Chapter 10: Halo
The acceleration into Slipspace was seamless to those inside the ship who felt nothing as the Forseti nudged itself into the fine tear in space and time. The same wasn't true for anyone still remaining in the city as a shockwave of blinding white light tore buildings apart bolt by bolt and the ground buckled and gave way as the mountains were stripped bare in a single moment. It was so large and so bright that the explosion could be seen from space by the ships hanging in orbit. None of it mattered though as the planet would be soon turned into nothing more than a broken and shattered shell of its former self, the plasma bombardment annihilating everything on the surface. Didact stood in silence in the elevator as it sped to the top of the ship, his thousand mile gaze warning people who stepped on with him that they weren't to expect a salute. Most conversations stopped when they saw him as groups of junior officers and enlisted played with their lips until their ride was over. After a few minutes he finally looked away from the metallic doors in front of him and in the low saw that his armor and helmet were coated in a green and red blood, a small splatter across his visor that he had never noticed before. Thoughts and images of the mission rushed through his mind like paper in the wind as they came and went randomly, the images of the dead soldiers seeping into the back of his head despite his best efforts. The elevator finally stopped at his level and he stepped out as the three doors slid apart in a triangle pattern. The level he was on was reserved exclusively for cabins for the highest ranking officers on the ship which meant it was rarely travelled and always quiet. His quarters were just as he had left them when he left for the surface hours earlier, the lights low as it stood in the center of the room waiting for the door to close. Walking behind his desk he opened up the wide port behind it and looked out into the inky blackness of Slipspace, and once again his thoughts began to run rampant and couldn't be reined in.
After storing his armor away, Didact changed into his exercise uniform which consisted of a pair of long black pants and a black and red sleeveless shirt that was pulled tight against his body. Sitting in his chair he slumped down as the projectors warmed up and waited for him to log in. Leaning down to the bottom right drawer of his desk he opened it up and pulled out a small glass bottle and cup. Identifying himself, the computer's desktop appeared in the air as he contemplated pouring himself a glass to drink. Placing his feet on the table, he finally relented and put a quick dash of the clear liquid into the glass and held it in his hand.
"Search Lieutenant Hargrove."
"Demon, do you believe it's a good idea to be doing this?" The AI's voice was quiet and reserved as she spoke to him.
"I need to know…"
"There is a difference between knowing and wallowing." Didact knew that what she was saying was true. Setting the glass down, he rolled his tongue in his mouth for a few seconds.
"Search Lieutenant Hargrove." The search appeared on his desktop and he waited for a few seconds as the database brought up his information. Hargrove's image appeared alongside his service record, Didact immediately noticing that the photo seemed to be a few years older compared to what he saw when he met the man. "Squad information please." Tabbing over, ten men were listed as being under his command and he scanned each one before finally letting his eyes rest on the last name. Sergeant Sarah Arvul, Sniper. A sudden urge to bring up her file was quenched and Didact put his head back against the soft padding of the chair and looked to the ceiling. Unable to resist, tears began to stream down his cheeks as he cried. His shoulders heaving, he dropped his feet to the ground and put his head into his hands and let his anguish and exhaustion flow out of his body. It lasted for about a minute before he got control of himself and took a few deep breaths. Wiping the tears off of his cheeks, he collected the fluid that had built up in his mouth and spit it into the glass.
Waking up with a jolt, Didact lifted his body off of the soft cloth couch that was to the side of his desk and held himself up with his arms. The grogginess quickly disappeared as he looked around the room and saw that no one was in it, but when he glanced out of the window he saw thousands of small points of light staring back at him, a few larger objects moving between them. A soft double tone played through hidden speakers and a voice quickly followed.
"Sir, we've left Slipspace and have arrived at Shi-Kai."
"Please take us in to dock; I'll be on deck in a few minutes." Didact had no qualms about letting the young Captain taking command of his ship, he knew it was only a matter of time before the fleet reassigned him to his own ship and it'd be in every ones best interests for him to have as much experience as possible. If his actions during the previous battle were anything to go by, he was already well prepared.
"I'm sorry, but there's more." Edos stopped for a second before continuing. "The council has demanded an immediate audience with you and I."
"This is ridiculous…" Didact said under his breath, getting up off of the couch.
"No specifics were given; they only stated that they would like to review the events on Corstun in person."
"I'm sure. Put us into orbit and prepare a transport with escorts, we won't want to keep the council waiting."
Back in his armor, Didact walked through the same hangar that had been used to launch the ill fated invasion of Temple as well as being the refugee point for those lucky enough to be evacuated. A few spots on the deck were still covered in blood from the wounded but they were being cleaned up as he arrived at the transport, two Corsairs waiting on either side. Lieutenant Valance and his squad were arranged behind Captain Edos who had managed to change into his black dress uniform. Saluting sharply, Didact returned it and looked over the Honor Guard Marines' uniforms and saw that, like his, they had not had time to clean the grime of battle off of the black metal plating. They all wore their helmets but as he walked past he could feel their gaze before they followed him into the transport.
"Seems I've under dressed, sir," Edos commented with a slight chuckle as he straightened out his jacket and adjusted the medals and ribbons on it.
"I'd like the council to see what it is that we had to go through down there."
"I understand."
"War is a game to most of them, very few have ever served in the military, let alone see combat." As Didact spoke the transport lifted into the air and flew out of the hangar. "They won't understand what happened on the surface and don't expect them to listen to what you have to say." The Captain nodded but didn't say anything. After a few minutes of silence, Didact finally spoke again, his voice low so that it was almost inaudible. "Why did you come for us?" Their eyes locked in the darkness and they stayed together as Edos formulated an answer in his mind. The first to look away, he glanced at the Marines behind him before meeting their eyes again.
"You're our commander; you've never left a man behind, and have always put your men before you. It's only fair that someone return the favor." Didact's face was unmoved when he heard the Captain say this to him. Something had changed inside of him but he didn't know what it was or what had caused the change. Nodding ever so slightly, the transport remained silent for the rest of the trip.
Feeling the ship slow down, they turned towards the starboard door and waited for it to open. As it lifted up, Didact could see that the storm had yet to pass and was still covering the city in a thick gray haze. Stepping down onto the rain soaked landing pad, his armored boots splashed water into the air around him. Letting the droplets stream down his head and neck, he watched as Edos stepped gingerly towards a dry section in order to prevent his uniform from getting wetter than it had to. While slightly amusing, the Demon understood that Edos still had to maintain a certain image if he was to receive a promotion to flag rank within the Navy. Looking out across the narrow walkway that connected the circular landing pad, he could see that a group of soldiers had formed on the other side of the doors and few civilians stood in front of them. The Marines stepped onto the platform and quickly formed two rows of four men that followed Captain Edos who in turn followed the Demon. Walking briskly, they reached the door within a few seconds as it opened silently when they walked near, the civilians watching him the entire time.
"Sir, the council wants to see you immediately," the man in the front said, stepping forward in his gray suit.
"I received the message." His terse response made the man who seemed to be in his mid-forties, his black hair beginning to lighten at the roots, twitch his head in a slight show of annoyance. Stepping past him, the soldiers inside of the hall slapped their rifles to their chests and stood at attention. At least a hundred lined either side as he made his way down the dimly light hallway, a single enormous door illuminated at the end where two guards stood on either side. Moving between alternating light and shadow he clenched his jaw slightly, aware of all of the faces that were tracking his every movement. An odd thought entered his mind and he wondered to himself who they would side with if he did something wrong. Stowing it away in the back of his mind he arrived at the door and waited for the three metal plates to slide away from each other, groaning loudly as the mechanisms strained under the weight. Didacts eyes adjusted to the dark light as he took a few steps forward before listening to the doors close behind him. All around monitors glowed in the dark, illuminating the faces of the person sitting behind them as every one of them turned to face the group who had entered the chambers. Sloping downwards, the row of steps led to a small area at the bottom that itself led to dais in the center that was raised into the air so that it was at the same level as the lowest level of councilors, the circular platform illuminated in blue-green light from underneath.
"I'm glad you could make it on such notice. We're aware you were…occupied elsewhere." The elderly voice echoed throughout the entire, High Councilor Hoyt's voice instantly recognizable. Ignoring his subtle dig that served as a harbinger for what was to come; Didact nodded once and made his way down the steps to the small seating area at the bottom reserved for those who would be questioned. Situated in an elongated crescent, Didact and Edos sat next to each other while the Honor Guard remained at attention behind them against the wall and waited for the Council to address them. Looking up, Hoyt could be seen sitting at the top of the council seat positions, the rest falling away from him which made the terraces look like part of a mountain. "I was surprised when I get a message this morning that stated our best Demon had left for Sera, especially when there was already a Demon on station and in command of the forces there. I think I speak for all of us here that that behavior isn't typical seen coming from someone in your position." Hoyt paused for a few seconds as his voiced echoed around in the chambers and into the darkness above them. "I won't deviate from our format any longer, Demon Didact, please step forward." Obeying, Didact placed his helmet on the table in front of him and walked onto the dais and stood in an almost defiant stance with his arms at his side and his legs spread a little wider than normal.
"Demon Torval was commanding the fleet above Sera, was he not?" one of the councilors asked.
"That is correct; Demon Torval was chosen to command the fleet."
"Is it unusual for a fellow Demon to come into the same area of operations as another Demon?" the same man asked, obviously leading Didact somewhere.
"It is not a rare occurrence, if that is what you are implying. Many operations are conducted with the coordination of multiple Demons, often times resulting in much more efficient executions of an operation." Because of the speakers and the darkness, Didact was unable to locate who it was that was asking questions of him which seemed like a deliberate maneuver to throw the person being questioned off balance. To counter this he continued to scan his interrogators, not focusing on any one person for an extended amount of time.
"Is this one of those operations?" a new voice asked.
"In terms of the theater size? Not usually."
"Then why were you compelled to jump to the planet and assume control? Our records indicate that you made your departure after your petition to commence orbital bombardment was denied."
"I disagree with that statement." Didact wasn't willing to allow them to get the upper hand and throw records at him.
"You are saying our records are false then?"
"I'm simply saying that they are being taken out of-," his protest was cut short.
"The fact of the matter is this, you have left two planets burning in your wake and the parasite is still not quarantined."
"The Demon followed accepted protocols for eradicating a Flood infested biosphere." The female voice stopped Didact's heart dead, a silence that weighed on everyone as it continued. Hoyt finally interrupted the stalemate with his soft and raspy voice.
"Please seal all exits, no one is to enter or leave until I give the order. Is that understood?" All of the lights surrounding the doors shifted from a soft blue hue to an angry red glow while they locked themselves. "I see Princess Tyro has taken this conversation to somewhere we hadn't planned on going."
"We have never dealt with an outbreak this large or on this scale before. The Flood is highly adaptive and is can bind itself to almost any living organism that has a central nervous system and can house the infection form. Had he resorted to selective targeting it is possible the parasite might've avoided elimination and would reproduce in another populated location." The Demon turned around slowly, following the voice of his wife. Located in the row just above Didact and Edos, she was standing her arms crossed at the wrists over her waistline, her light gray lab coat unbuttoned revealing a tight blue blouse that left the top two clasps unclipped, revealing a small portion of the top of her immaculately tanned chest. A black skirt sat on her waist, partially obscured by the un-tucked shirt, and extended down below the wall in front of them and obscured the rest of the vision of her. Tyro's dirty blond hair was pulled straight with a slight hint of curls at the bottom which fell on her chest cleanly. The entire time she refused to look at her husband who was still slightly in shock at her being present at the questioning. "The more pressing question is why was the Flood being contained on a research facility not located on a Halo. Without the proper security grid in place, something like this happens." Tyro motioned angrily with her right arm when she said this. "Didact did nothing wrong in destroying Sera and Corstun."
"Be that as it may, that does not excuse his actions before that and reflects poorly on his ability to analyze a situation critically. What he did endangered the lives of thousands and wasted the lives of hundreds."
"Your hands are just as dirty, High Councilor. The ground forces requested an immediate evacuation from the Temple government building and were denied in favor of civilian forces to the south. Had we received the assistance that we requested those men and women would still be alive." Didact's voice was eerily calm as he spoke to Hoyt who looked down at him with disdain.
"Pending a full investigation, you are hereby suspended from active duty operations. Dismissed."
"Per suspension regulations you must hand over all weapons save your side arm." Standing in a small, dimly lit room, Didact was flanked by two armed guards who refused to take their gaze off of him. On the other side of a small table, a civilian sat in a chair with his hands and fingers weaved together. Wearing a sharply pressed black suit indicative of an upper-mid level official, the man looked like he was in his late twenties or early thirties, and his hair was cut close to his head and styled with a liberal amount of gel. Didact relented for a few seconds before he began to unhook the energy sword off of his right arm. While he did this, the official pulled a small box out from the floor and placed it onto the table, sliding a single tablet out of the way before he opened the crate. "Any of your weapons on you will be locked in this box until the suspension has been lifted. You will be allowed to maintain possession of it however, and in case of an emergency that requires you to carry anything more than your sidearm, the lock will be removed. Your ID has been marked in the databases and any rifle you pick up will not be activated." Nodding, Didact placed the two swords onto the table, his hand lingering on Lieutenant Hargrove's sword a little longer than the other one as he slid them towards the official. "While you are suspended from participating in operations, you will still have your normal access level and may be present during any briefings or relays of missions. You won't have to worry too much about doing something you shouldn't, the computer will stop you." The entire time, Didact seemed to be spacing out, his eyes glazing over as they wandered around the room. "Do you have any questions?"
"No."
"Alright, just sign here and you can be on your way."
Didact sprinted down the empty streets as fast as his legs could carry him, his lungs screaming at him for reprieve. His feet splashed through puddles around him in the dimpled concrete road, but when he stopped for a second he looked into the liquid and could see that it was blood, reflecting the stars over his head and his armored frame leaning forward. Looking back up, he was startled by a figure standing a few feet away from him and despite the short distance from each other; the person was completely shrouded in darkness.
"Who are you," he asked, his voice slightly distorted by the external speakers on his helmet. Raising his rifle, it was centered on the figure's chest and didn't waiver. Behind him a foot shuffled and he hopped to the right before spinning around so that he could see now two shadows moving around him. His years of training forced every nerve to fire on all cylinders, to eliminate the threats that were around him. Just as he was about to speak a voice echoed in his head.
"You dare deny perfection? The natural progression of sentient life?" The deep and distorted voice caused Didact to shudder and wince in pain, his entire head feeling like would burst at any moment. Catching his breath, Didact felt nauseous but pushed the feeling back , trying to see who the shapes were that stood on either side of him.
"Who…are you?" he said, breathing heavily once again.
"The error of your ways." Holding back tears from the pain, he looked down at the bloody puddles. Heaving breaths wracked his body as he looked back, unable to take what he was seeing. Standing illuminated in the darkness around, Hargrove was motionless and his face cold. The most shocking and horrifying aspect was the rest of his body, disfigured and mutilated from the Flood's infection of his lifeless corpse.
"No…no…I don't want to have to…" snapping his eyes open, Didact's right arm reached out over his nightstand and scattered the few things that were sitting on it onto the floor. Wrapping his fingers around the cool handgrip of his pistol he jumped out of bed in one fluid motion and had it centered on where he thought Hargrove was. Blinking away his nightmare, he saw his shaking and in front of him and heard the cool hum of the pistol in the silence of the night. Rustling behind him, Tyro leaned up off of the bed and pushed the dark silk sheets down to her waist. Didact lowered his weapon and turned around to face her. Adjusting her thin white tank top, she spoke softly in case he was still not out of his dream, something she had learned after years of sleeping with a soldier.
"It's alright…you were only dreaming…" her voice fell on his ears and he took a few shallow breaths as the sweat on his bare chest and arms started to cool. Placing the pistol back onto his night stand, he adjusted his night pants and let his head hang before placing his hands on his hips.
"I'm sorry to wake you."
"It wasn't your fault. Was it new or old?" she asked, referring to the nightmare.
"It's new." She nodded reassuringly and tossed the covers aside before getting out of bed. Pulling on a pair of tight shorts over her white underwear, she walked out of the room, turning on lights as she went. Didact looked down at the clock at saw that it read almost four in the morning.
In the kitchen, Tyro had begun preparing some breakfast for them, and to Didact's surprise he felt his stomach rumble and a great hunger wash over him. Neither of them said anything for a few minutes as she pulled out different ingredients.
"It was them," he finally blurted out after a few laps of their living room.
"The Flood, you mean?" Didact waved at her lazily to brush off his mistake. "That's to be expected, I suppose. It's a horrifying creature, takes a perfectly normal person and turns it into a slavering and terrifying drone."
"You've seen them up close?"
"Yeah…a few of my trips took me to the research facilities where they've been conducting experiments on it, mainly seeing it's tolerances to climate and the effectiveness of our weapons on it. But unfortunately the tests requires subjects to be infected, thankfully a corpse works fine." Didact had stopped pacing and was listening intently.
"It can infect something that's already dead?"
"Mmhmm, it seems the infection form only requires the organs to be present in order for the body to be a suitable host. Despite the horrific nature of the parasite, it has some incredible properties and might one day prove useful for medicinal purposes."
"How so?" Tyro paused to wipe the hair away from her face and rearranged a few items before responding.
"It's called Lf.Xx.3273, or the Flood Super Cell. Basically a blank slate, it is carried within the infection form and is injected into the host's blood stream once infected. The FSC then binds to the DNA and quickly multiplies in a cascading fashion until the host has been completely transformed. The amazing part about it is the fact that the cell can literally become anything it needs to be in order to maintain the host's viability. Only an immense amount of physical damage in a short amount of time or destruction of the parasite itself can neutralize the Flood."
"And it's being housed on these…Halos?"
"They're the perfect place to research them. Enormous rings that have been terraformed in such a way that allows us to study the Flood in a multitude of environments while maintaining airtight security. They're quite amazing actually." As she described the rings, she motioned with her arms over her head in such a way that made them out to be enormous.
"How are they so airtight? I've seen this parasite firsthand and there's no way to ensure it's dead."
"That's where the problem lies," Tyro said, jabbing towards him with a fork. "You don't kill the Flood, that's like trying to brush dirt off of the forest floor. It's a rather brutish technique, but you kill everything that it…that it basically eats."
"I thought it can use corpses…"
"Yes…but that doesn't matter in the way that the rings work. They fire a concentrated neutron pulse at super-luminal speeds, when it hits an organism that has a nervous system that is sympathetic to the Flood infection form, it scrambles it. That way those that can't be affected are allowed to live while those that can are removed as the infection form isn't able to bind in a way that would allow it to take control of the host." Didact stood in silence as he listened to Tyro explain everything, attempting to take it all in.
"With it out in the wild like this, what do you think will happen?" She listened to the question but didn't respond immediately. Setting a pair of utensils down and sliding two plates out of the way, she finally looked back up at him and answered.
"There's two outcomes to all of this, no matter what. Either we win or we lose. There's no middle ground with something as savage as this." Didact understood what she meant, but withheld telling her about his dream and the voice he heard.