Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo - Terminator crossover. Thank you very much for welcoming me back! It's good to be writing again, especially after that hiatus. Updates will be more regular than before, as you can expect updates every Monday, Wednesday and Friday until this story is finished. Given that I'll be doing a lot of BattleTech crossovers, I would like to hear what you think would be a good crossover with BattleTech. If you come up with a good idea, I'll see if I can bring it to fruition. Either way, thank you for your support, and I hope to see you in 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

Near Mausoleum

November 3rd, 2552

As soon as he heard that distinctive, howling scream, Chief knew that this wasn't good news at all. The Flood has arrived, he thought, which prompted him to check to see if he still had ammunition left over for his phased plasma weapons. When he saw that he had more than enough ammunition left, he turned towards N'tho and the others. "We've got trouble," he told N'tho. "The Flood's arrived."

"The Parasite," N'tho asked. When Chief nodded, the Sangheili Captain made a deep, growling roar that was loud enough that the Marines in the back actually heard it as though they were right next to the Sangheili. "As if things were not bad enough, now we have the foul Parasite to deal with?!" Making the same sound again, he looked at Chief and said, "Demon, it seems as though we need each other to survive now that they are here. If we do not escape, the Parasite will consume us all."

"Do you have any suggestions," Chief asked.

"I do," Cortana replied. "Just before we left, Commander Keyes dropped something on the ground. From what I can tell, it's a small beacon that's designed to inform a ship as to her whereabouts. If that's the case, then it's likely that the In Amber Clad might be coming to pick up up."

"How? I thought Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engines were not accurate enough to make pinpoint jumps."

"They are now. That was one of the things SKYNET overhauled once it got access to the Slipstream Space Crystal that was on Reach. It's used what it's learned thus far to upgrade the drives, allowing them to become incredibly accurate. That and decrease travel times significantly, but I digress." Pulling up a holographic map, she continued speaking. "From what I can tell, there's a suitable landing zone in this area, but it means that we'll have to go through the upper portion of the Mausoleum and through the Hierarch's Inner Sanctum. I've already marked out a route to the LZ. Once we get there, I need you to extract me from the system, while the Sangheili Terminator we have will remain behind and get onboard the Corvette in order to detonate it should Delta Halo be activated. This is the last option I've got, Chief."

"Understood," Chief nodded. Turning to the Marines and the Sangheili behind him, he said, "We've got an extraction point, but we'll have to go through areas that have possible Flood infestation. Marines, equip your respirators and make sure your armor is fully sealed up. N'tho, if you can…"

"Do not worry, Demon," N'tho interrupted as he pulled out a faceplate that had a built-in respirator. "My helmet, and the helmets that my subordinates wear can be sealed against vacuum and hostile atmospheres. That will prove sufficient." As he said this, he fitted the faceplate over his face, with speakers on the outside activating as the armor became environmentally sealed. Behind him, the other Sangheili fitted faceplates that had integrated rebreathers and respirators onto their helmets, fully sealing their armor in the process. The Marines didn't have to do any of this, as SKYNET had designed the new BDU to be environmentally sealed, making it ideal for operations in vacuum, as well as in hostile environments, such as Flood Spore contaminated air. Once their armor was fully sealed up, they began moving forwards, weapons ready for the upcoming fight.

As soon as the Flood spotted them, the Combat Forms let out a hideous screech before charging forwards as a single wave of infected flesh. At the same time, the Marines, who had moved to the front, opened fire with their MA5E's and M7/20E's, sending purple-white bolts of phased plasma through the air. At the supersonic velocities that they moved at, the plasma bolts were impossible to dodge for the Flood, as the plasma began to rip them apart. Combat Forms screamed and screeched in agony as plasma tore through their bodies, flash-cooking what internal organs remained while causing the liquefied parts to flash-boil, causing small steam explosions in the process. One Combat Form tried to leap at the group, only for four Marines to change targets and open fire, shredding the Combat Form in the process. Nearby, the Sangheili began firing as well, making sure to keep their distance so that they wouldn't become infected. After some hand gestures, the Marines began targeting the Combat Forms, while the Sangheili began neutralizing any Infection Forms that were in the area, of which there were quite a few.

Trading out his M7/20E for a BR55E that a Marine had, Chief fired off a three round burst at a Combat Form, reducing it's corpse to a smoking ruin from a healthy fifty meters away. Targeting a Carrier Form, he fired a burst of plasma into it as well, causing the thing to deflate, rather than explode as it normally would when shot at. Nearby, N'tho roared as he drew his Energy Sword, before charging into the group, slashing and cutting through Combat Forms as though they didn't exist. A loud, bellowing roar alerted him to what appeared to be a Pure Form, which was charging at him at high speed. In an impressive show of Sangheili physique, N'tho leaped over the Pure Form, flipping once through the air before coming down behind it. Whirling around, he leaped again before driving his Energy Sword through the creature's back, eliciting a screech of pain from it. Pulling out the Energy Sword, he swung with enough strength to amputate the creature's legs, before driving the blade into the tentacled face of the monstrosity, killing it instantly. Pulling the blade out, he began looking for more targets, only to find that the rest had been neutralized by the others. "Impressive," he heard the Sangheili Terminator observe. "Not many Sangheili have the physique required to pull off such a feat."

"Thank you," he replied a moment later. "I spent many years honing my skill with the blade." Looking around, he said, "We must continue to move, Demon. Every second we waste here is one more chance the Parasite has to infest us."

"Agreed," Chief nodded. "Marines, you, Parsons and I will take point. N'tho, you and the others will be our rearguard in the event the Flood attempts to attack us from the rear. Move out!" With that order, the Marines began moving up, eyes honed by years of combat experience darting around, looking for any signs of an impending attack. "Cortana," he asked, "SITREP?"

"Flood infested vehicles are landing all over the city," Cortana reported. "That thing beneath Delta Halo's library, that 'Gravemind', we were just a diversion. That Corvette was always it's intended vector. It's safe to say that it's attempting to take over High Charity."

"I gathered that. Keep us informed of any changes. Chief out." With that, he turned his attention towards getting his men, and the now allied Sangheili, out of the Flood's hands. Moving up, he found that the door that led to the interior of the Mausoleum's upper levels was not blocked, though moving around the wreckage of the Phantom was a little tricky. As they moved along, he heard a creaking noise, just as the platform began to angle downwards. Having sensed this, the Marines and the Sangheili began to run for the door, with N'tho and Chief helping anyone that was struggling to keep up. Up ahead, Parsons passed through the door before wedging it open, before continuing ahead for a few more meters. As soon as the last Sangheili went through the door, the platforms, weakened by the crash landing, angled downwards precariously before detaching completely. Too close, Chief though before he proceeded through the area, weapons in hand. Hearing some gunshots, he rounded the corner to find that Parsons had neutralized a few Combat Forms, with the corpses smoking from the intense heat generated by the phased plasma. With a slight nod, they continued onward, weapons ready.

Apparently, Truth knew about the Flood attack, as they could hear him speaking over the Public Address System built into the entirety of High Charity. "Shall we allow this Parasite to infest our holy city," he asked, clearly angered by what was going on. "Turn High Charity into another one of their wretched hives? No enemy has ever withstood our might. The Flood too shall fail."

"I doubt that very much," Cortana remarked. "The Flood are already making headway through large portions of the city. They're also quickly making themselves at home. My scans have detected Flood biomass up ahead, as well as high concentrations of Flood Spores past the Mausoleum. Since you're going to have to travel through that area, you'll need to make sure your armor is sealed to prevent infection." Nodding in acknowledgment, Chief proceeded forwards with Parsons and the Marines, while N'tho remained with the Sangheili to make sure none fell behind. Moving through another curving corridor, they watched as a group of Covenant forces attempted to fight off a number of Combat Forms that had invaded the place, plasma bolts being flung between the two groups. Staying back, Chief and the others watched as the Flood invariably began to gain ground, infecting each of the aliens before them. One Skirmisher, who had a little more resistance than others, screamed as sickly pale veins crawled over it's head, before it's neck was displaced by the mass of flesh growing underneath it's collar bone. It gave one last screech before it's mind was consumed entirely by the Flood, with it's body following suit moments later. As soon as they were infected, the newly created Combat Forms turned and charged at the joint Marine/Sangheili personnel, who quickly terminated them before they got too close.

"What a horrible fate," N'tho remarked as he moved past the corpses. "To have everything that makes you unique consumed and twisted into something horrid and wretched. I very much prefer death to what the Flood would do." While he didn't say anything, Chief knew that N'tho was right. Death was highly preferable to being infected by the Flood.

Eventually, after passing through a hallway and traveling down a gravity lift, they came to a door, which opened up to a chamber on the other side. The chamber they were entering was massive, stretching long enough to house a Prowler with room to spare. The chamber was deep enough that Chief could see the beginnings of fog forming at the bottom, with the purple paneled walls gently curving down to meet the bottom of the chamber, which he observed was the lower section of the Mausoleum of the Arbiter, though it was now shrouded in fog at this height. Looking up, he could see a tall spire that came up from the bottom of the chamber, before coming to at stop to form a small platform with a tall, purple hued bulge at the top. Light came in from a series of lights, as well as a shaft of light that traveled down from a hole in the ceiling. Looking up, he noticed a series of colored shards of glass. As soon as he saw them, he heard Cortana say, "Chief. Those shards of glass came from all the worlds that the Covenant glassed. Those came from the colonies we lost."

"Really," a Marine remarked. "First, they glass our colonies, then they use that material as trophies? That shit's fucked up." He turned and glared at N'tho when he said this.

"Do not turn your anger at me, Human," N'tho protested. "I did not approve of that custom, and I do not so so even now. The San'Shyuum put it in place at the beginning of the war. It was out of my hands, and I was but a Minor at the time. If I had protested, I would likely have not survived long enough to be with you right now." It was clear that he didn't like the custom, though at this point, he really couldn't do a thing about it.

"We must remain focused," Parsons added. "What we are seeing is not relevant to our objectives. We must continue forwards to the extraction point and leave High Charity. Every moment that is not spent reaching the objective means that our probability of survival will drop."

"Agreed," Chief replied. "Keep moving." As he said this, they heard a loud buzzing sound that echoed throughout the upper levels of the Mausoleum. Moments later, Drones began flying out into the area, chittering angrily at some Combat Forms that were present at part of the chamber before firing their weaponry. As the groups exchanged fire, Chief ran over into one of the gravity bridges, allowing it to transport him over to the other side, while he fired his BR55E, killing a few Combat Forms. The Marines and Parsons quickly followed him, firing their weaponry at both the Flood and Drones, while the Sangheili followed once they were on the other side.

As they landed, one Marine yelped as a Drone flew over and picked him up, with the man flailing his arms and beating at the creature's face in an attempt to break free. Before it could drag him away, one of the Sangheili, a Major, jumped slightly, grabbing the alien before snapping it's many arms like twigs. The Drone opened it's mouth in a screech, with the Sangheili stuffing a Plasma Grenade down it's throat before kicking it away. Moments later, the Drone exploded, with bits of it's internal anatomy being splattered everywhere. "Thanks," the Marine shouted.

"You're welcome," the Sangheili replied, before focusing on the matter at hand.

Up ahead, Chief had neutralized the Combat Forms that were up ahead, with Parsons having quickly followed. Reaching one of the doors, he opened it up, with a thick cloud of Flood Spores pouring out of the door and into the chamber, indicating heavy infestation. Thankfully, they had already sealed their armor, with none of the spores getting through the seals; behind them, the Sangheili and Marines checked their armor over one more time before advancing forwards, entering the hallways beyond. Already, it was clear that the Forerunner Ship was detaching some of it's connections with High Charity, as the lights in the room beyond were already offline. "Night Vision on," he ordered, with the Marines and Sangheili complying moments later. Turning his own helmet's NV systems on, Chief watched as the darkness changed into daylight, albeit with a phosphor blue hue as he and the team moved forwards. Looking around, he could now see large, pale colored masses of flesh, indicating that the Flood were already starting to grow their own biological material onto the walls and ceilings of the room. At the same time, he watched as the suit's systems registered the massive increase of Flood Spores in the room, with the meter going from yellow to fully red, indicating full blown contamination of the air in the room. It was clear that even flora were not safe from the Flood, as he noticed that the plants in the planters were fully assimilated into the Flood's biomass.

As they moved forwards, he thought he saw a flicker of movement up ahead, prompting Chief to raise his rifle almost immediately. The action was a smart choice, as moments later, Combat Forms came through a door on the other side, looking for any hosts to infect. Firing his weapon, he terminated one of the Combat Forms, while N'tho, who had snuck up ahead, cut two of them apart with his Energy Sword. Chief nodded at N'tho as they caught up, before moving through the door and to the other side. They entered what appeared to be another one of the meditation gardens that was present in this portion of High Charity… or rather what was left of one. Looking around, he could see that the Flood biomass was particularly prevalent here, as he could see massive amounts of the sickly pale material coating the walls and floor. Plants that used to be here were fully absorbed into the Flood biomass, with strange, rock-like growths forming platforms and walls. He also noticed that the biomass was growing at an accelerated rate, as he could visibly see the material growing, consuming more and more of the chamber itself. Despite this, he could see Covenant in sealed suits combating Combat Forms that were in the chamber.

Just as he began to move forwards, something began to happen. There were very few times where Chief was genuinely surprised by a new development, which was perfectly normal for someone of his experience. As a result, it was a bit of a new experience for him when he watched part of the Flood biomass begin to bulge out of the walls. Limbs and other anatomical features began to grow out of the material, including a large, tentacled face that bellowed loudly as it grew out of the walls. Soon, a Pure Form was standing directly ahead of the team, bellowing loudly as it turned to face them. A moment later, it charged, intent on pummeling Chief and his team into submission. It never got the chance, as suddenly, Parsons moved ahead and distracted the creature. Before it could act, he took a hold of one of it's bladed arms and pulled… hard. There was a sickening, tearing sound as he ripped off the Pure Form's arm, before driving the bladed appendage through it's tentacled mouth. The creature roared as it the bladed arm was shoved through it's mouth, only for this roar to be cut off when Parsons forced the bladed appendage in further, killing it moments later. "Weak effort," he remarked as he stepped back.

"Impressive," N'tho remarked. "Not many have that level of strength."

"My chassis is designed to perform such operations," Parsons replied. "We must continue ahead."

"Agreed," Chief nodded. "N'tho, stick with me and Parsons." Turning to the Sangheili Terminator, he said, "Keep an eye on the Marines and Sangheili."

As they moved forwards, N'tho said, "I knew that Sangheili, the one that is now a Terminator. She was one of my closer friends. I only wish she was still alive. Rumor has it that SKYNET kills any Sangheili it kidnaps."

"She still is," the Sangheili Terminator replied. "SKYNET captured her from a Sangheili colony, then created a Sangheili shaped chassis that used a living tissue sheath using her DNA, and has been keeping her in a nanite induced coma since then. I was then installed into the chassis with a copy of her memories." N'tho was visibly surprised to hear that, and there was a hint of relief on his face as well, though it wasn't visible through the faceplate. Shaking his head, be cleared his mind before focusing on their current objective: getting out of High Charity alive.

As they began moving to the chamber's opposite side, Truth came in over the PA once again. "The parasite did not defeat the Forerunners… and it shall not defeat us," he defiantly declared.

Apparently, the Gravemind had been able to get in as well, as it spoke a moment later. "Arrogant creature," it growled. "Your deaths will be instantaneous, while we will suffer the process of infinitude."

"That's one way to shut someone down," Cortana remarked. "I don't approve of what that thing's going to do, but it and I can agree on one thing: Truth is one arrogant bastard." Chief merely nodded in agreement, even as he terminated the last of the Flood in the chamber. The Covenant that were still alive immediately fired at him and his team, forcing the Sangheili into cover along with the Marines. Popping out of cover, the Marines fired their weapons, killing some of the Covenant, while injuring a few.

Apparently, one of them, a Skirmisher, realized the futility of what he was doing, as he immediately raised his hands into the air. "I surrender," he shouted to Chief and the others. "I don't want to die!" Having heard this, N'tho came forwards and disarmed the Skirmisher, before cuffing it's hands moments later. Speaking in that different Sangheili dialect, he ordered one of the artisan-engineers to carry the Skirmisher, with the Sangheili slinging the alien over his shoulder like it was a sack of potatoes. Once he nodded, they continued forwards, entering another dark hallway.

As they continued through the area, Cortana said, "We're approaching the Hierarchs personal quarters, what they call the Sanctum. Also, be advised, we've got a number of Flood units in the corridors up ahead."

"Noted," Chief replied. "What's the status of the ship's launch?"

"Still ticking down," Cortana replied. "The cyber defenses in this part of the station appear to be quite robust still. I've stalled the launching sequence, but I don't know for how much longer. We're going to have to move quickly if we're going to get aboard that ship." With that in mind, the team continued to move up, navigating around more Flood biomass as they continued towards their destination. Eventually, they came into another one of the chambers, but it was clear that the Flood biomass was even more prevalent here than in the previous chamber. This time, the entire chamber was covered in the biomass, with the doors having been forced open by the material. Replacing them were a series of sphincter-like structures that opened with a sickly, squishing sound. Fluids of varying types were present on the floor, and it was clear that the Flood had completely overtaken the place, as Combat Forms were walking about.

As soon as they entered the chamber, the Flood spotted them immediately, howling before charging forwards. Despite the unnerving sight, the Marines and the others held their ground, firing their weapons and cutting through the horde of Flood as though they didn't exist. Charging forwards, Chief shoulder slammed into a Combat Form, sending the creature flying through the air before smashing into a wall. The Combat Form practically exploded, with pieces of it's body flying through the air, while some of the decayed fluids of it's corpse were smeared against the biomass covered walls. Nearby, Parsons grabbed a Combat Form before hurling it into a Pure Form with enough force to knock it over. Advancing forwards, it pumped both monstrosities full of phased plasma, terminating the Flood forms moments later. As the team continued forwards, Truth once again said, "Whosoever is gripped by fear, take heed. I am the Prophet of Truth… and I am not afraid. Noble Mercy is here at my side, his wise council ever in my ears."

"That is a blatant falsehood," N'tho growled. "We watched him die at the hands of the Flood."

Apparently, the Gravemind was thinking along similar lines, as it said, "We exist together now. Two corpses… in one grave." As it said this, the team moved through the doors on the other side of the chamber, entering another long hallway.

Looking around, Chief spotted large sacks of what appeared to be pulsating Flood biomass. He was about to move past when Parsons pulled him backwards, before firing phased plasma into the sac. Moments later, it burst open, spilling out a number of Combat Forms that had been expertly killed by the Terminator. "Remain vigilant," it informed him. "The Flood are utilizing more advanced tactics in order to catch us off guard."

"Thank you," Chief replied. As they moved through the hallway, he watched as Cortana's waypoint path turned sharply to the left. Moving in that direction, he spotted a doorway that opened to reveal a small room inside, with a number of alcoves built into the walls of the chamber. An Energy Sword was lying on a table in the room, and he spotted a door that was opening to reveal a lift inside.

"This is it," N'tho told Chief. "We have reached their Sanctum. There should be a gravity lift on the level above us. We just need to take the lift up and into the main Sanctum chamber, after which we will be able to reach the gravity lift and escape High Charity."

"Agreed," Chief replied. "Cortana, what's the status of the In Amber Clad?"

"I've got good news," Cortana beamed. "They've managed to safely jump inside of High Charity. I'm patching you into their COM frequencies now."

Moments later, Chief heard a gruff voice on the COM. "Master Chief, this is Lieutenant Commander Patrick McGregor. I'm currently filling in for Commander Keyes due to her absence. What do you need?"

"We need immediate evacuation from High Charity," Chief replied. "The Flood is infesting the station and cutting off any means of escape right now. We've also got allied Sangheili that are with us right now. I need you to extract them from the station immediately. Do you have any Pelicans onboard?"

"Affirmative, Chief. We've got more than enough room to get people on board. Funny enough, a number of Phantoms reached our position about a minute before Cortana contacted us. We've got lots of Sangheili civilians on board, and we're nearly filled to capacity. Once your new alien friends are on board, we'll get out of this purple hued shithole and make best speed for Earth. What about you?"

"I'll continue to pursue the last remaining Prophet. He's intending to get to Reach. Apparently, they found something there that's interesting. Can you relay that information to HIGHCOM?"

"Affirmative. We can do that. I'm sending a few Pelicans to your position right now. Get your new friends onto them and then get the hell out of there. We'll do what we can, but if the Flood attempt to board us, we'll have to back off and escape. Lieutenant Commander McGregor out." With that, the COM channel fell silent.

"Understood. Sierra-117 over and out." Closing the COM-link, he said, "N'tho, we have extraction waiting for us. We need to move, now!"

"Agreed, Demon," N'tho nodded. "Warriors, we have almost escaped from this deathtrap. Do not allow your minds to be clouded, though. We are about to go through the most difficult part of our mission. Keep your wits close to you and make sure that not one of your friends is consumed by the Flood." A shout came from the other Sangheili, who quickly followed Chief and the others into the lift. Pressing the button, Chief watched as the lift quickly reached the upper part of the Sanctum. The upper part of the Sanctum, compared to the rest of the areas they had been in, was still uncontaminated by Flood biomass, with only a few spores in the air. Floating sculptures were suspended in anti-gravity fields that had the slowly rotating counterclockwise, with a door on the other side that led to the gravity lift. The chamber was relatively dark, no doubt due to the lack of power that was in the area. Just as the team was about to move forwards, the door opened to allow a number of Brutes through, apparently having been sent to neutralize the Flood. "Silence those beasts," N'tho roared, with the Sangheili opening fire moments later. While the Brutes got into cover, the Marines had the bright idea of lobbing grenades into the area. Some Brutes were unfortunate enough to be vaporized, while a few yelped as their cover practically vanished, before being killed moments later. With all contacts down, they proceeded into the gravity lift, with Chief, N'tho and Parsons moving ahead. Coming out of the gravity lift, Chief looked around to see where they were at.

The area they'd been deposited in was a large, open aired area, with ramps and platforms on either side that wove through arches. Up above, he could see a green conduit of energy above him, which led directly to the Forerunner ship ahead of their position. All around, he could see that the Flood and Covenant were locked into a fierce battle with each other. "Chief, you need to enter the conduit," Cortana told him. "That's the only way to get onboard the ship."

"Agreed," he nodded. As soon as he said this, two Pelican dropships came into view, prompting Chief and the others to take cover. Moments later, they heard a loud, warbling sound as the Pelicans let loose with their Plasma Autocannons, tearing apart all of the enemy contacts in the area. When they came out, they found the Flood and Covenant lying dead on the ground, their bodies smoking, while some were partially vaporized.

"You're good to go, Chief," one of the Pelican pilots shouted. "Get your ass onboard!"

"Negative," Chief replied. "I'll pursue Truth and terminate him when I can. Parsons, N'tho, stay with the Marines and the others. They'll need you to make sure they get aboard alive. Understood?"

"Understood," Parsons replied. Turning to the Marines, he motioned for them to get onboard, with the Marines eagerly scrambling over the corpses to get into the Pelicans and to safety.

As the Sangheili got onboard as well, N'tho walked up to Chief. "I cannot say if this is a wise course of action, Demon," he began, "but you have my thanks either way." Placing his right hand over the left side of his chest, he said, "Thank you, Demon. You saved not just my life, but the lives of my fellow warriors as well. I will not forget the kindness that you have shown. Also, tell your AI that I appreciate what she did to ensure we lived."

"I will," Chief replied. With that, N'tho nodded before heading onto one of the Pelicans, with the two dropships closing up before flaring their engines, making best speed towards the In Amber Clad. Turning towards the Sangheili Terminator, he said, "Good luck."

"You too," the Sangheili machine replied.

"We'll be back," Cortana smiled.

"Do not make a promise, if you cannot keep it," the Terminator replied. "Still, if you do come back, I'll be waiting for you." With that, she turned and began heading back, moving for the Corvette as quickly as possible.

Nodding at that, Chief advanced towards a platform, holding out his hand over a holo-pedestal that was nearby. Once Cortana was back in his suit's systems, he leaped up into the air, entering the shaft of green energy that was above his head. Keeping his arms to his sides, he allowed himself to reach top speed, with the beam quickly drawing him towards the Forerunner ship. Apparently, it was about to leave, as the beam soon cut off, leaving him to float forwards as the entrance to the interior closed. Angling his body, he smoothly rolled, narrowly floating through the closing gap before landing on the ground, with the doors closing a moment later. "Well," Cortana remarked, "we're in for the long haul now." Chief nodded in agreement.

As soon as they entered, the Forerunner ship detached itself from High Charity, with ancient, but well maintained moorings detaching before the main engines fired up, propelling the ship up and through the massive portal that was above it. Exiting High Charity, it flew into a Slipstream Space Portal that formed, vanishing into the multi-dimensional region of space before the portal closed. At the same time, the In Amber Clad entered a similar Slipstream Space portal, vanishing into Slipstream Space before the portal closed. They might've escaped High Charity, but the war was now about to escalate in a manner that few could predict.