Year: 2554.
Location: Unknown Forerunner vessel codenamed Rho Aias by the Office of Naval Intelligence.
"Sir, the frigate's engines have suddenly powered down. They're communicating with a signal onboard the Rho Aias", Corporal Rog announced. He flicked the warning light switch and the bridge started to flash red with pulsating light.
"No need to panic. I've seen this happen before", Lieutenant St Clare announced then stood up from his chair. "It's a verification procedure. The engines of this ship are Forerunner in origin and so they're being scanned For Flood infestation. It's nothing to worry about. I'm just glad we beat the Covenant here".
The Lieutenant deactivated the alarm with a flick of his wrist and the bridge returned to normal. The blast shields opened to reveal a colossal Forerunner vessel before them and rays of light flooded in.
"It's quite the sight sir, I've never seen a vessel this big before. Makes the Covies' Supercarrier look small", Rog remarked.
"That's quite the statement", St Clare said with admiration as he observed the beautiful and enticing space hulk before him. "Stats?"
"Over eighty kilometers long sir and an estimated displacement of twenty one million tons".
"Hmm, right then. Let's find a way inside".
"What do you mean by that?" A phantom voice appeared from nowhere and threw the crew into disarray.
"Sir! Unknown A.I has breached our systems, it's hacking its way through everything!" Rog announced then turned the screen to the Lieutenant.
"What? Impossible. This ship has the best firewalls that ONI can..." the Lieutenant stopped in his tracks then turned to see an image appear on the dashboard. A broken circle surrounding a hexagon within a hexagon appeared and pulsed gently purple. "...Forerunner?"
"What do you mean, sir?"
The Lieutenant activated the short range broadcasting system. "This is Spartan Three, Lieutenant St Clare, Commander of the UNSC Veto Power; addressing the unknown Forerunner A.I aboard the vessel codenamed Rho Aias, do you copy?"
A moment of silence followed and the crew turned to the Spartan Three. A veteran of Reach but only twenty years old. He was orphaned at five and had been recruited into the UNSC and the Spartan Three Program under Colonel Ackerson. His white MJOLNIR MK V Scout armor was outdated and rugged but augmented with newer technology so that he could keep up with the new Spartan Fours. It also had a rebreather piece for hostile environments fitted to the helmet. He preferred it for it's thicker armor plates and the fact he had grown accustomed to it after all his time as a Spartan.
"Rho... Aias..." The feminine phantom repeated. "What is a Rho Aias?"
The crew waited for the Lieutenant to give his reply in eerie silence. "If I answer questions for you, will you answer questions for me?"
"That seems... fair..."
"Thank you". The Lieutenant motioned to the helmsman to keep the ship at a cautious distance from the Forerunner vessel. "Rho Aias is a shield from human mythology. Now may I..."
"Humans?" The voice said with surprise. "How is humanity still spacefaring? The Didact made it clear that humanity was to never take up arms again".
"Didact?" Rog repeated then checked the scanner. "Sir, I've found the location of the broadcast".
"Unknown Forerunner A.I, can you identify yourself to us please?" The Lieutenant insisted.
"A.I?"
"Artificial Intelligence. That is what you are, yes?"
"Negative, human. I am Forerunner, flesh and blood as you. I am no ancilla".
St Clare cleared his throat and removed his helmet. "You are a living Forerunner?"
"Correct. Why does this surprise you, human?"
"Because the Forerunners are extinct, only their constructs remain. The Halos last fired 100,000 years ago". A moment of silence followed the Lieutenants words.
"What do you mean, human?"
"As far as I know, the Halos were fired to defeat the Flood. I assume you know more than I do, if you are Forerunner".
"The Didact's Prometheans were defeating the Flood. How did Faber gain the advantage?"
"I'm sorry, I do not know who this Didact nor Faber is?"
"I do sir", the ship's A.I, Nautilus Seven announced.
"You mean to say that 100,000 Erde Tyrene cycles have passed since the Halos were fired? Impossible, I had just returned from a war meeting at the Greater Ark. Why do you lie to me, human?"
"Set the ship back a bit, if this really is a Forerunner then we need to be cautious", the Lieutenant said to his crew. "In the past, the UNSC has encountered Forerunner A.I that have had certain technical difficulties when trying to comprehend what has happened since their inception. Perhaps you are experiencing similar..."
"I am no ancilla, human. If you do not believe me, then come see for yourself!" The phantom voice echoed throughout the bridge then a segment of the Rho Aias opened and dazzling light burst through the void.
"The Rho Aias is active sir. Your orders? Rog asked.
"The lady invited us in, so let's go. We've spent too long here, we need to investigate the ship before the Covenant follow us".
"Aye sir, plotting a course for the Rho Aias".
"Sir, the Forerunner has left our systems. I was only capable of holding her out for a human microsecond before she broke through my firewall", Nautilus Seven announced.
"I don't think she's a threat to us. No Forerunner A.I we've met so far have fired on sight, I think we're safe for now".
[#]
"Setting her down beside the opening. Preparing a pelican dropship for insertion", Nautilus Seven said and brought up some panels for the Lieutenant.
"Very good. Prepare a squad of marines. EVA only, we don't know what kind of atmosphere is in that ship". The Lieutenant replaced his helmet then turned away and left the bridge.
"Sir, it would be unwise for the commanding officer to go on such a dangerous mission", Nautilus Seven protested.
"If that really is a Forerunner, then I intend to be the first human in history to meet it face to face. Prepare a fragment for me, I'm going to combat sync with your A.I matrix, as I won't be able to understand the tech inside".
"If you insist sir. I have prepared a fragment for you". The Lieutenant took an A.I chip from the database with an uploaded copy of Nautilus Seven then inserted it into the back of his helmet.
[#]
The Lieutenant entered the hangar bay of the 500m Paris class frigate and approached the ONI pelican being retrofitted. A squad of five marines with EVA suits lined up and equipped themselves.
"Sir, your weapons are already onboard".
"Thank you", St Clare replied then walked up the ramp and entered the pelican. He took his weapons and inspected them then attached ammo clips to his belt. He carried an ONI Death Watch Designated Marksman Rifle for his main armament and a Whiplash Class Railgun as his second. He placed the railgun on his back then held his DMR on his lap as he sat near the cockpit doors. The marines loaded up the pelican then the bridge gave them the green light.
"Alright, pilot. Take it away". The pelican ignited its thrusters and rose up and into the air. It turned on a dime then blasted out of the hangar and into the void.
"Sir, judging by what the Forerunner has said, she may not be all that friendly to humans. When she attacked the ship, I picked up many trillions of lines of code and analyzed them. The Didact she spoke of, he did not take kindly to humans, at least that's what I could gather. I do not know who he was as a person though, but Faber has come up on terminals found on the Ark, back when 343 Guilty Spark..."
"Guilty Spark? You know of Chakas?" The Forerunner interrupted again.
"He was the Monitor of Installation 4 before the Master Chief destroyed it. Two years ago, the Monitor was destroyed as he tried to fire the Halo rings", St Clare explained.
"So he is dead then. Humans, you are correct in thinking that I do not take too kindly to your race, but I have questions that need answers and so I allow you onto my vessel. If you come in peace then I shall return the favor. Human designated St Clare, your combat skin is rated as level 2 which means you are not the same humans that I have previously encountered".
"Naut, don't relay anything back to Command just yet. We investigate further before we alert ONI of a potential live Forerunner".
"The Office of Naval Intelligence? This is not the work of the Lord of Admirals, Forthencho. You humans really are a new breed".
"Pardon my ignorance, but we do not understand what you mean", St Clare said.
"I do", Nautilus Seven chimed in.
"You'll answer my questions before I answer yours".
[#]
The pelican touched down within what appeared to be a hangar bay of sorts and the squad unloaded and scanned the area. "Atmosphere appears stable and breathable, sir", Nautilus Seven announced.
"Why wouldn't it be?"
"We don't know, why wouldn't it be?" St Clare asked.
"This ship is run by ancilla. I am the only living being here".
"How do we reach you?" St Clare asked as they entered into an unidentifiable room.
"You don't need to, I am already here", the Forerunner announced and a blinding light burst out from a terminal. St Clare activated his visor filters but they became overwhelmed.
"Identify yourself!" St Clare said back and raised his DMR. The light faded and a figure floated into view. Its slim, humanoid form was covered in metallic silver plates that moved as it did. A fluorescent blue visor covered its face and two triangular antennae jutted from its helmet.
"Calm yourselves, humans", the figure said and touched down on the ground. It was perhaps two meters tall, somehow shorter than St Clare but taller than all of the marines.
St Clare and his marines lowered their weapons cautiously and observed the angelic being before them. "Who are you?"
"I am the Forerunner known as the Observet. I am a warrior servant that specializes in intelligence. I know who you are though, I have read everything from your vessel's systems".
"If you already know everything, then why did you ask to speak with us?" St Clare asked.
"I wanted to verify it for myself. Of course there are things I can't know, since I highly doubt your entire history is on that primitive ship".
"At least it's not made from wood and cloth", Nautilus Seven chimed in again.
"Your ancilla. He is very... advanced for a tier 3 civilization".
"Once again, I don't know what you mean by that".
Observet reached out to St Clare's helmet without fear and where she touched, glowed. "Sir, she's analyzing my coding. I find it very invasive".
St Clare stepped away from the Forerunner with his finger closer to the trigger on his DMR. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't tamper with my A.I".
Observet recalled slightly, as if appalled at the thought of a lesser being talking to her in such a manner.
"Very well then, human".
"So you are a real, breathing Forerunner then? Do you have any hostile intent?"
"If it is true, that which you have told me, then my civilization is long gone. However, is the Flood still rampant? Did the Halos work?"
"Yes, however the Flood was released again back on Installation 4 but the UNSC contained and destroyed it".
The Observet pondered for a moment. "If that is true, if you were capable of overcoming the Flood and bringing peace to the galaxy, then maybe you are the rightful heirs to the Mantle after all. Perhaps the Didact was wrong".
"I don't know what this 'Mantle' is, but the galaxy isn't at peace. The Covenant is still a threat".
"Covenant?"
"Yes, the..." St Clare was cut off by Nautilus Seven as he appeared as a hologram beside the squad. He took the image of an old Victorian diving suit and his name meant sailor in Latin.
"You're about to find out who. Sir, the Covenant have found us. A CCS class battlecruiser has just slip-space jumped to our coordinates".
"How close are they?"
"One thousand kilometers and closing sir".
"A potential threat?"
"Big time, we can't handle a battlecruiser with a frigate".
"Is it a threat to me and my vessel?"
St Clare turned back to the Observet. "What can your ship do? Based upon what I've seen, you really are a god".
"God? What kind of nonsense do you speak?"
"The Covenant worship the Forerunners as gods, that's why they're here".
"Then they are misguided. We are not gods. We may be the protectors of the galaxy and all that dwell within it, but we are not gods".
Nautilus Seven disappeared back into his fragment chip. "Sir, your orders?"
"The Covenant are going to board this ship. Move the Veto away from the Forerunner vessel while they don't know its exact location".
"What about you?"
"We'll repel them. We can't let the Covenant seize this ship".
"Seize?"
"Affirmative, Observet. The Covenant love Forerunner relics", Nautilus said.
"I am not that old. I am still an adolescent to many of my kind".
"Actually, you're over 100,000 years old. How the hell did you survive the Halo event anyway?"
The Observet turned to St Clare. "That is what I want to know. I did not take shelter within the Shield Worlds, there is no way that I could have survived the Halos otherwise".
"Well you did, and you're here now. So my question for you, Forerunner, will you help us stop the Covenant?"
"I am an observer, I do not fight unless I must".
"Then by all means watch us", the Lieutenant replied and led his squad back to the hangar area. One of the soldiers looked back at the Forerunner and she rose up into the air and vanished.
"A real, breathing Forerunner, this is incredible", he said as they looked out of the hangar and into the void of space.
"Even I'm not sure what to make of it", Nautilus Seven replied and appeared beside them. "My hunch is if the Covenant damage the ship in any way, that Forerunner is going to show them what a 'god' can do".
"Just how powerful do you think she is?"
"This is an 80km Forerunner vessel sir. The Dreadnought used by the Covenant was 14km and took on the Earth Home-Fleet by itself".
"Then I'm glad she didn't want to kill us. How close are they now?"
"CCS class battlecruiser within visible range now sir. The Veto Power has moved to a safe location and is standing by".
"Good. Lance Corporal Taylor, I need a sniper up on that vantage point. Pilot, move the pelican to the far eastern corner of the hangar area and have its chain gun face the entrance. Everyone else, grab the gear and take up positions beside me".
"Sir, I have managed to access the hangar controls. Activating palisades now". Three large, slab like walls materialized into place at the vantage point and the marines walked up to them in awe.
"Never seen that before", one remarked then checked the breach of his assault rifle. Taylor had reached the observation platform above them and was readying his anti-material sniper rifle. St Clare checked the palisades but realized that they were almost arcane to him and so trusted that they were at least bullet resistant. He readied his DMR and rested it against the gun slot.
"Looks good to me", he remarked then turned back to Nautilus Seven. "How close are they now?"
"The battlecruiser has just dispatched three phantom dropships to our position, sir".
"Nothing we can't handle. What of the Forerunner?"
"I can not see the Observet. I imagine that she is sifting through all of the information that she gleaned from the Veto".
"She seems a bit detached from the situation at hand. Nonetheless, we've got this covered".
"I still can't believe that there's a live Forerunner here", the marine spoke up again.
"Officially, this mission does not exist which also means that the Observet does not exist either. You know ONI protocol, we prepared for the possibility of meeting a Forerunner face to face", St Clare explained.
"Sir, covenant forces in-bound on our position!" Taylor announced as three bug shaped craft rocketed into the hangar.
"Heads down guns up!" The Sargent ordered his marines. He rested his battle rifle on the palisade.
The first squad leaped down from the dropship. Five grunts, two Jackals and an Elite major.
"Alright, don't give them the chance to orientate themselves. Open fire!"
St Clare shot the first Jackal in the head with a round from his DMR and its skull rocked back, flicking purplish blood over the grunt behind it. The grunt looked around in panic before Taylor blew its head open with a high caliber sniper round.
"For Jul M'dama!" The Elite roared then returned fire with his storm rifle. The boiling bolts spat against the right palisade and one of the marines ducked just in time. The bolts glowed faintly on the silvery metal before disappearing without a trace.
"This Forerunner metal is incredible!"
"Focus fire on that Elite!" St Clare ordered as another squad leaped down from their transport. He fired twice at the Sangheilli's head and its shields flared up. It recalled slightly then leaped to the side and threw a plasma grenade. St Clare replied by throwing a frag which hit the plasma grenade mid flight and they stuck together. The bundle of explosives was sent straight back to the Elite and detonated, blowing the alien to bits in a blinding flash of light.
"Nice one, sir!"
"Don't compliment me yet". The team cut down the rest of the opposing squad just as the second approached their position. This time, an Elite Ultra came at them with a sizzling energy sword. It roared and leaped at the closest marine who held his rifle up to block it. The energy sword sliced straight through the gun and the Elite grabbed him by the throat. St Clare charged the Sangheilli and rammed it with his shoulder which forced it back and it dropped the marine.
"Insert generic size remark here", St Clare muttered then drew his combat knife. The marines behind him turned their attention to the advancing Grunts and let the Spartan Three handle the Elite.
The Elite roared once more then swung at St Clare but he activated his armor-lock just in time. He slammed the ground with his fist and released a EMP wave which short-circuited the Elite's shields and weapon simultaneously. He moved from a crouch to a head-butt in nanoseconds which snapped the Sangheilli's neck as his helmet impacted the alien's jaw and forced it up. The Elite fell back and St Clare returned his DMR's attention to the approaching Grunts and Jackals.
"Sir, the third phantom is unloading", a marine announced as they cleared up the remaining fodder.
"We'll handle it", the Sargent assured his squad. "Or not".
A pair of colossi thundered down onto the surface of the hangar then reared up to full height. "Hunters!" St Clare said then moved back to cover.
"Plan of action, sir?"
"Strategic repositioning. Naut, can you generate more palisades for us?" St Clare asked then reloaded his DMR.
"Of course, sir".
The Hunters stomped towards the squad and their assault cannons glowed fiercely then released a torrent of green plasma. The marine to the Sargent's right looked over the palisade at the wrong moment and his head was vaporized from his neck instantly.
"Man down!" The Sargent roared then returned fire with his battle rifle but the bullets pinged off of the armor.
"That armor is made from Covenant battleship hull, bullets won't do that much good", St Clare explained then swapped his DMR for his railgun.
"Sir, the palisades are ready", Nautilus Seven announced just as a Sangheilli commander leaped down from the first phantom.
"Looks like the boss is here, sir", Taylor said and watched him through the scope of his sniper.
"Taylor, stay where you are. Everyone else: move back to the new palisades!" St Clare ordered then got up to cover their repositioning. The first Hunter thundered into view then slammed the palisade with its shield which caused it to buckle. The marines fell back and St Clare dived to the side just as the palisade collapsed from another strike. He charged up the railgun and released the sabot into the Hunter's chest. The projectile broke the sound barrier like a whiplash and sparks flew as it impacted and knocked the behemoth back a step. The dust settled and St Clare could see a smoking crater in its chest.
"Damnit, that armor is too strong, even for a railgun".
"I have an idea", Nautilus Seven announced then appeared beside the first Hunter as a projection from St Clare's helmet. The Hunter turned to him and raised its shield in response. St Clare knelt down and released another sabot into the exposed worms at its side and bisected the Hunter in a spray of luminescent orange. The torso fell to the side and the legs remained standing as it was technically not dead yet although it was no longer a threat.
"Good idea", St Clare replied then leaped back as the second Hunter furiously smashed the ground. "Will it work twice?"
"Hunters are not stupid sir, we caught that one off guard".
Taylor fired a round into the second Hunter to get its attention but it pinged off of its shield and it barely noticed. "So much for high density depleted uranium rounds", he muttered then reloaded. The remaining three marines opened fire with their assorted rifles but no rounds got through.
St Clare activated armor-lock just as a sundering strike from the Hunter's shield almost hit him. The shield impacted and he could feel it even through his now almost impervious armor. He released it then dived away as the flash of light covered his escape, even though the Hunter did not require sight to see him.
"Sir, Elite Commander approaching with a concussion rifle!" One of the marines called out as the Hunter was distracted by another sniper round.
"Human, I have another question for you", the Observet materialized before St Clare and both the Hunter and the Elite froze in their tracks.
"Not now, Observet!" St Clare replied and turned his railgun to the Sangheilli but realized that it had stopped its assault.
"Forerunner!" The Elite exclaimed then cast his rifle aside and knelt. The Hunter remained standing.
"What is that?!" A fanatical grunt panicked then fired a bolt of green plasma at the Observet but it struck the armor and did nothing to faze her.
The Observet rose up, above even the Hunter. "HOW DARE YOU, UNGGOY, KNOW YOUR PLACE!" She held out her hand and grabbed the terrified grunt via a constraint field and began to crush it. It's eyes bulged then all at once, its exoskeleton and armor crumpled like a stepped on beetle. Blue goo oozed in a puddle then it blew up as the gas canister on its back ruptured.
"Holy shit!" Taylor exclaimed from across the hangar.
The Observet dropped the mangled flesh then floated over to the Elite. "You, Sangheilli. Do you think me a god?"
The Elite remained bowing. "Yes, of course! You are Forerunner, greatest of all".
The Observet observed the Elite for a moment. "You are misguided by your leaders. We were not gods. I am not a god. I am not your deity".
The Elite cautiously raised its head. "What do you mean? The Prophets could not have been wrong!"
"The Prophets lied to you", St Clare said and stood beside the Observet but kept an eye on the Hunter as they were extremely unpredictable and as far as he was concerned, they did not follow Covenant beliefs at all. In fact he didn't know why there were Hunters with the Covenant in the first place.
"Quite human, I do not..."
"Stop. What the human says is true, you have been mislead".
St Clare held his DMR close. "Do you see now, why the Swords of Sangheilios reject your faith? The Arbiter knew the truth, that's why the Covenant fell".
The Elite stood up and glared at St Clare then looked up at the Observet.
"I have no problem with you following me, Sangheilli, but calling me a god is incorrect".
The Elite took a while to think things over. "What would you have me do, Forerunner?"
"Way to stop a Covenant task force, divine intervention and all", St Clare remarked but the Observet glanced his way at the mention of anything godly.
"You will stop this hostility at once. These humans are guests aboard my vessel and shall not be harmed".
"You could start by telling that Hunter to back off".
The Elite glared at St Clare again then motioned for the Hunter to back away.
"I do not know how to comprehend this... situation. I always knew the Forerunners to be gods, we all did".
"Could you tell your battlecruiser to back off as well?"
"I am not the shipmaster. If I were to speak such heresy I would surely be shot".
"Then I will speak to them myself", the Observet declared.
"What the actual fuck is going on here? The Sargent exclaimed as he and the other marines rocked up. "A Human, an Elite, a Forerunner and a Hunter all walk into a bar or something?"
"Good one, sir", one of the marines scoffed.
"I do not understand your humor, human. Sangheilli, if your vessel does not halt all hostilities then I will destroy it".
The Elite looked up at her again. "I have no command over the ship, I could not simply tell them to stop".
"Sorry to interrupt, but that cruiser has sent another four dropships to our location", Nautilus Seven announced.
"So be it", the Observet said and gestured. The CCS class battlecruiser in the distance was hit by a staggering beam of pure blue energy from the Forerunner vessel and it erupted in a colossal explosion. The debris was cast out at all angles and lost to the depths of space.
The Elite turned to see the ship go down to the simple gesture and fell to his knees once more.
"Sir, we're in the clear. I'm bringing the Veto Power back to the Forerunner vessel. What should we do next?"
"Observet, you said that you wish to learn more, yes?"
"That is correct".
"Then come with us. I can't tell you everything, I'm just a Spartan, but there are people that can explain everything, I'm sure of it".
"And leave my vessel behind?"
"We couldn't bring it with us, the Homefleet would be thrown into disarray if that thing turned up out of the blue".
The Observet considered it for a moment. "Knowledge is power, and as my name suggests, I enjoy watching and listening".
"What do you say?"
"Very well, Spartan. We are in agreement".
St Clare removed his helmet and wiped his forehead. Corporal Taylor ran up to them with his sniper rifle slung on his back. "What do we do with the Elite and the Hunter?"
St Clare paused in thought for a moment. "Well, to start I guess we should take you-"
"My name is Moriggamee", the Elite barked.
"Then we'll take you, Mr Moriggamee and your Hunter friend into custody. We'll let the Commander decide what to do with you both".
"Sir, how do we cuff a Hunter?" Taylor asked.
"Good question. Moriggamee, can you tell him to behave himself then? We can't restrain him".
Moriggamee snorted. "Very well".
St Clare turned to the Observet. "We won't be arresting you by the way".
"I'm quite aware of that. I'm beyond such primitive restraints".
"I'm glad this situation is totally under control and can not, in any way shape or form, go horribly wrong", Taylor said.
"We're ONI, we take risks".
"This is one hell of a risk, sir", Taylor replied and looked up at the 12' tall Hunter.
"Oh, I know that".
"Are we going to ignore the fact you just killed that Hunter's brother?"
"Ah..." St Clare turned to the Mgalekgolo. "Sorry?"