Analysis: July 2nd 2545
Location: Aboard UNSC Point of No Return
As Parangosky listened to the Didact's explanation of how he had ended up in his current circumstances, chiefly his entry into his Cryptum after the firing of the Halos and his subsequent awakening just days previously.
To her credit the Admiral hardly acted surprised at all at the revelation that the Forerunners were not all gone despite the shock it must have given her. When the Didact had finished recounting his tale she arched her fingers and looked at him thoughtfully.
"Well then, Didact, what help do you have to offer humanity and what proof do you have it really is help?" she asked, seeing no need to sugar coat her words, experience with the Covenant had left humanity innately hostile to aliens.
A deep rumbling could be heard momentarily from the Didact's throat, seemingly trying to form the words he wanted to speak, "I can give you access to Forerunner shipyards and very limited fleet resources as well as what little remains of our own soldiers, my own Prometheans, some of whom have doubtless chose the Cryptum as I did. I suspect more usefully I can offer you my own skill in using our fleets in battle, provided you can provide me with the information I require to form tactics against which this Covenant have little defense."
"Well then, Promethean, that's the first half of my question answered but you seem to have missed to answer the second part." Parangosky pointed out to him.
"My people were forced out of existence in the name of preserving all life in the galaxy, my own wife, the Librarian, died ensuring that humanity would have a fighting chance at attaining the Mantle that we Forerunner did such an inadequate job of protecting. It would be a disgrace to both the memory of my people and my wife to see our plans for humanity be thrown aside in our own name. This Covenant knows nothing of the Forerunners and yet they claim to speak in our name, I will not allow them to sully our good name." By this stage the Didact clearly grown angry and his defiant last line was punctuated with his fist being brought down on the table, hard, leaving behind a large dent in the polished metal surface.
Parangosky didn't even flinch at this display of anger and power, she simply nodded, "Welcome aboard Didact, I will leave you in the capable hands of Captain Osman so that you can show her these shipyards you mentioned."
Parangosky and Osman stood and headed for the exit, the Didact in tow and headed back to the hangar where the Spartans were waiting for them. "Carter, we've got a new mission, the Didact is going to take us to a Forerunner shipyard so we can investigate it's uses in the war, we'll be jumping to slipspace as soon as we get back to Stanley."
The Spartan stood there shifting uncomfortably for a moment. Parangosky walked forward, leaning heavily on her walking stick for support, and reached up to put her hand on Carter's shoulder, "We have our best agents looking for Spartan 239, we will find him, I promise you that."
Carter nodded solemnly and turned to head into the Pelican when a series of startled cries erupted from the other side of hangar and almost as one, although Parangosky was a little slower, and saw a huragok desperately straining to get past a pair of technicians to get into the room.
"What is going on?" Parangosky said, her voice loud enough to get the attention of everyone in the hangar. She walked over to the technicians still trying to hold back the huragok. The only reply she got was the huragok beginning to make a loud bleating sound.
Then, to the surprise a loud, gravelly voice boomed out in the room, stunning everyone, even Parangosky and the Spartans. "Let it go!" It was the Didact, he strode over to the technicians and firmly pushed them aside. The huragok immediately rushed forward and began running it's cilia over the Didact's armour, feeling the surface and investigating every nook and cranny it could reach.
Gently the Didact pushed the engineers tentacles down and ran a single, massive, finger over it's head, like it was a pet. "Admiral, this huragok is not of Forerunner origin, where is it from."
Parangosky looked incensed at the very suggestion, "That huragok is a valuable and irreplaceable UNSC asset, everything related to it is highly classified." she growled, her jaw clenched.
A look of what must have been surprise passed across the Didact's features, "Irreplaceable?" He asked, "How can that be, Forerunners once had to keep the huragok in check to stop them over breeding and getting out of hand. Admiral, I promise you, give me this individual and I shall return with a hundred more."
"Admiral, we can't give up the huragok we already have, not for this mission, we could take this one with us and try and produce a hybrid of Covenant and Forerunner huragok." Osman chimed in.
Parangosky sighed slightly and nodded her head, "Fine, Captain Osman, you're in charge of the huragok's safety, if anything happens to it you know the consequences."
As Parangosky left the hangar Osman couldn't help but gulp, if anything happened to the huragok Parangosky would not show even her favourite any leniency, she couldn't let anything happen to the engineer.
"We're leaving." she ordered, keen to move on from the ordeal she strode aboard the Pelican with the Spartans, Didact and huragok in tow.
As the Pelican lifted off and departed the Point of No Return Osman couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, no one ever enjoyed spending time aboard a ship which didn't technically exist where literally anything could be done to them.
As soon as the Pelican touched down in Port Stanley'ssmall hangar Osman was out and heading for the bridge. The Spartans and Didact were left in her wake. The Didact looked down at the Spartans, "Your Captain seems trouble?"
"You put her in an awkward position back there, when you requested the huragok. Parangosky is one person you really don't want to cross, if had been anyone other than Osman acting like that there would have been real trouble." Steven explained.
"Hmm", the Didact replied, before he raised his arms and his armour began to unravel itself from his body until it had moved to the other side of the hangar, still mirroring the Didact's body shape. The two huragok quickly moved over to it and began plugging their cilia into ports on the armour, running diagnostics, making adjustments and and doing the repairs it hadn't had the chance to do on their previous journey.
"I've got to get some of that." Kat whispered, in awe at the obvious power of the armour.
"Soon, human, the Forerunner's legacy shall be your own."
…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…
Osman sat in the bridge seat reflecting on the events aboard the Point, she was surprised Parangosky had backed down on the matter of the huragok, although she was certain she had her reasons.
"BB", she said quietly, the AIs hologram instantly appearing, "Call the Didact to the bridge, he's the only one who knows the destinations we need to go to."
It was only a minute or so until the Didact arrived on the bridge, his face the stern visage he had held since they had awoken him from his Cryptum.
"Show me your charts." the Didact instructed, walking over to the holographic slab in the centre of the room, the relevant data already supplied in seconds by BB. The Didact moved his massive six fingered hands over the map display, familiarizing himself with the ways humanity had set up their maps before steadily zooming in on a particular area of the galaxy, and finally, one system.
"Here", he said, "this system once held the Capital of our civilisation, I almost fear what has become of it since we were forced to abandon it."
"I would estimate the journey will take us approximately two days, but given that the huragok will likely do running improvements on the drive despite my warning it of the dangers, we will likely be there sooner." BB explained.
The Didact turned and left the bridge, heading back for the hangar where he could at least stand without having to bend over.
…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…
The Didact emerged back into the hangar and looked over to the human Spartans, who were still staring in amazement at the huragok working on his armour, he still found it amazing that anyone would be amazed by the efforts of a mere huragok, they had never been thought of as anything amazing during the days of the Forerunners.
He moved his arms back into a position of robing and the armour drifted back over to him and once more engulfed him. "Which of you is the one who knows of my time?" he called to the Spartans.
Steven stepped forward and walked over towards the Didact. "Come human, I have a very important question to ask you."
Steven followed the Promethean over to the other side of the hangar and looked up into his ancient face. "The Flood, does it live on?" he asked, getting directly to the point.
"Yes", Steven said hesitantly, "I believe it has escaped containment on at least one of the Halos, Installation 05, and even gotten as far as forming a Gravemind. I don't know about the others.
The Didact lowered his head, "Aya, thank you human, this is something which must be dealt with, you have my thanks."
…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…
Moro stood before the holographic forms of the three hierarchs and lowered himself to one knee before them, "Noble Prophets, I come bearing great news."
'Yes?" Truth said, his voice hinting impatience.
"I have captured one of the human demons and brought him here, he must be publically executed and the humans informed of his demise, they believe their demons are invincible, this will shatter their resolve." Moro explained, his voice laced with excitement.
Behind him the door to the chambers slid open and two Honour Guards marched in, escorting a single slumped figure on a hovering disc covered by a plasma shield, the human Spartan.
As the disc moved in front of the three Prophets and the plasma shield faded, revealing the miserable and dejected form within, three digits printed on the chest in the human scrip, 239.
Truth's chair moved forward, "Excellent Arbiter, have him brought to my research station, I shall have the coordinates sent to your helmsman."
"It shall be done, noble one, but I may take some time to return, my ship was badly damaged by an attack from an unknown attacker, possibly a subverted Forerunner weapon wielded by blasphemers."
"Then return to High Charity, we shall take the prisoner from there." Truth ordered
Author's Note: Sorry it's been so long since an update but I was very busy over the summer and decided that I'd take a bit of a break. As usual your opinion and suggestions are welcome so please read and review.
I noticed that this chapter didn't fit with what I'd written for Emile later on so I went back and changed it a little!