Chapter 28: Audience with the Devil
Coelest System, Substance
October 22, 2552 / 1540 pm
A slipspace rupture opened and the Covenant assault carrier exited the rupture. As the ship drifted toward its destination, the Excalibur Warframe grunted as he lurched forward. He stared at the distant object in disbelief.
Of all the places the ship chose to go, it was another Halo installation. A notification on the battlenet caught his attention. He accessed the battlenet and read the message. He looked back at the main screen, increasing the magnification. At the bottom right hand corner, he could see a fleet of Covenant ships hovering above to the Halo. In the very center of the fleet was a gigantic purple mushroom-shaped ship.
"Please tell me that's not what I think that is," said Jack. Like the others, he saw the Covenant fleet arrive at the Halo ring.
A rasping laugh caught his attention. The Prophet was laughing, realizing he was right all along. There was a soft click and he felt a gun pressed gently against the back of his head.
"How did you know about this place?" demanded the Rhino. He pushed the Sybaris against his fragile skull harder.
"Foolish vermin… this sanctuary is not meant for the likes of you. You will never understand the Great Journey's purpose." the Prophet croaked.
He continued to laugh until Carson stuffed a dirty rag into his mouth to muffle him. Roscoe activated the comm channel. The buzz and static of white noise permeated the room and was replaced with the surprised voice of a communication officer.
"Ma'am, I got them on the line."
"What's your status?" inquired Miranda.
"So far, the assault carrier is under our control. The Prophet is under arrest in the bridge room." said Roscoe.
"Any word on the battlenet?" Miranda asked.
"Aside from the message we received from High Charity a second ago, no new messages." said Roscoe
"What does the message say?" she asked.
"We await your arrival on Halo, my dear brother. Brother Mercy has secured the Halo with Tartarus's aid and the Arbiter is searching for the Key to activate the divine wind. Yours, Brother Truth"
Miranda leaned back on the black command chair, rubbing the bridge of her nose. It was hard to believe that the entire Covenant fleet had assembled on their position. To make matters worse, they had already sent a scout team down to the Halo's surface.
"What do you suggest, Roscoe?" she asked after composing herself.
"We play along for now. We are outside their range of sensors and you haven't been detected yet. The cruiser will move at a snail's pace while claiming to inspect the fusion reactor for anomalies. Just stay behind the cruiser for now"
"Understood, In Amber Clad out"
"Gold Leader to Silver Team, do you copy?" Sargent West's voice crackled on the comms channel.
"Silver One here. What's the situation?" said Roscoe
"Sir, everything is under control. But we are having difficulties with a few occupants." West replied back.
"I thought we already eliminated the entirety of the Covenant forces on board." replied the Rhino.
West sighed and Roscoe could hear him scratch his head. "It's… well, it's best if you just come down here."
Minutes later, the four Tenno stood on the engineering deck. Sargent West stood by the side, watching a private scan the 'occupants'. Its main body was a floating dark blue blob and several thin tentacles. The occupant's head was small and had six eyes. It blinked a few times at the private. Meanwhile, Lance Corporal Smith was trying to get one of them to follow him out of the door.
"Explain to me what happened" the Rhino asked.
"After we secured the engineering deck, one of my men spotted these creatures doing some sort of maintenance work. It got spooked and ran away, but we tracked it down. We managed to coax one of them and the others followed him."
"But they aren't leaving the engineering deck, right?" said Rylan. The ODST sergeant nodded.
"They need something that will interest them or they won't listen to you." West pointed to the trooper who was coaxing the leader to follow him. The leader shook his head, not interested in the trooper.
Pallax rubbed his chin before he snapped his fingers. He pulled out a silver Void Key from his inventory and inspected it before he pulled the Rhino into a corner.
The Excalibur held the key before the Rhino's eyes and pointed at the occupant. "This should keep them occupied for a while" he murmured to the Roscoe. The Tenno leader stared at the occupant, unsure if it would take the bait.
The Rhino knelt down in front of the alien, its small beady eyes widening at him. Roscoe dangled the key in front of the alien, swinging it back and forth like a pendulum. Hypnotized by the strange key, it tried to grab the key with its thin tentacles. It emitted a low trumpet-like sound everytime Roscoe lifted the key out of their grasp. Roscoe repeated the gesture and took a few steps backward toward the door. The four aliens surged around the Rhino, trying to get the key out of his hands.
Like moths to a flame, the aliens followed Roscoe as he led them to the hangar bay. Inside were three Pelicans, their pilots on stand-by. He lured them to the first Pelican, whose engines were warming up. He raised the key above their small heads. Just as their tentacles reached his hands, he tossed the small key into the Pelican's cargo bay. The aliens squealed, charging into the cargo bay. As the last one entered the bay. The Pelican's cargo bay door began to close. However, the aliens were oblivious to the door as it was sealed shut by magnetic locks. The Pelican's two main engines roared to life and took off.
"All personnel are to evacuate the cruiser. We are scuttling the ship. I repeat, we are scuttling the ship." Rylan's voice spoke through the crusier's intercom system. Marines and ODSTs ran to the remaining Pelicans as it prepared to take off.
Roscoe entered the cargo bay of the last Pelican aboard the Covenant cruiser. Rylan and Carson were standing near the cargo bay's entrance, ready to close the door. The Master Chief was sitting down on a nearby jumpseat. Pallax sat on the opposite side. The Excalibur nodded at the Rhino, who entered the cockpit.
"We're ready, sir. Where to?" the pilot inquired.
The Pelican flew toward the silver ring. Behind the lead Pelican was another one from the In Amber Clad. Pelican Alpha One carried the Tenno and the Master Chief, while Pelican Alpha Two carried a squad of Marines led by Sgt Johnson and Capt. Miranda. In Alpha One's cockpit, Roscoe watched the first drop-off destination come into view. In the distance, the dome-like Library was surrounded by a ring of snowy mountains.
The plan was simple: retrieve the Index and eliminate the Prophet of Mercy. Rylan and Carson would distract the Covenant infantry while the Master Chief and Pallax would assassinate the Prophet of Mercy. Meanwhile, Roscoe, Miranda and the Marines would secure the Index Key.
The dropship circled around an open field surrounded by coniferous trees. The Pelican hovered above the platform and both the Chroma and Revenant disembarked. The dropship closed its cargo bay door and flew away to drop off the .
They left a trail of snowy footprints as their feet crunched into the soft snow. The Tenno moved their rifles around their surroundings. The sounds of Banshees and Phantoms alerted them. Peering over a ridge, at the bottom of a valley was a large battalion of Covenant infantry and ground vehicles. Rylan nudged Carson and pointed at the largest ground vehicle, a Protos Scarab.
They slid down the mountainside, stopping to listen to the enemy chatter. Once they reached the bottom of the valley, they crouch-walked toward the quadruple mining platform. Only two Unggoys guarded the Scarab. Carson picked up a stone, tossed it a few times to test its weight and threw it into the bushes behind the Unggoys. As expected, the Unggoys yelped in surprise and moved toward the bushes. The Tenno bullet-jumped toward the Scarab's rear and entered the command center.
The center was empty except for its two new occupants. Purple lighting illuminated the center. Carson examined the holographic driving mechanisms while Rylan fiddled with the turret controls.
"Are you ready, Rylan?" Carson asked. Rylan flashed his thumbs up, signaling he was ready. The Chroma cracked his knuckles and began to power up the mining platform. Outside, the various Covenant infantry were startled by the sound of the Scarab's pinch fusion reactor starting up.
The turret hatch popped open and Rylan came out, his hands gripping the turret's firing mechanism tightly. He aimed the targeting reticle at a Jiralhanae warrior guarding canisters of plasma fuel.
"Hasta la vista, baby!" Rylan shouted as he obliterated the Jiralhanae warrior. And with that, pandemonium ensued in the Covenant camp.
The explosion could be heard from the Master Chief and Pallax were. The Excalibur turned to listen to the explosions and gunfire. There was a loud humming noise as the Scarab unleashed its laser at the infantry forces. The Master Chief ignored the explosions and through the jungle foliage.
When he exited the foliage, he noticed a hologram of the Prophet of Mercy. He appeared to be preaching a sermon. He placed his right hand over the console and allowed Cortana to analyze the sermon.
"Hmm… just as I thought." she said. She snapped her fingers and the hologram spoke in clear English sentences.
"Halo's divine wind will propel all who believe in the faith and begin the Great Journey!" declared the hologram. Cortana snapped her fingers again and it reverted to the original language.
"He's going to activate the ring" the Chief said. Cortana nodded somberly as she returned to the Master Chief.
"So, where is he?" asked Pallax. Cortana replied by highlighting their HUDs. Sitting in the middle of a lake was a gunmetal-grey temple.
Pallax pointed down at a small boat at the bottom of the hill. The two soldiers ran down the small hill and boarded the boat. It hummed for a few seconds and floated across the lake. The Chief magnified his vision and spotted Covenant infantry guarding the temple's sole entrance.
"Three Kig-Yar snipers and a squad of Unggoys." the Chief said. The Excalibur nodded and placed his hands in front of him. Blue energy gathered around his hands and he pulled them apart. A Blue-whitish sword made out of his own Void energy stretched from his hands solidified into the shape of a Skana blade. He twirled it a few times and chuckled.
The boat docked next to a staircase leading to the temple's entrance. Pallax leaped toward the sky and landed a few meters away from the startled guards. He swung his Exalted Blade several times and the blade emitted ethereal energy slashs from his movements. The Chief stood behind the Tenno and watched the enemies fall down, as if struck by an invisible plague.
Curious, he examined a fallen Unggoy and found no external wounds. He removed its methane breather mask and opened its mouth. Again, there was no sign of blood foaming at the mouth, which would have signalled internal bleeding.
The temple's interior was illuminated by the artificial sunlight. Like all the buildings on the Halo installation, it was grey. Floating in the center was the Prophet of Mercy. He was flanked by a pair of Elite Honor Guards, who were garbed in the red and yellow ceremonial armor. He scowled at the two intruders. The Demon took aim at the guards and fired his assault rifle. The Honor Guards roared and charged toward the Spartan, plasma swords ignited.
The Chief emptied the magazine into the first Honor Guard and bash the guard's head with the butt of his rifle. He ducked, avoiding a horizontal slash from the second guard. He swapped the assault rifle for a combat shotgun. He chambered the buckshot rounds and squeezed the trigger.
Pellets showered over the second guard's energy shield. The Sangheili turned around, swinging its plasma sword in a wide arc. The Spartan jumped away, shooting at the guard. He grabbed a grenade from his waist and tossed it toward the guards. Although the sharpnel didn't wound the Sangheili guards, their energy shields dissipated from the grenade's shockwave.
The Chief rushed toward a Sangheili guard and kicked him in the chest. The Sangheili struggles to get up, but its head was blown apart by the Chief's shotgun. The second Sangheili leaped toward the Chief, roaring with rage. However, the Spartan simply side-stepped and punched the guard's exposed mandible-like jaw. The guard was stunned for a second. But that second cost him his life. Like his companion, he too had his brains blown apart by the shotgun.
The Prophet shook his head, disappointed by the guards' failures. He tapped the side of his armrest and the dual gravity cannons under his throne hummed to life. Two balls of energy erupted from the mouth of the cannons. One of them hit the Master Chief's energy shield, causing it to flicker and ripple across his armor. The Chief strafed around the Prophet, dodging the energy projectiles as much as possible. He fired his shotgun at the Prophet and the throne's energy shield collapsed. The Spartan jumped on to the throne, using one hand to keep himself steady and the other to punch the Prophet's head repeatedly. The throne spun around as the Prophet tried to get the Spartan off him.
Seeing as his punches weren't working, the Chief took his last grenade from his waist and flicked the pin off. He tossed the grenade into the Prophet's lap and leaped off the throne.
Mercy wheezed as he straightened himself. He looked down to see the frag grenade in the lap and widened his eyes. The grenade exploded killing the Prophet and heavily damaging the throne. The throne supn out of control and toppled off a cliff and into the lake. The Chief peered over and watched the golden throne sink to the bottom of the lake.
Meanwhile, the Excalibur had finished slicing the last of Mercy's Covenant troops into small pieces. The ground shook under his feet before it subsided. He ran outside and stared at the white pillar of plasma emanating from a Covenant cruiser. Wisps of plasma corroded the gray metal into rust.
"Jack, we need an extraction ASAP. We're getting glassed over here." the Excalibur shouted into the comm line as he ran past the Chief.
"I can see that. Hold on." Above them, the Railjack flew over them and waited for them, its portside doors opened. Private Jenkins stood outside of them stretching his hand out. Behind him, Sargent West was motioning them to run faster. The Excalibur bullet-jumped at the last second, propelling himself into the starship. He crashed into a wall and turned around, watching the Chief leap toward Private Jenkins.
Everything slowed down for Chief as he tried to grab the private's hand. For a second, he felt his fingers scrape the private's hand. However, he grabbed nothing but air. The ODST private's hazel eyes widened in shock as he watched the Spartan fall down into the lake.
With a splash, the Spartan sank down in the lake, the titanium battle suit weighing him down. He ebbed in and out of consciousness, unable to keep himself awake. Before he blacked out, he felt something wrap around his waist and pulled him deeper into the lake. A gravelly voice echoed in his head.
"This is not your grave, but you are welcome in it."
Meanwhile, the two Pelicans landed near one of the Library's access points. A four-man team of Marines scouted the perimeter before they signalled the all-clear.
Sargent Johnson took point as he surveyed their surroundings with his battle rifle. Roscoe was in the back of the group, checking their rear every once in a while. Their footfalls echoed through the corridor as they shined their flashlights over the walls.
The sound of laser fire and howls caused the group to stop in their tracks. Johnson looked at the four Marines behind and did a thumbs-down to them. The Marines sighed heavily, reluctant to leave behind their captain and their beloved sergeant.
"I'm sorry, sir. But we can't -" a Marine private started.
He felt a meaty hand on his shoulders. He looked behind him to see the Rhino's left hand on his shoulders. He nodded to the Marine to reassure him.
Roscoe watched silently as the Marines turned back and returned to the Pelicans. It had been agreed that if there were signs of the Flood, the Marines would return to In Amber Clad and await orders.
The three-man team continued their journey in silence. As they weaved through the winding paths, they never encountered a single drone aside from their counter at the containment shield. It was weird and slightly nerve wracking for the Tenno, who had expected heavy resistance from the monitor.
A cacophony of shrieks, howls and every animalistic noise reverberated through the corridor. The containment barrier had fallen. From behind, they could see the shadows of the Flood growing and becoming larger.
They ran, hoping to outrun the Flood. Ahead of them, a swarm of Sentinels flew toward them and fired at the team. Behind the swarm, a white gate started to close. A glimmer of gold spurred the team to run faster. The door sealed shut as it hummed with electricity.
The underground chamber had seen better days. The walls were cracking from old age and fallen debris littered the ground. The chamber was illuminated by dull green lamps that surrounded the chamber.
Floating in the center of the chamber was a rectangular golden key with several notches on top. Noticing a long dangling wire overhead, Rylan grabbed the wire and tugged at it. After he was sure the rope was secure, he reached out toward the golden key. The first two attempts failed, but on the third try he snatched the Index Key from its floating pedestal. The wire snapped and the Rhino felt gravity pull him. Sergeant Johnson leaped forward and grabbed his other arm. He pulled him up with a grunt.
Roscoe tossed the Index Key to Miranda, who deftly caught it.
Far away from the Tenno, a different kind of encounter with the Flood was occuring. A Flood combat form fell to the ground, black smoke drifted from its mutated and twisted body. Plasma swords carved through the putrid bodies. Thel Vadamee sliced through a Flood with ease, avoiding the body as it fell to the snow-covered ground.
The disgraced Sangheili grumbled, wondering how to stop the onslaught. It was only days ago that he was stripped of his title and branded a failure in front of the entire Covenant. Now, he was working directly under the Prophets.
A lot of strange events had occurred for the newly-minted Arbiter. First, there was the cryptic warning from the Heretic Sangheili Leader. He didn't know his name, but he did confirm his warning by asking the Oracle: that the Sacred Ring is a weapon of mass destruction.
He growled at the ensuing chaos in front of him. Only a dozen Sangheili against an onslaught of ungodly creatures. Seeing a gap, he ran past the mutated monsters and toward a step of stairs. Once he reached the top, he looked around, hoping to see some kind of transport. In the distance, he saw some sort of tram. He rapidly pressed a console's holographic buttons, bringing the tram to him.
He boarded the tram and waited as the tram took him across the gap. The tram came to a stop and quickly ran toward the nearest entrance. Through winding passages and countless corridors, he paused outside an open doorway. He silently activated his active camouflage and watched a black man garbed in a green military uniform pull up a giant humanoid from a well. There was a female garbed in a black uniform. The humanoid tossed the Sacred Icon to the female, who caught it and stowed it away. The soft patter of feets on his left alerted him that the Brute Chieftain and his guards had arrived.
The Arbiter whispered to Tartarus: "I will distract the humans and you will remove the monster." Tartarus nodded and gripped his personal gravity hammer. The Sangheili crouched and walked into the chamber. He walked atop a fallen debris and jumped toward the black man.
Sargent Johnson brought his battle rifle and emptied the rounds into the Sangheili. The reptile-like alien slapped the battle rifle out of Johnson's hands and seized him by the collar. Johnson simply grinned at the Arbiter.
"How ya doin?" Johnson said. Unamused, the Arbiter bashed his metal helmet against Johnson, knocking out the Marine. The Brute Guards brandished their plasma rifles, firing at Miranda. She rolled to safety, a large marble-like debris protected her from the plasma shots. Roscoe cracked his knuckles and activated Iron Skin, covering him in the metallic skin. In a blur, he smashed into the first guard, which embedded the Brute into the wall. A shock blast from Tartarus's gravity hammer sent the Rhino backwards. Behind Tartarus, two Brutes wielding fuel rod cannons crouched down behind their chieftain. The Brute Chieftain pointed the hammer at the Tenno, electricity arcing around the head.
Roscoe growled at the Brute and crouched down, preparing another Rhino Charge. The Brute grinned and sidestepped to the left. The fuel rod cannons glowed bright green, its incendiary gel charged. The Brutes fired at the Rhino, who was unprepared for the explosive gel. The gel stuck to his skin, the green goo transforming into a bright white glow. The resulting explosion propelled the Rhino backwards and into the well.
The Tenno leader began to sink in the murky green waters. Underneath him, a large tentacle wrapped around his waist and pulled him deeper into the abyss.
Miranda Keyes raised the submachine gun and fired at the Brute. The Brute flinched from the bullets and shot a wave of electricity at her. Tartarus picked her up and slung her on his shoulder. He pulled the Index Key from her pocket, grinning at his victory.
"That… is.. my responsibility" said the Arbiter between wheezes. He glared at the Brute Chieftain as he spoke. Tartarus chuckled at the disgraced Sangheili.
"I know it is your responsibility, but you no longer need to worry about it." Tartarus said. The Arbiter furrowed his brows, confused by his statement.
"What do you mean? I was charged by the Prophets to retrieve it for them." Arbiter countered.
The remaining Brute Guards raise their crude rifles at the Sangheili. He hissed at them, angered by their betrayal.
"When the Prophets learn of this, they will take your head and commit your entire race to treason." the Arbiter said. He was shaking from anger, unable to keep his rage in check.
The Chieftain laughed, his booming voice echoed in the chambers. After the laughter subsided, he stared at the Arbiter before he spoke.
"Treason? I don't think so. In fact..", his beady black eyes shined for a second. "It's your people that will be condemned for treason."
Tartarus pointed his gravity hammer and sent the Arbiter down the well. He looked over the well and watched the silver-clad warrior sink into the water.
Author's Note
It's been a while since I last updated this story. (For those that thought this story was dead, it isn't!) I have a busy schedule and will upload new chapters when it's finished.
On my profile page, there is a section for Stories In Progress. These are stories I may want write after Beyond the Void's sequel. If you have ideas or you just want to comment on the potential stories, PM me.
- The Phantom Traveler
