Different Yet Similar
Chapter 1- Crash Landing
Author's Note-
This story is based off of Riser's tale he told of when he was with three Forerunners, takes place during Halo: Primordium. Though I moved it in an Alternate Universe direction since I made some changes.
Also Alternate Universe due to changes to Forerunner appearances. Since the appearance in Halo 4 didn't sit well with me for default Forerunner appearance. But the ones we see the faces of in Halo 4 being the result of artificially induced mutation? Perfectly fine with me. I know Forerunners weren't advanced Humans as some think, but I made them different yet similar.
Credit for the inspiration goes to VisceralLuster on Deviantart. I was greatly inspired by her drawing of a Forerunner, apparently named Weight of Worlds. Which I felt was a much better design of a Forerunner.
Within one of the entrances to the docking tube leading from The Capital's interior to a Forerunner cruiser, three Forerunners stood.
The three, like most Forerunners, looked remarkably similar to Humans. However, in body shape and some external appearances only such as nose, ears, and the same number of limbs and digits. The similarities ended there. While they usually had hair on the top of their head like Humans, they also had fuzz on their faces, and males had fuzz on the back of their hands.
Shadow-Over-Eternal-Seas looked at Paradox-of-Light-and-Darkness and Tone-of-Sands-of-Time with yellow piercing eyes. "Take this one to our ship, and await further orders." His skin was gray, his hair and fuzz were green.
Tone stood at attention. "Yes, sir." His skin was green tinted with blue, blue fuzz and hair, and orange eyes.
Paradox did likewise, she swore Tone's voice hid the slightest bit of disgust. "Affirmative, sir." Her purple smooth skin, bright white hair and matching fuzz on her face, and deep but warm purple eyes being the most prominent features when she had her armor on.
Paradox and Tone walked to the floating gray ring-shaped structure holding a blue stasis bubble.
The being inside was known to the Forerunners as Chamanush, a sub species of Humans. Possessing more 'primitive' characteristics than baseline Humans- reduced mandible, lacking a chin, and a smaller cranial capacity along with a proportionally smaller brain. They also had a smaller stature at little over a meter tall with fur-like hair on the face and body.
Paradox took one side of the ring while Tone took the other, and walked down the halls while pulling it.
Halfway to their destination, far from Shadow, Tone looked at Paradox with disgust on his face and his voice a whisper. "Did you hear about what happened to the San'Shyuum? And about the Halo?"
Paradox looked at Tone momentarily, her voice a whisper too. "Yes. It's horrible. If the Librarian hadn't indexed them days before..." She bowed her head slightly. He needs to be brought to justice for what he's done, and the other war crimes…
As they walked through rooms and chambers, other Forerunners would look at them with curiosity, and some with disgust.
Paradox shook her head. They most likely found out too.
The two Forerunners walked down a long and narrow silver well-lit hallway to the entrance tube which led to their ship. Holographic lights were spaced evenly across the ceiling.
They walked through the tube and through the airlock into the ship.
The interior was, like the exterior, silver in color though more decorated. Lines of black decorated the floor in Forerunner symbols, including the Mantle symbol at the center. Also known as the Eld, or Tree-Mark.
Paradox looked to the rear of the ship. "Over here."
The two guided the ring to the back of the room on the ship.
Paradox pressed several holographic buttons on the side of the ring. And a screen popped up. 'Magnetic interlock activated.'
The platform under the ring, which maintained its hovering state, lowered to the floor. It locked to the floor, nothing short of a severe crash landing would shake it loose now.
Tone turned to Paradox. "Any idea why Faber would want the Human as well as another one they found for their spirits?"
Paradox had heard of what happened. Two Humans were on the ship with Bornstellar and the Didact. Names currently unknown. The Didact and Bornstellar wouldn't tell their enemy anything.
She looked at Tone. "No idea. But I suspect its nothing good." She looked at the bubble. "We should wait outside for Shadow." She paused for a moment, looking at the bubble. We should do something.
Tone did likewise. "We need to do something, Faber can't keep having his way."
Paradox nodded in silent affirmation.
The two left the ship to stand just outside the entrance to the tube, in the hallway.
Tone-of-Sands-of-Time started to pace back and forth in front of the entrance tube.
Paradox-of-Light-and-Darkness stood by the wall opposite Tone. "Something troubling you?"
Tone sighed deeply. "What if we're betraying everything we're supposed to stand for? We're supposed to be Warriors, not Builder Security!" He restrained a scream of anger. "And look what hehas done! Bringing a species to near extinction. And for what?!" His eyes hid intense inner turmoil.
Paradox had a look of surprise, Tone normally didn't lose his cool. "Shush!" Paradox looked down the other end of the well-lit hall. "If they heard you, they'd do bad things." Paradox looked remorseful, her voice barely above a whisper. "I know...we betrayed the Mantle, went against everything we stand for."
Tone sighed deeply, a sigh of exasperation, of one who was stuck where they didn't want to be. "This whole war, this whole situation, our society. It's all screwed up."
Paradox gave a weary smile and whispered. "True." She looked at Tone. "If the chance presents itself, we should just leave, and join the Lifeworkers and Warriors." She looked in the direction of the tube. "And take the one in the bubble with us. Whatever Faber has planned for the Humans, its likely nothing good."
Tone nodded. "We have to be careful. Do it wrong, and who knows what happens. I really wouldn't want to find out what he does to those that defect from his side."
Paradox shivered in her armor. "True, there's too many horrible punishments he could inflict." She pushed off the wall gracefully. "We should wait-"
The lights flickered, dimmed, and suddenly turned off. The darkness only lasted a millisecond, before the lights switched back on, replaced by eerie dim green lighting.
Paradox tried to reach for her weapon but found herself freeze just before touching her Boltshot. My armor...its...
Her and Tone's armors, colored white-silver with blue trim-lines, were locked up.
A voice appeared to come from everywhere. "The time has come."
Paradox gasped. "That voice!"Her eyes widened. Betrayed us many ages ago. Why appear again? Why now?
The voice seemed to come out of the walls. "What you have spent many centuries building, I can destroy in seconds."
Tone found his voice amongst his fear. "Why?! Why join the wretched parasite?!"
The voice became sinister and deep. "After forty three years of conversing with the Gravemind, I came to the decision. Forerunners must be destroyed, they are a parasite upon the galaxy."
Tone snorted. "Parasites? Us?" He glared. "Look at what the Flood are doing to us!"
The voice became demonic, drilling into the ears of listeners. "The same as you do, nothing more, nothing less."
Tone snarled. "Why do you think we're parasites?! Tell me!"
Paradox was surprised at the outburst, she'd never seen him get this angry.
"Poor ignorant fool. You do realize your society is built upon lies and deceit. Keeping species that threaten you at a lower technological level, and de-evolving those that threatened you like Humans. It is too corrupt and broken. It must fall." It paused. "The Didact?! Former friend, it's been a while..." The voice continued elsewhere, but the frozen state persisted.
Paradox came to a horrific realization. "Tone, he froze our armors! We're at his mercy!" She struggled but her armor was stiff as stone.
The voice echoed loudly. "What! How did you know?! How di-"
The green lighting reverted back to the normal white.
Paradox felt her armor slacken, and she was able to move again. "Appears the Didact knew the override code..."
Paradox and Tone heard their commander's voice through their built-in helmet communicator. "We're getting out of here, get the ship ready! Set the coordinates for Installation 07!"
Paradox ran down the gray tube followed by Tone. "Mendicant Bias. Really didn't expect him to return, not like that!" The airlock opened and the pair quickly ran into the ship with haste.
Paradox ran to the cockpit, sat in the dark brown seat, and started up the ship, and set the coordinates. Her fingers danced across the blue holographic displays.
Tone looked back at the stasis bubble close to the rear of the ship. "Still there."
Tone quickly took his seat and looked a Paradox.
She was almost done preparing the ship for takeoff.
Paradox saw the energy field, it was rippling. The only thing between the hangar and the cold, hard vacuum of space. The lights of the hangar were flickering, apparently having suffered damage.
Their captain, Shadow-Over-Eternal-Seas, quickly dashed into the ship, the airlock closing and locking behind him. "Take off, now!"
Paradox-of-Light-and-Darkness quickly flew the ship out of the hangar, and brought the ship between two of the world plates, two of many making up the vast Capital. She took the closest and shortest path to Installation 07. It dawned upon her why Shadow said to take off now and how he knew a Halo was there. Several of the massive Halos were present, landscapes within the rings' interior the most prominent thing. "By the Mantle…"
The proximity alarm sounded, despite them being hundreds of kilometers away from the station.
The cause for it was revealed when a spaceship flew right bast them, the pilots apparently fleeing in a blind panic.
Another ship intersected their path, resulting in a crash and a brilliant blue fireball.
Oh no… Paradox knew why this was happening. An attack is one thing, but this...no wonder panic was sowed. She took evasive maneuvers to ensure they didn't join the many ships that crashed into each other.
Shadow looked at the being in the stasis bubble. "That one is important, Faber's orders are to land on that Halo and await his orders. No exceptions."
Paradox continued piloting the ship, many others like theirs were flying to the Halo that was her destination. Some were damaged with fire and smoke trailing, others weren't.
The three Forerunners could see the scope of the battle. Five of the currently twelve Halos were charging up.
Paradox's eyes widened. There was only 11...wait! The horror dawned upon her. "Mendicant Bias! He's the one that stole a Halo!" She made sure the ship was aimed for Installation 07. "We have to land, or we're done for!"
Shadow snarled. "If we lose the Human...he's more valuable than you realize. Land with haste!"
Paradox had to withstand the urge to look back at their caption. I know! When we get there...
The three saw the remaining seven Halos try to escape into a gigantic slipspace portal. Five cruisers and two Fortress class ships flew out.
Fortress class ships were some of the largest Forerunner ships. One hundred kilometers in length, with a dome shaped rear, and a long 'tail' bristling with weapons and a large, powerful laser at the end.
The five cruisers flying past them were a lot sleeker and faster, though still heavily armed.
The ships engaged the Halos that were charging their weapons. Streams of energy were gathering at the center of the rings.
Hundreds of thousands of Weapon-Ships flew from the Fortresses at the Halos, while at the same time the massive ships fired their own weapons- lasers, plasma, and hardlight weapons.
The automated defenses of the Halos, controlled by the monitor to attack any threat to their installation regardless of intent, attacked the ships besieging their installations.
One of the rings headed towards the portal, sliding in. Another moved, and was close to entering.
A Fortress class emerged from the portal, and opened fire at point blank range at the Halo, intending to destroy the weapon.
It was successful in inflicting damage, however it sustained critical damage and was left floating while the Ring broke apart. One of the Halo's fragments struck and shattered the Fortress into many pieces. The other fragments were spinning around.
Installation 07 drew closer. While it wasn't under attack from any of the ships currently, dozens of sentinels were rushing to assist the other Halos' weapons and sentinels against the Forerunner ships.
Paradox looked at the charging weapons. "If any of those fire..." She grimaced at the thought.
Shadow looked at the situation. "Land, and we'll survive. There's only one thing that matters."
Paradox knew what he was talking about and glared slightly. His life isn't the only one that matters. There are so many on the Capital! Even those who don't deserve to die.
The ship flew past one side of the Halo and descended towards the land below. The ship suddenly shook violently.
"We're hit!" Paradox looked at the control console and hit the status icon. It brought up the ship and she knew what happened. It was either enemy, or friendly, fire, and it scorched their rear and punctured the lower rear of the ship, taking out critical systems. The cockpit and area behind them with the stasis bubble were fine, for now.
The ship started to enter Installation 07's atmosphere. Flames of re-entry whooshed past the windows.
"Not good!" Paradox struggled with the controls. The hardlight decorations on the ship started to glow yellow and very bright, trying to stay despite the failing power and damage.
The ship hurtled through the skies of the Halo, trailing fire and smoke while mountains and grasslands flew past below.
Paradox struggled with the controls. "Hang on, we're going down soon!"
The hardlight decorations finally disappeared in bursts of sparkling orange sparks, leaving bare silver metal.
A vast desert stretched below, coming closer and closer while the ship dropped altitude.
Paradox saw the ground rushing up to meet them. "Brace for impact!" On reflex she threw up her hands to shield her face.
Crunching metal was heard. Paradox lurched forward, slamming into the control panel and losing consciousness. Before fading out, she heard Tone's pained gasp before he too had passed out. Their captain was already unconscious.