February 4, 2531 / 23:15/ Spirit of Fire
Captain Cutter studied the holo-table in front of him where a tactical layout of the Relic and the Covenant forces that surrounded the structure was displayed. The map was constantly updated to show the movements of the UNSC forces and Covenant alike.
Suddenly the deck's alarm system flared to life. A siren blared repetitively as red lights flashed. The crew sprung into action. Some rushed to navigational stations, while others ran to operate the remote-controlled turrets and missile silos. "Serina, status!" The Captain snapped urgently.
The AI appeared quickly as her body glowed brightly due to the rapid process of information. "One Covenant Assault Carrier." She called up a holographic display of the two ships. "Forty-seven kilometers and closing. No active weapon preparation detected."
Cutter eyed the display carefully, glancing over to the observation window. "Keep an eye on it Serina. Weapons, what's your status?" He looked to the weapons operators.
"Point-defense gun ready, sir. Target is still out of range."
"Archer and ATAF pods hot, target within range."
"All weapons hold fire," Captain Cutter ordered sternly, "wait for my mark." He watched the Covenant ship intently, though he kept a particular watch on their energy readout. Suddenly the data input spiked. "All power to the weapons, key up Archer pods and ATAF missiles!" Cutter shouted. The lights dimmed as the necessary power was drawn.
"Captain, high radiation levels detected." Serina said urgently.
"Brace for impact!"
The Covenant Assault Carrier loomed into view, still a good distance away from the Spirit of Fire, yet close enough to cause the crew discomfort. A large cloud of static began to form on the bow, and soon it spread into a shimmering blue circle.
"It looks like they've prepared a slipspace jump sir." Serina said calmly. "Should we perhaps save our weapons for a better time?"
"All weapons stand down!" Cutter commanded. "Serina, equalize power to the ship." He watched as the sleek Covenant ship disappeared into the portal, which soon closed. "Why do you think they left?" Captain asked, more to himself than anything.
"Perhaps they found Sergeant Forge as unlikable as the Professor does." Serina replied cynically.
Cutter smirked. It was no secret on the Spirit that Anders held a grudge against most the male crew, but Forge took the top-slot of her displeasure. "Serina, get me a field report from Sergeant Forge," Cutter said sternly, "I want to know what's going on down there."
February 4, 2531 / 23:50/ Unknown Artifact, Harvest
Ellen Anders clung tightly to her seat as Pelican drop-ship B-29 descended rapidly towards the Relic. She had changed into clothing more appropriate for Harvest's frozen surface in the troop-deck of the Pelican.
"Alpha Base, this is Bravo twenty-nine heavy inbound." The pilot announced. "I've got the Professor aboard."
"Not for long you won't," Ellen shouted in mild panic, "not unless you level out!"
"Calm down, Professor." The pilot smiled. "I've been doing this for a long time."
That didn't do much to comfort Ellen, though her flight-fright was diverted as Forge came over the radio. "Uh, roger that Bravo-29." His voice held obvious irritation. "There's still a lot of Covenant down here; I recommend you hold off."
The pilot began to respond, but Ellen cut her off. "Sergeant Forge you are currently located on a Class-5 Artifact. ONI has specifically requested my presence to decipher any technology having to do with the Covenant or prehistoric xenoarchaeological sites. By ONI Archaeological Ordinance 3A Section 2; Any ONI personnel may override rank if it pertains directly to their research. As such I have considered and denied your request, and will land at the artifact." She paused for a moment. "And John? I'm sure you can take care of any Covenant left before they become too big a threat."
The pilot glanced at her, a stunned look on her face. "Well," she said, "you sure told him. Y'know, you'd make a damn fine soldier with authority like that."
"Not likely; I hate guns. Just fly the damn bird, please." Ellen said, working hard to keep her stomach from rolling.
Forge watched grimly as the Pelican touched down outside the artifact site. He still felt that a combat zone was no place for a civilian, ONI or not. He personally felt that the Captain had no solid reason to approve her so-called "mission."
"You alright sir?" A Marine asked curiously.
"I'm fine, soldier. Secure the LZ." For the past hour he and his squad had fought their way from the reactivated Alpha Base to this "artifact." Though the battle had proved a relatively easy one, a few of the UNSC forces had been compromised. The Covenant, in an odd turn of events, had taken several Warthog Reconnaissance squads captive, only to execute them before the UNSC could rescue them.
Anders climbed out of the Pelican, a plainly furious look on her face. She put as much distance between herself and the dropship as quickly as she could, her breath fogging in rapid bursts.
"Bumpy ride, Professor?"
Ellen brushed past Forge and intentionally shoved into his shoulder. "Don't give me any trouble, Sergeant," she snapped, "let's just get this over with." She made her way to the now open doors to the artifact, only to be met with a heavily damaged Covenant power cell.
Forge followed her, a brow raised curiously as she sighed. "What, did we do something wrong?" he asked.
"You don't leave me much to work with," Anders replied, "Must you destroy everything?"
"Hey," Forge defended, "for your information that was linked up to several explosives all over this structure. If we hadn't taken it out, they would have blown. That would have left you with nothin' at all."
"And you didn't stop to think that it would trigger the explosives if you destroyed it?"
Forge's eyebrow furrowed as he went silent. Anders was able to tell with satisfaction that the question both stumped and annoyed him.
"Never mind," the Professor said, "Let's just get to the main room."
"This way," Forge led her, "My men already cleared out the Covenant inside."
"Odd that they would leave their own to die in an explosion," Anders observed, "I wonder if any of them know what pity is."
Forge shrugged. "From the looks of it they were still setting up explosives; they may have had time to get out." He stopped at a console next to a deep chasm. Across the gap, Ellen could see the vague outline of a large, artificial stalactite, most likely part of a larger machine.
Forge grunted in frustration, trying to push a pedestal to activate it. "Hey, Professor; A little help here?"
Ellen pushed him away, taking a look at the console. A few symbols seemed familiar, but one in particular stood out to her; a pair of parallel lines. She pressed the button, looking up as a thin beam of vibrant blue light stretched the gap.
"Is it solid?" A Marine asked. To test it, the Marine tossed a loose chunk of shrapnel onto the light. The shard of metal bounced twice before it finally rested on the light-bridge. Ellen gasped softly; it was marvelous, though it confused and frightened her at the same time.
"You ever study anything like this?" Forge broke Anders from her amazement.
"That's why I'm here, Sergeant." She replied as she stepped onto the light-bridge. The squad followed her as she brought out a camera to record the surroundings and gather energy readings. They moved slowly and uneasily at first, but soon came to grips with the fact that the bridge was more solid than it appeared as they pushed on into the structure.
