Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo - Mechwarrior/Battletech crossover. I have finally caught up on the crossover that I lagged behind on. We are reaching the end of the Halo 3 story arc of this crossover. Thank you for your continued support. I will do my best to make this final part of this story arc a good one. As always, leave a review and enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or MechWarrior/BattleTech franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of Microsoft Game Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, FASA Corporation, FASA Interactive, Catalyst Game Labs and Piranha Games Inc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to it's original composers and/or artists.
A New Dawn (Album Mix) - Sable Flame
Installation 00
Near Forerunner Citadel
February 23rd, 2553
We're almost there, Chief thought as the Pelican-IIa drew closer to the Citadel where Installation 00, known as the 'Ark', housed both it's Control Room, as well as the activation switch for all of the Halo's in the galaxy. Looking outside, he watched as the tropical waters surrounding the area they were heading to rushed underneath the VTOL, with hints of land becoming more and more obvious. Nearby, he could see more Pelican-IIa's, as well as a few Hermes VTOL's that were transporting more troops to the area; he could also see some Firebird-IV's, as well as a few Morgenstern's that were flying in formation nearby.
Still, Chief knew that the end of the war was within reach. The last Hierarch, Truth, was located in this area, with a special guard of Brutes that were keeping him safe, along with Covenant forces in the area. Once we kill Truth as well as his Honor Guard, the Covenant is finished, he thought. Without a coherent and solid leadership, the Covenant would fracture and fall apart, with each species taking what it could and abandoning a sinking ship. The Sangheilians planned to form another Covenant, but one that would see Humanity as an equal and, thus, prevent another senseless conflict like the Covenant-Human War.
Still, this major victory had come at a steep price. Billions of innocent human beings had died at the hands of the Covenant, thanks to the Hierarch's treachery and deceit, and trillions would die if Truth succeeded in his goals. That was why they had to stop him dead in his tracks, so that the galaxy at large could live, free of the Hierarchs that had planned Humanity's demise. This wouldn't have been possible without the Star League and the Great Houses, Chief thought to himself. Without them, we either wouldn't have succeeded, or we would be here, but with significantly reduced strength. Either way, we owe them one.
As they flew closer to the area that Truth was located at, Miranda Keyes came in over the COM. "Guilty Spark," she asked the Monitor. "How do we get past the barrier?"
"I have been in communication with the Monitor of Installation 00," Guilty Spark replied. "According to the schematics for this part of the Installation, there are three shield generators that are located in this area. They are currently powering the barrier that is surrounding the Ark's Citadel."
"If we disable them, will the barrier come down," Miranda asked.
"A small portion of it will," the Monitor replied. "It won't come down entirely, but we just need a small portion of it to deactivate in order to access the Citadel."
"Then it's decided," Admiral Chernenko said over the COM. "Miranda, you have OPCOM of this phase of Operation SHATTERED COVENANT. The reigns are all yours."
"Thank you, sir," Miranda replied. Switching COM frequencies, she said, "Chief, you and the Star League will handle the first Shield Generator. The Arbiter and Elites will handle the second one. Johnson and the Marines under his command will handle the third Shield Generator. Once the barrier is down, we'll invade the Citadel and stop Truth from beginning the Great Journey. If he succeeds, Earth, every being in the galaxy, Halo will kill them all. We have to keep that from happening."
"Understood," Chief replied.
"Good," Miranda replied. "Alex is currently tied up with dealing with Covenant on other parts of the installation, but he has been able to send a Jenner-IV to your location. That should be enough to get you to the entrance of the first Shield Generator. Good luck, Chief. Commander Miranda Keyes out." With that, the COM channel cut out, leaving Chief alone.
Looking behind himself, Chief could see the SLDF personnel that had come along. Most of the personnel were Clan Wolverine Elementals, with some being former members of Clan Jade Falcon, Clan Smoke Jaguar and Clan Ghost Bear. The remaining personnel were SLDF Marines that had volunteered to join the operation, with most having killed their fair share of Covenant personnel. Walking over to Edward Pryde, one of the Elementals, he asked, "Are you ready?"
"Aff, sir," Edward replied. "I have been waiting to stop the Prophet of Truth for a long time. I think, however, that I will let the Arbiter have the kill. The Covenant attempted to kill his species, so I think it is a fitting end for a madman and a stravag."
A moment later, Osman piped in. "The Covenant has had this coming for a long time, Chief. It is time that we destroy the remaining supporters of the Covenant and end their genocidal plans once and for all. All of us are with you, Chief; we are not backing out of this one, not by a long shot." The remaining Elementals and the SLDF Marines inside of the troop bay gave similar replies. With that settled, Chief took out his weaponry, ready to bring the fight to the Covenant.
As they flew closer, Chief got a good idea as to what they were looking at when it came to the landscape, as a computer monitor in the Pelican-IIa displayed what the pilot was looking at. The Forerunner Citadel was located on an island that was very close to the shield barrier, which gleamed a bright blue-white around the base of the Citadel. Three shield towers were present nearby, each one built around a wall that surrounded the crater that the Citadel was built inside of. The area that Chief was heading to had a number of tall, thick rocks in the area, with knee high grass that covered the entire area. A small stream interrupted the grassy and rocky terrain, the former of which led to the large ocean that surrounded the island that the Citadel was built at. The beach had a long strip of sand at the edge, and Chief thought he could see a path that led into the interior of the island.
As soon as he saw the terrain, though, he spotted the Covenant's presence there. "Incoming," Cortana shouted to the pilot of the Pelican-IIa. "Covenant AA Wraiths! They'll shoot us out of the sky if we're not careful!"
"Affirmative," the pilot replied. "All elements, evasive maneuvers! The Covenant has posted AA Wraiths in our area."
"Roger that," came the reply. Moments later, Chief watched as the Covenant AA Wraith fired at them, sending large, bright green bolus' of plasma in their direction. The pilot of the Pelican-IIa easily dodged the incoming Fuel Rods, weaving around them before coming to a landing in the clearing that Chief had spotted earlier. The second Pelican-IIa made a safe landing as well, disgorging more SLDF Marines before taking off. Getting out of the VTOL, Chief grabbed his M35 MPL rifle, as well as a M15 sidearm before getting out, with Osman and the others jumping out just behind him. As soon as they were out, the Pelican-IIa took off.
As soon as they landed, the Covenant engaged the Marines and Elementals. Looking ahead, Chief spotted some Grunts that were circling around the rock formations from the right, while cutting through a small pathway that split the rock formation in half down the middle. While it was mostly just Grunts, Chief spotted a Brute Major that was behind them. "The Greater Demons are here," the Brute Major shouted. "I will tear the flesh from their bones!"
"You will have to do better than that," Osman shouted, just as Edward Pryde opened fire with his Plasma Machinegun. At the same time, Chief and the others charged forwards, firing their weapons at the Covenant forces that were attacking them. Plasma bolts and pulse lasers cut through the air as both sides fought for superiority.
In this case, it was hardly a challenge for the Elementals and SLDF Marines. Jumping up into the air, Osman flew upwards before disengaging the Jump Jets on his armor, coming down on the Brute's head. There was a loud CRUNCH as Osman landed, compressing the Brute so quickly that it's body didn't have time to react. Moments later, the Brute's Powered Armor failed, blasting apart as the Brute's internal organs were rapidly crushed and liquefied by the force of the impact. Blood and gore splattered all over the rocks and grass, painting a grizzly scene.
Upon seeing their leader dead, the Grunts immediately panicked, running away while screaming at the tops of their lungs. Despite their best efforts to flee, the Grunts were quickly cut down, pulse lasers tearing through their bodies as the SLDF Marines cut them down. Looking beyond the area they were in, Chief spotted the AA Wraith on one of the hills in the area they were in, as well as more Brutes and a Brute Chieftain that was armed with a Fuel Rod Launcher.
Moving across the stream, Chief and the other Elementals engaged the Brutes, while the SLDF Marines fired on the Jackals and the Grunts. The Chieftain roared at Chief before firing it's Fuel Rod Launcher, sending more of the deadly green plasma in Chief's direction. Dodging the munitions hurled at him, Chief smoothly slid towards the Chieftain, jumping up as he smashed the Brute's jaw in a powerful uppercut. The alien roared in pain, clutching at it's jaw before Chief smashed his knife through it's armor and into it's head, killing it instantly.
At the same time, the other Elementals engaged the other Brutes, tearing into the aliens with the ruthlessness and efficiency that only Clan Elementals were truly capable of achieving. Armor, heads and limbs flew through the air as the Elementals tore the Brutes apart, with blood splattering onto their armor as they cut through the Covenant like a plasma cutter through steel. Eventually, the Brutes were terminated, having been completely disassembled by the Elementals in gruesome fashion. As the AA Wraith turned to engage the Elementals, Chief leaped onto the panel over the crew compartment and, tearing off the panel, pulled the Brute inside out before snapping it's neck, tossing in a grenade before jumping off. Moments later, the AA Wraith detonated explosively, with the vehicle falling to the ground moments later.
"AA Wraith disabled," Chief reported over the COM.
"Roger that," the pilot of the Pelican-IIa Element replied. "We're coming in now. ETA: 2 mikes."
"Covenant AA neutralized," an ODST called out. "Beachhead secure."
Apparently, Miranda had heard that announcement, as she said, "Hold Position, I'm on my way. Ship Master, begin diversionary bombardment."
"I shall beat the Prophet's shield like a drum," R'tas replied. "By the time the barrier falls, he will beg for mercy."
Moments later, another voice came in on the COM. "This is the SLS/FWS Mercury to Sierra-117. I have your Jenner-IV and I am inbound on your location. Initiating Hot Drop procedures."
Moments later, Chief heard a loud rumbling sound as the DropShip drew closer, prompting him to look up. Moments later, a Leopard-IV DropShip flew overhead, coming to a stop over part of the beach. Once it came to a stop, one of the 'Mech Bay doors opened, revealing a Jenner-IV that was currently being held in a large, robotic harness as it was moved over the area. Moments later, the robotic harness released the 'Mech, allowing it to land on the ground with a loud THUMP. As soon as the 'Mech was on the ground, the DropShip angled upwards, before rocketing off into the sky, becoming a rapidly shrinking dot in the sky.
Chief nodded in appreciation before running over to the Jenner-IV, easily jumping onto the Light 'Mech before getting inside of the cramped cockpit. Once inside, he powered up the 'Mech and it's systems, with the BattleMech standing upright moments later as the systems came online. Looking at the loadout, Chief could tell that this Jenner-IV had been modified with an experimental cooling system, allowing it to mount VS-MPL's in lieu of the traditional VS-SPL's. The 'Mech's Plasma Machineguns had also been replaced with a pair of ATM/4 missile racks, giving the Jenner-IV more power against both infantry and vehicles.
Probably Alex's doing, Chief thought as he powered up the 'Mech. As soon as it was fully powered up, Chief gunned the throttle, turning the 'Mech around before accelerating up the pathway he'd spotted earlier. As he accelerated, some of the Elementals flew up and latched onto the 'Mech, using handholds that had been placed in a manner that would allow the Elementals to ride, without interfering with the pilot's vision or the weapons that the 'Mech used.
Looking up ahead, Chief found that the path he was taking was lined with clusters of trees, as well as large rocks and boulders that lined the path. Up ahead, he spotted what appeared to be a small bluff, small enough that it fit neatly into the path that he was using, splitting it in half. Moving to the right, Chief turned around the corner and spotted a Covenant Shade Turret that was up ahead, as well as some assorted infantry, and a few Ghosts that were present.
Spotting the enemy forces, Chief opened fire with the VS-MPL's, tearing apart the Grunts and Jackals, while blasting apart the shade turret with a salvo of ATM/4 missiles. At the same time, the Elementals riding shotgun on his 'Mech opened fire, blasting apart the Ghosts with ATM/2 missiles. With the enemy forces neutralized, Chief continued to move up, the feet of his 'Mech thumping loudly against the ground.
As the 'Mech advanced, Chief found that the pathway was starting to level out, reaching a flat area just ahead of his position. Firing his ATM/4 missiles, he blasted apart another pair of Ghosts, destroying the vehicles and killing the Grunts piloting them. Moving onward, Chief found that he was approaching a large clearing, with a waterfall on one side of the path, and some trees and the rock wall on his right. Looking to the left, he spotted what appeared to be a large clearing that had some rainwater collecting in it, as well as large boulders that jutted out of the ground. A few Covenant vehicles were there, as sensor scans revealed a pair of Ghosts, Prowlers as well as a Wraith that was posted in the area. A Shade Turret was located nearby, though Chief couldn't see it visually, as a large boulder blocked his view.
As he moved forwards, he heard Osman say, "Chief, you handle the Ghosts and Prowlers. We can handle the Wraith. You are about to see why Elementals are feared in the Inner Sphere and the Clans." Nodding in agreement, Chief watched as the Elementals launched off of the 'Mech, running towards the Wraith while he continued ahead with the Jenner-IV. Moments later, the SLDF and Covenant's forces clashed.
Moving around one of the rocks, Chief blasted a Prowler with his VS-MPL's, tearing apart the enemy Combat Vehicle in seconds. Another Prowler got too close, so Chief kicked out with the 'Mech's right leg, sending the enemy vehicle flying into the air, where it smashed against the base of the Shield Tower. Firing off a salvo of missiles, Chief destroyed the enemy vehicle, before turning his attention towards the Ghosts and the Shade Turret.
As for the Wraith, the pilot inside, as well as the vehicle itself, was about to fall prey to a favorite tactic that Inner Sphere and Clan Elementals made good use of. Swarming the enemy Combat Vehicle, the Elementals clambered all over it, using their Battle Claws to maintain a strong grip on the Wraith's nanolaminate armor plating. As soon as they were on board, they immediately began to tear it apart; armor plates and components went flying as the Elementals disassembled the Wraith, with the Plasma Mortar being ripped off of the chassis moments later. Tearing off the door to the crew compartment, Osman hurled the Brute inside into the air, while Pryde tore the gunner out of it's seat before smashing it against the nanolaminate armor plating, crushing the Brute's skull. With the occupants out of the vehicle, the Elementals continued to tear apart the Wraith, until it was nothing but a pile of shredded components, with the entire disassembly process taking only a minute and a half to accomplish.
"Wow," Cortana remarked when she saw the practically disassembled Wraith. "Osman wasn't kidding when he said that was why the Elementals were feared in the Inner Sphere and the Clans. They practically disassembled the vehicle and the occupants inside of it." Looking at the ruined Wraith, Chief nodded in agreement. He didn't want to know what would happen to a 'Mech if some Elementals did the same thing. Without a word, he turned towards the entrance to the Shield Tower, getting out of the 'Mech moments later.
The Elementals had gone on before him, entering the tunnel that led into the entrance of the Shield Tower. As he got out, Chief heard a loud series of squawks, yelps, roars and screams as the Elementals took care of some Covenant inside. Running over, Chief arrived just in time to see Osman punching a Brute in the face, tearing it's head off in the process. All around the Elementals, Chief could see Grunts, Jackals and Brutes that had been ripped apart, with a Shade Turret that was also mostly disassembled, with only the anti-gravity platform remaining. With the enemy defeated, they entered the base of the Forerunner tower.
The interior of the tower was just as striking as the exterior, with bas-relief Forerunner architecture everywhere. Looking ahead, Chief spotted a large room that was separated from them via a tall, transparent alloy wall, along with a few other walls in the area. A door was just up ahead, leading to what Chief assumed was a ramp that led into the upper part of the chamber he was in. Some Brutes were present, along with some Grunts and a few Jackals.
Spotting the Elementals and Chief, the Brutes immediately attacked, throwing away any form of caution to the wind while the Grunts and Jackals opened fire, sending plasma bolts in their direction. Moving forwards, Chief engaged one of the Brutes, killing him with a well placed pulse laser burst to the chest, before smoothly engaging other targets in the area. The Elementals with him immediately charged forwards, cutting through Brutes and the other enemy infantry like a knife through hot butter.
After a half minute of intense fighting, Chief and the Elementals had killed all of the enemy forces in this room. Moving through the door, Chief proceeded ahead, while the Elementals, spotting the lift above them, boosted upwards, reaching the lift moments later before proceeding to their right. Moving through the hallway, Chief spotted some Grunts and Jackals via an open air window to the upper level, while some Brutes moved down a ramp that was on the right hand side of the hallway. Moving that way, Chief fired on the Brutes, tossing a grenade before firing his MPL rifle at the aliens. The explosion tore apart the Brutes, tearing through their Powered Armor while Chief's MPL Rifle cut through their bodies, ripping the Brutes apart before killing them.
He was about to move forwards when he heard a loud explosion. Looking to the left, Chief barely avoided being hit by the flying corpse of a Grunt, with said corpse landing behind him. Looking upwards slightly, he spotted the rest of the Elementals, who had just disposed of the Jackals and Grunts with a well aimed ATM/2 missile. "Come on, slowpoke," Osman teased. "We have work to do." Shaking his head at the camaraderie, Chief proceeded up the ramp and regrouped with the other Elementals, reaching the lift a few seconds later. Hitting the control panel, Chief felt the lift moving upwards.
A few moments later, they reached the end of the lift's journey into the tower. Up ahead, Chief could see a transparent metal wall that blocked off a forward movement, with the sides of the lift lobby being left open. Up ahead, he could see a series of metal supports that divided up the large chamber into smaller sections, with a hallway passing behind each of the supports. A Brute Chieftain was up ahead, as well as some Brute Majors and Captains. "Take them out," Chief ordered.
"Aff, lead," Osman replied, charging forwards and engaging the Brutes moments later. Running forwards, Chief engaged the Brute Chieftain, jumping into the air before coming down on the Brute, smashing the alien's cheekbones and collarbone with his Armored Boots. The alien collapsed to the ground, with a small, cylindrical object being thrown out of it's hands. Raising his boot, Chief smashed it down onto the Brute, crushing it's head and ending the Brute's life. Looking behind, he watched as the Elementals finished dealing with the Chieftain's men. "Not a very interesting challenge," Osman remarked as Chief disabled the tower.
"Good work," Miranda said over the COM. "That's the first tower. The Arbiter and the Elites should be just about to-" Moments later, the second tower deactivated, leaving only the third one opertaional. "That's two," Miranda counted. "It's all up to Johnson now. Commander Keyes to Sergeant Johnson, do you read me? Over."
Moments later, Johnson's reply came, and it wasn't good. "We're being overwhelmed by enemy forces," he shouted, his voice fading in and out as the COM channel sputtered with static. "We can't hold this position. Everyone fall back! Now!" Moments later, the COM channel cut out.
"Johnson, do you read me," Miranda asked. "Johnson? Shit." Switching frequencies, she said, "Chief, I'm sending you to the third tower. Finish what Johnson started and shut it down. The Arbiter and Elites are heading over there now. I'll see if I can get a Firebird-IV to your position. I'm heading to Johnson's beacon, which is moving towards the Citadel. I'll be there in 4 mikes."
"Affirmative," Chief replied. Turning to the others, he said, "Change of plans. Johnson's forces were driven off by the Covenant. We're being sent to deactivate the final tower. Understood?"
"Aff, lead," Osman replied. "Take point, we will cover you." Moving back to the lift, Chief pressed the button, with the lift reaching the bottom of the shaft in seconds. Not bothering to take the long way, Chief jumped off of the lift, landing on the ground with a loud THUD before moving outside, getting into his Jenner-IV before moving out, with the Elementals hanging onto his 'Mech.
The return journey to the beach didn't take nearly as long as the first time around, mostly since he was heading downhill and not having to deal with any enemies. Reaching the beach, Chief watched as a Firebird-IV touched down, the engines on the ASF cooling off as the Pilot got out. "Here you go, Chief," the ASF Pilot told him. "One Firebird-IV at your disposal."
"This isn't the standard design," Chief observed, as he noticed that the C-RAC/2 had been replaced with a different weapon.
"That's normal," the Pilot replied. "Admiral Chernenko replaced the C-RAC/2 on some Firebird-IV's with two, L-HAG/5's (Light Hyper Assault Gauss) that fire 30mm ferro-osmiridium slugs. It's just as powerful as the standard C-RAC/2, but with more ammunition capacity and greater rate of fire. You can blast a Banshee or Phantom out of the sky with this thing, and if the L-HAG/5's can't do the job, the AFM/5's and VS-MPL's can handle the job just fine."
Hearing the Pilot's explanation, Chief decided that the different loadout was a justifiable change. Getting inside, he powered up the weapons systems, while Cortana began monitoring the vehicle's internal systems as well as other things that she needed to keep an eye on. Powering up the Impulse Engine, Chief pushed the throttle to standard cruising speed, with the new, anti-gravity generators lifting the ASF off of the ground before the vehicle zoomed forwards, leaving behind the area he'd come from. While he left, a Pelican-IIa came and picked up the Elementals, taking them out of the area.
Flying forwards, Chief spotted some Banshees that were currently engaged with an flight of Morgensterns and Firebird-IV ASF's, with missiles, HEAP shells, Gauss slugs, lasers and plasma bolts being exchanged between both sides. He also spotted what looked like a Phantom, with the enemy VTOL being blown apart by a missile moments later. Flying ahead, Chief fired on a group of Banshees, blowing two apart with the L-HAG/5's, while blasting another one apart with a salvo of AFM/5's. After just a half minute of fighting, all Covenant AeroSpace forces in the area had been neutralized.
Moving forwards, Chief spotted the entrance to the third tower, which was located next to a small clearing, and a massive cave that presumably led into the crater. Covenant AA Wraiths were located nearby, and a small flight of Banshees zoomed into view, firing their weapons at allied Phantoms carrying the Arbiter and the other Sangheilians. Zooming forwards, Chief allowed the other ASF's to handle the Banshees, while he fired on the AA Wraiths down below. The ultra-dense, ferro-osmiridium slugs tore into the AA Wraiths, tearing off huge chunks of armor before tearing the enemy vehicles apart. Firing a salvo of AFM/5's, Chief demolished the second one, allowing the allied Phantoms to land. Putting the ASF on Drone Mode, Chief got out of the vehicle, landing just as the ASF tore apart the infantry on the ground with the L-HAG's.
Landing on the ground, Chief watched as Thel, and Bero, walked over to him. "We're almost at the end," Thel told Chief as he came over. "Are you ready to finish what we've started?"
"Yes," Chief replied, pulling out his rifle moments later. Nodding in agreement, Thel, Chief and the others proceeded inside, weapons at the ready as they charged inside. As they proceeded inside, some Brutes came out of the entrance, only to be blasted apart by a well thrown Plasma Grenade.
"Well thrown," one of the Elites shouted.
"Thanks," another one replied.
Moving inside, Chief found that the tower was of the same layout as the first one, with the same architecture and lift. As they proceeded forwards, Bero said, "Wait! There's another Hive Mind here. Let me communicate with it." Stopping in their tracks, the others watched as Bero closed his eyes, extending his mind out towards the Drones that were hidden in the walls.
When he opened his eyes, the Drones flew out, surrounding the group moments later. Instead of attacking, however, the Drones quickly took up position behind them, exiting the structure after the door opened behind the squad. "That is still a terrifying ability of yours," one Elite told Bero. "It is good that you have shown restraint with it."
"Indeed," Bero replied. Looking at Chief, he said, "I sensed some Brutes up ahead. Mostly Majors and Minors, but I sensed a few Brute Stalkers up on the level above us, as well as a Chieftain."
"Any sign of Johnson," Chief asked.
"No," Bero replied. "He's not dead, I can tell you that. I think the Covenant captured him so that they could activate the Halo's. If I know Johnson, though, he won't do so willingly. They'll have to beat him into a stupor to do so."
"Noted," Chief replied, using his Jump Jets to get onto the lift, while the Elites traveled through the normal way. Flanking the Covenant forces, Chief neutralized the Brutes from the rear, allowing the Elites to move to the lift unhindered.
"Go on, Spartan," Thel told Chief. "We will guard this location while you disable the shield that the coward hides behind." Nodding in agreement, Chief pressed the icon on the lift's panel, with the lift moving upwards moments later.
Reaching the top, Chief spotted the Brute Chieftain, but he didn't see any Stalkers. "Chief, switch to thermals," Cortana informed him. "The other Brutes are cloaked." Switching to thermals, Chief spotted roughly five more Brutes that were hiding in locations behind the metal support beams. Flanking to the left, he quickly terminated them, with the aliens roaring in surprise when they were shot by Chief with his MPL Rifle.
The Chieftain chose this moment to act. Using a small, cylindrical object, it charged at Chief, it's armor covered in what appeared to be an overshield. Firing his weapon, Chief watched as the laser beam bounced off of the shield, which didn't show any signs of breaking. "Brute Overshield," Cortana said to him. "For ten seconds, he's going to be invulnerable to damage, Chief. You need to outlast him."
"Right," Chief replied, using his Jump Jets to stay out of range of the Gravity Hammer the Chieftain had. The Brute roared at him as it swung it's hammer, with Chief narrowly missing being hit multiple times. After ten seconds, the Brute Overshield wore off, allowing Chief to leap into action; jumping forwards, he smashed his boot into the Brute's face, knocking off it's helmet before driving his knife into it's head. In an anticlimactic fashion, the Brute fell over, dead. With the Brute dead, Chief moved forwards and deactivated the shield tower.
As soon as he did, the energy barrier faded, revealing the Forerunner Citadel in all of it's glory. Looking up, Chief watched as R'tas WarShip, the Shadow of Intent, loomed overhead. "Now, Prophet," R'tas said solemnly. "Your end has come."
Suddenly, Chief watched as another Slipstream Space Portal opened, with a large, brown colored ball coming out moments later. At the same time, a smaller object flew at the Shadow of Intent, punching through the armor on the WarShip and tearing out of the other side. Another series of rocks flew at the shield tower, with one blasting through the transparent alloy above Chief, with the rock landing behind him near the lift. I knew it was too easy, Chief thought when he saw a familiar enemy coming at him.
"FLOOD," Cortana shouted, just as several Infection Forms and Combat Forms jumped out of the rock, which was now revealed to be a large mass of Flood tissue. Pulling out his MPL rifle, Chief cut apart the Combat Forms coming at him, pulling out a grenade and setting it to Incineration mode before hurling it forwards. The mass of Flood matter burst on fire as though someone had poured gasoline onto it and lit it with a match, while the Flood that were too close to the fire were promptly incincerated. Focusing attention on the Flood, Chief neutralized the remaining Combat Forms before heading to the lift.
As the lift descended, Chief heard Miranda communicating to R'tas. "Ship Master," she asked, "What's your status?"
"Significant damage," R'tas replied. "Weapons systems disabled!"
"Pull out of there now," Miranda ordered. "The other WarShips are moving in to deal with the Flood."
"Why would the Parasite come here," R'tas asked, exasperation and shock in his voice.
"The Ark is out of range, of all the active installations," Guilty Spark replied. "Priority: We must contain this outbreak befo-"
"No," Miranda barked, countermanding the Monitor's recommendation. "First we stop Truth, then we deal with the Flood. The Star League is already dealing with them, so we can focus on stopping Truth from activating the Halo's." Switching frequencies, she said, "Chief, I need you to get into the Citadel and stop Truth before he can cause any more damage. The Star League has the Flood handled for now, but that might change if they directly contact you."
"Understood," Chief replied, just as the lift reached the bottom of the shaft. Jumping off, Chief and the others proceeded out of the tower, as the Elites had already dealt with the Flood invading the tower. Moving outside, Chief found that Alex and his Star, which consisted of a Mad Cat-IVb, a Nightstar-IV, a Marauder-IV, a Atlas-IV that Alex was piloting, and a JagerMech-III that was currently unmanned, had arrived.
"Good to see you in one piece, Chief," Alex said over the COM. "I was worried when I heard that the Flood had arrived."
"Do you have a means of transport," Chief asked the Clan 'MechWarrior. "The Covenant are at the Citadel and I think they have captured Johnson."
"I know," Alex replied. "Johnson has a armor cam that showed his capture. He is not being cooperative, but he cannot hold them off forever. I have a JagerMech-III that has your name on it. Get onboard and we will teach these Covenant a lesson." Nodding in agreement, Chief clambered up the chain ladder and into the JagerMech-III, powering it up before proceeding ahead of the group.
Moving through the tunnel, Chief found that it led to a snow covered gorge that wound to the left, with sheer rock walls that had snow on the tops of each one. Turning to the left, he proceeded through the gorge, noting a few sensor contacts that had come up on his RADAR. Moments later, the gorge angled to the right, with Chief turning around the bend to find a group of Brutes, as well as a few Ghosts in the area. Not one of the Brutes was able to react before an A-UAC/10 shell tore into them, blasting the Brutes, their Chieftain and the Ghosts into a million steaming pieces. Without a thought for them, Chief proceeded forwards, while Alex's Star followed closely behind.
That was when Chief reached the entrance to the crater. The crater was immense, with more than enough room to house a small WarShip with room to spare. The walls of the crater had a series of snow covered pathways that were elevated above the rest of the crater, with snow covered ramps leading down into the crater's caldera. A number of rock formations were present in the caldera, interrupting the symmetry of the crater; the Ark's Citadel towered above everything else, the summit of the Forerunner structure towering over the entire area. Looking around, Chief spotted more Covenant forces in the area, most likely the last remaining bastion of Covenant resistance on Installation 00.
Moving forwards, Chief engaged a group of Ghosts that zoomed towards his 'Mech, blasting apart the enemy Combat Vehicles with his A-UAC/2's. Moving forwards, Chief found that he had to be careful, as the 'Mech was large enough that the elevated pathways were fairly narrow, as his 'Mech pushed snow over the edge and into the area down below. While he had Jump Jets on his 'Mech, he didn't want to risk running out of fuel on the descent to the ground below. With that in mind, he proceeded forwards, taking out any Covenant forces on the way forward.
He was about to fire on a Wraith when a flight of missiles flew overhead, tearing into the Covenant vehicle moments later. "I've got you covered, Chief," Smith's said over the COM. "The Mad Cat-IVb is good at missile support as well. We've also got some Catapult-IV's on the walls of the crater, ready to rain down some high explosive destruction on the Covenant." As he said this, said Capatult-IV's opened fire, raining down ATM/20 missile salvos onto Covenant units on the ground. Acknowledging their presence, Chief proceeded forwards, reaching one of the earthen ramps that led down into the caldera.
At that precise moment, two Scarabs landed in the caldera, throwing up snow and rock as they landed with thunderous THUMP's. "Scarabs," Alex roared over the COM. "Take them out. Damage their legs and take out their Fusion Engines!"
"Aff lead," Chief replied, maneuvering his JagerMech-III to the right of the left Scarab. At the same time, the Catapult-IV's fired on the Scarabs, tearing holes and gashes in the Covenant 'Mech's armor with salvos of missiles. Moving to the right, Chief blasted the front right leg on the Scarab, tearing off the armor plating and damaging the leg. Detecting the damage, the Scarab crouched down, allowing Chief to move to the rear and blast off the rear armor plating. As soon as the Scarab's Fusion Engine was exposed, he fired, blasting it apart with his A-UAC's.
At the same time Chief engaged the first Scarab, Alex and the other 'Mechs engaged the other Scarab, blasting huge rents and tears into the nanolaminate armor plating. Disabling one of the legs, Xi Yang Long moved to the rear of the enemy 'Mech, using the Advanced Gauss Cannons on her Mad Cat-IVb to blast off the rear armor. As soon as it was exposed, she fired her VS-MPL's, tearing through the enemy Fusion Engine. "Get out of there," Alex shouted as he retreated, with the other 'Mechs, clearing the area moments later.
As soon as Xi's 'Mech left the blast radius, the Scarab's detonated, blowing apart in spectacular fashion and rocking the area with the shockwave. As soon as the blast ended, Chief proceeded towards the entrance to the Citadel, clambering out of his 'Mech as he did so. At the same time, a Badger-IV IFV came to a stop nearby, with Thel and Bero getting out moments later. "The monstrous coward is hiding in the Citadel," Thel told Chief. "Oracle, can you activate this bridge."
"Calamity," the Monitor remarked. "If only we had more time. I'll get this bridge open, and I'll contact the Monitor of this installation. If the Ark is activated, I can have him stall the activation sequence long enough for you to abort it."
"Good," Chief replied. Moments later, the hard light bridge activated, allowing Chief, Thel and Bero to proceed forwards, just as Osman landed on the bridge moments later. Nodding at the Elemental, Chief and the others proceeded forwards, entering the Citadel itself. Proceeding down the long, trapezoidal shaped hallway, they made their way towards another door that led into the lift room itself.
As they did so, Cortana said, "Chief, Truth is sending out a broadcast. He's got Johnson captive, and he's trying to make him start the activation sequence! We have to hurry!" Reaching the lift, Chief pressed the icon on the panel, with the lift beginning to move up moments later.
. . .
Johnson had to admit, he never though he'd find himself in this kind of a situation. He grunted loudly as a Brute punched him in the midsection, knocking the wind out of Johnson before shoving him against the console for the installation they were currently on. "Come on, is that the best you've got," he taunted, earning him some more abuse in the process, with the Brute starting to choke him. "Come on," Johnson growled. "Impress me."
Nearby, Truth was in his anti-gravity lift, continuing to spout his religious nonsense before coming over to him. Spotting what was happening, he said, "Stop! He wants you to kill him. I'd prefer that you did not..." A moment later, he glanced at the control console for the installation and the other Fortress Worlds.
"What's the matter, shithead," Johnson growled. "Can't start your own party?"
"I admit it. I need your help," Truth replied, "But that secret dies with the rest." Moments later, the Brute holding Johnson let go of his throat, grabbed his hand, ready to force him to begin the activation sequence.
That was when it happened. Suddenly, the transparent alloy above them shattered, with a Pelican-IIa bursting inside, sending shrapnel everywhere. In the chaos, Johnson hurled himself backwards, narrowly avoiding having his head chopped off by a piece of debris that zoomed past him. At the same time, Truth was hurled out of his anti-gravity unit by some debris, while the Brutes were staggered and knocked over by shrapnel. The Pelican-IIa came to a landing moments later, with Miranda Keyes bursting out of the troop bay. "Johnson," she shouted when she spotted the Sergeant.
"Look out," Johnson shouted, pointing to Miranda's right. Moving on instinct, she narrowly dodged a blow, just as a Brute swung his Spiker through the air she was once at. Rolling, she fired a few HEAP shells from her M50 AGR, killing the Brute before grabbing Johnson. "I'm getting you out of here," she shouted, dragging Johnson towards the Pelican-IIa.
That was never to be, as before she could act, she felt three sharp pains in her back. Collapsing forwards, Miranda heard Johnson shout, "NOOOO! Miranda," as she fell forwards onto the ground. She could hear Truth saying something just as he forced Johnson to begin the activation sequence, with a Brute tossing Johnson aside.
At the other end of the Citadel's ring room, Chief and the others reached the top of the lift shaft, just as two Flood Pure Forms dropped down. "Do not shoot," the Gravemind said through the Pure Forms. "Let me lead you safely to your foe. Only you can halt what he has set in motion." Looking down, Chief watched as Infection Forms moved past him, a show of faith on the Gravemind's part. A moment later, he began to move forwards, with Thel and the others in tow.
"I don't trust the Gravemind, Chief," Cortana told him. "I think he's using us to stop the Halo's from firing, then he'll turn around and attempt to infect us."
"I agree," Chief replied, having turned off his helmet's external speakers. "We'll deal with him once we've aborted the activation sequence. Once that is done, we'll extract out of here and rendezvous with the Star League." Nearby, Bero and Thel had a similar conversation telepathically, with the Elites nodding to each other as they proceeded forwards. The ring room of the Citadel was long and massive, with a long walkway that was held inside of a trapezoidal shaped chamber while being suspended above the ground. Holographic images of the Halo's were displayed up in the air, while small half walls split up parts of the walkway. A large structure, which appeared to be a room, was up ahead, probably a place to gather one's breath before proceeding forwards.
Spotting some Brutes up ahead, Chief fired his MPL Rifle, with Osman adding his own ATM/2's to the mix. Several Brutes were promptly cut down, while more were promptly annihilated by the missiles that rained down on them. At the same time, Bero, using his shape-shifting abilities, morphed his mandibles into long, bladed tentacles, killing a few Brutes while injecting venom into some more. The aliens roared in pain as the venom went to work, with those Brutes collapsing after a few seconds of intense pain. With the Brutes dealt with, the group proceeded forwards entering the room, which had some holoprojectors inside of it.
As they moved forwards, Truth, who was still broadcasting, was furious. "How could I have known the Parasite would follow," he shouted, shocked and enraged by what he was seeing. "Undoubtedly, this is the Heretic's doing. A final, bitter test!"
"Shut up," Osman growled, blasting the holoprojectors with an ATM/2. Moving through the room, they exited out through a door on the other side, with more Brutes, including a Chieftain on the other side. Firing their weapons, Chief and the others fired back, while the Flood added their own forces to the mix.
Roaring loudly, Bero morphed out of his armor, his gelatinous flesh flowing over the ground and out of his armor. Reforming into his normal form, Bero morphed into a bipedal version of the wyvern he had changed into when he had saved Thel at the Library on Delta Halo. Roaring again, he leaped forwards, his wings buffeting the air as he landed in front of a Brute. Slashing at the alien, Bero tore off some of the Brute's armor, before lashing out with his head and tearing into the Brute's throat with his teeth. The Brute screamed in agony as Bero bit down, before ripping out the alien's windpipe and throat, with the Brute collapsing to the ground moments later. Morphing back into his normal form, Bero put his armor back on before charging ahead to join the others.
The Flood was also proving to be an effective combatant, as the Pure Forms and Infection Forms charged forwards. Swiping at some Brutes, one Pure Form sent a pair of the ape-like aliens flying over the edge of the walkway, the aliens screaming as they fell to their deaths. An Infection Form burrowed into a Jackal, turning the creature into a Combat Form that promptly began tearing apart it's former allies. All the while, other Combat Forms tore through the Brutes, killing and infecting each one.
Unbeknownst to the others, Miranda Keyes wasn't out of the fight. While Truth was broadcasting his religious nonsense, Miranda began to crawl forwards towards the control panel for the Halo's, having faked being killed earlier. Moving silently, she got up onto her feet and, pulling out her M50 AGR, fired three times into Truth's back. The Hierarch screamed in pain as the bullets tore into his body, with the Hierarch collapsing moments later to the ground. Hearing the Hierarch's scream of pain, the Brutes turned around, only to get a face full of HEAP shells as the reward for their vigilance.
Looking at Miranda with surprise, Johnson said, "I thought Truth killed you."
"I got smart," Miranda replied. Moments later, her uniform seemed to shimmer, disappearing to reveal a slimmed down version of the M45 Titan armor that the SLDF issued to it's troops. This variant was the M48 Hermes Stealth Armor, which was designed for SLIC personnel that were deeply embedded in enemy territory, as the suit could project any form of clothing that an officer or enlisted man could wear, while providing almost the same amount of protection as the standard M45 Titan armor. "What," she asked when she saw Johnson's expression. "You think I would go in with a half-baked plan? I thought you were smarter than that, Johnson."
"I am," Johnson replied. "I just didn't know the SLDF had invented that kind of armor." While he sounded indignant, the smile on his face made it clear that he was glad to see that Miranda Keyes was alive and well. A moment later, his expression changed when he said, "The rings! They-"
"I know," Miranda replied. "Truth began the activation sequence, but the Monitor for the Installation we're on has indefinitely delayed the sequence. Apparently, faking a maintenance alert can stop the process indefinitely." As she said this, Chief and the others arrived.
"Commander," Chief remarked when he spotted Miranda. "I thought you were on the WarShips still."
"I decided to take care of a problem," Miranda replied. "Deactivate the rings, Chief. I'll help Johnson get out of here. Once we're done here, I'll pilot the Pelican-IIa out of here with the rest of you all."
"Affirmative," Chief replied.
As he proceeded towards the control panel, Thel and Bero approached Truth, who was dying from the HEAP shells that Miranda had pumped him full of. "Can you see it, Arbiter," Truth groaned as blood continued to trickle from his wounds. "The moment of salvation is at hand."
"Silence, you foul bastard," Bero growled. "You tricked our species into attempting to murder an innocent species, all because you were afraid of losing power. It's monsters like you that turned us into what we are, what I am now."
"It will not last," Thel growled, activating his Energy Sword a moment later before grabbing Truth by the throat. "I will not let you commit this foul act of genocide."
"Your kind, never truly believed in the Great Journey," Truth groaned. As Thel prepared to strike down the Prophet, the Gravemind began speaking out of Truth's mouth. "Lies for the weak. Beacons for the deluded," the Gravemind growled, with Flood Spores coming from Truth's mouth.
"I will have my revenge on the Prophet," Thel growled. "Not a parasite!"
"My feet tread the Path, I will become a god," Truth groaned. The Gravemind growled through Truth once again. "You will be food, nothing more." At the same time, some of Truth's flesh mutated, with a long tendril extending from part of his head. Spotting Chief aborting the activation sequence, Truth shouted, "NOOO!" As he was hauled into the air, the Hierarch continued to groan and howl. "I... am... Truth. The voice of the Covenant!"
Knocking off Truth's headdress, Thel growled, "And so, you must be silenced." With finality, Thel plunged his Energy Sword into Truth's back, while Bero, morphing his mandibles, plunged bladed tentacles into Truth's chest. The Hierarch screamed, a loud, horrible wailing sound as his life was ended there. A few moments later, the Hierarch's body went limp, with Thel and Bero tossing the body to the ground. Both Sangheilians roared in triumph, having gotten the revenge they wanted so badly.
That wasn't the end, though, as several massive tentacles erupted from below their position. A haunting, horrible laughing sound erupted through the air as the Gravemind, having achieved survival, turned on it's former allies. One tentacle struck at the Pelican-IIa, knocking the thing out of the Citadel and into the exterior. "Now the gate has been unlatched. Headstones pushed aside... corpses shift and offer room. A fate you must abide!"
"Surats," Osman growled. "I knew he would betray us!"
"Indeed," Thel replied. "We trade one enemy for another." With that, the fight to escape really began.
Just as a horde of Flood came after them, several missiles flew into the Citadel's ring room, blasting apart most of the horde. "Chief, can you read me," Miranda said over the COM. "I can't extract you from where you're at. The Flood are attacking en masse and there are a lot of tentacles preventing me from getting inside. You'll need to find your own way out!"
"Understood," Chief replied. "Thanks for clearing out some of the Flood."
"It's the least I can do," Miranda replied. "Get out of there, now!" With that, the COM link ended.
"Come on, you Flood stravag," Osman roared. "I will kill all of you! I declare a Trial of Annihilation against the Gravemind! I will not stop until all of you are dead… again!" With that, the fight really began.
Charging forwards back the way they came, Chief and the others moved through fast, killing the Flood as quickly as possible. Missiles, plasma bolts and pulse lasers tore through the air, severing limbs and appendages from the infected corpses of many Combat Forms. One Combat Form tried to leap on Bero, only for the Sangheilian shape-shifter to batter it aside, flinging it over the edge of the walkway. A Pure Form charged at Osman, only for the Elemental to blast it apart with his ATM's. As the thing screamed, he blasted it apart, growling, "Shut up" as he did so.
Eventually, after intense fighting, they managed to reach the lift. "Damnit," Bero growled. "The Flood destroyed the console! We can't get down this way!"
"Over here," Thel shouted, opening a hatch to a maintenance shaft before jumping down. Following Thel, Chief, Bero and Osman leaped down the hatch, with the hatch sealing behind them. For a good twenty meters, they fell down the shaft, before using their Jump Jets to land safely on the ground.
As soon as they landed, Guilty Spark, who was in the tower as well, floated over to them. "Reclaimer," he gasped happily. "I thought we'd lost you there!"
"Me too," Chief replied. Looking at Guilty Spark, he said, "The Flood are infesting the Ark. Do we have a backup plan available?"
"I do," the Monitor replied. "Follow me." Getting up, Chief and the others followed the Monitor down some darkly lit hallways, before reaching what appeared to be a control panel. Pressing an icon on the panel, Chief watched as a large viewport opened up, revealing the cloudy area that he'd seen at the Citadel. What he saw next amazed and shocked him.
It was another Halo, mostly likely a replacement for the one he had destroyed. It slowly rose into position, with the ring moving upwards in order to initiate a Slipspace Jump to where the original Halo used to be at. Chief could see, though, that it was incomplete, as parts of the replacement had large gaps where the superstructure was visible. "A replacement, for the one you destroyed," Thel replied.
"I see," Chief remarked. "When did you know," he asked Guilty Spark.
Next to them, Guilty Spark said, "Just now - but I had my hopes. So, Reclaimer, what do you wish to do?"
"Will firing one of the Halo's out here harm the galaxy?"
"No. We are far enough out that firing just one Halo will not harm the galaxy. So, what do you intend to do?"
Looking at the new Halo, Chief said, "Light it."
"Then we are agreed," the Monitor remarked. "A tactical pulse will completely eradicate the local infestation. I will begin preparations. It will take sometime to fabricate an Activation Index, though." With that, the Monitor flew off, disappearing moments later with his voice fading as he traveled further and further away.
"I've got one," Cortana replied. "A little insurance policy in the event we needed it. Oh, by the way, Chief, the SLDF has some orders for you. They want you to relocate to this position here; apparently, Chernenko and Hood have a plan for dealing with the Covenant."
"Understood," Chief replied as he began navigating his way out of the maze of maintenance shafts towards the exit. The Covenant was finished. Now they had to stop the Flood, and save the galaxy. They were at the last mile now.