One hundred thousand years ago…we ruled this galaxy.
It was not a rule of dominance or power,
It was a rule of benign prosperity.
For over fifty thousand years we spread across the stars,
Heralding the galaxy under the banner of peace, and unity,
Through our advanced technology, and our noble beliefs,
We all ruled.
We were,
Forerunner.
Chapter 9
Cataclysm
October 25, 2562
Planet: New Eden, Sigma Ceti II System
Location: Altar Mountains, UNSC Secret CASTLE II Base
Alarms rang throughout the base, as Captain Archer raced towards the command center, he heard the base AI Jericho over the loud speakers.
"Attention all personnel, Condition Red, Winter Contingency has been announced. Repeat. Condition Red, Winter Contingency has been announced."
As Archer stormed into the command center, several other commanders and captains were on a top platform with the base commander, he quickly diverted his attention to the screen to see well over 600 covenant ships in high orbit above the planet.
"That's impossible, I thought the covenant didn't have anymore resources like this."
The earth rumbled around them. On the screen, sections of the altar mountains slide to the side of the range. What emerged had Archer speechless. Hidden beneath the mountain range the UNSC had hidden several Super MAC platforms. Each platform was capable of of full 180 degree motion on all axes. The 3 forward ships in the Covenant fleet appeared to halt and turn in a sudden shock as their sensors picked up the familiar energy readings from the cannons.
Several workers were still evacuating from the space docks several kilometers away from the base, the sky cracked and thunder erupted from the barrels of the Super MAC cannons. In a near instant a sonic boom louder than anything the workers had ever heard enveloped the dock yard. Standard structures and maintenance building windows exploded from the shock wave. The forward assault carriers' shields rippled, imploded and shattered; a 3,000 ton slug tore through the carrier like it was an aluminum sheet. The bow crumpled and detonated in a blazing display of purple and orange fire. As the round exited the atmosphere, it also tore through a destroyer near center fleet. The destroyer detonated and caught 2 corvettes in the explosion, the rest of the fleet slightly scattered to avoid the debris. One of the Battle cruisers took a round and hit amidships, cracking the ship in two.
"Sweet holy god." said one of the dock workers.
The Super MACs fire, again a massive thunderous crack enveloped the sky, this time the MAC cannons targeted the Battle cruiser attempting to regroup with the Covenant Fleet. One round hit dead center on the reactor and the ship plumed into a purple cloud of plasma, four other rounds left the atmosphere and struck an assault carrier on the "neck bridge." Another round nailed a super carrier on a starboard bulbous wing and caused the carrier to reel to the right, impacting 3 corvettes and a destroyer.
The smaller ships detonated, the plasma engulfed sections of the super carrier, effectively putting it out of commission.
"Commander!"
Archers tone was relieve but nervous.
"Can we hold for long using those cannons? They've never encountered them groundside before, hell this is the first time I'm seeing this myself."
"The Covenant fleet is still at a good distance, the idea behind placing them planet side is to prevent boarding teams from doing their usual thing, we tend to win more groundside anyway. The Super MACs are fortified like you wouldn't believe as well, I doubt even a Spartan could get in those MAC bunkers.
"I hope you're right Commander…"
There was a deep sense of anxiety in Archers voice, the closest UNSC fleet was 13 hours away, and even then they only had 200 ships to counter the Covenants 600.
Without warning a shrill alarm rang throughout the command center.
"Jericho, what's going on!"
"Attention all personnel: multiple Slipspace ruptures detected in atmosphere! I repeat multiple Slipspace ruptures detected in atmosphere!"
On the main screen a flotilla of Corvettes exited the dimensional gateways and began racing for the CASTLE II site.
"They're too fast, they're going to pass under the MAC cannons' firing arc!"
The commander's voice shuttered with anxiety and terror. As the commander was about to speak again, another alarm sounded. On the left screen Several bars indicating radiation levels began to spike.
"Warning! Warning! Atomic excitement detected in local airspace! Positron density is detected at Indigo Charlie 289!"
The main view screen switched to a lake about 40 kilometers to the northeast of the base, a single Forerunner ship hovered over the still lake, it's dorsal cannon aglow with an angry red hue.
"That's the same ship that defended this system several months ago when the Covenant first arrive!"
Relieved and worried at the same time, Archer wondered why it was here again, and why was it emitting radiation found from anti-matter sources.
October 25, 2562
Planet: New Eden, Sigma Ceti II System
Location: Control Bridge of the AAC-H101 Harbinger, Ascender Class Assault Carrier.
"Commander, positron density is reaching critical levels. We can't maintain this charge for long, the Apsahlus Cannons' structural integrity will begin to fail."
"I know Sanctus, Bias do we have a targeting solution yet?"
"As best as I can make it, remember positrons are affected by the planets gravity, rotation and its magnetic field, I've taken all the necessary calculations but there still is some measure of unpredictability to consider."
"Understood, all damage crews stand by….FIRE!"
The sky around the Harbinger billowed and gave way to a massive shockwave as a hellish crimson beam launched from the Apsahlus Cannons' firing ring. On the ground a shrill piercing boom could be heard from all the valleys around CASTLE II base as the beam made contact with the Covenant Corvette in the center of the formation. At the epicenter of the blast the Corvette "dematerialized" from the impact point out, the positrons colliding with and annihilating the electrons in the atoms of the Corvettes hull. Within seconds the center valley was engulfed in a massive wave of heat and blast of air, hundreds of acres of trees were incinerated on ground level. The Corvette flotilla itself was consumed in a massive fireball. Several of the Super MAC cannons in close proximity to the blast began to fail from the heat wave.
"Jericho, status report!"
"Base integrity holding at 97.3%. However, Several Super MAC platforms have sustained damage, the Corvette formation has been destroyed. Also, the Covenant fleet is starting to retreat to a higher orbit. Commander, that ship matched with known energy signatures in my database. It is the same ship as per Archers report several months ago, it is Forerunner."
"Archer! Did they ever use that weapon in their last engagement!"
"No commander…just standard plasma lances'…"
"That power is incredible…can we trust them?"
"I'm not entirely sure sir…they seem intent on keeping us alive…but I just don't know…
Wow that was a long wait between chapters wasn't it? Real life can be very annoying sometimes. Reviews please! I fear I have gotten rusty!
