Hey everyone, this is A Forerunner, formerly known as Forerunnerfan993. I have redone this chapter to fix plot holes, add detail, and various other things. For those of you who know me, welcome back. For those who don't welcome to my Domain, a place of calm where I can look over Forerunner artifacts and the like. Anyway, enjoy the story!

A Forerunner

-WARNING: CLASSIFIED ONI MATERIAL-

-TRANSCRIPT OF RESEARCH OF FORERUNNER ARTIFACT FOUND ON REQUIEM WITHIN-

-INFORMATION REQUESTED REQUIRES SECURITY CLEARANCE 9+-

-ENTER AUTHORIZATION CODE: -

-7492401-

-PROSSESSING REQUEST….-

-ACCESS GRANTED. RETRIEVING DATA…..-

-PLEASE NOTE, TRANSLATION OF MATERIAL IN [] IS APPROXIMATE.-

-TRANSMITTING...-

Prologue

"Commander on deck!"

The few Marines and ONI Security officers in the area snapped to attention as the ONI Commander Serin Osman walked into the hallway, the walls of which were filled with the latest anti-intrusion and protection devices. She walked past the soldiers, and as she did she noticed a look of fear cross their faces for a moment before switching back to rigid, non expressive faces. She knew why, of course. They were scared of her. Not just because she was one of the most powerful people in the UNSC, but because she was chosen as a Spartan when she was only six years old. She washed out of the program, but these Marines still were afraid of her. She returned the salute and continued down the polished hallway. Serin approached the only room at the end of the hallway, deep under the ONI headquarters on Earth. As she walked, she wondered why the hallway was so clean. Even if it was rarely used, it should be a bit dusty. She quickly focused herself again and continued her walk down the hall.

She opened the door with her pass card and the fingerprint scanner, wondering what had been found on Requiem that was so important that she had to see it personally, besides the already staggering wealth of Forerunner knowledge and technology. The few scientists with security clearance to study the object paid little attention to her sudden appearance in this secure room. As well as one Huragok. She looked at Vergil, and he almost didn't notice her, distracted by the artifact left behind by his creators. But he did look up, and made a soft trilling noise when he saw her. He floated by her and gave a friendly gesture, then hovered by the artifact again. Huragok had gas bladders that help them to float in any atmosphere.

Damn eggheads, never looking at anything without a microscope and computers. Serin cleared her throat, which caused the researchers to look up in surprise. One of them walked over to her with a datapad full of what little they had gathered from the artifact since it arrived yesterday. The artifact resembled the one that the Infinity had found on Requiem. It was roughly the shape of a rectangle, with sides sloping out. It floated half a meter above the floor, pulsating with orange light.

"What's so important about this artifact? We already had one studied onboard the Infinity." she asked, with irritation in her voice.

"Well, Commander Osman," the researcher said nervously, "This one is different. It only has one data stream within it. Unlike any data stream coming from the artifact on the Infinity. The neural patterns, if they are neural patterns, are different from those of a human."

"Meaning?" she asked, feeling less irritated, and more intrigued.

"That, if the data terminals discovered by Sierra 117 were correct, this could be the neural patterns of a Forerunner soldier."

"Do you think we can get access to the data stream?"

Another researcher spoke up, "We have Vergil working on it, but it seems to be difficult to get access to any data in it at all."

Just as Serin was about to respond, a high-pitched noise was emitted from the artifact, which had suddenly turned from orange to a deep blue. The noise, painful at first, changed in pitch until what seemed like words were heard in a volume and pitch comfortable to human ears was being emitted. The words, while not of any human language, flowed like a melody, sweet and pleasing to the ears. Vergil dropped back in mild suprise, then he made a noise that he was known to make when he was happy.

Suddenly, the voice changed once more. It no longer spoke in the alien language, but first, surprisingly, in Latin, then switched through languages until it stopped at English.

Finally, a chance to speak to the Reclaimers, the voice said, deep and rough, but not intimidating, rather, it was a voice like that of a parent welcoming a child back home.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" Serin suddenly asked the artifact.

I am what you suspected me to be, Reclaimer. I am a Warrior-Servant, one of the last who had physical form. My name, when I had use of it, thousands of years ago, is Bright Light of Splendid Suns.

"Why are you talking to us?", Osman asked the artifact.

Because you deserve to learn Reclaimers. To learn why we fell, and how to avoid our mistakes. Many of us wished for humanity to carry on our legacy. I can tell you all I know of our people, history and my own story. My tale of war and death. I am one of the last Forerunners in the galaxy, I think. Many perished from the Halo effect. I survived because before the Halos fired I had already been Composed. But now Reclaimers, please, let me tell my tale.

Again, apologies to all of you who wanted to see the story continued from the battle [no more spoilers for you!] but I felt this had to be started over. I had too many plot holes and too few details. Any critisism is welcome!

A Forerunner