(Warning: contains some graphic violence towards end.) Also, it has been awhile sine I last played Halo so forgive me if I made any mistakes.
Into the Flames
Six POV
The ship comes to a bone jarring halt, causing Six to bang his head against the interior of the SOEIV.
He mutters a curse as he restrains himself from rubbing his helmet. His head is still screaming from the concussion he had received earlier and banging it against the steel of a drop pod doesn't help. He has taken some painkillers hoping it would help dull the pain in his head and his cracked rib, but other than that he has received no medical treatment whatsoever. He knows his injuries are enough to get him sent to the infirmary, but he doesn't want to risk missing the chance to save Shress.
He, the Chief, and Cortana has been embedded with the Orbital Drop Shock Trooper Third Shock Battalion. They have been told to remain on standby alert should they need to perform a ship to ship raiding party or if they are being taken to a colony under Covenant siege.
Six hears static on the comms before Miranda Keyes voice speaks, "Sorry for the quick job boys, are you all right down there?"
A moment later Six hears a familiar gruff before Sergeant Major Johnson speaks, "We're fine ma'am,," there is the sound of chewing followed by him asking, "Chief, Six?"
Before either Spartans could speak, Cortana beat them to it, "We're fine."
Suddenly someone new and unfamiliar enters the conversation, probably unaware he is on a private channel, "Ma'am, we are coming up on a unknown object directly on our stern."
Six could only guess that the person is a junior officer and is probably speaking to Commander Keyes.
He couldn't see what is going on, the small screen in the pod is still blank, but he knew it must be something important when he hears Keyes speak in an almost mystified voice.
"Cortana, what exactly am I looking at?" she asks.
There is a moment of silence which actually speaks volume. If an A.I is silent for more than half a millisecond than that means the artificial intelligence is facing something that is almost certainly perplexing. A moment later, the screen in front of the Spartan flickers to light as an object that seems to be floating in space appears, an object that Six couldn't really identify.
"That," states Cortana "is another Halo ring."
There is a sputtering across the line before Johnson coughs out, "Say what!?"
"So this is Halo," Keyes says softly to herself while still on the line, "I thought Halo was some sort of super weapon."
"So did I," Six mutters as he stares at the screen.
Truth be told he wasn't really sure what he thought Halo was. When the Chief said it was a ring and that it was a weapon he thought maybe it's like a circular device with canons and maybe even a few visible bombs on the surface.
What is before him is…something that he can't entirely describe. It's just floating, out in the middle of nowhere, but that's probably what he finds most odd. There are no thrusters or rockets or an engine device of any type. Its just hovering, like it's a planet with a huge gaping hole in the middle. The surface looks like something taken from a circuitry board, it definitely looks artificial, but what throws him off is the surface as he zooms in. There's greenery, large bodies of what appears to be liquid and something that looks like towering cliffs. Light is being provided by the system's local sun while the giant blue gas planet next to it gives it a cool hue. This looks more like a fully artificial resort rather than a weapon of mass destruction.
"It is," Cortana responds as the In Amber Clad gravitates towards the ring, "when activated, this ring can cause destruction on a galactic scale."
"I want the Sailors to go General Quarters," Keyes suddenly snaps back to business, "I want all the information we have on the Halo rings, I don't care if I have the clearance or not." She then speaks to the people in the drop bay, "Johnson, come up to the bridge, we may need you."
"Roger that," responds Johnson. Six hears a hiss, a heavy thud and the rhythmic sound of boots on the deck.
"Master Chief, Noble Six," the Spartan III becomes still when he hears his name, "take the Shock Troopers and secure a beachhead."
There is a sold bang on the pod next to Six before the same fist bangs against his own, probably Johnson leaving.
There is another thud coming from next to Six and he hears Chief say, "Understood."
Six makes himself more comfortable on his seat before checking that his weapons are secured. He has a BR55 rifle and a rocket launcher, a dangerous weapon and maybe a bit of an overkill. But it has been his experience to bring everything when commencing an air-to-land invasion. He has strapped on extra packs of bullets and rockets, not exactly light or comfortable, but doable all the way.
The screen suddenly switches to another setting and Cortana's face appears.
"Get ready Marines, we're dropping in fifteen seconds," she reports.
Six makes sure he is strapped into his chair properly.
"Ten seconds," counts Cortana.
He unloads his weapons; the constant shaking during the fall could cause a round to go off.
"Five seconds."
He breathes as he closes his eyes, tightening his grip on the handles on either side of him. He needs to focus, but there is one thought that has been nagging him for nearly twelve hours now.
He has to let out or he'll implode, quietly he whispers, "Shress."
"Dropping now."
Six hears the simultaneously squeal of metal against metal and a moment later he is freefalling. He rises only a few centimeters, that's as far as his straps will allow him to go before he is pushed back into his seat. The drop pod he is in is an older version of the SOEIV. It has no window and no way of controlling the flight down, forcing him to hang on as three inches of alloy offers him some protection as it burn its way through the atmosphere.
He starts counting to himself, trying to figure how far they are dropping when there is a sudden jerk and the drop down suddenly slows tremendously, the metal chutes must have just deployed.
The pod jerks as it battles against the stubborn winds and all that Six can do is to hang on for dear life. This is probably the worst place for a Spartan, inside a burning tube, powerless and unable to fight a unseen enemy.
"Mind the bumps," advises Cortana.
"Thanks for the tip," Six answers before his pod shakes again, but for a whole new different reason.
An intense heat builds on one side of the SOEIV, slowly moving its way up from the bottom to right, indicating direct fire, obviously from plasma weapons. The Covenant is already here, which means there's going to be a fight for sure.
Six braces himself as the air continues to thin, the only warning he has before there is loud crash and Six's body shakes with the disabling inpact. However this doesn't faze the Spartan, far from it, the impact causes him to spring into action.
He kicks the door of the pod out with destructive force before jumping out while sliding his magnum pistol out and holding it up as he scans his surroundings.
He has landed on the shores of a strange yet familiar looking land. There are terraces of land mass stack on top of one another leading to a large cliff overlooking the beach. There are some buildings on the very top of the natural steps, surrounded by trees, grass and foliage of what could have pass for remnants of a jungle. The structures look like ancient ruins that are seen on Earth, stone buildings carved with widows and designs cut into the rock. The scene would have looked lovely if it wasn't for the Covenant troops. Elites and Jackals hold the high ground while Grunts are funneling down towards the landing Marines, all the while they are being covered by a Shade turret positioned on top of the crag overlooking them.
Six watches as more pods crashes into the sands and the Troopers disembark into the middle of a kill-zone, most of them are cut down before they even had a chance to get their weapons out and ready.
The Spartan turns around, holsters his pistol and withdraws his rifle and launcher. He listens and practically feels the blazing heat pass by him, centimeters from his armor as boiling rounds fly around his body. He ignores the danger as he loads his weapons before placing his rockets on his back while hefting his rifle as he returns back to the battlefield before him.
Deciding that the Shade is probably the worst threat to the Marines, he starts sprinting forward. He ignores the cracks of gunfire as he runs past pinned down Troopers as they try to find cover from the onslaught before them. Ignoring this, Six charges onwards until he makes his way to the top of the first terrace and faces his face challenge.
Standing in the open is a squadron of Grunts being watched over by two Jackals with energy shields. Wheather they weren't expecting a Spartan or they were overconfident; it didn't matter for Six has the upper hand and unleashes his pent up fury.
He shoots the Jackals in their heads, one after the other before turning his attention to the remaining alien forces. By this time the Grunts squeal in fright and try to shoot Six, but he merely stands as his shields takes a brunt of the hits while he unloads his clip into the little creatures. With the threat neutralized, he pushes on as he jumps onto the next level of land and looks up to see a small natural feature carved into the cliff face like a ramp of some kind leading up towards the lip of the ravine. Not wasting any time, he travel up the slope with the occasional round being shot at him from Covenant forces on his left while a rock wall covers his right.
In no time he is on top of the small strip of land and has eyes on the shade. A Grunt is sitting in the operators chair as it sprays the Marine's on the beach, but it must have seen him for it barks as it swerves the gun around. Six dashes forward, he leaps into the air before coming down and rolls into a ball as he hits the floor. He comes to a stop beneath the plasma fire and right in front of the turret. Before the Grunt could react, the Spartan pulls his legs back before releasing a mighty kick with both his feet. The powerful force sends the Shade off its pedestal and went flying down into the gully with the alien screaming all the way until a crash is heard from the bottom.
He then looks back down and observes the scene. Most of the pods have landed and the Troopers are slowly making their way towards the ruins where the Covenant has set up a machine gun nest. However, the Master Chief is leading the charge as he storms through the open, occasionally stopping to kill off any Grunt or Jackal that is separated from the main group of defenders.
Seeing that he is at a good angle, Six rises to a kneeling stance, brings his rifle up to bear and starts snipping. He adjusts his aim until he has eyes on the Covenant soldiers milling around in the building and fires. A moment later, a Jackal's head snaps back as its brains are smeared across the wall. A second later, a Grunt explodes as a bullet tore through its gas filled backpack.
The aliens panic as one after another each of their comrades starts to fall to an unknown advisory, shooting from afar. It is during the confusion that the Chief makes his move. He holsters one of his M7's and instead replaces it with his rocket launcher. Holding the devastating weapon with one arm he aims it at the plasma turret in the structure's window and fires off the two projectiles. Twin white trails follows after the bright yellow glow of the rockets as they glide and strikes the structure. With fire and smoke obscuring the Covenant forces eyes, the Chief races across the open before jumping head first into the window. Six watches with dark amusement as the Master Chief tear the remaining aliens to pieces with his bear hairs, a punch here, a kick there, a cut from the knife and the crushing of a skull beneath a near one ton boot. Within seconds the plasma shooting comes to a halt and the beach becomes deathly silent as the remaining Marines stand and walks forward, probably in disbelief at the prowess the Spartans possess.
Looking around once more to confirm that the area is indeed clear, Six jumps from the cliff and drops a good twenty feet before curling as he hits the floor and comes up on his feet, his armor protecting hiM from any injuries.
He stands and walks over to the building right when the Chief walks out as well; wiping his hands as he tries to wring the blood off his metalized gloves.
"Do you think these guys have always been here?" Six asks.
"Negative Lieutenant," answers the Chief as he comes to a stop next to him, "Cortana detects the Covenant Assault Carrier just above us in the upper atmosphere."
Shress is probably just a few miles away, Six thought, but how can I reach her without transport.
A disturbing thought than enters his mind, can he really just leave and save her? Now that he thinks about it, he wonders if he has to disobey orders to get to her, can he ignore commands, the very thing he was supposed to respect and follow to the end of his days? Will the UNSC let him?
"Master Chief, Noble Six," Commander Keyes voice interrupts the Spartans thinking, "we've intercepted a transmission from the Covenant and have learn that the Prophet Regret is on Delta Halo, a few kilometers away from your current position to your northwest."
The two Spartans look at each other, both knowing what the other is thinking. Capturing or killing the Prophet can shift greatly in their favor, boosting morale among the humans and causing havoc among the Covenant. There is also a benefit for Noble Six, by capturing Regret he can force the alien to reveal where Shress is and how to get to her, or if he killed him, he can ensure the mad being will not harm her.
"Roger Commander, how shall we proceed?" Master Chief asks.
"With full force," is the Commander's reply.
Before either of the Spartans could reply, they hear a deep roar and looks up just in time to see a Pelican lowering itself from the skies. It barley squeezes through the small space the trees offer and in that brief moment it releases something from the rear and it lands with a solid thump. The object is a fully prime Warthog, all set for the battle before it. With the vehicle delivered, the Pelican rises to the skies before rocketing back to the human Frigate that must be hovering in the air somewhere.
Knowing the drill, Six walks to the driver's side of the truck while the Chief mounts up on the rear bed. Looking in the back to make sure the Spartan II is secured, Six guns the Warthog between the cliff and the ruins while the ODSTs occupy the building and set up a perimeter.
Making a path through the foliage is difficult, which further awes Six. He heard of Halo, but he never thought everything could look so…real. The dirt molds as the wheels of the truck left it's prints, the massive leafs and bushes tear and waves as the vehicle zooms by and according to his HUD the temperature is seventy degrees Fahrenheit, almost perfect weather. His is a bit shock when he sees a winged creature shoots into the canopy of the nearby trees. Was that a bird genetically created by these Forerunners or was it imported here like animals to a reserve?
However, they break from the tree line and Six slows down so they can observe the scene before them. Stretching out within a large basin of clear water is a series of temples that appears to be similar to the ruins behind the Spartans. Yet what catches Six's attention is that the cluster of ancient structures is hovering just above the water. There are no signs of an engine or thrusters attached to the bottom, no route for outgoing energy, they are being supported by means foreign to the human race. The buildings themselves are massive, their sun baked stones colors the pyramid-like structures, all of which must weigh over a thousand pounds, but remain afloat just above the waterline.
"That must be where Regret is hiding out," the Master Chief finally says.
"Yeah, but which one?" Six asks.
Cortana is the one to answer, "I would guess it's the largest of the buildings out in the middle of the lake Lieutenant."
Six glances at the indicated temple and notice that there is a large garrison of Covenant soldiers milling around it, "good point I guess."
"What would you boys do without me?" Cortana finally asks.
"Probably be going around in circles would by my guess-" Six is interrupted as a crystal round flies by his head, barley missing his helmet.
He then turns his attention to the front and sees another temple, this one staged on land with some sort of bridge connecting it to the other floating ruins in the water. Covenant soldiers moves along the structure as they shoot at the Spartans.
Six hears a round being chambered in the Warthog's gun and the Master Chief says, "Let's move it Six."
"Finally he calls me Six," the Spartan III mumbles as he guns the engine and they race forward as they begin their assault on the ruins.
Shress POV
Shress has to admit, despite everything she has gone through, she was expecting something a lot worse. Instead she has been left in her cell all on her own.
She has recovered from her wounds to an extent, her skin is still scarred and some of her muscles are cramping, but other than that she feels well. However she is feeling a bit hungry, and thirsty…and lonely.
She has been alone before, in fact she has spent almost her entire life being on her own. Her ambition of being a warrior has ensured that, her father is disgusted, her mother embarrassed, and any if all males have begun seeing her as a form of abomination. Only those who wish to improve their own statues or whenever someone sees her body as alluring, would the males try to court. Almost all of them were…jerks; the human word suits these males. Often times she was always the reason why these courtships never evolved to anything more intimate.
It wasn't until she had met Michael did her life actually became…enjoyable. She thought she was happy on the field of battle, where she took out all of her aggression and anger on the weakest of her foes. Yet that doesn't even come close as she remembers being held by a Spartan, being kissed by human lips, and be cared for in general by this alien. She, as well as everyone else within the Covenant, believed the stories of the Spartans, of the demons, a never before seen alien race or monsters created by the humans evil minds. Never in her wildest dreams could she have guessed that the thing behind the armor is actually a loving and unbelievably kind man. And she wouldn't have imagined him becoming her suitor either.
Her head jerks up when a figure strides through the open portal and proceeds down the corridor. She tenses, has the time for her punishment finally arrived? She waits in agonizing suspense as the person slowly makes his way down. She instantly tenses up and makes ready for action, maybe she could escape, or if it comes to it, she would die a Sangheili death in combat. Her hearts ache at the thought of never seeing Michael again, but she can't stand the thought of enduing a slow death. She wonders if her human suitor will miss her, or even remember her. That thought is almost enough to cause her to release a small whine, but she contains it. She will not show weakness, not here, not-
The person finally steps in front of the bars and Shress's eyes widen in shock. Her muscles go lax upon seeing the last person she ever expected to see again.
"Kova," she whispers, more to confirm who she is seeing rather than questioning his appearance.
The elderly soldier looks the same as ever. His silver Ranger suit shines brightly in the dimly lit corridor along with the plasma weapons held on his belt. He stands almost eye to eye with Shress as his age forces him to stoop a little, but he holds his head high, the mark of a strong warrior.
However when she spoke his name, when she looks into his ancient eyes, the male actually looks away, as if he is in pain himself. Shress lowers her gaze as well as she remembers the last time she has seen the experienced veteran. He had become something like her second in command during the invasion of Reach, after she was promoted to Commander of her legion. Kova was always there, especially during the early days of her and Michael's relationship, he didn't know it, but he would control things while she would sneak away and meet with the Spartan. He was one of the few people who she would designate as being her friend, a comrade at arms and someone who she would occasionally speak with outside of the battles. However, when she left, she told him a lie, that it was predicted she would fall in a duel with the Spartan when in reality she helped the human escape and she went with him. She couldn't help but feel guilt and shame when she thinks of her betraying his trust and this frail friendship they had developed.
However, the look on Kova's face suggests that whatever relationship they have had before has long since been destroyed.
Finally, the Ranger looks up at her and says, "I am to take you to the hanger."
Shress frowns at these words, "Why?"
He glances at the wall behind her as he says in a lukewarm voice, "I am not required to answer you…heretic."
Shress has been called that almost every day now, but she winces at her new title. Hearing it come from the mouth of someone who she has considered her friend has really hurt her to the core.
Kova didn't look at her again while he unlocks the gate and the bars open up before her.
She moves forward, but does not attack. She doesn't know why, but she just can't find it within her being to fight Kova, especially when she feels as if she is the guilty One in this situation. Kova must feel the same way as well for he doesn't reach for his weapons, almost as if he isn't expecting her to put up a struggle. Has the Prophets known of her and the Ranger's relationship? If so, she should be thankful that Kova wasn't put to death simply for knowing her, or are they just keeping him alive just to further her torment of the decisions she had made?
She decides to remain silent, there is nothing that she can say, even if she explains, she has a feeling it would do more harm than good, especially on Kova's part.
She feels the Ranger's hand on her shoulder, but he is careful not to scratch or harm her in any way. Instead, he simply nudges her as a silent order for her to move. Shress doesn't say anything, she just walks, with Kova striding behind her.
They pass through the doors and walks through the hallways. As they travel Shress soon notices something; the ship was strangely silent. There is not a single being within the ship, except for the occasional Unggoy laborer that would waddle by, barking out a curse at the sight of the disgraced Zealot. She wonders where everyone is, what happen to the warriors?
A cold chill causes her to shiver as she wonders if they have all been deployed. Are they now beginning their full invasion on Earth? How long will Michael and the other humans be able to-
Her thoughts are interrupted when they enter the hanger; she looks up and gasps at what she sees.
Positioned right outside the energy shield is the last thing she thought she would ever see; a holy ring.
It's beautiful, are first words to come to her mind. Its everything she has imagine, they are far away enough so they are able to see the mechanical shell, but are close so they are able to see the inside of the structure. It reminds her of the surface of Earth, blue blots intercepting the flow of greenery that dominates the majority of the landscape.
Yet along with the awe comes a sinking dreadful doubt that has been plaguing her for the past few cycles. Was everything that she was told has been nothing but a lie? Did Michael know of this? No, he would have told her, but what does this mean? She defied the Prophets and proclaims them to be false, yet here, before her, is evidence of their teachings, practically mocking her.
"Glorious isn't it?" Kova finally speaks out.
Shress says nothing for a moment before changing the subject, "Where am I to be transported?"
Kova is quiet before he says, "you will see."
There is a moment of awkwardness before Shress whispers, "I'm sorry."
There is a silence before she feels Kova's hot breath down her neck as he whispers back, "Why?"
He didn't need to elaborate, there can only be one thing that he could have possibly meant. Why did she, the most determine female, the one who is supposed to hunt down and slaughter heretics, why did she of all people turn against the Covenant and all of their beliefs?
Shress could only sigh before whispering the only answer she could think of.
"Because I love him."
Kova leans back and looks puzzled, but Shress doesn't say anymore as she turns away. There is nothing more that needs to be said.
Six POV
"Alright, now this is just weird," Six finally says.
"After everything you went through and experienced," Cortana says, "you find this weird?"
Six shrugs as he looks out the window and into the dark waters. After clearing out temple after temple, slowly making their way to the large structure in the center of the lake, they found something in the last building that is strange, but unique. At first Six thought it was an elevator, until they got in and were sent down instead of up. Now here they are floating through the murky liquid, a fact that would have worried Six until Cortana informed him that the container is being pulled towards Regret's location by some kind of gravitational force, clearly more Forerunner technology.
Six leans against the glass wall and carefully shift his weight, trying not to let the Chief see, but fails.
Instantly the II turns to him and asks, "Are your ribs troubling you Lieutenant?"
"I'm fine," Six says as he tries to ease the pressure in his side.
"Sometimes I wonder if you and the Chief are twins," Cortana muses to herself, "your bio says you're concussion is barely easing up and the rib is about ready to break through your stomach."
Six shrugs, "I've been through worse."
The small car comes to a sudden halt, causing the Spartans to freeze as they wonder if they have encountered a problem. That thought is eliminated when they start to ascend, speeding through the darkness until the remerge with a mighty splash. As soon as they come to a complete stop, the doors open for them.
Without a word, the two armored warriors raise their rifles and files out. They look the room over, floor to ceiling before lowering their weapons. They are within a structure made of the same stones that makes up most of the ruins they have made their way through. Large windowless holes are carved at the top of the walls and are emitting in light and fresh air. The entrance ways are just as carefully cut only they have artistic grooves cut alongside the openings. Unlike the last few rooms they have gone through, this one is empty of any hostile forces.
"All clear," the Chief announces unnecessarily before gesturing for Six to take point. The III nods in confirmation as he brings up his BR55 and slowly makes his way through the first stone arch.
The next room has an upper floor that has a visible walkway circulating it, windows and another entrance. It's clear, but with one exception. Set up in the middle of the room is a holographic projector, displaying something or someone.
Six has never seen a Prophet before, but he is willing to bet everything at the moment that this is what one of them looks like, it certainly fits the image. The creature is humanoid, hunch over and is sitting in a small hovering device like an old grandparent in a wheelchair. It certainly looks like an elder, the skin is all lined and wrinkle, eyes sucked within the cranium; the only thing is that it's obviously an alien. Three fingers, a long neck that juts out its head before being lifted skywards and an oval like face. It is someone of high importance judging by the elegant details on its robe and the odd looking crown on top of its head. The being appears to be…singing? Sure enough, it's speaking in a different tongue and moaning like the century old opera players of Earth.
"What is this?" Chief asks as he steps up next to Six.
The III shrugs, "maybe it's some sort of way for the Prophets to communicate with the troops, or it could be a Covenant version of television."
The Cheif is silent before saying, "Maybe," he then turns to go with Six following when Cortana suddenly says, "wait."
They pause for a second before she said, "bring me closer."
The Chief returns his attention back to the floating image and approaches it. He is a foot away when Cortana's own miniature holographic image appears on top of the pedestal.
She stares at the singing alien for a while as if she is studying it before saying to herself, "That's what I thought he said," she then turns back to face the two Spartans, "Truth is planning on activating Halo."
Six honestly couldn't imagine this natural and innocent looking world can be a weapon of mass destruction, but he isn't willing to test that theory.
The Chief is silent as if calculating what he has just heard before asking, "Are you sure?"
In answer, Cortana snaps her finger, switching the alien dialect the hologram is speaking to English.
"I will lit this holy ring," the being said in a frail, but strong voice, "and cleanse this world and all who stands against me will face the wrath of-" he is interrupted when Cortana snaps her fingers again and the Prophet, Regret, switches back to his own language.
"Pretty much," Cortana says with a solemn expression.
"Terrific," Six mutters to himself.
The Chief nods as if the agree before speaking into his comms, "Commander, we have a problem."
"So I heard Chief," Miranda Keyes answers back.
"According to the schematics we have obtained and Cortana's own personal notes," the Commander continues, "I am able to conclude that this…construct requires a key for activation, an index much similar to the first Halo ring."
"I bet the Covenant are thinking the exact same thing," Sergeant Johnson's voice breaks in.
"Point taken Sarge," Keyes addresses him before speaking to the Spartans again, "Johnson and I will start out to retrieve the index, Chief, Six, find Regret and eliminate him, he has given us all we need, once you're done, come and rejoin us.
"Roger Commander," Answer the Master Chief before turning to Six and nods, "we have our orders Lieutenant."
"Copy that," is Six's reply as he brings up his rifle again and takes point as he heads to the next door. This one closed, made of stone and appearing like its apart of the wall, but as soon as the Spartan approaches, it slides open like how a regular human ship's would.
Six is lead outside and he scans the open area. The sky blue waters and partially cloudy sky along with the green surroundings on the land highly contradicts Six's belief that this is a super weapon, but there's time for arguing later. There is a ramp that connects the building the two Spartans have just emerged from to some sort of pad in the middle of the water and directly across from the pad is the main temple.
It appears similar to the other structures that the super soldiers have already taken over, but even from this distance, approximately ten kilometers, Six can see movement and guesses that its Regret's guards.
With no other path obvious available to them, the two warriors goes down the ramp and approaches the pad. As they near it, Six notices that one side of the platform is bulging and that different beams and platform levels are also constructed, but only on that one side. Before he could ponder some more on this odd architecture attachment, they hear a low whistling sound originating from above them and instantly the two Spartans goes down low and locks their armor, waiting for a plasma bombardment to strike.
However, instead of hearing the sizzling of stone being melted, they watch as metal canisters slams onto the pad, some almost a dozen in all, except for seven or eight of the containers which misses the pad and falls into the lake. Six concentrates on the nearest object and sees that's it's of human origin, with the UNSC acronym stamped on it. A second later, there is a hiss and a small opening appears, revealing a shotgun housed within the pod. Soon, the other cans hisses before parting and revealing a variety of firearms; rifles, pistols and even a rocket launcher.
The two men unlock their defenses and stands back up before approaching, casually glancing up to ensure there is nothing else falling from the skies. With assurance that they are in the clear, they begin stocking up on their weapons.
"Cortana, where did this come from?" Six questions as he finds one pod that contains a large pile of bullet magazines and starts pocketing as many as he could.
"From the In Amber Clad would be my best guess," Cortana answers, "I guess Keye's growing fond of you boys."
Ignoring the teasing, the Chief asks, "is there any way of getting to the central temple Cortana?"
The A.I is quiet before announcing, "See the part of the dais that is different from the rest?"
"Affirmative," answers the Chief as he picks up a shotgun and looks it over.
"That's another way of transport," Cortana informs them, "just get on, find the console in the middle of the structure and it will tow you to the temple."
"Like a tram?" Six asks as he drops his dull knife before reaching into the supply drop pod and produces another more deadly blade.
"Like a tram," confirms the A.I.
"Very well," the Chief says before looking at Six, "are you ready Lieutenant?"
"Always Chief," Six responds as he clips on a couple more frag grenades.
Together the Spartans enter the open area that is practically three stories tall with three levels that is open all around. There is little or no cover at all should they get in a fight and the feeling of their bodies being light conflicts with the two humans as they realize this is another gravitational vehicle.
Chief makes his way to the middle podium and finds a small console with a single brightly lit button in the middle. Six watches from the Chief from the rear as he presses down on the switch and there is a shudder. A bright beam of light shoots out from the central platform and is connected to the small artificial created island they are attempting to approach. A moment later, a humming sound fills the air and with no warning, they are slowly floating away from the podium and are now heading to the Temple.
As the huge transporting vehicle makes it way to the temple, Six stands on the top deck and peers at the sky. It looks almost like a carbon copy of Earth, this whole planet resembles the human world and maybe even Reach. He tries not to let those thoughts capture him, especially now when he feels like he is close to getting Shress back.
He now hardens his gaze and searches the clouds, but he cannot even make out the distinct shape of a Covenant ship. Is she still there? Is she here with Regret? Is she even alive?
He visibly finches at the thought. The idea of Shress being dead is…unacceptable. He refuses to even think further on the subject. She is the first thing in his life that makes him happy and having her so close to him feels so right. He thought of all the times they could have, would have, killed each other, but their customs and laws prevented them from ever committing the act. Still though, there is the fact that she is an alien. His enemy. Of all the people he could have fallen for it had to be her. He does not regret his decisions, but still, it's at times like these when he wonders about their relationship, wonders of her, being so far now. The moment he told himself that he'll never let her go, she was taken, probably forever.
"How are you Lieutenant?" Cortana suddenly breaks in.
Six is silent before saying, "I'm fine."
"Nice try," she counters, "I know something is wrong when the Chief is the one saying more words then you."
The III shakes his head, "Cortana, you know full well what's troubling me."
"Yeah well, do you want to talk about it?" she asks.
"I rather not," Six says in reply.
"You still didn't tell me how it is that you two crazy love birds meet," she says with a obvious grin in her voice.
"It's a long story," Six says on an attempt to ward off further questions, he honestly has no idea what it is he should tell her, what can he tell her? He's still trying to figure out the relationship he and Shress are in as well.
"It's a long trip," objects Cortana, "there is of plenty of time to tell me and I swear, I won't share it with anyone."
Six is silent for a while before asking, "Including the Chief?"
"Until he figures it out," Cortana informs him, "he's silent, but not dumb Lieutenant, it won't take him long to figure out what's going on between you two."
Six is still debating, trying to think of an excuse before he finally sighs in defeat.
"You're not going to leave up until I talk, will you?" Six questions.
"You got it," Cortana answers with an obvious grin.
Six muses over his unique standing for another good minute before he sighs and says, "honestly Cortana I don't know how it happened, it just happened."
"Can you be more specific?" The A.I presses.
Six suddenly feels himself become defensive, "Why do you want to know this Cortana?"
"For future reference," Cortana says instantly, "and besides, if it's possible for a Spartan and a Sangheili to love, then perhaps there really is hope for humanity."
"You didn't believe before?" Six asks.
He hears her sigh, "the fact that the Spartans are humanity's greatest weapons and that they too are dying are my primary doubts Six, all this data has lead me to conclude that this could be the final year before we are extinct, but then you appeared, with a Sangheili lover in tow no less."
Six feels his face burn, "We didn't get that close Cortana…we probably never will," he adds as an afterthought.
"I'm sure it won't be as bleak as you believe it will be Six," Cortana sooths, "most humans believe they love, but they never truly show it, all that they show is that they are only interested in having sex, they don't care if the person is the love of their lives, very few such couples exist as I am aware. Yet here you are, a busted head, broken rib, possible internal bleeding and surrounded by Covenant soldiers, yet you are still willing to follow her to the end of the Earth, and the fact that your hormones have been suppressed greatly makes this more interesting."
Six is sure he is going to die of embarrassment at any second now, "Cortana, my hormones weren't suppressed, how else could I be feeling this way for Shress?"
"Did I not just answer you Six?" She asks in a suddenly serious tone, "Because you do love her and your medical profile does show that your hormones have been suppressed, whether you like it or not Lieutenant, you are truly in love with Shress."
Six thinks on her words, playing them through his head. So it's not his body that has been craving for Shress, it has been him all along, and he didn't even know it.
Love. Yes, he is in love. He tightens his hand into a fist. And he is going to tell Shress this the moment he sees her, the moment he gets her out, then they'll-
"Get ready," the Chief's voice suddenly breaks in, "we're about to make landfall."
Six curses himself for dazing out, he didn't see the large temple until they are practically a couple of meters away from it.
He does one last run down on his gear when Cortana speaks to him again, "you still did not tell me the full story Six."
The III moans before stating, "I'll tell you later."
"That's what you said last time," she says in a voice that is laced with false hurt.
"Cortana," Six growls out, "not now."
He pulls back on the bolt of his rifle and looks up just as the floating structure comes to a halt and connects with the Temple. The place is nearly ten stories tall, spiraling towers, dirt stained blocks and ancient ruins cover the walls. A large staircase leads inside, a huge gaping hole at the front that casts a big shadow in the doorway.
"Where are all the guards?" Six asks, "You would have thought the Regret would have an army here with him."
"They're all probably inside," the Chief thinks out loud as he scans the outside of the building once more with his shotgun.
Six sighs, "Then this is another ambush."
"Most likely" agrees the Chief.
Before Six could say anything else, they hear a loud and very distinct boom, causing them to look up. Flying within the planet's atmosphere is a Covenant Assault Carrier.
The Chief got on his comms, "Commander, we have-"
He is interrupted when there is another explosion of thunder and a second ship joins the first. Six suddenly feels anxious; handling Regret's single ship is already a tough challenge, but now with three-
That is when the rest came. It sounds like rapid firing cannons are being shot off as one by one; more and more Assault Carriers fills the skies. Six's heart just about drops at what he is seeing, ten, fifteen, twenty nine, thirty six, forty five, he loses count after reaching a hundred and sixty two, and they're still coming.
"That," Cortana says in a grave tone, all traces of amusement from their previous conversation is gone, "that is largest Covenant Fleet we've ever seen, any on record."
As soon as she finishes that last word, a sonic boom explodes and appearing suddenly out of nowhere is a ship unlike any other the Spartan has ever seen. It's huge, it looks to the same size a planet, has a huge bulbous head and a trailing tail like structure that runs down from the center of its main bulge dime, shaping it almost like a mushroom. Yet the structure reminds him of a jelly fish, it has some sort of transparent aura surrounding its bottom, like tentacles or something, its purplish hue certainly helps in establishing that image. By all standards, the Halo ring is a unbelievable wonder, but the giant vessel above them is definitely worth noticing as well.
"Cortana what is that thing?" Six asks though he has a very good idea what it could be.
"That's it," Cortana says gravely, "that's High Charity, the Covenant's holy city and the closest thing they have to a capital."
Six nods in agreement, he wonders how many could fit in the massive space station and roughly estimates that perhaps over three billion beings could live within.
"We have to finish this," Cortana announces in a determine voice, "find Regret and stop him now before he gets reinforcements."
Six tilts his head slightly before looking to the Chief and asks, "Does Cortana sound hostile to you."
The Chief merely nods, "she's right though," he looks to Six and says, "lets finish this," with that, he leads the way inside.
Six looks up at the massive fleet above them one last time, so close that he can see their bay doors but so clustered he is having a hard time counting them all, before hurrying after Chief and said, "Copy that."
Stepping with light steps while also being quick, the Spartans travels up the stairs and comes to a halt in front of the entrance. Glancing around corners and the open ceiling above, they look for any danger, but so the place is empty. This should have comforted Six, but for some reason when you can't find your enemy in their own territory this tends to get someone a little paranoid.
At the other end of the room is another door, much smaller, but for some reason looking just as sinister. The two iron clad warriors approaches and got on either side of the opening. They look up; nod to one another, before Chief waves an arm in front of the door, causing it to part open. Six rushes in with his rifle at the ready while the Chief follow with his shotgun held high.
They are in a hallway, but it only went five meter or so before meeting a corner that all points to the right. The Chief looks at Six and makes rapid hand gestures, instructing him to go left while he takes the right. The III nods to the command and turns on his heel, heading down the corridor. Each step he takes causes a loud clap to sound as his feet practically announce his presence.
He feels a light sweat starting to fall and it wasn't because his armor cooling system malfunctioned. He feels his chest starting to ache painfully, having a hard time focusing while his tired muscles screams at him that they have been pushed pass their limits, but he urges himself on.
He stops at the end of his journey and peeks out to see what lies before them.
There is a stairway that takes him down to path, heads right before meeting another path that is parallel to Six's, perhaps from the Master Chief's position. The merged trail than heads further towards the end of a huge hall, flanked by water that is held in a large fountain like containers, the liquid so still and flat it looks solid enough to walk on. Positioned on either side of the small roadway are towers that form arches, each with the symbol of a ring at the center. Sitting beneath the last ring on a raised stone podium is a figure sitting on a hover chair. The figure is wearing fabulous clothing, looks to be centuries old and has a golden crown on his head. This is him; this is Regret.
The alien must have seen either him or the Chief for he barks out in his language, something that sounds like a command.
"Cortana what's he sayi-" the Chief is interrupted when Cortana shouts, "it's a trap! Move Spartans!"
Six just barely sees the bright green light out of the corner of his eyes when he hurls himself forward and rolls down the steps. He comes up in a crouch and hears the explosion behind him as the Fuel Rod hit the floor and not the Spartan. He then he hears a loud roar that causes him to look up.
Emerging from the shadows of the arches and running from hidden passages are a dozen Sangheilis, all wearing some sort of gold and amber armor top with some sort of helmet design he has never seen before. They are wielding everything, plasma rifles, Carbines, Fuel Rod Launchers, energy swords and glowing spears. Yet what catch his attention are their war cries, so full of fury, hatred and an unbelievable show of ferocity. There's no question, whoever these Elites are they are n entirely different breed of soldiers that the UNSC doesn't know about, who are obviously more dedicated than the destructive Zealots.
He shivers, does this mean that they are better than Zealots, than Shress. He doesn't want to get in a square fight with these beings, but there is no other choice. He loads his rifle, and rushes forward while bringing up his BR55, sights his target and fires.
The shields of one Sangheili glows bright orange, another feature he hasn't heard of either. Realizing this is a whole new level for the Spartans, Six finds cover behind a guardrail post as he unhooks a grenade, pops it and hurls it over his head in a blind throw. The Elites recognize the danger and jumped out of the way as the fragmental grenade releases its fire. It also peppers the aliens with shrapnel, but their shields kept them Safe, they didn't even change color showing whether or not if the shields are weakening.
Six hears a loud blast and looks to his right to see the Chief in a similar position but he is leaning out and firing his shot gun. Seeing that this may be their only chance, Six peeks out of cover as well and fires.
Three rounds work their way diagonally up the Elite's bodies before they are knocked back by a devastating discharge from the Chief's weapon. However even with their combine might, the shields are still holding and there are no clear sign whether they are making a dent.
Finally pent up with being shot up, the Sangheili formed their ranks and lashes out with their own ordinance. Plasma hisses above his head, forcing the Spartan to hide behind cover as his shield levels are starting to decelerate. He hears a roar and realizes that as they are being pin down, the Sangheili is also charging as well. He sees movement in the corner of his eye and turns to see an Elite with an energy sword bearing down on the Chief. Six aims his rifle and fires, but with little results as the shield protects the Sangheili as it rounds on the Chief's cover and brings down the blade.
However, at the last possible second, the Chief jumps to his feet and evades the deadly arch of energy. Before the Sangheili could try again, he grabs its wrist with one hand before bringing down his other arm with enough destructive force to deactivate it's shield. The Elite howl, but the Chief isn't finish, he uses the same hand that he broke the Sangheili arm with and slams it into the creature's chest, causing it to bring it's head down out of reflex until it is closer to him. He then grabs the neck and twists, Six heard the break clear across the room and watches as the alien topples over.
Realizing the only other way of dispatching their foes quickly is to fight in hand to hand combat, Six should his rifle and instead brings out his pistol and knife. They need to get this done as soon as possible before more Covenant troops arrive, this is their only chance at eliminating a prophet and they aren't going to let him go this easily. His mind briefly flashes to Shress before he shakes his mind clear, he needs to concentrate, it's now or never, he'll kill Regret and save Shress if it's the last thing he do.
He hurdles his weak cover and scans his foes. About six are facing him while the other five are concentrating on the Chief, but they pause in their shooting, probably caught by surprise by Six's sudden emergence. Using this to his advantage, Six charges into action.
His nearest target is an Elite with a plasma rifle that is being lightly held and unable to be put to use when Six crashes into it. He raises a foot and slams it into the Sangheili's knee, causing the shield to disburse from the close contact and crumbles until it's eye to eye with Six. He then buries his knife into the alien's eye, twists and kicks the dying being away from him.
The other Elites roar at the sight of one of their own being dispatched, but they are silence when Six twirls around and fires his pistol into the face of the nearest Sangheili. The energy shield barley diminishes but that doesn't bother it as it rushes at Six with its odd looking staff. It thrusts, but Six is ready. He sidesteps the staff, grabs it with one hand while he forms his other into a fist and slams it into the alien's chest. It stumbles back, Six takes this time to twirl the staff in a circular motion until the blade is now facing the Elite. It barely registers this when Six throws it with a flick of his hand and it flies before burying itself in the Elite's face.
Its falling to the floor when one of the Elites, the one with the Fuel Rod Launcher, roars and fires at him. Six practically dances around as bolts of unconditional rage flies past him. He shrugs his arm and holds his rifle in one hand as he fires at the Elite. However, the remanding four Sangheili rejoins the fight as they bring up their weapons and commences firing. Six tries to dodge, but he notices its becoming uncomfortably warm within his suit, if he doesn't get to cover soon, he's going to be-
A sudden ray flashes in front of him and slices towards the Spartan. He ducks and rolls back before coming back up and glancing in the direction that the shot had come from. Levitating off the podium is Regret, his face etched with a hateful scowl while the front of his chair glows and fires another gold beam, this one aimed at the Chief though. The Spartan sees the danger and dives to the floor; the beam flies over him and hits the wall, melting through within a matter of seconds.
Six couldn't believe this, now they have an old maniac in a floating chair trying to kill them while they are combating against the Elites, what's next? In answer, one the Elites resumes firing. Six's shield is close to breaking, but in the corner of his eyes he notices that Regret is angling towards him once more, beam powering and the Spartan has an idea. He runs to the opposite wall, causing Regret to fire his mechanism and slice across the room in an attempt to kill the III. Six rushes past the Sangheilis, getting hit occasionally by their plasma, but he ignores it. He comes to the opposite wall and instead of stopping; he puts one foot against the bottom of the structure before propelling himself upwards. The beam comes close to slicing him, but he arches his back and flips himself over until he lands on the floor again and turns to survey the scene.
Just as he hoped would happen, Regret, consume with rage and no doubt fear, had fired without thinking. In his eagerness to kill Six, he had run the beam through the Elites and has sliced them all in half, leaving a large bloody mess, now there is nothing between the Prophet and the Spartan.
Regret immediately backs himself away from Six and starts firing again. Six hits the floor as the ray appears and narrowly misses the Spartan. He looks up at Regret and watches him back his way to the other side of the room. Suddenly Six realizes something, he looks around for the Chief, but couldn't see him, only dead bodies of the Elites.
He turns his attention back to Regret just as he is charging his laser again, making ready to fire when something jumps from the shadow and latches onto Regret's chair. The beam shot went wild and Six had to dive out of the way again as the destructive light flashes across the room and scars the interior of the temple.
Six looks back and watches the series of unfolding events. The Chief has pulled himself up and is practically staring into Regret's terrified face. He is screaming his native tongue as he tries to lift himself from the chair but is too frail to manage it. The Chief then produces a knife and before Regret could do anything further, the Chief grabs his long neck and buries his blade in the side of the Prophet's upper throat and twists with a savage like force. Six is a few meters away, but even from his distance he can see Regret's eyes bulge before they went slack and his head starts to droop. There is a loud chiming noise and the Chief jumps off the chair just before it falls and crashes into the floor, crushing Regret's body in the process.
Slowly, Six walks over in a daze like fashion and looks down at the fallen throne as a dark substance flows from beneath it, blood probably. The Chief has fallen in crouch before he stands back up and takes position next to Six.
"I think he's out of the fight," Six says a she continues to stare at the pooling liquid.
"Good," the Chief says, "one less Prophet to worry about."
Six looks at the II and says, "Nice job Chief."
The Master Chief nods, "you too as well sir."
Before Six could comment about being called sir again, the floor shakes and loose bits of dust and fragments of the roof rains down on them.
"Cortana, what's happening?" Six asks.
"The Covenant have started to bombard the ring," the A.I, answers, "we need to get out of here right now."
"Copy," the Chief says as the two Spartans turn on their heels and sprint. They race up the stairs, pass the piles of corpses and out the door. They make it outside but stop to stare. A bright glowing light is making its way to them, the intense heat is so great that Six could feel it through his armor.
"This way," the Chief suddenly orders as he jumps down the stairs, "towards the back."
Six doesn't say anything as he jumps as well and runs after the Chief. However the beam is moving towards them at a steady pace before it starts to swallow the temple. The giant tram is gone, there is no underwater elevator or any other types of transports, Six knows this is futile, but he kept running for all his worth, they need to survive before-
A sudden detonation takes place as the Temple explodes. Six feels himself being picked up and thrown, flying end over end through the skies, pictures of the skies and the lake passing through his visor before he finally crashes with a huge splash.
He is disoriented as he begins to sink like a rock. Panic seizes him and he tries to swim, but his body isn't responding, what is happening, has he been paralyzed? Has his armor lock activated without him knowing?
"I need to get out; I have to get out," he tells himself as if the force of sheer will can get his immobile body to move again. However, nothing is working, he is still sinking, the water cools his armor, but the sunlight is slowly disappearing the farther and farther he goes, ten meters, twenty, thirty, he can barely even see the azure skies now.
This is it, he realizes, he is going to drown, this is far worse than being attacked by a hundred Covenant soldiers on the battlefield. He tries one last time to move, he uses all his strength, but not even a finger twitches, he can feel his body but he can't command it.
He sighs in frustration but also recognize this is how it's going to end. Unexpectedly, he feels his eyes starting to burn and his throat becomes dry as he thought of Shress. He's going to miss her, her laugh, her smile, her very presence, she is everything that makes him feel whole, feel loved, feel human. He feels sorrow mingle with happiness, chances of him meeting and falling in love with his enemy is very improbable, but it happen, and he is thankful for that.
He heard the old saying of living life without regret, but now at the bottom of the sea he feels a lot of them pile up. He is sorry for not spending more time with Shress, for not doing everything possible to save her, to free her…to tell her that he loves her.
"I'm sorry," he whispers to himself as he closes his eyes and waits for the inevitable. This is like Reach all over again, but he knows that Shress isn't around to save him this time. This time he is on his own, he is going to pass.
He allows the silent tears to fall, but they suddenly widen when he feels something grip his arms. He is suddenly tugged further into the darkness, but this time with purpose as something pulls him along. He fears it's a large predatory beast and tries to jerk away, but his body still won't listen. Suddenly his body starts to shut down as if he has just been pumped full of medication and he starts to get drowsy against his will.
However before he loses consciousness, his heart just about stop when he hears something thrum in his head, like a massive drum has been hit and a voice, a voice that rattles the very interior of his mind as it speaks in a slow and almost mythical voice.
"This place is not your tomb," the voice announces in his head, "but you may stay…for now…"
Sorry for the long delay, my life is keeping me busy.
Also, on a minor note, I realize this is the one year anniversary sine I started this story. A lot has changed in the past year, but nevertheless, thank you for reading and supporting my story, I hope you enjoyed.