NH3: I somehow managed to do all I needed to do to have some time on the computer. So, since you've been begging for more, I'll give you just that. So I decided to put my Star Fox fan fiction on hold and continue with this one, how lucky you all must be.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own this website either. I only have an account that has been doing well recently.
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2020 hours, March 22, 2553 (Adopted Sangheili Calendar) Shadow of Intent, hanger bay BA-02, near unknown portal.
The Arbiter heard the faint pings in the metal as they entered the hanger. It was a few moments before they felt a small bump upon landing. The Arbiter didn't have the patience to wait for the Phantoms doors to open slowly. He pushed the one on his side so they both continued up at awkward angles. He broke free of the small ship and scurried off to the next pair of doors. Sangheili parted before him as he went through more doors and emerged on the bridge with the Master Chief behind him.
"Officer, make ready to enter the portal!" the Arbiter yelled.
"Ye—Yes, Excellency!" the Sangheili said haltingly, noticing his superior's fierce look.
"Aren't we taking this a little too fast?" Cortana asked in her semi sarcastic manner.
"We don't have time to wait. Nico is one of the few remaining officers of high ranking status. The civil war took out most of the rest and our government said to preserve the lives of high ranking officers," the Arbiter retorted.
"But can't we get help? Your home world isn't too far away, right?" Cortana said, persistent in her persuasion.
"It would take a full day to organize a rescue force. One full day in which Nico could get wounded, killed, or worse," the Arbiter said. Each of those words somehow felt like a knife, no matter how unlikely it could be.
"Then we should send a message," the Master Chief cut in.
"Not possible. The sudden sabotage disabled the communications," And he was right, since the COM officer was typing command after command on his screen, sometimes coming with an error message.
"Then maybe I can fix it," Cortana said. "Just slot me in."
The Master Chief yanked the data chip out of the base of his skull. He handled it carefully, treating it like a lifeline. The Arbiter took it and slotted it into a human data port, which was hastily erected on Earth. Almost instantly, thousands of lines started to appear on the COM officer's screen. He leaned back, amazed at the site. Almost as suddenly, they stopped.
"Problem?" the Chief said.
"Two, actually. You want the bad news or the worse news first?" Cortana asked.
"Bad, then worse. If it involves my ship, I would have to know it," the Arbiter said.
"The damage to your communications is physical also. I can't fix the entire thing," she said.
"And the worst news?" John said. Anxiety was filling him, and he already knew the situation would be a lot worse.
"I'm detecting Infection Forms and Combat Form aboard the ship," Cortana said very fast. "I don't now how they did it, but we have to get this ship away from here!"
"All the more reason for us to go," the Arbiter said.
"No. We still need to get a signal out," the Chief cut in once again. John noticed that tension was creeping up between the Arbiter and Cortana…and he was about to make himself a part of that.
"He is right. If you just disappear, along with your ship, then another war could start from nothing," Cortana said, supporting the Chief.
"Yes, but we have no way of getting a signal out in time," the Arbiter said. At this, the COM officer turned in his seat.
"Um, Excellency, we do have a way of getting a signal out," he said. The Chief saw the red armor and assumed this was the lieutenant color. But it could have been the armor for an ensign as well.
"What is it, Officer…?"
"Jyndenr. Officer Jyndenr," he introduced himself.
"Well, what is your idea, Officer Jyndenr?" the Arbiter finished.
"We can use one of the spare lifeboats and leave it in high orbit around the portal. We can use the attached beacon to broadcast our message. It will only last a few days, since after it will plunge down into the portal because of gravity, but it's enough for someone to send a message out," Jyndenr said. The entire room was silent. Then, the Arbiter chuckled in satisfaction.
"That is a clever idea. Alright, let's do it. There is an extra right off the bridge," he said. John found it weird how the Arbiter was so worried about his fellow kin a few moments ago, but now was chuckling with happiness. Was he happy that he would get his chance to rescue Nico?
The Master Chief followed the Arbiter and Jyndenr.
"I'll draft and write the message…done," Cortana said. The Master Chief climbed in and read the message on the screen, which was now being broadcast:
"Sudden failure in Shadow of Intent's engines dropped us out of Slipspace and stranded us here. Sangheili search team explored the wreckage of Forward Unto Dawn orbiting uncharted Forerunner portal. Located and rescued Spartan-117 John and AI Construct Cortana. Detonated the remains of the fusion reactor to stop imminent Flood danger. Commander Nico Hornyak in charge of the operation went alone and escaped in a lifeboat through the portal. As per Sangheili protocol, we are responsible for bringing him back, so we've entered the portal on a rescue mission. Be advised: Flood treat may be existent. Flood forms are aboard Shadow of Intent. Organize a fleet and follow after us."
The Master Chief nodded in satisfaction. He climbed out and watched through a window as the lifeboat traveled down a tube and into the vacuum of space.
"It's done. Now, let us enter the portal," the Arbiter said. As his sentence ending, there were several bangs on the door. The Master Chief went and opened the door, a carbine at the ready. Several Sangheili ran in, followed by a flood of Infection Forms and two combat forms. The Chief shot and exploded several of the bulbous creatures. The officers pulled out plasma rifles, shooting the Infection Forms until they were just gore. The Arbiter lunged forward and sliced at a Combat Form with his personal energy sword. The Master Chief charged the other, putting plasma-coated projectiles into its mass before beating the Flood form down.
"Lock the doors and head for the portal! Do it now!" the Arbiter yelled. Cortana activated the plasma engines and they all fell backwards from the change in speed. Cortana rocketed toward the portal when two shadows appeared on the portal's 'surface'.
"Uh-oh," Cortana said. And 'uh-oh' was right: the Flood hadn't hitched a ride, they used infiltration craft from the two Flood-controlled ships that were moving to intercept the Shadow of Intent.
"That portal must have some reason for these Flood ships!" Cortana said. "I'll try to lure them back into it."
Two plasma beams fired from the Shadow of Intent. They impacted on the shields, hardly doing damage, but it was enough to have the Flood go on a pursuit course.
As the ship shuddered from the acceleration, the Master Chief reminded himself how much he loathed space-combat. It was an emotion that left him feeling useless. He then felt an overwhelming sadness crush him out of nowhere. He had just remembered that almost every Spartan had loathed the same thing. But almost all of them were dead. As Cortana maneuvered the ship into the portal, the Chief wondered if he would ever see them again.
It was that thought that somehow separated itself from the others in his head.
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NH3:Sorry everyone, but you have to wait until next chapter before you come to what happened to Nico. So sorry. Anyway, this chapter was detailing the time on the ship because I really felt that more should come than just entering the portal. Plus I didn't want to rush it or lack in emotion. So R&R, if the chapter wasn't well-written, send me ideas and I'll try incorporating them into the next chapter. What can I say about that? Well, I'm just a nice guy...or maybe not.
