Hey its 2 good 2 kill again. Sorry for the lack of activity, been working on other projects along with social life. For my writers block on my second story I have decided to skip that story for a little while and give my fans (if I have any) something to pass the time. This would have been the third installment in my series. Don't worry though the stories cryptic enough that you won't be lost from the events of the two previous one. I still plan on completing the second one. I hope the community likes this and will give me both feed back. Constructive criticism is also welcome. I own nothing pertaining to either franchise...damn it.
The stars dotted the expanse of the sky. Their beauty was not interrupted from other lights of an advanced civilization. Two beings stared up at the stars pondering their thoughts. Both wore clothes that were made of a fine material. Each had features that were alike, but the shorter ones appearance was slightly different. One was young and had brown hair that dominated his scalp. The other was far older and had sliver hair.
"Do you think that were alone?" Eragon asked Oromis.
"We have each other, but no I sense no one else's presence." the wise rider responded.
"No, I mean do you think anyone else lives amongst the stars?" Eragon asked again making his question clearer.
The old rider brought his hand to his chin as he stared up at the stars. He stoked it deep in thought.
"There is a wide expanse of stars it is possible there are others that have the beauty of life. It would be a waste of that beauty if others did not live besides us." he stated his philosophy.
Eragon nodded knowingly but he regretted he didn't get a definite answer.
"Do you think we'll ever meet them?" Eragon said.
Oromis smirked as a feeling of nostalgia washed over him.
"Not in my lifetime I'm afraid." Oromis said as he stared up at the twinkling stars.
Eragon said nothing but a feeling of helplessness consumed him as he remembered his masters sickness. He said nothing as to not ruin the moment.
"Glaedr and Saphira are on their way." Oromis said as he rose from his chair.
"Great." Eragon mumbled as he knew what would come next.
Unbeknownst to most of the life forms on the planet someone from the stars was coming. Those that did know knew of the prophecy and dreaded his approach. For when he came everything that they knew would be forever changed.
A massive hulk of scrap metal floated through the expanse of space. It rode the gravitational pull of the universe. Some would say it was in harmony with everything around it others would think it ugly and something to be removed. The Forever in His Hands, a medium sized cruiser, tumbled through empty space. It's two occupants had slept for numerous days. The ship had been to badly damaged for slipspace travel or basic use of thrusters. The final battle that had befallen the ship had been one of legend. Unfortunately for one sole occupant, in a final act to save others it had sacrificed its way back home. The being had rightfully earned its title.
Scanners on the ship probed forever into the expanse of space searching for a place to set down, while a beacon cried out into the dark searching for anyone to save it. The scanners found something…a possible habitable planet. The deep space scanners went into overtime scanning the planet. The computer named the WATCHER read the information.
SCANNING
UPLOADING DATA
…
…
…
UPLOADING COMPLETE
UKNOWN PLANET DATA:
ATMOSPHERE:30% OXYGEN…60% NITROGEN…7% CARBONDIOXIDE…3% OTHER.
ATMOSPHERIC TEMERATURE:-20 TO 40 DEGREES CELSIUS.
ENERGY READINGS:THERMAL…LIFEFROMS PRESENT …NUCLEAR… NONEXISTANT…RADIATION LEVES… NORMAL BACKGROUND RADIATION …ELECTRICAL… MINIMAL TO NONEXISTANT.
TOPOGRAPHY:LAND MASS 30%…WATER 70%.
END OF DATA
DESIGNATION
…
HABITABLE
AWAKE SPARTAN
RELEASE CODE
RECLAIMER'S CASKET
CODE CONFIRMED
BEGINNING THAW SHAKE DOWN
SPARTAN IN STATSIS FOR APROXIMATELY: 5 YEARS, 3 MONTHS, 10 DAYS, 20hrs, 37min, 46sec.
WARNING
THAW POTENTINALLY DANGEROUS TO OCCUPANT
PRECAUTIONAL THAW BEGUN
SPARTAN OPERATIONAL IN APROXIMATELY: 17hrs.
17 hrs later.
The CRYO CHAMMBER housed many cryotubes for a crew of 300. Only one was active. The thawing process was complete. A hiss of escaping air escaped the coffin like tube. An obscuring mist of cold air flowed out of the tube. Like rising from the a forgotten time the Spartan emerged from the light. His glorious armor was battle scarred. A Katana ran from the top of his left shoulder to the right side of his thigh. The newly awakened being took in deep breaths to enjoy the unfiltered air. Rising from one knee he approached the computer consul opposite him.
GREETINGS SPARTAN III GAMMA 267.
TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE.
SHIP IS ON CALCUALATED CRASH TO HABITABLE UNKNOWN PLANET.
SENORS INDICATE THAT THE SHIP HAS SUSTAINED MASSIVE DAMAGE TO SUPERSTRUCTURE. HIGH PROBABLITY OF SHIP BREAK UP UPON ENTERINTING PLANETS ATMOSPHERE. SURVING CRASH ABOARD SHIP 9%.
USING HEV POD HAS A 98.9% CHANCE SURVIVAL RATING
SERNORS ALSO INDICATED THAT THE CURRENT MARK IV ARMOUR IS TOO BADLY DAMAGE FOR SUSTAINED USE.
PLACE ARMOUR IN ARMOURY AND I SHALL ATTEND TO REPAIRS
RECOMMEND SUIT UP IN ODST ARMOR.
SELECT WEAPONS AT YOUR DISCRETION.
The figure read assessment on current situation and the planet. An audible sigh escaped his lips. He had worn his armor into numerous engagements it had become apart of him, it had made him who he was. To leave it behind was terrible, but his analytical side told him that it was just a piece of armor that had been over used and would be a liability in battle.
Heading out of the CYRO CHAMMBER he headed to the closest armory. Each step he took echoed through the quiet ship. The dead silence put him on edge. He hated silence. What he wanted to hear was the clatter of gunfire and the roars of his enemies.
Entering the armory he head over to the repair shop. Mechanical arms surrounded a flat bed. Taking off his helmet he set it at the top and worked his way down. Bit by bit he began to remove his armor until he stood in his underwear. He looked at the odd arm attachment that Guilty Spark had given him. It hummed to life at his touch. A white glow emanated from the top a three dimensional screen appeared. Unfamiliar letters formed in front of him before they were translated to English in front of his eyes.
Retrieving information from CAVEAT
INFROMATION OBTAINED
[CAVEAT]
The following information has been gleaned from a variety of sources, impartial and otherwise. Records retrieved from alien systems cannot be verified except by cross-reference against out own records. The significant system-wide lull in record-keeping for many of these species invalidates much of the provable veracity of this information. The following document is as accurate as possible under difficult circumstances but should be treated as an in complete investigation only.
Investigation Status: ONGOING
Information origins include:
UNSECURED ALIEN COMPUTER ARCHIVES [SUSPECT]
RECORDED OBSERVATION [VARIABLE]
TRANSLATED COMMUNICATIONS [VARIABLE]
INTERLOPED SYSTEMS [SUSPECT]
OWN ARCHIVAL [ACCURATE]
COMMUNICATIONS FROM ARRAY INSTALATIONS [CLEAR]
COMMUNICATIONS FROM SHIELDS [CLEAR]
ASSUMPTIONS FORM MONITOR 343 GUITLY SPARK[UNDER INVESTIGATION]
ASSUMPTIONS FROM 2401 PENITENT TANGENT [CLEAR]
DNA/RNA/Silicon samples are encoded in this datastream. Reproduction of individuals for analysis is prohibited by this facility [CAVEAT].
BEASITRY (CONTAINS ALL RECORDED SPECIES BEFORE AND AFTER ACTVIATION)
TIER OF TECHNOLOGICAL ACHIEVEMENT LEVELS
FORERUNNDER INSTALATIONS (ALL FACILITIES, WEAPONRY, AND CITIES)
GUILTY SPARKS LOG
The Spartan looked down at the little device in amazement. Guilt Spark had given him all of the Forerunner knowledge. It was a gift beyond imagining.
Turning off the device and looking down at him self he realized that he needed some new underwear. Ignoring the cool air that surrounded his body he entered the Locker portion of the armory. He began to go through the ODST suits until he had assembled an armor pair that was fit to his liking. Sliding the helmet onto his head he began to double check everything.
Turning on the VISR he checked the low-light vision enhancement, the camera, and the internal and external speakers. Everything got a green light.
He exited the Locker and began to sort through the armory. Opening a box that read ODST CANNON. This quirked some interest from the soldier. Inside the box was what looked like a machine gun. It had shorter barrels than the typical machine gun. Grips normally on shot gun were on each of the three barrels. What really surprised the soldier was that it had 8 Gauge Shells for ammo. It was a cross between a shot gun and a machine gun. This weapon would be absolutely deadly against multiple opponents in tight corridors. Closing the lid he put the box back where he found it. When he fell out of the ship he wanted to be fast and light, the weapon would just slow him down.
The Spartan began to cross off weapons that would not suit him. He crossed off the Flamethrower, Machine Gun Turret, Missile Pod, Rocket Launcher, Grenade Launcher, and the Spartan Laser. As these weapons were large, cumbersome, and overkill for anything that he might face on a back water planet like this. That left the Assault Rifle, Battle Rifle, Magnum, Shot Gun, SMG, and the Sniper Rifle. He immediately discarded the Assault Rifle. Why Jack and John loved the semi-useless weapon he could never guess. The Shot Gun was a good weapon but it lacked magazine capacity, in case he came across a large group of enemies. The Sniper Rifle was good at long range but he wanted something a little closer in case things got closer than he wanted. That left the Magnum, SMG, and the Battle Rifle. Plus the Katana, and other necessary equipment that he would bring. He would take all three. The SMG for its sheer rate of fire, the Battle Rifle for medium range, and the Magnum as a side arm in case things got desperate.
Satisfied that he had chosen his weapons he took the ODST variant of the Magnum and SMG. The M6C Magnum and M7S SMG. Both came with a sound suppressor and a smart link scope. The Battle Rifle was just another standard issue Battle Rifle.
The Magnum was strapped to his leg and the SMG on his thigh. The Battle Rifle was placed on his back and his back pack filled gear on top of that. The Katana laid perpendicular to the Battle Rifle so that he could draw it at a moments notice. Booted, suited, and ready to jump the Spartan now turned ODST took the elevator to the bottom of the ship where the SOEIV 'Drop Pods' were stationed. Picking the first one he placed the SMG in one of the weapon racks. He strapped himself in. A small map appeared on his visor showing where he would and where the ship would crash. The distance estimate was roughly 15 kilometers from his crash site to the ship's crash site. A 30 second count down appeared as the WATCHER prepared to drop him.
A synthetic voice echoed in the Spartan's helmet. "Five, four, three, two, one…Launch."
There was a snap and a hiss as the Drop Pod was released from Forever in His Hands.
As the Spartan's POD entered the upper atmosphere of the planet the temperature rose inside the pod. The intense heat caused the warrior to sweat but with his training he was able to ignore it. The thought of "digging your own grave" inside the pod was not all that appealing. He just hoped that the pod's chute would deploy. There was a thump that slammed the back of his head against the pod's wall.
"Oww…now all I need to worry about now is my landing." he thought.
The desolate mountainside was peaceful, until a large flaming metal object smashed into the trees smashing limbs aside and setting many on fire. It crashed into the earth with an thump. A deep crater surrounded the pod. There was a hiss and a bang as the door to the pod burst forth from its resting place. Stepping out onto the alien planet he recognized a very unalien surrounding. Fir trees that weren't fire rustled in the breeze. Checking the immediate vicinity he came to the conclusion that nothing or one was here yet. Looking up to the sky he could see the fiery trail of Forever in His Hands as it entered the planet's atmosphere. Crawling out of the crater he checked his HUD to see the waypoint. A small blue dot appeared on his radar. Nodding in confirmation he headed to the waypoint.
Rorarn stared at the comet that lit up the sky it was headed toward the Spine. Letting air refill his lungs he hadn't realized that he had been holding his breath. He had grown worried for Katrina's sake. Baldor had sent word to him of his father's death, which was the only reason he had abandoned his job in Dempton's mill in Therinsford. From what he had gathered from Baldor's letter was that the two strangers that had come into town had killed Garrow, and Eragon had fled with Brom. The only conclusion as to the strangers involvement in Garrow's death was that they were searching for the blue stone that Eragon had found in the Spine.
It infuriated him that Eragon had a hand in Garrow's murder even though it was accidental. Stroking his camp fire with a stick he reignited the flame. Sparks raced up into the night sky before burning out.
The lone soldiers stalked through the silent mountain side forest with only his thoughts for company. He held the SMG loosely at his side, as he strolled through the quiet forest. He would have been moving at a faster pace but he didn't know what kind of creatures lived on this planet and he needed to be ready for anything. Hurrying could get him killed or accidentally kill a potential ally. Pausing for a moment he stared at the device on his wrist. Could it perhaps some details on the creatures of the planet? It was certainly worth looking into. Moving forward along the mountainside he came across a cave. Activating his low level light enhancer he searched the cave for possible threats. He found nothing. Deciding that now was a good spot as any to answer his questions he activated the device. It flared to life giving him the same menu output it had before.
Selecting BEASITRY he entered a new menu selection.
SPACEFARING
DOMINANT SPECIES
GALACTIC LOCATION
Pressing his finger on the symbol closest to LOCATION.
A new list of menu options appeared.
DOMINANT
CLOSE TO EXTICNTION
LOW CLASSEXTINCT
ALL
He chose DOMINANT for those were the creatures that he would most likely run into on the planet.
A new list appeared.
HUMANS
ELVES
SANGHEILI
DRAGONS
DWARVES
The list went on and on but just for a second his heart stopped beating. Their were humans and sangheili on this planet? Along with a bunch of other fairy tale creatures. This was just to much for him. Their were also Reclaimers like him on this planet? Could it be that their could be other Spartans, or perhaps humans that had been elevated to Reclaimer status. The latter was more likely than the former as much as it pained him.
He stare from the top of the list and worked his way down.
[Human, Homo sapiens ]
Homeworld: Aduro
Star, Position: Incendia, VII
Satellite(s): Astrum
Atmosphere: 1 atm [N2, O2]
POPULATION: 1 billion
SOCIETAL APPROXIMATION: RELGIOUS/DICTORAL/MILITIANT
The human population group has a technological level of Tier 7(Preindustrial). These humans are the least developed of all the human populated worlds. An understanding of Energy Manipulation, multiple competing societies, and other predatory creatures has probably resulted in the humans slow technological advancement.
These humans have had a better treatment with the other dominant races than those that have originated from other planets. Humans, Dragons, Urgals, Dwarves, and Elves of Alagaesia have formed a strong alliance against a common foe. The sangheili and humans of the Haven Garden have formed a strong and lasting(approx: 95,000 years) alliance against other factions. Other nations are mixed.
ELVES
SANHEILI
DRAGONS
DWARVES
There was just to much information of this planet to go through in one day. Taking a nutrition bar out of his pack he wolfed it down and continued on his way. His mind wurred with thoughts as to how humans got here along with the other species.
Climbing atop another mountain the black clad soldier saw his destination ahead. The ship hadn't been merciful when it had crashed into the mountains. Snow had melted leaving the mountains bare and naked. Trees had been knocked over, or were burnt as the ship passed. Some were still lit on fire. A lake/river had begun to form at the tail end of the ship. Animals that once been here were either dead or fled. Once he came a cross a group of birds that had been cooked in the air and fell to the earth. With the dramatic changes to the environment made the going a bit more of a struggle, but eventually he made it into the ship. He entered the closest air lock. Lights illuminated his path other corridors remained dark. A holographic billboard illuminated showing PLEASE FOLLOW THE PATH. He knew that the dumb AI had survived the crash landing. Checking the damage to the ship he saw that most of the damage had been facial and that everything inside had been thrown about but was still in good order. At the end of the path he reached the bridge. Sitting down in the captain's chair he waited for the AI to do something. The 2D holographic panel in front of him showed the STARS satellites that the AI had launched prior to entry. Eighteen of the satellites orbited the planet. They were spreading out further to cover the entire planet. A data stream below showed information that was being gathered. The AI selected one of the satellites above their position. Accessing the camera on the satellite it showed a small portion of the continent they were on. He could see the crashed outline of the ship and other populations that the AI had highlighted most were shown as a dull gray, neutral. Their were two red blotches, one large and the other small. The large one was closer to him was centered around one city, the other was spread out through a large mountainous area. The AI zoomed into a small village south of the ship. Uneasiness grew in him.
INFORMATION ON LOCAL POPULATION IS REQUIRED
INFILTRATION
He sighed and the most of the uneasiness left him.
"Tomorrow." was all he said.
The AI said nothing and let him be. Rising from his chair he left the bridge and head to the captains quarters. When he entered he saw that the hardwood desk had been toppled over and various books sprawled around the area. He moved passed the mess, he would clean it up later. Entering through another door he saw what he wanted, a bed. Taking off his armor and gear, he laid down on the bed and let true sleep take him.