Captain Dare and Rookie were about to walk past a hologram of unknown alien chanting a sermon.
Serina (O.S.): Wait, go back. Place your hand there.
Wihtout question, Dare placed his hand on the holo-projector, and Serina appeared from the projector. She flicked her fingers to pause the holo-projector.
Serina: I heard what he said. The Covenant called him the Prophet of Regret. He said he's planning to activate Halo.
Captain Dare: Halo?
Serina snapped her fingers to start the hologram. In a single snap, the Covenant language translated into English while the alien spoke the exact tone he spoke.
Prophet of Regret (Hologram): I shall light this holy ring, release its cleansing flame, and burn a path into the divine beyond!
Serina snapped her fingers again, and the hologram freezes.
Serina: (smugly) Pretty much. Worse is, they using this ring to fire on Earth!
Everyone stopped and paused. So this ring is a weapon?
Captain Dare: Overlord, we've got a problem.
Overlord (COM): So I hear...I need to know what that Halo ring is for.
Serina: One moment, sir; hacking into the Covenant database.
The ODSTs and the Rangers wait patiently for Serina's answers. Rookie thinks about the Chimera and the Covenant they're facing right now. He first wondered if that Prophet, and probably more than that, was the first one to establish this kind of religion. If so, the Covenant was under Prophet's leadership, on a quest for Forerunner artifacts.
And what about the Chimera who first assault on humanity? If Chimera and Brutes were part of the Covenant, why they're the first ones to invade?
Serina: I got it.
Everyone pause for attention.
Serina: According to the data in their networks, the ring has some kind of deep religious significance. If I'm analyzing this correctly, they believe that Halo is some kind of weapon. One with vast, unimaginable power... Elites, Brutes, Chimeras, and other races must have ban together because of that purpose.
Overlord (O.S.): And it's true... The Covenant kept saying that whoever controls Halo controls the fate of the universe.
Serina: Now I see...I have intercepted a number of messages about a Covenant search team, scouting for a control room, known as the Centre. They're looking for it to activate it.
Overlord: That's bad news. If Halo is a weapon, and the Covenant gain control of it, they'll use it against us and wipe out the entire human race...Serina, Dare. After you finish this mission, I will order Dare. After you finish this mission, I will order you guys to find the Centre before the Covenant can retrieve it.
Dare: Yes sir.
Captain Dare placed her hand on the Holo-projector to get Serina back into her armour.
Death Trap
Day (2) – 14:29
Halo (Unknown System)
Lance Corporal 'Rookie' Samuel
145th Orbital Drop Shock Troopers
Sergeant Foley: God dam it. I thought this is supposed to be a famous space colony.
Morgan, with AA-12 assault shotgun and Javelin Anti-Tank missile launcher: So why did the Forerunner create Earth-like environments.
Captain Dare: I don't know.
Sudden shouts came from outside. Several doors on the north opened, and Drones and the single major Elite charged. Rookie chased the Elite with his Plasma firing. He kept holding the trigger of the plasma rifle, until his rifle firing stopped and the whole burned blue hot. He dropped his plasma rifle, feeling the pain on his burning hands.
Captain Dare: Rook...
Dare finished off the Major Elite with her sniper-barrel attached ACR, and ran approached Rookie looking down his damaged hand steamed with smoke.
Captain Dare: Are you alright?
Rookie: (Head shake) Shit! What the heck just happened!?
The Drones were completely neutralized after their careless fight.
Dutch, with M60 pump-action shotgun and SPRNK rocket: What happened to him?
Buck looked down at blue smoking plasma rifle as it cools down with hatches closed.
Sergeant Buck: Seems that the plasma rifle looked unstabled while in continuous fire.
Rookie: I'm fine right now. Let's keep moving.
They proceed outside to new halls of ruins, infested by Covenant ground forces. The 75th Rangers and the 145th ODST fought mostly Grunts and few Elites. There were also Jackal snipers two o'clock from their position.
Serina (O.S.): You know, I think the Forerunners built these new structures around the old, to protect them, to honor them. I'd need to make a thorough survey to be sure... I wish I had more time to decipher these inscriptions. The Forerunners revere this place that much is clear. But was it a temple, or a university... I can't say.
Mickey (O.S.), with AA-12 Assault shotgun and Javelin missile launcher: Well forget about that. Why the hell they consider this Halo ring as a weapon?
Serina (O.S.): I don't know. Massive Historical War I believe.
A massive war? Against who? After ambushing Grunts and shield Jackals to doom on the next interior structure, Mickey found pink crystal hair gun on the floor, which was actually a Needler. He picked it up, and decided to give it to Rookie.
Mickey: Here dude. He should have this.
Rookie became aware of that Needler. He's not sure if that small arm weapon would cause burns, just like the plasma rifle.
Mickey: Hey it's okay. It's not plasma; it's a projection weapon.
Rookie agreed with Mickey and accepted the gift from him. He picked up pinks shards as magazines. Dutch then gave a deployable Jackal shield wrist device he found after beat down the major Jackal.
Dutch: Have this also; snipers were freaking us out.
Rookie: Wow wait. I don't know how that thing works.
Dutch: Just tap a button on the top of the wrist, and the shield will be set.
ODSTs and Rangers came outside of the ruins, and again, they were sitting ducks by Jackal snipers. A gondola was docked out to the tower.
Captain Dare: We gonna need to take them out, grab a shield and the laser pointer.
Everyone activated their Jackal shields and turn on their laser designators. Rookie was satisfied with the orange Jackal shield, since orange was his favourite colour. They raised their shields and used their laser designator for exact target on hostile forces.
Jackal snipers kept shooting at the incoming Rangers and ODSTs while they get pin down by projection fire. As the Rangers and the ODSTS cross the ancient bridge, three Elites were waiting to show off with their Covenant carbines.
Flying crystals fired from Rookie's Needler, following the Elite on the left. Bunch of crystals fired stick on the Elite's energy shield and later exploded. Assault rifles, with their magnetic-accelerating sniper barrels, made their quick job on killing the Elites in seconds.
Serina (O.S.): A gondola's launching from the far towers. Big surprise, it's full of Covenant reinforcements.
With all the Elites killed, they secure the whole platform with the dock. They waited for the other gondola to arrive, with enemy reinforcements. Rookie could see two Elites and several grunts inside the gondola through his sniper rifle's scope.
Serina (O.S.): I sensing that the ACS Module was located from that tower. It should be there.
Dare: Are you sure?
Serina (O.S.): The signal is strong, so I'm sure it should be there.
Buck: Hey guys. The gondola is coming.
The gondola docked in front of the temple, and Elites and Grunts exist out and attack. Few of the Ranger fired grenade launchers so they could finish off the fight quickly and board on the gondola. A success, Rangers hoped on the gondola with no idea how it works.
Serina (O.S.): Well, they were nice enough to bring us a ride.
Cpl. Dunn: "Alright, everyone aboard."
James Ramirez: I'll drive.
Cpl. Dunn: What's to drive? It comes here, it goes there.
Everyone was onboard, but no idea how to move the gondola. Rookie looked anywhere at the front. He found a geometric holographic panel. It should be the one. With a pressure of his hand on the panel, the whole gondola burped and started its motion to the tower.
Sergeant Foley: This is an interesting commuting.
Drones suddenly ambushed from nowhere, and started bugging them with plasma pistols. All of the Rangers and ODSTs scattered around. All Rookie could do was to shield himself with his Jackal shield, since his Needler couldn't track down the fasting-moving insects.
Rookie: Someone get those things off my way!
Mickey ran around, shooting down the Drones with his brutal assault shotgun. His high rate of fire allowed him to fire like a bursting assault rifle while using shell rounds. He quickly reloaded before more drones abused him with pistols.
A Drone landed right in front of Rookie. Rookie charged and banged the tired Drone with his Jackal shield. The banged Drone was later hit by Romeo's rounds of P190 PDW. Another Drone jumped on Rookie's back, freaked him out as he tried to get it off.
Rookie: Gesh man! They're everywhere.
Rookie finally got the Drone's arm, and he tossed it to the ground. Romeo finished off the Drone for him with a relief.
Romeo: Man. Tired of those buggers.
The whole gondola was silenced, no buzzing noise. Another gondola came on the other of it. It stopped by, deploying two Elites with jump packs and more annoying Drones. Great, this was Rookie's bad day.
Sergeant Foley and Dare used their sniper-barreled assault rifles, firing high-power rounds on their Elites, flying around. Jump-pack elites got their shield splashed and their armour were penetrated by high speed projections.
Two Jump-pack Elites were down, leaving few Drones to stand alone. The Drones instead fled away back to the tower.
Rookie: So, who prefer ground opponents instead?
Nobody answered, except Mickey.
Mickey: Well Rookie I could kickass both ground and air...Say, who nicknamed you "Rookie"?
Romeo: It was Captain Dare, Mickey Mouse.
Serina (O.S.): Cut the chatter guys. We're almost there. The signal is getting stronger.
Their gondola almost reached to the tower. The tower was containment with Covenant forces, waiting for ODST/Rangers' arrival.
Sergeant Foley: Get ready. It's gonna get hot.
The gondola's front made a touchdown and plasma cannon turrets from the towers rained on it. Dutch fired his SPRNK rocket launcher, lock-guided on the turret from the left side. Grenade launchers were fired on groups of Grunts, Jackals, and plasma turrets. More Grunts and Jackals came out of the tower.
Serina (O.S.): Heads up! Phantoms inbound!
Two Phantoms could be spotted from behind. Mickey and Morgan took off their Javelin Anti-Tank Missile launchers from their backs, and focus their target on the Phantoms. While bullets and plasma spark around, two Phantoms were locked on, and Mickey and Morgan fired. They watched the flying arched missiles strike on the Phantoms in one hit.
Jackals and Grunts fall back into the tower.
Serina (O.S.): It should be close, just get in.
Captain Dare: Right...let's get inside quickly.
ODSTs and Rangers charged up the stairs of the Tower towards its open entrance. With a stone wall in the middle, they split up for corner-checking. It was quiet, too quiet.
Buck: Seems like the Covenant is about to surprise us with something.
Captain Dare: Whatever is,...I not going to like it.
Columns, stones, and Covenant containers we're checked.
Serina (O.S.): We're close, but I'm getting movements here. Recommend to switch VSIR.
The ODSTs switched their VSIRs, watching orange lines highlighting the edges of every object and wall. Rookie had faceplate turned on, and then he saw an orange line figure moving towards him. He quick-swap for his SOCOM handgun and fired several shots. The figure was knocked down, and liquid cloak melted into an Elite.
Sergeant Foley: Cloak Elites!
Mickey, Dutch, Romeo, Dare, Buck, and Rookie were the only ones who could see and shoot Stealth Elites haunting them. James, with no VSIR technology, just randomly fired everywhere just in time for a Stealth Elite to grab behind him with its energy garrote. Before James's neck gets choked with the Elite's two-cylinder garrote, the Stealth Elite was sniped by Dare's ACR.
James: Thanks Captain.
Dare nodded. She turned around with her active VISR, looking for any Stealth Elites that lurks them. Three Stealth Elites jumped in front them, and fired their plasma rifles. Rangers moved away from the pixie plasmas, and fired their assault rifles exactly where the plasmas were fired from.
Once the three Stealth Elites were eliminated, the ODSTs and the Rangers made their way to the finally door.
Serina (O.S.): Hold up; I'm detecting two large tangos waiting behind the walls. They're Hunters.
Buck: Got any plan guys?
Rookie: Flash bangs?
Buck: Sure thing.
Dutch: Once you guys flash bang them, I take them down with this.
Dutch get his SPRNK rocket launcher reloaded. Rookie and Buck stick up their flash bangs and get beside the doors against the walls. Both nodded, gesturing good to go. Both a step on near the door to automatically slide it upward and made a fast flash bang throw.
A bang of white flash was casted, and Rookie and Buck could hear low-pitch cow roar. Dutch pulled the trigger and launched the rocket through the open door. A smooth door shut, explosion erupted and shook the wall.
Dare: Ok, they should be dead by now.
Rookie and Buck precede to the opening door, and turn their VISR due to the fog of dust. Two huge figures were laid on the floor. The Hunters were neutralized.
Serina (O.S.): Keep going guys. It should be straight ahead.
ODSTs and Rangers ran ahead to where a stronger signature Serina could find. They ended up with a large Covenant container, standing three metres high.
Serina (O.S.): Dare, get your hand placed on the panel key so I decrypt the code.
Dare got her hand pressed on the Covenant key panel, and Serina got inside to decode the lock. She then zoomed back to Dare's armour.
Serina (O.S.): There. It's done.
The container opened up in plate formation. When the stacks of plates lifted up into the edges, Serina and the ODST/Rangers couldn't believe what they discovered. There was no ACS Module.
Captain Dare: What!?
Sergeant Buck: It's not there, but a database in the middle.
Serina (O.S.): No. The Covenant must have took it off before that database must have end up there.
Captain Dare: Overlord, this Dare. You're not going to like this. We found the source of the ACS Module, but the whole module wasn't there.
Overlord (O.S.): Impossible!
Serina (O.S.): Warning, the Assault Carrier was about to fire on our position. We need to get out of here now!
Captain Dare: Come on, follow me.
Everyone evacuated from the Tower, meeting outside of the temple. Looking ahead, an Assault Carrier's purple beam under its belly beamed down hot. It got brighter and closer to their position.
Sergeant Buck: Sir! Get us beamed up!
Lights wrapped around each one of them, and everyone was beamed back on board. The ODSTs and the Rangers relaxed; it was a death trap.