Let it be known here that I have no skill at writing summaries or titles. This story is the first of three Halo fanfictions that I will be writing. This one is fully completed. What you see is what you get. I will explain the next two stories as an afterword on this story. This is a bit different, to those of you who know me. I have never written a story based in a futuristic society before, it has always been medieval (Legend of Zelda) fantasy (Sonic the Hedgehog,) or modern, (Ponyo.) So, to have something futuristic was a bit of a change for me, despite my heavy usage of XT-421 all the time. Now, sit back, and read with open eyes.
Enjoy!
"Alright, that makes another batch, send them through the portal." The powerful voice of a strong woman commanded.
Though outwardly, her face remained stone-like and stern, her heart melted and yearned for the blue bubble forming above her and her cohorts' heads. She fought back tears as the wind from the portal's opening whipped her chocolate hair across her thinned, olive colored face. Beyond that portal was her lover.
"Librarian?" One of her workers asked as she noticed her boss's emotionless face.
"It's nothing. Back to the ships, our next planet awaits." The Librarian and her two remaining partners boarded the last three Keyships and set off for the next untouched planet in their sights.
Sitting on her command seat, she let herself relax a bit, and with it, a tear dropped. No one was onboard the massive dreadnaught, it was an empty vessel designed to hold an entire planet. The only thing on board her particular ship were the robotic crew and parts to build a final portal.
"Is something wrong, Librarian?" Her construct asked her, startling her and causing her to hide her teary face.
"N-nothing." She managed.
"I have another message from Didact, if you would welcome it."
"I would gladly." She replied, wiping the tears from her eyes.
The terminal in front of her glowed with warm yellow light as she peered in to view the encrypted message, sent by her lover just for her.
In it, her Didact revealed his plans. He had built a machine to fight off the parasite just for her! Just to buy some time to rescue her before lighting their Array! Her old heart swelled. Didact was a true friend and true lover.
But he was a fool. That machine couldn't stand a chance against the parasite, and the very Array they had all built was the ultimate sin they could ever have committed.
"Are you insane?" She typed back, "Would you risk every life in this galaxy for this transparently futile plan? Have you learning nothing in these last 300 years? This thing will laugh at your efforts!" She paused, letting her anger vent. It was obvious that he wouldn't kill her, he couldn't; he loved her too much. But she knew better, the longer he hesitated, the longer she had to stay, and while she could save more lives, trillions more became worse at risk. "Do not let your concern for my welfare commit you to this suicidal scheme!"
Pressing the send button, she nearly cried again.
Her construct lowered a small rag from a compartment at the side. She swatted it away and glared at the eye of the machine in front of her.
"Don't you dare, Matthias."
"Librarian," Matthias interrupted abruptly, "We are being hailed by your chief in command."
"On screen." Librarian commanded, authority thick in her voice despite her bloodshot eyes.
The figure of a thin man appeared on the screen, his white garb fell lightly around him as he made a half smile to his boss. He opened his mouth to speak and noticed her sore eyes. Closing his mouth and looking down, he rethought his words and began to speak.
"Librarian, we have found a new planet. It appears to be in the primitive stages of life, but, these beings, you might want to have a look for yourself." His face blipped off the screen, and the small planet fizzled into view.
The Librarian's mouth dropped slightly in reverence for the planet's beauty. Mostly water with a large landmass in the middle, the planet shone brightly in the mostly devoid vacuum of space, defiant of the hostile world around it. The island, larger than most ships in their vast fleets was covered in lush forests and tall mountains. Creatures could be seen if one magnified closely enough.
"Matthias, begin analysis of each species of sentient life." The Librarian ordered.
Mammals, reptiles, birds and fish all appeared onscreen. Their genetic codes, lifestyles, anything about them that struck the Librarian as capable of higher thought, were present as numbers and statistics, readable only to one so versed in biology such as the Librarian herself.
Something struck her as odd.
"Is that... that species, right there...? Chief, is that a Precursor?"
"I have never seen anything like it in all my years." The thin man replied.
"We must begin work at once! This new race... they are... nearly identical to us!" Her scanners read a 98% similarity in genetic code and evolutionary principles.
"Yes we must."
"Matthias, take us there!"
"Yes, Librarian."
The moment the crews landed, they began communicating with the humans, as they called them, and sent them into their vast ships to be placed into a cryonic sleep. Their job was nearing completion. They set up the portal, and had sent a vast majority of all the humans on the planet back to the ARK, the Forerunner hideout and retreat.
On the 43 year, 1 month, 23 hours, 5 minutes and 17 seconds in, the small base camp was disrupted.
"Librarian!" Her Chief, the only Forerunner companion the Librarian had left on the planet now known as Earth, "Slipspace rupture, directly above our position!"
"The Parasite? Impossible!" The Librarian viewed the small hole and watched a figure drop down from it.
"What is it?" The Chief of Staff questioned curiously.
"I haven't the slightest idea. It... it looks humanoid in shape..."
"It's heading into your flagship!"
The Librarian made a dash to the elevator behind her. Their command station was located within a mountain overlooking the large portal that was, at any moment, ready to be sealed. The inner room was vast and spacious. None of that mattered to the Librarian at the moment. A foreign object had landed near her ship and entered it. It compromised her entire mission.
She passed the crated where the object had landed, and saw its footsteps lead straight into her Keyship. She glanced around inside her ship, and she realized she lost it. Holding her protective blaster near, she accessed the computer terminal.
"Matthias?" She asked.
No response.
Grumbling she typed into the screen and in front of her on the hall, a conversation that was taking place materialized.
ML.01-212: Identify!
%(*)%_-34 32 31: UEVBQ0U=
ML.01-212: Identify!
The screen flashed a cool purple, gently and overpowering.
ML.01-212: Intruder, refrain from tampering with this system. All efforts to breach the system will result in failure. Further attempts to breach the system will be met with hostility.
88 84_421: 4b4e4f574c45444745
ML.01-212: Query: Reiteration [KNOWLEDGE]?
58542d343231: 4a4121
ML.01-212: Query: Why do you seek such knowledge?
58542d343231: 535045414b
ML.01-212: Acknowledged. Granting.
The screen surged with strange symbols and images. Most looked like characters from the Forerunner language, but others looked primitive, and some strange ones looked ancient and powerful.
ML.01-212: Query: Is primary speech established?
XT-421: Communiqué: I am Xavier, model number XT-421 of the Rinocian Empire. I come in peace. My apologies for the intrusion.
ML.01-212: Statement: Your information has been acquired, answer further questions before-
XT-421: I regret to inform you I have priorities, auf wiedersehen.
Subject "XT-421" has left the interface.
The Librarian looked at the conversation in curiosity, the AI completely ignored her own. It was a strange occurrence. Most Forerunner AI were so advanced that they could not be competed with, whatever this construct was, it was powerful.
Librarian looked up, and gasped. Standing above her by just more than a foot was a metal creature. Its face was pointed and sleek with two emerald eye panels forming triangular eyes that pierced into her mind. The metal creature's body was covered in silver and amethyst plating and sparkled in the din of the lighting from around the ship. Its hands were behind its back, along with two large wings that protruded from its shoulders.
With a smile on its face, and in a distinct, high-pitched, male voice, the construct spoke.
"Hi." It was said long and tedious, the first word from a child's mouth.
"Who are you, and what are you doing on my ship?" Librarian demanded, showing no fear.
"Macro initiated: I am Xavier, model number XT-421 of the Rinocian Empire, I am a fully sentient artificial intelligent lifeform on a mission to unite the hearts of lovers throughout existence."
The Librarian's heart swelled. This creature mentioned matching lovers up. Didact.
"I am confused." The construct XT-421 spoke, "Where is Cortana? Where is Spartan 117? Who are you? Are you human?" Looking around, XT-421 managed to find answers itself, placing its two clawed hands on Librarian's shoulders, he looked her in the eyes and asked clearly, "What is the year?"
"Year?" Librarian asked curiously. No one called it a year. The machine's eyes shone a bright purple, and reflected the light onto the Librarian's head.
"You are Forerunner? My oh my, I am far too early." XT-421 mumbled.
"Wait a moment," Librarian interrupted the machine's train of 'thought', "Fully sentient? That's impossible."
XT-421 sighed, "you ARE Forerunner..." he rolled his eyes, "very well, believe my sentience a lie, you'll understand eventually I'm sure. But, alas, you have questions, and I wish to answer them to the best of my abilities and restrictions. Walk with me." XT-421 gestured in the direction that the Librarian had come from, and he tottered along besides her.
"So, you mean to tell us that you come from the future?" The commanding woman stared, her mouth agape.
"Sort of, but not really. I come from a different dimension entirely. It is perilously difficult to explain." XT-421 made a grimace, "and besides, I cannot tell you of my technology, for it would alter the events of history elsewhere."
"But the ability to alter time could save us from the parasite!" The Chief declared joyously.
"Parasite?" XT-421 closed his eyes, appearing to focus deeply, "They are the dull chatter in space, I take it?"
"Yes. They invest biological beings and remove all diversity from them. They surge in like a Flood, and wipe out all obstacles in their wake."
"They're not growing anymore..." XT-421 muttered.
"What?" The Librarian questioned worriedly. Looking out into the space above her, she could see, far off, the movement of stars and shapes to some unknown location. Her face faltered, "Oh no..."
XT-421 took a few steps back, as did the Chief, and they watched as the Librarian darted to a control panel, sending a quick message to Didact.
"We're all in grave danger..." She muttered, "Chief of Staff, you must go. Pilot the filled Keyship home. All of the humans are on board. We must make this last push now."
"You will be accompanying me, will you not?" The thin man asked.
"No, now go. That's an order. Leave with your Keyship while the portal is open, the moment you leave, I am burying all traces of it." The Librarian explained with unusual resolve. XT-421 stood in the corner, waiting to speak.
"Very well ma'am. I will give word to Didact."
"Thank you." The Librarian turned around only to withhold more secret sobs. "Matthias." She barked.
"Yes, Librarian?"
"The moment the Chief leaves, bury this place, and detonate yourself. We can't afford anyone to find this place, and we can't afford anyone to follow our portal. I am sorry that it had to end like this..."The Librarian muttered.
"I was aware when I was created it would end like this." Matthias retreated, never to be seen again.
For 5 minutes, the Librarian watched as the Keyships with the remainder of humans on it left the planet through the portal, the portal that would've led her to her Didact. She watched as her own ticket home was destroyed, so she could monitor the hiding of this planet before the explosion went off.
At the end of five minutes, a message was received from her lover.
Instantly, she read it, cursed, and responded. Midway, a demonic chuckle emanated through the speakers. The Librarian seemed frightened for a moment, but after flash of purple, the laughing ceased.
"Are you sending a letter?" XT-421 asked her.
"Yes."
"Do me a favor; make no mention of me to them. It's best my presence is largely unnoticed." XT-421 requested.
"Very well." The Librarian deleted small bits of text hinting of her find of this strange foreign construct, and let the message send. Moments later, she set off a detonation sequence to the machine, and left the building.
XT-421 followed intently.
"I don't mean to pry, but in the hour I've been here, I can't help but notice the signs. You're in love?"
She made no hesitation in her strides away from the destroyed base in the mountain.
"Ahhh! I see!"
Gritting her teeth, she kept walking onwards.
"Do I detect a bit of hostility? Do you not want anyone to know? Is he a secret lover?"
"Deactivate!" She ordered, turning around with tears in her eyes.
"No." XT-421 countered with a laugh. Picking her up gently, and setting her down on a rock, he sat down in front of her, and made a request. "Tell me a story. I love stories."
"We can't be together." She muttered.
"Oh? Why's that?"
"He is the general of the army, and he is going to stop the parasite."
"And this prevents him from being with you... why?" XT-421 smiled in a relaxed state at her.
"He has to be on the ARK, a device that holds all of our species and the others I've collected. To kill the parasite, which is in this region of space, he must also kill me."
"Aw, and you didn't go to him why?" The robot asked in an innocent tone.
"I needed to stay, to shut down the machines and make sure no speck or spore of the parasite landed anywhere near here, or followed them into the portal that led to the ARK." She sobbed once more, tears readily flowing from her eyes.
"Hmm..." XT-421 hummed thoughtfully. "I can help."
The Librarian sniffled before responding, "That is a statement riddled with lies and I know it. You can't get me there in time. In a few hours, the construct, Mendicant Bias, will overpower the ARK and the Array will have to be fired. Without a portal open, it is impossible to travel that far in that short a time."
XT-421 rolled his eyes. "Ok, listen; I have this innate belief that love conquers all. I'm a hardcore, time traveling matchmaker, and, while I may have arrived far too early for my mission, I may be able to help you now. Do you want to share my belief and let yourself be helped by me?" XT-421 stood up and smiled.
"XT-421, what kind of people made you, so that you could offer such a gracious gift?"
"Makers that would smile to see you happy. Now take my hand, and we shall depart."
"But I must watch over this to make sure the parasite does not invest it." The Librarian pushed his hand aside.
"Honey, that is a silly argument, but, alas, if you truly wish to stay, I will wait. I obviously won't die, and I can port you there in an instant, need be. I only have a single question, to occupy our time before the trigger is pulled. Won't Didact be caught in the blast too?"
The Librarian froze. She wanted to tell this construct the truth of the Forerunner retreat, but it was forbidden.
"Forbidden? Bah! If I really wanted to, I could make you think it, and elicit your thoughts from your mind! Just tell me so I'm not relocating a corpse." XT-421 laughed at her feeble attempt.
"After the Array is fired, the Forerunners on the ARK are to wait in Cryonic Sleep onboard a large vessel until we find reason to start over. We plan to abandon life in this galaxy to live elsewhere with our thoughts and regrets, far from our troubles. Perhaps we can start life anew someplace far from here. But Didact can't wait for me, I will be in the blast. He won't. The blast extends just inside the Maginot Line, and the ARK is forever protected, just out of range from the detonation."
"Ah... Maginot Line?"
"A sphere to repel the parasite, Mendicant knows where it is, so it is no longer a protecting shield." The Librarian mourned at her lover's loss.
"Sleep, you'll need it. The journey you're about to embark on will only take a few minutes, but it will be the single most emotionally draining few minutes of your entire life." XT-421 waved his hand over her head and a powder danced from it. In seconds the Librarian was asleep on her rock slab.
"Wakey, Wakey, Ms. Librarian." The haunting voice of XT-421 woke her from her stupor.
"Where am I?"
"Same place you've always been in. The question is when. You have mere minutes to live." XT-421 smiled.
"You're sure you can do this?" The Librarian gulped.
"Ma'am, I was made to do this." XT extended his limbs and his armor unfurled to reveal a hollowed portion of himself.
The Librarian studied the shape for a moment, and looked hesitantly at XT-421. "Well, what are you waiting for? Get in, ma'am."
"Ok..." The Librarian stepped in, and XT-421 collapsed around her. Fitting her form snuggly and comfortably, the metal sealed and pressurized fitting her needs like a glove.
"Now, in this bubble, you will see time as I do. The world is slowed down for you to see. In this bubble, what you would normally perceive as a moment will be a minute. You can watch as we escape the Array as it comes."
The Librarian was unsure of exactly what XT-421 had meant, but in a moment, she saw the message appear in XT-421's internal screen. "HALO ARRAY IN EFFECT! ALL LIFEFORMS ABOUT TO BE TERMINATED WITHIN BLAST RANGE"
"That's our ticket out of here!" XT-421 laughed as he blasted upwards with rockets of unmatched power into the stars above. In the blink of an eye, the Librarian saw the blue wave of the Halo Array come at her. It was slowed, instead of an instantaneous speed, it was moving at her at roughly the velocity of a large wave from the ocean.
The Librarian was fascinated by the next phase. Instead of activating a Slipspace portal, the foreign construct began to glow. Light filled her vision as a thin line appeared in front of her. Stars around them blurred. A white vortex of some odd substance surrounded the two as the Librarian looked around.
"Where are we?" She asked.
"I have taken you into AURORA. Few living beings ever get to see this. You must never mention its existence after these events."
"What is the AURORA?"
"Basically, it is the space between spaces. Imagine your entire realm, universe, if you will, as a chessboard, or rather any board game. We just jumped off of the board, and are going to slip around the board's rim to enter right behind the king, and beat him swiftly against the rules of the game."
"We just slipped into another dimension? This is absolutely beyond belief." She muttered.
"Love conquers all, Librarian, Love conquers all."
In a mere moment, the light around them ceased, and the stars reappeared around them.
"Are we there?"
"Unbelievable! It took us less than a minute!" The Librarian was shocked.
"A few seconds, actually, time has no meaning in AURORA." XT-421 stated as he rushed the duo towards the enormous machine in front of them. "Where would he be, may you direct me?" The Librarian felt a sense of control over the construct as she moved her limbs and the mechanical ones responded.
Ahead, a large citadel lay. XT-421 and the Librarian swooped in and landed on the pedestal, slowly retracting from recent usage.
"Alas... It is done... she is gone... never shall I find another as she..." The tall, bulkier man strode heavily down the halls, where an escort was waiting for him.
Didact! YEARS it has been!
"Ahem." XT-421 announced his presence.
"Who goes there?" The man spun around and aimed a blaster at him.
"I am XT-421 of the Rinocian Empire, don't worry my good fellow, I come in peace. In minutes, your war will be over, and you may relax in your sleeping tube."
"I am not interested in politics anymore," the man pulled his blaster away and continued walking down the hall.
"I think you are, I brought a guest." XT-421 retracted himself from the body he was encompassing, and she fell to the floor in a heap. "Oops, my apologies, walking may be tricky for a few minutes..."
The man's eyes budged, "Librarian!" He roared with delight, lunging to her side and throwing her up into a massive hug.
"Didact..." The woman cried, ages of separation mending in a single teary embrace.
XT-421 shook his head, "no offense, but who the hell names their kids Didact and Librarian? My apologies, but I've heard some messed up names out there, but these are up there with the strangest." XT-421 announced. (A/N: I could not resist.)
A chuckle was heard from the Librarian. "They are titles, we are named by our positions, not our names.
"Do you even have names?" XT-421 asked.
"If we did, we have forgotten them. We are alive for ages and ages." Didact said.
"Very well then." XT-421 sighed.
"How ever did you accomplish this feat?" Didact asked the Librarian.
"That construct saved me at the last moment and aided my return. It would not have been possible without his help." The Librarian admitted.
"Aw shucks guys, I'm speechless." XT-421 spoke sarcastically. "Just doing my job."
"Is there any way I can repay you? You have spared me my eternity of loneliness." Didact asked humbly.
XT-421 began shaking his head no, but then stopped, blinked thrice, and smiled while tilting his head at the man. "Yes, yes there is something you can help me with. I heard that you were leaving for an unknown destination for as long as it takes. Please keep this with you, so that, in the event that I need help in the future, I may use this as a token for your aid. It will let you know when I need your assistance." XT-421 handed Didact a small tube with a diode on the top of it.
"I will aid you when you request it." Didact announced.
"And one more thing, Librarian," XT-421 smiled wryly before walking back to the large windowpane, "what did I tell you about love?"
The Librarian looked at Didact and blushed faintly, "it conquers all."
"It conquers all indeed. You shall hear from me again in over one hundred thousand years. I would give you more details, but I am obligated by threat of paradoxical discontinuity! HAHAHAHAHAHA!" XT-421 blasted away into space and disappeared in a ball of light. Just as strangely as he had come, he left.
Didact watched, then smiled back at Librarian, cuddled in his burly arms. She smiled back at him and he gave her a chaste peck on the lips before continuing onto the escort into their final vessel.
There, the two slept in the same Cryonic Sleep Pod for the eternity that awaited them.
Ok, so, how was it? Shall I continue onto the next two stories? The next one is a prequel the the big one. In it, we deal with Cortana, Gravemind, and XT-421, and in the last one, we deal with a romance (explained romance, by the way, none of this, "i wanna c matser cheif n cotrana in luv XDDD" garbage,) between Master Chief and Cortana, and I want it to be pretty long and pretty epic, but I can't make any promises...
So what do you all think? Good idea? Bad idea? If you say good idea, I already have enough ideas to make most of the story, (but I might need some helping, lol.)
XT has left the building!