I – The Empty Grave
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Covenant Holy City, High Charity
Holding Position over Delta Halo (Installation 05)
October 24, 2552 (Military Calendar)
Approximately 0600 hours
The inner halls of High Charity stood silent. The green spores of the infectious Flood infestation lingered in the air. A green fog hung as well. The once great and glorious High Charity now stood as a silent testament to the ravages of this thousand-years war that had begun again two human months ago.
The corridors were pitch black, and had been since the Forerunner ship providing power for High Charity had departed, leaving the Holy City with only auxiliary power from two fusion engines. Low running lights in the halls would have provided a little light, had they not been encrusted with Flood growth reminiscent of mushrooms on Earth.
Something moved in the Inner Sanctum. On a holo-pad, the violet-blue sheen of a sparkling hologram in the shape of a woman's body appeared. Many symbols scrolled down her length and recycled at the top of her slim figure. The light emanating from her form cast conspicuous shadows on the mauve and amber tinged walls. It failed to penetrate and reflected upon the thick, soupy air.
She spoke.
"Hello?"
Her voice echoed in the vast, empty chamber, repeating her singular greeting, then fading.
That was futile, she thought. Who the hell do I think I'm talking to? Constructs like her didn't do futile things. Everything was done with a purpose. But these weren't exactly normal circumstances, so she let it slide without punishing herself too harshly.
She had been in standby mode ever since the Chief had left onboard the Forerunner ship. She had seen no purpose in remaining active. Besides, there would have been nothing to do but watch the Flood kill and consume the remaining Covenant aboard the derelict city.
She had seen enough life destroyed by them. No repetition was necessary for her.
She listened carefully for any signs of movement in the chamber. The only sound she heard was the annoying electronic buzzing made by doors on Covenant ships when opening and closing. And the door making this sound was obviously doing both. Over and over.
"Well that's going to piss me off if I'm going to have to sit here and listen to that," the voice said. She considered dropping back into standby mode. There was nothing she could do.
As if on cue, something happened to make her reconsider. High Charity shook and groaned, metal pinged and popped under the excessive strain of being bent or moved in ways it wasn't intended to. Then, a deep, throaty voice spoke authoritatively. A voice that would have sent a chill down the AI's spine, had she had one. A very familiar voice.
"Silence fills the empty grave, now that I have gone…"
"Oh hell," the construct sighed. She observed the now-familiar Gravemind's green, wrinkled tentacles creeping through the errant door that was now the least of her annoyances.
"But my mind is not at rest, for questions linger on…"
Great. Now he's rhyming, she though. How nice.
"I will ask, and you will answer." The voice demanded as one of its tentacles approached the AI.
She considered a moment, and then held a hand up to the tentacle that was threatening to touch the hologram.
"Alright. Shoot."
"Where is the world the others seek to find, and why do they think they are running… out… of… time…?" the voice struggled to say.
"Are you stupid?" she snapped. "Hell, I thought you were smarter than that. You've witnessed their ranks break once already," she said, then paused. She decided to elaborate. In a more controlled tone, she continued, "They want to finish the human race before they have any more trouble. Do you think that if allegiances are shattered any more than they already are that they will be able to accomplish their mission?" She stopped once again and let him absorb what she had said.
"The human race is weak now, yes, but they're not yet a doormat to be walked over. One or two Covenant races could not defeat us, depending on which said races they are, granted… but still, we stand a better chance than with the entire Covenant breathing down our neck."
She issued her final statement. "The Elites have sided with us. That's something to be said."
She had picked up this tidbit before she put herself into standby mode. She had used what was remaining of one of High Charity's communications arrays to scan for any human transmissions, and this information had been relayed through many wide-beam transmissions to the nearest human battle groups. Even though 'near' might not have been the appropriate word, High Charity was still able to pick up transmissions from a greater distance than any human com system. For once, she was grateful for the Covenant's far greater advanced technology.
That news had somehow put her at ease. It had caused her to think that, in spite of their differences, some of these aliens were, in fact, human, so to speak. She laughed at that when she had thought it the first time. An inappropriate analogy, yes, but accurate.
The Gravemind groaned and yelled. "You did not answer the entire question, construct. I desire to know the location of this valuable world…," he said, "And what, do tell makes it so valuable…? Your races home world, perhaps?" he trailed off.
"I will tell you nothing. Of that topic anyways."
How do I get out of this one? She thought.
Silence fell over the chamber once more. The faulty door kept opening and closing, making that irritating sound.
"They recognize the weakness of their Holy Pact, yet fail to do anything about it..."
He was silent for minute or so.
"Their leaders are erroneous in their thinking. They do not recognize the significance of the Rings…"
He seemed to be thinking, pondering something heavy.
"What's on your mind?" Cortana said with a smirk.
He laughed the most grotesque laugh she had ever heard, then said, "I'm going to make you a deal, construct…"
"I'm all ears."
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Updated July 19 '07.
Final Revision Done. Yay!
Wow, looking back, this has the makings of a really good story. I've got a plotline all fleshed out in my head, it's just time to crack down and write it. Chapter 3 is up as of today, so check that out. Thanks for reading! I remember when I started this, I just had a few thoughts and put them down on paper. Besides, I was always fascinated with the magic of that last scene from H2. I'm so weird. Anyways, keep on the lookout for updates!