Chapter 9: Forward unto Dawn

It was a long distance between the tent and there house. It gave John a lot of time to think. About the attack, Cortana's reaction, her ability he had not known about but mostly about what he was going to say. He had seen Cortana mad before but this was worse, she was hurt, bad. She was probably surprisingly the most emotion filled person he had met. Given his earliest memories were military solders staring down at him that was not surprising. There was not much room for cry fests in the U.N.S.C.

Even Spartans had emotions but every since he had retired he felt more, loose, less reserved. As he turned onto their road, one thing was certain. After this conversation, things would change for better or for worse. As he parked the civilian hog he took a deep breath before stepping out of the car. He slowly walked up the stone path to the house and put his head to the door. He knew the sound he heard all to well, the sound of crying.

He opened the door narrowly avoiding a plant pot to the face. He turned to Cortana, she was sitting at the bottom of the stairs. Her makeup smeared and body flaring with a shimmer of blue energy. He could see a series of electronics under her skin reminding him of Cortana's A.I "Tattoos" she looked up at John. "John…"

"Cortana…" he sat down next to her. "It has been a hell of a day hasn't it"

She laughed. "That is an understatement" her laughing turned from light and humorous to loud and delirious.

"This will be something to tell the kids huh…" the next thing he knew he was on the otherside of the room on his back.

"We can't even have kids you barbarian! Given your Augmentations and my!" she just motioned to her glowing body "Having kids is highly illogical!"

"Cortana calm down…"

"No you calm down! Do you know how stressful this has been for me!" her body glowed a mixture of pink and green reminding John of her angry state on the alpha halo. "When I met you I was intrigued by you, intrigue turned to friendship, friendship turned to love and love has now turned into hate!" she gritted her teeth.

"Cortana you get irrational when you are angry, it effects your programming"

"My programming?! Am I a machine too you! I know I am but that is different!" John just remained on his back prepped on his arm.

"I thought I meant something to you!"

"I do!"

"Then act like it"

"Half an hour ago I was standing at an alter saying my vows, is that good enough for you!"

Cortana began to calm down, her glowing circuitry disappearing "I…I am sorry"

"It is ok" John stood up and hugged his bride "We will get through this"

"Just…I mean who brings guns to a wedding! Especially Plasma...'

"Shhh…" John held her tighter, placing kisses on her forehead "It is alright"

John looked around for his armor "You sure wrecked the place" said John. Cortana picked up a can of beer and passed it too John "I believe this is your mess"

"Oh yeah…" he slowly got up and she followed

"What do we do know…everything is ruined"

"The Brutes didn't just attack us physically, they attacked us emotionally" John walked over to the chest in the middle of the room.

"I wish they would just leave us alone" said Cortana

John put his helmet and looked at Cortana "Tell that to the Covenant…"

Covenant Phantom en-route to Shadow of Intent

Kelly sighed as she looked around the alien vehicle; the last time she was in one of these she was driving it. Thel paced up and down in the centre twirling his Energy Sword as they headed to the ships armoury.

Earth

"You can't be serious! You said you were done with the U.N.S.C!"

"I was…I am!...I just need to think, if I don't do this now we will never be able to go on with our lives!"

"John I want to move on with our lives but not if this is how it is accomplished!" She lifted up Johns arm showing all the scars and injections from the Spartan II program

"Look what they did to you!" John looked away, he couldn't look her in the eye "John look at me!" John just shook his head and grabbed his armour.

"I have to do this!" Cortana took a step back, John had never yelled at her before and especially not like that. "I love you, I always will! But my friends need me" John turned to the door and left. Cortana just stood in disbelief. She took out her phone and dialled Selene.

Phantom en-route to Shadow of Intent

Thel had sent a phantom to pick John up, he just sat there in the corner as it arrived in the ships hanger. John sighed before climbing out the side "John" said Thel shaking the Spartans hand.

"Thel" that was the 1st time the Arbiter had used John's name.

"Come on we have a lot to discuss" The Arbiter lead the way, the hanger was full of Elites and Marines gearing up. "The ship came into view just before the attack on the wedding, I am sorry by the way"

"You have nothing to be sorry for, the Jiralhanae do"

"Right, anyway, we have ran reports, this ship has been seen by the home fleet on Sanhelio's, it appears to be CCS-Class but heavily modified. Holes have been patched with a bone like substance similar to that seen on the Phantom we encountered at the ceremony. Systems seem largely intact, there are fewer entrances and is extremely well equipped. This mission is going to be hard…But"

"Not impossible...ashame I was built for impossible situations" they stopped next to a weapons bench. John looked over a weapon the appeared similar to a Covenant combine "What is this?"

Thel turned to the weapon and picked it up "This is a Storm Rifle, it belongs to a Covenant splinter group named well…Storm. It is a variation of the standard Plasma Rifle" he passed it to John who checked the sights and systems.

"Interesting"

"Here test it out" Thel motions to a holographic target display. John levelled the weapon, closed one eye while he scouted the sights and fired. A storm of plasma burned through the target, causing the holographic brute to yell and fall.

He smiled "I'll take it"

Shadow of Intent Briefing-room

In the centre of the room was a holographic display of the earth, moon and the ships. Elites, marines and Spartans filled the room. Thel was at the back of the display adjusting the display so it zoom's in. "The Jiralhanae ship is well fortified but has one crucial error, that the Spartans have exploited before, to fire there cannons they have to take down there shields. For a split second but long enough to slip in"

A random elite stood up "But how do we get in"

"Timing, we fire a hole in the ship as the shields fail"

"Would the brutes be that stupid?"

"It is a chance we have to take" the elite sat back down, "This may be a one way trip, if anyone wants to back out…now is the chance" Nobody did "Well then, we head out in five!"

Selene's house

"The complete and utter idiot" shouted Selene as she grabbed some tissues and passed them to Cortana "How could he do this to you"

"Selene…really it is alright"

"No it is not! If I were him I wouldn't let you out of my sight for a second!" Cortana smiled

"Thanks Selene you have always been there for me"

"That is what friends are for. That is it, I am going to grab some wine get a few vid's and we are going to have a proper girls night!"

Cortana smiled at this prospect, "I will get the glasses"

…

A few minutes later they were prepped "I have some vid's" she passed some cases to Cortana.

"Eternal love 5, Lovers embrace, Chicks do…what!"

Selene gasped and grabbed the DVD out of the A.I's hands "That should not be there, that is from my…personal…erm collection" she ran into her room to put the "Special" vid away. Cortana just face palmed.

Phantom(s) en-route to enemy ship

One phantoms was filled with UNSC troops while the other had elite. They were prepped and ready to go, there was just one more thing to do. Kelly stood in the middle of the phantom and began the UNSC Candence while the elites did there counterpart.

"When I die bury me deep" shouted Kelly, no response "I said when I die bury me deep!" this caused the other marines to kick in and finish.

"Place an MA5 at my feet!"

…

"According to our stations! All without Exception On the blood of our fathers!"

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"Don't cry! Don't shed no tear!"

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"…on the blood of our sons"

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"Just pack my box with PT gear!"

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"We swear! To protect Sanghelios! And all her alies!"

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"Cause one morning, about Zero-five!"

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"Even to our dying breath!

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"The ground will rumble, there'll be lightning in the sky!

...

"Those who would break this oath are Heretics! Worthy of neither pity"

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Don't you worry, don't come undone!"

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"Nor mercy!"

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"It's just my ghost on a PT run!"

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"We shall grind them into dust!"

…

A rumble went through both ships as they came under fire. Thel ran to the cockpit "Evasive maneveurs!" The Phantoms were bombarded with plasma, nearly burning through the hull. One of the banshees escorting the ships was hit. Its driver was killed instantly causing the banshee to fall into the phantom, scraping its hull. "We are getting decimated out here!" yelled Kelly over the comms.

"Time to make our appearance" said Rtas as the Shadow of Intent appeared from behind the moon. Seraph fighters engaged the Allied phantoms.

Kelly rushed to the pilot "What is going on up here?!" She then looked ahead at the view screen "Is that...Plasma projector online!"

John held onto the inner sides of the phantom. "If you are going to go now is the time!" yelled the pilot. John sighed and headed to the back of the ship. His suits built in thrusters packs were damaged in battle forcing him to use the standard variant along with the others. The gravity lift came online "Ready" shouted John over the roaring winds "One, Two, Three!" Soon all the inhabitants of the marine shuttle were on course for the ship.

The giant beam of the plasma projector was closing in. John accessed his visors comm. System "Elite's! Plasma beam inbound, abort! I repeat abort!" The phantom lowered into view revealing the front section had been completely burned off. The phantom spun out of control, spinning into the devastating beam "No!" Debris flew at John causing him to move off course. "Thel!"

"You are not going to get rid of me that easy Spartan" said the Arbiter as he raced out of the debris. His modified Arbiter armour now had a retriever so he could breathe in the vacuum of space. "Peace was an option but is no longer! We will destroy these brutes!" yelled The Arbiter

John readjusted his thrusters pack, thrusting himself back on course. From a distance they all looked like a swarm of bee's and a angry one at that. Rtas turned to his fellow bridge officers "Activate Energy projector!" the battleships lateral lines shined as a pool of energy appeared at the front.

"Alright everyone" said John "Stay in formation!" the line condensed into a single straight line as the Intent fired its main cannon. Johns peripheral vision was filled with a blinding white light. "This is it!" Like Cortana once said "If I had fingers they would be crossed" except now it was if he could cross his fingers without going off balance they would be crossed. He saw the enemy ship prepare to fire its main cannon. He contacted his fellow Spartans "Remember Spartans…"

"Can't die" said the group in unison as the enemy ship fired as well…