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Legacy of the Precursors

Special: Holiday Havoc

Part 1

This was certainly peculiar.

Six was uncertain what exactly was happening on the ship. He had been with the team for some time now, and he had just started to learn their each individual mannerisms. So he could tell when they were acting oddly.

Things had started changing a week ago with the mentions of some important upcoming date that he had not cared to learn about. At first it had been small things, whispered exchanges and glances. They had also begun to distance themselves from each other for whatever reason. In the beginning had not given much thought into that as he was glad they had done so to him as well.

Then the decorating had started.

A couple days ago he decided to leave his room for his weekly routine maintenance on his sabre and equipment. As he had started to step out of his room, he was startled to find the hallway not as he had last seen it.

The monotone silver walls had been covered in colored streamers of green and red, the lights had also been changed, shading the hall in a mellow blue. Along with the change of scenery came the addition of music haunting the air with a strange upbeat melody, something about a silent night, what that had to do with a starship was uncertain.

The hallway had not been deserted when he exited his room. He spied Miyu and Krystal, the feline carrying a step ladder, as they headed towards the elevator.

“What is all this?" He had asked them in confusion, staring at the transformed hallway.

“Don't you know, Six?" Miyu had replied with a bright grin. “It's Christmas time!"

He did not know what this Christmas was. But judging by her excited tone and the vixen's giggle, it was something important.

“What is Christmas?" He had wondered. The spartan did not like to be out of the loop. And it bothered him that they possessed knowledge that he lacked.

Both women had then gasped in shock as if he had just threatened to burn down an orphanage, which only infuriated him more.

“You don't know what Christmas is?" Krystal demanded, still acting as if he had just committed some grievous sin.

“Obviously not." He had retorted mildly.

“It's a holiday where you show your appreciation of your friends and family by buying them gifts and spreading good ol Christmas cheer." Miyu declared with a widening of her smile and a pleasant twitch of her tail. The box of decorations in her paws jingling softly as she moved to face him.

As the cat explained to him what it was, Six frowned skeptically. It all sounded more than a little contrived. But he supposed that he might just be a resentful soul. Any family he had was dead, and anyone he could call friend was also likewise departed.

What use had he of holidays of any kind? The UNSC had never bothered to educate him in anything more than in the ways of war.

Six had left them to their…decorating, and reoriented himself on his original task before he had been so oddly distracted.

But he had not gotten far before he bumped into another member of the team, this time being Slippy. The toad was guiding a large container through the wide hall with the assistance of a hovering cart.

With his size, Six had been unable to maneuver past him and instead had been forced to follow the toad.

A quick interrogation had uncovered that he Slippy also suffered from this strange holiday fever, and that he was even at that moment fixing on making gifts for the team.

Once he had finally bypassed the toad, he had decided against checking on his ship. He was far too distracted to be of any good running diagnostics and taking apart his firearms.

It was this Christmas thing, it gnawed on him incessantly.

He had retreated to his room for several days to brood. It seemed so important to his team and even at that moment he could hear the holiday music loitering in the hallway outside, seemingly never far away, no matter where on the ship he was.

If it was indeed so significant to his team, shouldn't he care about it too? He remained indecisive for a long time, this so far away from what he knew that he did not know how to precede.

Finally, after a week of debate, he decided to investigate further on this thing they called “Christmas". He needed more information before he could formulate a hypothesis and then a solution to his quandary.

He decided that the best source he could rely on was his commander, and so Six left his room to confront Mccloud.

*****

Six found the orange furred vulpine up on the bridge, and his appearance struck the spartan numb. Fox sat in his captain's chair as he usually did during their flights, except this time he had a different wardrobe. His customary flight suit had been replaced with a strange red suit and floppy hat, which sat between his ears and he was drinking from an odd smelling drink, from which Six could faintly detect the strong odor of alcohol.

Fox's suit had buckles and clasps and was trimmed with white fluff. On the top of his pointed cap, a little white bulb dangled listlessly off to the side.

The vulpine heard the door open and turned to address Six, the little ball atop his head flopping to the opposite side as he did so.

“Hey Six, want some eggnog?" He enquired, raising the now identified liquid towards him.

“I'll pass." He refused. Doing so would require him to take his helmet off, something he had not done yet, and had no plans on doing. They still had not seen him, and he was content keeping it that way.

“Your loss." Fox shrugged, taking a deep drag from the cup and smacking his lips loudly. “It's good stuff."

“Yes, I'm sure it is." Six nodded and moved closer, sitting at one of the chairs near the weirdly dressed vulpine.

“So, what can I do you for?" Fox wondered, turning his own chair to face the spartan with the faint jingle of bells.

_“I wanted to know something." _

“What's it you want to know?"

Six looked down to his lap. He was not sure how to broach the subject, and he was not exactly comfortable with asking any questions of his leader. But he sorely wanted to figure this Christmas thing out that the others were so hyped about.

The spartan looked up.

“Tell me, what is this Christmas?"

Unlike the others, Fox did not react with shock or surprise, he merely nodded slowly. It came to him as no revelation that the spartan did not know. He had suspected that his people either did not celebrate it or something like it, or that due to his…history. He would not have known anyways. But Fox was glad to have the chance to tell him. And he even hoped that the holiday might help the spartan open up more.

“That's a tall order and it'll take some time to explain so I suggest you get comfortable." With that, Fox set down his cup of eggnog and leaned forwards, clasping his paws together.

*****

Six listened as Fox told him of Christmas, or at least what he knew of it, the true origins of the holiday having long been construed by time. But now in the modern age, it was to give thinks and spread goodwill among the people of the Lylat System. The gift giving was initially a gimmick for the populace to spend their money, but in the end it just turned into another aspect of the celebration, just as important as drinking eggnog and singing carols.

The gifts were a person's way of showing their appreciation for their family and friends. And sometimes it became something of a competition, each individual trying to one up the other with the “best present". At least, that's how it was between Fox and Falco. The main goal was to get something that the other person would like, which was not always an easy task since, as tradition dictates, the gift is intended to be a surprise.

Fox went on about the smaller aspects of the holiday, something about a mistletoe and a tree, but Six did not pay them much mind. Once the vulpine finished, Six thanked him and left the bridge to be alone with his thoughts.

Christmas was so unlike anything he had ever known. It went against all he knew as a spartan. He did not give “gifts" or spread “goodwill". That was more of that being human stuff he had never quite learned. But, as he gave it more thought, Six supposed if the team was going to do it, he might as well give it a try.

Who knew, he even just might enjoy it.