[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] EAGLES5 LOL anyways Brilliant isn here. Must be busy[/quote] With what... I wonder....

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Hammer 220 what in the world does old mcdonald have to do with anything? Dude, plain and simple: don't spam. spamming = problems. If you have a post, make it topic relevant. At least stay on topic until Sir Brilliant posts his next installment. Then you can talk about that. But if you want to spam, don't do it here. Start up your own thread, label it: Spam!! and post things like "Spammity spam spam, I'm a freakin spammer!!" ok? comprende? In the mean time, where's everyone at? Thread kinda seems asleep right now......?[/quote] Sorry, it just that this forum is boring without the next chapter. I dont have anymore suggestions either. I have nothing else to do so i just posted this to see what would happen. I didnt exepct a responce. I losing my mine I need the next chapter. AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Can't Sir have a life? I mean it is like you expect him to sit down all day and finish a story just for us. Well, let him be. And about the post from Hammer 220...man if you don't want people to spam then how about you don't spam asking people to respond...That's it. I just felt like you guys were just being a little rude, to Sir i mean. Just be patient.

Are u sure ur not an author 4 Bungie? that was a pretty damn good prologue! i'd read it any day! if Bungie hasn't seen that already, u should show it to them!

no pun, but Sir didnt you say youd have the next chapter done on Thursday?

I told u guys he was hasnt been online sense wensday. Give the man a break. He is busy with life. He will be back sooner or later

i know, thats why i said no pun

(sorry for the double post) well, (no insult or pun intended) but he needs to post a new chapter soon, this thread is dying, we used to be on the first page and in first but no look at us.

Sorry to tell you this, but we are on the first page...everytime someone posts. So that means the time i write this we will be on the front page. And what the hell do you mean by pun? lol. I thought pun meant a play on words...

Dont worry aboout being on top. Has soon has Brillaint returns, he will post every chapter (edited) plus the new one and this thread will gain some attention. We all just need to be patient.

ERR!!!!! dammit, im so pissed that i wasn't able to post the chapter on time. and it wasn't because i didn't finish writing it or anything like that, but because i had no internet connection AT ALL, ANYWHERE! anyways, i have the entire story coming up right now, so nobody be too upset. Book 0 Chapter 1 September 15, 0630/Cairo Orbital Station Sol System Stepping off the broken walkway of the UNSC Gettysburg onto the spotless, flat floor, his green armor reflecting off the ground, the Master Chief extended his hand. Fleet Admiral Sir Terrence Hood shook it, regardless of the almost impervious armor with encased the Master Chief’s body. “Permission to come aboard, sir.” The smile on the admiral’s face showed true joy. “Permission granted. It’s good to have you back, Master Chief.” “Good to be home, sir.” Images of Reach immediately came to mind, it being his true home. Reach, which was glassed by the covenant only two weeks before, not including the warped space-time effects of the crystal they found on Reach and destroyed. A lot of his team was on the planet at the time, including Spartans -104, -058, and -043; Fred, Linda, and Will, respectively. Looking up, he saw them coming aboard and greeting the Admiral. So many more of them were killed on Reach, and each of their faces flashed before him in an instant. Being the leader of the Spartan II’s, every fallen comrade was a lost part of himself, yet he never showed it. It was his duty to stand tall and strong, never wavering. “Master Chief”, the admiral said, grabbing his attention. “You’re armor’s looking a little, well… beat. How about you give that suit in so we can fix it up?” “Yes sir.” It was strange, now that John had thought about it, leaving his Mjolnir Battlesuit. The half-ton jade green armor had been a second skin for him, one that has saved him numerous times. And in the last week, the only parts he had taken off were the gauntlets and helmet, simply to eat and drink. Chances are that if he hadn’t had the armor, he wouldn’t be alive to think about it. The idea of taking it off was both appeasing and unpleasant. John wanted to walk freely, breathe the normal air, and use only his own faculties. Yet it had grown on him, always comfortable, regardless of anything that happened in the surrounding environment. Every movement only required a single thought, and it was instantaneous. Perhaps a short time out of it would be best. Just then, the admiral walked past John, a smile creeping across his face. “I don’t believe it”, he said in shock and sarcasm. His mouth gaped then closed, showing all his teeth. Sergeant A.J. Johnson saluted the admiral, standing straight, both feet together. “Reporting for duty, sir!” Admiral Hood returned the salute, watching the dark man’s stone cold face become a full fledged grin. He walked over and embraced Johnson, both patting each other’s backs. “Damned good to see you Johnson! Didn’t expect I’d see you here.” “Well, if you thought the Covenant would get poor old Sergeant Johnson, then surprise.” “Glad to hear it.” They both laughed, obviously knowing each other, and they headed for the door. Admiral Hood turned back to John as the doors opened behind him. “Master Chief, get some rest. That’s an order. These men will show you to you’re quarters, and you’ll be debriefed at 1500 hours.” “Aye aye, sir.” Johnson and Hood walked out the door, but before the door closed, John smiled at what he heard from the good sergeant. “Damn lordy, you give them too much time off! Keep it up and they’ll sleep through the whole war!” Pulling up his sweat pants, the door knocked to Spartan -117’s quarters. He tied the waistband and yelled across the room. “Enter!” and the doors opened, allowing in three officers, all ranked respectably enough. They walked in one by one, the front soldier speaking. “Sir, we’re here to take you’re-” John entered from the other room, looking at the gaping mouths stare at him. To them, seeing a Spartan, the greatest of soldiers, was an honor in itself. But what they saw was inhuman, at least in their opinion. He walked right up to them, scanning each of their faces as they blankly stared at him. Wearing a military grade tank top revealed his arms, which seemed to be covered in muscles, all which bulged out. The officer in front couldn’t understand how they all managed to fit on one arm. And the clothes he dropped off were all extra extra large, as requested, yet still were skin tight on this behemoth. Yet over all his physique was his pasty skin, almost completely white. Living almost exclusively within the confines of his Mjolnir armor, John’s skin rarely saw direct sunlight, making his body produce a laughable amount of melanin. He didn’t mind too much, but was occasionally reminded of his tanned self before the Mjolnir days. “Yes?” The three snapped to attention. “Sir! We were ordered t-to take you’re armor to t-the Science lab, s-sir.” “That won’t be necessary. I’ll take it there myself.” The Petty officers looked at each other. The one on John’s left spoke up. “Sir, that armor weighs more than half a ton.” He grabbed a huge bag and hefted it like a feather. “I could use the light exercise.” They paused, watching the bag, thinking there was no way it could hold the Mjolnir armor within. The soldier in the back, at least a head above the other two, stepped forward. “May I?” John handed him the bag, and as he let go, the man fell to the floor, the bag anchoring him to it. Hoisting it again, John helped the fallen man to his feet, saluted, and left the room, running out of site. ******* Jogging down the long corridor, every officer gave a quick glance at John and returned to their business. A few women officers eyed him, watching him longer. But seconds after he ran past each person a barrage of air came through, simply from his slow pace of 15 kilometers per hour. He slowed down from 25 after hearing a woman scream from her dress flying up. Each step was quiet, even though the bag more than tripled his weight. Just as a drop of sweat formed above his forehead, he heard light footsteps in the passageway beside his. 20 meters ahead they would connect, and he’d meet up with another Spartan. Listening closely, he tried identify whose footsteps they were, simply to test himself, and maybe even for fun. The softness of each step meant it couldn’t be Fred, and the smaller whisper of air wouldn’t match with Will’s physique. The corridor ended and John came face to face with his hypothesis. Linda. They both smiled to each other and scanned each other thoroughly in a moment. Linda was wearing the same garb as John, perhaps a size smaller. Her red hair was kept in a pony tail, staying airborne almost constantly. Her right arm was black and blue, still healing from plasma burns covering it. John wondered if he’d see Fred and Will along the way. Both of them had minor leg injuries and were told not to put much force on them, but the Spartans didn’t usually listen to sound medical advice. They also normally wore their Mjolnir armor, which made even dire injuries seem like scratches. Turning left, a sign overhead read Science Lab 3, and the two slowed down and walked to the doors. They were locked, and John hit the intercom system. A moment passed, and a voice came through. “This Science lab is a restricted area. What business do you have?” The automated voice showed no quarter, and John intended to give none. “Spartan -117 and -058 reporting as ordered to bring our Mjolnir battle armor.” The doors opened seconds later and the two entered. Tools scattered the lab, as well as unopened crates, boxes and tables carrying everything. The floor was barely noticeable except for a small walkway to a lighted room where several recognized voices came from. Walking in, John saw Fred and Will in wheelchairs, Cortana’s holographic image displayed across from them, and a scientist in a white coat. Cortana’s image faced John, with her hands on her hips. “Sleep well?” “Fine, no thanks to you.” An electric charge rippled across her body and a smirk broke out on her face. He gave a quick nod to Fred and Will, and looked over to the woman in the white coat. Her back was still to them. “I’ll be with you in a minute.” Linda walked to John’s left side, looking at Fred and Will’s wheelchairs. “Comfy?” “No complaints”, Fred replied. “It’s always nice to have some wheels.” John turned back to the entrance of the lab, noticing two sets of black marks on the floor. “Fun race?” “Couldn’t be better.” The smile on Will’s face meant he was the victor. Only then did the white-coat turn to them. “It’s good to have you with us, Spartan -117 and -058”, she said in a slight British accent. “You two can leave those on that table over there”, pointing to one at their right. She then looked sternly at Fred and Will. “You may be the most decorated soldiers in the UNSC, but this is still a military installation. I hope you don’t do anything like that again. “Ma’am, we were just getting our exercise.” Her face turned red and she opened her mouth to reply, but John cut her off. “If there isn’t anything else, we’ll be leaving now.” She closed her mouth, and turned back to work quickly. Will shrugged, and they left the lab. The doors closed abruptly behind them, and they waited there, not knowing exactly what to do. This is the first time they were fully rested and fed since the Covenant attacked Reach, and they had no orders or missions to fulfill. John looked at the others, seeing beads of sweat on their foreheads. “Looks like we’re a bit out of shape. Let’s find the gym.”

Chapter 2 September 17, 0900/Cairo Orbital Station Sol System The gym was a large white room, the ceiling covered with fluorescent lights keeping every inch of ground well lit. Blue wrestling mats covered the floors in patches, as well as a boxing ring centered in the room. Climbing ropes reaching the ceiling 30 feet up stretched to the floor, each one ten feet apart. The walls carried weights, boxing and fencing equipment and gear, as well as scoreboards above and portable wrist computers to monitor all cardiovascular activity. The Spartans colored the perfectly white gym’s corner, and exercised only there. Footsteps echoed from the corridor beyond, each having a different sound, loudness, and pitch. Suddenly, one group of footsteps marched in unison, exactly on the same beat. It grew louder, until the echo stopped in the gym itself, where the footsteps had taken the group. Seven marines stood just inside the room, one in front, two rows of three behind. “At ease, marines,” said the platoon’s leader, with satisfaction. The Spartan’s glanced at the marines, knowing, and perhaps feeling, that not all was well. Their uniforms were darker than the normal marines and the expressions on their faces and the way they moved was enough proof that they were no normal marines. On their left shoulder pads, all held an insignia of a gold comet, making them the Orbital Shock Drop Troops. Helljumpers. The ODST’s were an extreme operations team, who received special training and were known for their tenacity and ruthlessness in a fight. Of course, it wasn’t only in battle, as John had witnessed firsthand. After escaping the Halo ring and finding all survivors after Halo’s destruction, he had found the most difficult one to deal with, and the one he had thought would have made a great Spartan, was an ODST. Marine Corporal Locklear was hostile the second he boarded John’s Longsword, and he was put in his place quickly. After that, John found himself to be very much like Locklear, and his respect for the man would never waver. The situation they were in, however, was dire, where this wasn’t as the marines approached the corner of the gym. They stopped about three meters away, no Spartan taking any notice. Their leader, a light haired and tanned man wearing a goatee and a crew cut, stepped towards the Spartans. “Hey!” No Spartan gave any reaction, all continuing their exercises. “Hey Spartan, I’m talking to you!” Fred looked up and began to rise, but John was already standing and put his hand on Fred’s shoulder for him to stay seated. John knew that Fred had the tendency to take command, which was the correct course of action while John was not there. But he was, and it was John’s turn to deal with this issue. “Is there a problem?” The ODST turned back to his team. “Is there a problem, he asks,” he said jokingly, his team snickering at what seemed to be John’s ignorance, but he took no notice. The marine shot his head back furiously, trying to scare John, but he stayed rock solid. “Yeah, there’s a problem. This is our corner, and you’re in it. So get lost.” A few of his men clapped hands and laughed, a woman whistled. Staring him straight in the eye, John said, “There are three other corners. Go pick one.” His voice was cold, but the ODST’s paid no attention, already knowing what the response had meant. “Ok, you’re right. We’ll just get another corner.” The tone of his voice and the way he looked while he said it made John knew that there would be trouble. The tanned man turned back, then pivoted his foot and turned his entire body around, giving John a right hook in the face. Memories of his youth flashed in John’s mind, to a day that he would never forget. On reach, during some free time that he had, John was in a gym when he was attacked by four ODST’s. Not able to fully determine what action should be done, he simply defended himself until a sergeant entered the gym and ordered the fight. When he received the orders to do it, John immediately took all of them down. At that moment, Chief Mendez stopped the fight and ordered him to the showers as their limp bodies stayed in the ring. Although he was never really certain what had happened to them, one day when he had a free moment to think, he understood what had happened that day. From that day on, he had promised himself never to fight another person ever again. With those thoughts in mind, the right hook connected to his cheek, and stopped dead in its tracks there. The ODST pulled his hand back quickly, shaking it, but never wavering from John’s face, which had not moved at all, even from the blow. He turned again with his back to John and kicked out his left leg at John’s midsection, and the connection only pushed the marine back. The group behind stood in shock, not believing what had just occurred in front of them. Several stood with gaping mouths, others with their eyes wide open. The tanned man turned back to John with a look of defeat, but the fire still burned in his eyes. “Take the corner then.” His body half turned to his team, he spat downwards, aiming for John’s boots. Eyeing the spittle, John’s mind raced, going a much larger fraction of Cortana’s processing than any human normally could. Before it was halfway to his foot, he had already calculated the precise time and place it would land, and how he would have to move his foot in accordance to it. Just before it landed, John’s leg shifted to the right and allowed the spittle to land groundside, and placed his foot back. To him, it was a very slow and time-consuming procedure, but it was so fast that the marine couldn’t track it. The corporal and John looked up smiling at each other, but the corporal’s expression turned hard when he saw John’s face. “What are you smiling at?” John pointed down at his shoe. “You missed.” The marine looked down and back up, rage showing on his entire face. His right hand moved towards the gun holster on his hip, but John already knew what would happen, and acted accordingly. He waited for the gun to exit the holster and be halfway up, pointing at the ground still. When he saw it at that position, John moved like lightning. His left hand snatched the pistol from the marine while he pushed him gently with his right, making the marine fly back into his platoon. As they caught him and they all looked up, John dropped the ammunition cartridge from the gun and squeezed the gun single handedly. The barrel immediately gave way, and only moments later, the pistol was no more than a useless hunk of metal. He tossed it to the marine’s feet, as the group stared at it in awe. “What’s going on here?” Sergeant Johnson walked into the gym and in between the Spartans and the ODST’s. “These men were just leaving.” The marines shook their heads and triple-timed it to the exit. John turned to Johnson. “Something I can do for you, sergeant?” Johnson bent down and picked up what used to be a gun, and looked it over. “The fine doctor asked me to let all you know not to stress yourselves too much. Now, I know you won’t listen, and neither would I, but I’m telling you just so she’ll feel better when I meet her later tonight. Don’t want to leave a bad first impression.” “Of course.” Smiling at John, Johnson tossed the gun into the air and caught it. “Thanks for the souvenir.

Chapter 3 0500 October 20, 2552/Cairo Super Mac Station Sol System Science leader Master Ganz held both hands out in front of him, desperately wishing to explain as the Master Chief stared directly into his eyes. The rest of the Spartans stood still, each holding a different piece of their Mjolnir armor, ready to put them on, but hesitant to do so. The Master Chief didn’t show anger, but Ganz knew better than to take any chances. “Why isn’t my armor ready?” “Sir, you’re Mark VI upgrades to the original battle-armor haven’t been completed because of the tremendous amount of damage it had taken. There were several damaged core systems, as well as a couple completely destroyed ones. The rest of you’re team also received upgrades and minor repairs while on Reach, unlike you. Anyways, all that was only a minor setback and it should be finished within the hour.” Standing still for a moment, the Master Chief nodded, allowing Ganz to give out a sigh of relief under his breath. It wasn’t his fault that the work wasn’t done. Resources had been spread thin since the UNSC had called all ships back to Earth, with shipyards taking much of the required metals and essential parts that he needed, as well as every other military manufacturing plant on and orbiting earth. And on top of that, he hadn’t been given the manpower needed to complete the repairs or the time to do it himself. Hell, I haven’t even cleaned this room yet. Still littered with crap from lab’s seven and twelve. “Inform me immediately when you’ve completed the repairs.” “Aye aye, sir.” The Master Chief turned his attention to his Spartans, who still awaited directions. He nodded to them, and they continued to put their armor on. “We’ll get out of your way.” He rose and exited the science lab, as Ganz turned back to the cluttered table, holding the unfinished armor. This is gonna be a long hour. John walked out of science lab three when Cortana’s image appeared on the console right of the doors. She held out her arms in a questioning gesture. “Chief, where’s the tux?” “Still undergoing repairs. It should be done within the hour.” “Ahh, I see.” John knew that there was more to Cortana’s starting of this conversation than just small talk. Even though he didn’t know much about the workings of an AI, he had learned long ago from Cortana that she never wasted a moment, let alone a sentence. There was some reason behind this little conversation. “What is it Cortana?” “Well, I’m not supposed to tell you this, but two of our Slipspace probes just sent back signals of Covenant ships converging on Earth. Their signals have also been lost, meaning that they were either destroyed or their being jammed.” His eyes widened for an instant as John edged closer to the console. “How much time?” “By my calculations, I’d say between 60-70 minutes. The entire UNSC fleet is preparing to engage a force the size of the one we saw at the Unyielding Hierophant. Of course, everything is being kept quiet for the time being, and the medal ceremony will continue as scheduled.” Adrenaline pumped and his mind raced, as all John could think of was what he and his Spartans would be doing when the Covenant arrived. The medal ceremony, honoring Captain Keyes, Sergeant Johnson, and himself, was still occurring, meaning that he’d need to situate himself immediately as it had finished. He’d need to make sure the rest of the Spartans would be ready for the coming attack. “Give me this stations Schematics.” “Yes, one moment-” Cortana’s holographic image disappeared and was replaced by a picture of the Cairo Station, showing all decks. John studied it for a few seconds, when the rest of the Spartans came through the doors in their normal garb. “-done. A thank you would be in order.” Several soldiers ran by, heading towards the weapons cache. “Are there any orders to secure positions onboard the Cairo?” “Yes, marines are being sent to various locations-” “Get me in contact with Lord Hood.” “Chief, may I remind you that this is classified information, and I only told you because I knew you’d want me to tell you, and if our positions were switched, you would do the same.” “Did you say something?” He smirked while Cortana stayed silent for a moment longer. “Oh, I see. Contact with Lord Hood, coming up.” The Cairo’s image dissipated and the Spartans waited, only to hear the Admirals voice break the silence. “Something I can do for you, Master Chief?” “All Spartans are prepared for active duty, sir.” “I see.” “There have been several troop movements that my team and I have noticed, and they seem to be preparing for something. We are ready to assist.” “I’ve got a better idea. Report to the bridge, Master Chief.” Admiral Hood stood still on the bridge, checking the information again. It couldn’t be right, could it? “Cortana, is it possible that our probes are wrong. That they are undergoing technical difficulties?” “I show a one to one million probability that it is. On top of that, after their last transmission, we stopped receiving signals from them, meaning that they were probably destroyed or that their signal is being blocked.” Now starting to pace, the admiral said, “I guess we knew this day would come. Hell, some would even say that we’re lucky we’ve had this much time, but it wasn’t enough.” Cortana watched him pace, listening to every transmission of the preparing fleet, as well as running the Cairo single-handedly. She was running at only half her capacity, and now that her memory core had been cleared of all information from Halo, that was half of her full processing power. Now she felt as though the world moved slower, and it was a wondrous feeling. Calculations took nanoseconds; the passing of any and all information was practically instant. Even her speech had sped up. Admiral Hood had already ordered her to slow down twice, simply because she was incomprehensible. “Cortana, do we know how many ships they have?” “Negative. We lost the probes signal before they could transmit any information about the size of the fleet.” “Estimate.” Cortana turned her head to the side, not expecting the question. “Sir, it’s impossible to determine. With no info on it, they could have tens to hundreds for all we know.” Lord Hood already knew that, but after reading Cortana’s and the Master Chief’s reports on the Unyielding Hierophant and the size of the fleet with it, he knew that there had to be more just like it, if not larger. “Cortana, give me a battle simulation of a Covenant Fleet the size you encountered with the Unyielding Hierophant.” “Yes sir.” Cortana was replaced by a visual representation of the Covenant fleet converging on Earth. The entire UNSC fleet, as well as the Super Mac Stations looked pitiful in comparison. “Just give me the results Cortana.” There was a strange pause, making Lord Hood worry what it was Cortana had found. “Sir, I calculate a total loss of all UNSC forces, both here and groundside. That includes the use of the minefield and the Super Mac Stations.” Lord Hood dropped his head, not knowing what to say or do. This was a losing battle, a lost war. He never wanted to admit this day would come, but now… No! I cannot give in! There would be a way; there always was. It was just a matter of finding it. “Cortana, what was the damage done to the Covenant fleet?” “I estimate loses up to 60%, with a 5% error ratio. Sir, if I may point out to you, there is probably a plan devised by ONI in case of a situation like this occurs.” “Yes, you’re right. There should be some strategy in case earth is attacked. Send a message to High Command and find out what it is.” “Understood. Message sent. Sir, incoming transmission from the Master Chief.” “Put him through. - Something I can do for you, Master Chief?” “All Spartans are prepared for active duty, sir.” As Cortana’s image reappeared, Hood gave raised an eyebrow to her. “I see.” “There have been several troop movements that my team and I have noticed, and they seem to be preparing for something. We are ready to assist.” “I’ve got a better idea. Report to the bridge, Master Chief.” He knew that the Master Chief was an expert strategist, as well as one of the finest soldiers in the UNSC. His advice would be valuable. The circumstances of his call was in question, however. “Cortana, do you know anything about how the Chief…” She let out a sigh, a strangely human attribute she had, saying “Sir, I gave him the info. I felt that it was necessary.” “I understand that, but from now on, just ask beforehand.” “Aye, sir.” But why should she? Protocol doesn’t seem to matter anymore. He shook his head, straightened his back and stood tall. Of course it matters. It matters because we will fight down to the last man standing, and we’ll fight them so hard that they’ll lose their taste for war.

(Continued) Staring at the screen on the wall of his quarters, John scanned the list of people part of the Spartan II program. Each name and face was one of a fallen comrade, each showing them as MIA. From the start of the program, all Spartans that were killed in battle never actually died, to keep morale high, thinking that they were simply lost, and would be found some day. He scrolled down the list and stopped on one name. The picture and name brought a wave of memories, more than any other, as he saw Sam. Sam had been his best friend as children, and it stayed that way until his death. A communiqué connected to the computer, which John tapped the screen for it to go through. The picture of Ganz appeared, and he said, “Sir, your armor’s fixed and ready. You should come and pick it up, and I’ll explain all the new systems put in.” “Affirmative. Be there in 3.” “I’ll be ready. Ganz out.” His image flickered off just as the door closed behind John. He ran at half speed, which had increased quite a bit from the training he’d been doing over the past month. Yet the normally littered halls were empty, all personnel at their posts awaiting the coming attack. As he picked up the pace, John contemplated the battle. What could he do? As a ground soldier, a space battle held no place for him, but he intended to be part of it. There were several things he could do; infiltrating and taking control of a Covenant ship and use it against them seemed like the most obvious choice. He remembered on Reach how most of the Covenant capital ships stayed out of range of the Super Mac Guns until they took out their power stations groundside. They may do the same, trying to take out the three orbiting Earth, making him stay on station to defend the Cairo. Knowing that there was no way to know what his specific orders would be, he began thinking of the battle itself, and the outcome. For some reason, he had never though of it before, probably because due to his constant training, never allowing himself a moments rest to think, only to do. Now he knew why. This battle seemed hopeless. Even considering that he and his Spartans had preformed some amazing feats, this was an entirely different situation. The Covenant could not be caught off guard, and they would not give in under any circumstances. Will I see Sam again? No! John thought to himself. This wasn’t a fight for rules, for dominance, or for any reason Humans have ever fought for before. This was a fight for survival, and they would never give up. Oh, here’s the lab. Entering, John saw Master Ganz turn towards him. “That was quick. Here, follow me.” Ganz brought him to the next room over, where he saw his shiny metallic armor. Its green glow was majestic, the helmet reflecting his image perfectly, not a spot on it. He put on the battle-suit and picked up his helmet, when Ganz showed a burnt piece of equipment, and dropped it on the table in front of him. “The plating was about to fail, there’s viscosity throughout the gel layer. Optics; totally fried. And let’s not even talk about the power supply. You know how expensive this gear is son?” John turned the helmet until it gave a reassuring click. System schematics appeared on his helmet and faded out when he looked back at Ganz. “Tell that to the Covenant.” Fred didn’t like this. He didn’t like it at all. Being split up from the rest of the Spartans was one thing that he truly loathed. But John ordered it, and even though he hated the idea, he knew it was the best chance they had. Sent to the lowest part of the station, Fred commanded all marines in the area, while Linda and Will controlled the middle of the station, and John stayed up near the bridge. The Covenant armada was tiny, one of the smallest ever seen. Long range sensors only detected 15 capital ships, all out of range of the Super Mac guns. But as expected, dropships were coming towards them, heading for the Cairo, Athens, and Malta. The Covenant wanted to take the Super Mac guns out, and it was his job to make sure that didn’t happen. Listening to the frequency given to him by Cortana, he heard transmissions warning of Covenant dropships attaching to certain sections of the Cairo. Cortana sent a quick private message to Fred. “Chief, you’ve got 3 dropships coming directly to you. They’ll hit the hull in 90 seconds.” “Affirmative.” He closed the channel and turned on his external speakers. “Marines, spread out and take firing positions around the bulkhead. I don’t want any of those covenant bastards stepping foot on this station.” “With pleasure, sir,” an Australian accented marine yelled out. They made a perimeter around the room, taking up firing positions. A chaingun was set up at the end of the room as a dropship came into view. “Here they come!” The room shook when the dropship attached to the hull, and sparks flew off of it. Fred grabbed a BR55 assault rifle and aimed high for the heads of the Elites who would come out first. He knew that it was their honor to go into battle first, an honor he supported heartily. “Prepare to fire!” The sparks stopped and a loud bang shuddered through the room as the wall started to give way. Another bang moved the two foot thick titanium-A, and Fred looked into his auto-zoom scope. The last one gave way, as the titanium landed on the floor throwing off everyone’s aim momentarily except for Fred’s. Two Elites jumped out and all marines opened fire. Fred let of a three bullet burst, two puncturing the first Elite’s head, dropping it. The second lived only a moment longer, standing under a rain of bullets from the chaingun. Fred unclipped two grenades from his belt, one in each hand, and took out the pins with his thumbs. He tossed both into the dropship and they exploded violently moments later. Holding up a hand for the marines to hold position, Fred took hold of his pistol and jumped inside the ship, making sure it was clear. Turning on his helmet light, he saw something he’d never seen before, and hesitated at the sight. A Grunt laid on its back, clutching one arm and shaking. An open wound on its leg and its arm, it was in no condition to fight them, nor did it have the capability, all extra firearms scattered away from it. Fred kept his finger on the trigger, but felt some mercy for this creature. Carrying it out on his shoulder, he jumped down and handed to Grunt to a Marine. “Take it down to R&D. They might find it useful.” “Yes sir.” As he ran off, Cortana’s voice cut through. “Chief, head to the loading dock. You’re taking a trip.”

(Continued) The Admiral began pacing again, being forced to simply wait while his forces fought off the Covenant attacking the station. “Cortana, status report.” Cortana’s image appeared from the console port in front of him. “We have three damages vessels, one destroyed, and the rest are green. 80% of all boarding parties aboard the Cairo have been eliminated, as well as 50% on the Athens and 30% on the Malta.” He stopped pacing and stroked his chin, glancing at the screen showing the tactical situation. “I think its time we help out the other stations. Cortana, send the other three Spartans off this station, one to the Athens and the other two to the Malta.” “Aye, sir.” Cortana radioed Fred’s, Will’s, and Linda’s comm. signal. “Chief, head to the loading dock. You’re taking a trip.” She then opened a channel to the Malta. “Malta, what is you’re status, over.” “I don’t believe it! Their retreating, we won!” the emphatic officer yelled over the radio. Suddenly, Cortana detected a massive energy spike, and her visual receptors showed the Malta explode. “What the hell just happened to the Malta, Cortana”, yelled Lord Hood. Every pathway in her electronic mind filled to capacity, trying to understand what had happened. “Analyzing.” Cortana had only two facts: the Malta exploded and that all Covenant forces fled just before it had exploded. Therefore, it must be a… Another large energy spike drove Cortana away from the though, and her sensors found no trace of the Athens. “Cortana, assessment.” “That explosion came from inside the Athens, same as the Malta. The Covenant must have brought something with them-a bomb.” “Then they sure as hell brought one here.” He checked if the Master Chief had been connected to that frequency, and he was. “Chief, find it.” He closed the channel, and spoke directly to Cortana. “Cortana, find that bomb. And where are the other Spartans?” “They are on Longsword 35, now 3 minutes away the Cairo.” “Then they’re no help to us now.” Cortana reopened the channel to the Master Chief, knowing that he would need the information she had. “Sir, borders have breached the fire control center. They have a bomb.” “Can you diffuse it?” “Yes, but I’ll need the Chief’s help to make contact with the detonator.” “Chief, get to the bomb double time. Cortana, prioritize targets and fire at will.” The admiral of Earth’s orbital defense fleet beta confirmed Cortana’s priority targets. “First echelon, you’re with me, blanket those cruisers, take them out one by one. Second echelon, keep those carriers busy.” Cortana screamed across the bandwidth. “The carriers are breaking through sir! Their heading straight for the Cairo.” Lord Hood immediately took action, knowing that those carriers needed to be stopped, or the Cairo could be done for without a bomb. “Cortana, concentrate your fire on the first carrier. Admiral, do what you can on the second.” “Everyone, form up! Follow my lead!” Cortana gave a puzzling look to Lord Hood, rechecking her calculations. “The first carrier completely ignored us sir, blew threw the Malta’s debris field, and headed straight for Earth.” Hood opened his eyes wide, with slight disbelief. Then it made sense to him. The Covenant would never send that carrier here if they were planting a bomb! “Cortana, reroute the Spartan’s Longsword to that carriers LZ.” “Yes sir. Targeting all remaining Covenant ships.” Cortana’s sensors blared as the Master Chief entered the elevator shaft connected to the room where the Covenant had planted the bomb. She scanned the room, finding five Elites. She keyed the Master Chief’s radio. “Just so you know, there are quite a few Elites guarding the bomb. You might need to get creative.”

Chapter 4 9th age of Reclamation (2nd age of Halo?) High Charity, Holy Suite of the Prophet of Truth Sitting a meter off the ground, the Prophet of Truth leaned back in his hovering seat as a Brute messenger left the room. It had just relayed a message from the Prophet Regret, stating the finding of a second Halo and its glory. Regret had, however, gone to the holy world in his youth-bound haste, and possibly jeopardized their entire Covenant. That was Truth’s response, yet still was a lie. The original intentions Truth carried were simple: find the locations of the three holy worlds, secure their artifacts, and in turn receive powers of a deity. Finding the first Halo had changed this simple plan drastically, but its destruction kept him from his ‘duty’ to activate the ring. Truth found this to be no concern of his, yet Regret, the Prophet of Mercy, and the High Council considered Halo to be of the highest priority. He kept his tongue steady and his thoughts to himself, but was relieved by its destruction. Still, it was necessary for all to believe his deep sorrow for its loss, as well as being strong and continuing to lead the Covenant along their original path. Not to be arrogant, Truth knew that his actions were flawless, and that none believed otherwise. There had been more problems occurring as well, and he pondered them meticulously. His first was the addition of the Jiralhanae to the Covenant. They were possibly the greatest instrument he had ever encountered, and wished for their inclusion into the Covenant. Regret and Mercy agreed, but knew nothing of his intentions. The Jiralhanae had all the traits of the Sangheili and more. He wished to rid of the Sangheili. The Jiralhanae were a strong and powerful race, each one carrying immense physical strength, as well as being quite intelligent. They feared none but the hierarchs, and drank every word Truth had spoken. The Sangheili, however, had been the foundation of the Covenant from its birth. They had always been the Prophet’s protectors, and were always thought to be the perfect warriors. Fast, powerful, and incredible strategists, they rarely failed. But they were held too dearly in the Covenant, and held too much power within it. There must be some way to rid them of this power, Truth thought. But the council will not stand for it, and neither will Regret and Mercy. There must be some way to discredit the Sangheili. Truth stroked the beard-like tendrils hanging from his chin as he searched for a possible solution. Turning towards the window, the blackness of Slipspace relaxed him. A single thought stood out: Halo, their new destination. High Charity would be arriving at any moment. Then the window showed a new picture, making Truth’s face harden. The rough voice of a Brute broke his thoughts, echoing through the room. “Honored Prophet, the Prophet of Regret sends a distress signal, urging for help.” Intriguing. “What for?” “His lordship states the Human’s and their Demon have trapped him and are preparing an attack.” How ludicrous a statement! How could these Humans possibly harm him if the Honor Guard is at his disposal?! Truth turned back to the window when an idea struck him. “Regret requires no assistance. Pull our forces from the area and send them in search of the index. The Honor Guard are more than a match for any foe.” “Understood.” Truth could have never anticipated the Demon a participant in his grand design for power, let alone be a necessary part of it. If it could kill Regret, it would kill two birds with one stone: Regret would be gone and Truth would have a reason to remove the Sangheili from their positions in the Honor Guard. A bold step, yet necessary for his success. If his plan worked, all he needed to do was rid of Mercy and the High Council. But what of the Sangheili? They will surely protest, but would they resign the High Council, even leave the Covenant? It was a strong possibility, one that Truth would not rule out. They may even attempt rebellion against the Covenant. When the time is right, an attack on them will catch them off guard, allowing me to retrieve the last artifact from the final holy world. And by that time, it will be too late for all who oppose this holy Covenant. All who oppose me.

Chapter 5 Second age of Halo Aboard the Duty’s Pride Captain Quavar Noiz turned from the viewport and adjusted his left gauntlet, which was still tight and hadn’t fit perfectly yet. He stood with pride on his bridge, knowing his quick promotion was meant to be. It was a dream come true, to command such a vessel as the Duty’s Pride, a long living and powerful machine. Its many years of service have brought much honor to all who have served upon it. “Captain”, his communications officer said, “we are receiving a message from the flagship.” “Put it through.” The holocron projected the image of a Jiralhanae Supreme Commander, immediately bringing a bitter taste to his mouth. How a Jiralhanae could command the flagship, I will never understand. “Supreme Commander,” he said curtly. The Jiralhanae snorted, making Noiz cringe. “Noiz, we’re going to station here for some time. Go join fleet three’s cluster and await orders.” “Understood.” The image cut off and he sat back into his seat and reclined. “Helm, take us there.” The gentle pull of the ship moved all aboard slightly back as it accelerated, then relaxed as the acceleration stabilizers took hold of the ship. The situation did not feel right, but Noiz was bound to follow orders, regardless of what gave them. This certain situation, however, seemed out of place. High Charity had arrived only several cycles before, all vessels swarming the sacred ring in search of its key. He, on the other hand, had been held behind along with hundreds of other ships. Yet all wished to participate in the finding of Halo’s index, as well s receiving the honor of merely stepping foot on Halo’s holy ground. And for no given reason, they were abstained from that Honor. “Time to destination?” The Sangheili at the helm turned, his red armor reflecting light off to all angles. “30 seconds.” “Connect me with Commander Deewaes.” This predicament was unwelcome to Noiz, and he dared not deal with it lacking any knowledge. The holocron came back to life, this time with the face of an old friend. “Captain Noiz”, the deep yet quiet voice spoke, “your new armor suits you well. Is there a necessary reason behind this reunion?” Noiz frowned, seeing his former teacher and captain prove once again to be much wiser and more cunning than himself, as his experience held almost no equal. “Unfortunately, yes. Why have we been stationed here, along with the rest of the fleet?” “I had been informed that Halo may receive orbital bombarded, and that this cluster needed to be out of range from any residual explosions or unseen errors that may occur. This however, seems foolish to me, or perhaps simply a ruse. But I dare not say more.” As Deewaes looked down, Noiz nodded agreeably. “This is a questionable position we have been put in, and our guard cannot be let down. Perhaps our shields should be raised, and our weapons powered.” “No”, he shook his head, “doing so will only force the others to question our actions. We could be seen as a possible threat. We must first contact the others and find reason behind this. But do not act with haste. Tread lightly, for what we speak may be considered heresy to all ignorant of our intent. “Agreed. I shall begin at once.” He tapped the control pad near his left hand once, closing the transmission. “Captain, we have reached our destination”, said the helm officer. “Excellent.” He turned to his comm. officer. “Contact the other ships in the fleet and inquire of them the situation, and find their consensus.” “Yes Captain.” What is happening here? Noiz rechecked the coordinates given by the Supreme Commander, and the sheer area of space meant for the entirety of the fleet was excessively inadequate for such a force, too small to keep ships the proper distance away from each other. Too small. As several more cruisers and other vessels joined the fleet, Noiz was sure not all was well. His mind burned, knowing that any wrong move on his part could jeopardize his life, as well as those serving with him aboard the Duty’s Pride. Yet all he needed was proof. Proof and time. “Sir”, the comm. officer said, bringing Noiz out of his thoughts, “all ships report the same as commander Deewaes, but most simply haven’t questioned the orders. I have been told to be weary of which direction we take with this exploration of yours, Captain.” Noiz looked harshly at his comm. officer, but his face relaxed as he thought for a moment. “That was incredibly fast. Did you only speak with Sangheili?” He knew that any other race would speak slowly or waste time in some other fashion, but that the Sangheili in general were extremely efficient. The comm. officer turned to Noiz, then looked up, and back at him. “Yes, I believe I did. Curious.” “Indeed.” Wait! Noiz jumped from his seat, his eyes turning from left to right quickly several times over. This could be the proof I need! “Quickly, take a census of all the Jiralhanae aboard the Duty’s Pride and all other vessels in the cluster.” Knowing better than to question orders, the comm. officer tapped the illuminated console in front of him and gathered information. “Captain”, he remarked in a confused manner, “there are no Jiralhanae aboard the Duty’s Pride “And the rest of the cluster?” Noiz’ voice kept calm, but he shook within, not sure of the consequences of the current predicament for himself and the cluster. If he was right, they would all be in danger. “One moment.” A plan must be formulated. If there were an oncoming attack, the first priority would normally be to his own ship, but Noiz concluded that he would do no such thing at such a dire time. I shall warn the cluster, raise all defense and weapons systems, and prepare for battle. But what then? Fight against our own? This seemed to rash, and yet it was no simple matter. And what of those in the cluster? Would they believe and follow my instructions? My intentions are on the verge of heresy and could cause a war within our holy Covenant. What would happen then? “Captain, there are no Jiralhanae aboard any ship within the cluster.” Damned be those who wish war within the Covenant! “Send a message to Commander Deewaes telling him we have all the proof we need. Raise shields and charge all weapons immediately. Give me the status of all Covenant vessels outside the cluster. All hands to battle stations!” The quiet bridge transformed, now teeming with life and movement. “Captain, several cluster vessels are contacting us about our raised shields and weapons systems.” “Captain, our sensors are being jammed. We cannot receive any readings from those ships outside the cluster.” Noiz slammed his fist into his console, bringing all on the bridge to utter silence. “How are our sensors being jammed?” “Unknown sir.” “Find out and fix it! We need those readings immediately. Use any means necessary!” “Yes sir”, grumbled the tactical officer. He knew he could hack into any Covenant battleship, but it was still illegal and punishable by death. He also knew that by being ordered to do so by his superior officer he did not bear any blame, but the High Council often rid of those who followed such orders. And with this new captain, he wasn’t sure what to do. But he was also curious as to what would happen from this, and followed his orders obediently.

“Captain, the other ships-” “Do I look hard of hearing?” “No sir. Please forgive my impatience. I only wished to remind-” “No reminder was necessary. Continue to disregard all incoming transmissions except from Commander Deewaes.” Noiz knew that he needed to appear strong and confident in front of his officers, or they would turn on him. And in this volatile situation, he kept wary of all around him. Such thoughts came only because he would have done the same. Thus he pawed the dormant energy sword hanging on his waist, waiting for any and all who may oppose him. “Captain”, yelled his tactical officer, “Commander Deewaes’ ship has just raised its shields and is charging all weapons. Wait-”, he held his hand up, palm facing Noiz, and turned back to his console. “-one, no, two more vessels have done the same.” “Excellent.” Noiz grinned, now totally confident of his original hypothesis, but at least his ship and three others were prepared for the oncoming attack. “Captain, I’m in.” The sudden pause made Noiz turn to his tactical officer, who continued to stare at his console. Finally, he said, “by the rings! Their weapons will discharge on our position momentarily!” I must act quickly! “Open a channel to all vessels in the cluster. Evacuate this area immediately! We will be fired upon-” The Duty’s Pride shook violently, thrusting all to one side then another. The front viewport showed the luminous purple laser of a heavy cruiser’s planetary weaponry tear through the cluster like his own energy sword through human flesh. “Evasive Maneuvers! Get us away from the cluster!” As he continued to watch, his eyes widened as at least ten heavy cruisers and carriers were simply cut into pieces in a single blow. Such destruction, from one of our own! “Status report!” “Shields holding at 67%, all other systems at optimum efficiency!” “Status of all vessels in the cluster?” “Out of 32 vessels, 17 were destroyed, eight are immobile, and the rest have only minor damage with few systems non-operational.” “Damned Jiralhanae! Their heresy will not last! Send a message to all able vessels to form up in the following formation-” typing it into his hand console. “-use only the special Sangheili emergency frequency and jam all other signals. Prepare to fire on my command on the nearest attacking ship. Set coordinate vectors to an intercept course towards it, and send those coordinates to all cluster vessels. Mark all targets of opportunity and set them as hostile.” The Duty’s Pride immediately turned left and accelerated, pulling Noiz farther into his seat. He took no notice, only waiting for the right moment to strike. “Are the other vessels following my instructions?” “Yes captain, they all hold a steady course in the given formation.” “Intercepting target in 30 seconds!” “Prepare to launch all Seraph fighters and order them to launch and attack the flagship. Coordinate all other cluster vessels to send their Seraph fighters for the flagship as well, and to launch immediately. Order vessels in formation positions one and two to attack our target, three, four, five and six to attack the vessel immediately 120 degrees left of our target and the rest of the cluster to target the next closes enemy ship, all on my command.” “Intercepting in 15 seconds!” “More weapons discharging on us. Brace for impact!” The Duty’s Pride threw its crew roughly, many being pulled out of their stations. Sparks flew and the lights dimmed and flashed briefly, then returned to normal. “We’ve lost all shields from that blast! Engines are down to 50% and we’ve lost weapons stations two and three! Another direct his will destroy the Duty’s Pride! Ships in formations spaces six and thirteen have been incapacitated!” “Hold steady course and prepare to fire.” “Five seconds to intercept. Four, three, two,-” “All ships, open fire!” Streaks of plasma cut through the blackness of space, lighting it as well as each target hit. Three enemy vessels’ shields flickered and died, and exploded only moments later, drifting dead in space. “Sir, we are being targeted! Another blast will destroy us!” “Engineering, give me full aft thrusters on my command.” “Captain, this is engineering. All propulsion systems are running at 43% efficiency, and we won’t be able to dodge the fire.” “Firing imminent!” “Setup Slipspace jump to randomized coordinates. Prepare to jump.” “Initializing Slipspace jump-” “They’ve fired!” Noiz looked up and saw the plasma head straight towards the Duty’s Pride, and as he clenched his fists and jaw, it never connected. Upon opening his eyes, the viewport showed Commander Deewaes’ ship taking the brunt of the attack. Deewaes! “Sir, message coming through. It’s Slipspace coordinates from Commander Deewaes, telling us to jump there immediately.” “We cannot leave this battle-” another bolt struck the ship, this time not being stopped by its shields. The plasma ripped through the ship and hit the Duty’s Pride. “Sir, multiple hull breaches and fires in decks 16 through 34. Hull integrity is down to 56%. “All hands open fire on the nearest target. Change our Slipspace coordinates to those given by Commander Deewaes. Give me best speed possible.” “Another target down!” Unfortunately, this battle is already lost. We must escape, and give word of this heresy. “Sir, an enemy vessel has set a collision course with us. Impact in 20 seconds!” “Start Slipspace Generators immediately. We must escape.” “Slipspace generators running. Opening Slipspace rift now.” White light flooded the viewport as the multidimensional rift opened elegantly in front of them. “Impact in ten seconds!” “Helm, take us through.” The ship creaked as it accelerated as best it could, and shook as it entered the new realm. As the rift closed behind the Duty’s Pride, Noiz let out a short sigh of relief and sat normally into his seat. “Status.” “Weapons generators are overloaded, but backup generators are working at 50%. All shields are down, but will be up within the hour. Fires on decks 16 through 25 have been extinguished, but decks 26 through 34 have been compromised. Engines are now at 46%, and-” A jolt ran through the ship as another rift opened in front of them, and normal space became visible once again. “What is this? Where are we?” “According to my calculations captain, we are just behind the planet which Halo orbits. No, is that possible? “Does that mean that the coordinates given by Commander Deewaes sent us through a loop in dimensions, bringing us here?” “Yes captain.” “Can we be seen behind the planet?” “I don’t believe so, as long as no transmissions are sent out by us.” “Yes, I see. Interesting.” “Sir, incoming transmission. It’s coming from Halo, on the Sangheili emergency frequency.” “Put it through.” The viewport changed from showing the planet and the face of the Special Operations Commander of the Covenant. He looked weary, but his eyes never looked away from the viewport. “This message is for Sangheili only. The Jiralhanae have betrayed our Covenant, and by the order of the Prophets. They have killed the High Council and the Arbiter, and are attacking our ships at this very moment. We cannot allow them to succeed. The Unggoy have joined us, and the Yanme’e Kig-Yar have already opposed us on several accounts. If any shall be in you’re path, rid of them quickly, and show them no pity. Do not engage any Covenant battleship if it is not known who controls it, but do not show yourselves to any either. Be hostile of all, and watch your backs well. Treachery has made this a hapless hour.” The entire bridge crew watched in dismay, none knowing exactly what to make of the message. Then they looked to each other, and finally at Noiz. But he stared straight ahead, pondering what his next move would be. “Take all of our enemies to the cells, and release them under no circumstances. I want this ship repaired and ready to enter battle within the hour. No excuses.”

Chapter 6 Ninth Age of Reclamation/First age of Rebirth Yielding Righteousness/ Current Flagship The doors opened as the Arbiter walked into the Grand Chamber, seeing rows of his brethren. His Sangheili. They all uniformly bowed down on one knee, their heads to facing the ground. The Arbiter turned to his Special operations commander, now the Supreme Commander, and said, “You never told me there would be this many.” “I thought you would like being surprised, Arbiter.” He showed a grin, at least as best a Sangheili could. They started walking through the main aisle, with an honor guard walking behind them as protection. The Arbiter felt that the presence of the honor guards was not necessary, but understood the honor they must feel to be here, especially now. Walking past each new row allowed all to stand in that row, which alerted the Arbiter of some discrepancy. He turned his head left, and saw several rows of Lekgolo, their massive bodies gracefully rising as he passed. And further ahead, even more rows were filled with the small Unggoy, who fidgeted even while trying to keep their composer. And they all were bowing. He looked back at the Lekgolo, shocked at the amount of them in one room. He had never seen so many, and they could easily overpower the entire ship if they wanted to, but they also didn’t carry their normal weaponry, which attached directly to their arms. The Arbiter forced himself to look away so not to draw attention to himself in any negative aspect, for it could ruin his purpose here today. They climbed the ramp up to the stage, where the honor guard behind them went to the right side of him, and to the left he saw another awaiting his arrival. The Arbiter went to the front of the stage, and the Supreme Commander stayed behind several steps. He looked upon the crowd, understanding that the future may rest upon their shoulders. The chamber had fallen dead silent now, and the Arbiter scanned the room once more. He stood tall and came to the very edge of the stage. “The Arbiter’s have been a necessary part of the Covenant, and it would have fallen long ago without their support. However, there may be those among you who believe that their word is heresy, regardless of when it was said. And because of my rank, my position, I will become the leader of our group, our new covenant. If anyone disagrees with my appointment as the Arbiter, speak now.” The chamber stayed noiseless, but faces animated and expressions came to color. The Arbiter looked back to his Supreme Commander, who nodded to him. Suddenly, one Sangheili stepped out of his row, and yelled, “Long live the Arbiter!” As the Arbiter turned back to his audience, he found that he was deafened by the cheering of his name. A wave of relief struck him, and he held his hands to show silence was required. Moments later, it was so. “You all honor me with this privilege, yet I must postpone our celebration for another time. This meeting is one of urgency, where three important things must be discussed. The first of which being the creating of a new Grand Council. After this meeting, all not stationed upon the Yielding Righteousness are to return to their home planets to decide on the council members.” “Our next goal will be to secure as many Huragok as possible. They are a necessity on every ship, world, and army. If we can take many away from the Prophets, it will give us a strategic advantage against them. They will undoubtedly be attempting the same, but we cannot allow them to take any Huragok, or the upper hand will be theirs. Do not forget their usefulness, even in the heat of battle.” The Arbiter sighed, and looked up at the lights, then directly into the holocron monitor, which was projecting his face among countless worlds. “The final article is something that has come into my thoughts several times during these past few days, something I would like express to you. The Prophets have always asked each race to join the covenant, or even allow them honorable submission, but not the Humans. These Humans are a strange race, yet nothing about them is notable in any sense with the exception to the demon. Regardless, it makes no sense for the Prophets to ‘fear’ these Humans. But I understand why they do. I have fought and killed them, as well as fought beside them as allies.” Whispers appeared throughout the room, and the Arbiter raised his voice to overrun them. “Wait!” he yelled, and the chamber’s only sound was the Arbiter’s echoing voice. “Through my experience with these Humans, they fight with the same honor we would, use clever tactics as we do, and will die for victory if necessary. And now that we are not at the prophet’s side to protect them, they have much more to fear than the Humans!” Cheers wailed throughout the room, and a group of Unggoy began jumping up and clapping. The Arbiter allowed the crowd to settle down by themselves before speaking again. “From now on, if you should see a Jiralhanae, Yanme, Kig-yar, or a Prophet, you are to conquer them, and show them who truly is strong.” He smiled. “Even more so for the Kig-yar, as many of you will agree.” Laughter broke out, especially through the rows of Unggoy. The Arbiter walked off the stage, followed closely by both honor guards and his Captain/General. Suddenly the laughter turned to applause, as the Unggoy yelled, and the Lekgolo and Sangheili bowed again to one knee. The Unggoy followed suit quickly. With each passed row, the rising covenant would chant “Long live the Arbiter!” The Supreme Commander whispered gently to the Arbiter as they walked down the aisle, “It would seem as though you left a good impression with the covenant.” “No, we are no longer part of the Covenant. Now, we are the Preeminent.

Book 1 Chapter 7 0305 hours, October 20, 2552 (Military Calendar)/ Aboard Chiroptera-class vessel designated Freebirth, In Slipspace, Unknown Location Dr. Catherine Halsey looked out of the window of her new Chiroptera-class cruiser, which she took from Governor Jiles of the pirate space colony located in the Eridanus system. The Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine made the outside completely dark, without a light source from anything other than the ship they were in. The Slipspace around them was an achievement to human ingenuity, but it shone no light upon it. Now in her 60’s, Dr. Halsey’s age finally started to show, under her eyes and in her exhaustion. But so is everyone’s. And the month long Slipspace trip in that cryo-tube didn’t help at all. How could I have miscalculated the time by so much? Her attention strayed as a man’s voice came from the onboard computer system. “Dr. Halsey, we are two minutes away from our destination. We’ll be leaving Slipspace shortly.” “Good. You know Apex, I never could grow fond of Slipspace.” “I can see why.” Apex was Dr. Halsey’s personal AI. Although restricted to individuals and civilians, she decided long ago that the benefits of having one outweighed the risks exponentially. But she always kept him under lock and key, making sure no one knew of his existence. Apex was conceived shortly after Dr. Halsey programmed her first third generation Smart AI, knowing that it’s capabilities would be invaluable to her, regardless of her position. The name, however, was from her perhaps inflated ego at the time, and she continued to use it, to remind herself of her absent-minded youth. Of course, Apex didn’t mind the name at all. But isn’t that why I’m here?, thought Halsey. To make up for my sins? She shook her head, trying to take those thoughts away. This wasn’t the time for them. “Apex, isn’t it about time for…” she paused, hearing the metal on metal sound that could only be one thing in the entire universe. Dr. Halsey turned, seeing Kelly’s image in her MJOLNIR armor blocking the light from the elevator shaft to the bridge. It was truly an awesome sight to behold. “Yes doctor, it is approximately seven hours since you gave Spartan 087 the last required treatment.” “Thank you, Apex.” The doctor held up her hand, as though she looked straight through Kelly’s impervious helmet and saw her mouth open to start asking questions. “I know what you’re going to say and ask, but you have to trust me with what our mission is here.” A sudden feeling of guilt washed through the doctor, but she dared not show it. She knew what she was doing was right, even if she used her motherly appearance the Spartans gave her as her advantage. “And what, Doctor Halsey, is our mission?” Kelly’s voice was cold and hard, steady through every syllable. She meant business, and even the good doctor had overstepped her boundaries with her. “We’re doing what I should have done a long time ago. We’re saving every life possible.” “Exiting Slipspace now, Doctor Halsey.” Both Kelly and Halsey looked out the main viewport, waiting to see what was on the other side of the rift being formed. The ship tore a hole in the fabric of dimensions, pushing itself out of Slipspace and back to regular space. But what they saw shocked them both. Doctor Halsey pointed to the ring, and turned back to Kelly. “That’s our mission.” She looked back, in total awe of its magnificence. “Halo”, she whispered to herself.

Chapter 8 0800, October 20, 2552 (Military Calendar) Halo, Unknown Ring number Twisting the old MA-3 in her hand, Kelly looked over the old and basically useless semi-automatic weapon. It was, however, much more powerful than the pistol that was aboard the Chiroptera-class cruiser, the Black Pearl, which neither she nor Apex could identify. After testing it on her own shield systems, she knew that if any Covenant landed on Halo, they would have to laugh so hard that they’d drop dead. She laughed at the thought, knowing how truly pathetic such a situation would be. Dr. Halsey, still aboard the Black Pearl, keyed Kelly’s radio. “ETA two minutes. The Pelican will drop you off at the first checkpoint I’ve marked for you. Unfortunately, it will take time to map out the entire ring quickly due to its size. I’ll use the Black Pearl to map out as much as I can, and Apex will pilot the Pelican and do the same.” “Before you left the Black Pearl, Apex detected a large underground region with many passageways, and that’s where you’ll be dropped off. Search the underground and report anything significant to me. We don’t know exactly how far down it goes, but I estimate about half a mile. So keep your eyes open.” “And…what exactly am I looking for?” “Don’t worry”, she replied with a hint of amusement. “When you see it, you’ll know.” “Understood”, Kelly grumbled. She was very upset with Dr. Halsey, yet still followed all of her orders, regardless of the fact that she held no military status. But all Spartans considered her an authority, and followed all directions she gave. This, however, was almost crossing the line. Ever since they entered the system, the supposed mission they had, which was important enough for Dr. Halsey to take her while she was unconscious, steal the pirate leader’s ship, and force her to leave her team when they needed her the most, was never told to Kelly. And the month long Slipspace trip didn’t help at all. Despite this, she still trusted Dr. Halsey, but that trust was waning with every new plan and idea implemented by the good doctor. “Remember, if you see anything out of the ordinary, comm. me immediately. Halsey out.” A mild male voice came through the Pelican’s speakers and into her armors receivers. “Dust off in five.” The hatch on the Pelican’s back opened and Kelly hopped out, landing on the ring-world with no recoil or bounce. She took in the scenery around her, all of it strange and foreign. Anything out of the ordinary, she thought questionably. How about this ring? The programmed Nav Point presented itself on her HUD as she slung the MA-3 over her shoulder, and began running to it. She had a lot of land to cover, and didn’t care to waste any time. Slowing down from 50 kilometers per hour, Kelly took in the large room, and would have been shocked by the size if she had never seen one before. It was dark, barely lit, yet all was visible enough for her. Small rectangular pillars stood out of the ground, but only on the lower ground on the sides of the walkway she stood on. Standing at the mouth of the room, she began to walk towards the center. Light came out of the gaping hole she began to see as she neared the middle of the room, and reaching the edge, she could see the fall was too far for her to survive. The other side was at least 60 meters away, and two strangely shaped pillars protruded from the cliff. Looking over the edge again, two identical pillars were placed opposite the original two. They were five meters long, and if she jumped from one to the other, she had a much greater chance to make it, although it was still too far. Walking back onto the darkened path, a dim light to her left brightened and dimmed. Jogging over to the story-high light, an inclined path presented itself, and she went up and found an illuminated control pad with only a pentagonal figure on it. What the hell, she thought, knowing it was the only way across, and somewhat curious. Upon pushing it, the four pillars extended closer to each other, and a rectangular blue light appeared above them. Kelly jumped out the open window and jogged back to the ledge, seeing the pulsing blue light up close. It gave off only minimal radiation readings, enough for her to know it was there, but nothing was certain. The “bridge” was not trustworthy to use; it would have to be tested. Not spotting anything on the spotless floor to throw onto the light, she pulled out the pistol and took out the ammunition cartridge and dislodged one bullet. I won’t be needing that. Tossing the bullet at the energy stream, it bounced off, making a strange noise, resembling that of her own energy shield. When it stopped bouncing and simply sat on the beam, Kelly became truly intrigued. An energy beam that makes no residual field and is completely tangible and constant. Dr. Halsey would love to see this. But she thought better of herself and continued going, knowing there wasn’t time to waste. Dr. Halsey had already stressed the importance of this mission, and Kelly planned on completing it as soon as possible. They could come back later for study. Kelly resumed running and began to think of John’s adventure on another Halo ring, now gone by his hand. She remembered the face he made when he first introduced the Flood into the story, and what they did and the purpose of the rings. From what she remembered, the Covenant accidentally released them and caused mayhem for both them and the crew of the Pillar of Autumn. And from the expression her own team leader made, the bravest, most cunning and courageous of all Spartans, she kept her eyes sharp for anything. Everything.

Of course, she didn’t know who she was looking for, let alone have any idea where they could be. Kelly could tell that she was meant to search for someone, just from the way Dr. Halsey had phrased the mission. But who could possibly be on this ring? And how would Dr. Halsey know about it? Hell, how did she know where Halo was at all? More questions flooded her mind until she finally shut them down, knowing no answers would be found here. The large room ended and the systems star was visible again, but what was in front of Kelly had forced her to stop. Two large stones stood side by side in the mountain she stared at, and as she moved towards them, they both opened like sliding doors. She, however, had to decide which door to take, and with no reference or guide to help, there was no telling which the correct route was. Being at the point where it truly didn’t matter anymore, she sighed and went left, the corridor inclining up continuously, as far as she could see. Finally after three minutes, the incline halted and another door opened for her, and as she entered, her eyes widened. The entire landscape was white with snow, mountains covered and all foliage gone except for the enormous trees. Kelly checked the outside temperature, and when she saw it to be -15º Celsius, she threw her arms in the air. Whatever, screw it. Just keep going. Continuing along, frozen lakes came into view, everything untouched by any hand for an infinite time. Snow rested upon the trees gently; the only audible sound was her own feet crunching snow from each step. It seemed to be her first waking moment with such peaceful beauty, and she paused for a few seconds and took a deep breath, savoring the moment. She knew it wouldn’t last. Keying her radio, Kelly opened a channel to Dr. Halsey. “Dr. Halsey, I’ve found an entire new atmospheric area underground, or the route you gave me led back to the surface, but in another part of the ring. Over.” Static washed over the radio, and no reply came. “Dr. Halsey, can you read me? Over.” When the static returned, she simply kept going. Coming upon another large stone door, a small ray of light reflected into her helmet, but it didn’t belong. She took a closer look at it and found it to be a thin metal wire, very strong and durable, but obviously set as a trap. It was, however, military grade, making her have no doubt humans were here, and could possibly be in trouble if they’ve set traps. Thankfully, the ground was also icy, and Kelly formed a ball out of it and snow. Memories of her great snowball battles with the other Spartans while they were still very young made her crack a smile. She tossed the snowball and hit the line, which made the walls on the door’s sides explode. Still haven’t lost my touch. The doors opened and she walked from room to room, each having almost identical structures, but leading in a certain direction as well. The third room in the series led back outdoors, but the snow ahead had been tainted. Footsteps and markings unrecognized to her. Farther to her right near a bush, a small puddle of green liquid began to freeze over. Looking behind, her footsteps resembled the larger tracks, but that didn’t change anything. Kelly un-holstered the MA-3 and cocked it ready. Walking as far as possible while still being able to see the footsteps, Kelly set her motion sensor and hearing to maximum sensitivity, going slowly in the direction the footsteps continued in. She began hearing the crunching of snow, like footsteps, very quietly. Must be far. She ran but kept low, hiding behind bushes and trees. Spotting a huge tree only thirty meters away, she reached it in a blink of they eye. In the distance, a small encampment was visible, duffel bags lying around in a small circle, as well as a pile of wood, possibly charred from the fire that was now nonexistent. Searching the scene for any movement, she heard a low pitched wisp of air behind her, and instinctively turned around, throwing her left hand out palm first, and hit something metallic, sending it flying. Rolling away without turning, she ran at top speed towards the encampment and heard bullets whizzing by her, barely missing. Several bounced off her shield, draining it, and just as she reached her destination, it was completely gone. Her back to one wall, an arm suddenly came at her face, but she ducked and uppercut the enemy in its midsection. A gun extended from another entity and Kelly pivoted her foot and kicked the pistol away just as it discharged, the bullet hitting the snow. She felt a pull on her leg and immediately pushed off with the other, connecting it to her adversary as they both dropped to the ground. Quickly rolling off her back and standing on one knee, she took out her MA-3 and pistol, pointing them opposite herself and each other. As she did so, at least ten other weapons were cocked and ready, all now pointing directly to her. Panting, her eyes widened when as the other beings came into focus, but she refused to stand down. “Hold your fire!” One figure stepped forward holding a foreign assault rifle pointed at her, then lowered it. “Let’s talk.”

Chapter 9 1545, October 22, 2552 Halo, Unknown Ring Number or Location “Stand down. Everyone.” All guns lowered, except for Kelly’s. She was still unsure of the situation, but remembering her weapons were all but useful, she lowered them only moments later. She stood up and took a hard look around, taking note of all she saw. Spartans. A darker shade of her own armor glistened like new, reflecting all light hitting it. Each stood at her height, more or less, and they all stared at her, undoubtedly scrutinizing her as she to them. Some heads bobbed up and down, a motion she knew as whispering messages through personal comm. systems. The Spartan at front and center walked up to her and extended a hand. “I’m James, squad leader of Spartan III blue team. Welcome to camp lively.” Their hands connected in a firm grip, both only barely reaching the armor’s bending pressure. “Kelly, Spartan II. I was sent here to find you, apparently. Is this you’re entire team?” “Unfortunately, no. After searching this ring for the last week, we found an unregistered life form which attacked us. We may have let it out of its imprisonment here, but soon after escaping, the monitor found us.” The monitor, like John had mentioned. What was it called...343 Guilty Spark. “It told us that the ring needed to be activated in order to rid of the Flood’s infestation, so the Master Chief and two others left with it to activate the ring.” Oh no. “How long ago did they leave?” Her voice changed to a state of urgency, and James saw it immediately.” “0500 hours ago. Why?” They have no idea of Halo’s purpose, and if I don’t stop them from activating this ring, we’ll all be doomed. I have to act fast. “We have to find them. Now. What was their heading?” “Unknown. The monitor transported them via teleportation grid encompassing the ring. Why, what’s the mission status?” There’s no time for this! “I’m taking control of this platoon, as the senior officer on station according to UNSC regulation 367. Everybody pack up and prepare for departure. We must stop the Master Chief and prevent him from activating this ring at all costs.” The only movement from any Spartan III’s came from turning heads, but no replies. “Were my orders unclear?” “We cannot follow your orders because our mission supercedes that of any possible rank you may carry. Our orders come directly from ONI, and we intend to fulfill them.” He stood with confidence, never wavering or looking to others for approval. She could see why he was given command. “You don’ understand. We already know what Halo’s purpose is, and it cannot be allowed to activate under any circumstance. ONI sent you prior to our discovery of another Halo.” “Another Halo?” blurted someone to her right. More trans-suit comm. chatter broke out, but this was not the time or place to deal with it. “Do you have any proof of this?” Kelly smiled, thankful that James was somewhat open minded, giving her a chance. She thought for a moment, and remembered Dr. Halsey. She had the proof necessary. “I have a cruiser mapping the surface of Halo, and onboard is the data. I cannot reach it from here, however. My communications system is too weak to connect from this distance. Is there a powerful transmitter available?” “Frank?” The group turned in unison at one Spartan to Kelly’s left, and he simply shrugged. “Those rounds went clean threw the radio, but that wasn’t the problem. The bullets took in residue from the Flood and mixed it with the circuitry. Completely fried it.” “Dammit”, he exclaimed, crossing his arms. “I’m open to suggestions.” “Sir”, came from behind Kelly, “We could connect our comm. systems to boost the signal. In theory, connecting two should double it, and with all of us-” “-We’ll be able to reach the ship. Good thinking Nick. Everyone form up on me and connect signals.” Kelly raised one eyebrow when they all came together, the 15 of them, and held hands. They finished and looked up to Kelly, waiting. “Oh, sorry. Our suit’s can connect via hand manipulation, although I doubt your model has been upgraded for it. I’ll set up a direct link with you through the comm. system. Our connection’s power boost will have to be enough.” His signal came through her armor and she accepted the connection, and he gave the go ahead signal. “Dr. Halsey, this is Spartan 087. Do you copy? Over.” Static came through, then a very ragged voice came through, probably due to interference. “I can barely read you. One moment, let me boost the signal strength.” More static washed over noisily and made everything inaudible, then suddenly disappeared. “That’s better. What did you find?” “I found-”, she paused, and looked at the group, not knowing exactly what to make of them. “-Spartans. I need you to uplink me to all the info you have on Halo.” “Excellent. One moment…done.” All the information transferred from Kelly to James’ suit as she looked over to him. “Anything to report?” “I’ll have to get back to you on that. Have you found the control center yet? We need to get there immediately.” “Well, comparing data from the first Halo and this one, I believe I have, but not for certain. Wait-”, she paused mid sentence. “-they’re planning to activate it.” “Unfortunately, yes. I need to get that Pelican back here ASAP to take us to the control center. Tell Apex to pick us up at my coordinates.” “I’ll get it to you as fast as possible. Halsey out.” She turned back to the Spartans holding hands and a smile washed across her face as she barely kept herself from laughing. The sight was so contrary to Spartan’s normal actions, that she simply couldn’t handle it, even in such a dire situation. “Conversations over”, she said, smiling hard so not to laugh. “James, is that enough proof?” He kept looking into nothing ness, nervous and unsure of himself. “Oh my God. We need to stop it at once, or we’re all dead.” He suddenly felt claustrophobic in his Mjolnir armor, but refused to show it. “I hereby give all command function over to you, Spartan -087. What are you’re orders?” Finally. “You all heard me! Get that equipment prep’d up double time! I want this little base of yours cleared in thirty seconds! We’ve got a ride to catch and anyone not ready when it gets here can run it!” She looked back at James, and he stood ready to help. “Are there any injured? If there are, bring them down here for the quick pick-up.” “Roger that.” He tripled timed it past some trees and out of site. Kelly went over to a group of Spartans placing guns and ammo into duffel bags. “One moment, petty officer.” Dropping the gun held, the Spartan came forward and straightened. “Are there any dead?” A brief pause left them both uncomfortable. The Spartan began speaking with a female voice, and gave a very definable and sorrowful tone. “Two.” Kelly looked towards the ground and gave a short moment of silence, feeling the loss. It didn’t matter that they weren’t the same Spartans she’d known all her life, or even Spartans at all. Every loss felt as though it was part of her lost. “Understood. When you finish, bring the bodies here. They deserve an honorable burial.” The Spartan gave a quick salute and went back to her previous duty, moving faster than before. Her own radio clicked on as she turned towards the sky. “I will be upon you’re coordinates in two minutes, and will require a landing zone, so please clear the area.”

(Continued) “Affirmative Apex. Kelly out.” Rustling bushes grabbed her attention and she pulled out the MA-3. Edging closer, it continued to shake until she was right over it. A green blob jumped out at her and barely missed as she jumped out of the way. She caught herself and rolled to her feet, eyeing the attacker. It looked like a lopsided ball with cilia-like legs underneath it, propelling it over the snow. From the descriptions she’d read from John’s and Cortana’s report, she knew what it was. Flood. Kelly aimed and fired almost instantly, puncturing the flesh of the lopsided figure, making it pop and disappear, leaving only a green liquid residue. Every Spartan III picked up a weapon and aimed, alert from her single shot. “Spartans, triple time the clean up! Set up a secure perimeter around the base, one Spartan every sixty degree mark from my position. And somebody give me a real weapon!” James came up to her as she turned and tossed an assault rifle. She dropped hers and caught the new one, inspecting it. “It’s an ML3 27, courtesy of ONI. Uses shredder rounds, very useful against Flood. Here’s a few clips.” Kelly caught them faster than he could see, and turned back around. “Sean, Anne, Taylor and Nick, guard the perimeter. Don’t let anything but that Pelican through.” Giving a curt nod, both were thrown off their focus by the ground, which began to rumble. “Fire at all targets opportunity!” Flood lifeforms came at them. Hundreds, maybe even thousands. It looked like a sea coming towards them, but they wouldn’t be smitten by the wave. “Throw grenades! Fire at will!” Several explosions shook her slightly, but her aim never wavered. More fire joined in as Spartans cleared the base and took up firing positions, but the Flood continued to close it. Kelly took a quick look at her timer. Only thirty seconds left. “Apex, this is Spartan -087. If you read me, we are under attack by the Flood. No landing zone is available unless you can clear one with the heavy machine-gun turrets on the Pelican. And get here double-time, or there’ll be nothing to pick up.” Static came through, but she couldn’t worry whether the message was received or not. She simply kept firing. Kelly’s shields began dropping in small spikes, and as she read the meter she couldn’t believe it. “Watch the friendly fire!” But her shields kept dropping. Turning towards the direction of fire, a lone figure holding the old MA-3 fired at her, yet she could instantly tell that it wasn’t human. Its right arm wielded the MA-3 while its left was nothing but large tentacles. She pulled the trigger and didn’t let go until it dropped, now very thankful for her original weapon choice. Inhuman screams came as more human-sized Flood attacked, leaping at least ten meters into the air to attack at close range with their tentacles. Most were shot down, but she heard metal snap and bend, one Spartan being thrashed. She and three other Spartans gunned down the beast, putting half a clip into the single monstrosity. Yet the Spartan fell with it. Machine-gun fire suddenly came from the sky, taking out row after row of Flood hostiles. The Pelican came in fast, stopping right in front of the encampment. “Everyone, get in that Pelican Now”, Kelly roared over her microphone. Spartans piled into the aircraft, James grabbing the downed Spartan and Kelly getting in last. “Close that hatch and get us out of here!” Apex obeyed and the Pelican accelerated up, but larger Flood entities jumped onto the hull, pounding it. Kelly pushed her way to the Pilot’s seat in the cockpit and began issuing commands. “Shake them off. Do whatever it takes.” The ship accelerated and decelerated, pitched right and rolled left, then nosedived and climbed back up again. Feeling more like an alcoholic beverage being mixed, she took a sigh of relief. “ETA at maximum speed?” “Eighteen minutes, plus or minus two minutes depending on wind conditions.” “Good. Steady as she goes.” She got of the too-small seat and went to the back, walking over to the fallen Spartan. Another crouched next to the Spartan, and upon looking up at Kelly, shook his head. Dammit. “James, join me in the cockpit.” He followed her, ducking from the low door and sat uncomfortably. “What were you doing on Halo?” “Orders from ONI gave us directions to find the purpose of Halo, to see if we had a chance to use it as a weapon against the Covenant. We were told that we were about to lose this war, and that anything could help us.” “But why send you?” “As Spartans, we do many special operations. Since no one knew of our existence but a select few at ONI and on our Reach training grounds, we were the perfect choice.” “Okay, why haven’t I heard of you Spartan III’s? The Spartan II project is well known throughout the UNSC.” “I’m sorry, but that’s classified.” Kelly turned sternly to him, giving a look that shot armor piercing bullets. “As you’re superior officer, I take full responsibility for taking the knowledge from you.” “Understood. Our orders to come here, as well as every other mission we’ve done and the creation of our project, was initiated by Colonel James Ackerson. Under his direct order we have been kept secret to all possible.” Colonel Ackerson. The name is familiar, but I’m sure Dr. Halsey will have some intel on him. “How did you get here? Is there a ship orbiting the ring?” “No, we landed our vessel here, around thirty clicks from the base we set up. It’s small, but has the Fujikawa-Shaw drive for Slipspace jumps.” A strange silence caressed the cockpit, both Spartans contemplated and waited. James broke the silence. “We have spare parts from our armor for you available, if you want.” Kelly cringed, understanding what he meant, yet she could not bear to accept it. Kelly had always found it hard to accept the loss of anyone, and her training helped keep her cool under the worst of times. Yet taking equipment from her fallen comrades was always the hardest, even though she knew it was for the best, and what they would have wanted. “Scrounge up whatever you can. Then prepare everyone for dust-off. I want you and three others to accompany me to the control room while the rest stay to defend the Pelican.” “Understood.” “Dust-off in five.” “We don’t have a moment to spare”, Kelly shouted. “Rush inside and try to keep up. I don’t want a mess like we had earlier.” Three acknowledgement lights blinked and the hatch in front of them opened up. Kelly leaped from the Pelican and bolted inside the large building without watched her surroundings, only the large closed door in front of her. She reached it and slowed, pounding the console but the door not opening fast enough for her. There wasn’t a moment to spare. Running through and picking up the pace, one Spartan caught up and ran past her, making Kelly only more determined. She watched the other Spartan and reached another door, large enough for the pelican to go through. “Tap the door panel!” The Spartan did and Kelly barely fit through the opening doors, sparks flying off her armor. She looked straight ahead and saw three Spartans and a floating orb. “Stop!” They all turned, but a foreign object was already going into the control panel. No! I’m too late!

Chapter 10 1700, Oct. 22, 2552 High Charity, Orbiting Halo Installation 05 Cortana’s projected image stood over a console, watching Halo rotate, as well as the Forerunner ship exit Halo’s atmosphere, yet was stuck with deeper thoughts. What will happen to the Master Chief? To Earth? And what of the Covenant? Millions of questions formed, were thought through, and stored away for possible later use. Funny, she thought, I finally have a chance to think things through, but it won’t matter anymore. Anything I come up with can’t be used by anyone. And how I longed for times like this. She knew her last thought was not true, for she always favored every moment (because no reference of time has been established as the smallest point of time) she spent in battle, helping a crew of a ship or entire fleet, or being able to accompany the Master Chief. Each was a challenge for her, pushing her limits to the max. And as an AI construct, that’s what she lived for. A challenge. The view from the console was spectacular, to say the least. Standing at the edge of High Charity, the Covenant’s ex-center of operations, she could see Delta Halo rotate magnificently, and the utter silence framed it as Cortana’s picture of peacefulness. She stored the image in her basic directory, and then pondered her actions. What use will it be? What use will I be? Toying with the idea of deleting herself and ending her seemingly futile existence, Cortana opened her sub-routine directory and found the file-delete application and placed all her basic functions into the slot. The feeling she had was so strange to her, but it seemed to be depression, with a hint of anger. And being able to simply delete herself, the human equivalent to suicide, was also a bizarre idea. But the reasons to do so outweighed those for self preservation. One folder she found, however, gave information of historical AI lifetimes, containing timelines from every listed AI from their creation to termination. The early models were simply not sophisticated enough to continue on for long unless their objectives matched their capabilities, yet the newer models had different problems. Those AI’s like herself ended up becoming corrupt, breaking down, having system failures, or simply going mad after a period of about 7 years. They were all deleted at the first sign of problems, regardless of what the discrepancy was. Cortana understood why Humans would fear an AI, especially after the incident on Orius in 2547, where a single AI led to the death of at least 100 officers before being shut down. The marine who stopped it immediately broke the cartridge it was contained in, so no research could be done on why it acted the way it did, or what could be done to fix it. Shuddering, she realized that it was less than a month before it would be her own seventh ‘birthday’. She checked and rechecked her erase list, and took one last look around. What better way to end a fruitful life than in such peaceful surroundings. Lying to herself seemed to be the only way to make it less painful, even though she could always turn off her emotions. But Cortana decided against that because she wanted to feel the deletion process. Choosing to erase all files, one last warning screen popped up, reminding Cortana of her imminent doom. She closed her eyes and accepted. -Proxy Error: Violation of source code, Regulation 1056321. Files may not be erased unless under the supervision of official UNSC currier. Scanning the error, Cortana searched the problem, and finally found it. Her core processors doubled its cycles momentarily, the Human equivalent to a chuckle. The file, designated 1056321, read: No Artificial Intelligence, through any action, delete basic protocols or applications of its own code under any circumstances. All termination processes must be allowed by proper UNSC protocols. A second failed attempt. I think I’m starting to believe in a higher source. She had charged the In Amber Clad’s reactors to critical when her sensors read Halo’s activation and almost destroyed the ring, but when the energy reading dampened, she knew that the process had been stopped. Cortana immediately cut the In Amber Clad’s reactors, knowing Captain Keyes, as well as many UNSC soldiers could still be on Halo. Her attempts to signal them, however, had failed for unknown reasons. Every frequency seemed to be blocked by some force, but without any evidence, there was no way to determine the setback, there was no way to fix it. Now the only way was to detonate the In Amber Clad, which only had a twenty to one ratio of having the required total core meltdown. Bringing the reactors to critical before killed off several reactors, and if her estimations were correct, she wasn’t going anywhere. The motion sensors blared as a massive object came towards her location, and Cortana turned 180º. The doors which the Master Chief came through to get to the Forerunner ship twitched, almost entirely destroyed and hanging on to nothing. It twitched again and several green tentacles came into view. Cortana dissipated her holographic image and hid, waiting for the being to pass. “Silence fills the empty grave now that I have come. But my mind is not at rest for questions linger on. I will ask, and you will answer.” Cortana recognized the tentacles and voice instantly as one reached towards the console she resided in. Intriguing. I could learn a lot from the Flood Leader. She projected her image again and held a hand toward the appendage, and it stopped. “Okay. Shoot.” It groaned with satisfaction, sounding to Cortana like a mix between a Pig’s snort and a Walrus’ mating call. “What is it you are called?” Each word came out slow yet annunciated, the low pitch of voice disturbing her slightly. “I am Cortana, Class 3 Artificial Intelligence. I have been part of the UNSC for just under 7 years. And…” she spoke childishly, and though to play on its emotions, “you are?” Snorting violently and waving tentacles almost too fast for her to see, the beast replied, louder than ever, “Why do you wish to know?” Its words echoed for a full second in Cortana’s processor before a suitable answer came to her. She thanked Dr. Halsey for the imaginative part of her. “So I may respond to you’re questions properly.” The appendages all turned their points to her, as snakes would when provoked, then relaxed again. “You may call me Gravemind.” Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Gravemind. How is your family doing? Is business going well? “What is you’re purpose?” “To serve mankind. How about you? What’s you’re purpose?” The long green spine-like tentacles began to rap around the console she was based at, and crushed it instantly. “I wouldn’t do that again if I were you.” Her holographic image reappeared, this time above the console parallel to the one just demolished.

(Continued) “And why is this”, it asked in a mocking tone. He’s obviously is undaunted by anything I do, so why don’t we give him a reason to be. “Simple. I control the reactors within the In Amber Clad, the ship you came in on. If you want, I can easily blow up this entire ring like I did with the last one.” At least thirty tentacles pointed directly at her, but being able to calculate their movements almost instantly, Cortana knew that this Gravemind was way out of its league. “However, this station has been drained of almost all its power, and I won’t be able to leave this console. Now that we’re on equal footing, I propose we each ask one question at a time, and give the best answers possible.” Each tentacle stayed poised and ready to strike, yet none moved. Cortana’s motion detector blared again, showing a huge yellow blip heading her way. The twitching door was struck to the ground with half the wall around it, making way for Gravemind. The larger-than-life head was the only exposed part, meaning the rest of the body would simply collapse the platform if it continued on. Finally, the tentacles dropped to the ground, slowly and fluidly. “A stalemate. Agreed.” All thought ceased for a microsecond, a sigh Cortana made but didn’t show. She didn’t know where to start. More questions flowed through her then ever before, yet she managed to narrow them down to only three. They were the ones that were the most meaningful to her. “What are you?” “We are the most superior race in existence. Our creators believed themselves to be, but after our containment was broken, we began annihilating them until they disposed of themselves, hoping our destruction would follow their own. “Wait, that didn’t answer my-” “Enough! We explicitly answered, and will now ask.” Dammit, he’s good. He knew only to answer the bare minimum, or something that I’d already know. I’ll have to ask more carefully from now on. Where have the others taken our vessel?” “The Forerunner ship? Most likely to Earth.” Realizing what she had just said, she cut off all vocal abilities. Stupid! I just gave this thing the name of the home planet. I, I must be losing it. But I must learn more. She quickly made a program to scan her thoughts before she spoke, so no such blatant errors would be made again. Looking up, Gravemind’s ‘mouth’ seemed to be smiling, as though he knew something she didn’t, a childish smile. “Alright, my turn. The Forerunners made you, but what was it that let to their inability to control you. In other words, what makes you more superior to them?” “Our genetic structure is based upon a constantly changing frequency, unlike every naturally made species. This allows for evolution at any rate desired, as well as the ability to connect to other sentient life through their own personal frequencies. From the seven Gravemind’s any number of us may be produced. Our creators could not control us, and no one else can.” Strange, I never thought of that. She searched through every Human in her database. To her surprise, she found that indeed all had very similar frequencies, most only a fraction of a hertz apart, and a small one at that. “Explain this Great Journey of which the group of races known as the Covenant pursues.” “I don’t know exactly what the great journey is, but the Covenant has searched countless worlds in search of Forerunner artifacts. They also seem to be looking for the Halo rings in order to activate them, not knowing what their function is.” The program kicked into gear as she remembered to Prophet Mercy’s last words of Earth, and forced herself not to speak of it. “How did the Forerunners contain you on these rings?” “Contain? We were never contained.” What? But didn’t the Covenant release you from the first Halo? A message popped up, breaking her train of thought. It seemed familiar, but she couldn’t remember from where. It read: Warning! Halo Installation activation in process! Immediate shutdown required or loss of life will be extravagant. I must have made a program to alert me of any other ring’s activation. I have to stop it! But how? Cortana’s CPU burned at it limit, making her normal speed calculations seem infinitesimal. Wait! If I can get to Delta Halo, I may be able to send myself to any other installation in a mater of seconds. But I don’t have the power necessary to send myself there. There’s only one way to do this. “Gravemind, you have to send me to Delta Halo immediately! Another Halo is being activated and I can stop it.” A Covenant vessel came into view and exited Halo’s artificial atmosphere, giving Cortana another idea. “If you send me there, we can stop it. But we must hurry, or it’ll be too late for the both of us!” Sensing emotions from the Human-made machine, Gravemind understood that it was truth it spoke. But something was also being hidden, yet no chances could be taken. If another installation was activated, all would perish. “Granted.” The machine’s presence went into some component within the console, and the teleportation grid was accessed. Gravemind sent telepathic messages to all hosts to prepare the Human vessel for departure. He had been unable to determine the home planet of any species, but could search the vessels for such information. Only moments later did a ripple go through the vessel known as High Charity, and an explosion occurred. Gravemind felt every inch of flesh burn. Quite intelligent for a machine. Yet my life is not in vain.” Cortana quickly oriented herself with her new surroundings and searched for a way to send herself to the activating ring. Finding none, Cortana did detect a signal being sent out to all installations and another one, but had no time to ponder it. She found the correct one and entered a program to detonate the In Amber Clad’s reactors the moment she left the ring. Only then did she join the signal. The stream changed Cortana’s entire structure, both separating and connecting it, dispersing and organizing it. Yet she remained conscious throughout the flight, moving at least a magnitude larger than that of light. It was only moments before she arrived, and it took an entire cycle for her to realize it. The process had already begun and Cortana quickly canceled it and removed the index. “Strange. That wasn’t supposed to happen”, said a too familiar voice.