This next chapter will bring the Star Wars characters into the Halo Universe, some old enemies, and introduce my first original character.
I really hope you guys like this chapter and will continue to read on. Thank you so much for the support and don't forget to review at the end.
I do not own anything from the stories but I do own any original content.
Chapter Four: The Forerunner Tower
On the Main Bridge
Of the UNSC Infinity
Over an unknown Forerunner planet
In the Milky Way Galaxy HU
"It's a Forerunner base." Cortana said, the words rolling off her holographic tongue with fear. She looked up at Lasky, whose face was made of stone, "What are your orders, sir?"
"Get me Graves." He mumbled and Cortana nodded.
The Vice Admiral's image appeared on the screen, "Admiral Lasky, this doesn't look like a refueling depot."
"It's not. We were pulled out of slipspace by something on the planet. I don't know what it was but we are detecting a familiar massive energy signal from the planet below." Lasky explained.
"So this is normal?"
"No, not usually, Vice Admiral. It is very hard to find a planet with this kind of signal. We have no choice but to investigate it. This will delay your arrive at the Delta refueling station I mentioned."
"My crew and I understand, Admiral, but I do have one request." Graves said, "I want one of my men to go with your ground team."
"Who do you have in mind?"
In the Transport hull
Of Pelican Callsign Bearclaw
Over an unknown Forerunner planet
In the Milky Way Galaxy HU
The Pelican lifted off the group of the hanger bay on board the Birmingham after picking up the single soldier that Graves wished to head down with Chief and the ODST. The soldier was short in stature, maybe five foot six at the most. He wore light weight armor and looked like a micro version of Chief. The only main difference in their armor was the color.
The soldier, classified as a Pilot, wore blue armor with a helmet covering his facial features. He stepped on board the back of the Pelican and nodded at the crew, "I am Pilot Ian Hawke of the M-COR Birmingham."
Chief introduced himself and the ODST gunnery sergeant, Edward Buck. Buck took the time to tell Hawke about his squad as the Pelican lifted off, "You're looking at Romeo, Mickey, Dutch, and Rookie. We're Orbital Drop Shock Troopers and we will be your guide today, Pilot."
"Nice to meet you all." He said, taking a seat as the blast door closed on the Pelican, "I was only given a short briefing on what's going on. What are we looking at?"
Chief unplugged the microchip from the back of his helmet and let Cortana appear over it. She wanted to explain it all to Buck and Hawke, "I picked up a large Forerunner base on the planet's surface. We are to investigate it and the surrounding area for possible reasons why we were pulled from slipspace. Buck, your team will be in charge of surveying the surrounding area but you will be coming with the Chief, Hawke, and I into the base. We don't know what we will find in there so we need to be careful. Clear?"
Buck nodded, "You got it, ma'am."
Cortana retreated back into the chip and Chief slammed her back into his head. The pilot of the Pelican shouted back, "Ten minutes until we break atmosphere. We'll open the hatch door soon."
Chief gave him a thumbs-up and, moments later, the hatch door that they had entered the Pelican through opened, revealing a vast forest-like landscape.
Romeo, dark skinned ODST sniper, spoke up, "Look's a lot like Earth."
He only said what everyone was thinking, including Hawke. The Pelican zipped through a pair of mountains and the pilot called back, "The signal is coming from the other side of these mountains. We should have a visual in…holy Christ!"
Chief shot his head to the front of the Pelican. He darted for the front, followed by Hawke and Buck. As the Pelican roared into the valley, they spotted the structure. The structure was a large Forerunner tower with four landing pads on different sides of it. Located on the northeastern pad was a strange looking ship that none of them had ever seen before. Chief touched the pilot's shoulder, "Set us down on one of those pads."
"Aye, Chief." The pilot barked.
The Pelican landed like a butterfly on the northwestern pad. The ODST, Spartan, and Pilot jumped out of the back and Buck starting giving out orders, "Change of plans. Rookie, Dutch, go play in the woods. Romeo, Mickey, see what you can get from that strange ship. If we need you, come running. Got it? Good."
The ODST raced off to follow their new orders and the trio headed for the other side of the tower. Chief lead the way while Buck and Hawke walked side by side. Each of them had their rifles in their hands. Chief favored his custom Battle Rifle with the detachable scope. Buck carried a submachine gun with a silencer attached to the muzzle. Hawke was offered a UNSC weapon but he stuck with his Hemlock rifle. The rifle had been with him throughout the Titan Wars and he wasn't letting her go because of some new technology.
They stopped at the southern base of the tower. A large pillar stood between them and the next floor. It was too high to jump up, even for a Spartan, and Buck failed to find any sort of switch, "Now, what?"
Hawke didn't say a word. He decided to let his actions speak for him. He bolted pass them and jumped at the side of the wall. He planted his right foot on it and used his jump pack to get to the opposite side. Showing off his jump pack one more time, he use it to somersault himself onto the platform, falling to one knee to keep his balance.
He stood up and looked down below at the Spartan and ODST sergeant. He watched Buck turn to the Chief and Hawke imagine him saying, "Man, I gotta get myself one of those."
Hawke smiled under his helmet and found the switch with no problem. He placed his palm on it and the pillar lowered, making it an elevator. Hawke looked deeper into the base. Part of him wanted to wait for them but curiosity took over. He turned and started walking his way a large metal staircase that spanned the majority of the base. By the time he reached the top, Chief and Buck had just reached the top of the pillar.
A door opened in front of him, revealing another elevator. Hawke took one last look back and entered it. He figured he could ride it to the top and back by the time the others got to the top. He rode the elevator for several minutes until it reached its destination. The doors reopened, revealing a circular room with four viewports looking down on the landing pads below. At the center of the room was a man-sized pillar with an opening in it.
Hawke stepped into the opening and noticed that a large terminal sat before him. He placed his hand on the holographic keyboard and it zapped him. The view screen and all the instruments turned red and he heard the elevator click behind him. He felt the massive arms of Chief pull him away from the terminal, seconds before a large energy beam shot through the ground and up to the ceiling, right where he was just standing.
Hawke's HUD went static, forcing him to rip his helmet off. He noticed that Buck had to do the same. The Chief, on the other hand, didn't have to. Hawke assumed that the girl in his head had saved him from that.
The beam lasted a total of ten seconds before disappearing and everything returned to normal. The only difference was that the terminals didn't return to the light blue that they had been when he arrived. They remained the same red they turned when he had placed his hand on it.
At the center of the pillar, the air seemed to shimmer for a moment, only to be replaced by a floating creature. The being had the height of a person but hover a few inches off the ground. It had orange padding all over its body and carried a strange looking weapon in its hands.
It gave off a loud scream and started to fire. Chief jumped into between it and his teammates. He activated a hardlight shield that protected the front of his body. The orange projectiles bounced off it, causing the blue energy shield to shift to a purple color, "Get to the elevator!"
Several more of the things appeared throughout the room as Buck and Hawke bolted for the elevator doors. Chief covered them with the shield, popping some shots from his magnum as well. The doors slid open and the three of them got inside. Buck slammed his fist against the controls and doors closed.
Buck grabbed Hawke by the chinks his armor, "What the hell were you thinking?"
"I'm sorry but I didn't know something like that was going to happen." Hawke yelled back, "I placed my hand on it and that happened. Nothing else."
Buck's hand clenched into a fist but the Chief stopped him, "He's telling the truth. Call Lasky, Sergeant."
Buck nodded and let go of Hawke. He pulled his helmet back over his black haired head and said into the speaker, "This Gunnery Sergeant Buck to Infinity, is everything okay up there?"
"Whatever you guys did, it knocked down our shields to zero." Lasky's voice came through, "What the hell just happened?"
"Our Pilot friend touched something he shouldn't have and it caused the entire tower to go crazy. We had an encounter with some Promethean Knights so we had to retreat back down the tower." Buck responded.
"Roger that, Sergeant." Lasky said, "Keep me posted."
"Ah, Chief," Cortana spoke through the interference, "I'm picking up a massive energy signal coming through the tower."
"Hostile?" he asked.
"I don't think so. It's only on the systems attached to the southern pads." She said.
"Squad, stay away from the southern side of the tower." Buck yelled into his helmet's comm system.
"Can do, Sarge" Romeo's voice called back, "Besides, we're a little busy dealing with some Prometheans down here."
"I think something is coming through." Was all Cortana had to say.
On an unknown planet
In a galaxy far, far away SWU
"Luke, you know I would do just about anything for you," Han said, "but to be a part of a lab experiment? I don't know."
"I wouldn't ask if I didn't think it was important, Han, and I can't do this alone. I need your help, all of your help." Luke explained.
Han looked at Kyle but he only shrugged, "The Raven's Claw is going, too."
He turned to Leia and took a deep breath, "It's your call, Princess. Technically, the Falcon is under your command."
She smiled like she loved hearing him say that. She turned and looked at Luke, "Knowing you, you must already have a plan."
Luke nodded and looked at Kyle, "Bring in your students."
Kyle nodded and walked away with his comm link in hand. Seconds later, a pair of doors opened up from off of the room and two young men entered the room. One of them was a blond haired man with light chin stubble. He wore a tan Jedi robe with a lightsaber attached to the belt. The second had dark red hair and wore orange clothing that Han remembering seeing on some young Coruscant kids. He also had a lightsaber on his hip.
Kyle pointed to the blonde, "Jaden Korr," then at the red haired man, "Rosh Penn, meet General Han Solo, Senator Leia Organa Solo, Chewbacca, and Threepeio."
Rosh was the first to speak, "General Solo, it is an honor to meet you."
"Thanks, kid." Was all he responded.
Luke stepped forward, "Jaden, Kyle, Artoo and I will go in the Raven's Claw while you guys take the Falcon. Rosh is going to stay behind and activate the tower for us. He will also be linked up in a similar fashion to how I am linked to my X-wing and will guard this tower."
"It's a boring job," The Padawan learner said, "but someone has to do it."
"We're leaving our fate in the hands of a kid?" Han asked.
Kyle butted in, "Rosh has shown great skill with the Force and I do recall a young kid, younger than Rosh, saved the galaxy and brought balance to the Force. I think he can handle a little teleportation."
"Right," Han wasn't too convinced but he decided to drop the subject, "Leia, this is your call."
"Luke, we got your back on this one." She smiled at her brother.
Luke returned the smile, "Then, it is settled. Let's go get ready."
Two hours later, they found themselves in their respected ships. Han sat in the cockpit of the Falcon and radioed up to Rosh, "The Millennium Falcon is ready for, uh, launch."
"So is the Raven's Claw." Kyle added.
"Alright," Rosh answered, "activating the tower now. Here goes nothing."
Han had gone through hyperspace billions of times but never had he gone through hyperspace while docked on a planet. The scene around them smeared the way the stars do when shooting through hyperspace until it was nothing but darkness. He had to close his eyes to stop himself from getting sick. When he opened them, it only made it more confusing.
The ship stopped and Han could swear it had never moved. They were staring at the same tower that they had just attempted to leave. He looked to the left of the cockpit and noticed the Raven's Claw was there as well, "What the hell? Luke, your teleporter didn't work."
"What are you talking about, Han? Can't you feel it?" was his answer through the comm link.
Han looked back at Leia, whose face was blank. She looked at him, "Han, we're not at the same tower."
"What are you talking about?" he said.
"If we were at the same tower, Han, why is Luke's X-wing right there?" She pointed to the right side of the cockpit and Han saw for the first time what she meant.
Docked on the landing pad was the very X-wing that Luke claimed to have been teleported. Han couldn't believe his eyes and was trying to think of a way to counter Leia's question when Kyle came over the comm, "And to our left you will see a strange ship with two armored men fighting off some strange looking beings."
Han looked at Chewy, "Remember what I said about my bad feelings?"
The Wookie growled in agreement.
At a Forerunner Tower
On an unknown Forerunner planet
In the Milky Way Galaxy HU
The elevator stopped at the bottom floor and they prepared themselves. Chief knew that the room was going to be full of targets so they had to be ready. He nodded at Buck and he pressed the door controls. The door separated, opening up to the massive staircase they had to climb before.
Along the pillars to the sides of the staircase, more Promethean Knights appeared with some smaller Crawlers. Chief activated his shield again, giving Buck and Hawke enough cover to dive behind some metal pillars. Chief joined Hawke on the right side while Buck took to the left. Chief grabbed his Battle Rifle off his back and took aim.
His first shot hit one of the Crawlers in mid-jump. The bullet slammed into the side of its head, causing it to self-destruct. His next shot was at one of the Knights' Watchers. The Watchers hovered over the battle and healed their Knights. He wasn't going to let that happen.
The shot turned the Watcher into a dozen pieces, "Buck, focus your fire on the Watchers! Hawke, keep your aim on those Crawlers. Don't let them get close. They will tear you to shreds."
"What are you going to do?" Hawke asked the Spartan. Chief answered him with action. Chief shouldered his rifle and switched to his magnum pistol. He grabbed Hawke's Smart Pistol out of the holster without saying a word. Before he could react, Chief was gone.
Chief dashed out of cover and jumped onto one of the pillars. He fired two shots from his magnum into the first Knight and followed with another from Hawke's pistol. To Chief's surprise, the pistol locked onto the target like it was about to fire a rocket at it and found its mark with ease. The Knight exploded into a massive date purge.
Chief jumped to the next pillar and used the Smart Pistol to lock on from a distance, firing his magnum to keep the Knight from firing. He heard the sound of a Crawler jumping at him but it was shot out of the air by Hawke. Once he was close enough, he fired the Smart Pistol and three bullets dug into the Knight, destroying it.
Chief looked and quickly counted six more Knights, ten Crawlers, and three Watchers. On his HUD visor, Cortana's textual words popped up and said, "Cake walk."
Chief smiled from under his helmet and headed to the next Knight. He was really enjoying the Smart Pistol. Cortana managed to link herself to it, allowing for more accurate locking. He didn't even have to try and aim at a nearby Knight. He just pointed his pistol in its direction and Cortana did the rest. All he had to do was pull the trigger and three or four shots flew out.
He jumped in between two of them and pointed the Smart Pistol at the one on his left and his magnum at the one on the right. He unleased three shots from each into the Knights' faces, sending them falling backwards and erupting into a molten mess.
He stopped and realized that he was now at the bottom of the staircase. He looked back to see a Crawler making a final jump at him. He dropped his magnum to the ground and caught the monster out of the air with his now free hand. He looked it directly in the eyes as he squeezed the AI life out of it.
He dropped the destroyed robot to the ground and noticed that Hawke and Buck had followed him the whole way. He looked at Hawke and pointed at the Crawler, "You missed one."
"Well, you looked like you were enjoying yourself. Can I have my pistol back?" he responded and Chief tossed it to him. He retrieved his own magnum off the ground and didn't even bother using the elevator. He just dropped down, allowing his suit to absorb the fall.
Outside the an unknown tower
On an unknown planet
In an unknown galaxy HU
None of them could react fast enough. Han bolted for the ramp and made as it hit the ground. He didn't know who the armored men were but he didn't like the sight of the creatures they were shooting. Besides, he thought, they look like they need a hand.
Blaster in hand, the smuggler dashed to cover along the tower's wall. He looked back to see that Chewy was directly behind him, bowcaster in hand. Leia and Threepeio stayed by the Falcon and that made him happy. He didn't want her getting hurt in all the action.
Out of the Raven's Claw, the Jedi poured out with their lightsabers drawn. They charged at the wampa rat-like creatures and started hacking away. This gave the armored men a chance to get to some cover.
Han popped around the corner and took some shots at the creatures. His laser shots found a mark in the form of one of their heads. The thing exploded into dozens of pieces.
"Mickey," one of the men yelled, "Crawler on your left."
"I see it." The armored man with the red breast plate turned to his left side and fired several shots into an advancing Crawler. The thing met the same fate as the one that Han fired at.
Han and Chewy ran to the men's cover. The one with the purple breast plate looked them up and down from behind a black visor, "Who the hell are you guys?"
"We're the guys saving your asses." Han remarked, "Names?"
"Romeo." The purple one answered, "This is Mickey."
"Got it." He pointed at himself, "Han and this is Chewbacca. Don't mind the fur."
The Wookie gave off a low growl.
Mickey couldn't keep his eyes off the Wookie. Han was always surprised by that. Three Jedi were meters away with lightsabers and the Force and people still liked to stare at his hairy friend.
Han looked over at Luke. The Jedi Grand Master did a somersault over one of the Crawlers, turned around, and drove his blade into the back of the creature. Kyle and Jaden stood back to back with their blades in a defense stance. The Crawlers shot bullets at them but they were only absorbed by the energy blades.
Kyle pushed his left hand out and three of the Crawlers hovered in the air. With a clench of his fist, they slammed into each other and into a massive explosion. Jaden threw his lightsaber at the side of trio and used the Force to slice it through each of them.
It was starting to become an onslaught and Han wasn't even doing anything. He found himself mesmerized by the Jedi. He shook it off but it was too late. The battle was over before he realized it.
They all grouped together, including Leia, Threepeio, and Artoo, at the base of the tower. They turned to see three other armored figures jumping down from the second floor. They approached them and stopped.
Leia jumped forward, "I am Senator Leia Organa Solo of the New Republic House of Representatives. These are my allies and friends, General Han Solo, Chewbacca, Jedi Grand Master Luke Skywalker, Jedi Master Kyle Katarn, Padawan Jaden Korr, Threepeio, and Artoo."
Chief went to speak but Buck interrupted him with a call to his helmet, "Go ahead, sir. Buck here."
"I need you report back to the Infinity, now." Lasky yelled, "There's something coming for us and it is huge."
"Sir, we have encountered a group of strangers…" Buck started.
"Then, bring them with you." Lasky barked, "We're making friends all over. Lasky out."
"What's going on?" asked Leia.
Buck looked at them and said, "I don't want to find out. We need to get out of here. Now."
Thank for reading and the next chapter will be up soon.
