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12/12/2004 8:56:48 AM
8794
Halo 2/3 Book Posted, Pages 342-345. Page 351: Sequel Revealed
September 9, 2006- Halo: The Ark is officially available online for everyone to read. There will be several websites hosting them, and each additional one will be added to this list here. The Ark is also in this thread, from pages 342-345. Feel free to read them and post in this thread.
The cover/concept art is also available for anyone who wants to see it. Just follow these links:
[url=http://img370.imageshack.us/my.php?image=halocoverartfromjoeslayergk8.png]Cover art by JoeSlayer[/url]
[url=http://img147.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sb2copygi6tc1.jpg]Back cover art by JoeSlayer[/url]
[url=http://img201.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dandonahueconceptartvn0.png]Concept cover art by Dan Donahue[/url]
[url=http://img224.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bookcoveroh0.jpg]Concept art by Paul[/url]
[u]Here is the list of websites hosting Halo: The Ark[/u]
[url=http://game-spectrum.com/news/entertainment/halo_the_ark.html]Game Spectrum[/url]
Nov 17th, 2005- by now, there are 30 chapters of the book posted. if you dont want to look through this entire thread for them, click the link in my signature, it will take you to my official site, where all the chapters are posted.
May 17, 2006- Work on the book has come to a halt as all editing (professional) has been done. There is work currently being done to get The Ark published, hopefully by TOR. Any questions about the book can be asked here, and i will answer them as promptly as possible. This is not an official bungie project.
Click [url=http://www.archive.org/download/The_Ark/theark.pdf]Here[ /url] to download a pdf version of it. Actually, right click and save, otherwise it won't work.
The following material is the original post from way back when, so if you're looking for the more recent stuff (that has been modified from reading the beginning works), please visit my website, which is in my signature, or click the link above to download a pdf version of it. Please do not ask for the last chapters, as i will not send them to you. Any and all news will be posted whenever it comes up, and i will say so in the subject heading, with the appropriate page number and date. Chapters are generally posted weekly, though i discuss each chapter's release date beforehand so confusion does not ensue.
If anyone knows anything about the Halo 2 book, or what comes after it, let me know. Cause if nothing's happening with it, im gonna write it. Here's the prelude to halo 3(?)...
Prologue
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 Spec-ops captain, now the general of the armies, 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 waiting for his arrival. The Arbiter went to the front of the stage, and the Captain/General 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. “As you all know, I am the Arbiter. I have been chosen for this… this honor, by our previous leaders. 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 Captain/General, 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 to fear of 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 as best a Sangheili could. “Even more so for the Kig-yar, if you know what I mean.” 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 Captain/General whispered gently to the Arbiter as they walked down the aisle, “ It would seen that you left a good impression with the covenant.”
“No, we are not the Covenant anymore. We are the Preeminent."
If you guys like this, let me know, I have about 10 more pages written, in no partucular order, and can post them if anyone wants to read them.
[Edited on 12/17/2006]
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Hey man im soory i could read all of the pages but so far wat i read is cool but i feel that there is a problem when u write u focus in one thing try to expand for example, As master chief fought his way troght bloodly battle the covanet and the allies plan their strategies for taking down the profets.
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This is really good you could make it into a book if Bungie give you permission to publish but that prob. wont happen.
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Sadly, this ain't gonna be published. It'd be easier to buy it though... Sir_Brilliant, you, by far, are the greatest fanfiction writer ever known to the Bnet community. So... EVERYBODY GIVE IT UP FOR SB!!!! *Cheers* *Claps* *Whoohoots* *Buys pie* *Buys cake* *Yays* *Awards best fanfiction writer award* GO SB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Ok. This is the first time that i have seen this thread and instantly i am peeved. 365 pages... i read the first 2 chapters and then the last bit because i dont have time to go through all of it :'( as much as i want to because it is awesome. I have read alot and i think that this is very good quality and what everyone to be honest. The praise could go on. But do you have a particular place where i can just read through the whole book on the web without going through all the pages and pages. Thanks id appreciate that. Also very glad thread didnt die at some point in the last 9 months. Great work... The praise goes on... Oh yeh and where can i buy this (just read some more of the thread) when it gets published? [Edited on 9/18/2006]
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Thx for all the support everyone. I appreciate it.
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SB, I salute you.
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Bloody well hope not. Four thumbs up SB
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is this thread dead?
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I 6think that the spartans deaths should be more epic [b]E.X.[/b]not like getting whaked by a brute shot but its your story so again amazing job
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wow that was amazing. i will say this for the last time that was brilliant, it brings back old memories. SB that was an awesome story, you did a great job. i was very sad at the part when Kelly, Fred, and Will died, the killing of all the spartans around was sad
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I'm confused, I read a different ending before that ended with this statement. "Only then, did the flood come." :S Well I'm going to check it out and make another Cover image. If you remember me, MasterChief2829, I made that book cover art that looked like the official books... anyways I'll be using a different format this time and it should be much better :) [Edited on 9/11/2006]
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good show sb. i think i peed me pants.
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holy -blam!- its amazing god its like words cant express it
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wow its been so long i forgot the story... and you know what.... damn its good. im stopping at chapter 14 for the night ill probly have the whole thing read by tomorrow night. cant wait for that long awaited ending...
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Another plasma blast hit, shaking the vessel violently. “Arbiter,” the helmsman yelled, “we have fires on all decks! Structural integrity is down to 25 percent! We must leave the battle!” “No, we cannot abandon the fleet!” “If we do not escape, there will not be a fleet!” The Yielding Righteousness shook violently. “Structural integrity down to 12 percent!” The Arbiter gripped the arm rests. “Activate Slipspace drives. Order the fleet to evacuate.” “We are all that’s left! What are the coordinates?” “To the only ones who can help us,” the Arbiter said. “To the Humans’ home planet. To the Ark.” Who? Great F-ing story man, finally glad you posted the rest of it.
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hey guys... its prowlaz... just seein whats crackalin
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*hugs this story*
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SirB you have out done yourself I have to say that is one of the best endings I have ever read and the editing is amazing. All I can say is wow. I am a little confused with some of the parts that you have posted from the sequel but all in do time I suppose. Excellant work really you should keep it up. I hope you read my other post on page 343 or 344, somewhere around there.
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Epilogue 0105 Hours, October 22, 2552 (Military Calendar) Black Star, En route to Earth The Black Star exited Slipspace and slowed. “Establish a safe orbit around Earth,” Commander Keyes ordered. “Aye, orbiting Earth, ma’am.” “Put her on the main viewer.” A moment later the image of Earth filled the bridge. All officers stopped what they were doing and looked at it. Even with the wreckage of UNSC and Covenant ships floating in the way and major battle scarring on the planet, it was still an unprecedented sight. Dr. Halsey edged closer to the screen. “It’s…beautiful.” “Yes doctor, it’s good to be home.” It was hard to believe that the war was over, that the fighting had ended. Keyes still had trouble with the idea, as she was sure everyone else did. “Steady as she goes.” ****** The Spartans dug into the rubble, cleaning a street in New Mombasa, several kilometers from where they’d emerged after entering the portal on the Forerunner installation. They still wore their armor, but took off their helmets. It had been far too long since they felt the sun on their faces. They picked up large pieces of concrete and tossed them into a pile. Linda hefted another block as tall as her and leaned on it, then looked at John. “So how did you know it would work?” He didn’t look up but smiled as he added another piece of concrete to the pile. “I didn’t.” “Then what gave you the idea to do it?” “I…don’t know.” James stopped and looked at John. “So you saved the galaxy by doing something that you had no idea would work?” John looked up at them and smiled; James and Linda stared at each other in shock. “We all knew what the crystals did… I guess I just needed some time to think it through.” “You mean by being passed out,” James retorted. “In this case, yes. But it only happened when I let go. Let go of the battle, Earth, the war…everything. Either way, it worked.” Linda nodded. “Well, it’s done. The war, Halo, fighting…it’s time to rebuild.” “No,” John said, grabbing another piece of rubble. “It’s not finished.” ****** Another plasma blast hit, shaking the vessel violently. “Arbiter,” the helmsman yelled, “we have fires on all decks! Structural integrity is down to 25 percent! We must leave the battle!” “No, we cannot abandon the fleet!” “If we do not escape, there will not be a fleet!” The Yielding Righteousness shook violently. “Structural integrity down to 12 percent!” The Arbiter gripped the arm rests. “Activate Slipspace drives. Order the fleet to evacuate.” “We are all that’s left! What are the coordinates?” “To the only ones who can help us,” the Arbiter said. “To the Humans’ home planet. To the Ark.”
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“Wait a sec…I thought this was the Ark!” Johnson, still thoroughly confused, did wonders with his facial expressions. “The Ark? Here? That is preposterous. The purpose of this installation was to make a path to the Ark, one that no Flood would ever find because of the protection it was under. This is merely a transit point to the Ark, and a generator for the protection it is under. As I was saying, when my master left for the Ark, he began to grow life there, sprouting it throughout the planet subtly, letting it grow on its own. He left countless things for the life that would grow from the desolate world that he made beautiful. “He also gave evidence that life had existed for hundreds of millions of years. It is most humorous to place fossils in the ground and allow your race to dig them up and believe that other creatures had existed before. An ingenious display, if I may say so myself.” Taking a moment for it to sink in, John began to see the bigger picture. “That’s why we’re called the reclaimers, and why we’re the only ones allowed to activate the rings. It was genetic programming. But that leaves one question: what happened to the last of the Forerunners? What happened to your master?” “After spending too much time on the Ark, he left on the vessel kept on the planet in case of emergency, which is now docked here. He felt that his time on the Ark had passed, and that the race he formed should grow without any more of his influence. Of course, he couldn’t leave the three crystals together, so he hid them on other worlds. Soon after, I lost contact with him. As far as my logical reasoning allows, he is dead…although I like to believe that Adam fulfilled what my masters had been striving for: evolution.” Smiling, John turned to those around him. The story completed their journey across the galaxy. It made everything part of a much larger picture, not just of Earth and Humanity, but of all life. John suddenly realized there was one thing that had gone undone. “Cortana, give me a casualty report ASAP.” “Scanning…Reports show large casualties on all fronts. The crew of the Black Star has been halved, and around 47 percent of the Preeminent forces are gone. Spartans -104, -043, and -087 are gone. I can’t make out the Spartan IIIs’ status, although from what I can see, it doesn’t look good.” Fred. Will. Kelly. John closed his eyes; it was almost too much to bear. The war had caused so much death and grief, and the lives of almost every Spartan. Only three were left. “Green leader, casualty report.” “One moment, sir…” John waited, hearing the distress in the man’s voice. There would be no easy way to deal with the loss, but he had to know. “Spartans -177, -194, -207, -249 and I are the only survivors.” Dropping his head, John stared at the ground for a moment. “Understood. Round them up along with the marines. Have them lend a hand if necessary. Guardian, you said that this installation has a portal to the Ark. Where is it?” “In the center of the main console. Here,” it said as the control opened and a small yellow and blue pad revealed itself to them, as well as strange looking grey metal. It was in two pieces. “Go ahead, activate it.” Looking at Guardian, then at the console, John pressed one of the illuminated buttons. The upper part of the grey structure suddenly began to rise and spin, until it stood three meters high with a green light emanating from the center. “When you walk through that portal, you will return to the Ark. Be wary who goes through,” Guardian said. It was right. The location of this portal would need to be kept secret, at all costs. He knew that he could trust the Spartans, as well as Sgt. Johnson and Commander Keyes. But he couldn’t risk having every single marine go through. “Commander Keyes, why don’t you and the marines take out your new ship.” Keyes smiled. “Yes, good idea Master Chief. Marines, lets head out! Double time!” As they did, she and Johnson went over to John. “Thank you, for everything. We couldn’t have done it without you.” “Damn straight,” Johnson cut in. “But don’t think you’re the second coming or anything fancy like that. We’ve had enough of those already.” They shook hands and saluted, then left John to finish his work. “Master Chief.” The Arbiter’s voice made John turn around fast. “You have proven that not only you, but your entire species is a valiant, noble, and honorable one. It was a shame that our war has caused so much death and grief, although I believe that this error has been bested by our success. I cannot tell what the future will hold, but I believe it to be a bright one. I will hope to see you again.” He extended his four-fingered hand; John accepted it. With that, the Arbiter turned and left, heading for the landing platform where his ship had docked. The remaining Preeminent forces followed, save for one golden-armored Elite. Ten meters from John, the Elite stopped. It tossed something at him, and John caught it. The Elite then nodded and walked off. John had never received such recognition from an Elite, and was shocked. The object was an energy sword, with special symbols written on it. I’ll have to look into that. Minutes later, the room was clear of everyone except for the Spartans and Cortana, who floated inside 343 Guilty Spark’s orb. “Should we call you 343 Cortana now?” asked James, who was using two shotguns as crutches. Cortana bumped into one of his legs, making him cry out. “Fine! Fine…just Cortana.” The other Spartans laughed. “Pile out, Spartans. Time to head home,” John said. One by one, they entered the portal, disappearing from the room completely. Soon, John and Cortana were all that was left. “Guardian, I have another question. Why did that old man appear to me? I only saw him once, and there were more important people in my life.” “Reading the minds of everyone in the room, I didn’t only pick the most influential or most important people in your lives. That old man was wise beyond his years. About three lifetimes too young, I believe. Regardless, you should heed his words, for on this day they have proven themselves to be true. You have a gift, one that neither you nor any of your Spartans should take lightly. You have been trained, pushed to the very limits of what you consider your own race, and have gone beyond it. Each one of you has much more potential than any other human alive. Now, take the crystal and return it in its rightful place, so that the Ark will again be safe.” Giving it a moment of thought, John nodded and entered the portal, instantly appearing in another vast room. Finally, he was home.
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Chapter 30 1735 Hours, October 21, 2552 (Military Calendar) Forerunner Structure Central control room Everyone froze, unsure whether the machine was a friend or foe. From their battles with some sort of Forerunner technology on the Halo rings, they had to be sure. However, it had managed to destroy a Gravemind by itself, meaning the chances of success against battling such a worthy piece of machinery were slim. The human and Preeminent forces made a semicircle around the Guardian. The obtuse Enforcers floated away slowly, their energy shields collapsing, bulky arms rising to the central body. The Sentinels circled the Guardian, reminiscent of vultures flying over their prey. Several pitch-black orbs, darker than anything John had seen in his life, protruded from the body of the Guardian, and seemed to work as limbs, although they also worked the weaponry on it, releasing powerful energy beams. The energy behind such a machine must be enormous. He counted eight different orbs: one at the head, two for each shoulder and in place of each hand, one dead center in its chest, and two more for each knee. The rest of the armor was like that of Sentinels and Enforcers: silver, incredibly reflective and strong, and not understood. A light emerged from all of the orbs, each combining to make a holographic image. Many gasped at the image portrayed. John saw the same old man that that he met at New Mombasa. No, it couldn’t be the same man; there had to be another explanation. He noticed that almost every Hunter, Grunt, and Elite was down on one knee. “Do not be alarmed,” the machine said, the holographic image coming to life. “The image you see is that of a revered individual in your lives. It is simply the best way to show myself to you. I am 01 Guardian, the defender of this installation. This warrior…” He indicated John. “…was able to rid us of the two Flood juggernauts by the use of powerful tools left behind by my creators. These crystals, as you call them, were imbued with power beyond what all of your races have accomplished. “He gave the Power crystal to the Flood, knowing it could not stop receiving energy from it. When the power became too great, its body could no longer sustain it. Truthfully, it died as it had always wanted to. The other was a much more painful death, where the fragments placed inside the Flood tried to come back together again, torturing the beast before sending it to a cold end.” “Where did it go?” Commander Keyes limped forward, cradling her right arm, blood splattered all over her. “Into what you call Slipspace. The crystal was meant as a means of time travel and speedy exploration through Slipspace. Therefore, it exists in both realms. When the two were disconnected, the crystal followed protocol and returned here through Slipspace. And with the other half returned, it was only a matter of time before they joined back together. Now the last of the Flood floats in the dead of Slipspace, never to be found again.” John saw 343 Guilty Spark approach Guardian, but Cortana’s voice emerged from it. “Won’t it be able to gain control of the crystal, and possibly exit at an earlier period of time?” “No. Nothing can survive Slipspace for such a long period of time, and to return the pieces together and understand how to use them…highly doubtful. Remember, it may be dead from the damage dealt by the crystal as well. Such matters are trifling.” “Then how did the Master Chief know how to use the crystals?” Johnson asked. “Whenever grasped by a being who has been touched by my creators, the crystals divulge all its uses to the host, if you will. That is how he succeeded.” “Fine.” John knew there was one question on everyone’s mind, and he took the liberty to ask it. “So what exactly is all this? What are you Forerunners, what happened…why did you build the Halo rings?” “Ah, the most important question of all. It started over 100,000 years ago, before any of your races existed. The race you call the Forerunners―my creators―had been the greatest of all species in the galaxy. No other could compare to their sophistication, or intelligence. They evolved with such speed that there was no way for any to keep up with them. However, at a certain point, their evolution stopped. For a thousand years nothing changed at all, and they began to fear that something was very wrong with them. “I must tell you, although they had been the most advanced in this galaxy, other species from other galaxies now became more powerful, more evolved. Some had even evolved out of their physical bodies, defeating this physical plane…a feat that was not conquered by my masters. After the thousand years ended, they decided that something was to be done. In their arrogance, they believed that if evolution had stopped, they would find a way around it. That was when they built the rings you call Halo. “Each installation housed scientific research labs that were the most advanced ever created. My masters set out to create life that could evolve at a greater pace than them, in hopes of understanding the exact workings of evolution. Soon, the species you know as the Flood was born. Data was sent to each of the seven installations, until an outbreak occurred on one of them, installation 05. Its monitor, 2401 Penitent Tangent, had been taken by the Flood and lost control of the entire station. “Soon after, fighting broke out between the Flood and my masters. In the beginning of this war, the Flood fell easily to the advanced weaponry used against them. But as time progressed, the weapons started to lose their power against the Flood, who became immune to them. They evolved to take the damage. “It was not long before the tide of war turned against my masters. Each new weapon only worked for a limited time before they became useless. My masters soon realized their error. It was their arrogance that caused their downfall, and they accepted that fact. “The greatest minds tried to make new weaponry to keep up with the advanced evolution, but it was simply not possible on a galactic scale. And no help could be asked of more advanced races from other galaxies, because they could not allow the Flood to evolve into such beings. The war would end almost instantly if they did. “After all the strategies failed, my masters found an alternative: starvation. The only way the Flood could eat was by consuming living organisms. If there was not enough to sustain them, then in time they would die out. The sacrifice for such was total; every being in the galaxy would have to give their lives for it. And with the Flood spreading to lesser races as well, there was no time for compromise. “Ordering the destruction of all means of transportation, my masters activated the rings from this installation. After that, the Flood must have searched everywhere for some remaining life to devour, but found none. The only way they could have survived this long was to hibernate. They waited for new life to sprout forth, so they could leave the confines of this barren galaxy and consume the universe. “And now, in their weakened state, they have been defeated, never to return again. If only my masters could see it…” “Wait, you said that your name was 01 Guardian,” John said, “then what is the significance between the other numbers, like 49, 343 and 2401?” “There were eight installations, seven Halo rings and this one. The numbers correspond to the number of Halo rings. I am 01 Guardian; 2401 Penitent Tangent is only a part of me, one that had the functions to run installation 05; 343 Guilty Spark was another portion, although now he and I have merged again. Now, I can rebuild myself.” Four floating orbs, all looking like 343 Guilty Spark with the exception of a different colored light, floated to Guardian. A connection formed between them, until the orbs dropped and hit the floor. “Now only two remain: 2401 Penitent Tangent and 49 Contrite Soul.” “This cannot be entirely true,” the Arbiter stated. “Life on our planet exceeds that of 100,000 years.” “Same with Earth,” Linda added. “All can be explained. When the rings were used, there was only one survivor. He was on the Ark. It was meant to be that way, as he was the wisest of my creators. He was also my master. Carrying with him the three crystals that were the most powerful.”
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Chapter 29 1715 Hours, October 21, 2552 (Military Calendar) Forerunner Structure Central control room Looking up from the rubble and debris-strewn ground that he lay upon, John was lost. Only one time in his life had he ever felt that way, and the moment it had occurred he was electrocuted, ordered to shower, suit up, and meet in the mess hall double time. It was his job to be the best, no matter how he felt about it. And that’s exactly what happened. But now, the best was not enough. All the Spartans, his Spartans, were either dead, immobile, or in the clutches of the Flood Gravemind. The Preeminent forces had done what they could to battle the fiend, but it had managed to grow stronger. Just as he saw the limited damage that plasma weapons had on the Flood on Delta Halo, so too this Gravemind had become immune to Human weaponry. Reports filtered through his HUD of the Arbiter’s ensuing assault, Forerunner machines attacking, and reinforcement placements. But everything he heard drifted away slowly as he saw Gravemind attacking as strong as ever. With no time, no way to escape, no solution, John was lost. The feeling tightened his throat and his heart became heavy. A ball of expanding titanium-A inside his chest would have felt pleasant compared to the failure that would come too soon. Despair flowed through him, and it made him too weak to get off the floor, pick up a gun, and even try. The one-ton armor suddenly weighed a hundred tons, and not even a finger could move. Explosions, screams, gunshots and hell broke loose all around him, but nothing penetrated his armor suit. Not even a thought could run through his mind. All functions just shut off, but he lay awake, eyes wide. John felt himself start to drift farther away, and every fiber of his being screamed for him to fight against it. But he couldn’t. It was as though the emptiness of his suit pulled him into the dark, and he knew what it meant. His willpower and determination were shot, stabbed, and left for dead. He was on his own. He closed his eyes and for a brief moment forgot about the battle. He forgot about his team, his forces, his life and his home. He let it all go. His mind was quiet, and a serene calmness filled the void of thought. Then an idea struck. His imagination flowed, and the idea took shape. A plan. The battle ensued, but he knew how to end it. He jumped up as if the suit weighed nothing and looked at his hands, opening and closing them into fists. Pushing off his back leg, John reached his top speed in four steps. At the fifth, he exceeded it. The only thought in his mind was his mission, and how to achieve it. Several Brutes saw his approach and warned the others, until the Prophet Truth looked for himself. Its minions opened fire with red, green and purple plasma, but none hit him. Reaching the Covenant battalion, he pushed on the energy shield with all of his strength. The Prophet of Truth sat in front of him on the other side of the shield, and John saw his lips move while his armor’s translation system software kicked in. “Diretrus, smite the Demon!” The Brute standing to Truth’s left opened fire with its brute shot. The first grenade exploded and splashed across John’s shields, the second broke them. The instant they dropped, John fell through the energy field and dodged a third grenade. Rolling upright, he jumped onto Truth’s hovering chair and reached for the crystals that the Prophet held. Truth held on to them and John squeezed both hands, crushing them. The Prophet cried out in pain and let go, dropping two crystals; one yellow and whole, the other silver and shattered. John swiped them out of the air and dropped to the ground. Though unsure how, he immediately understood how the crystals worked. Every Covenant entity was flung from its position by a new energy field…one emanating from John. He had activated the yellow crystal, and it glowed brightly. Internal scanners showed his armor to be working at 300 percent efficiency. The normal shield recharge bar turned red, then green from the increase in power. The Gravemind that had been attacking the Covenant continued to dispose of them. While it attacked, John took all the separate pieces of the second crystal and crushed them together, and they glowed in his hand. John took the first crystal and made an energy shield around it. The front was cone shaped with a pattern of a screw on it. Aiming, he hurled it with such force that a sonic boom was released, but by the time his target heard the noise, it was too late. The crystal pierced the Gravemind that was attacking the Covenant forces, cutting a huge hole in its flesh. At first, the beast emitted a noise loud enough to kill, but then stopped and inspected itself. It started growing, every part of it increasing in mass. Truth, struggling off the ground, shouted, “You fool! Now we will all perish!” The Gravemind continued to grow. It seemed to be getting stronger, each tentacle growing in length and thickness. But after a few seconds it had grown too large and became unwieldy. Still, its expansion did not cease. John retreated to the Preeminent forces. The Gravemind lost control of its own body and started to fall. The Covenant forces below did all they could to escape, but it had grown too large. It hit the ground and crushed them. The beast moaned in pain as parts of it began to grow unevenly, puff out, and finally explode. Soon, all that remained was a lake of green liquid and Covenant carcasses within it. John saw that the other battle was not going well. Even with the reinforcements, they couldn’t stop the last Gravemind. It had evolved enough that their weapons could only inflict minor damage. Tanks fired 90mm shells and armor piercing bullets, Warthogs fired gauss rounds into it, every type of Preeminent vehicle attacked, and even the strange Forerunner machine pitched in, all with little effect. Opening a channel to the Arbiter, John said, “Throw your energy sword to the left!” He ran by and caught the airborne handle of the blade without slowing. When John reached Gravemind, it hadn’t noticed him. Its invulnerability allowed it to enjoy itself, devouring or crushing anything it wanted. John took a shard of the broken crystal and threw it into the creature. Gravemind shot tentacles at John, but all missed, as it was unprepared for his attack. Running around it, he took another shard and shoved it into Gravemind’s flesh. John dodged three tentacles and managed to fire four shotgun rounds into the fourth, throwing it off track. His ammunition depleted, he dropped the shotgun on the ground. He activated the energy sword as he threw the third shard into Gravemind. The behemoth’s full concentration turned to John as hundreds of tentacles flew at him. Dodging them became nearly impossible. John cut any that stood in his path. In a matter of seconds, they overwhelmed him. Two energy blades appeared and massacred the tentacles, cutting them to shreds. The swords were skillfully wielded by the Arbiter. Nodding at John, he continued fighting off the attackers as John threw the fourth fragment. Now running from the tentacles, he put his sword behind him and spun it, slowing many of his followers. A dead Hunter lay forty meters ahead of him, its shield at the head of the carcass. Aiming, John fired the last shard. It bounced off the ground, hit the shield, and ricocheted into Gravemind. “Evacuate the area,” he yelled. “Now!” He sped away from the beast, which squirmed violently. Reaching a safe distance, he watched Gravemind. The five crystal shards he’d imbedded took control of it’s body. It started to implode on itself from the five points where the crystal fragments had been placed. The beast turned inside out and back again until all the shards had switched places several times over. Then white light surrounded Gravemind, blinding everyone momentarily. When the light dissipated, it was gone. A moment of silence and confusion was followed by magnificent cheering. Preeminent warriors rejoiced, throwing up their arms. Sergeant Johnson walked to where Gravemind had been, looked back and yelled, “Can someone please tell me what the hell just happened?” The room once again fell silent as the massive Forerunner machine came forward. “Perhaps I can answer that.”
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****** Staring down the barrel of his SB73, John triggered the three-burst mode and opened fire. A flying Flood combat form swooped toward him, but he clipped one wing off and it collapsed on the ground. More followed suit, but the rest of blue team made sure they hit the ground. Hard. The Preeminent forces, he saw, were in trouble. The defensive perimeter originally set up was gone, replaced by a less organized assault on the large Flood leader. “Green team, are you in position?” “Affirmative. Waiting for the pin to drop.” Smiling, John cued blue team to take up firing positions. “Supreme Commander, open fire on the Gravemind. Attack with all available units!” Hundreds of plasma bolts streaked across the room, all hitting their desired target. As soon as John noticed the Gravemind preparing to attack, he gave the signal. All the Spartans opened fire. As planned, the beast shifted its attack away from the Preeminent forces toward the Spartans. They immediately hit the dirt or found cover, giving some protection against the ensuing wrath of Gravemind. John saw three tentacles flying at him and instinctively lunged out of the way. Two of them missed, but the third managed to chip at his armor’s right leg, penetrating his shields and breaking bones. Rolling over, pain struck him through his right knee. The armor’s systems showed it was shattered, though the armor itself was still sealed. Another attack singled him out, but John managed to limp out of the way. When the Preeminent forces opened fire again, he made his way back to blue team, where all but James and one of the Spartan III’s were regrouping. “Report.” “The plan seems to be working.” Fred panted. “We drew most of the heat from the main attack, but we don’t know how much that thing was damaged or how long we can hold out.” “Damage reports.” Six individual messages appeared on his display. The first two, from the Spartan III’s, he set aside for a moment. Linda showed fractures in her right shoulder and left elbow, both minor injuries. Fred lost his scanners and was hit hard in the ribs, with two broken and some internal bleeding, which was already contained. One of Will’s foot shielding stabilizers was damaged, but backup systems were running nominally. James, however, was not so lucky. Most of his left arm was non-responsive. The connection between his head and the suit’s arm was severed, but he’d managed to reconnect the dislocated shoulder. Moving the arm manually would be difficult, and taking off that section of armor was unacceptable. John was sure James would be fine. He’d roughed through worse. Spartan -207, Jenny, showed several broken fingers and several bruised ribs. Her main weapon, the SB73, was nothing more than scrap metal. Spartan -216, Mark, had bigger issues. He’d taken a hard hit to the chest; part of his armor caved in and was cutting off air to his right lung. “Spartan -216…Mark, can you breath all right?” “I’m 100 percent, sir.” John knew better, and patted him on the back. “Take up firing positions, formation delta. Fire on my command.” They scattered. The Preeminent’s second assault had just about finished. “Fire!” This time, Gravemind was ready for the attack. Combat forms jumped in the way and took the brunt while Gravemind attacked the main force, now defenseless until their weapons could cool off. “Break off and fire at the Gravemind with any means necessary!” A combat form hit John from behind and took down his shields. He turned and pumped lead into the monster, and at a few more that charged him. Something else stopped him dead in his tracks. Several Spartan III’s approached him, weapons ready. They appeared larger than normal, but with the limited time he’d seen any Spartan III, normal was still a blurry concept. Still, he had a bad feeling about it. “You’re out of ranks. Open fire on Gravemind!” They stared at him, seemingly dumbfounded. Something was definitely wrong. “Green leader, Spartans -187, -194 and -214 are not responding to any signals. Confirm.” “Negative! We lost them to the Flood! Engage!” John drew the automatic shotgun and opened fire, dropping their shields. They immediately returned the favor, forcing him to dive for cover. He scanned for the closest help he could get; James was the first to pop up. “James, I need a hand! Flood Spartans have me pinned down!” “Flood…? Hold tight, I’m on my way.” John needed to stall them, and at the same time make sure they couldn’t raise their shields. Unclipping a frag grenade from his belt, he pulled the pin and lobbed it at the Flood Spartans. The explosion knocked two of them to the ground and blew all the armor waist-down off them. The sound of an additional SB73 heralded James’ arrival. John sent two shells into one of the downed Flood Spartans while James dropped the other. He pumped a few more rounds into each to make sure they didn’t get back up, then shook his head in dismay. “James, set their self destruct sequence; we’re going to use them as bombs. Get whatever help you need.” “Yes sir,” James said. Calling up a tactical display, John was not content with the status of the attack. Only 60 percent of the Preeminent battalion remained, and they showed little progress. At the current pace, it would not be long before they were wiped out. A signal came through his suit. “We have found a weakness! Use energy swords and the mighty beast will fall.” Recognizing the Arbiter’s voice, he relayed the signal to the Supreme Commander. At the same time, hundreds of marines piled into the control room, bringing with them supplies, Warthogs, Tanks, and lots of ammo. “Master Chief,” said the lieutenant from the bridge over a radio transponder, “we thought you could use a hand. All these marines are under your direct supervision. They are loyal and will follow your orders to the letter.” “Affirmative lieutenant. Marines, take all the heavy artillery and open fire on the super large Flood you see ahead. Don’t stop until it drops.” Following his orders, marines carrying rocket launchers spread among the Preeminent ranks and opened fire. The effect on Gravemind, however, remained limited. It must have understood the original plan, because now it was attacking the Spartans. Green leader reported increased focus on his team, and he had two dead and another critically wounded. And John’s own team was under attack. Gravemind managed to grab hold of Fred and flung him from side to side as Fred unloaded everything he had into it. The beast threw Fred into the ceiling with tremendous force, and John’s scanners showed him flatline. He saw Fred fall down, right on top of Gravemind. An explosion went off and Fred’s Mjolnir signature vanished. He had activated his self-destruction sequence. Will fired rockets and grabbed Gravemind’s attention. It swung a tentacle at him and the marines he stood with. It pummeled most of the marines and hit Will square in the face, snapping his head so hard that every bone in his neck broke. “Spartans, scatter!” They ducked for cover, but Jenny was hit badly, now showing a shattered pelvis and much internal bleeding. Mark hid behind a massive pillar and waited for his shield to regenerate when two tentacles came from behind and pinned him to the pillar. They squeezed, crushing his armor and him inside, until no life remained. “Arbiter, where is the attack?” “We have begun, but this beast is not hurt by our blows as the last one was. A new plan must be formed.” “Fine, meet me at coordinates―” Something smashed John’s face, dropping him. He tried to pick up his head, but could not. The darkness had overtaken his vision.
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****** Staring down the barrel of his SB73, John triggered the three-burst mode and opened fire. A flying Flood combat form swooped toward him, but he clipped one wing off and it collapsed on the ground. More followed suit, but the rest of blue team made sure they hit the ground. Hard. The Preeminent forces, he saw, were in trouble. The defensive perimeter originally set up was gone, replaced by a less organized assault on the large Flood leader. “Green team, are you in position?” “Affirmative. Waiting for the pin to drop.” Smiling, John cued blue team to take up firing positions. “Supreme Commander, open fire on the Gravemind. Attack with all available units!” Hundreds of plasma bolts streaked across the room, all hitting their desired target. As soon as John noticed the Gravemind preparing to attack, he gave the signal. All the Spartans opened fire. As planned, the beast shifted its attack away from the Preeminent forces toward the Spartans. They immediately hit the dirt or found cover, giving some protection against the ensuing wrath of Gravemind. John saw three tentacles flying at him and instinctively lunged out of the way. Two of them missed, but the third managed to chip at his armor’s right leg, penetrating his shields and breaking bones. Rolling over, pain struck him through his right knee. The armor’s systems showed it was shattered, though the armor itself was still sealed. Another attack singled him out, but John managed to limp out of the way. When the Preeminent forces opened fire again, he made his way back to blue team, where all but James and one of the Spartan III’s were regrouping. “Report.” “The plan seems to be working.” Fred panted. “We drew most of the heat from the main attack, but we don’t know how much that thing was damaged or how long we can hold out.” “Damage reports.” Six individual messages appeared on his display. The first two, from the Spartan III’s, he set aside for a moment. Linda showed fractures in her right shoulder and left elbow, both minor injuries. Fred lost his scanners and was hit hard in the ribs, with two broken and some internal bleeding, which was already contained. One of Will’s foot shielding stabilizers was damaged, but backup systems were running nominally. James, however, was not so lucky. Most of his left arm was non-responsive. The connection between his head and the suit’s arm was severed, but he’d managed to reconnect the dislocated shoulder. Moving the arm manually would be difficult, and taking off that section of armor was unacceptable. John was sure James would be fine. He’d roughed through worse. Spartan -207, Jenny, showed several broken fingers and several bruised ribs. Her main weapon, the SB73, was nothing more than scrap metal. Spartan -216, Mark, had bigger issues. He’d taken a hard hit to the chest; part of his armor caved in and was cutting off air to his right lung. “Spartan -216…Mark, can you breath all right?” “I’m 100 percent, sir.” John knew better, and patted him on the back. “Take up firing positions, formation delta. Fire on my command.” They scattered. The Preeminent’s second assault had just about finished. “Fire!” This time, Gravemind was ready for the attack. Combat forms jumped in the way and took the brunt while Gravemind attacked the main force, now defenseless until their weapons could cool off. “Break off and fire at the Gravemind with any means necessary!” A combat form hit John from behind and took down his shields. He turned and pumped lead into the monster, and at a few more that charged him. Something else stopped him dead in his tracks. Several Spartan III’s approached him, weapons ready. They appeared larger than normal, but with the limited time he’d seen any Spartan III, normal was still a blurry concept. Still, he had a bad feeling about it. “You’re out of ranks. Open fire on Gravemind!” They stared at him, seemingly dumbfounded. Something was definitely wrong. “Green leader, Spartans -187, -194 and -214 are not responding to any signals. Confirm.” “Negative! We lost them to the Flood! Engage!” John drew the automatic shotgun and opened fire, dropping their shields. They immediately returned the favor, forcing him to dive for cover. He scanned for the closest help he could get; James was the first to pop up. “James, I need a hand! Flood Spartans have me pinned down!” “Flood…? Hold tight, I’m on my way.” John needed to stall them, and at the same time make sure they couldn’t raise their shields. Unclipping a frag grenade from his belt, he pulled the pin and lobbed it at the Flood Spartans. The explosion knocked two of them to the ground and blew all the armor waist-down off them. The sound of an additional SB73 heralded James’ arrival. John sent two shells into one of the downed Flood Spartans while James dropped the other. He pumped a few more rounds into each to make sure they didn’t get back up, then shook his head in dismay. “James, set their self destruct sequence; we’re going to use them as bombs. Get whatever help you need.” “Yes sir,” James said. Calling up a tactical display, John was not content with the status of the attack. Only 60 percent of the Preeminent battalion remained, and they showed little progress. At the current pace, it would not be long before they were wiped out. A signal came through his suit. “We have found a weakness! Use energy swords and the mighty beast will fall.” Recognizing the Arbiter’s voice, he relayed the signal to the Supreme Commander. At the same time, hundreds of marines piled into the control room, bringing with them supplies, Warthogs, Tanks, and lots of ammo. “Master Chief,” said the lieutenant from the bridge over a radio transponder, “we thought you could use a hand. All these marines are under your direct supervision. They are loyal and will follow your orders to the letter.” “Affirmative lieutenant. Marines, take all the heavy artillery and open fire on the super large Flood you see ahead. Don’t stop until it drops.” Following his orders, marines carrying rocket launchers spread among the Preeminent ranks and opened fire. The effect on Gravemind, however, remained limited. It must have understood the original plan, because now it was attacking the Spartans. Green leader reported increased focus on his team, and he had two dead and another critically wounded. And John’s own team was under attack. Gravemind managed to grab hold of Fred and flung him from side to side as Fred unloaded everything he had into it. The beast threw Fred into the ceiling with tremendous force, and John’s scanners showed him flatline. He saw Fred fall down, right on top of Gravemind. An explosion went off and Fred’s Mjolnir signature vanished. He had activated his self-destruction sequence. Will fired rockets and grabbed Gravemind’s attention. It swung a tentacle at him and the marines he stood with. It pummeled most of the marines and hit Will square in the face, snapping his head so hard that every bone in his neck broke. “Spartans, scatter!” They ducked for cover, but Jenny was hit badly, now showing a shattered pelvis and much internal bleeding. Mark hid behind a massive pillar and waited for his shield to regenerate when two tentacles came from behind and pinned him to the pillar. They squeezed, crushing his armor and him inside, until no life remained. “Arbiter, where is the attack?” “We have begun, but this beast is not hurt by our blows as the last one was. A new plan must be formed.” “Fine, meet me at coordinates―” Something smashed John’s face, dropping him. He tried to pick up his head, but could not. The darkness had overtaken his vision.
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****** Hundreds of Flood combat forms ran at the Arbiter’s defensive force of several thousand. The majority of the Yielding Righteousness’ crew fought under his command, and with those forces brought by the Supreme Commander, this was possibly the largest force ever fighting hostile enemies in such tight quarters. But when the Flood leader that had both captured and saved him on the second Halo ring appeared both in front and behind him, the Arbiter felt that his forces were too few. There were four Flood leaders, each, he assumed, coming from the other Halo rings. If this was their arsenal, then his thousands may not be enough. “Arbiter, what are your orders?” The most honorable Zealot, Zy ’Xadee, who had fought beside him on the second Halo, now held his sword and awaited instruction. The majority of his warriors battled with the combat forms, though few attacked the leader itself. Watching the battle, the Arbiter noticed a discrepancy: some of the combat forms did not attack. They merely stood still. Glancing back at the Flood leader, the Arbiter understood. “Order the Lekgolo to push the Flood leader into a corner. This will distract it and give us a tactical advantage. Once it is there, order all Sangheili to attack with energy swords and grenades only. Plasma weapons do little to these creatures; they may have adapted to them. Order the Unngoy to distract the leader. Have them attack, throw grenades, whatever is possible. I will take a team to rid us of the lesser Flood forms before they can attack. Go now and relay my orders.” ’Xadee nodded and headed off, and the Arbiter activated his energy sword, its silver flame casting light onto his arm. Seven other Sangheili did the same, then followed him, poised to attack any combat forms. A glimpse at the Prophet gave no comfort, as the shield surrounding it still had not given way, even from such a furious attack. As the Arbiter attacked the Flood and found that most of them hadn’t moved at all. The Zealot has followed my orders well. The Flood leader must be concentrating almost entirely on them. The Arbiter ordered the rest of his Sangheili to continue, and he made his way to the front. Hundreds of Lekgolo pushed the gigantic beast, managing to move it slowly. It used its tentacles to grab and throw them, but they continued. The Unngoy fired at it from the sides while the remaining Sangheili threw grenades from afar. Several sniper rounds came from behind and killed some Unngoy. Just before the Leader was cornered completely, the Arbiter gave orders for the Unngoy to establish gun emplacements and fire from them, instead of wasting their weapons’ batteries. The rapid fire would cause more damage, and even though the Flood was almost immune to the plasma, it still damaged them. That was all he deemed necessary. “Sangheili! Bear the noblest of our Lords’ weapons, so that we may strike down this vile beast and finish what our Lords started!” Howls from the activating swords and Sangheili throats deafened all. Hundreds of Sangheili ran at the Flood leader, who was held in place. It did everything in its power to strike down the Lekgolo, but there were simply too many of them. The Sangheili jumped between Lekgolo, atop of them, anywhere to find an opening. The first Sangheili to plunge the elegant weapon into the leader made it shriek. Its scream pummeled the Arbiter’s brain, dizzying him momentarily. A tentacle immediately squashed that Sangheili. But when the rest followed suit, the beast had no way to stop them all. It seemed to forget all about the Lekgolo and Unngoy, instead attacking only the Sangheili. It threw them in every direction, hit them with such force that some broke in half, while others lost whole limbs. Some had managed to survive because of their armor’s shielding, but after being struck, they failed instantly. The beast’s head squirmed so hard that the Lekgolo began losing control of it. Something had to be done quickly. Picking up a second energy sword from a fallen comrade, the Arbiter cut into the beast’s flesh. The weapons began draining faster than before, and soon they had run out of power. “Hurry my brothers, it is evolving! We must strike it down now!” But the Sangheili were being wiped out one by one. The Arbiter activated his camouflage and searched for more usable weaponry. As he did, he saw ’Xadee holding two swords, with four more attached to his belt. The Zealot ran past the Arbiter and jumped on top of a Banshee, which carried him away. The skeleton crew of the Yielding Righteousness joined the battle, bringing whatever they could to help. Banshees flew into the room, Ghosts hovered and fired at the target, and several Shadows carried supplies and equipment in their transport hold. From one of them, the Arbiter grabbed two energy swords. “Arbiter, I know how to rid of the beast!” It was the voice of ’Xadee. “You must make sure it is distracted enough for me to attack. Then I will kill it.” The Arbiter nodded. “All Banshees, Ghosts and Shadows, open fire on the Flood leader. Lekgolo and Unngoy, keep the beast still. And Sangheili, dig into its heart and kill it!” The ferocity of the battle increased exponentially, with every Preeminent warrior attacking at once. The Arbiter jumped atop a Lekgolo and flung himself off its shoulders, plunging both blades into the beast. He continued slicing when a tentacle came at him almost too fast for him to see. Positioning the two swords to act as a shield, he cut the tentacle before it could reach him. The piece fell to the ground, landing atop several Unngoy. He continued to pierce the body of the beast, until it squirmed so hard that he was thrown from it. Rising, the Arbiter saw ’Xadee’s Banshee crash into the Flood leader. It didn’t seem to notice at first, but then gave another shriek that made all cover their hearing orifices. It continued on for a minute, until its body stiffened. Suddenly, the Preeminent soldiers looked up at the beast as it fell. “Move away from it!” The Sangheili followed his orders, but the slower Lekgolo had difficulty doing so, and some Unngoy were too scared to follow them. He saw one running in circles where the beast would land, grabbed it, and fled the impact zone. As it struck the ground, the entire installation shook. Every being within the room was thrown off balance. Moments later, cheering broke out among the ranks. “Do not rejoice,” the Arbiter yelled, standing on the carcass of the defeated monster. “The battle continues! Go, help our brethren!” They immediately ran to the opposite side of the room, where the humans and the rest of the Preeminent forces fought another Flood leader. The Arbiter, however, looked for the Zealot who had killed the monster. He jumped on the carcass of the thing and searched everywhere, but found nothing. Perhaps his life was necessary to defeat the beast. Turning, he hurried to the other battle, hoping to soon defeat this second one. If every warrior fought like the Zealot did, then the war would end. Today.
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****** Downloading…Please stand by… 85%...90%...95%... Download complete Cortana initialized all of her systems and integrated them with the computer she now occupied. The surroundings were completely foreign to her; quite advanced, much more than those of the Halo rings. The system had integrated her into itself, but also kept her intact and a separate entity. She was suddenly dumped into a new area, where a whole universe of information revealed itself. They were all in strange symbols, none of which she understood, although the characters themselves did seem familiar. The surroundings were breathtaking, and for a full cycle Cortana was shocked. She was in the middle of a complex system of moving information, flowing like currents, encompassing large portions of what she could see. Several applications presented themselves to her, all in a way that made it difficult for her to comprehend. Damn, I just need to shut off command control functionality! One of the applications she saw dulled, and—as best as Cortana understood—her thought accomplished what she could not. Without any way of knowing how to discriminate between the different sections of the computer, she would have no clear proof whether she successfully cut Truth off from gaining control of the system. I wish I were back in John’s armor. The world around her suddenly changed to that of a moving, breathing, and very familiar one. She saw Gravemind in the distance, and a huge force of what used to be the Covenant attacking it, as well as Spartans around her. She could only guess where she was. “Bogies, on your left,” she said. Her vision blurred for a moment while the shields were hit by plasma, and the view changed drastically from the attacking battalion to the ground. “Have you blocked access to the controls Cortana? “I believe so. The schematics of this control are completely foreign however, different from anything I’ve ever seen before. It’ll take some time before I can get much access to it myself.” “Understood. Once you find out what this installation’s capable of, inform me. We can use any help available. Where is Kelly?” “Unknown. I have no ability to scan anything, at the moment.” “Fine. Keep me informed. And Cortana?” “Yes?” “Good to have you back. John out.” She felt a sudden joy, and immediately began searching as best she could; the attempt seemed futile. All right, she thought, I should be able to figure this out. The Forerunners were a highly advanced civilization, able to mold time, atoms, and even reality to how they saw fit. So…if they could do such amazing things, then their perception of reality was probably different; more advanced. If that’s true, then maybe they were able to make their computers follow the same protocol. Maybe the Forerunners made their computers work more intelligently than in just two dimensions. Using her full processing power, Cortana’s image of the systems began to change, folding in front of her. The strange symbols started to look more and more familiar. When she finished changing her perspective, the symbols were no longer foreign; they were in English. Looking around her, Cortana was in the middle of more than just a two-dimensional computer system; she was now within a world of three dimensions, with information traveling all around her. This is amazing. Every one of my thoughts has an instant impact on this computer and follows it, and the three-dimensional reality based within this computer shows an intelligence that we wouldn’t accomplish for at least another millennium… No time for this. I have to find out how the battle is going. The wealth of information disappeared, and in its place was a full view of the control room, from the perspective of the console itself. She could make out four battles; the Covenant with their Prophet Truth, somehow not being damaged by one Gravemind; the Arbiter fighting with his battalion against a second Gravemind; the Master Chief fighting with the Spartans and more Preeminent forces against another Gravemind; and a fourth distinct one. Forerunner sentinels attacked the last of the Graveminds, although they weren’t the only ones. The larger enforcers, seen on Delta Halo, also attacked using the rapid firing pulse beams. They surrounded the Gravemind, using their front shields for protection. Two types of sentinels were detected, the standard ones that had been encountered on both Halo rings, and a newer one that only reports from the marines on Delta Halo could account for. They had shields and a more powerful blue laser instead of the traditional orange. Finally, a new mechanical piece of engineering attacked the last Gravemind, one that she had never seen before. It stood approximately ten meters tall and featured no distinct weapons of any sort. It seemed to be a command robot, sending the sentinels and enforcers to the most logical attack vectors. Zooming in on the image, Cortana thought, what is that called? A name quickly appeared over the image: Guardian. The Guardian looked like a larger sentinel: bulky arms and legs, with strange black orbs connecting each limb together, like the joints of a human body. As she wondered about its purpose, a laser shot out of one of them. It struck the Gravemind and left a huge scar in its wake. Cortana wanted to help in some way, go help the Spartans. Go help John. But from the looks of it, the only thing she could do was watch his back, and that was something he could do on his own. She initialized a search for all options, but came up empty handed. Where is 343 Guilty Spark? The bastard of Forerunner technology that almost ended all life had been missing right after the fighting broke out. The screen in front of her shifted to one corner of the massive room. That damned orb floated at the top, near the shadows. It was hiding from the battle, waiting for it to be over. I wonder how strong that material he’s made with is…Half the screen dulled and showed its components, which intrigued her. All right computer, download me into 343 Guilty Spark, upload him here, and give me full control over his protocol. Then don’t allow any of his requests to be met. She could feel herself being pulled back out of the computer’s systems and again was in flux. Downloading…Please stand by… 85%...90%...95%... Download complete The sound of wind passing by faster than it normally should alerted her of an immediate danger: gravity. She quickly searched for some way to access maneuvering controls, but couldn’t find it. Her speed continued to increase until she reached terminal velocity, a term that ill suited her predicament. At ten meters from the ground, Cortana let out an archaic noise, resembling a beeping sound that early computers made because of the lack of speakers, and wished that maneuvering control would magically appear. When they did, she wasted no time, but it was too late. She hit the ground hard, but she was fine. Cortana began to move around slowly, getting some idea of how to fly the contraption. She searched its internal mechanism, propulsion system and schematics. Shocked at what she found, she now knew how to help. Cortana was protected by an impenetrable alloy, which gave her the ability to do as she pleased without fear of termination. She could propel herself at incredible speeds, which gave her an idea. She flung herself with whatever the orb could muster at the nearest Gravemind, penetrating its skin, going right through it and leaving a gaping hole. She was amazed, never believing she could be so destructive on the battlefield with only her functions. It was exhilarating. She found her desired target and took aim.
