Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo - Terminator crossover. Thank you for your patience and support. Today is the day the hiatus ends. After reading the reviews and ideas that you've sent along, I've come up with a road plan for future chapters. The last chapters of the Halo 2 story arc will remain similar to that of my other crossover; however, the Halo 3 story arc will diverge from the original story line in many ways. I won't spoil any surprises, but let's just say that a lot of interesting things are about to happen. Either way, thank you very much for your support, and I hope to see you in the future chapters. 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.
High Charity
Council Chamber Tower
November 3rd, 2552
They began to move through the lower levels of the facility as quickly as they could, with the Sangheili Terminator taking the lead while Chief and Parsons followed her through the lower levels of the complex. It was a little odd, following a machine that was disguised as one of the very aliens species they had been fighting, but it had intimate knowledge of where they needed to go. On top of that, they now had new intelligence on the Covenant: it was fracturing apart, with inter-species tension causing the entire theocratic alliance to rip apart. To Chief, it was obvious that this would've happened at some point. Most theocracies don't last for very long, he observed.
The lower levels of the tower were becoming even more packed with Covenant personnel, probably first responders that were moving towards the Council Chamber. A group of Jackals, Grunts and Brutes came out of one of the doors up ahead, with the Brute immediately shouting as soon as he spotted Chief and the others. Getting into cover, Chief and Parsons opened fire, neutralizing the Brute as quickly as possible. Seeing their leader die right in front of their eyes, the Grunts immediately panicked, running this way and that in the hopes of avoiding the fate of their leader. The Jackals, on the other hand, hunkered down and formed a shield wall, while moving forwards slowly in the process. Using one of his grenades, Chief destroyed the shield wall, while Parsons targeted the Grunts, neutralizing them in short order. Once all the enemy contacts were down, they proceeded forwards, though at a more cautious pace than before.
Eventually, they reached what appeared to be some kind of a multi-level transit system, as they entered a uniquely designed room. The room was split into two levels, with the first level being the ground floor, while the second level was about a story above their head and was mostly composed of catwalks that ringed the upper portion of the room. What dominated the room was a central shaft that occupied each level, with what appeared to be a gravity lift in the center of the room. "Looks like that is a gravity lift," Chief observed. Looking at the Sangheili Terminator, he asked, "Where does it go?"
"That lift goes into one of the prisons located in this area," the Sangheili Terminator pointed out. "My sensors have detected Marine I/FF transponders down there. They're probably Marines that were captured during a mission on Delta Halo."
"Chief," Parsons added in. "Our chances of success will increase exponentially if we rescue the Marines and arm them with weapons."
"Then that is what we'll do," Chief decided. Looking at the Sangheili Terminator, he said, "We'll have to split up from here on out. We'll rescue the Marines while you proceed with your earlier objectives. We'll link up at any structures that Cortana sends to your systems."
"Yes, sir," the Sangheili replied. Placing her right hand over her left breast in the traditional Sangheili salute, she said, "Fight well, Chief." Nodding in ascent, Chief and Parsons quickly moved towards the gravity lift, which opened up moments later.
"Get in," Cortana told them. "This heads to the prison cells that are located in this tower. Be careful, though, there are guards down in the prison area. I'll light up which areas hold the Marines while you take out the guards."
"How did the Marines get captured," Chief asked.
"I just found out how. Most of the Marines that were captured ended up that way due to some clever tactics on the Covenant's part. Apparently, they used some kind of nerve agent to knock out the Marines, before taking them to the prison cells. Most of their weapons and armor are kept in another part of the tower that we'll head to. We can't let the Covenant gain access to UNSC plasma weaponry and advanced armor."
"Agreed." With that, both men hopped inside, zooming down the shaft as quickly as the gravity field would allow them. At one point, they zipped past a group of Covenant, but their descent was so fast that none of the Covenant forces were able to react in time. By the time they did react, Chief and Parsons had zoomed along past them, continuing to move through the gravity shaft. About a few seconds later, they emerged into a massive room that was fairly dark, though there was enough illumination to see by. Looking down, Chief noticed that they were landing on what appeared to be a large platform that was connected to large walkways on either side of the chamber via a pair of footbridges. Doors lined the walls of the chamber, with most of them glowing a dark red in color, indicating that they were locked, while others were a bright purple, indicating they were unlocked. Probably the ones that hold the Marines that the Elite Terminator told us about, he decided. As they descended, he noticed that it wasn't just one walkway; there were roughly three of them, each one descending down into the chamber. They were connected to one another via small gravity lifts that went up and down one level, with four gravity lifts in general to allow for access to the other levels. All around, Brutes and Jackals were present, all of them keeping a close watch on the prison cells. Turning to Parsons, he said over the internal COM channel, "We'll have to liberate the Marines while preventing the guards from detecting us. Any ideas?"
"Yes," Parsons replied. "Thanks to Cortana's access of the Covenant systems, I have been able to identify a power controller in this area. If I sabotage it, and render it irreparable, we will be able to move around and neutralize the Covenant without being detected."
"Do it," Chief ordered. As soon as they landed, both men split up, with Chief going right while Parsons went left. Moving forwards, Parsons used his chassis' scanners to determine where the 'fuse box' was located at. Spotting a Grunt up ahead, he quietly extended a part of his chassis outwards, before killing the Grunt with the spike he'd formed. The Grunt was dead before it even knew it was dead, with the machine retracting the spike before moving on towards the power control unit. Opening up the box, it began determining how best to shut down the lights without disrupting power to the gravity units. On the other side of the chamber, Chief was busy remaining undetected, while killing any Covenant that were in his way. That's odd, he remarked to himself. There should be more Elites than Brutes here. That's consistent with what the Elite Terminator told us. As he moved forwards, he watched as the lights suddenly went dark, casting the entire place into darkness. The only areas where there was illumination were where the gravity lifts were located at.
Apparently, this was more than enough to disorient the Covenant forces in the room, as one of the Brutes shouted, "The lights have gone out!"
"The power relay must be malfunctioning," a Jackal shouted.
"Get it fixed," the Brute in charge of the prison shouted. "Grab one of those Huragok and get the power back online." No sooner had he said that then a hand wrapped around his face before jerking it to the right, snapping the Brute's neck. At the same time, one of the Jackals that had moved towards the power relay was yanked into a dark corner of the room, before it's neck was snapped as well. Slowly, but surely, Chief and Parsons neutralized all of the Jackals and Brutes on the upper level. Moving down to the next levels, they repeated the procedure, until all of the Brutes and Jackals in the area were dead. With all guards down, they moved towards one of the opened doors.
Moving inside, Chief found himself entering a narrow corridor that had prison cells on either side. As the room was cast into darkness, he was forced to use his helmet's Night Vision mode, casting everything into a phosphor blue hue. Looking around, he spotted roughly ten cubicles on either side of the corridor, with each one large enough to comfortably hold a few people with some room to spare. The back portion of the wall was a small cubicle, with some crates located in the back. A single Brute Captain was in that cubicle, looking for what he guessed was a source of illumination. Sadly, the Brute never got the chance, as Chief's knife plunged into it's head, killing it instantly. Moments later, the grates that served as doors for the cubicles rolled upwards, with some Marines getting out moments later. True to what Cortana said, they were in their fatigues and completely unarmed. "Finally, someone came to rescue us," one of the Marines gasped. "We've been in here for over six hours, waiting for those bastards to start interrogating us."
"I can imagine," Cortana replied. "Marines, the Chief is hunting a Prophet, and you're going to help him kill it. We're going to rescue some more Marines before we get out of here. I also know where your weapons and armor have been taken to, so we'll head there and get those weapons back into UNSC custody."
"Alright," another Marine shouted. "That's my kind of plan. How do we get out of here, though?"
"Follow Chief," another one suggested. "He got in here somehow. He knows how to get out." With that, the Marines grabbed whatever weapons they could from the crates and began following Chief, who quickly exited the prison corridor and began moving downwards. It was like this for the other two levels, with the Marines exuberantly using their newfound freedom to get armed up and ready to fight, even though they didn't really have any armor on them. As a result, Chief and Parsons led the formation, with the Marines staying in the back to provide cover fire if necessary.
As they moved outside, Cortana said, "Chief, Parsons, we've got guards coming down the central gravity lift. A few Engineers are with them too."
"They must've come to fix the power," he surmised.
"Agreed," Parsons nodded. "The Engineers are non-combatants. We will not eliminate them. The Brutes and any armed personnel are critical targets." Nodding in agreement, Chief moved up the gravity lift and began moving to the right, while Parsons moved left in order to catch the incoming enemy reinforcements in a pincer maneuver. Checking his weaponry, Chief could tell he was starting to deplete his reserves, but he had enough fusion mags for 800 more shots. As soon as the Brutes came into view, both he and Parsons opened fire, blasting the aliens coming down the gravity lift with their arsenal. At the same time, the Marines opened fire, neutralizing any other Covenant that came down the shaft. Only the Engineers survived, as they quickly retreated to any safe areas, trilling in fear and distress all the while.
"Yeouch," a Marine shouted, dropping his Plasma Rifle as it overheated. "Fucking thing's hot! I really miss my MA5E."
"Me too," another Marine agreed. "I don't like using this Covenant bullshit weaponry. Give me an honest-to-goodness MA5E, an M6E and I'll be a happy man." Up ahead, Chief could understand the Marines views towards Covenant weaponry. SKYNET designed weaponry was much more efficient than what the Covenant had. With all combatants down, they moved into the gravity lift, zooming upwards with the Marines in tow.
Coming out of the lift, they arrived in the junction that they had passed on the way down, only this time, it was vacant. "Follow this nav-point, Chief," Cortana informed him. "It heads towards the armory in the tower. Once we're inside, we'll be able to-" She was interrupted when a number of Sangheili burst out of one of the doors, firing their weapons at a swarm of Brutes, Grunts, Jackals and Drones that were on the other side.
"Close it," one of the Sangheili shouted, with the door sealing shut moments later. "By the gods, that was far too close for my liking."
"I agree," another Sangheili growled. "My skin feels like it's blistering." A moment later, they turned around, only to find five whole squads of UNSC Marines pointing weapons at them, Covenant weapons on top of that. "Not good," that same Sangheili growled. "Not good at all. What do we do?"
"I have a plan," the lead Sangheili, a Captain from his gold colored armor, replied. Raising his hands, he slowly walked towards Chief and Parsons, both of whom had their weapons pointed at him. "Do not shoot," he replied. "We do not want to fight you, Demon. Our only quarrel is with the Jiralhanae, T'Vao, Unggoy and Yanmee on the other side of the door."
"Cortana," Chief asked.
"Those are Sangheili names for the other members of the Covenant," Cortana replied. "From what I can tell, every member of the Covenant is attempting to commit xenocide towards the Sangheili, what the Elites are are really called. Chief, I know it might sound crazy, but I think we can trust them to work with us for the time being. You know what the enemy of our enemy is, right?"
"Our friend," he replied. While most of his instincts were screaming at him to shoot the Elite, he realized that Cortana had a point. If they could get a former member species of the Covenant to work with them, Humanity's chances of survival would skyrocket. I'll give him a chance, he thought, but if he shows any hints of betrayal, I will gun him down where he stands, and make sure he doesn't come back from that. Lowering his weapon, he said, "Then we have something in common. If you attempt to harm myself and my men, however, I will kill you where you stand. Is that understood?"
"Yes," the Sangheili replied. "I fully understand, Demon. You will not find any quarrel from me. I would do the same in your position."
"Before we go," one of the Marines asked, "why agree to work with us?" A few other Marines were also nodding at that as well.
"You have the Demon with you," the Sangheili replied. "Even I know it is a foolish endeavor to assault one. We might be able to kill you, but we would be overwhelmed by the Demon, more so since he has the Machine with him."
"Machine," Chief asked Cortana.
"The Covenant's reference to the Terminators," Cortana replied.
"I see." Looking at the Sangheili, he asked, "What's your name and rank?"
"I am N'tho 'Sraomee," the Sangheili replied. "I am a Sangheili Captain."
"Good. We're currently moving towards the armory in order to retrieve UNSC equipment, then we will be heading towards the Prophet's location. Can you assist?"
"Of course, Demon," the now identified N'tho replied. "The Prophets have betrayed us, turned their backs on us, and have demanded the annihilation of our species. We have no one else to turn to but the ones we have attempted to silence for so long now. I will do whatever I can." Turning to his friends, he began speaking in a dialect of Sangheili that the translation software in Chief's helmet didn't recognize. At N'tho's order, two Sangheili moved towards one of the doors. While they were armored and armed, Chief realized that they were not normal soldiers. He was about to ask when N'tho said, "They are not warriors, strictly speaking, Demon. They are artisan-engineers; trained to fight, as all Sangheili are, but also trained to use their minds and hands to repair and maintain equipment and weaponry." As he said this, both Sangheili artisan-engineers opened up a series of panels, before performing some field modifications to the internal components. Moments later, the doors opened up, revealing another long hallway.
"The way is open now," one of them told N'tho.
"Follow me, Demon," N'tho replied. "You have only just arrived here. I know this place as though I lived here the day I was born." With that, he proceeded through the doors, with Chief and the others following him and the others quickly. True enough, N'tho did know the place like the back of his own hand, as he quickly turned down hallways towards what Chief identified as the armory. Coming to a door, two Sangheili Minors stood off to either side, while both artisan-engineers began working on similar panels. Moments later, the doors opened to reveal a larger room with a number of shelves that were on either side of the walls. Some of the shelves held spare parts for weapons and armor, while others held tools for weapon maintenance. A series of workbenches were present, each one holding tools and components. On one of the workbenches was an MA5E that a Huragok was attending to. Apparently, they had arrived just as it was about to examine the UNSC weaponry, with the alien trilling and whistling loudly as it backed off, surprised by the sudden change of events. "Relax," N'tho said to the Engineer. "There is nothing to be afraid of." Turning to Chief, he said, "Your friend's weapons are in here, Demon, as is their armor."
"Finally," a Marine beamed. "Some quality gear instead of this bullshit in my hands here." He tossed the Sangheili Plasma Rifle he had onto the ground before walking over to his gear.
"Do not speak ill of another species' weaponry," one of the artisan-engineers growled, anger plainly written onto his face. "While it is not as efficient as yours, it does the job just as well."
"Yeah, yeah, I hear ya," the Marine grumbled. "I still prefer our guns over yours, any day of the week." Walking over, he put on his armor and jumpsuit, before grabbing his rifle and making sure it was fully operational. "Any one else," he asked. As soon as he said that, the other Marines scrambled over, eagerly grabbing their weaponry and gear before putting it on. After a couple minutes, they were all fully armed and armored. "We're ready, Chief," the Marines called out. "Just say the word."
"Let's go," Chief agreed. "N'tho, you will lead the way. Remember our earlier agreement. If you attempt to turn on us…"
"Perish the thought," N'tho firmly stated. "I do not have any other choice, Demon. It would be foolish on my part to decide to betray you, even without the Machine and the Dohmoh with you." Turning towards the other Sangheili, he said, "Warriors, we will escort the humans to the destination they wish to go to. I want you to treat them as though they were fellow Sangheili that were raised and trained alongside you. If you betray them, I will personally skin you alive. Is that clear?"
"It will be done," the others agreed, bowing slightly as they saluted. Though quite a few were hesitant about this alliance, it was clear that they knew they wouldn't be able to survive on their own. As a result, as much as they didn't like having to work with a species they had been trying to destroy, they knew that cooperation would give them the best chance of survival, so they agreed anyways. Satisfied, N'tho took the lead once more, while Chief and the other Marines followed.
"Wow," Cortana remarked as they moved back towards the gravity lift station. "You know how to get someone on your side, Chief. When this war's over, maybe you can work as a recruiter." To her surprise, she heard a snort of amusement from Chief, which was a rarity given his line of work.
Soon, they reached the gravity lift station, with the team heading towards the door that N'tho and the others had run through in their flight to safety. "Get ready, Demon," he warned Chief. "The Covenant on the other side will attempt to kill us all. We will handle the Jiralhanae, while you handle the other members of the Covenant. Are we agreed?"
"Yes," Chief replied.
"Good. Artisan-engineers, open up these doors! Warriors, prepare yourselves for combat!" With those words, each of the Sangheili got into combat positions, while the artisan-engineers went to work getting the doors open again. As soon as the doors opened, all hell broke loose. The moment the doors opened, Chief and the Marines opened fire, sending phased plasma bolts through the air and into the enemy contacts on the other side. Drones, Jackals and Grunts fell like ninepins as the high intensity plasma fire tore through their armor and into their bodies, with the Drones exploding as their bodies were flash-cooked. At the same time, the Sangheili charged forwards, with N'tho drawing his Energy Sword before charging into the fray; some, like him, also drew Energy Swords and charged, while others fired at the Brutes with their own plasma weaponry. Limbs and chunks of bodies flew through the air as the Sangheili swordsmen cut through their targets, while the others were handled by the other Sangheili, as well as the Marines that had neutralized their targets already. Within just half a minute, all of the hostiles were dead.
"A good fight," one of the Sangheili Swordsmen crowed.
"A good fight indeed," N'tho nodded. Turning towards Chief, he said, "You fought well, Demon, as did the Dohmoh with you."
"Agreed," Chief nodded. On his internal COM, he asked, "What does that mean, Cortana?"
"Apparently, it's the proper word for Human in Sangheili," Cortana replied. "That's quite respectful. Most Sangheili usually call Humans Nishum, which is in reference to a parasitic organism, as an insult. As for the term Demon, it's probably an insult, but one with a modicum of respect." Once she finished, Chief knew that N'tho was being respectful. While insults were insults, he knew enough that N'tho was probably repurposing that term to mean something better. With that, they continued onward, with the Sangheili, once more, taking the lead. Moving through the structure, they quickly came to what appeared to be a large garden of some kind. Plants of various species the UNSC had never classified before were scattered all over the place, ranging from tall, tuber-like plants, to colorful flowers that were present in a range of colors, from iridescent blue, to bright red, to deep blue-green. The terrain here was also rocky, but with a good amount of soil as well. Chief could also hear what he realized was running water, indicating that there was a small stream nearby.
"What is this place," one of the Marines asked.
"One of our meditation gardens," N'tho explained. "Many Sangheili come here to clear their thoughts and to meditate on various matters. It is one of the traditions of our society, and it has persisted since what you would call our 'medieval' times. What makes me sad is how it is being tainted with war and violence now." His expression became one of sadness as he spoke, with the other Sangheili frowning as well. Either way, they all knew they had to advance, as Chief, Parsons and the Marines continued moving, with the Sangheili leading the way. Looking around, it was clear that the gardens were also in the middle of a fight, as Sangheili were engaged with other members of the Covenant. Not every member of the other species were fighting the Sangheili, however; some were fighting alongside their Sangheili comrades. Most were Grunts, but quite a few were Jackals and there were some Skirmishers in the fight as well. As they moved forwards, some of the other Sangheili spotted them, preparing to fire when N'tho shouted, "No! Stay your naked weapons! The Humans are on our side!"
"N'tho," one of the other Sangheili, a Major from the looks of it, remarked, surprised. "I thought you were on a ship."
"I was called back here for an urgent matter," N'tho explained. "I was nearly assassinated by a Jiralhanae, but I managed to escape from their grimy paws." Looking around, he said, "I know you have questions, but now is not the time to answer them. We must escape High Charity; the Hierarchs have turned on us."
"I hoped it wasn't true," the Sangheili Major groaned. "Unfortunately, the battle lends credence to your words. I will do the best I can to inform the other Sangheili of what is going on. Members of the High Council have been scattered all over the areas ahead of you. If you can rescue them, it will be easier to convince the Kaidons on Sangheilios to fight against the Hierarchs. Still, vile beasts! The Hierarchs were fools to trust them!"
"That they were," N'tho agreed.
"What of the Humans, though? Why are you not killing them?"
"They are on our side, now that the Hierarchs have betrayed us. They wish to bring them to answer for what is going on. If you can lend some of your men, it would greatly help in the battles ahead."
"I cannot lend any aid, N'tho. My men are struggling as it is to fight for their lives. If you can help them, however, I will be grateful."
"That… is acceptable. We will clear out the enemy in this area, then we must continue moving forwards. May your blade stay sharp."
"And your mind as well," the Major replied. With that, they continued to proceed through the area, neutralizing any hostiles that fired on them. Thankfully, now that the Marines had proper weaponry, they were able to quickly neutralize any hostiles that got too close. Despite their immense strength, the Brutes were the most vulnerable, as most of them were lacking any form of armor on their bodies, and what armor they had wasn't nearly enough to stop phased plasma munitions. Moving through the area, they quickly moved through another large garden before traveling down a ramp that led to another part of the area. This time, however, it led to what appeared to be an energy field that looked like a bridge, with two purple fields of energy at either end, each one at a large platform. High Charity's main city was visible off in the distance, and oval structural supports were present, with each one connected via strong beams that connected each platform to the other side.
"What is that," one of the Marines asked.
"That is a gravity bridge," N'tho explained. "It's the only way to cross through this section of the station. Just walk into the energy field, and it will transport you to the other side." As he said this, he and the other Sangheili got in single file, their bodies lifted up by the gravity field before they were gently pushed to the other side of the gravity bridge, where they were put down on a similar pad. Chief and Parsons followed next, with the Marines being the last to follow them.
As they were pushed forwards, Parsons said, "I have detected a Slipstream Space Rupture to our immediate left. It appears to be a Covenant Corvette." As soon as he said this, Chief looked to the left to see a Covenant Corvette emerge from Slipstream Space, zooming past the area they were in before turning to the left.
As soon as they landed on the other side, N'tho said, "I attempted to contact the Ship Master of that Corvette. He didn't respond."
"Then it's being held by other forces," Chief deduced as the Marines landed behind them. Looking at N'tho, he said, "Continue on point, Captain. If any more Elites come near our position, inform them of what is happening so that they do not fire on us."
"It will be done," N'tho nodded, "and Demon? Please do not call our kind Elites. We prefer to be called Sangheili, nothing more, nothing less." Chief nodded in agreement. With that, they proceeded forwards, just as a whole column of Sangheili arrived around the bend. They were about to shoot when N'tho said, "Wait, fellow warriors! The Humans are assisting us! Do not shoot!"
"N'tho," one of the Elites remarked. "What is going on?! The Jiralhanae attempted to silence us!"
"The Hierarchs have betrayed us," N'tho replied. "I heard the Prophet of Truth demand our removal as we traveled in the area behind us. The Brutes have been ordered to cast us out. It pains me to say this, but it seems as though the Brutes are willing to cast us out by killing us."
As soon as he said this, there was a roar of anger from the other Sangheili. "Vile beasts! Oath breakers! Murderers!" These, and other words, were uttered by many of the Sangheili that were in the cluster. One, apparently the leader, walked up to N'tho and said, "If what you say is true, and it appears to be so, then it is a dark day for our species." After a moment, he said, "I will do what I can to assist you and the Humans. It appears that our former enemy is now a friend of ours… for the time being, at least."
"At least," N'tho nodded. "We have enough warriors right now, but yours are in the most danger. Find a ship or some means of leaving High Charity. Once you do, leave for Sangheilios and warn the Kaidons as to what is happening here. They have to be warned if the Jiralhanae's genocide is to be halted."
"Agreed. May your blade and mind stay sharp." With that, the other Sangheili moved past the group, fully intent on getting out of the station.
"That was close," one of the Marines remarked.
"Indeed," N'tho nodded. "Come, Demon, Machine. We must proceed forwards. Every minute we delay is one more minute the Jiralhanae have to stop us." Nodding in agreement, Chief allowed the Sangheili to move forwards, while he, Parsons and the Marines proceeded behind them. Rounding the corner, they came to what appeared to be a small, artificial stream, with plots of plants in various areas, as well as arched metal bridges. The fighting here was intense as well, with Sangheili and Jiralhanae attempting to wipe each other out. Corpses were already lying on the ground, with some blood streaming into the artificial stream.
That was where the Marines saw something that struck home just how far the Brutes were willing to go to kill their former masters. Near their position was a pair of Sangheili, each one firing their weapons as quickly and accurately as they could at a Brute Chieftain, who was hefting a Gravity Hammer. Chief noticed that the Sangheili seemed to be presenting a barrier for something. It was when he looked behind them that he saw what: just behind the two adults was a smaller Sangheili, most likely a child. The young child was pressed against part of the garden plot's wall, eyes wide with fear as the Brute Chieftain proceeded forwards, Gravity Hammer in hand. Roaring loudly, the Chieftain raised the Gravity Hammer, intent on crushing the two Sangheili warriors into paste. It never got the chance. Suddenly, there was a blur of movement as Parsons rushed forwards, grabbing the Gravity Hammer before it could come down and kill the two Sangheili. Wrenching the Gravity Hammer out of the Chieftain's hands, he kicked the Brute away before bringing down the Hammer onto the Chieftain's head, far harder than even one of their own could manage. The Brute's head split apart like it was a watermelon, with blood and brain matter flying everywhere. Moments later, the hammer head crushed the Brute's chest cavity, then the torso before impacting the ground. Flicking the ruined corpse over the edge, he tossed away the weapon before walking over to the two Sangheili. "Are you injured," he asked.
"No," one of them, a female from the sounds of it, replied. Having spotted the group earlier, she said, "I do not know why you helped us, but you have my thanks." Lowering her weapons, she walked over to the child before picking it up, cooing to the child as he did so.
The male, having put his weapons away as well, said, "My mate and I were resting here when the attack began. The Brutes were merciless, killing anything and anyone that stood in their way. When we realized they were going to hurt our daughter, we put her into the alcove to protect her from being killed. If it wasn't for you, we would be dead by now. As my mate put it, I don't know why a Human decided to help us, but you have my thanks."
"You must evacuate High Charity," Parsons added. "The Brutes will not hesitate to kill you should they spot you. You must get to your homeworld."
"There is no need to tell me that," the male replied. "Still, thank you, for giving our child a chance to live again." With that, the female walked over, cooing to the childling in her arms before nodding at Parsons. Once she was with the male, they began to head back towards where Parsons and the others came from.
Hearing footsteps, he turned around to see N'tho walking over. "Not many would put themselves in danger to protect a childling," he remarked.
"The childling was innocent," Parsons replied. "She did not wish to fight. I simply did what my programming directed me to do."
"So you say," N'tho nodded. "A mere machine would've let the childling die. The fact that you didn't means that you are not a normal Machine. Still, we cannot tarry any longer. We must continue forwards." With that, the group proceeded forwards, while helping any Sangheili they encountered out.
As they moved through another Gravity Bridge and garden, Chief could tell that Cortana's assessment was starting to make sense. It's clear that the Prophets don't want to have anything to do with the Sangheili, he thought. Still, if they think that the Brutes will give them the upper hand, then the are probably being delusional. SKYNET, and Humans like me, will still win in the end. A change in leadership won't change a thing. Still, he knew that when desperate times came around, desperate measures were often put into placed, even if they were a little half baked. Shaking his head slightly, he returned to the matter at hand and proceeded forwards. Eventually, they came to an area of the tower that was more fully enclosed, with the normal corridors that they had seen before. The fighting was particularly intense here, with numerous members of the Covenant duking it out with each other. Any Sangheili they encountered quickly joined their side, apparently recognizing N'tho the moment they spotted him. Probably has a good reputation, Chief deduced.
Reaching a wide walkway, the group of people quickly discovered themselves looking at a massive firefight in the area. Brutes and other aliens were fighting against Sangheili wearing ornate, white armor, with a few Sangheili Councilors in the mix as well. "The Lights of Sangheilios," N'tho gasped, identifying the Sangheili at the entrance. "They were the Prophet's most valued guards."
"Do you know what they're guarding," Chief asked.
"Yes," N'tho replied. "The Mausoleum of the Arbiter. In our history, they were once warrior-kings of our people, trained in both the ways of war and diplomacy. After the Covenant was formed, the title of Arbiter was used as punishment for those that committed heresy, but were not allowed to be killed. Now that the Hierarchs have turned against us, I've begun to realize that it was probably them that made it that way." Looking around, he said, "Still, we can mourn the loss of our culture for the time being. Right now, we must save those that we can. If anything, it will be my penance for the lives that I've taken. Demon, you and the Machine will lead your men into battle. We will assist however we can."
"Understood," Chief nodded. As soon as he said this, Parsons and the Marines advanced, weapons in hand as they began to fire at the Brutes and other attackers. The Brutes roared with pain and surprise when they were fired at from behind, with the Marines quickly getting into position. Years of training and tactics began to pay off in spades, as the Marines quickly and calmly fired on any hostile targets in the area. One Brute fell screaming to the ground, smoke coming from the holes in it's charred hide. A Jackal's head exploded when the cerebrospinal fluid in it's skull flash-boiled, sending bits of charred material all over the place. Caught off guard, the Brutes and their allies were unable to react in time to the fusillade of weapons fire that was directed towards them. By the time they were able to react, they were all dead.
"What is the meaning of this," one of the Sangheili Councilors demanded. "First, the Jiralhanae attempt to kill us, and now the Humans are working with us to save our lives?! What is the meaning of this?!" Looking at N'tho, he said, "You there! Why are Humans working with us?! Explain yourselves!"
"Peace, Councilors," N'tho replied as they began to draw their weapons. "The Humans are not the enemy in this case! The Hierarchs have betrayed us, demanded the extinction of our species as punishment for failing to protect one of their own! I heard it with my own ears, and I have seen it with my own eyes! Every one of my men can tell you the same!" When he said this, the other Sangheili nodded in agreement.
"How," the Sangheili Councilor in question asked, shocked by what he was hearing. "The Writ of Union does not allow for sedition. Are you certain of this?"
"As certain as I am of the blood that flows through my veins," N'tho replied. "The Hierarchs have betrayed us, noble Councilor. I am certain of it. If I were not, would I be here, trying to rescue you now?"
Hearing those words, the Sangheili Councilor remained silent before saying, "You… make a good point, Captain. I apologize for my earlier outburst. It was not befitting of my station." Looking around, he said, "If what you say is true, and it seems to be, then we must warn Sangheilios. Every minute they are not warned is one more minute the Brutes have to destroy our species to the last man, woman and child." Looking at some of the guards, he said, "Begin clearing a path towards any space worthy vehicle you can find." Turning to N'tho, he said, "I do not know if the Humans are to be trusted, but if you say they are, then I will give them the benefit of the doubt. Should they attempt to murder us, however, we will kill them swiftly."
"That is all that I can ask for," N'tho replied. "Now, we must continue on towards the Hierarchs. I intend to make them tell me why they have demanded our extinction."
"As good a reason as any," the Councilor replied. "More of our own are inside the Mausoleum. You must help them in any way possible. The Jiralhanae have them hard pressed for survival."
"We will do what we can." With that, the Sangheili Councilors and their escorts began moving past the others in order to reach safety, while Chief and the others went inside. The Mausolem was quite spacious and ornate, with towering walls that had oval shaped protrusions on the walls, as well as ornate ramps, walkways, walls and architecture. A single object, which scans revealed to be some kind of storage unit, was in the center of the room, with a large anti-gravity projector in the floor keeping it suspended in air. The exit to the Mausoleum was on the other side, with the doors remaining open as some Brutes entered the place. Here, it was a massive brawl, with Sangheili and Brutes facing off with each other in a massive battle that was raging in the room. The once pristine walls were now covered with carbon scoring, plasma damage, as well as streaks of Sangheili and Jiralhanae blood. Looking around, Chief could tell that the Sangheili were winning the battle, though it was coming at a great cost to manpower. "Looks like they could use your help, Chief," Cortana said to him. "It will help cement trust between you and the Sangheili."
"Agreed," Chief nodded. Looking at the Marines, he said, "Marines, we'll split up into two groups. Fireteam Alpha will come with me, while Fireteam Bravo heads with Parsons. If the Elites have the same idea, they'll split up as well." The Marines quickly nodded in ascent, before splitting up into two fireteams. Looking towards the left, he immediately took Fireteam Alpha towards that area, while Parsons took Fireteam Bravo with him to the right side of the Mausoleum. Apparently, N'tho had guessed as to what they were going, as he spoke with the other Sangheili before they split up into two groups as well, each one joining the Marine Fireteams. The maneuver worked especially well, since the Brutes and other enemies in the chamber were so occupied with dealing with the Sangheili in the Mausoleum that they didn't notice the two fireteams moving to the left and right. As a result, they were caught in the middle of the crossfire when the Marines opened fire, with their Sangheili allies doing the same as well. Phased plasma cut through the air and tore into the bodies of the enemy personnel as they fought.
Near the end of the fight, Cortana said, "Wait a minute! I'm receiving CNI Transponder units. Looks like the Covenant captured Commander Keyes and Sergeant Johnson!"
"Where are they," Chief asked as he terminated a Jiralhanae with a quick stab from his knife.
"They're just ahead of our position. Apparently, the Prophets of Truth and Mercy are accompanying them as well. Just be careful, they have a full Honor Guard of Jiralhanae, including one Brute who seems to be their leader."
"Noted," Chief replied. As soon as they eliminated the last enemy combatant, he said, "Marines, form up on me. The Prophets are ahead of our position. If we move quickly, we can capture them and force the Covenant to surrender. Commanders Miranda and Johnson have been captured and brought to them. If you can, rescue them, but be warned: the Prophets are surrounded by highly trained personnel."
"Roger that," a Marine called out. "We'll get our people back, and make those fucking apes regret ever kidnapping our own people." Looking at N'tho, he asked, "So, chuck-head, you coming with us?"
"Yes," N'tho replied. "What do you mean by 'chuck-head?'"
"We'll tell you later," was the cryptic response. With that, they continued on ahead, their goal in sight.
. . .
Up ahead, Miranda nearly stumbled as she and Johnson were moved along by the Brutes towards the Phantoms, each one heading for Delta Halo and it's Control Room. Noticing her stumble, the Brute behind her growled, picking her up somewhat before roughly setting her down. Nearby, Johnson looked around as well, before his eyes locked onto her. A slight smirk came from his mouth as their eyes made contact. So far, so good, Miranda thought. The Brutes don't even know better. As she was pushed along, she remembered the Marines that had been captured and brought to High Charity. While one of the Brutes wasn't looking, she dropped a small object on the ground, with a quiet beeping sound coming from it. Hopefully, that upgraded Slipstream Space Drive can do the jump I need it to, she thought to herself.
As they moved forwards, Tartarus, who was up ahead, said, "Split them up. Take each one onto a different Phantom. With that, Miranda and Johnson were separated from each other, with Johnson entering one Phantom and Miranda entering another.
With that done, Tartarus came over to Truth and bowed. "Our hopes now rest on your shoulders, Tartarus," Truth said to the Brute.
"My faith is strong," Tartarus replied. "I will not fail." As soon as he said this, though, he heard something off. Looking behind the group, he noticed what looked like small, pod-like creatures on tentacles moving towards them. "The Parasite," he roared. "Protect the Hierarchs!" One Infection Form tried to get at Tartarus, only for the Brute to knock it out of the air before stomping on it, smashing it in an instant. Other Brutes went to work killing each one, using their fists, weapons and brains to take them out. Not all of them were destroyed, though, as one got through to the Hierarchs. Leaping forwards, one Infection Form tackled Mercy, knocking him out of his anti-gravity unit and onto the ground. Mercy screamed as the Infection Form lashed out with tendrils, wrapping them around his neck before attempting to draw in to infect Mercy. Fortunately, Mercy was just strong enough to keep the creature form doing so, as he began to fight vigorously with the creature for survival.
Tartarus was about to move up when Truth stopped him. "Leave him alone," he replied. Looking at Mercy, he said, "The Great Journey waits for no one, not even you." With that, Truth, Tartarus and the other Brutes loaded up, leaving Mercy to his fate.
Just seconds later, after Truth and the others were onboard the Phantoms, Chief, Parsons, N'tho and the Marines and Sangheili came out of a nearby entrance. One Marine, spotting the leaving Phantoms, fired off a burst, which did little more than cause some pitting and charring on the dropship's chassis. "FUCK," the Marine shouted. "We just missed them! Motherfucking pieces of shit!" He kicked at a helmet on the ground in frustration.
"Relax," N'tho replied, putting a hand on the Marine's shoulder. "We have narrowly missed them now, but they will soon have no place to run. We will find them again. I am sure of it." Just then, he noticed Mercy lying on the ground, struggling with the Infection Form.
He was about to move forwards when Chief walked over, weapon in hand. "Your pal," he asked, "where is he going?"
"To Reach," Mercy strained out, "to finish what we started, and this time, none of you will be left behind." Reaching down, Chief tore the Infection Form off of Mercy, which also resulted in the Hierarch dying, as the Infection Form's tentacles were around his neck, causing Chief to inadvertently snap his neck.
"So ends the life of one of the Hierarchs," N'tho stated, his voice low and emotionless. Looking up at Chief, he asked, "What did he mean by 'Reach', if I may ask?"
"It's one of the colonies that your species found during the ongoing war," Chief replied. "We prevented your species from taking the planet, but it was partially glassed in the process. I wonder why they've decided not to target Earth, but rather Reach."
Just then, Cortana chimed in, her avatar popping up on a nearby holo-pedestal. "That structure in the center of High Charity," she realized. "It's not a building. That's a Forerunner ship, and it's headed straight for Reach!"
"Can you warn SKYNET and HIGHCOM of the danger," Chief asked. "Also, can you determine why it's heading to Reach and not Earth?"
"I've already done that. SKYNET had a UNSC ship on station to rescue Sangheili VIP's that might be willing to cease hostilities. When the Brutes attacked, it ordered the search and rescue of all Sangheili political leaders. Even the Terminators that infiltrated the Covenant were ordered to carry out this order. I've also got word that the In Amber Clad is coming to pick up the Marines and Sangheili with us currently. As for why they're heading to reach, new records indicate they found something there, though I'm not sure what. We have to intercept them."
"What about the Brute" Chief asked. "He has the Index; he can activate Halo!"
"If he does that, I've got a backup plan," Cortana reassured Chief. "That Covenant Corvette that we spotted crashed into a pillar that you can see behind you." Motioning to the Corvette, which was buried nose first in a large column, she said, "Once I'm inside, I can remotely detonate the pinch fusion reactors and destroy High Charity and Delta Halo. Not an original idea, but at least we know it works."
N'tho, having spotted the conversation, said, "You have one of your AI's inside of our network?" When Chief nodded, he said, "Hhmmm, impressive. We do not use such machines ourselves, but still, impressive all the same."
Just as Chief was about to remove her from the network, Cortana said, "No, I need to be on hand to ensure detonation. I don't want to risk a remote one."
"You don't have to," came a familiar voice. Turning around, Chief watched as the Sangheili Terminator they had met earlier walked over. It was clear that she had been through some rough patches, as parts of her chassis were exposed, with the nanocomposite titanium hyperalloy chassis glinting in the artificial light. One of her ocular sensors was also exposed, with the optic glowing a bright blue instead of the more traditional red. "I can stay on hand to detonate the Corvette and prevent Delta Halo from firing off."
"What about a potential Flood infestation, should one happen," Cortana asked.
"I will not let the Flood infest me," the Sangheili Terminator replied. "Besides, if they attempt to learn our secrets from me, they will find that they will have to do much more than infest the living tissue sheath of my chassis. If necessary, I will destroy myself to ensure they do not gain access to any secrets." Looking at N'tho, she said, "N'tho, you seem to be doing well for yourself."
"You… are a Machine," N'tho asked, surprised.
"Of course I am," the Sangheili Terminator replied. "Is that too much for you to handle?" As soon as she said that, they heard the sound of a Phantom coming in. Looking in that direction, they watched as it crashed into a platform that was connected to theirs via a walkway, tumbling end over end before coming to a stop. When they heard the screeching sound, they knew it: the Flood had arrived.
