This is just a random idea I had. What if there was one Forerunner that was still alive? That idea propelled me to right this. Yeah, I know, I'm lame. Just read it. And Wolverfrog, I was not inspired by Insurrection! Remember: Though they're speaking Forerunner, it's been translated, including their units of measurement, like hours and inches.
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My mind was at a state of rest. Not a single thought crossed its surface. It was frozen in a strange surreal slumber, untouched and pristine. Then, somehow, in some way, I was quite unexpectedly awoken.
The seal of my Slip Space Pod released, and my eyes opened. [i]How long had it been since I had been sealed inside the containment pod?[/i] Pondering this question, I summoned one of the sentinels that had activated in the room when I had awoke. Removing my combat skin's helmet, I asked the construct how much time had passed since the firing of the Halo Array.
"Approximately one-hundred thousand years have passed since the firing of the Halo Array and our escape into slip space," the Sentinel informed me in it's cold, mechanical voice. "We recently reactivated and awoke you because the construct detected something. It seems that the Ark has been destroyed, and Project RESSURECTION is the last hope of surviving another Flood outbreak."
I was stunned. One hundred thousand years since The Didact fired the Halo Array? One hundred thousand years adrift in Slip Space, while the one safe haven from the firing of the array is destroyed? But the most shocking revelation of all: My people had abandoned their lives in the Milky Way forever.
"What of the rest of the my brothers? Surely this was not the only ship of Project RESSURECTION to escape the firing of The Array?" I feared the response to my question, for I knew I would not like the answer.
"I am sorry, Archivist. This was the only ship of Project RESSURECTION that escaped into Slip Space. I fear this ship is all that remains of this secret operation." Though the Sentinel was a mere construct, it still showed sympathy for my fallen brothers.
"And my crew? Did they survive as well? Or am I truly alone?" Though I still felt great sorrow knowing my race was dead, but if the crew of my vessel was still alive, there remained a chance to bring back my now dead species.
"We are all still alive, Archivist." Turning towards the opening letting into the room where I had awoken stood The Scribe. Her long black hair fell over her shoulders and covered some of her face. Under her left arm she held her combat skin helmet and held the threshold of the opening with her right. Next to her stood The Skeptic, who stood a whole head taller than her and had short, well-kept black hair. I was overjoyed to see my crew still alive.
"This is good news. This means that we can begin Operation RESSURECTION soon…and their might still be hope for our race."
Standing in the observation deck of my ship, I studied every detail of the research vessel I had been ordered to operate by The Didact. Much smaller in size than the powerful Key Ships, my vessel was a fifth their size. It was not meant for battle, but science; the laboratories aboard the ship were unrivaled by anything used by my people previously. Everything was state of the art, even the construct that operated the ship while my crew and I slept. However, my ship served a far greater purpose than mere science; in our hands we carried Project RESSURECTION, and the fate of an entire universe.
"Sir, we will be exiting Slip Space in the next few minutes." A Sentinel had flown in from a higher position in the ship and had come to hover beside me. The Sentinels we were using for Project RESSURECTION were different from that of the standard Sentinels on the Halos. They were closer in ability and design to Onyx Sentinels, able to talk and equipped with highly powerful laser beams. They were also given deployable containment fields for any specimen that might be required for us to study. Another useful trait they have: they work totally independent of constructs; my people learned much from the betrayal of Mendicant Bias. Though they were machines and not as complex as some constructs, they each had basic personalities and identification. This Sentinel was the same one that had been in my chamber when I awoke from my Slip Space Pod. Sentinel B-001, or "Lost Innocence," was the first sentinel created for Project RESSURECTION and seemed to have the personality of a leader figure. His central optical center, or "eye," was a bright orange and was inscribed with runes. He was also one of the strongest Sentinels aboard the ship because later models were given less powerful weapon systems. I personally considered Lost Innocence a friend, even though he was a construct.
"Good. Has The Construct found anything else about this era?"
"Yes." Lost Innocence's optic grew brighter, as if he was considering everything he had learned. "Not only has the Ark been destroyed, but so has Installation 04. If the Ark was not destroyed, Installation 04 could be rebuilt, but without it, we are not only missing one Installation, we can no longer mass fire they array."
"This is not good. Did the Construct detect any flood forms?"
"There were the flood forms on the surviving Installations. But we also found traces of them near the Ark. And we found something else too. We detected something near the Forerunner home world using the Luminaries- it is a Reclaimer."
My heart began to race, and images of home began to appear in my mind. I suddenly decided that the ship would change course.
"Tell the Construct to stop us from jumping out of Slip Space. We have a new destination."
Lost Innocence studied me carefully with his large single eye. "To where?"
My answer was short and simple. "Home."