Real Men Don't Need Maps

Above a massive, 8-pointed, star-like structure, a single ship came out of slip space. It was a Covenant Assault Carrier, but it was no longer affiliated with the Covenant anymore. Several Covenant ships move towards it, flying across the massive, planet-like surface of the structure. Though it seems only one ship came out of slip-space, there were a lot more hidden in the veil of invisibility. The lead ship that concocted this plan was the super carrier Shadow of Darkness and her Shipmaster Telek 'Heros.

"That's it, Wago," he said. "Come on—tempt those hairy apes. Get them to take the bate."

"I feel ridiculous, Excellency," Wago complained through the channel.

"You look fine," said Telek. "Now, spin your ship around to where you're backwards facing the Jiralhanae."

"Uh—why?"

"Just do it," he sighed. "Trust me."

Telek chuckled as he watched through his large main screen as the Regret and Reconciliation spun itself around to where the tail-end of the ship was now facing the Brute ships.

"Okay, that's it, now wiggle it," Telek said.

"What?" Wago shouted through the speakers. "Are you nuts?"

"Come on," Telek continued. "How am I supposed to go fishing for monkeys if you don't shake that ghetto booty of yours and look inviting?"

Tom started to snicker.

"Shake it, Wago," Telek said. "They're won't start nibbling unless you shake it. Taunt them a bit."

Telek chuckled when he saw the Regret and Reconciliation actually sway back and forth, taunting the Brute ships by wiggling her aft section.

"Now, say the words," Telek said.

"Yoo-hoo, Jiralhanae…" Wago called as the ship continued to shake its aft section. "You know you want this. Come and get it, come and take a bite."

Telek break out into a maddened cackle, leaning back and slapping the arm of the command chair.

"That's it, Wago!" he laughed. "Look, they're coming right for you."

"Impulse power," Wago called. "Thrusters ahead full. Let's give them a chase they'll remember."

"Lead them to Cujo, Wago!" called Telek. "Lead them to Cujo and his Reverence-class cruisers."

"Cujo," called Telek. "They're coming your way."

"I see them," said Cujo. "Cruisers, line up, and prepare to snipe them. Pick them off and thin them out. We need to clear the area for the Forward unto Dawn to make its way down safely."

"Mitsu," Telek called. "Get your cruisers and destroyers ready."

"Yes, Excellency," said Mitsu.

"I must say, Supreme Commander," began Rtas. "A highly unorthodox tactic."

"That's the way I do things," Telek said.

"Well done," Rtas gave a verbal nod.

"Miranda," began Telek. "Don't worry, we've got things handled up here…"

"Shipmaster…" began Joli. "Dreadnaught is not participating in the battle. It's retreating down towards the structure."

"You get that, Miranda?" Telek asked.

"I did," she said. "You intend to follow him, Telek?"

"No," Telek said. "I think we'll be a bit busy up here. Besides, Truth's not gonna go anywhere else for a while. I'll let the Chief chase after him. I'm gonna clear a path for you as safe as I can make it. Unload your Pelicans down along that path and then come up and join us in the fight. But don't stay up here too long, your little ship can't handle a big fight like this. Take a few shots at Truth's fleet while your ground crew tries to spot a good LZ, then make your landing down on the structure and supply the forces with what they need."

"Aye, aye, Admiral," she said. "I copy."

Telek pressed a few buttons on his chair, continuing his orders: "We'll keep things going up here until we've destroyed Truth's fleet. They're not gonna hold out up against seasoned veterans and cloaked ships. Those Jiralhanae haven't been commanding for very long. They haven't had the time to figure out tactics when it comes to 3-dimensional space combat. This could very well be an easy fight."

"Don't get too cocky," said Rtas. "We haven't won yet."

"Hey, you're being lead by the infamous pirate Telek 'Heros," Telek continued with a chuckle. "I've got luck on my side. All Seraph squadrons, prepare for launching. Take out those bastard Jiralhanae Seraphs."

Inside the Dawn Miranda opened a channel to Johnson's Pelican. Once more, Shri 'Canthon and Ysoa 'Argam were the ones piloting the Pelican while Johnson rode in the third gunner's chair behind them. Standing behind Miranda's command chair was Kiryuu Knight. The UNSC President was dressed in a black commando sweater and black combat pants similar to what special operation forces sometimes wore. He wore a utility vest around his shoulders and the flag of the United Nations Space Command and the flag of the United Canadian-American States were sewn onto the upper arms. The Dawn made its way down below the grav-lift under the massive carrier the Shadow of Darkness just as it revealed itself.

"Admiral 'Heros has informed me that Truth's ship isn't taking part in the fight," said Miranda. "He must've gone to ground."

"Roger that, Ma'am!" called Johnson. "We're on him!" He glanced over at Ysoa in the pilot's seat. "Kick the door."

The Pelican dropped out of the back end of the frigate and joined five other Pelicans for the descent towards the structure.

"Here we go," said Shri. "Straight between those two carriers."

"Oh—boy…" Ysoa blinked.

A plasma torpedo impacted on one of the Pelicans and sent it flying into the atmosphere in a blaze of fire. Ysoa gripped the controls tightly and dodged the flying debris, leveling the aircraft out. Just as the two carriers crisscrossed their way, the Pelican shot through the gap. The Master Chief came walking up behind them, glancing out the windshield of the Pelican just as it descended down into the atmosphere.

"We good, Ysoa?" Johnson asked.

"Got a little toasty back there," the Sangheili Spec Ops warrior replied. "But, she'll hold."

The Chief nodded and glanced back, walking back into the back of the Pelican, grabbing himself a sniper rifle. He shoved a magazine into its bottom just as he heard Johnson's voice again.

"Alright. Pop the hatch!"

"Yeehaw…" Ysoa called, opening up the hatch of the aircraft.

The Marines and the Chief glanced around, seeing the landscape in around them. It was a desert with rolling white dunes and sectioned off by structured walls.

"That's some view," said one Marine.

"Enjoy it while you can, Marines," said Johnson over the comlink. "Soon as we land, we're right back to it. Priority one: Secure a Landing Zone for the Commander's Frigate. Keep your eyes and ears open. We need all the intel we can get."

"Well, wherever the hell we are," said another Marine.

"Get to it, Marines!" called Johnson.

"Ooo-rah!" the Marines called.

"Go, go, go!" Johnson shouted.

"Wort, wort, wort!" Shri called back.

As the Pelican landed, the Chief and the Marines hopped out of the back, heading up the rocky cliff. Then, Ysoa pulled back on the controls and took the Pelican up just as soon as the Marines and the Chief cleared it.

"I wonder how goes the fight upstairs," Shri said. "Ysoa, patch me into Commander Keyes."

"Yes, Excellency," Ysoa said.

"Miranda," began Shri. "Ground crew's down and scouting out for an LZ for you. The Chief is leading a charge."

"Excellent," said Miranda. "I can't stay up here any much longer."

Up on the bridge of the Dawn it was a different story. Dodging in and out of plasma fire, trying to stay away from the heavy guns of the larger ships. There were times like this where Miranda wished she had shields on her ships like Telek has on his. Maybe having the shields would help her little ship hold out a bit longer. Telek's own enormous carrier remained near the Dawn, keeping close to make sure Miranda would be safe. Even in a space battle, Telek's love-sick heart could not allow Miranda to be harmed. His protection would be caught short by a shot of an enemy cruiser. Just as she turned for an attack on a cruiser nearby, a plasma torpedo struck the port side of the ship. The navigator flying her fell to the side as a small explosion flashed across his control panel.

"She's going down!" called another naval officer on the bridge.

"Not if I can help it," said Kiryuu as he leapt over the chair and took control of the ship. His fingers flew across the control panel and the ship was able to right itself again.

"Nice work, Mr. President," said Miranda.

"She's not too distant from my own control systems," Kiryuu commented deeply.

"Can you land her?" Miranda asked.

"We'll find out, won't we?" the bio-mecha chuckled as he turned and winked.

"I'll let the Chief know," said Miranda as she opened a channel to the Master Chief. "Chief, I'm giving the Brutes all I've got, but this is a heavyweight fight. The Dawn's only got the tonnage to last a few rounds. Find me a place to set her down, over." She glanced down at the navigator who was still on the floor. "How is he?"

Kiryuu glanced down and touched the human's face: "Unconscious. You better send him to Dr. Mitchell."

"Dr. Mitchell, I've got a patient for you," said Miranda.

"I'm on my way," said Flynn. "And, ma'am, it's great to be back under your command again."

"I've missed you too, Flynn," Miranda smiled. She glanced back at her job just as Flynn came in. The ship again began to jostle from another hit. Flynn knelt down to the unconscious naval officer and gave him a pain killer.

"I'll take him back to the infirmary," he said. "Medics, help me out here."

"Yes, sir," said the medics as they helped Flynn gather the officer up and placed him on a stretcher.

"Stay away from those cruisers," said Miranda. "Fire pods 1 through 12. Archers away."

At her command the ship fired the torpedoes directly at the cruiser in front of them.

"Broadside," called Telek over the comlink. "Lateral cannons fire. Tear a hole into the side of that carrier! Commander, let us handle the cruisers and the carriers, try to take out some of those Seraphs."

"Aye, sir," said Miranda. "Load the MAC guns, fire on those Seraphs."

"Full Shields!" called Rtas. "Ramming speed."

"Now, you're speakin' my language," Telek said.

"Lead the charge, Telek!" called Cujo. "We're behind you."

Kiryuu glanced up as he saw another lob of plasma coming close towards the Dawn. Then, he saw the dark hull of the Shadow of Darkness lower down right before the plasma torpedo hit. The shields around the enormous carrier fluctuated for a moment as they took the hit. Telek once again was Miranda's shield. Kiryuu pulled the Dawn up and over the massive super carrier. Then, he dove her down, banking her off sharply to the right towards the hook-shaped bow section of the much larger ship.

"Whoa…Mr. Knight," began the naval officer beside him. "This isn't a Shortsword, you know."

"Seems to handle those types of maneuvers fine to me," he said.

"Miranda," began Telek. "They've spotted an LZ for you. Get out of here and let us take care of the rest."

"Roger that, sir," Miranda said. "Mr. President, start the descent."

"Here we go," Kiryuu said as he pressed a few buttons. The frigate began to make its descent down into the atmosphere.

"Ma'am, Ysoa almost got his wing shot off," said Johnson through the radio. "But we spotted a structure on the other side of this wall. It matches Cortana's description of the map room from the first Halo ring."

"A Cartographer," said Miranda. "Good. It should help us fix Truth's location. Secure the LZ, and we'll push through that wall."

"Roger that," said Johnson.

Down below, the Master Chief was just about to clear the last bit of the hostile armor. He hitched a ride onto an Anti-Air Wraith and slammed his fist into it, throwing a grenade into the back end. Backing away, the Wraith exploded in a blue mist. The rest of the Marines and ODSTs took out the other AA Wraith.

"LZ's clear," said Johnson through the comlink. "Commander, bring her down."

The Chief backed up a ways, clearing the way for the Forward unto Dawn to land.

"Look!" called Sergeant Stacker. "Up high! Here she comes."

"I hear the President's flying her in," said a Marine.

"I guess we'll have to refer to the Dawn as Air Force One for now on," joked another Marine.

"Is the Dawn rated for atmosphere?" asked female Marine.

"Guess we're gonna find out," shouted Stacker. "Hey! TAKE COVER!"

Just then, the Dawn swooped in from a storm cloud that hung over the chasm nearby. Dust kicked up around the ship's hull as the frigate slowly lowered towards the sand.

"Thanks, Chief," said Miranda. "I wouldn't have lasted much longer up there. Come to the back of the frigate."

"Yes, ma'am," said the Chief as he ran towards the backend of the frigate just as the bay lowered down revealing three Scorpion tanks and a Warthog. Standing right beside a Scorpion tank was President Knight. Kiryuu was armed with a pistol in a holster and an assault rifle slung over his back. Floating around him was 343 Guilty Spark.

"Nice work, Chief," he said.

"Did the Sangheili get a fix on the Cartographer?" asked Miranda.

"Yes, ma'am; just on the other side of that wall," replied Johnson. "But it's surrounded by Brute heavy armor."

"Don't worry; I've got a plan," said Miranda. "If we can't fly over the wall, we'll go right through it. Chief, take one of the tanks, lead the way. If you find any locked doors, Spark will be happy to pry them open."

"I will certainly try my best, though I am unfamiliar with this facility," said Spark.

"And the President insisted on coming along," said Miranda.

"But don't think you can play Secret Service with me, Master Chief," Kiryuu chuckled as he hopped into the driver's seat of one of the tanks. "A bit a tight squeeze for me and no room for my tail." He shifted his tail around, fitting it between his legs. "But it'll have to do."

"Alright then, you heard the lady," said Johnson.

The Chief glanced back up at Spark who floated around a tank right beside the one Kiryuu got into.

"Shall I help you choose a vehicle, Reclaimer?" the Monitor asked. "This one seems in very good condition, primitive armor not withstanding."

"A tank's a tank, light-bulb," said Johnson. "Pick one, Chief. Get back to the wall. I'll help the Commander secure the i Dawn. /i Then we'll meet you at the Cartographer."

The Chief hopped into the driver's seat of the tank.

"Mount up. Let's roll!" Johnson called.

"Yeehah!" shouted the Marines.

"Perhaps I should have brought a maser tank or two," said Kiryuu. "I seem to recall having a few of those in my storage warehouse back in Utah."

"No offense, sir," began Stacker. "But what do we need with those old relics?"

"Point taken," Kiryuu sighed in dismay. He put the tank into gear and pulled out following the Chief up through the cave system. On the way, they ran into a defense line of Covenant foot-soldiers and Brutes and Grunts riding Ghosts. The tanks made quick work of the Ghosts and then continued on through.

"Hey!" called Stacker. "How's 90mm of tungsten strike you?"

"It strikes me just fine, but I don't think the Covenant likes it," called Kiryuu.

"Tank beats Ghost!" called one of the Marines riding on the side of Kiryuu's tank.

They pulled up through the cave system that they had just went through and a Hunter pair leapt out, firing their fuel rod cannons at the tanks. The Chief spun his turret around and took out one of the Hunters and Kiryuu took out the other.

"Tank beats Hunter!" called the same Marine on Kiryuu's tank again.

"This takes me back to an old video game my programmer and I used to play," Kiryuu said. "It had tanks just like this."

"How did the game end?" a Marine asked.

"The good guys won," he replied.

"Oo-rah!"

They came upon a support tower while a Phantom was lowering and dropping in some more troops.

"Chief, take out that support tower," said Kiryuu. "I'll handle the Phantom."

"Yes, sir," said the Chief.

"Stacker, blast whatever you can," said Kiryuu.

"I don't got a problem with that, Mr. President," Stacker agreed.

"Splendid."

The three tanks spun around, the Chief fired upon the tower, watching it crumble into a heap of smoldering blue while Stacker and his machine gunner fired upon the Chopper and Prowler riding up through the dunes. Kiryuu aimed his turret for the Shade turret gun on the Phantom and sent the tungsten shell flying towards it and blasting it off.

"Tank beats everything!" called that one Marine on Kiryuu's tank. "Oh, man, I could do this all day!"

They finally rolled down towards the lower half of the area where the bridge and the door was. Along the wall were Choppers, Ghosts, Wraiths, and Prowlers as well as foot soldiers to defend it. Stacker got onto the radio and ordered the tanks forward.

"All armor, form up on the lower doorway," called Stacker. "Chief, get upstairs; have your robot pick that lock."

"I beg your pardon?" Spark huffed. "I am 343 Guilty Spark, Monitor of Installation 04!"

"Yeah, well, you're also our ticket through this wall," said Stacker. "So if you don't mind?"

"Spark, don't argue, just do it," said Kiryuu.

"Excuse me," Spark huffed again, floating around Kiryuu's tank. "But I do not take orders from another construct."

"I'm no ordinary construct," Kiryuu growled, poking his head out from the tank's hatch. His golden eyes flashed with anger. "Now get up there before I blast you—and not with the tank's main gun either."

"I will gladly aid the Reclaimer's progress," Spark finally said as he flew on through the line of Covenant forces. The Chief followed him while the other tanks moved their way down to the far end of the wall. As the Chief blasted his way towards the door, clearing the bridge for Spark to safely open it up, Spark began to protest again.

"Please, use caution; avoid collateral damage," While this facility appears quite durable on the surface, no doubt there are delicate facilities below the facade." He paused for a moment as he began to run through the codes to open the door. "Odd, for a door to require such brute force security protocols. One moment, Reclaimer."

Then, the door opened, sliding up for the Chief to make his way through. The door was not large enough for him to move his tank in, so he had to get out and go in alone. As he got of the tank, another Marine took his place in the driver's seat.

"Here we are," said Spark. "Please follow me."

"We'll meet you on the other side, Chief," said Kiryuu through the radio. He pulled his tank over closer to the door and waited for a moment for the Monitor to open it. Tapping into the radio, Kiryuu contacted Telek to check up on the progress of the battle going on above.

"Admiral, what's your status?" he asked.

"Going smoothly," said Telek. "I called it, I really did call it. These guys don't know what the hell they're doing trying to face off with us Sangheili and our ships. We're mopping up the last bit now."

"Excellent," said Kiryuu. "You don't know how relieved I feel about that. I figured it would be a bit harder given the fact that your ships are so few."

"We maybe few, Mr. Knight," said Rtas. "But as Telek stated, we are seasoned veterans. The Jiralhanae are disorganized, more focused on the glory of the individual than the glory of the fleet itself. We're just getting the last of the stragglers."

"Telek," Kiryuu began. "You don't know what a great idea it was to hire you."

"Making it worth your money, isn't it?" Telek chuckled. "Just remember, I also accept booze and special brownies."

"And I also have that giant bag of coal you ordered too," Kiryuu said.

"Forget the coal, just make sure that pay check has a lot of zeroes behind it," he said.

Kiryuu glanced up and saw that the door opened in front of him.

"All armor," he called. "Inside. Double time."

"Sir!" called the Marines as the tanks pulled in. A light bridge was formed for the tanks to cross and the Chief and the Monitor made their way down through the corridors.

"Good work, Chief," said Miranda. "Link up with our armor on the far side of the wall. Make your way down to the Cartographer."

As they made their way across the shield wall, Kiryuu glanced up when he heard the sound of enormous footsteps above. A Scarab stepped over the wall, shooting its plasma onto the human forces down below.

"Scarab!" Kiryuu called. "Admiral, do you have a Scarab on your ship? We've got one here for you to take out."

"Sorry," Telek said. "My old Scarab was blown up when I blew up my other ship. And that one was broken anyways."

"15 bottles of vodka," said Johnson over the radio. "That's what did it."

"It wasn't 15 bottles of vodka, Johnson!" Telek called.

"Oh, I'm sorry, make that 30," the Sergeant chuckled.

"Alright," Telek sighed. "Kiryuu, I don't have a Scarab. Why don't you just—well…make yourself big and step on it?"

"Do you realize how much energy it takes for me to move around at that size?" Kiryuu asked. "I'm saving my energy for when I have to face Gravemind."

"Don't worry about it, Mr. President," said Johnson. "You don't need to do anything. We've taken out Scarabs before without yours or the mangy-assed, drunken squid's help. The Chief will handle it. Just step back and watch."

"All armor, line up," said Stacker. "Let's hit 'em where it hurts."

Kiryuu sighed and pulled the tank forward coming over to the first Wraith. He saw the Master Chief come spiraling down in a Warthog with a gunner firing a gauss at the back. Kiryuu spun the turret around and fired on the Wraith—watching it explode. He felt the fire of plasma pelt across the plating of the tank and cutting holes in through the armor. His shields were on and the fire impacted upon them. His shields shimmered like a rainbow of color as they fluctuated from the impact. The gunner at the front of the tank sprayed his machine gun upon the attacking Ghost near by just as Stacker's tank ran over a Brute captain wielding a fuel rod cannon.

"First line clear," said Stacker. "Move up."

Kiryuu pulled the tank up again and fired upon the next line of Wraiths in the way. Just beyond that was the Scarab, stomping its way down into the valley of dunes near a spire. Kiryuu and Stacker both fired upon the two Wraiths in the way as their gunners took out a support tower and an attacking Ghost. Kiryuu's eyes turned swiftly just as he heard the cry of a suicidal Grunt carrying two armed plasma grenades for him. He tried to back the tank up as best as he could, but the vehicle was moving too slowly and the Grunt managed to climb on board.

"Everybody off!" Kiryuu cried to the Marines riding on the flanks of the tank just as the Grunt's plasma grenades exploded. A lob of plasma from the mortar of a Wraith was sent flying towards Kiryuu's tank just as he hopped off. The tank itself exploded immediately and a few Marines were thrown to the sand, blackened and cold.

"That was close, sir," said one of the surviving Marines.

Kiryuu roared out in shock just as he felt the impact of a Brute Shot grenade launcher collide with his shields.

"Move, now!" he bellowed. "Get behind those rocks!"

The Marines fired upon the Brute, running off towards the rocks just as Kiryuu fired his own assault rifle. He ran for the Brute. Dodging swiftly as the large, ape-like creature fired his grenades at him, Kiryuu suddenly winked out of sight. The next thing the Brute saw was merely a blur across the sand just as he felt something slice across his neck. His head pealed away, rolling across the sands like a melon and his body fell backwards. The blur came around again and the remaining Jackals and Grunts were down on the ground, dead. The blur became visible, revealing itself to be Kiryuu Knight. A part of his sleeve was torn and his biosyntech was formed into two blades growing out from the back of his forearm. Reddish purple and phosphoric aqua blood dripped from the ends of the blades. He withdrew the blades back into his arms.

"That's fast…" said a female Marine.

"Very fast," commented a Helljumper.

"Hide behind these rocks and wait for further orders," Kiryuu ordered them. "I'm going to see how the Chief is doing."

"Yes, sir," the Marines said, saluting.

With that, Kiryuu activated the gravity generators on the soles of his feet and kicked off the ground, hovering only a few feet above the sand. Then, just a split second later, he winked out of sight again, becoming nothing more than a blur racing across the dunes. Just as soon as he got down to where the Scarab was, he slowed down, appearing over the ledge of a structure just as the Chief hopped out of the Scarab's back. Kiryuu's many lids blinked as the Scarab exploded in a brilliant blue-white fire and the Chief landed on the structure right beside him.

"Nice work, Chief," Kiryuu said. He glanced over seeing Johnson's Pelican land near by. He could see Spec Ops Commander Shri and her second in command Ysoa flying the Pelican. Just then Kiryuu saw two enormous, black shapes descend down out of the clouds. Both shapes were the two carriers Shadow of Darkness and Shadow of Intent.

"Not bad, Spartan," commented Shipmaster Rtas in a smooth tone through the comlink. "I saw that explosion from orbit."

"Nicely done, Chief!" shouted Telek through the comlink. "Couldn't have done better myself."

"Maybe after a few beers…" said Johnson. "And with you behind the wheel…"

"Alright, I get it, drinking and driving is bad," Telek sighed. "Enough. It's bad enough I have to deal with Officer Gecko complaining about my reckless, drunk driving. He actually gave me a ticket on the way over here."

"Timothy, behave yourself," said Kiryuu, mentally contacting Manda. "We still need his ship to get home."

"I will if he would just put down the beer for a moment," said Manda into Kiryuu's mind.

"Truth's fleet lies in ruins," said Rtas, bringing everyone back on the subject. "Find where the liar hides, so I may place my boot between his gums."

"Not before get there first, Rtas," Telek said. "He needs to pay for what he's done—giving me this branding. I wanna drop kick his ass across the galaxy."

"We'll know soon enough, Shipmaster," said Miranda.

"Infantry on the spire!" called Johnson. "Mop 'em up. Chief, Mr. President, meet the Arbiter at the top of the spire."

"Good luck, Chief," said Telek. "We'll hold here until you find where Truth is."

Both the Chief and Kiryuu ran down the side of the structure and up the ramp of the spire, taking out what remained of the Covenant forces that guarded it. Just as they entered the spire's door, the Arbiter Otto 'Gamam appeared behind them followed by the last of the Marines.

"Well done, Spartan," he said in a voice of confidence to the Chief. He paused for a moment when he saw the glow of Kiryuu's golden eyes in the dim light. The ambient light reflected off of his retinas as his slit pupils widened into round, wide circles outlined in amber. He still could not quite get used to being around the bio-mechanical reptile. Then, Otto nodded as well at the bio-mecha. "Nice to see you too, Mr. Knight."

"Greetings, Arbiter," Kiryuu said.

They turned the corner and found Spark trying to unlock the door, interfacing it with a beam from his 'eye'.

"Hey, what gives?" asked one of the Marines.

"It seems I've crossed a circuit," said Spark.

"Don't you hate it when that happens?" Kiryuu asked with a slight amused tone in his rich deep voice. "I know I do."

"Well let me have a look," said the Marine, approaching the door. Spark quickly fired a blue beam at him and he backed off, yelping in surprise and pain from the burn.

"Oracle!" bellowed Otto.

Kiryuu let loose a deep growl, holding up the assault rifle at the Monitor.

"Little bastard stung me!" the Marine gasped.

"I did not want you to come to any harm," said the Monitor in defense of his actions.

"You've got a funny way of showing it," the Marine stood back, shaking his hand from the burn he received.

"Do that again, Monitor," Kiryuu growled. "And crossed circuits will be the least of your worries."

"Apologies, Construct," said Spark as he zapped the door. "I did not mean any harm. Ah, excellent!" The door finally unlocked and opened up. Spark then glanced back at the others. "This way."

As they made their way down the corridor to the next room, they found Grunts on the floor, sleeping against the walls.

"Slothful runts," snorted Otto. "Kill them as they sleep."

"Chief, tap 'em out," said the female Marine.

The Chief moved closer and took out a frag-grenade and tossed it into the corner where three of the Grunts slept. The grenade exploded and the Unggoy's dead bodies flew through the air with flailing arms. The others follow suit, shouting in fear as the Marines, the Arbiter, and Kiryuu made their way through the door following the Chief. A Brute Major stepped out from behind the corner and fired his Spiker upon the Chief. The spikes impaled upon his, causing them to flash golden. The Spartan rushed the Jiralhanae swiftly, taking out its shields with his assault rifle and then hitting him over the head afterwards. Kiryuu paused for a moment and reloaded his assault rifle, joining the others making their way through the corridor and down towards the next door.

"Come, Reclaimer," said Spark. "All you seek is close at hand. Your goal is just below."

They came down to a ramp to a lower level of the facility where a Brute with a pack of sleeping Grunts waited at the bottom. One of the Marines tossed a plasma grenade over and stuck it on the Brute.

"Nice one!" called the other Marine just as the grenade exploded in a mist of blue. The Unggoy scattered.

"The Demon is here!" one of them cried.

"And the Heretic is with him!" another cried.

The Arbiter leapt out, following the Chief, firing upon the rest of the Grunts as they made their way swiftly down the ramp. They finally came to the end and the Marines waited behind as Otto, the Chief, and Kiryuu walked out onto a balcony over an open area to an enormous waterfall. Otto could smell the spray of moister and he walked out over to the edge, looking out around it. Kiryuu glanced around, finding it strange that he felt some familiarity to it though he could not understand why it looked so familiar. At the center was the Cartographer terminal and a holo-pad.

"The Cartographer," said Spark. "Come. It awaits your approval."

He floated away just as the Master Chief walked over and touched the holo-pad at the center. As he touched it, he heard a disapproving chime emit from the terminal itself. The Chief stood back and glanced back at Spark.

"Oh my," said Spark.

"Nothing's happening," said the Chief.

"This is highly unusual…" said Spark. "Oh—of course…" He glanced back at Kiryuu who continued to stare out over the ledge to the waterfall. "It requires someone who has actually reclaimed the technology." Spark swiftly flew over to Kiryuu and he stepped back, startled. Spark studied him, sensing a familiar energy coming from him. "You, Construct. You're the one Leviathan calls Kiryuu, correct?"

"Yes," Kiryuu replied. "I am."

"Come here, then," said Spark. "And activate the Cartographer."

Kiryuu walked over to the terminal with some confusion and reached out and touched the holo-pad. He heard an approving chime just as blue glowing lights fluctuated about a design etched into the floor. Kiryuu's head dipped forward as a blue glowing bundle of cords grew out from the base of his neck and attached themselves to the terminal. A Connection was made between Kiryuu and the Cartographer.

"The Ark requires one who has reclaimed the technology," said Spark. "And no other. Oh, a Connection has been made. It has indeed been a long time since I've seen one."

"Technomancers…" Kiryuu breathed. He glanced up at the ceiling as his mind latched onto Manda's. "You knew about this?"

"I did," said Manda.

"You didn't tell me."

"It was on a need to know bases…" said Manda. "The Installations can be activated by anyone the Forerunners chose to be their heirs. But the Ark requires Technomancers to use its power. You and I are the only ones who can do that. And perhaps a select few humans here, those who have disobeyed the law and disregarded the ban on Technomancy. Technomancy that is the legacy that the Forerunners left behind— the only thing that can be used against the Hydra and all of his incarnations— including the Flood."

Kiryuu raised a claw up and a massive holographic map of a particular galaxy appeared before them.

"That's our galaxy," began the Chief, recognizing the image. "We're beyond the rim."

"2 to the 18th light years from the galactic center, to be precise," said Spark as Kiryuu then changed the image over, rolling it to the outline of the very massive, Forerunner structure they were on.

"What is this place?" the Chief asked.

"The Ark," replied the Monitor.

"This is the Ark?" asked the Chief.

As the Chief probed Spark for questions, Kiryuu began to access data from the terminal. Information scrolled down the HUB screen inside his cybernetic eyes as he downloaded the information into his CPU. The Arbiter watched with curiosity as the glowing cords attached to Kiryuu's neck fluctuated in hue while he downloaded the information.

"I always assumed it was part of a Shield installation, but it seems I was mistaken," said Spark.

"That's a first," amused the Chief.

"Not at all," said Spark. "While I had a complete understanding of Installation 04, my Makers wisely limited my knowledge of all other strategic facilities…" He glanced over at Kiryuu who looked spaced out while he downloaded the information. "Compartmentalization, in case I was ever captured by the Flood."

"Can you tell me where we are, exactly?" asked the Chief.

Kiryuu replied before Spark could and pulled up the information with a wave of his hand on the map. The map zoomed into the very section they were in.

"Here," he replied.

"And Truth?" the Chief asked, glancing back at the bio-mecha.

Kiryuu waved his hand again and another section more towards the center of the Ark appeared on the holographic screen. The Monitor floated over and studied the information.

"Near one of the Ark's superlunary communication arrays, I'm afraid," Spark said. "Unfortunate. The Meddler had triggered a barrier; a defensive perimeter around the Ark's core..."

Kiryuu's eyes roved over towards the center of the Ark's core noticing a particular, ring-like object revolving around a spherical center. His head glanced back at the Chief.

"The barrier will be difficult to disable," continued Spark. "How odd that my makers would place such a comprehensive defense around a single…Oh my…"

"The solution…" he whispered. "Manda, are you getting this?"

"I've Downloaded it from here, Kiryuu," said Manda. "It could work. The Array is telling me there's an 80 percent chance that it'll work…that is if Gravemind comes here."

"He has to come!" Kiryuu bellowed through the mental link. "He knows what we're up to. He'll come to stop us. But this time, it's we who will set the stage…"

"Malcho was right all along," said Manda. "Technomancy is the only weapon against him. We were just complete idiots to figure out how to use it."

"This is how," Kiryuu said. "This facility. It's the key. We learn Technomancy and figure out how to come here. That's what we were meant to do with it."

"I always thought I was supposed to keep people outta this place," Manda sighed. "Alright, then. We'll do it that way. I hope Cortana's plan works."

"It will," said Kiryuu. "There's no doubt now."

"What the hell are you two chatterin' about?" Telek's voice broke Kiryuu's concentration, speaking through the comlink. "I can tell you two are talking because the gecko here looks like he's staring off into space. And I know both of you are telepathic. Now, what's the score?"

"Cortana may be right," said Kiryuu as he Disconnected, his blue cords disappearing. "But I can't be certain for sure."

"You have her solution?" the Chief asked.

"A fraction," said Kiryuu. "But I need to see it in order to be sure…" He glanced over at the image before him. "We have to get over that barrier."

"I can assist in that," said Telek. "I'll bring the ship over and…"

"Phantom!" cried Otto. He pointed over as a Phantom came swooping in followed by a pair of Banshees.

"Spark!" called the Chief. "Move!"

As the Arbiter engaged the Covenant ship from the ground with his Carbine, Spark flew off towards the Chief.

"We must get past that barrier!" called Spark. "Or the Meddler will destroy all!"

"Chief, you got a whole mess of hostile air inbound," said Johnson. "Get back inside while we take 'em out."

Just then, a Banshee dove for the Arbiter. He swung up and hijacked it, kicking out the pilot and taking over.

"Follow the Oracle, Spartan," Otto said through the comlink. "I will help your Sergeant clear the sky."

"Chief, let's go," said Kiryuu.

"Chief," said Telek. "Rtas, Wago, and I make our way towards those barriers and try to weaken their structures. And it'll draw the attention away from you when you finally arrive." There was a slight pause. "We'll need all three carriers for this assault. All cruisers, just hang back for a moment."

"Sir," began one of the Marines. "The Pelicans are gonna land one level down."

They fought their way down to the lower level where a pack of Brutes gathered around their Chieftain and a holographic image of the Prophet of Truth.

"Kill the Demon and all who aid him!" Truth's voice called out from the hologram.

"My pack will feast upon your flesh, Demon!" bellowed the Chieftain.

"Chief," began Kiryuu. "Those Brutes have jump packs. Let me handle them while you take out the ones who don't and the Chieftain."

"Yes, sir," the Chief saluted. He pulled out a Beam Rifle he managed to pick up from a fallen Jackal and started for a dark corner to snipe the Chieftain with. Kiryuu rolled up his sleeves and watched as the Jiralhanae with the gravity packs leapt into the sky. In a swift blur, Kiryuu took to the air as well heading for the middle of the flying pack. He could feel the pelts of hot spikes grazing across his shields and he saw the flashes of green as Carbines tried to take them out. Pulling out the assault rifle, Kiryuu dove backwards, giving them a spray of ballistic metal. Their shields flickered and fluxed but that did not stop them from firing upon him. Kiryuu swung around, landing on the roof of the structure the Chief hid under. His eyes caught the movement of the Chieftain who's activated shields glowed brightly white. The Brute charged with gravity hammer in hand for the Spartan.

"Chief, look out!" Kiryuu called. Distracted, one of the Brutes took a shot and slammed a blade of the Spiker into Kiryuu's back. Kiryuu faltered for a moment and swung his tail around, knocking the Brute to the ground. Tossing the assault rifle aside, Kiryuu flipped backwards just as another Brute charged for him. His form winked once more out of sight. The Brutes looked around confusingly as the blurred form swiftly struck them all to the ground. One Brute remained and Kiryuu became visible in front of him. Smiling slightly, he lifted his finger up and flicked the Brute on the nose. Despite the fact it was nothing more than a mere flick, the strength and force of that flick was enough to send the Brute flying off, impacting the far wall and creating a hole where he had impacted. The Chief glanced up, holding the Chieftain's gravity hammer in his hand and standing over the Brute's body as the Kiryuu dropped down from the sky. The Chief then just gave a nod.

"ETA damn quick!" called Sergeant Johnson. "Standby for pickup!"

Kiryuu felt the wind rush up against his face, blowing his metallic green, fleshy dreads from his eyes. A Pelican descended down with Johnson standing at the Gatling gun turret at the back. Another Pelican dropped down, piloted by Commander Miranda Keyes. Just then, a massive flock of Sentinels rise up from behind the Pelicans.

"Commander!" cried the Chief. Kiryuu grabbed his shoulder.

"Wait…" he began.

Johnson spun the turret around, aiming for the Sentinels.

"No!" protested Spark, floating around in front of Johnson. "Don't shoot! They mean us no harm. Those units have a priority task."

"Oh, yeah?" asked Johnson. "And what might that be?"

"I really can't say, not for sure, but if you allow me to find a terminal closer to the Core…" Spark began.

"No, Oracle!" called the Arbiter from the comlink. Kiryuu and the Chief glanced up to see a Banshee fly overhead. "We must keep the Prophet of Truth in our sights."

"But what about your construct?" asked Spark. "Her solution to the Flood? With more data, I…"

"No, the Arbiter is right," said Miranda Keyes. "We have priorities too. Until we kill Truth, stop the Rings from firing…"

The Chief hopped into one of the Pelicans with Johnson while Kiryuu hopped into the one Miranda was piloting.

"No matter what the cost…" Miranda sighed just as Kiryuu sat down in the co-pilot seat.

"But…" Spark protested, following Kiryuu in.

"Monitor," Kiryuu growled. "The solution is there. We must figure out how to get rid of the Flood without costing the lives of innocents—without using the rings. But first, we must stop Truth and end this blasted war with the Covenant. That was my priority when I stepped into this administration. And that war ends here—now. The solution can wait."