Hello again, everyone, and welcome to my Halo - Terminator crossover. I greatly appreciate the feedback that I've been getting for this crossover. Feedback like this helps me make the story better, so please keep it up. I really appreciate it.

For those of you concerned about Bero becoming an overpowered character, don't worry. I've got some plans to make sure he isn't OP. For one, his shape-shifting abilities will have some drawbacks, one of which you'll learn of in this chapter. Secondly, his story plot will be similar to that in my other crossover, but with some changes to make it unique and special. Either way, I'll adjust as things go along. If necessary, I'll rewrite a few chapters to make things better.

For those of you reading, this chapter was inspired by Christopher Paolini's Inhertance Cycle series. Christopher Paolini will always be one of my favorite authors. His Inheritance Cycle book series is, in my opinion, one of the best written high fantasy series ever. Part of this chapter is a tribute to his writing genius. This chapter was also inspired by the D&D franchise, which I've found to be interesting, even though I don't play it.

As always, leave a review and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or Terminator franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of Microsoft Game Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, Carolo Pictures, Hemdale, Skydance Productions, 20th Century Fox, Lightstorm Entertainment, etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers, producers 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.


Threshold

Forerunner Gas Mine

20th Age of Reclamation

The moment Thel heard R'tas mention the stench, he knew what he was referring to. The Parasite, he realized, his skin breaking out into a cold sweat. There were few thing that any Sangheili warrior of repute feared, and one of them was the Parasite. While many denied being afraid of the Parasite, Thel was one of those few Sangheili that knew that fear was not an irrational one, and with good reason. To be infected by the Parasite was to have everything that made you unique stripped from you, ripped apart to be absorbed by the Flood's all consuming hunger and rage. Breathing in and out, he slowly calmed his hearts, which had begun to race as soon as as he heard R'tas speak.

Next to R'tas, Bero was also trying to keep calm, and it was easy to see why. While he was the only Sangheili that had survived being infected by the Parasite, and had successfully rejected it, it had left an indelible mark on his mind. Even to this day, he still received nightmares and flashbacks to the moment he was infected, as well as the moment his desire to survive became so strong it had allowed him to override the Parasite inside of him. Looking to his right, R'tas could clearly tell that Bero was having a difficult time keeping calm, prompting him to place a hand on his shoulder. Sensing the reassuring touch, Bero calmed down, his thumping hearts returning to a normal rate. "You OK," R'tas asked.

"I'll be fine," Bero replied.

"Are you sure? You were on the verge of panic."

"I will be. Just bad memories." Satisfied with Bero's answer, R'tas nodded ever so slightly, before moving on into the facility. Thel and Bero followed shortly thereafter, along with the other Sangheili that were with them.

Unlike the rest of the facility, which had been a warm tan color, the interior of the central section was a cold, silvery-gray color, almost like the inside of a manufacturing facility. Walking around a wall, Thel found himself looking at a large, rectangular tank that held a yellow-green fluid inside. He nearly leaped back with a shout when he saw Flood spores inside, but relaxed when he realized that they were safely contained. Continuing on, the group soon came to a hallway that led to another door on the other side. The floor was transparent in places, though a thick fog obscured the room below, casting an eerie atmosphere into the place. They briefly paused when they thought they saw motion down below, but since it was separated from them, they proceeded onward. Reaching the door, he opened it up and gazed inside, intent on finding out what was going on.

The door led to a much larger room that was divided into two levels. The first one was an elevated series of catwalks that led to others bordering the interior of the room, with transparent sections in places. Looking up, Thel could see pipes that were designed to transport gas into the central structure, where it would be refined and converted into compounds that the Forerunners found to be useful. The lower level of the room was a large open space, with support columns that were arranged into small, rectangular groups of four. he thought he could see what he thought were bodies on the ground, though the room was dark enough that he couldn't tell for certain at this distance.

Without anywhere to go, he began to walk on one of the transparent sections of the catwalk he was on. Unbeknownst to him, time and neglect had weakened those sections, making them brittle and weakening their structural integrity. He quickly found this out the hard way, as when both of his hoofs were on the transparent metal, the material cracked, before shattering like glass. With a startled yelp, Thel fell to the lower level, landing on his back with a loud THUMP. Brittle pieces of transparent metal fell down on him, prompting him to shield his head until the debris stopped falling onto him. "Arbiter, are you alright," he heard R'tas shout.

"I'm fine," he replied, grunting slightly as he got up. "Be careful on the transparent sections. It appears as though time and neglect have weakened them considerably." Once he got up, he gently rubbed the areas that had been hit hard, before shaking his head and refocusing on where he was. Looking around, Thel could see that he had landed on the lower level of the room, which had previously been obscured by darkness. Now that he was on 'ground level', he could see that there were indeed corpses on the ground, but they weren't Sangheili or Unggoy corpses. He nearly gagged with revulsion when he realized they were Sangheili that had been infected, turned into Combat Forms by the Parasite. Fortunately, these didn't have the smallest creatures inside of them, rendering the corpses inanimate and, therefore, harmless.

Hearing someone landing on the ground nearby, he turned to see Bero walking towards one of the corpses. Before he could ask what the young Sangheili was doing, Bero drew his Energy Sword and, slashing his sword, completely tore up the corpse, before moving to more to repeat the process. When he saw Thel's questioning look, he said, "The Parasite can infest these corpses and reanimate them. If we dismember and destroy them, it will have nothing to work with." Nearby R'tas, who had been on the ill fated mission to the Infinite Succor, nodded in approval, having had to do the same himself. After a couple minutes, any corpses that the Parasite might've been able to infest had been destroyed.

Just as Bero finished, they all began to hear a sound: a loud, electronic warbling sound, as though something was flying towards them. Looking around, Thel spotted the source of the sound, which was a small sphere that was glowing somewhat. Flying down and towards them, the sphere quickly came to a stop on the ground, before it began to project an image. Moments later, the image of Sesa 'Refumee was present, with the Sangheili seemingly hovering in the air. "I see, Heretic," a Grunt shouted, firing it's Plasma Pistol. The shots passed harmlessly through 'Refumee's hologram, with the Sangheili laughing out of amusement.

"Hold your fire," R'tas ordered. "Hold your fire!"

'Refumee merely laughed a couple of times, before he said, "How amusing." Becoming more serious, he said, "I wonder who the Prophets sent to silence me." Looking around, his gaze promptly fell on Thel, who simply glared back. "An Arbiter? I'm flattered."

"He's using a holodrone," R'tas observed. "He must be close. Come out, so we can kill you."

The moment he said that, 'Refumee laughed. It was a cold and humorless laugh, one that sent chills down Thel's spine and echoed in the chamber. "Get in line," the Sangheili smirked, "That is, if the Parasite does not change you into it's willing servants." Moments later, his hologram faded into nonexistence. The holodrone merely fell to the ground, a slight tinkling noise marking it's landing.

As soon as the hologram faded, the entire chamber was cast into silence, prompting Thel and the others to look around. "Leader," one of the Elites asked.

"Stand firm," R'tas ordered. "The Flood are upon us." As soon as he said this, Thel spotted a flash of movement above his head. Looking up, he watched as Infection Forms, the smallest yet most frightening form of the Parasite, gathered in the transparent pipes up ahead, before smashing their tentacles and probosces against the material. Weakened by age and neglect, the transparent pipes simply shattered like glass, sending shards of material, and the Infection Forms themselves, falling down into the chamber. "Cleanse the Parasite," R'tas roared, weapons in hand.

Just like that, the fight was on. The Sangheili roared as they fired their pilfered weapons at the Infection Forms, sending bolts of phased plasma flying through the air. While the resulting fusillade destroyed a number of the Infection Forms, some made it through, infesting any creature they could get their slimy tentacles onto. An Unggoy screamed in agony as it's body was infested, it's armor popping off as the infected creature swelled in size. Screaming, the infected Unggoy charged at the Elites, only for a phased plasma bolt from Thel's rifle to blast it apart. A Sangheili was unfortunate enough to be swarmed by Infection Forms, with the alien screaming and roaring as his body and mind were consumed by the Parasite. A slash from another Sangheili's Energy Sword quickly put the infected Sangheili out of his misery.

Regrouping, R'tas, Thel, Bero and the surviving Unggoy and Sangheili retreated to a corner of the room, using en mass weapons fire to keep the Parasite away from them. For the most part, the tactic worked, as there was so much weapons fire that few, if any, Infection Forms could get through, though a few did get through. One Infection Form promptly leaped onto Bero, intent on infecting the Sangheili. Before Thel could react, the small Parasite managed to get onto the young Sangheili, stabbing it's proboscis through his tech suit before attempting to burrow inside his body.

What Thel saw next would remain in his dreams for days to come. Instead of infesting Bero, the small Parasite wasn't able to get through his skin; it wasn't able to get off either, as the creature squealed as it pulled, with little avail. Moments later, he began to absorb the small Parasite, his flesh warping and bending as it began to assimilate the small creature. The proboscis and tendrils melded with Bero's flesh, with the creature squealing as it attempted to extract itself, only to be absorbed further. In ten seconds, half of the creature had been absorbed. In another ten seconds, the small Parasite had been fully assimilated into Bero's flesh, with the wound created by the proboscis having vanished entirely. As for Bero, he had been so focused on the fighting that he hadn't noticed what had happened, leading Thel to believe that what had happened was probably a subconscious response to the Parasite.

Soon, all of the Flood in the room had been terminated, with each one having been reduced to smoking tatters moments later, a door to the chamber opened, leading to another part of the facility. At the end of a short hallway and airlock was what looked like a large lift that was supported by a tall, elevator column that lay in the middle of the lift. Four of the lift room's walls were lined with cylindrical slots, each one holding a container of some kind. An automated loading tube was built into the lift, with said tube transporting large cylinders onto the lift. Between each storage wall was a gap, with walkways and support beams in between each gap; the lift itself also had an upper platform around the shaft that was accessible via ramps leading upwards.

"That's the way forwards," R'tas informed the others. "Go on, Arbiter. I'll follow when reinforcements arrive." Taking his advice, Thel proceeded forwards onto the lift, followed by 'Kusovai and the other Elites. As soon as they were through, the door sealed shut behind them, locking a moment later.

Looking around, Thel did a tactical analysis of the situation they were currently in. The other Elites, including 'Kusovai, were present with him, which meant that he had the bulk of the more skilled forces with him. The Grunts had been lost, consumed by the Parasite, but they brought little, if any, advantage to the battle with them other than being a convenient target to shoot at. As a result, he felt good about their chances when it came to numbers, as well as the fact that Bero seemed to be fully immune to infection by the Parasite. The one thing that had him concerned, however, was the layout of the actual lift itself. The lift was exposed on all sides, with nowhere to hide if the enemy happened to hop down onto the actual lift itself. One could take shelter underneath the ramps in the event they needed to have their shields recharge, but that was about it. Everywhere else was completely exposed to any members of the Parasite, or the Forerunner Sentinels if they happened to fly along into the area.

As soon as they entered the lift, the squad found that it was infested with the Flood, as Sangheili Combat Forms were present, firing their weapons at Forerunner Sentinels that were working to contain the Parasite. Both sides, though, were hostile to the Covenant, so Thel began firing on the Flood with his plasma rifle, while the others fired on the Sentinels that were collecting around the lift itself. Eventually, the lift was cleared of all hostile forces. As the lift began to descend, he said, "Bero, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," the Sangheili swordsman replied. "Why do you ask?"

"One of the Parasites attempted to infect you," Thel explained. He took a moment to tell Bero how the small Parasite had attempted to infect him, only for his body to absorb the creature, destroying it entirely.

Surprised, Bero looked down at his left torso, quickly spotting the tear in his tech suit. "Huh," he remarked. "I don't know if this is the case, but it seems as though my shape-shifting abilities have rendered me immune to the Parasite. We'll have to look into this at some point in the future. Still, I didn't even know that one attempted to infect me. I was so focused during the fight that all I felt was a slight pricking sensation, which I thought was a failed attempt to infect me."

"That does explain why you had no reaction," Thel remarked. Bero simply nodded in agreement, as the lift continued to descend.

What would follow was later described by Thel as one of the more protracted engagements with the Flood. There were a couple reasons as to why he described it as such; for one, the lift didn't descend down towards the bottom very quickly. Instead of traveling continuously down, the lift would stop here and there, with the mechanical arm on it loading more of the canisters into the lift, after which it would rotate, repeat the procedure, and then continue downwards. The other reason was that, unlike the Flood in the chamber, who had been unarmed with any sort of weaponry, the Flood in here were Combat Forms, and they were using the weaponry that SKYNET had given the Heretic Elites, having absorbed the memories on how to use them effectively. Adding to the difficulty were the Sentinels, who were hostile to both the Sangheili in the lift, as well as the Parasite itself.

As a result, the battle here was not only more difficult, it was much longer than any other engagement Thel had with the Flood to this point. Already, things were getting tense, as more Flood dropped down from the support beams and walkways in the lift shaft, firing their weapons while trying to get within melee range. Spotting a Combat Form, he pelted it with plasma bolts, frying the Combat Form just as another one jumped down. Unable to react in time, he was knocked over onto his back, with the Infection Form inside attempting to infect him, it's tendrils snaking closer to the Arbiter. It never got the chance, as it was promptly flung off of him by an angry 'Kusovai, who kicked the alien over the edge of the lift. Killing a couple more Combat Forms, he walked over to the Arbiter and offered a hand. "Are you alright," he asked a moment later.

"I'm OK," Thel replied, taking the Zealot's hand, allowing the Sangheili to lift him off his back. "How are the others?"

"They're holding out well for now," Bero replied. "The Parasite is mostly ignoring them and attempting to kill me. I think it knows that I'm immune, which means I'm it's greatest threat."

"Can we use that to our advantage?"

"I already am. I'm luring away any Flood that gets onto the lift, allowing the others a safe shot without fear of infection." Spotting more Flood coming down onto the lift, he quickly moved, drawing away any Flood before they could get too close to the others.

The battle went on like this for the next five minutes, with the Elites holding off both the Flood and the Sentinels with their weaponry. At times, the lift would rotate around the shaft that it was attached to, causing the Elites and their enemies to stumble around as though they were drunk until the rotation stopped. On top of that, Thel learned that the cylinders held Infection Forms that had either been contained a long time ago, or had been put there by the Heretics as a means of biological warfare. Either way, it was an annoying an irritating experience, as they continued to fight off more of the Flood. As he fired his weapon, he heard a scream of pain coming from behind him; turning around, he watched as a Flood Infection Form burrowed into one of the Elites, with the alien screaming in pain as it did so. Roaring loudly, he raced forwards and tore the thing out of the Elite's body, sparing him complete infection.

Unfortunately, it seemed as though enough of the Flood's Super Cells had gotten into the Elite, as he continued to be slowly changed into a Combat Form. "Arbiter, k-kill me," the Sangheili pleaded, his eyes wide as the pain grew worse. "I-I do not want to be-become one of them."

"You will not," Thel replied. "I will assure it." Using his Energy Sword, he promptly bisected the dying Sangheili, splitting him from head to toe. "Though you have fallen in combat, you will come on the Great Journey when the time comes. Die with honor and dignity, knowing that your deeds are not in vain."

After that was done, he sighed as he looked at the corpse. It was never easy losing people under his command, more so when they had been infested by the Parasite. Walking over to him, Bero said, "You did the right thing, Arbiter. It would've been cruel to let him turn into a member of the Parasite."

"Agreed," Thel nodded. "I merely wish we had a better means of defense against the Parasite."

"You have one already," Bero replied, "and you've been using it well. As long as you don't give up, those Sangheili will live on in your mind." Surprised by the wisdom of Bero's words, Thel nodded in agreement, just as the lift came to a stop at the end of the shaft. Moving forwards, he made sure there were no unpleasant surprises ahead of them, before motioning for the others to come. Rounding the corner, he found himself looking down another hallway, with light strips shining cold white light into the room. The silvery surfaces of the Forerunner's preferred alloy gleamed like silver in the light, giving place a grand and majestic aura. However, as if tainting this aura, there were dead Combat Forms, Sangheili and Grunts on the ground.

"We should've brought weapons to burn these bodies," a Sangheili remarked. "Every corpse is a potential vessel of the Flood."

"I know," Thel replied. "Unfortunately, we don't have the time. We have to press on, otherwise the Heretic will continue to spout his lies and deceit." Nodding in agreement, the others moved on with him, moving through the hallway and past the corpses towards the exit. Continuing onward, they entered another room through another door at the left hand end of the hallway. The room was massive, much more so than the lift they had been on just a minute ago. The first level of the room was what appeared to be an observation room, as there were transparent sections of metal looking into a room down below, with hard metal columns providing support for each transparent section. The room below also had these columns, but it was dominated primarily by platforms that ran down the center of the room, with smaller blocks to the left and right of the ends of the room. A single door was in the back, presumably leading to an airlock that would lead outside.

Here, the Heretics and the Flood were locked into mortal combat with each other, as plasma bolts and grenades flew through the air like confetti. Looking down into the chamber, Thel debated on whether or not they should enter, as it seemed wiser to allow the Heretics and the Flood to wipe each other out before moving in. That plan was promptly rendered defunct, as Carrier Forms began to waddle towards them. Kicking part of the transparent section, he shattered the weakened metal alloy, allowing him and the others to hop down into the chamber.

Landing inside, he quickly discovered that ONI had supplied the Heretics with more than just phased plasma rifles. On each of the small metal blocks, he spotted what he realized were SKYNET designed Plasma Turrets, each one with the signature, rotary barrel system that SKYNET preferred for that weapon system. Moving quickly, he got onto one turret, while another Sangheili got onto the other, before taking aim and opening fire. The sound of the weapon firing was loud and unpleasant, though Thel smiled with satisfaction as Heretics and Flood fell under the barrage of superheated hydrogen plasma bolts. At the same time, under Bero's direction, the remaining Sangheili in their squad moved to protect Thel and the other gunner as they whittled down the Flood and Heretic forces.

The battle went on like this for quite some time, with Thel and the others cutting down any Flood or Heretics that attempted to close in on their position. The others that had been ordered to cover him and the others neutralized any Flood or Heretics that either attempted to ambush them, or arrived out of Thel and the other gunner's firing arc. Soon, the chamber was littered with the smoking corpses of Heretics and Flood, their bodies cooked to a crisp by the super hot plasma bolts. Eventually, the door on the other side of the chamber opened up, providing a means of escape for the squad. "Move," Thel roared, with the others immediately complying. Running as fast as they could, they quickly escaped the room, piling into the airlock, which quickly closed the door behind them.

"Leader, the storm is about to hit," a Phantom Pilot shouted over the COM. "We cannot maintain this position!"

"Bring the Phantom down tothe Arbiter's current location," R'tas calmly ordered. "Provide him with reinforcements. Be ready to retrieve us when we have the Heretic Leader."

Exiting the airlock, Thel found himself standing on a walkway to the central structure of the facility. Ahead was a winding walkway that led upwards, coiling around the facility to the very top. The Parasite was present here as well, as he could see Carrier, Combat and Infection Forms making their way towards the central section of the facility. Throwing a plasma grenade, he eliminated the Infection Forms, with the blast throwing the Carrier Forms over the edge of the walkway. Besides him, 'Kusovai neutralized the Combat Forms, allowing them to move up the ramp leading inside the facility. Moments later, the Phantom arrived, offloading R'tas and some of his men. "Arbiter, it's good to see you well," R'tas remarked.

"Likewise," Thel replied. "The Heretic Leader is fleeing from our advance. Do you know where he is?"

"Yes," R'tas replied. "He's currently into the central section of the station we're on. If we move quickly, we can silence him before he escapes."

"Agreed," Thel nodded. "Let's go." With that, they advanced forwards, weapons ready as they proceeded forwards. Fighting their way through, they continued to advance up the ramp and towards the location of the Heretic's leader, 'Refumee. All the while, they fought against Heretic forces, the Flood and Sentinels that were trying to contain the infection. Eventually, they reached a door that led inside of the facility, heading inside moments later. There were two doors that were on either side of the room. Passing through the doors, he and the others found themselves inside of a large room that held a series of curving ramps, with each one leading upwards to platforms that were suspended over their heads. A holographic image of the Forerunner Gas Mine they were at was present, along with a door on the other side.

The room was infested with the Flood, as well as Heretics and Sentinels. Spotting 'Refumee, Thel was about to charge ahead when Bero, spotting the danger, elongated his right hand into a tentacle, wrapping the muscular limb around Thel's waist. "Wait," he shouted. "There's too many for you to handle. We must thin them out first!" At first, Thel was about to protest, but then he saw the wisdom in 'Kusovai's words. There were too many enemy forces here for them to engage, and if he died, the others would fall as well. Growling in frustration, he stepped back, with 'Kusovai pulling the tentacle back before changing it back into a normal, Sangheili hand. Focusing on their mission, they fired on the enemy forces inside, neutralizing them in short order.

Running up to the door, Thel was about to get through, only to be thrown backwards by an energy barrier that activated. Getting up, he walked over to the barrier, just as 'Refumee said, "This will protect me from the storm, but you will be consumed." Just as the door closed, he roared in frustration, ineffectually smashing a fist into the energy barrier.

"Arbiter, is he…," R'tas asked, with Thel giving a snort in reply. "Stinking Flood bait's boxed himself inside. We can't break through the barrier, even with the human weapons we stole from the Heretics."

"Then we shall force him out," Thel replied, looking at the holographic image of the Gas Mine, specifically the long cable connecting the facility to it's anchor.

"How," R'tas asked.

"That cable," Thel replied, pointing at the hologram. "I'm going to cut it. Get everyone back to the ships."

"You're not going alone," 'Kusovai replied. "You'll have to put me in a watertight container to stop me, since I can shape-shift into a gelatinous material." Thel looked at him for a moment, then he nodded in agreement.

"Warriors," R'tas announced, "return to the Phantom. The Arbiter will cut this station loose from it's anchor and force the Heretic from his hole." Turning to Thel, he said, "We'll try to retrieve you once you've completed your mission. Good luck."

"The same to you," Thel replied. Nodding towads Bero, the two began to advance up the ramps in the room and towards the top, where he thought he spotted what appeared to be a lift at the top. Continuing to advance forwards, the two Sangheili quickly discovered that the Parasite's forces were following them. Firing their weapons, the two Sangheili killed any Flood that were too close to their position, while also dodging the Sentinels that were firing on them as well. Reaching the lift, Thel smashed his fist against the controls, with the lift quickly moving up towards the top of the shaft. After a few seconds of travel, they reached their destination.

The area they in was the mooring point for the nanocomposite cable preventing the gas mine from falling to it's doom in the planet's atmosphere. Three anchor points connected the cable to the facility itself, each anchor being thick and strong in order to distribute the weight in an optimal manner. Ramps leading up to walkways allowed for access to the anchor points. Flood Combat and Infection Forms were everywhere, each one occupied with Sentinels that were firing on them.

Looking at Bero, Thel said, "This is the plan. You and I will sever the cables at the anchoring points that are located in here. Once we've severed them, we'll quickly move back down into the chamber and hunt down the Heretic Leader."

"We'll need to move fast," Bero added. "With the weight of this facility as it is, we'll soon reach crushing depth, and I would rather not be crushed to death. Oh, one more thing."

"And that would be," Thel asked.

"Can you hold this?" Moments later, Bero took off his Combat Harness before handing it off to Thel. Thel was about to ask what Bero was going to do when he saw another thing that shocked him. He watched as Bero's body began to melt, with the process visually reminiscent of melting candle wax. Bero's bodily features began to distort as he melted, with his mandibles and facial features drooping and elongating downwards. In ten seconds, his body had converted into a semi-liquid, semi-solid state. In another ten seconds, Bero fully liquefied, with his body taking on a gelatinous consistency. Moments later, his head partially regrew from it's gelatinous state, with his mandibles and eyes partially reforming.

"Bero," Thel asked.

"Don't worry," Bero replied, his voice distorted and warped by his gelatinous state. "I'm still in here, if that's what you're wondering. Take good care of that armor. I'll handle one of the anchoring points. We'll handle the last one together." While he was disturbed by the sight, Thel nodded in agreement, before turning towards one of the anchoring points in the area, while Bero flowed towards the other one, his body changing color so that he looked like the floor he was flowing over. Moving quickly, Thel used his Active Camouflage to move towards one of the anchoring points undetected. Drawing his Energy Sword, he began to slash at the cable; while it was tough, his weapon soon cut through the cable, with the cable tearing free of it's anchoring point.

This had a number of effects. For one, Thel could hear the cable straining as it's integrity weakened, though it wasn't enough for the cable to snap entirely. At the same time, the entire facility began to list towards the cut section, with anything not anchored down rolling off that side. The Flood that were present also stumbled, with a few tumbling over the edge and to their doom at the Gas Giant's heart. He could also feel the station swinging somewhat, with the view outside shifting as though he was standing on a pendulum. "That's one," R'tas reported. "By the Prophets, look at the station list!" Hearing some roaring, Thel quickly turned to see the Flood attempting to engage him. He was about to move when the station suddenly jolted, causing him to tumble to the ground, with the Flood stumbling to the ground as well. The listing grew more severe, as the station was now dangling on just a single anchor point. Struggling onto his feet, Thel began to run up the steepening slope as quickly as he could, a task made difficult by the steep slope. "One final cable, Arbiter," R'tas reported.

No need to tell me, Thel remarked inwardly as he found himself having to climb up the steep floor. Pants emanated from his mouth as he moved towards the final cable, a job made more difficult by the armor he was lugging around. He was about to reach the cable when he slipped, only for a gelatinous tentacle to reach out and wrap around his left arm.

"I've got you," Bero shouted, dragging Thel up towards the cable. Once they were not in danger of falling off, Bero regrew into his normal form, but not before flowing into his Combat Harness, where he reformed moments later. "Ready," he asked.

"Yes," Thel nodded. Drawing their Energy Swords, they struck downwards as one, cutting through the cable in two, fell swoops. As soon as they did that, the station seemed to level out, as the anchoring points withdrew to a section above their heads. At the same time, he could hear the cable straining, with loud TWANGs and PINGS indicating that the strands were breaking. Looking up, he watched as the cable continued to break, until the station was being held in position by a single, thin strand.

Then, unable to hold the weight of the station any further, the last strand of cable snapped like a piece of string. As soon as it did, the entire facility began to fall, with the wind quickly picking up in intensity as the station began to fall like a lead weight. It began falling so fast, in fact, that in the first five seconds, Bero and Thel found themselves flying through the air. "Bero," Thel screamed as he shot upwards like a bullet. Acting fast, the young Sangheili morphed both his arms into tentacles. The left one shot out towards the lift they used to get here, splitting into four smaller ones that anchored him to the ground. The other tentacle wrapped around Thel's waist, preventing him from being flung out of the chamber itself. Grunting from the effort, Bero dragged himself and Thel down to the lift, using suckers on the bottom of his hooves to remain anchored to the ground while elongating his mandibles into tentacles, using them to activate the lift and begin their descent. Once they were not in danger of floating away, he released Thel and allowed his body to return to it's normal. "Thank you," Thel panted. "I owe you one."

"It's the least I could do," Bero nodded, panting slightly. "That's the first time I've used more than one type of mutation. Shape-shifting requires concentration and a considerable amount of energy. Don't be surprised if gain a ravenous appetite when this is over."

"Noted," Thel replied as the lift came to a stop.

"That's it," R'tas called out over the COM. "The station's in free fall! The Heretic Leader is running from his hole. Do not let him escape! We'll keep up as best as we can!"

"Move," Thel roared, with Bero almost immediately complying. Both Sangheili began running as fast as they could, ignoring the enemies fighting all around them. The Flood was, apparently, more interested in getting out than fighting, though the Heretic forces tried to block their escape successfully. Thel and Bero dodged and weaved around the combatants, reaching an elevator before heading downwards. Spotting 'Refumee, they fired their weapons at the Heretic, plasma bolts being exchanged between the three combatants. Following the Heretic, they went outside, just in time to see a Banshee pointing it's weapons at them. Both Elites dodged behind another Banshee, with Thel getting inside after the Heretic Leader's salvo. "Bero, there's not another one," Thel said apologetically.

"Don't worry about me," Bero replied. "I'll catch up!" While he didn't know how Bero was going to catch up, Thel had a feeling in his gut that he wouldn't have to worry. Hopping inside one of the Banshees on the platform, he quickly took off towards the Heretic Leader, gunning the throttle.

It wasn't an easy task, as parts of the station were tearing off of the main structure. Spotting more debris, he threw the Banshee into a roll, dodging a large metal beam that zipped past his position. "What lunacy," R'tas gaped over the COM. "He'll never escape in a… Wait! There was a Seraph fighter in the hangar bay we arrived in. Arbiter! You know what to do!" As he flew along, Thel felt the Banshee shudder as something struck it, causing it to begin rolling out of control. Fighting against the G-forces generated, he found the manual release lever for the cockpit and threw it upwards, with the resulting centripetal force flinging him onto the platform, while the Banshee smashed against the metal platform, with part of the chassis barely missing him. Shaking off the impact, Thel staggered to his feet, before running after the Heretic Leader.

Explosions and debris rained down onto the ground, as wall, floor and ceiling panels were blown out of their sockets. It took all of Thel's strength and concentration not to stumble as he ran through the facility, dodging Flood and Heretics that were locked in a final, desperate battle for escape. Remembering how he had gotten into here with the others, he followed the route to the hangar bay as best as he could. Bursting through a door, he quickly spotted 'Refumee leaping onto the Seraph Fighter. "Turn, heretic," he shouted, catching 'Refumee's attention.

"Arbiter," 'Refumee growled. "I would rather die at your hands than let the Prophets lead me to a slaughter."

"Who has taught you these lies," Thel asked. Moments later, his questions were answered when a spherical Forerunner machine about the size of a basketball flew down, the machine absentmindedly humming a tune. "The Oracle," Thel gasped.

"Greetings," the Oracle replied. "I am 343 Guilty Spark, Monitor of Installation 04."

"Ask it the truth," 'Refumee told Thel. "Ask it what the Halo's are designed to do."

"More questions," Guilty Spark remarked. "Splendid. I would be happy to answer them." Moments later, the Monitor was cut off when 'Refumee fired at Thel, forcing him back. While some shots hit Thel's shields, he was able to move quickly enough that he wasn't injured by the gunfire.

"The Elites are blind, Arbiter," 'Refumee growled, "but I will make them see." Hearing some noise, Thel rounded the corner just in time to see two copies of the Heretic Leader appear out of nowhere.

Oh, come on, he groaned internally as he fired on the copies of the Heretic Leader. To his surprise, they appeared to be Terminators, which were specifically designed to protect 'Refumee from being terminated. It was difficult dealing with one Terminator, he thought, but two? Can't the gods give me some respite?! Firing his weapon, Thel engaged both Terminators, which he realized were most likely advanced combat chassis. He knew he wouldn't be able to defeat them on his own.

What he didn't know, however, was that he wasn't alone. He was about to fire when he heard a loud sound, which he realized was a loud roar from some massive creature. Thel was about to look for the source of the sound when the doors to the hangar bay opened, as the computers inside detected something moving towards the doors. Moments later, he watched as a creature from mythology seemed to fly into the chamber, before settling onto the Seraph fighter, which nearly broke free from it's gravity moorings.

The creature was a massive, reptilian creature that stood on four, muscular legs that ended in strong claws. The front claws had three fingers that ended in talons, with each one having a fourth talon that Thel realized were opposable thumbs. Those legs supported a large body that was covered in shimmering black scales, with powerful muscles that stood out in high relief underneath the scales. A long, muscular tail that had a number of spines growing out of it waved back and forth behind the reptilian creature. Two wing-limbs grew out of it's back, with powerful muscles attaching to the bones of each one; Thel guessed that the creature's wingspan was somewhere around forty five feet. A long, muscular neck connected to a large, roughly triangular head. Said head had two, gray colored horns that grew out of the back of it's head, while curving down towards it's tail. A number of shorter horns grew out the back of it's jaws, with a pair that grew out of it's chin. Two, blue colored eyes gazed at Thel, each one large enough that he could see his own reflection in them. A moment later, the creature growled, it's mouth opening to reveal dagger like teeth and a long, pointed tongue.

When Thel saw the creature, he immediately remembered some Human mythology that he had learned of after recovering information from a captured Human colony. A dragon, he thought, shock plainly written on his face. It's a dragon. I never thought they existed.

A moment later, he was surprised when the dragon spoke. His voice, as the dragon was unmistakably male, was deep, but it wasn't a gritty and rough voice; rather, it was smooth and musical. "Do you need help, Arbiter," the dragon said to him.

"Yes," Thel replied. "I don't know who you are, but I could use all the help I can get."

"Allow me to assist you," the dragon replied. One of the Terminators moved to open fire, only for the dragon to swat the machine with one of his claws. The blow was so powerful that the Terminator's shields were shattered on impact, allowing Thel to destroy the machine with a barrage of plasma bolts. The other Terminator attacked, only for the dragon to wrap his tail around the machine and do the same thing. Before the machine could get up, the dragon promptly smashed it into the ground with a claw, allowing Thel to destroy that one as well.

Spotting 'Refumee, who had been surprised by the dragon's arrival, Thel was about to engage when the dragon swatted the Heretic Leader, smashing his Jump Pack to pieces. 'Refumee screamed as Thel watched the dragon bite down on the Heretic, with the dragon lashing his head left and right as he broke every bone in the Heretic's body, while his teeth, acting like saw blades, cut the Heretic Leader in half. Opening his mouth, the dragon let 'Refumee's upper body fall out of his mouth, after which, he turned his attention to Thel. "Arbiter, are you alright," he asked.

"Yes," Thel replied. "Who are you?

"It' s me," the dragon replied. "Bero 'Kusovai."

"Bero," Thel asked. "How did you-?"

"Become a dragon," Bero finished for him. "When I told you to go on without me, I felt my shape-shifting abilities activate involuntarily. Before I knew it, I was falling off of the platform and into the air, during which my body morphed and warped. I felt myself growing larger and stronger, with my features morphing and changing. Before long, I was flying through the air under my own power. My strength must've been enhanced by the change, as those machines weighted little when I attacked them. When I saw your reaction, I realized I must've shape-shifted into a form from Human mythology."

"How does it feel," Thel asked.

Looking at himself in his draconic form, Bero said, "Honestly, I feel surprisingly good. I have an immense amount of strength in this form, and I can fly. I wouldn't be surprised if I could breath fire or have some other means of engaging an enemy at a distance." A moment later, Bero morphed back into his normal form, though it was clear that the experience had physically drained him, as he could barely stand. "Still, I really could use some food when we get back. I feel as though I've gone weeks without eating."

"We'll get you food when we get back," Thel agreed. "Remain strong for now, Bero. We're almost out of here." Walking over to the two pieces that made up 'Refumee's corpse, he began dragging the upper half towards the hangar doors, which had remained open after Bero's dramatic entrance.

"How unfortunate," the Monitor remarked. "His edification was most memorable."

"We had no choice in the matter," Thel replied. "He endangered the Great Journey."

"Great Journey," the Monitor remarked. "Why do you insist on using such inaccurate verb-" The Monitor was promptly interrupted when a gravity field formed around the machine's body, dragging it outside of the door. "Oh my, AAAUUUUGGGGG," the Monitor screamed, before it smashed into the Gravity Hammer of a very familiar Jiralhanae.

"That is the Oracle," Thel said to Tartarus. "Be careful with it!"

"So it is," Tartarus replied, flinging the Oracle into the gravity lift of a Phantom. "Come. We are leaving this system." Looking at Thel, Bero cocked a scaly brow, with Thel shrugging in reply as they followed Tartarus into the Phantom. Either way, they had accomplished their mission. Now they could return home and recover.