Greetings, those that are familiar with my stories and those who aren't. I will continue to write these stories, as promised (Which I recommend you read (ALL of them) in order to understand this one). Sorry for the delay, but I have exams this week, and the writing, while inconsistent at best, has been a good stress relief after the learning and blocking of the subjects.
Be warned (Only this line Spoilers): This is the last of the stories that will stay consistent with major Halo canon, and this one will have an AU ending. Sorry if the part that stayed true to Halo Canon was what kept you reading. But I feel you deserve the warning.
I will correct three parts that I feel Halo 3, as good a game as it is, could have done better:
1. the Defection of other Covenant members besides the Elites is mostly ignored in Halo 3, despite the fact Grunts and Hunters are also loyal to the Arbiter and his forces in Halo 2. I feel this is a missed story element, and I will do my best to correct that.
2. I will explain the fact that the Monitor didn't know about the Ark not being on Earth. for me that part has always been confusing. He said it was on Earth, as implied by Halo 2's ending. but he said in Halo 3 he assumed it was part of a Shield-installation. and yet, depicted in the Halo CE anniversary logs, he had actually been to the Ark, and knew it was in fact neither. I will apply my own explanation on that.
And 3. they never explained how the Cortana-moments (and Gravemind-moments) actually happened in-game. it was just a short moment you were incredibly slowed down, and then the game continued. granted, in terms of story, Cortana is involved more despite her absence. but in terms of gameplay and such, not much else happened. it wasn't very intense on terms of story or anything. I will improve that.
Request: Please Review. I do my best to improve in terms of story wherever I can, but I can't improve some things if People don't point out where I'm taking the wrong direction.
Disclaimer: I don't own Halo 3, nor anything included here beyond OC's.
Now, Gharst has said more than enough.
read. and enjoy.
Halo 3: The Ark
Chapter 1
Kenyan Jungle, East-Africa, Earth
17-11-2552
John looked around in the darkness, as he thought back to what happened last before he lost consciousness. He had felt an intense pain in the back of his neck where...
Cortana!
She must be under some sort of attack of the Gravemind, and her pain, however she might feel it, was extended to him as well. He wondered how such a thing was possible. After all, he was lightyears away, and she had no trace left of herself in his head, except a datachip containing her memory matrix crystal, or whatever the thing was called. But at the moment, he didn't care.
Right now, as he fell, he was listening to her voice, which sounded in his ears instead of from his helmet, as usual.
"They let me pick." she started. She sounded... calm, serene. Like she wasn't under attack at all. But John suspected otherwise. "Did I ever tell you that? Choose whichever Spartan I wanted."
John didn't know this. But he didn't need to. This was way above his usual clearance level, and he knew some things were best left hidden.
"Like the others, you were strong, and brave." Cortana continued. "A natural leader." she paused. "But you had something they didn't. Something no one saw, but me." she paused again. "Can you guess?"
He was about to, but then, the ground really shuddered, and he felt a large crash.
He had landed from his fall from the Forerunner Keyship.
"Luck." he heard. Then, the pain from the crash, combined with the suffering of Cortana he felt, started to overwhelm him. He only heard a final question, as he slipped into unconsciousness.
"Was I wrong?"
Thel followed the dark-skinned human sergeant called Johnson, as he led them through the Jungle. They had detected the crash earlier in the night, but the skies were too crowded with Brute Banshees for them to make a rescue attempt. In fact, it was still clouded with Banshees, and a suicide mission to try it now. But if they waited, the Chief would be skinned by the Brutes for sure.
Thel wondered, amusingly, when he'd started to use the Human names for the species of the Covenant. But, as usual, he didn't have time to ponder it, as he jumped down from the cliff, landing in the pool the waterfall he'd used as cover had created.
He stepped aside, so the others had room to land. After him, three Humans and six Grunts followed, with Usze and N'tho bringing up the rear.
They followed the trail, and Thel could see a bit of black smoke directly ahead. They were getting closer.
He smiled again, as he looked at the composition of the team. A month ago, this would have been unthinkable, for Elites to follow humans, and for a Grunt to have overall command. But, with the recent revelation of the deception of the San'Shyuum, the Separatists had been left without a true leader. For a few hours, anyway. That was when rumor had spread down from High-Charity that Humans were willing to side with them. And the Separatists had readily accepted.
Back then, when the rumor had started, it was false. Merely a deception of the Spartan, so he wouldn't be shot by everyone on High-Charity, but merely by half the population.
However, the Human leader, Hood, had taken the Chief's offer seriously, and had offered the four species that made up the separatists (Elites, Grunts, Hunters and Engineers) asylum and aid in exchange for mutual ceasefire. The Elites, in need of allies, especially with the silence of Sang'Katarn, had accepted with open arms.
In the distance, he heard a howl, followed by an explosion. Good. A Human by the name of Reynolds had taken a team of special troopers and hunters, and was busy distracting the Brutes so they could sneak out the Chief under their very noses. And, from the sound of it, it was going very well.
"Arbiter." Johnson called. "Over here."
Thel quickened his pace, and he followed the trail the human had followed. And sure enough, after rounding a rock wall, he saw him.
The Master Chief. Rumored to be the last of his kind after the others had been sent to a planet called Onyx, only to lose contact shortly after arrival. The Demon, as the majority of the Separatists still called him.
Laying on the ground his arms in the air like he was falling. And he was not moving.
The scene was... odd. A Forerunner door lay thirty meters away, embedded in a pool of mud and quicksand, as it was sinking away. It was also glowing from the heat caused by the friction upon atmospheric insertion. It was likely the cause of the smoke he'd seen earlier.
"This no good." one of the Grunts said, upon arrival.
"Damn." one of the humans, Wilson, said. "How far did the bastard fall?"
"Two kilometers." one of the Elites answered. "That was the altitude of the ship when we detected he'd jumped from it."
"Stay sharp." Johnson said, as he moved over for a closer look. He grabbed his cigar, and sighed at the sight of it. Thel could understand. While the Elites weren't as desperate as the humans anymore, even he knew the Master Chief was a hero. A symbol the humans could rally behind. A symbol of hope that they could live to fight on.
To see him like this, likely killed by the crash, it even made Thel morose.
"Corpsman?" Johnson asked of one of the remaining humans.
"His armor's locked up." the woman said, as she grabbed her datapad, and inserted a cable in it. She grabbed the other end, and opened a port on the Chief's right lower arm she inserted the cable in it, and started pressing buttons on the datapad. "Gel layer could have taken most of the impact."
a final button was pushed, and the arms dropped, the armor no longer electrically locked up to absorb the shocks and air currents during the drop down.
Johnson tapped at a back slot of the armor, and, to Thel's slight surprise, a chip came out.
"Radio for VTOL. Heavy lift gear." he said.
"What?" one of the Grunts said. "But Brutes still around. They shoot down VTOL."
"We're not leaving him here." Johnson adamantly said, his voice making clear there was no argument here.
And someone unexpected supported him.
"Yeah. You're not." an unknown voice said, and everyone turned around in surprise.
The Master Chief was getting up.
"You crazy fool." Johnson criticized him, though Thel knew Johnson was happy the Chief was alive. "Why do you always jump?"
"One of these days, you're gonna land on something as stubborn as you and I." Wilson added. "And we don't do bits and pieces."
the Chief nodded, and took the Chip over from Johnson.
"Where is she, Chief?" he asked. "Where's Cortana?"
the Chief briefly looked at the Chip, as in lost in thought. Then he inserted it back into his head. "She stayed behind."
Johnson nodded. "I imagine you'll have a lot of questions, considering it ain't halloween, and yet Wilson's friends have dressed up." the man in question glared at Johnson. "But until we have a quiet place to talk, here's the short version: The Arbiter over here has made his race, along with the Grunts, Hunters and Gasbags rebel against the ugly bastard Truth. Hood, taking inspiration from the propaganda you and Cortana spread, actually offered them a place at our side. The ba-" Johnson paused, aware the beings in question were still within earshot "the beings accepted. And now, we're fighting alongside each other until Truth's stopped. For the rest, wait until we're back at base, and Commander Keyes will catch you up."
The Chief nodded, and held out his hand. Wilson, understanding, gave him his pistol, and Usze gave the Chief his Carbine, drawing his own Plasma Rifles. The Chief nodded, and Thel led the way.
"We must go. The Brutes will have our scent by now."
"Then they must love the smell of bad-ass." Johnson retorted. "First Squad, you're my scouts. Elites, you three stay with the Chief. Everyone else, move out, quiet as you can."
everyone nodded, and they all went off.
Thel led them back the way they came. They'd traveled for barely half a kilometer, however, before a hostile Spirit flew over.
"Sergeant, Spirit." one of the Grunts warned. Everyone, upon seeing the ship, hunkered down, so they wouldn't be spotted. Once it had flown over, heading for the smoke, the last marine spoke up. "If we stick together, we're gonna get spotted. Let's split up."
"Agreed." the Chief said. He then pointed at N'tho and Usze. "You two, take Johnson and the other humans, and head over along the waterfall. Arbiter, we'll continue following the river until we need to split off for that LZ. The Grunts go with me."
"Yes, Chief." Wilson said. "Oh, and do keep an eye out for Bravo Squad, our distraction. They were causing trouble for the Brutes earlier. But if they're pissed off enough, those boys are in for a lot of trouble."
the Chief nodded. "I'll keep my eyes open. Now go."
Wilson nodded, and he followed the others in a climb. The Chief then turned to the Arbiter. "Lead the way."
Thel nodded, and he climbed over the log that continued following the river. He kept his ears open to all com messages he could intercept.
"Johnson, be advised." Reynolds said. "Hostiles are on- move." the message was filled with static, and Thel couldn't make out the entirety of it. "Got ey- Brute pack, over."
"Say again, Reynolds?" Thel said. "Your battlenet's breaking up.
This time, only static answered.
Thel turned to the Chief and the Grunts following him. Thel fell in line with them, letting the Chief take the lead.
The humans claimed he was that good, and Thel believed them.
But he still needed to see it with his own eyes.
John aimed the Carbine over the log they'd climbed. And he immediately ducked down.
A Brute was on the other side, with a lot of Drones nearby as backup. They had yet to spot any Jackals, but that was only a matter of time: in the jungle, with a lot of cover, they were in their element. They could hide anywhere in the trees, and shoot them down from a distance. But they were yet to be seen in large numbers.
"Look above." a Grunt next to the Chief quietly said. John looked.
And a pair of Jackals sat there, directly above them, loading up their Carbines. From the looks of it they were oblivious to the enemy below them.
John had to give them credit: as much as he might hate the Covenant species, and the Grunts, they could be very competent troops when properly motivated.
"Thanks." he said. He turned to the Arbiter. "Can you cloak?"
The Arbiter nodded.
"Climb up, and take them down quietly. As soon as you have done so, pin down the Brute. Me and the Grunts will move up and sweep across the survivors."
The Arbiter nodded, and he cloaked himself, disappearing from sight. After half a minute, two corpses landed at John's feet, and The Arbiter opened fire on the Brute, who looked up in surprise. The Drones moved to take flight and overwhelm the intruder...
and were overwhelmed themselves when the Chief and the Grunts threw a volley of Plasma grenades, taking down the majority of the swarm. Arbiter picked off the stragglers from his tree perch, while John finished off the Brute, whose armor had been destroyed by the Arbiter's initial shots.
They only lost one grunt in the skirmish, when a flight of three Drones picked up the Grunt, and threw him off a nearby cliff. The other Grunts, initially afraid, tried to scatter.
But under human command, John didn't let them off as easily.
"Hold your ground." he said, as he shot down the drones responsible. "They can't fight what they can't get at."
the leader, a former Ultra Grunt, nodded, and he moved back to the Chief. The others, realizing their leader had returned to aid the human, soon came running, even while they whimpered they were doomed.
Another Brute came running. John saw it, and raised his Carbine, now on his last clip.
It misfired, and the indicator showed it had wasted the rest of the charge.
Damn. Now he had to fight it up close. He raised his fists as it quickly closed the distance.
Before it got there, however, five overcharged Plasma Pistol shots came at the Brute from behind the Chief. One took down the armor, and the pieces fell to the ground. Two more heavily burned one leg, and it fell to one knee. One hit the chest, and it fell to the ground, onto his back.
And the last one, tracking its target, hit the Brute in the face as it tried to get back up. Its face melted off.
John looked at the Grunts, surprised that all had smoking plasma pistols. The one that had warned the Chief about the Jackals, a spec-ops Grunt, stood straighter, and sniffed the air.
"Must get moving. More apes coming."
John nodded, and he moved on. The Arbiter jumped down from his perch, and followed.
After a moment, Johnson came through on the com.
"Pelicans are en-route, Chief. But I can't raise Bravo."
John nodded, knowing what Johnson would ask. "We'll find them, Johnson. Just keep that engine running."
"Sure thing, Chief." the sergeant responded, before he disconnected.
John turned to the Arbiter. "What did the other team consist off?" he asked.
"Two Humans and six Hunters. They served as a distraction, so we could pick you up while they drew attention elsewhere."
"Take me to their last known location."
The Arbiter nodded, and he entered a small cave. After a moment, there was a small drop. John went in first, and he briefly checked the area. Then, he put his Carbine on his back, and looked up at the Grunts. "Can you guys climb down, or do I need to catch you?" he asked.
The Grunts looked among themselves, before the Ultra nodded. "We'll jump. You catch us?"
John nodded, despite himself. As much as he may dislike them, they needed each other to survive.
After each jumped down, and John awkwardly catching them and putting them down, he got his pistol out, and moved out. The Arbiter jumped as well, and they moved on.
Onto a horrific sight. In front of them, it looked like someone had made a last stand here, which they very well might have.
John had to admit, they had fought hard. He counted over Thirty Brute corpses, including a pair of Chieftains. But still, he counted all six Hunter bodies, and a human head was seen embedded on a Spiker's spike.
But the last human was missing.
The Arbiter was looking around as well. After a moment, the Arbiter looked up, at the Chief. "The leader of the group, Reynolds, isn't among them."
John nodded. But then, he had a moment of insight.
"white skin, brown eyes, odd accent?"
The Arbiter nodded. The Chief smirked. Then he knew him. He got him off High-Charity, and onto the ring. He was glad the man was alright.
A howl sounded, reminding the group the Sergeant soon might not be as alright as suspected. John grabbed a Battle Rifle to replace the Carbine, and they moved on.
Surprisingly, they only had to walk a hundred meters, before they heard voices.
"Tell us its location!" a Brute howled.
"Kiss... my... ass." a Human responded, and John recognized Reynolds' voice. John sighted down the scope of his Battle Rifle. Sure enough, he saw a Brute holding a Marine by the neck, a Mauler raised to the human's face. The Brute was standing on top of an outcropping, holding Reynolds over a pond.
John fired a small burst, at the Brute's hand. The Brute dropped Reynolds in surprise and pain, and Reynolds landed on the side of the outcropping, before rolling into the pond. The human immediately got up, and ran towards where he'd heard the shot come from. John fired on the Brute, wearing down the armor. After a moment, it fell off. Before John could continue the fight, however, the Arbiter fired, and the Brute died, killed from a headshot.
Reynolds sighed, as he came upon the group. "We really... should stop... meeting... like this."
John nodded. "I agree. What happened?"
"Brute Chieftain..." he panted. "A Phantom... pinned us down... killed the Hunters..."
John nodded, understanding the man needed a good rest to recover from a beating of a Brute.
"Just a little longer. We're to meet Johnson at the LZ."
Reynolds nodded, and he picked up the Brute's Mauler as they moved forward. "The bastard was trying to get the location of Crow's Nest out of me. Good thing you arrived when you did."
"It alright." a Grunt minor tried to awkwardly comfort. "Ape dead now."
Reynolds nodded. "But more are on the way. So lets get moving, Chief."
John got the hint, and he took the lead. "Crow's Nest?" he asked.
"The Largest Human base left in this country." the Arbiter explained. "Keyes is waiting for us there."
John nodded, as they entered another cave.
Just as they were to exit, however, he blacked out for a moment, and he doubled over in pain. Aw hell.
"Could you sacrifice me to complete your mission?" Cortana's voice asked, as her image faded in and out of his vision. "Could you watch me die?"
Hang on, Cortana. It may take a bit, but I'm coming.
He shook his head clear, and he saw he was in the cave again. The pain, for the moment, had died down.
And he was for sure now, that it was coming from her Chip.
He saw the others, only ten meters in front of him, had only just noticed he'd lagged behind.
"Demon ok?" one of the Grunts asked.
"Your vitals just read KIA." Reynolds said.
John shook his head. "gel layer of my Helmet temporary filled up." He lied. "It's over now."
Reynolds had suspicion in his eyes, as did the Arbiter. But both nodded anyway, trusting his judgement.
John made a point of taking the lead.
Sure enough, they arrived at an old river substation, controlled by a flight of Drones. Two Pelicans hovered in place over it, and John saw Johnson jump into one, along with his team. Wilson was manning a turret inside the Pelican to fend off sieging Drones. The two Elites were standing on top of the pelicans, preventing the Drones from ambushing them from above.
"Hustle." John said, and they all ran for it. He and the Arbiter paused at the sides of their Pelican, to allow the Grunts some cover as they boarded.
"Hold on!" the pilot said. "got a-"
There was a pause, as two Banshees flew over the Pelicans at high speed.
"Banshees! Fast and low!" she screamed. Obviously, she was a rookie pressed into service.
They turned around, and they fired a pair of Fuel Rods at the Pelicans. Both hit their dropship, and John jumped to the side to avoid being hit by it as it swerved, out of control. From the corner of his eye, he saw the Arbiter had jumped aside as well.
"I'M HIT! I'M HIT!" she called, as she clipped the other Pelican. John looked in horror, as he saw the Pelican, carrying his Grunts, crashed, clipping a canyon wall before crashing into another, exploding because of the force of impact. The Elite who had been on top of it, however, had jumped off in time, landing on the roof of a storage shed near the substation.
The other pelican, however, carrying Johnson and the others, swerved. Its wing-mate had clipped his engine, and he saw it was also out of control. However, this pilot managed to send it more upstream.
"Get a hold of her! Or I'll take over!" Wilson yelled angrily.
"Negative." the pilot said coolly, ignoring the angry ODST. "We're going down."
He watched, as the Drones flew after it. The pelican flew over the top of a cliff, before crashing. A boom sounded as soon as it was out of view, however, indicating it was the top of it, rather than a drop.
The other Elite appeared again, as well as Reynolds. They all gathered near the edge of the Jungle. "The Banshees will soon return." the Arbiter warned. "Hurry, Back into the Jungle!"
John nodded, and he followed the company, now consisting of three Elites, a Spartan and a Marine.
Sure enough, they soon came into the jungle, and they heard the craft swoop overhead, searching for survivors. Still, due to the cover of the Jungle, they made good way largely undetected.
Soon, to everyone's relief, Johnson called out on a general broadcast, transmitting only. John couldn't respond, but he could listen in.
"Chief! Can you hear me? My bird's dow- half a klick from you- ition. I repeat: do not resp- 's down, about half a- ownriver from your position." static riddled the broadcast, but John could figure out the meaning clear enough: Johnson was warning him away, telling his position as well.
And he'd go to hell before he left Johnson back behind.
"Any large human buildings nearby?" he asked. "Somewhere the Brutes could hold the marines?"
the Arbiter caught on. "This way." he said, taking a different route.
After half a minute of tracking, however, they came to a two-way intersection.
That is, if a tall cliff with only a small passage too big for the Spartan or Elite, and where only Reynolds would fit in.
"I'll take this route." Reynolds said. "Good luck with the climb."
John nodded, put his Battle Rifle on his back, and started climbing. The Elites followed behind.
It was, though not a short climb, not a dangerous one either. They were out of sight of the Banshees for the moment, and they were making good headway.
But then, surprisingly, he felt the pain in his neck start to increase again, and he knew another 'Cortana moment', as he dubbed them, was upon him.
"We were built on foundations of lies." she said, as an image of her flashed by, collapsed on a floor.
He shook his head, and he saw the image was cleared, and he could see.
He also saw he was about to fall off, having lost his grip on the wall. Blast, he really needed to be careful. If one of those moments occurred during a firefight, it was sure to get him killed.
Still, he was ahead of the Elites, and they hadn't noticed yet he had halted. He continued the climb.
As he got to the top, Reynolds had already arrived, keeping the area clear with a scavenged Assault Rifle.
"About time you guys got here." the marine joked. "I saw tracks a few dozen meters north of here. I think it's them."
the Arbiter nodded. "Then let us not waste time standing here."
the Chief agreed with that, and he followed Reynolds, as they followed him. Sure enough, they found tracks definitely belonging to the marines.
But one of the Elites followed it in the wrong direction.
"Where are you going?" its comrade asked.
"If they crashed, there's a good chance their ship had left supplies on board. And if the Brutes did manage to catch them, they'll likely bring them to the dam anyway."
he admitted that made sense. And he was running low on ammo. So he took the initiative, and followed the Elite. The others, not willing to argue, fell in step behind them.
After only a minute, they arrived at the Pelican, crashed upside down on the river bank. As the Elite had predicted, weapons were strewn about around the ship.
"Nice call, N'tho." the other who initially questioned his comrade said.
They all moved about, gathering supplies. John grabbed a Sniper Rifle to compensate for the pistol he'd given Reynolds. The Elites, apparently low on ammo as well, all grabbed a Battle Rifle, and Reynolds took a scavenged Needler from the debris as well. Then, they listened, as Crow's Nest tried to hail the Pelican.
"Echo 51, this is Crow's Nest." the operator called out. "Echo 51, please respond."
John grabbed the cockpit mike from the dead pilot.
"Crow's Nest, this is Sierra 117. Echo 51 is down. We're tracking the survivors. Request support and pick-up at the Dam near my position. Please acknowledge."
There was a short pause. "Affirmative, 117. I'll divert Hocus to pick you guys up. ETA's fifteen minutes."
"Copy that. 117 out." he got out, and followed the tracks. The others, already finished loading up and ready to leave, followed suit.
Soon, after a five-minute walk, they arrived at a short alcove, that ended with an overview of the dam.
The Arbiter pointed at a stone storage shed. "See how they bait their trap?"
John nodded, as he was looking at it right now with his Sniper Rifle. A Chieftain, along with two Brute Bodyguards, was pushing Johnson, Wilson and Sergeant Banks to the storage shed. Johnson whirled around, and punched the Chieftain in the gut. It apparently had no effect, and the Chieftain kicked Johnson inside. The bodyguards picked up Wilson and Banks, and literally threw them in.
"I will help you spring it." The Arbiter finished. John nodded, as he took aim. It was a slightly problematic shot, as the Chieftain had moved behind the shed. But the Bodyguards were swiftly shot down, on the other side of the dam.
Then, knowing the Chieftain wouldn't come out yet, he jumped down with the others, taking down two unsuspecting Jackals who stood guard below. Then, the two other Elites landed, and brandished Energy Swords. They charged a small pack of four Brutes, who all had their backs turned to them. They were surprised, when two of them suddenly had Energy Blades emerging from their jaw and chest respectively. The others tried to raise their weapons, but the Arbiter quickly shot them down with his Assault Rifle.
Then, John's mood soured. From the top of the Dam, he saw a lot of Brutes, over twenty, charge to their side of the dam, and they were led by the Chieftain. And he didn't have enough ammo to take them all out.
But then, he didn't have to.
The two Elites, obviously good comrades, sheathed their swords, and grabbed few grenades they'd scavenged, including a pair of Incendiary grenades. They threw them at the front of the mob, and five immediately caught fire, accidentally stepping on the fires. Then, three more were set a flame due to the fact they stood too close to their brethren. They all died after five seconds of trying to pat the flames out, the heat tearing through them and burning their organs.
Which left twelve Brutes, not counting the Chieftain. Bit more acceptable odds.
John grabbed the Sniper rifle again, and aimed at the doorway the Brutes would be forced to go through. As Johnson would likely say: it was a turkey shooting.
Indeed, they went down quite fast. Three died from headshots, the bullet piercing the helmet armor, and two died from hitting a spare propane tank which, though not killing them on its own, made them stumble, off the dam and into the water. And Brutes were so heavy, especially in that armor, that they just sank to the bottom right away, drowning them.
But then, the Chieftain, wielding a Gravity Hammer, appeared, and it had an overshield activated, one his rifle wouldn't be able to pierce.
He was about to drop it and grab his Battle Rifle, when the Arbiter, jumped between them, even though there were still twenty meters between them. The Arbiter grabbed his Energy Swords, and stabbed both of them into the Chieftain's back. They shields held at first, and the thing tried to swing his hammer back. But then they failed, and the Arbiter managed to put the blades into the back. The Brute missed, hitting only empty air, and turned to the Arbiter, snarling. Then, apparently losing a vital organ, toppled like a felled tree. The other Brutes, enraged, jumped out, attacking.
The Chief then spotted something that could be used to his advantage.
Only half of the area they could stand on was steady ground/building. The other half was a steel catwalk, over a fifteen meter drop on the dry side of the dam, with a lot of sharp metal debris on the bottom that could spear the Brutes.
And the catwalk's supports, below, were halfway rusted through.
He threw a Plasma grenade at the nearest support, and provoked the Brutes into charging by firing at their weapons, damaging them beyond immediate field repair. They charged angrily, and the others followed.
And, as they stood on the catwalk, the grenade went off. The Catwalk itself buckled, and the Brutes swayed, off-balance. The Elites, noticing the plan, all jumped onto steady ground. Then, the weight no longer equally distributed, they catwalk tipped to one side, and the Brutes all fell off, to one side. Only one or two managed to grab the side of the Catwalk. But they fell, as the rest of the supports gave way, and they all fell. As John looked over the edge, the Brutes were all either pierced by all the sharp edges of metal, or crushed by the catwalks, which all lay on top of the Brutes.
"Serves them right." Reynolds said, as he looked down as well.
The Chief didn't waste any time, and he crossed the dam, and walked up to the storage shed. Inside, Johnson, Banks and Wilson sat on the ground, locked in the back of the shed behind a Covenant Energy Shield.
Wilson looked up, and he grabbed his cards, putting them away again.
"This isn't as fun as it looks." Johnson said. "Cut the power."
the Arbiter walked in, and obliged by shooting at the emitter.
"We're even." the man said, as he grabbed a Plasma Repeater. "As long as we're only counting today."
"But we don't." Wilson said, grabbing a Needle Rifle. Banks grabbed a Carbine. "So lets get moving."
Johnson nodded, and he moved out of the shed. Reynolds greeted them. "What took you guys so long? Were you having a party without me?"
"Yeah, we invited your girlfriend over as a stripper." Wilson said sarcastically. "keep it moving."
"Hocus, ETA?" the Arbiter asked.
"Imminent, Arbiter." the pilot answered. "Find some cover: I'm gonna clear a path."
the Arbiter nodded, and then looked up in apprehension. "Better make it quick. I've got two Phantoms incoming."
"Don't worry. Your buddies, Narsk and Mahkee, they've got a pair of surprises for them." Hocus answered. "watch yourselves. Kilo 23 out."
the Chief got out of cover, as he spotted the Phantoms coming in as well.
And one stopped to hover right in front of him. With the front looking at him.
Great.
John and the others jumped back inside the shed, with the two other Elites, too far away, went back into cover at one of the generator rooms of the dam. The other Phantom hovered over it, pinning them down and deploying more Brutes.
Barely five seconds of fighting passed, however, before three ships appeared, swooping in on the Phantoms. One was a Pelican, likely Hocus.
The other were two green Phantom Gunboats. The Gunboats each fired on the purple Phantoms, destroying them after only a few shots of firing. The one hovering over the dam swerved a bit, before exploding. The majority of the debris fell into the dam, blocking the way back. The other Phantom turned to engage the newcomers, but was overwhelmed and put down. It crashed on the brutes buried under the catwalk. Hocus cleared the rest of the infantry, before swooping in, hovering near the Elites.
The chief, and the others, made their way to her, and boarded. As he came aboard, he caught a conversation between the three ships.
"-uncovered, at the edge of the ruined city." an odd sounding Elite said. It was likely a female.
"It's over a hundred kilometers across. It sure ain't the object we're seeking, though." The one John remembered was called Narsk said.
"I copy. We'll avoid going near it. Make it back to the True Commitment, and inform the Shipmaster we've recovered him." Hocus said. "I'm going. Signing off."
she then turned, as she noticed the new passengers. "Good to see you, Chief. I'll take you to Crow's Nest."
John nodded, and he went back to the Crew bay, as they left the Dam: Wilson, Johnson, Reynolds, Banks, the three Elites and him. John sat down, and he looked out the hatch, letting his thoughts stray.
He wondered how Blue Team was doing. They were supposed to be back here, after all. Last time he'd checked, they were tracking a cruiser that had breached the perimeter. He wondered what they were assigned to now.
After fifteen minutes, they arrived at Crow's Nest. They had been given the priority landing pad, upon the base's discovery that they carried the Master Chief. As John exited the craft, things looked dire.
Every spare meter not occupied by the landing Pelican was filled with wounded soldiers, all either heavily bandaged, red with blood, on a stretcher, or all three. About eighteen of them, eight more than the usual recommended load, were immediately put on the pelican, and it lifted off shortly thereafter, after a bunch of cargo crates were attached to the underside.
To John's surprise, there were more than just humans around, though Humans were the majority of the wounded. Grunts fiddled around with Methane tanks, filling up their supply. Hunters were on the edge of the Platform, guarding the perimeter. Elites were all busy tending to cargo that needed to be moved out. Clearly, they were busy evacuating.
Most started talking more, though, after they noticed the new arrival.
"Hey. Check it out."
"No way! A Spartan?"
"For real? You'd better not be-"
"No, man! One's here! We're gonna be alright!"
John focused on the walkway in front of him, however, as the person in charge of the base stepped forward.
Commander Miranda Keyes, former commander of In Amber Clad, and daughter of Captain Jacob Keyes.
"Where'd you find him?" she asked Johnson, as they met halfway.
"Napping, out back." Johnson joked. "Had to give him a good kick to wake up, though."
Keyes chuckled. "I'll bet." she held her hand out, and John shook it. "Good to see you, Chief."
"Likewise, Ma'am." he responded.
"Let's get you up to speed." she started, as he followed her down a large hallway that likely led to a motorpool down below.
"The Arbiter gave a speech, shortly after we met him in Halo's control room. He, along with a Monitor, showed the Covenant at large the truth about Halo, along with how most of the Forerunners viewed Humanity. The split in the ranks became definitive at that point: The Separatists, consisting of the Elites, Grunts, Hunters and Engineers, have cast aside the lies of the Prophets, and sided with us. The Loyalists, consisting of the Prophets, Brutes, Jackals and Drones, are loyal to Truth to the end."
She paused, as a pair of Elites, talking with an ONI officer (to John's surprise, in the Elite language) walk past, carrying a weapon's crate. On the nametag of one of the officers, John could see her name: ONI interpreter O. Vale.
"The Fleet managed to hold off the ships Regret had sent in for a time. But then, Truth brought in a fleet of ships to oppose us. And even after the ships of the Elites had rallied to our cause after the Arbiter's speech and Cortana's propaganda, they still breached our perimeter above Africa." she paused again for a moment, to let a pair of Corpsmen, and a Grunt medic, to John's surprise, rush past, a stretcher carrying a Grunt in agony.
"That, however, was the only place they commited forces at: East Africa, the ruins of New Mombasa. There, they started digging, using their Glassing beams to uncover something. Hood, along with the Elite shipmasters, are busy keeping the Covenant Fleet contained in that small area. The Admiral will explain the plan once we establish contact."
"What about Halo?" John asked.
"We've stopped it." she answered. "But only temporarily. Now, the Prophet of Truth's looking for something called the Ark, where he'll be able to fire all Halo Rings, anywhere in the Galaxy."
John paused, knowing the implications. "If he succeeds, all sentient beings in the galaxy will be wiped out."
Keyes nodded, as they walked past an armory, filled with weapons of both UNSC and Covenant design. He stopped, however, when he heard a humming. One that immediately made him grab the nearest weapon, a Shotgun, and point it at the thing.
The humming of 343 Guilty Spark. the Monitor.
"Reclaimer!" it said, as it rounded the corner, and approached them. "I'm glad to see you're still functional." it paused, as it spotted the weapon. "You can lower that, Reclaimer."
John held his weapon raised, not trusting the Monitor for a second. "On Halo, you tried to kill me, as well as my allies. Why should I trust you?"
"Protocol dictated my response." The Monitor defended himself. "Your now-absent Construct had the Activation index, and you were going to destroy my installation." Spark paused. "You did destroy my installation. But now, I have only one function: to Help you, Reclaimer. As I always should have done."
John stood frozen for a moment. After the betrayal on the first Halo, he didn't trust the robot for a second. If Six were here, he knew she'd shoot it regardless. But the Monitor was still intact, and everyone else in the base seems to have accepted the droid. Reluctantly, he put the shotgun on his back.
"Thank you." Spark said. "Now, I'll tell this part of the situation." The Monitor said. "No one knows where the Ark is, not even me. Part of a Compartmentalization protocol. But on this very planet, in the region the Covenant are excavating, there is a Portal that will lead straight to it. The Meddler seeks to activate it, to gain passage there, using the only known Lightway engine."
"Lightway engine?" John asked, skeptical.
"A Forerunner Portal generator that, using power from a planetary core's heat and the local atmosphere, can generate a portal anywhere, even another galaxy. However, it was never properly finished, and can only open one to it's edges, or just slightly beyond the Outer Rim."
"But most of the information's irrelevant at the moment." the Arbiter interjected, as they arrived at the Ops center. "At least until the Prophet is stopped."
Before anyone could respond, a com officer called for their attention.
"Ma'am, Sirs: I have Lord Hood, as well as the Supreme Commander."
"Patch them through." Keyes immediately ordered. Sure enough, after a moment, two faces appeared. One was of the trusted elderly man that was in charge of the human defense: Lord Hood. The other, an Elite, wore the armor of a Field-Marshal, only with more intricately detailed plates, and more bright lights running along the seams than Fol had. Also, the plates were black in color.
"Good news, Commander?" the Supreme Commander asked. Keyes smirked. "Good as it gets, Supreme Commander."
"So I see." Hood said knowingly. He then turned to him. "What's your status, son?"
"Green, Sir." John answered.
"Glad to hear it. Commander Keyes and Supreme Commander Naitol'ee here came up with a good plan. But without you, I wasn't sure we could pull it off."
"Why not, Sir?" John asked, curious. Surely, Blue Team could have done this without him.
"Because you're the only Spartan currently present in the star system." Hood answered. "We received a distress call from Dr. Halsey, and she requested Blue Team's presence." the Admiral paused. "We've had no contact since their departure."
So Blue Team was out of contact, likely behind enemy lines. Nothing they hadn't done before. John wasn't worried. Sure, Halsey, and by extension Kelly as well, needed help. but Fred, Sam and the others had been sent, making that at least five Spartans present. They would be fine.
"But anyway." Hood continued. "Commander?"
Keyes obliged, and grabbed a datapad, bringing up the image of two Covenant AA-gun variants, a Mantis and a Tyrant.
"Truth's ships are clustered above the excavation site. And his infantry has deployed Anti-Air Batteries around the perimeter. But, if we neutralize one or two of the batteries, punch a hole in Truth's defenses..."
"We'll initiate a low-level bombardment of Truth's vessel." Naitol'ee finished. "Hit the bastard in the weak gums of his, and send him running to whatever hiding hole he's found."
"We only have a handful of ships available," Hood said. "due to the fact the majority's busy keeping the rest of the Covenant Fleet at bay. It's a big risk. But I'm confident y-"
at that moment, all power cut out, and the room was swept into total darkness. Even the emergency lights didn't kick in.
"Aww, not again." Wilson said.
"Emergency Generators, now!" Keyes ordered.
"Shielding failed. Down and charging." a Grunt reported.
"As soon as they're up, reestablish contact with the Admiral. Let him and-"
They were, however, interrupted, as all displays went back online. But only the displays: No lights, and no consoles. And the being displayed on the displays was the one they were out to kill right now.
"You are, all of you, vermin!" the Prophet of Truth boasted. "Cowering in the dirt, thinking what, I wonder? That you might escape the coming fire?" he leaned forward, taking on a threatening look. "No! Your worlds will burn until their surfaces are but Glass. And not even your precious Demon will live to creep, blackened from its hole to mar the reflection of our passage."
John paused for a moment to think. If he was mentioned in particular, and the reference to the dirt...
They were about to come under attack. Great.
"The culmination of our Great Journey." The Prophet continued. For your destruction is the will of the Gods! And I? I am their Instrument!"
then, the images were replaced by the logos of the UNSC, the usual screensaver, and the lights came back on, along with the humming of machinery.
"Cocky Bastard." Johnson said. "Just loves to run his mouth."
"Does he usually mention me?" John asked. Keyes immediately got the hint, and turned to the Ops center officers. "Give the order. We're closing shop."
"Ma'am?" Wilson asked, confused.
"We're about to get hit." she explained. The officers and technicians got the hint, and they immediately scrambled to arrange the evacuation. Keyes walked away from the main displays.
"The wounded. We need to get all of them out."
"If I have to carry them myself." Johnson reassured her, as he went back to the landing pad they'd vacated only minutes earlier. Wilson, Banks and Reynolds grabbed some weapons, and took up cover positions near the exits to the room.
"Ma'am, Squad Leaders are requesting a rally point." one com officer called out. "Where should they go?"
Keyes pulled out her pistol, and pulled back the slide. "To war." she answered. She turned back to John and the Elites.
"The Covenant are likely to enter through the Hangar. Unfortunately, that's also our main hole we let the wounded drip out off. I need it clear ASAP."
He saluted. "I'll get it done, Ma'am." and with that, he went down the stairs, following the arrow that pointed to the Hangar. Across the way, he came across an open cavern, where he saw Stacker and Dubbo help other Marines and Grunts set up defenses to stall the Brutes, like setting up mines and barricades.
He walked up to a weapon rack, and grabbed more ammo for the Shotgun he'd picked up, as well as a Carbine. The three Elites, who had decided to follow him, all grabbed fresh Plasma Rifles and a Battle Rifle, DMR and Assault Rifle each.
Dubbo, having spotted the Chief, walked up to him. "We're with you, Chief. Point us the right way, and we'll cover you."
John pointed to the only other exit out of the caves. "Follow us to the Hangar. We're covering the wounded as they're evacuating."
Dubbo and the others followed, as John, and the Elites, all went to the Hangar. Eventually, they came back to the long hallway.
Brutes had apparently already breached the base perimeter somewhere, as they were in a firefight with a group of Elites and Grunts, with two of the Elites manning Shade turrets. John fired at a Brute Captain wielding a Brute shot, which was the only one presenting a real threat to the Shade turrets. It, however, wasn't interested in the turret any longer.
It was interested in killing him.
John ducked back behind the cover of a truck turned over earlier in the fight, and felt it shake. But then, he heard a loud rumble, and he looked out his cover again.
Hunters had rounded the corner of the hallway beyond the Brutes, and, with the Elites and Shade Turrets, had them in a crossfire.
John got out of cover, and fired at the Brute Captain with his Carbine, dislodging the Helmet. The shade gunners, recognizing the threat, finished it off, cutting it down with a barrage. The Brutes, five of them now remaining, were cut down by the Hunters, Marines and other Elites. Afterwards, the Elites and Grunts nodded in gratitude, and they held the line. John and the others continued on, onto the Hangar.
It was clear, for now. About four Pelicans were up on racks, waiting to take on passengers. Two Spirits and two Phantoms, all green, were hovering on the Hangar floor right now, taking on wounded humans, Grunts and Elites, along with the necessary medics, as they looked.
He Looked around for the nearest officer, which turned out to be, to his surprise, Lieutenant Mattock.
Upon seeing him and the Arbiter approach, she smiled. "Need my help?" she asked jokingly.
"Actually" he responded in kind. "I'm here to help you keep your backyard secure."
Mattock chuckled. "Glad for the help, although we don't need it just yet."
A pair of Purple Phantoms approached, just as the Spirits and Phantoms carrying the wounded left the Hangar.
"Speak of the devil, Lieutenant." One of the Elites, N'tho, if John remembered correctly from stray comments, said. "And he will appear. Next time, don't spoil the moment."
Mattock hit her own forehead. "Shut me up next time I say something like this, just hit me to shut me up."
"Will do." the second, Usze said, as he raised his DMR, and fired at the first Brute that emerged. N'tho raised his own Battle Rifle, and joined in firing. The Arbiter jumped up, hanging on to a steel tube. He climbed on top of it, and balanced on it towards the formation of Brutes, firing on them from above while hidden behind said tube himself.
John decided to go for his usual approach: He fired with his Carbine from the top of the stairs, and downed a pair of Skirmishers that emerged. Three more jumped out and ran for cover, but they were ambushed by a Hunter Pair who came out of a side entrance, and they crushed the Skirmishers with their shields.
John was glad the Hunters were now on his side.
He turned his attention to the main Hangar Floor, as a Brute Chieftain emerged, wielding a big hammer. It had spotted the small entrance the wounded and doctors had come through, and was making its way towards it. John fired at it with his Carbine, trying to draw its attention. The Brute, however, wasn't going to be deterred, and was almost at the door.
The Arbiter, however, disagreed. He jumped down from the tube, and landed on top of the Brute, Energy Swords stabbing into the Shoulders. The Brute, surprised by the extra weight it received, toppled. John made his over in one good jump, and pulled out his Shotgun, firing at the Brute's head. It was blasted apart.
"Wipe those bastards off the deck!" A marine goaded his allies on, as he fired a turret at an increasing number of Brutes. Soon, a pile had started to rise directly underneath the Phantom landing zones.
John had an idea, and he grabbed the grenade belt of a Brute Shot. He stuck it with an active Plasma Grenade, and threw it inside the Grav-lift of one of the Phantoms just as it left. The explosives went off, and the Phantom, heavily damaged by the internal explosion, started to whine in a high tone, before exploding. Just as it passed a Phantom filled with Brutes. The other Phantom listed, hitting the Hangar wall. It skidded off, and crashed to the floor, stopping right in front off the Master Chief.
N'tho and Usze fired at some glowing points on the underside of the Phantom, and threw Incendiaries at the hatch just as a Brute tried to pry it open. The Brute howled, as it caught fire, and crashed into its brethren. After only ten seconds, every seam of the interior glowed, as an inferno consumed all the Brutes, who had been caught by surprise while they all still lay on the floor. John turned back to the main battle.
It was almost over. That Phantom had seemed like the last one for now, and Mattock was leading Dubbo and the Hunters in sweeping for stragglers. Soon, Mattock appeared again, followed by two ODST's holding a beaten Jackal of the Ibie'shan variant. They held it with its side to the hangar opening. Mattock mockingly made a few kicks.
"Kind regards from Elysium City." Mattock said angrily, as she kicked a final time, for real, against the neck of the Jackal. It snapped.
Usze approached, and gave a good kick to the head again. The power of the kick was great enough that the head shot away from the body, the neck too weak to hold the body and head together.
"Clear." he said rhetorically. Mattock chuckled.
"Good thing Ollie isn't here. She'd have just shot it and put it in the trash."
"Amen. Speaking of her..."
John ignored the rest of the conversation, as he returned his attention to the wounded. "Continue." he called out. Soon, the wounded resumed coming out, and they filled the Pelicans to capacity, including hanging medical supplies from the underside. After a minute, the wounded stopped coming, and the Pelicans closed their hatches, and the ships took off, heading for a Halcyon Cruiser in low orbit.
"Ma'am, Hangar's clear. Wounded are gone." he reported.
"Johnson here. Get back to the Ops center, Double time! The Drones and Brutes are pressing hard."
"We're on our way." the Arbiter said, as he headed back the way they came. Mattock and Dubbo followed, as well as the Elites. John jogged to catch up.
He caught up, as they entered the hallway to that motorpool again. For now, it seemed the Brutes hadn't made a second attempt at breaching this hallway, dissuaded from engaging the now-hostile Hunters.
They were almost at the Cavern connected to the Ops center, when they saw what Johnson had meant.
The only door that connected the Ops center to the cavern was sealed, blocked by what seemed to be a broken sewage tunnel pipe. But there were Drones there, trying to move it, both by pushing and by attempting to lift it away.
There were dozens of Drones in that room. Blast, there were hundreds! Crawling the floor and ceiling, climbing and hanging from the walls, flying across the room. Literally, they filled nearly every space inside available. They were all aiming Plasma Pistols at the door to the Ops center. If they breached, the swarm didn't even need to aim: All they had to do was swarm the room and shoot anywhere. No one would survive.
Stacker, along with Banks, two and three Elites, were there to greet the Chief just before he reentered the cavern.
"Chief, Lieutenant." Banks greeted them. "The Drones overwhelmed us, coming out of that pipe and the vents. We are the only survivors."
"Take this." An Elite said, dropping a Flame Thrower at the Chief's feet. Dubbo grinned.
"Pest extermination, here we come."
The others all raised their rifles, and they entered the room.
The Drones, as one, all turned to the group in surprise, not firing for a moment as their astonishment overcame their hive-like drive to kill. John used that moment to his advantage, and unleashed the flames on the bugs. Fortunately for them, the Bugs were so numerous he didn't have to aim with the large, unwieldy thing: the Bugs were everywhere, and every time he held down the trigger until the barrel overheated, a dozen bugs caught fire and dropped. The bugs opened fire, but it was of no consequence. They either missed, or hit their own due to the fact the cavern was so full.
Soon, however, the Drones started to get smart, and half of them retreated to give the others more room to fire. The five Elites all dropped deployable Energy Shields, to give the others a moment of reprieve.
"Anyone have a better idea?" Dubbo called.
"Stick your head out and draw attention." Mattock said, in her best imitation of Johnson's voice. "We sit back and watch as you are torn to bits."
"I even brought popcorn." Banks joked.
John shook his head, and let the Flamethrower lean on the Shield, as he aimed it at the concentration of bugs near the door. They were mostly out of range, and the napalm only hit rock. But one flew too close, and the wings caught fire. It buzzed around the cavern in panic, hitting its brethren as it flew. And not just near the door, but also near other areas. Soon, John only counted about twenty five, give or take a pair, instead of the hundreds that filled the room earlier. Of course, half were still in wait, hoping the others would draw away attention and ammunition.
Then, having an idea, he looked up, towards the pipe the section from earlier had broken away from. The stuff in there didn't so much look like sewage as like...
Oil! It wasn't a sewage pipe, but likely an old oil pipe from the twenty-fourth century Jungle Wars that eliminated the various bandit groups in the African Jungles. The part he and all Spartan-II's had gotten from Allison smiled. The pipe holes were out of range of the Flame Thrower, unfortunately. Still, there were other means of igniting it.
He turned towards one of the Elites he had met in that jungle. Usze, he remembered he was called. "Still have one of those Incendiaries?" he asked.
Usze tossed him one without turning his head, firing away at the Drones with his DMR. John nodded in thanks, and reeled his arm back for the throw. Then, he raised himself out of his cover, and took a dozen Plasma Pistol shots before he managed to throw it at the left Pipe entrance. He ducked down just as the last shot downed his shields.
Still, since his cover consisted of a see-through shields, he could see the satisfactory result. The Pipes were aflame, and the bugs inside were cooked or burned by the heat. Some tried to get out, only to be shot by Dubbo and the others as they emerged, the buggers already outside distracted by the spectacle. The Arbiter, understanding the Chief's plan, threw his own incendiary at the other pipe hole, and the other half of the swarm in hiding was burning as well within five seconds. The Bugs still out there, realizing they were now under threat and outgunned, tried to flee. But they made the mistake of huddling up, and John fired at them with his Flamethrower. Only five were too far away to not be hit by the flames. The Elites finished them off, their marksmanship showing by the fact they all made headshots.
They all got out of cover, and Banks gave a kick at a dead bug in his way. It flew to a small puddle of water, and splashed in. The others all went across the room to secure it and load up on ammo.
John moved to the pipe section blocking the door, and pushed it away.
"Johnson, it's clear."
"I copy. Opening the door now."
Indeed, after a moment, the door opened, and a few Marines, including Reynolds, moved out to secure the cavern. John and the Arbiter took it as their own opportunity to go back inside. They made their way up the stairs, and got into the Ops Center.
Where Johnson, Wilson and a pair of technical officers were handling a large device, with Commander Keyes visible on the main view screen.
"-on a timer, it might go off by itself." Wilson said. "Look, just be- Johnson, put out that cigar. It might go off."
Johnson huffed in indignity, but spat out the cigar and stomped it out. Upon seeing the Spartan and the Arbiter, Keyes drew their attention.
"Chief, Arbiter, have a look. A little going-away gift for the Brutes."
"A Thermobaric bomb." Wilson explained. "Linked with smaller charges throughout the base, it will definitely give the Brutes a seared skin."
"Johnson, as soon as the evacuation is complete, start the timer."
"Yes, Ma'am."
"Good luck, everyone. See you on the last pelican out." she disappeared from the screen. Johnson opened a door, as he let Wilson and the Techies handle the bomb.
"The Brutes have taken the barracks." he explained, as he opened a side door. "Some Marines and Elites are trapped inside. Those apes ain't much for mercy, Chief. We both know what they do to prisoners."
The Arbiter nodded. "We'll get them out. Just have an evac craft ready."
"Keyes will handle that." Johnson reassured him. "Don't worry: We'll be ready for the barbecue."
the door opened, and John went through first. The Arbiter, along with the two Elites from the Jungle again, followed through. After they were through, the door closed, and he heard heavy locks engage.
John led the way, as he had spotted an arrow pointing ahead, with the word Barracks written underneath it. "This way." he said. They followed the arrow for two minutes, apparently without much resistance. They did hear, over the intercom, that the Brutes had retaken the Hangar, along with the armory and the main hallway, apparently the one close to the motorpool.
Later, though, just as they arrived at the main entrance, they saw the entrance had collapsed, and that the vent hatch had collapsed into the tunnel as well.
"Dead end." the blue one with a visible face, N'tho, said. "Now what?"
A howl came from further down the hallway, and they all turned. A Fuel-Rod gun-carrying Brute War Chieftain, accompanied by a Brute Pack, came across the farthest corner, and had spotted them.
"Two options." John answered. "We fight them, and try to find another route. Or we jump down the shaft, maybe fight a few bugs, and exit near the auxiliary fire escape near the landing pad. I vote for going through the vents." A howl came, as the Brutes started berserking.
"I say we jump down and avoid having our rear ends shot for a change." N'tho said, firing his Battle Rifle.
"I second that." the other Elite, Usze said, as he threw a Plasma Grenade, forcing the Brutes to break of their berserk.
"Carried, unanimously." the Arbiter said, as he jumped in. The other Elites followed, and John covered his new allies, firing at the Brutes to slow them a bit. He jumped in himself, after the War Chieftain fired the Fuel-Rod gun at him, and he had no other option to avoid being hit.
He landed in a blue-lighted Ventilation tunnel. The Elites, wary, had their weapons aimed at the various vents that opened into this one.
Just as he was about to make a step in their direction, when the pain started to increase again.
Hang in there, he thought, as Cortana's image appeared again, once again collapsed on the floor, trying to get up, only to collapse in pain. "You have been called upon to serve." she muttered, her voice starting to let the pain seep through. Then, before it cleared, he got a look at her face.
It was filled with pain, fear and desperation.
Before he could react, his vision cleared again, and the pain subsided. He looked up again, and saw that the Elites had barely moved a meter. Looks like they were too wary to move as quickly as they usually did.
"Wait up." he said, as he jogged to catch up to the taller Aliens.
Then, just as he did, a Drone ambushed the Arbiter from the side with a glowing Plasma Grenade in its claw.
Before it could stick the surprised Arbiter, John kicked at the Drone, sending it and the grenade further ahead of them in she shaft. The Drone didn't crash, as it righted itself in mid-air. But it still had the grenade in its claw. And it only noticed a microsecond before the thing went off. Not enough time to throw it, enough time to be incinerated and scarred. It crashed, its entire right half missing, and the left one black with the burn.
The Arbiter looked at the Chief in surprise. "Thank you, Spartan. I would not be standing were it not for your reflexes."
"It's nothing. While I can't forgive you yet, you're on my side. And if you're on my side, you look out for each other. Consider it my duty." He said, though through gritted teeth. He still loathed the species, especially after what had happened on Harvest and during Operation: WARM BLANKET, which had cost the lives of quite a few Spartans. But, as he'd just said, they had switched sides. And they had helped him well so far.
But that didn't mean he trusted them. Far from it: He didn't even trust them not to turn on him at any moment. Sure, their supposed 'Honor' might prevent them from doing it so immediately. But he had no idea what they would do once Truth, and the Flood on the second Halo and High-Charity, were stopped. They might devote themselves to making up for their past crimes, as he overheard some Marines say... or they might turn against the Humans, for the hate some might feel because of the war. The only one he knew he was sure of what he would do was Fol Katarn, the Field-Marshal from the first Halo. And he would go back to his own aberration of a colony called Sang'Katarn. But, right now, he needed the Elites and the others, especially Elites as skilled as the Arbiter and the other two.
They came to the side shaft that lead to the fire exit. "Down here."
"Demons first." the red one, Usze, joked. Or he thought it was one. Not bothering with a response, he jumped down, and, as expected, came at a cavern, with an Elevator leading to the Landing pad he'd entered the base through in front and above him on a separate platform connected to the Barracks, and the door inside to his left. He made room so the others could land as well, and after a moment, the four of them stood in front of the door. The red and blue Elite took position at one side of the door, the Arbiter on the other near the controls. John stood in front, and grabbed something he'd grabbed earlier from the ground, in the Cavern: A Flashbang grenade.
"On my Mark, turn your head away for a second, and then storm in. If you don't look away, you'll be blinded, visor or not."
"So it works like a Plasma Flash?" the Arbiter asked upon eyeing the Grenade. John nodded, assuming it was the Covenant analogue of one.
The other Elites, the Red Spec-ops one and the Blue Officer in Minor armor, nodded.
John held up his hand, along with three fingers. Then he dropped one, then two. The Elites, catching on, looked away. As John dropped the last finger, he pulled open the door, tossed in the Flashbang to blind the Brutes, and looked away himself. Then, as he heard it go off, the sound fortunately muffled by his helmet, he stormed in.
There were four Brutes, three Majors and a Captain Ultra, holding a pair of human technicians, along with an Elite Zealot, heavily restrained by cuffs and chains.
And John was slightly surprised by the coincidence. It was the same golden Zealot from High-Charity, the one that had helped him free the human prisoners.
John returned the favor for it, by firing at the Captain, shooting off the helmet and firing into the right eye. It dropped dead before it could see again. The three Majors turned to the sound of gunfire, evidently still hearing something beyond the ringing. But they were killed, as the Arbiter stabbed one, while the other two were caught off-guard by Plasma Grenades stuck to them. The Humans and Elite, seeing the grenades, jumped out of range as the Grenades blew.
John helped the Elite, grabbing the Energy Sword the Captain had confiscated and cutting loose the Chains and Cuffs.
"We need to stop meeting like this." he said deadpanned.
"Evidently." the Zealot said. "I know of only eight more prisoners still alive: two Elite Ultras, an Elite Minor, four Human Marines and a Coffin soldier. If we hurry, we might save them."
John nodded, as he picked up the Captain's Brute shot, and handed it to the Elite. The Technicians grabbed the Spikers, their looks showing they hadn't a clue how they should use it, yet their shaking stances saying they were too afraid to move while unarmed.
"Lead the way, Brother." The Arbiter said.
"Is it too much to hope for an empty Barracks now, and that they are gone now?" the blue Elite asked.
The Arbiter shook his head. "Were it so easy."
Twenty minutes and thirteen packs of dead Brutes later, the company emerged. It turned out there were more prisoners, as the Brutes sent everyone they captured to the Barracks. And they had captured a lot of prisoners, either for entertainment or for food. Thel was happy that they had arrived when they did. In total, they had about ten Elites of various ranks and divisions, including a pair of Rangers, thirteen Humans of similar diversity, two wounded Grunts and a single Hunter, its Bond Brother killed. And that excluded the original party of three Elites and a Spartan.
They all herded onto the lift to the Landing pad, the Spartan being the last one to board. As soon as the door closed, the female pilot called Hocus called in. "I'm already there, Arbiter, as well as Mahkee. Wait: I've got movement. Above and below." the Pilot paused, and Thel heard the familiar sound of a Grav-lift flying by.
"Brutes!" Mahkee called. "Those animals have got Jump-packs!"
"They're going after the Thrusters." Keyes said over the com. "Shake them off, Pilots!"
Just as they arrived, the Phantom and Pelican lifted off, out of range of the Brutes. Thel got out his Carbine, scavenged from a weapons crate in the Barracks, and fired at the Closest Brute. On the Landing pad, as he could see, there were about thirteen Brutes, and most jumped away and out of reach.
The Spartan fired away at another, as he saw it trying to flank them. The Arbiter helped out by throwing a Brute Spike Grenade at the area where it would land, and was satisfied to see it being ripped apart by the spike shrapnel.
The others tried to stay on the walkways, knowing they would be outmaneuvered if they stepped onto the pad itself. But the Hunter, still enraged by losing its Bond-brother, ran onto the platform. It crushed two Brutes by hitting them with his shield, and killed three more by firing at a crate close to three Brutes, the crate carrying explosives apparently. The Brutes appeared in a white flash as it blew.
But the Hunter was killed, as a hammer-carrying Chieftain jumped onto the platform, and hit the exposed eels at the Hunter's back. It collapsed onto the ground as its spine was severed.
The grunts, distraught at the loss of their comrade, grabbed a pair of Plasma Grenades, and suicide-charged at the Chieftain. It swatted them aside like flies, the grenades exploding harmlessly near the Platform edge.
The Arbiter put away his Carbine, and grabbed his Energy Sword. He turned to the Spartan. "Keep the Jumpers occupied." he said. Then, without waiting for a reply, he charged the Chieftain. The Brute, eager for a challenge, charged as well. Thel, expecting this, jumped to the side, near the edge of the Platform. The Brute adjusted his course, in an attempt to ram Vadam off the edge.
Just as he hoped. Thel, moments before the Brute hit, slipped to the side, and grazed the Brute's legs with his Energy Sword. The Brute, surprised, and wounded, stumbled. And its legs slid over the edge. It managed to grab hold of a grate. The Arbiter stood on it, and looked down on the thing. The Brute looked up in anger.
Thel severed the Brute's hands with his Energy Sword. It screamed in pain as it fell, into the water below.
Thel returned his attention to the main battle. The Ranger Elites, seeing their side needed an advantage to the maneuverability of the Ranger Brutes, had activated their own Jetpacks, and had taken flight, firing down on the Brutes below with their Focus Rifle and Concussion Rifle. Thel got back to the walkways before the Brutes could surround him while he was in the open.
But he needn't worry. The Spartan, true to his reputation, had managed to kill over seven of the Brutes, and the Rangers, aided by the others, had managed to pin down and kill the others near the door to the pad control center.
The Pelican and Phantom returned. The majority of the soldiers, including Usze and N'tho, got onto the ships, with only a handful waiting.
A Blast came from below, followed by gunfire. As Thel moved over to look, he saw Johnson on the vehicle road below, along with Wilson, Mattock, Stacker, Dubbo and Banks, moving to the stairs that led up to the pad. They were followed on their heels by a swarm of Drones.
"I'll cover you." Johnson said, as the Marines all ran up, and got onto the ships as well. Thel aided Johnson in dealing with the Drones, and the Spartan moved onto the Stairs to flank the Drones as well. After a moment, realizing the bad position they were in, they returned to the vents they came from.
"Brutes... in the ops center... they've disarmed the bomb." Johnson said, obviously recovering from a long battle and run. "Sorry commander, they were too many. Even for me and Mr. New-Zealand."
"Shut up." Wilson said. "Or I'll kick you off at the first opportunity."
"Children." Keyes muttered. Then, she returned her attention to the others. "Chief, Arbiter: Get back to the Ops Center. Kill those Brutes. Rearm the bomb. Me and Mahkee have got to get these people out of here. But I'll radio with another exit."
"Good luck." Mattock said. "And try not to be in the base when that bomb goes off."
the Spartan, to his surprise, and likely everyone else's chuckled. "I'm not planning to."
The Pelican and Phantom lifted off, as just he and the Spartan remained. The Spartan took the lead, as he led them through the base. It was now, to their surprise, filled with Jackals of the Ruuhtian and Ibie'shan variants, who were scavenging around, grabbing everything of value. The things seemed disorganized, so there wasn't much resistance at first. They even made it to a section they'd passed when headed to the Barracks, and they followed it back.
But the resistance, as said, was light only at first.
They came to the hall that led to the Ops Center. And the Jackals here were reinforced by Brutes, and they were far more committed to the defense of the area. As such, Thel was immediately forced to take cover to prevent himself from becoming a Hedgehog, a spiked creature he'd learned was native this planet.
He hid behind a turned-over Truck, as it provided ample cover while he could still see the Brutes around the corner. There were about ten Brutes and four Jackals, all of the latter armed with Carbines and Beam Rifles. Thel knew he had to make his glanced quickly, or risk being shot in the head. Jackals, despite their bloodthirsty and greedy nature, were excellent Snipers.
The Spartan had taken cover behind a large stack of crates on the other side of their corridor, holding, and clumsily reloading, an Assault Rifle with one hand, while firing beyond his cover with a sidearm with the other. Thel was satisfied that at least one Jackal died from the Spartan's shots. But then, the sidearm was shot out of the Spartan's hand by a T'vaoan Jackal they'd previously missed, one carrying a Focus Rifle. Thel got out of his cover a bit to get a proper aim. But, as he'd surmised earlier, he was forced back into cover almost immediately, as the Brutes opened fire on him with their Spikers.
As Thel let his shields recharge, he turned to the Spartan. "How do you plan to get past all this, Demon?" he asked.
The Spartan threw a pair of Frag grenades, and fired with his Assault Rifle at a Brute trying to flank him. "I'm open to ideas." the Spartan retorted. "Just keep fighting."
Thel shook his head, and moved to the slid between the Truck itself and the trailer that had tipped over as well. He slid his Carbine in between, and opened fire on the unsuspecting Skirmisher, who was distracted b the Spartan. Thel managed to shoot it in the head in one go, and shoot another of the Ibie'shan Jackals, before he was forced to duck into cover again. Then, the Spartan threw a pair of Plasma Grenades over his own stack of crates, and managed to stick a Brute.
"Johnson." the Spartan called to the Dark-skinned human sergeant currently on the evac pelican. "Got our escape route?"
"Yep. A Service Elevator in the hangar. It leads to the garage below, which exits into the savannah. Reynolds even has a Warthog ready. Why?"
The Spartan looked down, obviously formulating a plan. He then turned his head to Thel, and shut off his com. "On my mark, run like hell for that door, and lock it. We might be able to skip those bastards, and just head straight for the Ops center."
Thel nodded. They needed to make up for lost time, and this encounter was dragging on far longer than they could afford. He nodded in agreement, and let his Shields recharge. Then, as the Spartan nodded as well, the Arbiter sprinted out of his cover, and made for the door to the Ops Center. He made it first, and stood behind the door, ready to push it closed once the Spartan ran through. As soon as he did, he pushed it, and as it closed, locked it and shot the lock controls. The Spartan aided as well, by grabbing a weapons closet, and putting it in front of the door with ease.
"That should buy us some time." the Spartan said, as he grabbed a Shotgun from the closet in compensation for the lost sidearm. "Lets go."
Thel nodded, and he followed the Spartan into the Ops Center.
They immediately ducked into cover, as the room was filled Brutes. They had damaged most of the consoles, and he could see that it was of no use as an Ops Center anymore. The only things still visibly intact were the main view screen and the bomb itself.
To Thel's surprise, quite a few of the Brutes, eleven in total, had their armor stripped, apparently too heavily damaged to be worn efficiently.
Then Thel got a look at the leader, a War Chieftain. One carrying a Fuel-Rod gun.
The same one that had attacked them on the way to the barracks. Apparently, it had taken on another objective.
On the Viewscreen, the Prophet of Truth appeared, and the Brute bowed in reverence.
"We have taken their command center." the War Chieftain reported.
"Have you discovered how they plan to stop me?" the Prophet asked. Thel looked over, to his companion who had taken cover as well. But he held his head down, seemingly in pain. Thel had observed it in similar states as soon as he'd been recovered from the Jungle, and the Spartan had initially dismissed it as residue damage to his helmet. But this long after the crash? That couldn't be it entirely. He made a note to ask the demon about it later.
"Not just yet, holy one." the Chieftain responded to Truth, obviously fearful of the Prophet's reaction. It obviously hadn't yet completed the task it was assigned, and he was fearful of Truth's infamous wrath.
"Find me what I need to know, or your place on the Path is forfeit. Tell me you understand!" Truth threatened angrily. The Brute quickly nodded. "Yes, Noble Prophet. It shall be done."
Truth nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Good. Contact me once you have their plans." and with that order, Truth disappeared from the screen. The Brute turned to the subordinates. "Have the Drones scour these machines. Found out what these Heathens know about the Ark!"
Thel raised his Carbine, prepared to engage them should he be spotted. From the corner of his eye, he could see, to his relief, that the Spartan had gotten out of his reverie, and had his weapons prepared as well, raising his Shotgun in the process.
The Spartan, however, didn't wait around to be spotted, and hit the back of a Brute's neck with the stock of his weapon. Thel raised himself as well, and shot two more unarmored Brutes before they were aware of him. The remaining eight Brutes all turned around to face the new foe. The War Chieftain roared, and tried to grab his Fuel-Rod gun. But Thel was ahead of him, and shot at the spare ammo clips on the Brute's armor. The shot hit, and the War Chieftain was engulfed in a green explosion. When the vapor cleared, the Brute was still standing, but the armor was gone and gun was half melted, the barrel bent away at a 90ยบ angle. The Brute, however, didn't care. He dropped the heavy weight, and charged. Thel backpedalled, and fired at it, trying to hit the head. He fired all the way until his Carbine clicked, indicating it was empty. He then dropped it, and got out one of his Plasma Rifles, still backpedaling. Then, he managed a lucky pair of shots, and the Chieftain fell over. Thel put the rifle away, and picked up his Carbine from the ground, reloading it.
Only four Brutes remained, three of which had their armor removed, and the fourth in a grapple with the Spartan, both having draw combat knives in their hands. Apparently, the Spartan had taken a hit earlier, as the gash Thel had seen earlier on the armor had been deepened. Thel fired a headshot at the three Brutes without armor, and took them down. The fourth turned around as it heard the shots. But the Master Chief, taking advantage of the distracted Brute, kicked it off of him, and picked up a Plasma Pistol, charging it. The Brute raised his own red Plasma Rifle to fire on Thel as it got up, but the Spartan fired the charged bolt, stripping it of its armor. The Brute whirled around, back at the Spartan. But Thel fired his Carbine. The Brute, a new hole in its head, dropped down.
Thel stepped over to the bomb, and activated it again.
"Bomb's armed, Arbiter." Keyes said. "Good work. But I'm not getting a signal from the timer itself."
The Arbiter started searching for what would seem like a timer. The Spartan stepped forward, and pressed another button, next to the one Thel had used to reactivate the bomb. The display reactivated, and showed a timer.
It started at Three minutes, and started counting down.
Thel was stunned for a slight second at how short the countdown was, before he turned around and ran.
John dropped the Plasma Pistol and SMG he had picked up earlier, and sprinted down the stairs the moment he saw the amount of time he had. He only hoped Cortana wouldn't disturb his vision again, as it had earlier in the Ops center. He still recalled it, how she had dimmed slightly. And how she had repeated words he'd heard decades earlier. They were the earliest he could remember.
"You will be the protectors of Earth and all her Colonies."
The words, except for the earliest ones, seemed to be repetitions of things said earlier by others. The last few were the words Halsey told them when they'd been taken into the Spartan-II Program.
As if summoned by the mere thought, another Cortana moment came, making him slow down to avoid a stumble, both because of his blurred vision and because of the sudden stab of pain in his neck. Her image, as usual, was the same, only from a different view: laying on the ground, leaning on her arms before collapsing.
"There will be a great deal of hardship on the road ahead."
Blast! Why do they have to come now, when he didn't have an abundance of time? He shook his head to clear it faster, and continued running. The Arbiter had passed by him, and was ten meters ahead. John resumed his sprint, and caught up again. But then, just as he managed to finally reach the hangar, only a minute still left, he had another moment. Blast, the Gravemind must be having the time of his life if he manages to reach him this often in this short a time.
"You will become the best we can make you."
John got up again, and made his way over to the Elevator, ignoring all hostiles he saw. They had bypassed dozens of Brutes, Drones and Jackals on the way, apparently surprised by the speeding hostiles. But they had all raised their weapons too late to stop them or, in the case of the Drones, were flying away from the bomb as well. And now, in the Hangar as well, they ignored all targets, and just made their way to the elevator in an alcove to the right.
The Arbiter had already arrived, and beckoned him in. But John briefly looked back as he rounded the corner, and saw that flames had started to come out of the door he ran out of barely ten seconds earlier. Realizing he was out of time, he ran as fast as he could, and skidded underneath the door, which the Arbiter wisely had started closing. He slid underneath barely a second before it did.
Then, as he felt them start to descend, another of the moments came, indicating Cortana was being tortured again. He realized he had to reach her quickly if he was to save her at all.
"This place will become your home." she said. John looked up, as did the Arbiter. They both either swallowed, or cursed.
The Flames had burst through the door, and they were starting to reach down the shaft.
Headed for their elevator.
John jumped to the side of the cage, trying to reach a ventilation shaft. The Arbiter did likewise.
But in the end, they failed. They went past them too fast, and they fell back into the cage.
The heat above melted the mechanism holding the cables in place, and soon they snapped. The cage fell down at High speed.
The last thing John heard, as the darkness of the bottom of the shaft settled in, was a single sentence. From Cortana, even if he couldn't see her.
"This place will become your tomb."
There. The first part of Halo 3. Enjoy, review, and until next time.
Gharst Omenlumin
