-STORY STARTS-
Prologue
""In this hour of victory, we taste only defeat. I ask, why?... We are Forerunners, guardians of all that exists. The roots of the galaxy have grown deep under our careful tending. Where there is life, the wisdom of our countless generations has saturated the soil. Our strength is a luminous sun, towards which all intelligence blossoms... And the impervious shelter beneath which it has prospered. I stand before you, accused of the sin of ensuring Forerunner ascendancy. Of attempting to save us from this fate where we are forced to... recede. Humanity stands as the greatest threat in the galaxy. Refusing to eradicate them is a fool's gambit. We squander eons in the darkness, while they seize our triumphs for their own. The Mantle of responsibility for all things belongs to Forerunners alone. Think of my acts as you will. But do not doubt the reality: the Reclamation... has already begun. And we are hopeless to stop it."" –Ur Didact
97,448 B.C.E
Within the control room of Shield World Dawn.
Death… *sharp howling screech can be hear through the massive sealed blast doors*
Destruction….. *More banging, screams and horrible sounds around the room*
All around us….. *The whole shook as if an impending doom has come for all*
Our technologies failed us…. *Infested sentinels beginning to methodically cutting through the blasted doors*
What took us millenniums to create, it was destroyed within years. *A humanoid being standing alone in the control room, recording and transferring vital data.
We never saw it coming. We were still recovering from the war with humans. It took thousands of years to finally defeat the Humans. They were truly a worthy opponent. Technologically as powerful as us. Driven by a force of self-preservation. After their defeat, we degraded them. Turned them into primitive beings. And in doing so, doom our race into oblivion. For The Floods came like an unstoppable wave of death and destructions upon us. We were helpless against it. No cure. No grand fleets to defend our home. No Hope. They fed of all sentient life forms and consuming it and making it their own. Thus, beginning an endless circle of hunger and death.
Worst, 032 Mendicant Bias has betrayed us all. He took our final hope and turned it against us. Halo Installation 08 to 12 was fire within our core home worlds. Which cripple our military might and the loss of Ecumene Council. Then the slaughtering begins as Mendicant Bias and his fleet of 5 million warships swiftly destroy and consume our remaining fleets and colonies.
With the Maginot line lost, our once great fleets and technological superiority crippled and our remaining colonies under-sieged by the unrelenting force of The Flood. Our once great civilization crushed, consumed and brought to it very knees. We can do nothing more than stop inevitable. BUT The Mantle must survive. There is still hope. With that hope, we have pour all of our remaining resources to building Installation 00 and there "The Ark" was build. There the Librarian and all our remaining preservers work tirelessly to preserve and catalogue of all species, including the humans.
*Bright Light of plasma can be seen cutting through the blasted door*
That failure Ur-Didact gambled on using the composers as way to fight against the The Flood. He tried to "conscripts" the primitive humans using the composer. It was…. Barbaric. Using them and turning them into mindless Prometheans. It would seem that he has never forgotten his hatred to the humans. While I loathe the humans, I also respect them for their will to fight and protect. But Librarian herself has other plans for the Human, thus he was sealed again forever. Thus, leaving us with one final options… The Ark and Halos Arrays.
While the Libarian has believed that human will be the inheritors of the Mantle, I still have doubts of its merits. But there is no longer an opinion. In 400 light-years away from this shield-world, there is a black hole, a stable one. There lies a hope that I believe would ensure that our technologies, our culture, our knowledge and THE MANTLE OF RESPONSIBILITY. As the unknowing person speaks to the terminal to record the history of the fall of the Forerunner, another series of explosions and ion cannons fires ring throughout the control room.
"Master Builder, you must escape! I and the remaining sentinels will hold the line. Please evacuate to the exfil terminal portal." Spoken by a female digital voice. The voice belongs to Monitor- 117 knowns as "Unspoken Covenent." The master security and safety of this builder research and developments installation.
"No, my dear friend. My time has come to an end, I have failed to protect and save my race. I must ensure that what we achieved can inherited to those who is worthy." The speaker now revealed to be Faber-Of-Will-And-Might, the former leader of the Builder caste and the remaining leaders of the Forerunners.
"But the ark is almost finish, Master Faber. And the remaining halos is about to be released to cleanse of The Flood! There is still hope." The monitor floating in mid-air begins to projects a hologram that shows the nearly complete ark and the remaining halos. And another showing Offensive Bias' fleet fighting against Mendicant Bias' in a losing battle. Mendicant Bias' Fleet outnumbered Offensive Bias' by 2183:5, but yet Offensive Bias is holding the line. Providing precious time for the builders to finish the ark and fire the halo arrays.
"Even so, I do not trust the humans here enough to uphold the Mantle. Even with the gene seed laid by the librarian Herself! NO, there is more that needs to be done. Is the ship ready?" The monitor then projects an hologram of a ship that resembles the Mantle's Approach. Instead, its heights is 341.4 kilometers, 108.6 kilometers and 162.7 kilometers. It has more slimmer and more angular designs to it. It has the latest technologies, weapons, armours, shields and inner colony systems that can house no more than one million people. It is colony/warships.
"Yes, Master Faber. The Unrelenting Salvation is ready. With the remaining weapons, armours and drones being transferred into stasis for long suspension. And our whole catalogue of data and history safely preserved. All warrior, lifeworkers and builder caste is accounted for. Only 10 thousand has answered our call. And the modified hardlight shield phase shift module and the new Forerunner Slipspace drives with the new metatron crystals has been successful installed and running. The shield is more than enough to weather the absolute power of a black hole." Answered the Monitor.
"What of the combat skin, Monitor?" Asked Faber.
"The combat skin has been transported into the Salvation, and all relevant data retaining it as well. The Ancilia designed for skin has not been activated as per your request. But Master Faber, who is worthy of the Mantle and the combat skin? Once the ship pass through the black hole, how would we determine who is worthy?
"That, my dear friend, is my last request of you. You will decide who will uphold the mantle. You can have my caretaker since I was boy. You are my ancilia. Thus, I believe in your choice. Find One who is worthy to inherit the Mantle of Responsibility. Once you pass through black hole, initiate ethereal protocol. You may begin your search. Now go, Unspoken Covenant, your next journey awaits."
An alarm sounds blaze throughout the room, signifying that blast door will no longer hold anymore. Faber-Of-Will-And-Might activate his combat skin. Four personal Forerunner Defensive Cannons unfolds from his shoulders and 10 sentinels enters into combat modes. In his hands, he holds a Suppessor rifle and a simple Boltshot. He turns to the monitor and said "Go, May the light of Mantle ever guide you, my dear friend."
"Yes, Master Builder Faber-Of-Will-And-Might. It is an honour to serve you." The Monitor turn and teleports to the Unrelenting Salvation to prepare for launching sequence.
"Goodbye, old friend" Faber whisper into the empty air, as the sounds of horror, screams and anguish becomes so much closer. He turns and aims at door, as he prepare for his final moments. He will allow himself to be consumed. All the knowledge and information cannot fall into the hands of the Floods. "Terminal, initiate supernova protocol." "Affirmative, Master Builder….. SuperNova Protocol initiated. T-Minus 5 minutes and counting. Please evacuate the facility…" Faber looks into the terminal and see that Unrelenting Salvation has lifted off, and opens a rift portal to black hole. The internal shield world defences and remaining warrior caste and Forerunner cruisers sacrificed themselves to ensure that the ship passes through the rift portal. All remaining functional gigantic defensive cannon fire tirelessly at the flood warships, buying time for the ship escape. Another explosion rippled throughout the shield world as another defensive platform has been destroyed.
"3 Minutes and 10 seconds."
"For the Mantle…" Those were the last few words of Faber-Of-Will-And-Might, the last Master Builder of the once powerful race of the Forerunner as the blast door was shredded apart. Then came forth waves after waves of gruesome abominations spilling forth from the door like a wave of death and hunger. Faber fires his boltshot into the first floods, ripping though the body and the one behind. His shoulder defensive cannon unloaded volley after volley highly compressed high light rounds onto the floods. On his right hand, he fires his suppessors' entire clip of hardlight rounds into hordes of Floods. It did nothing but stem the flow of the Floods. As more pour forth, some consumed forerunner abomination aimed their weapons back at Faber, and fired. His combat skin has taken shot after shot from enemy fire. The shield is holding but it's a matter of time. As one of consumed proceed to overwhelm Faber.
"1 minutes and 04 seconds….."
"WARNING, combat skin shield failing, multiple breaches on the protective layer, Personal defensive Platform damaged and depleted. WARNING, personal teleportation module disable. WARNING, multiple systems damaged, please seek medical attention." Warned the combat suit standard ancilia.
Faber was on his last legs, and he is surrounded. Just as he was about fire again, a single binary rifle round piece the shield and through his right shoulders. In pain, he dropped his suppessor rifle and lifted his left arm with the boltshot and fired back. Killing the one who shot him.
"Aarrghh…. Die, you abominations. I may die here but Mantle will survive!" thought Faber as he shoot his last rounds from boltshot into the nearest infected.
"35 seconds…"
Just as he spent all his arsenal into the hordes of infected, he turned to the terminal just in time to see Unrelenting Salvation just successfully passed through rift portal and closing. " Ahhh, it is done. The seed of hope has been sowed and the Mantle is same." An infected brute punch into Faber body and piece into him. He can feel the Flood quickly infecting him, turning him into them. He turn just one last time to the terminal and see that there is only….
"5…4…3….2…..1…initiating Supernova protocol"
The miniature sun within the shield world begins to expand exponentially and releasing all those energy into a powerful supernova. With one final titanic explosion, Faber-Of-Will-And-Might was no more along with the shield world and more than one thousand warships infected by the Flood. From far far away, a simple flash of light blinked within the void of space.
Terminal Catalogue….
Log 001 by Monitor-117 "Unspoken Covenant"….
"This Monitor-117 "Unspoken Covenant" onboard the Unrelenting Salvation. As per protocol set by my makers, I will continue record my findings and any relevant information for future uses. We have survive the attack at the shield world "Dawn". Along with 10,341 Forerunner from all three caste. Out of 124,941 Forerunners in the shield world. As per protocol, they are all in suspended stasis to ensure their survival. I will remaining active to maintain and guide the Unrelenting Salvation to find the one who will lead us. All system is operating within optimum level, and shield primed at maximum. In just a few more minutes, we will pass through the black hole that would 'in theory' take us to another galaxy. I will carry the will of my former Master and find the rightful Reclaimer that he envisioned. On a side note, the halo arrays are all in place. Just a few more hours, the remaining council of Forerunners will fire the halos and destroying all sentient life forms. All the life lost… unthinkable. But it must be done. And in the meantime, I will continue to find the cure for the Flood within a secure facilities within the ship. An outbreak is UNACCEPTABLE. I will not Unrelenting Salvation sink. It will be done! THE RECLAIMERS WILL BE FOUND.
Monitor-117 "Unspoken Covenant" signing off.
There is a disturbance on the horizon … Can you feel it?
In another galaxy far, far away, on a backwater planet that house a race of humans that have supernatural abilities. Where "Ninjas" roam and conquer the land. These humans while look the same, they are not as they have an ability that no one has. The ability of using Chakra. With this Chakra, many supernatural feats can be performed. Elements manipulated at flicked of gingers. They are truly a dangerous race. With chakra, many wars has been waged. Many lives taken, enslaved, tortured and suppressed. It was as if peace will never be achieved.
But the birth of one child that would change the history of the entire elemental nations.
The one attack on Konoha by the Kyuubi of the nine tail beasts.
The one sacrifice of a parents for their child.
It is on that day, at the centre of a singularity where the boy will one day find out that his destiny is far more than he can ever comprehend.
And his name is Naruto Uzumaki.
NA: All credits and materials belongs to Microsoft, 343 industry and the creator of Naruto "Masashi Kishimoto".
My First time writing a story. And a crossover too. I wondered if I bit off more than I can chew. I always enjoyed the Halo Series. And so is the Mass effect trilogy as well. But I want to try my hands with Naruto series first.
My inspiration comes from Fury of Eternal Maelstrom By Ornstein the Dragon Slayer. The story at the start was great. But overall, it does felt a bit rushed.
So I planned to do something similar but yet very different. I hope I can write it just right for the readers out there. So any constructive advice and flames is welcomes. What doesn't kills you, makes you stronger. Please bear with my story.
So until next time. LostSouls13 out.
