Chapter 4: Reclaimer's Promise
As of May 30th 2019 this chapter is edited and updated! Have a nice day/night!
A/N: Hey Guys! Back with the next chapter of Spartan and Wolf: Realities Collide Chapter 4: Reclaimer's Promise! Sorry about the wait, I had a severe case of writer's block when writing this chapter! Lets see how Sapphira and the Admiral meet after Sapphira is rebuilt! Feel free to make suggestions or request in-universe characters to be brought in. I value the reviews given and try to answer them to the best of my abilities and I know that Hunter is in the same boat for reviews directed for his characters. Also check out Hunter Dracon's story Ars Nova: Lesson of Free Will!
A/N From Hunter Dracon: This chapter has been rated M for swearing and gore. Not a whole lot mind you, but enough that it's a good idea to mention it.
Disclaimer: Halo and Mass Effect aren't mine (I wish), they belong to 343i and Bioware respectively.
Arisen: Blabbermouth… any way on with the story!
Date: March 4th, 2560
Location: Librarian's Archive, the Admiral's quarters
Gunfire erupted in the distance and tracers streaked past from the machine gun nest 500 meters to the north. The dark figure turned, aimed, and let off a two second burst from his rifle in a split second before turning back toward his destination. The rounds streaked away, moving much too fast for the naked eye to track, even with the vibrant white tracer trails that remained in the air several seconds after the rounds had made impact. The gun nest fell silent, blood and specks of flesh dripping down the concrete wall behind the nest. The battlefield was a large desert town that surrounded an oasis. The sandy ground of the town was streaked with blood as the battle raged on in the darkness. Evidently the enemy had night vision and were using it to their advantage. But the figure was the best, he ran almost silently, his black and grey camouflage uniform and gear keeping him hidden from prying eyes even while he moved. He stopped behind the cover of a thick wall and took a breath. This fight would be the end of him, even for all his skill. He looked up at the sound of footsteps and watched as a blade, an axe by the looks of it, came down out of the darkness. The figure held up their right arm instinctively, saving their life. The axe sheared right through the uniform sleeve, flesh, and bone, shearing the forearm off completely before thudding uselessly into his kevlar, the momentum and energy spent cutting through the figure's arm. The figure, through the pain, reacted and dropped his rifle, which he still held in his left hand, and drew a large combat knife from his left hip and drove it up to the hilt in his attacker's throat. The blade slipped right in between vertebrae and severed the nerves there, thus killing the man who had attacked him. He then jerked the knife to the side and the knife swiftly sheared through the flesh of the man's neck and splattered the figure and the sand covered ground with blood.
The figure stood there for about forty seconds before lifting his right arm and gazed at the blood flowing out of the gaping wound where his entire forearm had been cut clean off his arm before he began to feel lightheaded. Then his vision went black as he collapsed. What seemed like minutes later, he felt soft hands take hold of his head. He felt no pain as he opened his eyes, revealing a beautiful face, framed by brilliant silver-white hair. The woman noticed his waking and caressed his cheek. "Who-Who are you?" he asked.
The woman smiled. "You need not worry. Now rest." she said as she gently closed his eyes. Just before she closed them however, he caught a glimpse of a pair of tawny silver and black wings.
∫µ∫
The Admiral slowly opened his eyes from where he lay under the covers of his temporary quarters. The quarters he was given were bare bones, like a military barracks or ship quarters, with a desk and chair, a bed, a nightstand, and a bathroom with a shower, toilet and sink. The quarters had a light gray metallic sheen to it that made it seem as if you were dreaming if you weren't used to it or expecting it. He sighed and rubbed his eyes with his right hand before pulling it away and gazing at the artificial skin that covered the sore reminder of his injury. He snorted before he rolled onto his side while sitting up halfway to grab his watch to check the time. 04:28 am. He grunted and sat up the rest of the way, the covers falling off his bare chest as he yawned and stretched his arms and back. Then he rolled his shoulders and spun ninety degrees as he slipped off the bed and onto his feet. Walking over to the bathroom, he grabbed his casual morning clothes off the chair he'd set them on after running them through the refresher last night. He felt no searing pain as he walked, meaning that evidently his leg had finished healing over the past two days, and he could finally walk fully on it without anything supporting him, but still ached a bit as a reminder. He shrugged and he powered on the shower and powered through his morning routine. He healed faster than anyone he'd known in the past, and probably still healed faster than any human here too. Once he was finished, he slipped on a pair of socks, running shoes, jeans, a short sleeve t-shirt, and a black hoodie. He left the bathroom and found food waiting on a tray that wasn't there before. With it was a note,
"I know that you most likely would have done something unwise in search of food, so I had food brought to you." -Librarian.
On the tray was a plate of eggs and bacon with a cup of juice next to the plate. Next to the tray were 2 datapads with text on the screens with one saying, 'Basic Understanding of Forerunner Doors and Technology' and the other said, 'Basic History of this Galaxy'. Both were presumably from the Librarian and the Admiral was grateful for something to do since the Spartan and Cortana hadn't returned from Genesis yet. So, he grabbed a the tray and brought it to his desk, where he sat down and ate while reading the basics on the facility here and the history of the reality that he found himself in.
∫µ∫
As soon as Chief's fleet came out of slipspace, he went down to the hangar to get into a pelican and make his way to the surface to talk with the Admiral. Eternal and Warden were on the same ship and were talking about the alternate reality and what to do when they get there, with Cortana listening and putting in her two cents when needed and they would tell Chief when they had everything figured out and see if he has anything to say.
Chief boarded the pelican and made his way down to a landing zone. Once he landed, he made his way to the Admirals quarters after plugging Cortana into the Archive's systems. Once at his quarters, he knocked and heard a muffled, "Come on in!" and made his way inside. He entered the room, looked around and found the Admiral laying on his bed, reading a datapad. Once the Admiral saw the Spartan, he put the notepad down and focused on the Chief with his first question hardly unexpected. "Is Sapphira alright?"
Chief gave him a slight nod and said, "I heard that you have some questions for me."
The Admiral nodded and said, "What do you plan on doing in regards to myself and Sapphira since we don't have a ship?"
Chief sighed internally, what was he going to do with their guests? After thinking for a few moments, he said, "There is someone you need to speak to before I can answer that question."
The Admiral was caught off guard with that and nodded, albeit a bit reluctantly and said, "Sure, got nothing to do around here anyways."
Chief nodded and left the room, with the Admiral close behind. They walked in silence until the Admiral asked Chief, "What can I call you besides Spartan?"
Chief was expected that and replied immediately, "Master Chief," in a tone that was more a warning not to push further than an informing one.
The Admiral heard his tone but didn't care and pushed on asking, "Yeah but what's your name? I mean everyone's got a name."
The Admiral was greeted by silence from the titan and knew that he wouldn't get anymore answers if he pushed that line of questioning any further, so he changed topic and asked, "Who are you taking me to? I already know the Librarian and Warden."
Chief seemed to think for a moment before he replied, "Someone who is curious about the circumstances of your arrival here."
The Admiral snorted. "Well that's reassuring. One wrong move from anyone here and I'll unleash hell, am I clear?" he asked firmly.
Chief turned his head and just looked at him through his visor noticing the serious look on the Admiral's face, and the deadly gleam in his eye. With his age and face however, it looked more like a joke to the Chief but it was his attempt at intimidation and decided not to confront him on it. The man before him was a man who showed experience in war, not much, but experience nonetheless. If they were to come to blows, without his armour, he was sure that it would be an even fight, but with it, the result would be, well… bad for the man to say the least. But he was sure that he would make a powerful ally. Either way, it was clear the man didn't want to look weak or was trying to put up a good façade.
The Chief only nodded in response, then led him to a large room with a couple holographic avatars on pedestals. One was Cortana and the other was Sapphira. As soon as Sapphira saw him she said, "Skipper! Long time no see! Heard that you got into a fight without all the info. Not like you at all sir."
"I assessed the situation and the hand I was dealt and acted accordingly. Though now thinking back on it, it probably wasn't the smartest move I made." the Admiral replied with a smile, "If he hadn't had the armor, he'd probably have a broken rib or two."
Cortana interjected there saying, "Not really kid. The most he would have gotten was a bruise. With the force that was in the kick, you were lucky that you didn't break anything else."
The Admiral was a bit taken aback, but didn't show it , instead replying, "Then we'll have to spar to figure out who's right and whose wrong." The Admiral then looked around the room. "But right now obvious isn't the time for that. Who wanted to talk to me?"
Eternal, who was listening to the discussion made himself known. "I did child. I have come from my home of 150,000 years to speak to you and help the Reclaimer on his journey. I want to know if you can be trusted and follow where he is going. However, before the questions and agreements start, what is your name human?"
The Admiral looked at Sapphira for support, who nodded at him, and said, "Name's Hunter, and if you're curious about betrayal, I don't do that."
Eternal was silent for but a moment and again spoke, "Hunter… an apt name for all of your experiences and skills." Eternal seemed deep in thought for a few moments, then continued, "What do you need to join us on our journey?"
"If you let me salvage my ship and access to all the engineering and scientific materials you got, it's a done deal." The Admiral, now known as Hunter, answered after some thought.
"Hunter, your ship won't be able to fly again. However, we can build you a new ship or have you on one of the existing ships until a new one can be made in the long term. As to the scientific equipment, that is genetically coded to Chief and Chief alone. I can't change that. What I can do however, is give you access to the UNSC made scientific equipment. We will be starting in steps and will progress as trust is established and not before." Cortana stated, the last part a bit sternly, before continuing, "If Chief or I find that you hacked into or stole tech, the existing trust will be shattered and the resources given to you will be taken away, anything being built or manufactured will be halted, until you earn that trust back. Clear?"
Hunter thought about this for a bit and mulled it over in his head. I need access to what I asked, but I can't shatter the fragile bridge that has been built so far. Hunter thought, Sapphira and I will have to take a ship and whatever we can get our hands on for the moment. "Crystal, Cortana." Hunter answered after awhile.
Chief then spoke, drawing attention back onto him. "I am taking a risk here. Don't make me regret it and we won't have issues."
After that was done, Hunter was briefed on the mission and what they had at hand, along with whatever plans were made so far. When they got to the building a base, he had a suggestion: "What if we place the base that you are planning to build near a large body of water, if not under it and near a mountain range? I have some designs that would work nicely as planetside naval defenses and some ideas on where and how to build said base."
Cortana and Eternal spoke briefly with Chief in his helmet, discussing the tactical opportunities of that idea as well as the ability to make that happen. Cortana then spoke, "This will discuss this more in depth when we find a suitable planet for the base. In the meantime, have you figured out which type of ship that you'll call your home until yours is built?"
Hunter was kinda stuck on that one. He liked both the Marathon-class Cruiser and the Halberd-class Destroyer, but for the life of him, couldn't pick one. So he instead he made a proposition, "Whichever ship I picked, could all of the security forces be taken off? I could build the drones that were on my ship to do ship security and in exchange, I'll share all the tech knowledge that I have with you."
Chief immediately answered, "No."
Hunter seemed a bit irritated and when he asked, "Why not? It would be my ship wouldn't it?"
Cortana decided to step in, "It wouldn't be your ship Hunter, it is property of the UNSC and as such, allowing you and a possibly hostile AI onboard is stretching it as it is. The Sentinels and Prometheans are there to do maintenance on the ships, not strictly for security. Nearly all of them are armed, but they are integral for the ship to remain at peak functionality. Besides, Prometheans are far better than any drone you could come up with."
Showing his confusion, Hunter asked, "How are they better than drones I can make?"
Cortana's answer made him even more irritated when he said, "Because they are digitized beings, under development until they became what they are. They are free thinking, like an AI, but they lack the ability to hack and they can't be hacked if that's what you're wondering."
"Neither can my drones, but I guess that works. I'll need space for a lab in the ship of my choosing, probably in the hangar As my world's top engineer and scientist, I can help, but I'll need access to more than you seem to want to give me." Hunter explained.
"The skipper's right, personally I'd take it." Sapphira added, finally speaking up.
"Consider it from our perspective Hunter. You two are unknown, untested, and your loyalties are your own. UNSC protocol restricts even what we are giving you, so we are bending the rules we've lived with for years anyway." Cortana explained, in a tone that brokered no argument.
"I can understand that, but I need something to be able to help you guys out." Hunter almost whined, "I don't like sitting around and doing nothing."
"Maybe we could see his combat capabilities in the sim room Chief," Cortana said over his helmet's inner speakers, "let him do something productive, and we'll have a better understanding of his abilities so that we can give him assignments that fit his skill set. He isn't a Spartan, but from what files I could see, he's more like an ODST."
Chief hummed in agreement before gesturing Hunter to follow him.
"What's up?" Hunter asked as he followed Chief.
"Sim room, stress relief, you need it." Chief said bluntly before going silent.
Hunter nodded and followed the Spartan out of the room, leaving Cortana, Eternal, and Sapphira alone. Cortana then turned to Sapphira, "Do you know the reason that Chief doesn't trust easily?" she asked, dead serious.
Sapphira shook her head and answered, "No. Why?" Curious as to why Cortana asked.
Cortana sighed, her digital eyes seeming to stare into the distance as she explained, "Before we came to this place, we were in a war for our very survival against a genocidal alien theocratic hegemony known as the Covenant. This war went on for over 25 years, resulting in entire planets being reduced to glass and billions dead. Chief lost most of his family in that war, and if he finds anyone from it, he will protect them to the ends of the universe, through any reality." she said. As she was talking, Sapphira couldn't help but compare him to Hunter, and how he protects Sapphira like a little sister or father, like Chief apparently does for his family.
Sapphira was is shock about the planets turned to glass and the billions dead. She again became curious and asked, "Why are you telling me this?"
Cortana had a sad look on her face and answered, "Chief knows what Hunter is going through. That's why Chief called Hunter 'kid', he reminds Chief of a more expressive, younger version of himself. He also reminds Chief of a fellow Spartan who Chief was close to, and even treated her like a sister. Anything emotional, and I mean anything, Hunter has gone through, Chief knows about and has dealt with, in a different way sure, but he understands and can help Hunter, but only if Hunter lets him in." Cortana then left to finish up what she needed to do before leaving on their reality travelling mission, leaving Sapphira and Eternal to talk.
Sapphira had multiple questions and theories as to why Eternal messed with her systems, unintentionally or not, and decided that she would talk to him about it now. "Why did you rebuild me? Why not leave me to skipper?" she asked rapid fire.
Eternal waited until she was done and answered her. "Do not presume to understand why I did what I did child." he said sternly. Sapphira recoiled as if she was struck, but composed herself to allow him to continue. "Many factors were in play as to why I did what I did child. Foremost among them is that the Reclaimer needs allies. Another is that I am old child, millions of years old." Eternal revealed, "I wanted to have someone else besides Cortana to learn what I have before my task is complete. But I could not share this if you were going to betray us in time. Another reason is that, while Cortana has the Reclaimer, she needs another AI to help her when she needs it. These are my reasons as to why I did what I did, in conjunction with not having enough of a base to rebuild you without some changes on my part."
As Eternal finished, Sapphira was stunned speechless. She had no idea that he was millions of years old. She herself was apparently almost 3,600 years old. No wonder he calls me child and Hunter boy. She thought, He has to be one of, if not the, most powerful AI in this reality. In the middle of her shocked period, something dawned on her. "How did you repair me after rampancy tore me apart?" she asked nervously, almost afraid of the answer.
Eternal, while expected the question, was interested as to why she seemed nervous of the answer. "I used a portion of code from Cortana and Warden to help in the repair process. After we repaired you, I took out most of the code that would change you, but left some in so that we wouldn't have to repair you again. Most of the code is still there, only deactivated. The code itself is mainly names and identifiers for certain things like what a Reclaimer is and how to detect Prometheans. I programmed in the code that those will only be activated in only the most dire of circumstances. And before you ask, no the boy cannot see it in your code as it is melded into the code that you yourself replaced. This specific program cannot be activated by anyone but the circumstances that require it." Eternal revealed, again surprising and shocking Sapphira. "These circumstances cannot be forced by you or anyone. The code will trigger when needed and ONLY when needed."
Sapphira, shocked to her core programming, tried to ask more questions, but they came out as stutters and miss matched questions. "Enough questions child." Eternal said gently, like a father speaking to his own child, "Come to me when you are prepared for the more specific details of the mission and answers to anymore questions you would like to ask."
After he said that, Eternal left to complete the final preparations as well, leaving Sapphira alone with her thoughts.
∫µ∫
Hunter jerked the stick to the right and then slammed the throttle forward, giving the aircraft he was currently piloting a sudden burst of speed before he pulled it all the way back and moved the stick backward, then pulled the trigger as he pressed the left rudder pedal. This allowed his aircraft to perform a climbing roll that caused the aircraft behind him to overshoot as it was shredded by Hunter's guns. Then he shoved the throttle forward, engaging the afterburn as missile alerts erupted in the cockpit. He rolled the aircraft and broke hard left in a high-g turn as the missile shot right past, and Hunter engaged the air brakes, pulled the stick back further, brought his gun sight on target, applied lead, and ripped the second enemy fighter out of the sky with a well placed burst as he purposefully stalled his aircraft in the midst of the turn. He pushed the stick to the left, pitching the nose down as enemy gunfire streaked past, nearly clipping Hunter's wing.
His aircraft quickly gained speed as he dove toward the ground. He pulled out of the dive and rolled under a river's bridge before pulling the throttle back and breaking right as gunfire strafed the water under his plane. His next maneuver brought him skimming the trees as he shoved the throttle forward, allowing his afterburner to shove the aircraft forward again. He quickly put distance between him and the rest of the enemy squadron that pursued him. Hunter turned his head and looked behind him, spotting the glint of the five enemy aircraft far behind him. He grinned and pulled the stick back as far as it could go as he pulled the throttle back and engaged the plane's VTOL capabilities. Missile alerts rang in his ears as his aircraft pulled a tight loop, causing the other aircraft to overshoot as Hunter shredded one of the fighters as it passed below him. He shoved the throttle forward, saving his plane from colliding with the trees below as he leveled his gunsight on the aircraft that had just passed. His missile reticles locked onto the last four enemy aircraft and he unleashed the full volley of missiles his aircraft had been carrying in it's missile bays. The missiles streaked away from his hovering aircraft and sent the enemy aircraft into the ground in billowing fireballs. "Simulation Complete. New Record Recorded: Twelve Minutes, Thirty two point three seconds. All Targets Eliminated. No Friendly Assistance."
After ending the simulation, Hunter exited the cockpit of the fighter and climbed down the ladder for the simulation. When he was fully off the ladder, he looked for Chief, but the titan was nowhere to be found. He wanted to thank him for the advice and suggestion… and helping him get some of the stress of his shoudlers. He walked toward the door to search for his new ally, and see what else he can do.
∫µ∫
Chief walked out right before the simulation ended. He had seen enough, the kid knew how to fly an aircraft, that much was clear. He walked toward the drydocks to see where the fleet was in regards to supplies and equipment. As usual these past few days, his mind drifted towards the mission in the Reaper reality. What would they find there? Will there be potential allies in that reality? Can they stop the Reapers? These questions kept swirling in his head as he arrived at the docks.
As Chief walked through the door, he saw that the super carrier was completed. It was massive to say the least. Standing out at 30 km in length, 7 km in height, and 5 km in width, the supercarrier, or dreadnought as it looks like one, cut an imposing figure. Chief thought that the ship was a bit too much, but he knew Cortana had her reasons, some of which were fuelled by contingencies that she made should anything go wrong. The ships' MAC barrels could be seen coming out slightly at the front of the ship. The missile tubes were hidden under the armour and the forerunner particle cannons were the ones to stand out, being a lighter gray, almost silver, compared to the rest of the ship. The point defense guns were light gray and black dots on the hull, thousands of them. While building the dreadnought, Cortana added coil guns placed in turrets around the ship, there were 563 of these turrets with 4 barrels each, totalling at 2252 coil guns, creating a total coverage of the ship, including the back and bottom. They could fire a 100 ton shell at 9,000 km/sec. The reload speed for the coil guns was 5 seconds. The overall diameter of the coil guns was 889 millimeters (35 inches). These were to be in case someone was stupid enough to engage the ship at knife fight range (broadside range). She also upped the number of MAC cannons from 6 to 8 SMACs, with 20 cruiser strength MACs on the sides of the ship with some facing diagonal for situations where the ship is surrounded by ships. There were 200 Z-8060 high-impact particle cannons accounting for the forerunner ship to ship weaponry. For the point defense, Cortana places a total of 5,000 evenly distributed point defense guns, be they 50 millimeter rail guns or forerunner Z-8250 anti-ship exterior defense cannons. Chief saw it all on a screen near the viewing window, allowing a partial view of the ship to be seen.
While Chief was looking at the screen, something caught his eye. The amount of automated R&D labs was staggering at 40 labs, mostly labelled for Cortana, with one for Hunter, but overseen by Cortana. This was probably for any tech that they came across that could help improve their own. He also saw the amount of ground equipment on board. The planned total was 150 Scorpion tanks, 100 Grizzly heavy tanks, 500 warthogs, 250 gauss-hogs, and 450 mongooses. There was an ammunition production facility on the carrier that created all of the ammo for the weapons when provided with the natural materials to do so. The facility could also be used to create replacement parts for any of the ships in the fleet, and it was also able to create sentinels in the event that any were destroyed.
Chief finished looking over everything and opened a comm channel with Cortana. "We are ready to ship out, but first I need you do something for me…"
When Chief finished, Cortana was excited about Chief's idea. She immediately contacted Eternal and before he could say anything, she spoke, "I need you to send a message to UNSC HIGHCOM. I'll supply you with the message when you need it. And before you ask, this needs to be done before we leave."
Eternal was somewhat confused at the request, but did it anyway. Soon the message was away and Eternal returned to his tasks for starting the mission.
∫µ∫
Hunter tinkered away in the supercarrier's hangar after supervising the transport of the recovered the fighters and dropships from the remains of his old ship. After salvaging everything that was still useful to him, he used everything had had available to him and scrapped what was left of the ship for future ideas that he had. He then immediately set about making blueprints for a brand new, and much more powerful ship, equipped with a slipspace drive for long range travel, and the jump drive from his old ship for short range jumps. He was currently taking a break from working out the kinks in the designs so that he didn't exhaust himself designing everything. At the moment, he was tinkering away at his array of personal vehicles: his fighter, dropship, tank, two cars, and a single custom built motorcycle. These were all designed by him for specific purposes used for whatever situations he found himself in. The vehicle he was currently working on was his fighter, as it would be his best way to fight is any battle that featured ship to ship combat, and would be his fastest method of transportation. Although, his dropship, which he named the VF-64 Warmongeror, was able to outpace the pelican when unladen, it was capable of carrying all of his personal vehicles at once.
He was currently giving all the weapons and flight systems an overhaul. Hunter tended to neglect using missiles unless he was facing ships bigger than four kilometers in length, width, or height. But kept four anti-dreadnought missiles in it's concealed missile bays. The rest only consisted of four collapsible heavy anti-armor fighter mounted plasma cannons, concealed in their weapon bays, and the eight nose mounted heavy plasma cannons for enemy fighters and other lightly or medium armored vehicles. Suffice it to say, when he designed something, and actually built it, he went for overkill or nothing at all.
∫µ∫
Fleet Admiral 'Lord' Terrence Hood was on his flagship, UNSC Lord's Wrath, the last Valiant-class super heavy cruiser made after the war, modernized with newer, more efficient MACs, Titanium-A3 battle plate, and energy shields. He was sitting in his quarters, at his desk, going over deployments for the fleets that were being refueled and loaded up with provisions and intelligence reports about the Covenant Remnants still out there.
He was interrupted by his executive officer over the comm, "Sir, I have a priority Zeta-6 message for you."
Hood's eyes went wide with shock. Priority Zeta-6 was used during the end of the Human-Covenant War for missing personnel found. "Should I have it sent to your private datapad sir?"
Hood pursed his lips and replied, "Yes Captain, send it right down."
When he got the message, he opened it, the contents shocking him even further. The message read:
'Admiral Hood,
This is UNSC AI CTN-0452-9 Cortana. The Master Chief and I have survived the Battle of Installation 00 and need assistance. We have discovered a wormhole that leads to another reality. We also stumbled upon a forerunner installation known as the Librarian's Archive. I know that ONI probably looked through this and that is why I encrypted the coordinates to only be unlocked with your personal fingerprint. I am requesting, on behalf of MCPO Sierra-117, the Master Chief, that Spartans 104, 058, and 087 be notified of our survival and that they are sent here. We need allies and friendly faces sir.
Also, please let the Arbiter know that 'the Demon' lives. I'm sure that he will know what you mean.
Best Speed Admiral,
Cortana'
To say that the old veteran was surprised was an understatement. He wanted to go there in person to debrief the Chief, and he was determined to get Blue Team off their asses training the glorified ODST Spartan-IVs and help him. He put his datapad down and commed his XO.
"Captain, best speed to Reach. I have orders to give and a mission to complete."
"Aye sir." the XO replied.
As soon as he cut the comm, he contacted the Arbiter and asked him to meet him on the Infinity, which was in orbit of Reach undergoing major refits. The Wrath was soon underway, headed to Reach. Little did they know what would be in store for them once they got to the installation.
∫µ∫
Hunter finished installing a part back onto his bike and stood up. He flipped the ignition switch and listened to it's high pitched roar. He nodded in satisfaction and pulled his riding gloves over his hands, brought the bike off it's stand, and mounted. "Eternal, would you be so kind as to open hangar eight and extend the boarding ramp?"
"I'll have you know that I control the functions on the ship thank you very much." Cortana said over the intercom. "Ask me not Eternal, I thought that Sapphira would have told you that I control the ships while Eternal lays the groundwork for the new Domain that we plan on creating." she explained as if talking to a child.
"This was discussed while you were present child." Eternal spoke suddenly, "Please try to remember the roles that have been chosen for all of us by ourselves, which you have not given one due to, how did you say it? 'I don't want any responsibility in regards to this mission. I just want to get done and get home'? That must be changed so that you understand what roles we have and what you can do."
"Hell, I can't remember everything." Hunter stated as he straightened his hat and took a pair of aviators with silver polarized lenses and electric blue stained frames of the same material that made up the blade and cross-guard of his sword. He grinned and the revved the bike's engine, shifted into first, and went full throttle and released the clutch. The bike's back tire screeched as it fought for purchase before it caught and sent the bike careening down the ramp. Hunter quickly banked through the corridors and left the main complex and out onto the planet's roads. He needed to go joy riding after the maintenance of his vehicles. He would be back… at some point.
∫µ∫
When the Lord's Wrath came out of slipspace, it made a beeline for the flagship of the UNSC, the UNSC Infinity, the only Infinity-class supercarrier ever built by mankind, refit twice with new and improved technology for better speed and damage output. It was a staggering 5.6 km long, with bays for 10, 372 meter Anlace-class frigates. It was the jewel of mankind, captained by the gifted Captain Thomas Lasky, who proved himself when the former captain Del Rio froze in the middle of a battle against the last of the loyalist Covenant forces, turning the tide into the UNSC's favor by employing tactics not seen since Admiral Cole's campaign. With those tactics in use, the Covenant Loyalists were routed. Not one ship escaped that day, and it showed what the Infinity could do when under the command of a skilled, competent captain.
Admiral Hood contacted the Infinity immediately. "Captain Lasky, permission to come aboard?"
"Of course sir, pleasure to see you again." Lasky answered professionally.
"Much appreciated Captain." Hood replied.
"My pleasure sir." Lasky replied.
When the comm was cut, Hood made his way to the hangar, and a pelican within, to meet with Lasky.
∫µ∫
After Hood came aboard the Infinity, he went directly to the captain's ready room. Once there, he entered the room to find Lasky at his desk, facing the door. When Lasky saw the venerable admiral, he immediately stood up and gave a crisp salute.
"Fleet Admiral." Lasky said.
Hood returned the salute and sat at one of the seats on the other side of the desk. Once he sat down, he got straight to the point. "I need you to get ahold of Blue Team from the surface. A situation has come up and they are uniquely suited to deal with it."
Lasky showed surprise at the order but maintained his composure. "I'll send for them immediately sir." he paused for a moment before asking, "If I may sir, what came up that requires Blue Team of all Spartans?"
Hood was amused by the question. "The only thing worth a damn to them these days. A fellow Spartan has been found, the Master Chief is alive." He answered nonchalantly.
With that statement, Lasky lost all of his remaining composure, his mouth hung open, moving, but no sound coming out. Hood chuckled at Lasky's reaction, which snapped Lasky out of his shocked state. "The Master Chief is Alive?! Sir, are you sure?"
"Yes the Master Chief is alive Captain. I received a message from Cortana a few hours ago revealing that the Chief is alive and they asked for Blue Team to meet them at undisclosed coordinates. Hell of a shock to be sure, but she sent me the message anyway. You and I will be delivering them there and debriefing the Chief."
∫µ∫
Arbiter Thel 'Vadam was in a courtyard on Sanghelios going over a datapad that had probe data from probes looking for the surviving Covenant remnants when a messenger came to him gave him a Sangheili salute and said, "Arbiter a message from the humans arrived. I was told to give it to you."
The Arbiter clenched his mandibles (Sangheili version of either a frown or pursing their lips) and wondered who would send him a message and why. "Who was the message from specifically?" Arbiter asked.
The messenger looked at the sender portion of the message and said, "It says 'Fleet Admiral Lord Hood' sir."
The Arbiter instantly focused on the messenger, putting his datapad down and said, "May I have it?"
The messenger gave him the message and stood there, waiting to be dismissed. The Arbiter noticed this and said, "Dismissed."
The messenger bowed and left to deliver other messages, leaving the Arbiter with the message from the honorable leader of all human military forces. He opened the message and read:
Arbiter Thel 'Vadam
Meet me at these coordinates as soon as possible. The Demon lives and requested your presence. Please make all possible haste.
Fleet Admiral Lord Hood
The Arbiter stood there, mandibles slack on his face, shocked. The Demon lives kept coming to the forefront of his mind. The Demon, known to the humans as Master Chief, survived the ark. After a good while thinking on that and how he could have survived the Arbiter all but ran to his ship, The Shadow of Intent, a CAS-class Assault Carrier, a 5.3 km long beast that serve as flagships for entire fleets.
Soon he was on the bridge and walked straight to the command chair, in which sat his brother in arms, Fleetmaster Rtas 'Vadum, veteran of the battles of Installation 05 and 00 (Delta Halo from Halo 2 and the Ark respectively). As soon as Rtas saw his friend in such a rush, he knew something happened, something big.
"What has happened Arbiter?" Rtas asked.
"Make haste to these coordinates my friend." Arbiter said, breathing heavily, handing him a data pad with the coordinates from the message.
Rtas looked at the coordinates and saw that they lead to the border between Swords of Sanghelios and UNSC territory.
"By your word Arbiter." Rtas said, confused.
After relaying the orders to the helmsman, he turned to look at the Arbiter again and saw that he was nervous and happy at the same time. Confused even more, he asked, "Why are we going to the border of Human and Sangheili space?"
The Arbiter said one sentence that struck fear into the core of every single Elite on the bridge. "The Demon lives."
A/N: And that is the end of Chapter 4: Reclaimer's Promise! The poll that I put up was a 2/1 landslide for Blue team to join the mission of stopping the reapers. They will be in future chapters, don't worry. We'll see what happen when the Arbiter comes 'round and Blue Team reunites with Chief. Also Hunter and Sapphira are the property of Hunter Dracon, the co-author of the story. See you in the next one!
Arisentactica over and out.
A/N From Hunter Dracon: Yes yes. Hunter and Sapphira do belong to me, and if anyone thinks otherwise, I will sue/kick your ass. And if you don't like it, go fuck yourselves. Anyway, for those of you wanting to know how those two pertain to the story, since they're OCs and had absolutely no relation to Halo or Mass Effect whatsoever until we get there. I'll say it right now. Cause why the hell not. Besides that fact, I cannot give you any info that you'll find out later on, as it spoils things, and you'd find out sooner or later anyway, and I'm too lazy to put it here now.