • 07.03.2011 5:17 AM PDT

No u


Posted by: Ric0chetSniper

Posted by: OfTheBloodguard

[/quote]Yeah, I suppose.

I just remembered. It feels like the data pads from Reach. Was that what you were going for?


No. I just wanted to give a view on a war from a kids point of view. I thought, "Hey! What if I was on Reach? What would I be doing when I heard that the Covenant were here?".


I would be scared out of my flippin mind. Scary man. Scary.

  • 07.03.2011 12:36 PM PDT

The tide is turning, brothers! Let us take our kingdom back!


Posted by: Ric0chetSniper

Posted by: OfTheBloodguard

[/quote]Yeah, I suppose.

I just remembered. It feels like the data pads from Reach. Was that what you were going for?


No. I just wanted to give a view on a war from a kids point of view. I thought, "Hey! What if I was on Reach? What would I be doing when I heard that the Covenant were here?".
I over-analysed again.. :(

  • 07.04.2011 5:11 AM PDT


Posted by: OfTheBloodguard
I over-analysed again.. :(

It's fine man, haha.
I'm going to probably write Page 3 either tonight or tomorrow. Most likely tomorrow. I'm sorry for taking a while, vacation has been taking up all my time.

  • 07.04.2011 7:57 AM PDT
Subject: [FF] Dear Diary (Page 2 has finished translating)

July 26, 2552

The aliens are everywhere. Swarming like vultures after finding its next meal. The have destroyed most of our transportation out of this godforsaken planet. Rumor has it that New Alexandra is one of the few places that the UNSC has been able to hold off, but even they will get overrun eventually.

I've still heard no word of dad, which is something he agreed to when he joined the Official Navel Intelligence. He can't have any contact with anyone outside of the UNSC or ONI while on duty. I assume they do this just to make sure no one will leak anything important that could be of use to the Covenant or the Insurrectionist. Or possibly to make sure the fighting spirit doesn't go down. But as of now I'm pretty sure humanity's spirits are located somewhere deep in Reach's core right now.

The militia on Reach transported us to an underground bunker located in the heart of the city. Some dozens of meters below the crust. We are all crammed in here. More so than when we were in the spaceport. Mom is still crying. She's so worried about father, but I am too. Having him work at ONI had its ups and downs. Right now, we were experiencing the biggest down there was possible in our situation.

The bunker we're in right now has rations that should serve us just a few days, but it wont matter once the Covenant finds it. They'll make their way down her and slaughter us all. They always made sure to kill as many humans as possible. Dad told me that they're were different ones within the Covenant. Ones that resembled birds, apes, and lizards. Others were unlike anything anyone has ever seen, he said. I'd never seen one of the aliens in real life before, but I had a feeling that was about to change.

The people in this bunker are all quiet now. We all are listening to the vibrations made from the explosions above us. The militia that brought us here doesn't have many supplies. Just a few pistols and assault rifles. There's no way we'll be able to hold of the aliens for more than a few minutes if they find us. A few of the men in our little underground fort have their own arms to fire to protect their family.

Mom won't stop crying. I've tried to comfort her but nothing seems to be working. She's not the only one though. A few women and children are scared and crying, as well as a few men that have lost their wives and children in the quick explosions that happened just a few hours ago.

A few of us have finally fallen asleep, but there is still many off of still awake. Mom was one of the ones asleep, thank God. I noticed a cute blonde girl my age across the room from me was still awake. I decided to make my way up to her and talk, even though it probably wasn't the best time to start up a chat, but there was no one else my age to talk to.

When I sat down beside her she looked at me. She had obviously been crying, as her makeup had ran down her face. He eyes were still watery and she sniffed every few seconds. We both stared into each other's eyes. I could tell that we both had the same thoughts on our mind and had similar experiences. I reached for her hand and held it with a gentle grip.

"Everything is going to be alright," I whispered.

Her eyes began to fill with more water and her mouth began to quiver for a few seconds. Then her emotions got the best of her and she busted out crying and hugged me tightly. At first it had caught me off-guard, but I quickly held her back and we stayed like that for quite a while. Her perfume she had on mixed with the smell of dust and explosive residue, which didn't make the best smell, but I didn't mind. I stoked her hair as I held her, her tears and makeup began staining my shirt. I felt like we had bonded in that sad, brief moment of our lives.

A few minutes later she let go of me and looked into my eyes. I could feel myself blushing.

"Thank you," She said quietly. Her voice was beautiful, like the sound of the ocean. "I needed that."

I simply smiled and nodded at her. She returned a weak smile and snuggled up next me. I instinctively wrapped one of my arms around her. She smiled a little bit and closed her eyes.

"You're a nice guy," She told me right before she fell asleep.

I grinned a little and continued to stroke her hair. I looked up and noticed mom was watching me. She forced a small smile toward me and I grinned back at her. Then we all fell asleep.

  • 07.06.2011 6:47 PM PDT