SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS
PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES
-CHAPTER START-
Realm H4-L0 –Forerunner Shield World Requiem
The Master Chief, Commander Shepard, and Teana continued their trek through the jungle. They could hear weapons fire ahead, and through gaps in the trees the Infinity was increasingly visible.
"Stay low" Cortana said suddenly. "Recon sortie heading this way."
The trio ducked under trees as several Phantoms and Banshees sped by overhead. With just a few more steps, they reached a spot overlooking a [lower-elevation area – ravine? Gorge? It's full of trees and life, but those words bring 'dead rocky area' to mind…], in which the Infinity was grounded. The Didact's cryptum hovered nearby, sending scanning pulses through the ship, while Covenant aircraft fired at it, the extra-thick armor taking almost no damage from the dropships' & fighters' puny weapons.
"The ship looks pretty intact" Cortana remarked.
"Something tells me that's only because the Didact wanted it that way" the Master Chief replied.
"This is Lasky to UNSC Infinity" a man's voice came over the comm. "We're up to our necks in bad guys down here! Does anyone read?"
"This is Commander Shepard; I've got Sierra-117 and Gamma-1 with me. We're on station, ready to assist."
"Negative copy" the return transmission became increasingly static-filled. "Sound*STATIC*aid 'Sierra' and 'Gamma', come aga*STATIC*"
"The signal's bouncing in & out" Cortana said. "I can't clean it up."
"Light up their friend-or-foe tags" the Chief ordered. "We're gonna need something to zero in on."
"I'm seeing numerous IFF tags below the tree line. Painting the closest one on your HUDs."
The WayPoints appeared on the heads-up displays of the trio, and they turned around and started heading deeper into the jungle.
"Lasky…" the Master Chief murmured. "I remember him."
"You know the Infinity's XO?" Teana asked.
The Spartan nodded. "Cobrulo Academy, 2526. He was just a trainee, but he helped me take down a Hunter."
"And now he's second-in-command of a dreadnought" Shepard said. "Sounds like he's moved up in the world."
"Infinity to Commander Lasky" Captain del-Rio's static-fouled voice was heard. "We've lost contact with your Pelicans. Report in!"
"They must not have received his distress call" Teana remarked.
The trio moved cautiously through the trees and rocks, hearing the calls of wildlife all around them. Soon, they reached a small clearing. Three Promethean Knights were standing over the corpses of three marines, and they phased out as soon as they saw the Chief's group.
"Lasky?" the Spartan asked, looking at the bodies.
"One of them's an officer" Cortana replied. "Check his tag."
Shepard walked over to the one wearing officer's insignia, and checked the man's dog-tags. "Jiminez, Paolo J" he said. "So Lasky's still out here somewhere."
The Chief discarded his nearly-empty BR85 rifle and picked up an M395 Designated Marksman Rifle and ammo from a dead marine, and all three of them scavenged a few frag grenades. They continued weaving their way through the jungle, until they saw the orange lights of a Crawler pack up ahead. The Chief used his DMR to pick off the pack's Alpha, and the rest of the quadrupedal droids began to charge, firing their blasters. Shepard formed a Singularity that 'grabbed' all but one of the Crawlers, and Teana unloaded on the trapped ones with Mirage Assault-Rifle, destroying them all, while the Chief put down the lone survivor.
Moving forward and hanging a right, they were attacked by a second Crawler pack. The Chief threw a frag grenade that destroyed all but three of them, and Shepard's pistol took them out. There was also a Knight further downrange, but two shots from Mirage Sniper took care of it. Continuing through the jungle, they encountered the beginnings of fog that reduced their visibility. Fortunately, the glowing orange portions that Prometheans had made the Watcher and Crawlers they encountered easy to aim at and destroy. They soon reached a small hilltop, arriving to see a Promethean Knight holding a UNSC marine up by the throat, its hard-light blade impaled through the man's chest. Before the trio could do anything, the marine pulled out and triggered a frag grenade, and rammed it into the Knight's face. The resulting blast killed them both.
Their WayPoints led them down the hill; the fog was very thick in this spot, but their helmets all had the latest-model VISR systems, highlighting the surrounding neutral structures & objects in yellow and the Prometheans here in red; Teana and the Chief used assault-rifle fire to clear out the Crawlers, while Shepard hit the Knight to the right with an Overload and a few Lightrifle shots, scavenging ammo for the weapon from the Knight's dissolving body. They made their way up out of the 'fog pit', passing along huge tree roots.
"We've got another IFF on the far side of this thicket" Cortana reported.
Going up and around, they found a dead marine beneath an overhanging boulder. The Chief tapped into his armor's onboard systems, playing recorded dialogue:
"We should get eyes out there," Lasky's voice said, "looking for the others."
"Peters, you heard Commander Lasky" a woman's voice added.
"CFB, ma'am" a different man replied. "Bulldogs, on me! We're going for a walk."
"Lasky's been through here," Cortana said, "recently by the timestamp."
Moving on ahead, a quartet of Crawler Alphas tried to ambush the trio as they passed a small pond. Teana scrapped one with a Scattershot blast and another with two Crossfire shot bolts to the head, while the Chief's and Shepard's pistols put the other two down. Approaching the next right turn, they heard the unique sound of a Watcher being deployed by a Knight. Sure enough, when the Chief poked his head around the corner, he saw not just the two Prometheans in question – with the Knight being a Lancer-type – but a hovering light auto-turret and four Crawlers as well. After several seconds of planning, Shepard rolled out into view and hit the Watcher with an Overload while at the same time blasting the little turret with a Warp, destroying both. Teana was next, firing two 40mm grenades to wipe out the Crawlers. Then, as the Knight returned fire, the Master Chief focused DMR fire on it, six shots taking out its shields and then its face, destroying it.
"I've got another IFF tag," Cortana said as the trio moved forward, "but as far as I can tell we're moving into a chokepoint. This may end up as a dead end."
In the next area, they made their way up massive roots as thick as the average Earth tree's trunk, using them as platforms and bridges as they ascended towards a Forerunner-made door on a higher level. A few Crawlers got in their way, but were easily disposed of. As they reached the door, there was a stack of UNSC crates and weaponry; the Chief topped up on DMR ammo. The trio's motion trackers registered friendlies on the other side of the door just as it opened, and three Spartan-IVs – Commander Sarah Palmer and two subordinates – came out, weapons drawn as they surveyed the area behind the Chief's group.
"I'm afraid we'll have to give you three an IOU on that welcoming party."
A man in UNSC naval officer's uniform walked up to them from within; he bore the insignia of a Naval Commander, and his black hair was graying a little despite his not even being 50 years old yet.
"Tom Lasky," he introduced himself as he shook their hands one by one, "First Officer of the Infinity. Didn't expect to run into you folks here."
"Seal her up!" Palmer ordered her men, who got to work on closing the door.
"Commander!" a marine further inside shouted. "Radio's hot!"
The group hurried over to the radio that the marine was kneeling by.
"Respond to comm.…" Captain del-Rio's voice was heard with some static but still discernible. "On what frequency… What frequency, damnit?"
"Infinity, this is Commander Lasky. Pelican recon teams are down – repeat, all birds are down! We've got numerous casualties and require immediate assistance, over!"
"Finally… Did you get the coordinates to that gravity well?"
"Affirmative sir, but we're going to need a bus out of here-"
"Make it happen!"
The transmission cut off.
"You were sent on a scouting run in the middle of an attack on the ship…" Cortana said through the Chief's speakers.
Lasky sighed. "The Captain thought Infinity could provide us cover and hold off the attack at the same time."
"Sir…" Palmer approached with a frown. "We'll never get the wounded back to the ship on foot."
Lasky stood up, facing the hero trio.
"I don't know if it's too soon to ask you three a favor," he said, "but… we're going to run out of breathing room here real quick. I don't suppose you're any good at clearing LZs?"
"On occasion" the Master Chief replied dryly. "We'll send out an all-clear once the area's secured."
"A topographical scan of the area shows a break in the foliage north from here" Cortana said. "Should be big enough to bring in a dropship for evac."
The Chief, Shepard, & Teana moved toward the exit, accompanied by four marines. In the wooded area just outside, a Crawler pack and a Knight with a Lightrifle were waiting for them. As the Chief helped the marines take out the Crawlers, Shepard stripped the Knight's shields with an Overload, and Teana finished it with a few Mirage Marksman-Rifle shots to the head. The squad moved up, and another Knight emerged from the left bend ahead, accompanied by a Watcher. Shepard took out the little flyer, while concentrated fire from everyone else quickly wore down the Knight's shields and destroyed it.
They moved on, heading up a natural 'ramp', and when they rounded the bend at the top they were ambushed by a Crawler pack and a Knight. Shepard threw out a Singularity that snatched up the Crawlers and left the Knight unsteady on its feet, and two grenades from the marines finished the whole lot off. Up ahead and to the right, they found a fireteam of marines pinned down by Crawlers and a Watcher. The Chief's DMR made short work of the flyer, and focused fire from Shepard's pistol, Teana's burst-fire-mode Mirage Rifle, and the marines' assault rifle shots took care of the Crawlers.
They were now at the base of a hill; at the top was a Forerunner door, and between it and them was a sizable force of Prometheans – three Knights, at least two Watchers, and a dozen Crawlers. One of the Knights started taking shots at the marines from the left side of the hilltop, killing one; in response, Shepard Biotic-Charged up at the Knight, knocking it back and leaving it open to a barrage of SMG fire that cut it down. He saw the Watchers flying down towards a pair of boulders on either side of the hilltop, and he used his Overload to destroy one, but the Overload module couldn't recharge fast enough for him to stop the other Watcher from warping in a heavy beam-turret.
Focused fire from the marines took down a Knight, and the Chief shot down the remaining Watcher. As the heavy turret began trying to burn the humans, Teana responded by firing a ki blast, obliterating the turret. The final Knight was waiting at the top of the hill, preparing to load and launch a pulse-grenade at the humans, when two shots from Shepard's N7 Valiant took it out. Hurrying up to the locked doors, the Master Chief pulled Cortana's chip out and slotted her into a nearby interface.
"These doors open into a cave system large enough for an LZ" the AI reported. "Hold the Prometheans off long enough for me to open the doors!"
The hero trio and the marines hunkered down, grabbing weapons & ammo and manning the three mounted machinegun turrets. Soon, Crawlers and Knights emerged at the bottom of the hill and started making their way up, firing at the humans. The group returned fire, .50-caliber rounds and a few grenades joining small-arms fire, scrapping the Crawlers and pushing the Knights back. A few Watchers joined the fray, only for Shepard and Teana to blow them out of the sky. The Master Chief manned one of the turrets, taking out a group of Crawlers and then focusing fire on a Lancer-type Knight. Upon losing its shields, the Knight Lancer warped forward in a zigzag pattern at great speed, appearing right in front of him ready to impale the Spartan… and then was blasted point-blank by the shotgun-wielding marine standing right next to the Chief, taking it out.
Finally, just as the last Knight and two Crawlers fell, Cortana got the doors open. Retrieving his AI partner, the Master Chief also grabbed an ARC-920 railgun from a nearby crate, and he, Shepard, & Teana headed into the cave as the marines stayed behind to secure the area. After nearly a minute of advancing through the cave, they saw an opening that was blocked by a Promethean Knight. However, its back was turned to them as it gesticulated and 'spoke'. Upon closer inspection, there were Grunts just outside, and the trio soon realized it was ordering them around.
The Master Chief cut the Knight's role short with a railgun shot to the back, the supersonic explosive round blowing a sizable hole that the Knight disintegrated out from. The Grunts panicked, leaving them easy prey to the Chief's & Teana's assault rifles, and the lone Jackal had its shield Overloaded and its head pistol-shot by Shepard. Further in, out in the open, there were two more Knights and a Watcher, along with a trio of Jackals. The Chief took out the Watcher with a few DMR shots, and then Shepard & Teana picked off the Knights with his Valiant and her Mirage Sniper.
A Phantom flew in, firing its chin-mounted gun and side-mounted manned turrets at the humans while it dropped off another squad of Grunts and Jackals, and a trio of Promethean Knights warped in. Teana picked up a dropped plasma pistol, and fired an overcharged shot at one of the Knights, stripping its shields and letting the Chief take it out with a headshot. Shepard threw out a Shockwave-Chain that sent Grunts flying and staggered another Knight, and a frag grenade at the Knight's feet destroyed it. The Master Chief managed to take out the Lancer-type Knight's shields, and when it charged he dove backward to avoid it, and a blast from Teana's Scattershot took the Knight down. Teana then switched her device to dual Pistol Mode, and ran in & finished off the remaining Grunts & Jackals.
"Cortana to Lasky: LZ is secure."
"Roger that, Cortana. I'll get you the coordinates for the-"
"Mayday, mayday!" Captain del-Rio's voice cut in over general comms. "Code Red! Hostile elements attempting to gain entrance to the Infinity bridge! All units, return to Infinity immediately!"
"Chief, Shepard," Lasky said as a Pelican entered the clearing, "I'm redirecting the SPARTAN-IVs to rally point Alpha-Sierra-Foxtrot! Until we catch up, you have tactical command of the forward assault force. Rendezvous with those men and take back that ship!"
"Got it" Shepard replied.
-Break-
(MUSIC: Halo 4 OST Vol. 2 – "Push Through")
The Pelican dropped the Master Chief, Shepard, and Teana off in an open canyon, choked with dust and debris from the crashed dreadnought. Nearby, a squad of Spartan-IVs was engaged with the enemy – a sizable number of Grunts and Jackals, with a Phantom hovering nearby. The Chief ran for a nearby M808 Scorpion tank, hopping into the driver's compartment, with Teana boarding the machinegun turret. Shepard took a seat on the forward-right corner of the vehicle, with three S-IVs taking the other spots.
"Let's see if all that training you and the other S-IIs gave the IVs has paid off…" Cortana said inside the Chief's helmet.
A shell from the tank's cannon obliterated one hostile Elite, while the other's shield was stripped by Shepard's Overload, leaving it vulnerable to two S-IVs' concentrated fire. The Scorpion started moving, blasting a Ghost that came in from up ahead. Soon, a Warthog manned by three Spartan-IVs rolled up beside the tank, moving with it.
"Shepard, 117, it's Lasky. We're touching down just north of your position. Proceed to Starboard Hanger 2-19, and we'll link up with you there."
Rolling through the canyon, the Scorpion blasted a Covenant anti-grav watchtower, while the Warthog's chaingun took out the stragglers that had been around the tower's base. Continuing on, a Grunt atop another watchtower fired a fuel-rod shot at the tank, and the Chief threw the tank forward and to the left to dodge the glowing green anti-armor projectile. A return shot from the tank's gun blew the watchtower to bits, while the Warthog rolled ahead and focused fire to take down another one. A Ghost sped in from up ahead, but was scrapped by a shot from the tank.
The next open area had two watchtowers, a trio of Ghosts, and a Wraith. The Chief first used the tank's big gun to take out the watchtowers, while Teana used the MG to take out an Elite trying to flank the tank, the Warthog focused on the Ghosts, destroying one, and Shepard hit another passing Ghost with a Biotic Throw that overturned it, leaving its pilot open to fire from the S-IVs. The tank's cannon took out the last Ghost, and then started blasting the Wraith while moving around to dodge the plasma mortars it fired. Three shots did the trick, and the two vehicles moved on past the smoldering wreck of the Wraith.
They reached a part where the path briefly split into two, with a watchtower at the fork and a Wraith straight ahead at the end of the right path, where the two paths recombined. The hover-tank had its back to them, focusing on any hostiles potentially coming from the Infinity; the Chief made the Wraith's pilot pay for that lack of situational awareness with an explosive shell to the tank's weak-armored aft end, taking out the power core in a massive blast that gutted the dark-blue vehicle. Shepard formed a Singularity directly above the floating platform of the nearby watchtower, snatching up the two FRG-wielding Grunts before they could fire, leaving them vulnerable to the Spartan-IVs' shots. Another watchtower up ahead was blasted by the Scorpion's cannon.
Moving on, there was about a minute of peace as they passed through the canyon unmolested. Then, they finally arrived at the area at the base of Bay 2-19; here, a Wraith and three Ghosts were exchanging fire with a certain trio of Spartan 2.5's-turned-4's. Alisa-B296 fired her sniper rifle, taking out the Elite driving one of the Ghosts. When the Chief's Scorpion blasted the Wraith from the side, briefly stunning the pilot, Zeke-B147 took advantage of the opening by firing two rockets at the wounded hover-tank, destroying it. A Ghost tried to move in close against Crimson Team, but Bellerophon-B047 threw a plasma grenade that stuck to the vehicle, blowing it up before the driver could get out.
As the Warthog took out the last Ghost, the Scorpion rolled into the tunnel that Fireteam Crimson had been guarding, driving down a slope and onto the huge cargo elevator waiting for them. The lift slowly brought the tank up into Hangar 2-19; a handful of marines were in cover, exchanging fire with a force of Grunts and Jackals led by a Hunter pair. A shell from the tank hit one of the Hunters right in the 'face', blowing the gestalt being to bits along with a few Jackals that were standing too close. A second shell went off at the other Hunter's feet, having much the same result against it and some nearby Grunts. The tank rolled forward, Teana using the machinegun turret to finish off the dazed and panicking Grunt and Jackal survivors.
"Master Chief, Commander Shepard, this is Captain del-Rio. Lasky just radioed; you picked a helluva time to join up with us!"
"Sir, what's our status?" the Chief asked.
"That satellite took down the ship's defenses and is extracting data from the ship's mainframes as we speak."
"Can we break the connection?" Shepard asked.
"Main point of contact's on the ship's upper hull; the fastest route is through the maintenance causeway. There's a Mantis docked inside the door. Take it. You'll need the extra firepower."
Heading through the door on the right, the trio entered a sort of hangar with a raised platform in the middle, and heavy doors on the far side. The Chief placed his palm on the nearby terminal, and the circular plate on the raised platform split in two. From below, a Mark-IX 'Mantis' combat walker emerged.
(MUSIC: Halo 4 OST Vol. 2 – "Mantis")
The Master Chief boarded the Mantis, which stood tall as he started it up. The door straight ahead was jammed shut, but Teana briefly formed two Stage-0 Susanō arms and wrenched it open, clearing the path. She and Commander Shepard then followed the Chief's Mantis as it moved into the causeway. As soon as the Grunts saw the huge walker approaching, they panicked and ran for their lives, while a pair of Promethean Knights emerged and opened fire on the mech. The Mantis' shields shrugged off the hard-light shots, and its heavy machinegun ripped through the two Knights' shields and bodies in a matter of seconds. A heavy beam turret up ahead started charging to fire, but two shots from Shepard's N7 Valiant put a stop to that.
Reaching a right turn, they were met by Knights and Elites with Jackal and Watcher support. A few missiles from the Mantis' launcher took out the Knights and all but one Elite, while an Overload from Shepard destroyed the lone Watcher, and a frag grenade from Teana blew away the Jackals. Soon the narrow part of the passageway ended, opening out into a high and wide multi-leveled area with a ramp/road going up the middle. Four Knights, a dozen Grunts, a Watcher, and three beam turrets populated the area. The Chief first fired a missile at each turret, while Shepard used Overload to strip a Knight's shields and Teana then sniped it. The Mantis turned its guns on the other Knights, while Teana blew the Watcher out of the air. Afterwards, the panicking Grunts were mowed down as they tried to flee.
Hanging a left at the top of the slope, they were attacked by two Knights and a small pack of Jackals. A rocket from the Mantis took out the tightly-packed Jackals, and the heavy machinegun dealt with the Knights. They advanced down the narrow, straight pathway, fending off ambushes from behind the large storage crates that lined the sides of the path. There was a close call with an Elite carrying a fuel-rod gun toward the end, but Shepard hit the alien with Stasis just before the gun could be fired, letting the Mantis stomp the Elite into the ground. Reaching the end of the passageway, they arrived at a large cargo elevator; after using a pair of rockets to blow away the Grunts inside, they boarded the lift.
"Chief, it's Lasky! Come in!"
"Go, Commander."
"We've identified several Covenant jamming devices on the outer hull."
"That might be how they're blocking the Infinity's defenses" Cortana said.
"Exactly what we were thinking. Neutralize them, so we can get our guns back online and show that satellite we're more than just a big paperweight."
As the lift stopped, the Mantis and its two on-foot escorts hurried down a straight corridor, exiting through a door and onto the upper hull. The Didact's cryptum was hovering directly in front of the Infinity, scanning the ship's systems. Eight Covenant light cruisers were holding position over the ship, sending swarms of dropships and Banshees against the Infinity's own aircraft. Cortana marked three jammers on the hull, mounted near some anti-air defenses, keeping them offline. As the Master Chief's Mantis began firing its machinegun at ground forces, Shepard spotted a second Mantis off in the corner. Biotic-Charging over to it, he climbed aboard and booted it up, joining the Chief in killing Jackals & Knights, and then firing three rockets at the left-side jammer, destroying it. The left-side AA defenses came online, beginning to fire at approaching Phantoms.
Not to be left out, Teana used Mirage Sniper to pick off a few Elites and Knights, and then rushed in to the right. The Covenant who fired at her were surprised to see their shots either deflected by her two orange energy blades or neutralized by what looked like a spectral ribcage surrounding her. As she came close, she advanced her Susanō to Stage 1, and a wide swing of its blade cut through several Covenant forces and sent others flying. As her spectral summon protected her, she charged and fired a 'Divine Burst' at the right-side jammer, blowing a huge hole through it. The right-side anti-air defenses came back online. Meanwhile, the Chief's Mantis made it around the central Onager-class MAC turret. A burst of MG fire took out the Elites guarding the jammer, and a couple rockets destroyed the jammer itself. Now, all the AA defenses were back online, firing at the Phantoms and Banshees polluting the sky.
"Del-Rio to Master Chief" the ship's Captain said as the cryptum sent out another scanning pulse. "The rate that thing is searching our systems just doubled; I think it knows what you're up to."
The Infinity's missile batteries came back online, adding their heavy firepower to the cause. A wave of Phantoms came in from the Covenant cruisers; most were shot down, but three managed to drop off a force of enemies, who began firing at the trio from all sides. The Chief and Shepard's Mantises formed up, covering each other as they laid waste to the attacking forces. Teana kept her Stage-1 Susanō active, the powerful construct shrugging off the plasma bolts that hit it like they weren't even there, using its huge fists to smash and fling opposition, and even using its sword to slice through a Banshee that flew too close.
More Phantoms and Banshees flew in, the former dropping off squads of Elites and a few FRG-wielding Grunts. As the two Mantises and the spectral warrior fended them off, the Infinity's guns managed to cripple two of the Covenant light cruisers, flames spewing through rents in their hulls as they lost altitude. Rockets and anti-air gunfire from the auto-defenses pounded at the approaching aircraft, shooting several out of the air, as the three 'power units' dealt with Covenant units on the 'ground'.
"Captain del-Rio to Sierra-117. The MAC network's reading operational, but our EM relays are malfunctioning. You'll have to initiate the link manually."
The Master Chief walked his Mantis over to the MAC network's control console and got out, keying in the start-up command. After a few seconds, the Onager-class MAC nearby came to life, power audibly charging as it rose up and pointed at the Didact's cryptum.
"Forward MAC batteries, get that damn orb away from my ship! All cannons, fire at will!"
All of the Infinity's broadside defenses opened fire on the cryptum, while a formation of F41 Broadswords charged at the sphere, guns and missiles blazing. After taking several shots, the Didact's cryptum broke off, retreating off into the jungle.
"Del-Rio to Infinity, all hands: we are Condition Yellow. Stand down. Section heads, report in; begin damage assessment."
-Break-
The 5.7-kilometer dreadnought lifted off, bearing a few battle scars but otherwise intact, with squadrons of Pelicans and Broadswords flying in formation around it.
"What I wanna know, people," Captain del-Rio said to the various figures gathered in the Infinity's bridge, "is where the hell did those things come from?"
"They're called Prometheans" Cortana replied, calling up a hologram of a Knight. "Essentially, they're Forerunner battle droids - dedicated soldier units, compared to the Sentinels' security role."
"We've never seen this type of offensive reaction from any of the other installations."
"Other installations?" Shepard asked.
"Before – and now after – the Reaper War," Commander Lasky replied, "Infinity's mission has been to locate the remaining Halo rings, and establish permanent bases to study them for decommissioning. We've got locations up & running around Halo Installations 05 and 03, but… lately, they've run into some setbacks."
"A science team got zapped excavating a Forerunner artifact on Zero-Three" del-Rio clarified. "This sensor data is all that was left."
He brought up a new hologram: dozens of Forerunner glyphs arranged in a circular pattern, converging around the Ur-Didact's symbol.
"Interesting…" Cortana said. "These symbols are a derivation of the Forerunner glyph system."
"And our geeks managed to pull some coordinates. Three guesses where they led…"
"Sir," Comm. Palmer said to del-Rio as she approached, handing him a datapad, "Gypsy Company is prepped and ready to roll on your orders."
"Thank you, Palmer. Mr. Lasky, you take point; I want boots on the ground in 60."
"Captain?" Shepard asked, he and the Chief looking caught off-guard by the Captain's orders.
"This is a first-contact scenario, you three. Priority is to free Infinity from Requiem's gravity well and file a threat assessment back at FLEETCOM."
"You mean we're leaving?" Teana spoke up. "With a Forerunner war criminal still here, and still in command of a shitload of military hardware and forces?"
"Sir," the Master Chief said, "Infinity drove the Didact back. He's vulnerable."
Del-Rio glared at them as he left. "He isn't the only one" he replied.
-CHAPTER END-
Next Time: The assault on Requiem's gravity-well generator, and the reveal of a couple startling truths.