STRING 27
Earth calendar – estimated 97,452 BCE…
(Compiler's note: the devastation wrought upon the Forerunner capital complex also saw the destruction of most of the original Halo Array, hereafter referred to as the senescent array, as per other documents. Although plans for a newer, smaller array of scaled down Halos had already been pushed forward – referred to later as the 'neoteric array' – nevertheless, two examples of the original weapon system did survive the battle. The ring where Mendicant was himself corrupted we now know as Zeta Halo, and have visited in person. The other has been termed 'Omega Halo', and escaped with evacuating Forerunners to the larger Ark facility where the initial Halos were constructed. It was here that surviving military leaders began to plan a counterattack…)
Ships trickled in from various locations around the galaxy, arriving through the exit aperture of the portal. Tunnelling filaments of energy bridged abstract geometry in slipspace, to join the channel flowing – at a vastly accelerated rate – to the portal terminus, located far beyond the outer edge of the galaxy's greater mass. Even the spiral arms fell away here into wispy traces of gas in the distance, and only the faint egg like blobs of the some of the nearby, satellite galaxies – none of which possessed sufficient gases to become a full-sized one like which they orbited – occupied any significant portion of the view nearby.
Evacuation had continued all day as various ships were recalled from danger zones, carrying either key bureaucrats and lower tier council members, or significant military commanders and guard captains. A cordon of Sojourner-class dreadnaughts, also known as Dragoons, stood guard over the massive structure floating in the void. Their long blade-shaped forms passed in front of the six sweeping arms of the massive facility – akin to a space station, but also so much more than that. Like the Halo that now orbited it at a safe distance, the inner surfaces were coated in transplanted and reshaped natural terrain and entire vast habitats, adding hues of green, blue and sandy tan to the silvery metal plating that lined the edges and the underside. Each of the six arms curved out and upward slightly, like petals from a flower, surrounding the central hollow disc. A reservoir of energy glowed in the aperture at the midpoint.
First Light Weaves Living Song – known to most now simply as the Librarian, took in the tales of woe as stoically as she could, whilst inside her chest had turned hollow, and ashen with each breath. Millions were dead or missing, and each ship's arrival was preceded by anxious uncertainty and fear, that any were still able to escape the deadly trap unfolding.
"We are already receiving word of multiple fleets of fast cruisers falling under remote control via the Metarchy, which the ancilla appears to be usurping even now. It would appear that the bulk of the Capitol remains intact, even if now swept clean of living survivors. Machines appear to be all that is left," reported a male Lifeworker caste member, wearing significantly bulkier protective armour than she had usually seen on one of their kind.
"And the other core worlds of the Ecumene? The home cluster?"
"We will know more as more of our allies arrive – we dare not trust to remote links just now. But with the entire metrarchy network on the verge of being corrupted, we can expect many of the defences to become compromised soon – even many defending ships."
"Then we will have to send out ships as soon as possible to get word to the fleets, and cut through any jamming or misleading broadcasts that may have been issued," she replied, unsteadily at first. "And… is there further word of my husband?"
"There is a captain who apparently had witnessed him falling into the hands of Praetorian guards, apparently still loyal to Faber – and we have another pending communication from another officer, who claims to have unconfirmed news…"
"Send for him – quickly."
When she had met with the witness, perused his report and queried him extensively in person – the Librarian asked to be left alone with her feelings for a time, stopping only to approve some orders forwarded to her. She retired to a private sanctum, filled with specimen cages of rare animals and plants.
And then, another unexpected witness was brought before her – resembling a young Forerunner Manipular barely into adolescence – and yet, not like that. His face had become stretched, lined, heavy – muscles more filled out and developed. Bone had stretched even, increasing his height. From her view into the antechamber, she could see his pale grey eyes were fiery, lively, and yet – also held a glint of something very familiar…
Yes, this must be Bornstellar… she mused. The young Forerunner who tracked down her husband, and freed him to continue his investigations; and yes – the one who had been… escalated… augmented by him, to interface with the Didact's battle network, and with the Domain – the latter having once again fallen silent. Brevet mutation, it was called – Forerunners once again taking stewardship over their own evolution, to enhance body and mind – but one that must have been very premature, and unexpected, for this naïve Builder-born, scarcely more than a child.
But little, apart from an air of uncertainty in his brow and posture, showed of that pubescence now – and not when one of her aides admitted him into the chamber. And his eyes – those eyes – so very familiar, though they should not have been…
"So similar – so much alike…"
"I bring greetings from the Didact," the former youth said uncertainly.
"Bring me your own greetings. You are him."
He protested. "You are him, now," she continued.
"How can I be him and other?"
"The Didact is here – the Didact is… gone."
It was difficult to explain, and it clashed with her own lack of a clear sense of loss, given who stood before her, preserving so much of her husband. And so she had to explain the intelligence she had received – that the Didact was reported dead, executed, some said, on the Master Builder's orders.
"You are now all I have; you are all we have…"
(Compiler's note: there follows a compilation of report summaries and missives sent from the battlefront back to high command, and to the surviving Forerunner senior councillors)
New orders are prioritised as follows:
Forerunner military forces are to ensure infection does not spread beyond the Capital system and other affected transit points – identify and eliminate any hostile vessels or suspected sources of Flood biomass.
Other planets are to be settled and garrisoned to coreward and to anti-spinward of the Ghibalb star cluster and its associated nebulae. Firebreaks are to be carved into systems adjoining the main transit routes from there, to forestall further Flood advances.
Research on possible cures or tissue resistant to Flood infection is to be assigned highest priority, by order of the Council and the Lifeshaper. Extreme measures are authorised, including detention and examination of various species, whether terrestrial or extremophilia beyond atmospheres. Escorts will be detailed and prioritised to the collection and recovery vessels, should promising specimens come to light.
The Absolute Record is now severed completely from the Metarchy and will not be accessed except on the highest priority orders. The Record is also now fully outfitted to make slipspace jumps to new locations if required – dismantling itself and reassembling upon re-emergence into normal space.
Construction on the neoteric Halo Array has been authorised and expedited as priority prime. All relevant data from the old Halo weapons tests is to be forwarded to the senior Promethean military commander – hereafter referred to as the Iso-Didact – who is designated military supreme commander for all forthcoming operations.
Signed and authenticated by:
First Councillor Splendid Dust of Ancient Suns
Strategos of Builder Security
Lifeshaper First Light Weaves Living Song
Security report – Flood biological countermeasures #16
Specimens were discovered upon a moon in orbit of a gas giant. Appear to be a collective community of large, intelligent worms varying in diameter and length, able to form colonies and make limited use of energy and technology, suggesting sentience or emerging sentience. Are drawn to technology via its electrical and signal emissions, seeking either to digest it to absorb the energy, or to reprocess and regurgitate it into new and usable configurations, possibly as salvage.
Biological studies confirm limited but notable resistance to Flood control of the decentralised nervous system they rely on, and impairment of horizontal gene transfer process exploited by Flood super cells.
Recommendations: establish quarantine over the system and expand research facilities, not limited to a planetary-ring scale orbital facility with built in defence systems and long-range weaponry.
Discussions are continuing with the Lifeshapers as to parameters for ethical research on the species – however, the current dire nature of our, and indeed, the galactic scale predicament, make this an increasingly lower priority. Lifeshaper scientists are already being selected for research privileges and in depth investigation. Regular feedback reports will be established, pertinent to unearthed data.
Expeditionary and garrison report #34
Planet was discovered within proximity to a multi-solar cluster, and is in a trinary star system. There are five continents of varying size, ranging in climate from tundra to jungle to desert, with surface radiation levels within acceptable range, albeit toward the higher end; wide variety of animal and plant life detected.
Sentient lifeforms identified – a primitive, pre-industrial warrior society of upright, bipedal saurians with unusual split jawlines similar to vermicelli, grey skin, dexterous and muscular. High reflex and tool-user intellect also recorded.
Planet has been identified as a key strategic location on travel routes out toward local nebulas and clusters (Translator note: thought to be the Gum Nebula) of major tactical significance to deployment and concealment of our fleets. Submit recommendation that the planet be garrisoned and protected with this in mind, including a Line Installation, command-level garrison base and a portal network. Suggest also the attachment of at least one Guardian 'Custode' peacemaker for support, and possibly to help keep the locals in line should they mass into armies. Ideally, a low impact upon their society is recommended, but the likelihood of our drawing their interest is significantly high. Supernatural cultural biases may work in our favour regarding deterrence.
File submitted, Princep commanding officer, dreadnought
Assertor – Emergency Circumstance Fleet
(Compiler's Notes: The above documents indicate the interventionist position that the Forerunners took towards both the Mgalekgolo and the Sangheili species – who we today know of as the 'Hunters' and 'Elites' and as key members of the alliance we knew as the Covenant, who nearly brought about human extinction. Far from being treated as loyal supporters or worshippers, they are here seen as potential collateral damage and vassals. We do know Forerunners had a major influence upon the Sangheili despite their fleeting contact – but the San'Shyuum's interpretation of documents relating to the Mantle and other Forerunner religious concepts would have far reaching consequences for all our species today.
The original Didact was at least reported dead by many intelligence reports, with some conflicting details. Some claimed he had been ambushed in the San'Shyuum system and terminated, whilst others confidently spoke of his arrival at the Capital. The majority of his escorts perished in the resulting cataclysm, leaving his exact fate – for a time, a mystery. In his absence, the unlucky Bornstellar found himself rapidly promoted…)
Earth calendar – estimated 97,451 BCE…
The war had continued apace, with the majority of surviving Forerunners in the central systems having been forced to evacuate – provided they had managed to survive the increasing attacks. Some stranded exceptions were thought likely to remain, but ability – and increasingly, the will – to aid them, was fleeting.
Bornstellar had reluctantly – but not overly much – accepted the title of Iso Didact, indicating he'd been granted status and investiture equal to the original Didact. That seemed very much strange to him, but he soon determined it had been done for reasons of morale building, to reassure the increasingly dispirited troops. Here, it stated in essence, was the original memories and tactical genius of their famous war-leader, returned from exile and near legend, restored to the vanguard. And indeed, he intuited that all those memories remained within, just waiting to emerge with appropriate context. But he still doubted his own ability to integrate and expand upon them – not to mention the fear that his own past life was increasingly being emptied out. Family, friends, childhood – swallowed up in a suit of powered-armour and a solemn charge of duty. Had it been that way for the original Didact long ago? Or for many soldiers now fighting in this bitter and ever futile looking war? Would it continue to be the way of elite soldiers in the future, reshaped into 'perfect weapons'?
The Librarian, fighting to have as much contact with him as she could, did much to reassure and bolster him, nurturing his confidence and trust in himself and his subordinates. But that opened… whole other questions, when this sad yet hopeful look appeared in her eyes, one he could not yet wholly return, the sheer weight of expectation and longing being so evident behind it. It had all become so fantastical and strange – and not at all like those stimulating legends of youth he'd once consumed. It was like being a lonely demi-god, a solitary emperor.
The fleets were continually being reformed, merged and then re-expanded with the last of their ship-building reserves getting ever nearer to exhaustion. Flood swarmed across three spiral arms of the galaxy now, and would soon be in a fourth, eating up kiloparsecs nearly as easily as solar systems in their bacteria-like swarming. Stuck between battles to direct, he awaited the key report that would determine their next action, then seek to turn desperate venture into sustainable tactics.
A high ranking ship commander – a Princep (note: Latin transliteration) broke from the crowd of advisory Navarchs he had been conferring with, and approached the brooding Iso Didact.
"Didact! I… ah, I mean, Iso-Didact – ah, sir…"
"Forget about it. We can be candidate in our own planning halls, can we not?" Bornstellar replied a little irritably.
"Yes sir. Sir – we have obtained intelligence: what appears to be a sighting of our former objective."
"Former objective? You mean…"
"Yes sir – it appears our missing Halo may have come to light once more…"