Defying Gods and Angels

by Follower38

Reposting the contents of the story for my own record keeping here. Forgot how I was one of those who came up with the idea the Domain survived the Halos before the release of Halo 5.

1. Prologue

Defying Gods and Angels

A/N: More of a one-shot then another story. If someone wants to take this over, please tell me so I can read it too.

WARNING

HEAVY SPOILERS

Spoilers for Halo 4 and The Forerunner Series of Novels.

Synopsis: The Ur-Didact, the First Didact, was betrayed by his wife, the Librarian, during his increasingly vindictive efforts to combat the Flood, turning his own warriors and then Humans into the mechanical Promethean Warriors. Locked away in his cryptum within his own personal Shield World of Requiem, alive. Intended to have total access to the Domain, the entirety of all Forerunner knowledge , and meditate upon his actions. And upon the arrival of the Reclaimers on his world, ensuring that Humanity's rise and taking responsibility of the Mantle of Responsibility.

But the plan soured, the very thing that the Didact created to destroy the Flood, would also destroy his wife's plan. Annihalting both all life and Flood in the galaxy and all Precursor technology: including The Domain itself.

Yet, what if it had survived?

Defying all odds, the Domain endured.

And now, history, takes a different course.

Shield World

Requiem

Inner Core

June 15, 2561

Naval Master Chief Petty Officer John/Sierra-117 ran, sprinting for the two waist-high pillars infront of him even as Cortana urged him on, intent on keeping the UNSC Infinity ship outside of the planet. Placing his hands on them as Cortana tells him to, he idly marks the Reclaimer symbol imprinted on them.

Returning to the task at hand, he opens up a comm. channel to Infinity, hoping whatever technology was here would amplify his signal. "Infinity! This is Sierra 117 of the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn. Do you copy?" A faint rumble echoed through the floor followed by his message, garbled. Without warning, the massive sphere in the center of the room begins to rise. The weapons fire around the chamber cease as all are focused on the phenomenon in front of them.

"Chief, something's wrong." He doesn't hear her, all his attention focused on the sphere in front of him. It is, familiar. Like when he was on Installation 04 and he instinctively knew how to engage the Hardlight Bridge and the Silent Cartographer. "Chief, let go of the contacts." He doesn't listen, only watch the sphere begin to spin slowly. "JOHN!"

He all but jumps away from the pillars, drawing his BR55HB SR 'Battle Rifle'. Seeing for the first time all the Covenant and Promethean warriors standing stock still and watching the satellite, he begins walking backwards. "Finds us an exit." The sphere begins to stop its slow spin. "Now."

"Don't need to wait around for me!" Taking the cue, he leaps from the platform, still well away from the combatants below, taking cover beneath a chest-high wall. A half-second later, a sonic-blast sounds through the room, anything not behind a wall or magnetically attached to the floor is thrown to it.

A platform descends from the bottom of the sphere, the spokes upright around it, descending in a petal-pattern. On it kneels a single massive individual, even from a distance one can see massive amount of muscle upon them.

It rises, flexing its shoulders and its arms. Beckoned, plates of metal emerge from the base of the platform, attaching themselves or hanging in place around the figure. Lines around the armor glow orange as energy courses through it. "So long has it been, and so much has been squandered."

The Ur-Didact looks upon his Promethean warriors, ignoring the beasts around them. "Only now after so long, do I see what you saw my love. They truly were, no are, our equals," he turned; looking upon every Promethean in the room, and seeing all the lesser species bow before him. "You took my warriors for your own, and now I shall follow them." He waved his hand, and pulse of energy shook the room. What once coursed with orange and red, the colors he had taken once his hatred of humanity returned, faded. Being replaced by the softer blue hue the Librarian had used all her life.

"So fades the hubris of the past, and yet, it seems these beasts do not recognize what you truly are, human." He sweeps his hand, the low wall John was hiding behind disappearing in a flicker of hard light petals. He rises, drawing his rifle and targeting the Didact. "Hold your fire human, we may have been enemies once, lifetimes ago, but now we are not. The Forerunners have returned, and no, so will Humanity."