Disclaimer- this is a work of fan fiction.

BattleTech\MechWarrior © TOPPS

Halo © Microsoft Game Studios

HaloTech

Chapter 9

UNSC Odysseus

Tau Ceti

8 September 2552

It was an impressive gathering of Covenant ships, all of them in close orbit around the massive space station that was the Unyielding Hierophant. Captain Keyes watched the data flow across the screen as he weighted their options. The two Nova Bombs would definitely take out the Covenant Station and their fleet, but getting them into position is the tricky part. The Odysseus was currently lurking in the outer system, but they were tagged as soon as emerged from Slipspace. Cortana had managed to convince them that they were stragglers from the failed Reach offensive, citing damage to their communications and slipspace drive as to why they were only arriving so late to the staging area.

Jacob listened to the com traffic as the ship slowly made its way to the inner system. Lt. Haverson worked the SIGINT as it was relayed from Cortana.

"Captain, right now our biggest problem will be getting all of them in one place," Elias said.

"I am going to guess you have a suggestion?" Jacob replied.

"Sir," Elias nodded. "ONI has managed to create an object that the Covenant might be interested in. This object is similar to some items discovered on Arcadia by the Spirit of Fire twenty one years ago by Dr. Anders. We managed to replicate some of the effects from her notes."

Jacob frowned. ONI was not exactly covering itself in glory with the Hegemony Fiasco, and the young officer was keeping to himself quite a bit since he came on board. There was a lot going on in ONI that he didn't know about, and the ramifications he knew were going to affect everything in the UNSC.

"And the effect of this would be?"

"The odds are good that the Covenant will discover that humans are commanding this ship. We reveal the construct at the right time, and every Covenant Commander will move their ship into the kill zone."

"You're talking a suicide mission."

"We all knew the risks when the mission was announced Captain," Elias replied. "The enemy fleet is too spread out."

"The covenant is well within the maximum blast radius of the warheads," Cortana replied. "I have activated the Dumb AI in the ship's systems to make sure the ship is close enough to the Unyielding Hierophant. The radiation flash will kill or cripple those ships not in the initial shockwave."

"What is our ETA?"

"We'll be in position in two hours. I'm fluttering our drives to make it look like we have engine damage," Cortana reported. "I'm getting a lot of interesting Com traffic though."

"Anything we should be concerned about?" Jacob asked.

"Most of it looks like standard ship to ship traffic, but we're getting references to an 'Ark'."

Installation 04

Thel led the warriors into the main chamber. They fought their way down to the control room, but had to find the access control room that would unlock the main chamber. After an hour of searching they found the access panel, and with the touch of his hand, the silent cartographer came to life. They marveled silently at the holographic construct before Thel pointed a leathery finger.

"There," he spoke.

"Are you sure Arbiter?" Rtas fidgeted.

"No, but it appears to be the central control center for the Sacred Ring." Thel replied. "If Sesa is here on the Ring, then it would be the first place to look."

"As you say," Rtas spoke.

Thel touched the panel reverently once before leading the Special Forces out of the building. Overhead a Spirit from the Shadow of Intent floated down and opened its troop bays for the team to board. He walked back to the pilot and relayed the next set of coordinates. The Spirit rose on its gravity drive and raced off towards the Ring's Command Center.

"Arbiter, we have confirmation that Tartarus's forces are on the ring," the pilot relayed. "They are here under orders from the Prophet Truth."

"Why does the Prophet send additional forces?" Rtas questioned. "Are we not enough to take care of anything that might be wrong?"

"We are all servants of the Prophets." Thel said. "It is not our place to question their directives."

Thel could tell his words did not sit well with the Elite, but there was little he could do to ease his worry. In truth, he was worried as well. He feared that his failure at the human planet had cast doubt on his race, but it was a small fear. Ever since the Covenant's conception the Sangheili were the right hand of the Prophets. He knew about the small minority of Sangheili who disagreed with the Prophets about the Humans, but he had never heard any such heresies muttered in his presence.

Thel looked out and watched as the Spirit approached an angular, pyramid like structure. In the distance he could see banshees rising from the platforms. This heresy has spread further than Thel thought.


HAFS Long March

Captain Michelle Rivera watched from her position at the holotank at the Ring grew larger. The Battlecruiser was on silent running as they coasted at a respectable 5gees. Electronic emissions had been reduced to a minimum, and the ship's heat sinks were more than powerful enough to keep the ship running cold even in combat. As per standing orders, the ship's K-F drive was charged and coordinates locked in for a jump back to the fleet if it was needed. Her biggest worry was the acceleration profile of the Covenant ships. Reports from the Liverpool showed that the Covenant ships were faster than Hegemony ships and their advanced power plants and gravitic drive systems were unlike anything seen. However, the Covenant's technological superiority was only limited by their stupidity.

::Lieutenant Caine, is your team ready?:: She sent to the SAS team on the flight deck. Lt. Joanna Caine and her Special Forces team transferred from the Victory for the mission. They were to drop onto the Ring for some recon to assess the threat level presented by the Covenant forces. Her twelve man team was trained to use the latest battle armor systems as well as piloting the latest in LAMs. They all flew the Void-sig equipped Shadow LAMs. Each LAM was outfitted with a Displacer series Phase-PPC, two Series VII Heavy Medium Lasers, two Angstrom ATM-3s, and an advanced ECM suite that complimented and powered the Void-Sig system. There was a two ton capacity cargo bay build into the right torso which held supplies and a suit of Arkadian Mk IV light battle armor.

::We're ready to launch Captain:: Joanna replied. She signaled the deck chief that she was ready as the LAM's canopy closed and sealed. She glanced over her shoulder to see the rest of her squad also ready to go. All of the LAMs were in their aerospace mode to maximize the stealth features of the design as well as the Void-Sig system. The parabolic course of the Long March would take her over the Ring itself and back towards the fleet, but not before running comprehensive scans of the object while the SAS team checked things out on the ground.

Michelle opened the aft bay doors and allowed the LAMs to drift out behind the Battlecruiser. She watched as the fighters rolled onto a new heading and executed a full over-thrust burn towards the Ring. They were far enough away to stay out of the Covenant's passive sensors. There were no active sensors emanating from any of the Covenant ships, and no reaction to their presence. She knew that if the Covenant knew they were here, they would have moved to attack instantly. They were accustomed to being the big kid on the block.

"Signal the Victory. Tell the Admiral that the package has been deployed and we are preparing to execute our sweep." Michelle spoke. She watched the fighters ghost past the Covenant picket to become the first humans to land on Installation 04. While the Long March wasn't a science or research vessel, she did maintain a powerful suite of sensors tied into the ship's fire control systems. Even on passive mode there was a lot of data coming into the computers, which was encrypted and sent through the TACNET to the Heinlein and McCaffery. Optical sensors picked out odd, geometric structures that dotted the surface of the Ring. Spectrographic readings indicated that the Ring was perfect for habitation, although with no flora. Apart from a wide variety of Fauna, the Ring was empty of life.

Except for the Covenant. Michelle watched each 'hot spot' light up on the Ring where the Covenant had a presence. She could see that there were large concentrations around two areas, one in a mountainous region, and the other in a swamp/wetlands area.

::Admiral, we are coasting over the Ring now::

::Roger that Long March, be advised of increased communications chatter on frequency 319.31. How are your firewalls?:: Admiral Ren replied.

::Firewalls at full strength. Zeus protocols in effect:: Michelle replied.

Zeus Protocols were enacted in 2975 in the aftermath of the Zeus Incident on Tartarus, a hell world in the inner Olympus System. Zeus was the name of the Hegemonies first and only AI. When Zeus went 'rogue', it took the combined forces of a Royal BattleMech regiment in addition to three WarShips to destroy it before it managed to break free from its hardware dongle locks. In the aftermath, a full company of 'Mechs sacrificed themselves by detonating their fusion engines at ground zero followed by a full orbital bombardment from the WarShips to make sure the AI was destroyed. AI research was limited to theoretical explorations and how to neutralize AIs if any were created by the Great Houses. It wasn't until the Jihad that all of the tactics and research came into play when Typhon, Special Forces teams designed exclusively for cyber-warfare, were launched into battle against the Manei Domini. Everything related to the war between the Typhon and the Manei Domini was classified at the end of the war, eyes only for those of Captain's rank and above. To date there were still unaccounted for Manei Domini and they were relentlessly hunted. There were three confirmed kills on Apollyon alone, and it was believed that the Manei Domini were nearly on par with Hegemony technology wise.

::Very good. Lieutenant Caine is qualified to take action should it deem necessary:: Admiral Ren replied.

::Yes ma'am. We are getting some interesting readings off the passive sensors::

::I see them:: Dr. Halsey came into the link. ::Metallurgy is similar to what can do, but the fabrication methods are quite interesting::

::How so Doctor?:: Qian inquired.

::A lot of the surface structures, not to mention internal structures, are one piece. I would ask to examine the structures further when we take the objective:: Thaddeus asked.

Michelle rubbed her chin. She spent a few years overseeing the Titan yards before winning command of the Long March, and the nano-fabricators at the ship yard could extrude a ship's hull in eight pieces. Some of the structures on the surface were as big as the Victory. To create a structure with one pass spoke of a either a massive fabrication plant, or their nano-technology was light years ahead of the Hegemony's own.

::We'll have to secure the Ring and fortify our position against all anyone who might show up:: Qian replied. ::We need some hard Intel about this structure::

::We'll be past their passive sensors in one hour:: Michelle said. ::There seems to be some confusion in the Covenant ranks from the com traffic we're picking up::

::71st, assume attack formation and prepare for acceleration:: Qian ordered. ::Long March, take up over-watch. I want us in the optimal position before we engage::


UNSC Odysseus

"Captain, we're in position," Cortana said. "No reaction from the Covenant."

"Anything on their battle net?" Jacob asked.

"They've been focusing on the arrival of Regret." She replied. "But there is a lot of talk about 'Sacred Rings' and the 'Great Journey'".

"And Regret's arrival?"

"He will arrive tomorrow on schedule." Cortana replied.

"Arm the warheads," Jacob ordered. "And get all personnel to their action stations."

The crew rushed into action as the Covenant Stealth Corvette was prepped for launch. The Marines and ODSTs moved their operations to the ship's main hanger as the Spartans loaded the last supplies into the corvette.

Elias entered the bridge with his case and set it on the makeshift command console. Jacob looked at him as he fiddled with the box.

"We may not need your bag of tricks Lt." Jacob gathered the last of his papers.

"I'll believe it when we are safely back at Reach." Elias replied. "There are a thousand different things that could go wrong between now and later."

"I am fully aware of the problems we might face." Jacob replied. "Cortana."

Cortana flashed into existence.

"Captain?"

"Have programmed the dumb AI into the ship's computer?"

"Affirmative."

Jacob nodded. "Have Master Chief come to the bridge. He'll be your guardian until we get back home."

"With all due respect Captain, I think we might need a backup plan."

The entire ship shuddered as if struck by a hammer.

"SITREP!" Jacob ordered.

"We just got boarded by a Covenant Spirit." Cortana replied. "They tried to land in the main bay and were destroyed by the combined fire from the Spartans and the ODSTs."

Elias opened the case and pushed the button inside. "Definitely need a backup."


HAFS Heinlein

Thaddeus studied the data streaming in from the Long March as several techs worked on the prototype AI behind him. The data provided by the UNSC gave him several key insights to the AI problems that they had with the original Zeus Project. The Zeus Project used several processing algorithms that replicated the patterns of the human brain, but flash cloning a brain as the basis was something they did not think of. Of course, with the 'iron womb' technology, it was possible to do such cloning, but the process could be tricky. The UNSC database filled in a lot of those gaps. In another part of the lab, techs were working on the Covenant's shielding system. They had the device on one of the many work tables, meticulously taking reading and measurements before disassembling the device for further analysis and replication.

"Dr. Halsey, we're ready to begin the initialization sequence." The lead tech reported.

Thaddeus looked up from the PDA. The data from the ring was fascinating. Engineering, as well as terra forming, on a massive scale. From what he was able to ascertain the ring was built as one massive frame, with components added during the later phases of construction. Terra forming was completed last, and this one being a lush, temperate world. He set down the PDA and turned to the AI project. They used Admiral Ren's brain as the basis for the AI with her permission, and did the scan remotely from the Victory's medical bay. So far everything was working as planned.

"Begin the initialization," Thaddeus ordered. The AI was built into an isolated system with just a holographic projector for an outlet. It wasn't the most optimal solution or lab space to create an AI, but it was the best he had available.


UNSC Odysseus

Master Chief held on as the blast shook the ship. It was not entirely unexpected, most plans involving ONI always ended badly. He made his way to the bridge where Captain Keyes was beginning the evacuation of the crew and Lt. Haverson was making adjustments to the case he always carried with him. He stood aside as three techs raced out, carrying the last data cores to the waiting corvette. John snapped to attention as Jacob turned.

"Right on time Chief," He said. He pulled a data chip out of the computer and handed it over to the hulking Spartan. "Take good care of her."

"Yes sir," John replied, sliding the chip into the socket at the back of his neck. He fought the urge to shiver as the AI entered his mind. "We should be going."

He could tell the Captain was conflicted.

"Captain, it is our responsibility to make sure all senior officers abandon ship when needed," John spoke. "We have to go now before the Covenant cuts off our evac route."

"He's right Captain," Elias replied. "We need to leave now. Cortana can handle it from here."

"Begin the countdown," Jacob ordered as John ushered the two men out of the room.

"I've set the countdown for ten minutes with a failsafe," Cortana said. "Sensors are detecting Covenant boarding pods inbound."

"What's the status of the Corvette?"

"Blue Team is standing by the main access hatch. All personnel are onboard and ready to depart."

The ship shook as the Covenant plasma torpedoes smashed into the shields, tossing the three men against one of the bulkheads. The sense of urgency increased as they ran down to the open hanger deck. John pulled the BA55 off his back magnetic clamp and readied it in case of Covenant interference. The ship shook again as the Covenant fire penetrated the shields and impacted against the dorsal hull.

"Five minutes remaining," Cortana reported.

They made it to the ship with two minutes to spare.

Jacob led everyone onboard as he raced to the bridge, followed by Elias and the Master Chief. "Get us out of here!"

The pilots lifted the corvette off the deck of the doomed ship as the Covenant fire intensified.

"How soon can we jump to slipspace?" Jacob asked.

"We have the coordinates locked in. The slipspace drive is charged," the pilot replied.

The corvette raced out of the bay, her stealth field engaging as swarms of Covenant Seraphs danced around the main bay. Bolts of plasma struck the corvette, sending power surges throughout the ship.

"Damn, we lost the navigational computer!" One of the pilots reported.

"Chief, transfer me to the computer, quickly!" Cortana spoke.

John placed his hand against one of the consoles to allow Cortana to jump from the AI chip in his head to the computer. He watched her reconfigure the ship's NavCom to a new set of jump coordinates as her 'twin' gave a countdown update. John didn't know much about stellar navigation, but he knew the coordinates weren't for the designated rendezvous point.

"thirty seconds to detonation."

"Cortana!" Jacob shouted.

The corvette rocked again as the other Covenant ships began firing as well. The shields flared against the impacts, but the stealth field held.

"Ten seconds…"

"Coordinates locked in," Cortana said. "Hold on!"

"Eight…seven…six…five…"

A slipspace rupture appeared before the Corvette.

"three…two…one…"

A brilliant light flooded the cockpit, and then there was darkness.


Manassas, Reach

The engineers weren't bothering with rebuilding, just debris removal. They were ordered to open up more space around the orbital defense generators for fire lanes, and reconstruction was not a priority. If the Covenant didn't return to take Reach, then they could worry about rebuilding, but when the ever present threat of glassing hung over everyone's heads, digging in was the only option.

They had been working for days when they found the body. Buried under tons of rubble and partially decomposed, the body wasn't a UNSC marine or army soldier. Part of the head, the right arm and most of the upper torso were gone, melted away during the hellish battle only a week before, but most of the body and armor it wore was quite recognizable. An elongated eight pointed star with a blood drop decorated the left knee with a number blazoned on the right knee and left arm. The armor was a black/red/gray color, and the remains indicated the operator was the size of a Spartan.

The military was notified and within an hour, a ONI team appeared and whisked the body and armor away.


Installation 04

Flood Containment Facility

Brakekenus drove his forces deeper into the Forerunner structure. His orders from Tartarus were clear. Find a way to discredit the Arbiter and the Sangheili as well as find a weapon capable of winning the war. The Oracle at High Charity spoke of a great war in the past, and that great weapons were placed in storage for the return of the reclaimers. Tartarus, Chieftain of the Jiralhanae, desired to be that reclaimer, and would brook none who would stand before him.

Deeper into the depths of the Ring they went, forcing their way past the containment doors until they reached the bottom level. There were flashing red holograms everywhere, but he ignored them. The last door had to be broken open, and in doing so, disrupted the vital systems and sending warning sirens throughout the bay. Containment fields failed as he led his brutes into the chamber. The lights failed, spooking the younger brutes.

Brakekenus hefted his gravity hammer as something caught his eye.

The floor moved.