AN: Writing this chapter was more difficult than I thought it would be. Someone once told me that, as long as you feel comfortable with what you write, it can't be "bad". I can't honestly say I am entirely happy with how this ended up, but neither can I think of any other way this could have gone. I can only hope that it didn't end up being "bad".
Anyway, lots of subtle "between the line dialogue" in this chapter. Prepare for headscratching and Shepard. Always prepare for Shepard.
Chapter 37: Gods and Demons
The Joint Engineering Doctrine between the Citadel Council, Unified Earth Government and Quarian Flotilla has yielded several breakthroughs and technological achievements that helped ease the strained diplomatic relations. However, despite the stabilization of the political sphere, the UEG still adamantly refuses to help the Council species chart the Orion Arm. Any Council vessels that pass through Section Zero, do so only with the United Nations Space Command's permission. This does not deter organizations such as the STG, Cerberus and the Spectres from pursuing their own research, allegedly funded by larger government bodies.
Recent activities have sparked the aforementioned organizations' renewed interest in existing anomalies within the galaxy. Cross-references of regions already charted, combined with advancements made in charting techniques and updated mapping software has yielded disturbing results.
There exists a large swath of space within Section Zero/Orion Arm, reaching into the Terminus Systems, of seemingly utter blackness. This area, five hundred light-years in every direction, is completely devoid of starlight. Officials have dubbed it "The Gap", but have yet to discover the reason behind the lack of stars in this region.
Accessing this region of space has been deemed as practically impossible, as there exist no Mass Relays that lead into the Gap and the distances involved are too vast to cover with conventional FTL methods.
The Salarian Union has extended an official invitation towards the UEG, requesting their assistance in further mapping the Gap. The UEG has yet to respond.
CODEX ENTRY: THE UNIFIED EARTH GOVERNMENT: SUSPECTED/RELATED: "The Gap"
-(++)-
17:30 Hours, June 18, 2553 (UNSC Military Calendar)
On-board UNSC Infinity
The woman inside the cell slowly pushed herself upright when she heard the footsteps echoing through the brig - approaching her cell, curiously enough. She cocked a slender eyebrow when she realized this; they had already asked her their questions. Surely they had better things to do?
But the woman stifled her curiosity and sat up straighter. She would not grace them with as much as a hint of uncertainty. Their agendas did not interest her, their threats did not faze her.
The door to her cell slit open soundlessly and he entered her room. He gestured to his personal guard waiting outside, arrogantly believing that she was no threat to him.
He was only half right. Physically, she could never do him harm.
"Halsey," he said the moment the door closed behind him.
"Del Rio."
His voice dripped with thinly-veiled disdain. Hers with unveiled disgust. His steel gaze was trained upon her face, his eyes locked with hers, but she did not bother to play his little game today. No, what Del Rio had brought inside her cell with him was a lot more intriguing than any conversation with him could possibly be.
It was a Slipspace COM probe, but not one that she had ever seen before. This one looked almost jury-rigged and seemed like it barely survived its transition.
"Do you know what this is?" He asked her, holding the purple sphere in front of her like it had personally offended him.
Speak about asking a dumb question.
Of course she knew what it was. These Slipspace COM probes could be launched from a stationary Shaw-Fujikawa driver directly into Slipstream space on a trajectory with near-perfect accuracy. It then navigated its way through Slipstream space through the laws of normal physics to whatever coordinates had been attached.
An impressive feat of engineering that should honestly be beyond the dull mind of the man facing her. Doctor Catherine Halsey resisted the urge to rise to his challenge, bit back her instinctual response and merely met his gaze. "A message."
"Indeed?" He raised his eyebrows at her comment, giving his face a distinctive hawk-like appearance. "Were you expecting mail, Catherine?"
She ignored his pointless sarcasm. "Not so soon, no. What does it say?"
"Why, it asked for your expertise of all things," Captain Del Rio replied. "But there are a couple of issues with that. You see, Roland informed me that there is only one Slipspace low-mass launcher left in existence, and it is on Earth."
That wasn't completely true. The planetoid known as Onyx had one too, but it was likely destroyed when the Sentinels that composed the structure left their formation. "I take it that its point of origin does not lie with Earth?" She asked, sensing the hidden question in his words.
"Oh, it comes from Earth alright," Del Rio replied. "But the thing is, each and every Slipspace probe is carefully monitored by the Office of Naval Intelligence as well as the UNSC. This particular one is not one of ours, and – get this – was sent to Earth from an unknown location, by an unknown sender.
Doctor Halsey looked at the little probe again. Most of these COM probes were black, but this one was purple. A purple that looked shockingly like the nanolaminate the Covenant clad their equipment with.
A dozen question welled up within her, but she did not raise them. Captain Del Rio did not need to hear them. "And? What was on it?"
His arrogant sneer faltered, if only for a split-second. "It seems your intuition is not as sharp as it used to be, is it, Catherine? This probe asked for your expertise. It had a set of coordinates attached as well."
Doctor Halsey felt a mixture of surprise and suspicion. A party outside of the UNSC asking for her expertise? She had offered humanity everything she knew already. She doubted her knowledge would be of much use to them now.
But how useful would she be to someone not from humanity? Someone from the Citadel races, perhaps? "And the UNSC decided to send their most advanced, most prized ship towards these coordinates, to be commanded by you?"
Del Rio snorted, his nostrils flaring. "Does that idea bother you?" He demanded.
It did. By god, it did. Perhaps the man was competent enough, perhaps not. But mere competence would not suffice where the Infinity was headed next. "Let me answer your question with one of mine. An unknown entity personally requested my presence in a region of space that has yet to be mapped by either humanity. Consider what you know of my credentials, then consider the list of candidates this entity could feasibly belong to. Does the idea bother you?"
Del Rio inhaled sharply. "The Infinity is the single most powerful and advanced starship ever created by mankind. Not even the Covenant can sink her. Whoever we find at the other end of those coordinates will not bring us to our knees. Whatever their intentions, we will prevail. Humanity always does."
Now it was Halsey's turn to snort. Humanity always prevailed? If only that were true. Where would they be without the presence of the Covenant Separatists? Where would they be had the Citadel species not seen reason? Had it not been for the actions of a single man, humanity would have been lost already!
"I think your confidence is misguided," she replied. "Whatever is waiting for you on the other side likely thinks the same."
"Then who are they, Catherine?" Del Rio suddenly asked, stepping close enough to leverage the height he had on her. "Who did you call for help? Was it the Arbiter, hmm? Are you willing to sell out your own kind? Or was it the Alliance? Does Cerberus strike your fancy these days?"
"Don't be ridiculous," Halsey coldly replied, refusing to be intimidated by this man. "Ever since I've been taken from Onyx, I have been under constant supervision. Or do you believe Roland was willing to allow me access to the Infinity's COM systems as well?"
Paranoia. In a time of heroes and giants and monsters, who had more cause for fear than the normal man?
"We'll see who it was once we get there," Del Rio replied. "We should arrive there in a couple of hours."
There was no point arguing. The Infinity was an exploration vessel foremost, that much she had already gathered. Humanity had taken every last piece of Forerunner technology they had and crammed it into one vessel. Whether that was a good thing or not, she could not yet judge. Not yet.
"One thing before you leave," Halsey replied. She ignored the annoyance on Del Rio's face and said, "I overheard the personnel talking about a rogue Spartan, operating within the Citadel Theatre. Is he…?"
A myriad of emotions crossed Del Rio's face. In the end he settled for an angry sort of stoicism. He turned around and the guard standing outside opened the door for him again. Without as much as casting another look her way, the Captain left, leaving her questions unanswered.
-(++)-
22:48 Hours, June 17, 2553 (UNSC Military Calendar) Forerunner Guardian, location unknown
John stared out into the black nothingness of space. A part of him still searched for the one detail everyone had missed, the one clue that would make this entire endeavour worth it.
He knew he would not find it. Slowly, he felt his patience wane, his resilience wilt. He had gone AWOL, dragging the rest of Blue Team and Jane along, and for what? His actions had driven all the powers in the galaxy away from each other, made everyone that much more vulnerable.
He had gladly done so for Cortana's sake, but now…what was the damn point?
John was tired, and he saw no respite on the horizon.
The door behind him hissed open. He saw the intruder's reflection in the window, but he did not tear his gaze away.
"Chief?"
John recognized her voice, too. He shouldn't have been surprised that she sought him out like this. Things had been hectic and wrong since their "reunion". No time to rest. No time to talk.
No respite.
He didn't even know how Will and Kurt died. Didn't know what happened to his brothers and sisters since the Battle for Earth.
"Kelly."
She silently walked towards him, her armoured boots making no sound as they strode across the alien metal underneath. She stopped when she stood next to him. Instead of looking at him, or speaking her mind, she simply gazed at the blackness as well.
A minute passed. Then two.
"Fred took command, in your absence. He decided to take this problem to the highest authority."
That wouldn't be Lord Hood. The man wouldn't understand what they had tried to achieve here. Not the Council, nor Shepard. Then, the only person left would be…
"Doctor Halsey," Kelly clarified. "If anyone can help, it's her."
Halsey…he promised the same thing. Promised he'd find her. He promised that, if only he'd find her, then…
But it was too late now. Far too late. And even Catherine Halsey wouldn't be able to help them. "She won't find us in time."
"Fred doesn't think so. He managed to coax that…thing out of her shell for help. The Engineers were happy to assist."
The Master Chief didn't reply for a moment, staring at the darkness of space.
A slight impatience crept into Kelly's voice as she said, "You're going to give up? Just like that?"
Give up? No, that wasn't it. More than that, he just couldn't put his trust into something he knew was doomed to fail from the beginning. If something could be done, this wasn't the way.
When he didn't respond to that either, Kelly spoke the words he had been dreading to hear.
"She's gone, John. There's nothing more you can do for her. But others are still here." She paused. "We are still here."
She didn't understand. That only made sense. There was no one in the UNSC who ever worked so closely with an AI. Nobody could have understood the bond between Cortana and him.
…except for Jane.
"Cortana was more than an AI," John found himself replying. "More than a fellow soldier. If there's a chance I could still help her…"
He trailed off. He didn't know how to convey what he felt, so he didn't even try. He was still trying to make sense of it himself.
"You said she died. That she gave her life to keep from hurting you, in her Rampancy."
There was no accusation in Kelly's voice. It was more of a reminder. A reminder that he shouldn't lose sight of reality.
"She did." He glanced over his shoulder, looking at his sister. "Before the Reapers. Before the Forerunner. Now, if there's even the slightest chance…"
Kelly sighed. If there was even the slightest chance, the Spartans could pull it off. Everybody perceived the Spartans that way and they weren't far from the truth. Their unit had a way to make the impossible, possible.
"He said the same thing. As long as John thinks it's possible, we'll keep trying," Kelly said, pulling off Fred's commanding voice with near perfection. She always had a knack for imitations.
John almost cracked a smile. "He said that?"
"Yeah, he did. And that AI didn't argue. They managed to use the Shadow of Intent's Slipspace generators to send a message back to Earth. If they receive it, Doctor Halsey should appear in this system eventually."
The Chief had to agree that it was a sound plan. He did not vocalize the next logical question however. Of course Doctor Halsey would think of something. She was Halsey. But could they afford to wait that long? Now that the Reapers had returned, every moment counted. "Our enemies won't wait for us. If this doesn't work…"
"We'll find another way," Kelly stubbornly replied. "We always do. Or did you forget that?"
"No."
She nudged his shoulder. A rare gesture among Spartans. "Then buckle up, Chief. You're still needed."
-(++)-
Shepard followed a trail of odd symbols along the leftmost metal wall until they blossomed into a round mosaic and expanded into even larger curls. Forerunner metal was the strangest material she had ever encountered; the symbols seemed to blur around the edges and fade from her stare. It had been two days and she still wasn't used to how alien this ship felt. It was even worse than the Collector ship.
Two days. It felt much longer. With nothing to do except waiting for help that might never arrive, the Spartan-plus-one group spent their time exploring the Guardian, resting, cleaning their equipment, taking care of their wounded and politely trying to get Millennia to finally answer some damn questions.
Naturally, Millennia's answers only created more questions. She was constantly distracted, constantly busy trying to figure out what went wrong with her calculations.
Meanwhile, Shepard tried to get to know the other Spartans of Blue team. She learned their serial numbers and how to differentiate between the three without actually having to rely on the numbers. It just felt wrong to refer to individuals like that- like they were just a bunch of machines, nothing more than their serial numbers.
The two girls – 085 and 087 - were distant, but in different ways. One was cold and distant, while the other felt vaguely hostile and distant. The male Spartan – 104 - had fought side-by-side with her against those Banished forces, and as a result opened up somewhat. He hadn't given his name and Jane hadn't asked, but he was generally okay with telling her about the Battle of Earth.
He told her about the initial invasion of the Covenant by one of its leaders, the Prophet of Regret. He told her how Regret miscalculated and ended up short one fleet, after which he pulled a Slipspace jump that levelled a major city.
He told her how he and the other Spartans of Blue team raised seven kinds of literal hell on Earth for the Covenant in what should have been weeks of intense, nonstop fighting. He left out how the Battle of Earth actually ended, or where John had been during all that fighting for humanity's homeworld, but Jane had come to expect that by then.
In turn, he asked her about her military career, and she did her best to answer his questions. It helped that her dossier wasn't literally filled with more black ink than you should throw a shoe at, but she left out all things batarian-related.
She laughed when he displayed shock at the Council's reaction to the Reaper threat –shock being interpreted in the broadest terms possible – and expressed a much subtler frustration when she told him how they continued to ignore the all signs of trouble until the Master Builder quite literally shook them awake.
A moment of silence followed when one of the female Spartans entered the observation room again. The male Spartan broke off his conversation with Shepard and helped her drag several large containers into the room.
Shepard watched them work for a couple of moments. If she didn't know better, she would have thought that they almost seemed anxious. The two of them moved back and forth through the observation chamber like they were gearing up for battle. They laid down a white piece of fabric and then began to array a collection of small arms weapons, explosives and other devices.
"Shortly after we arrived in-system, we jury-rigged a Slipspace probe to carry a message," 104 explained as he laid out a series of tools. "Asking the UNSC for the greatest mind they have to offer. A scientist called Doctor Halsey."
The greatest mind the UNSC had to offer. That was quite a compliment coming from a Spartan. "Do you think she'll be able to help?" Shepard asked.
"If anyone can, it's her," the other Spartan – 058 – added.
"Doctor Halsey's an expert in Forerunner technology. Put her and Millennia together, maybe they can solve this."
Shepard was careful not to show it, but she was impressed. She knew the Spartans were wiser and smarter than most soldiers, but even now, she kept underestimating them. "That'd be the first good news of the week. Anything I can do?"
The Spartan stopped for a moment to size her up. "No Commander. We'll handle it."
As Shepard watched them work, a swirling portal appeared behind her. She recognized John, accompanied by Spartan-087. He nodded at her, then moved aft, towards the rest of Blue Team.
"Five plasma rifles, four MA5's, two fuel rod guns, plasma and HE pistols and every type of grenade," 104 summed up. "Gear up."
John pocketed an MA5 and two human pistols, then stocked up on grenades. He took a plasma rifle as a secondary weapon, observed it for a moment, and then suddenly tossed it at Shepard.
She easily caught it. The weapon was lighter than its sturdy frame suggested and was warm to the touch.
"What's the situation?" Shepard asked.
"Millennia detected a Slipspace signature on approach," John explained. "They'll be here in T-minus forty minutes."
"They? Doctor Halsey? That was fast."
"Too fast," John replied. "Humanity's come far, but they shouldn't be able to cover that distance from Earth this fast."
"So…trouble, then?"
"Trouble," John agreed.
The minutes trickled by in torturous slowness. The Spartans finished up their preparations with a finesse and efficiency Jane had never seen before. Not even the robotic geth – who were robots – could achieve the same sense of speed and grace these soldiers managed. And they were robots.
And John's leadership, as subtle as it was, was definitely there. A quick look for confirmation, a straightness and rigidness in the Spartans' posture whenever John looked at them. It was hard to pick up, even for Shepard, but she managed to catch those details nonetheless.
She couldn't wait to see John leading Blue Team into action. But, above all, she couldn't wait to lead her on team again. She was sure that they were fine – that they simply went their own way when the Alliance incarcerated her. Miranda and Jacob would go back to Cerberus. Samara would return to the asari, Mordin to the STG and Zaeed would claw his way back into mercenary work. And since John was back with the UNSC, Tali had been welcomed back by her people with open arms. Kasumi would probably jack the first vessel that caught her eye and Wrex would likely jump at the chance to welcome Grunt back into Urdnot. But Jack and Legion…where would they go, now that she couldn't provide for them anymore? And Thane, and Garrus? Where would they be?
It gnawed at her, not knowing if her own team was going to be alright. She had been gone for the better part of two months by now. And while they all understood what had been at stake when the Normandy returned to the Citadel, did they expect her to return?
Did they even want her to return?
The minutes slowly trickled by. Finally, the central viewscreen showed activity.
A shimmering, blue-black distortion appeared within the system. From that distortion appeared a ship unlike Shepard had ever seen before. It was the size of a Covenant Assault Carrier, except its boxy yet sleek shape and grey armour plating was distinctly human. It bore down on the Guardian like a hungry predator, likely brimming with enough weapon systems to gut any ship in the Alliance Fleet.
Or, Jane thought with grim satisfaction, any Reaper.
They had to get the UNSC into the fight.
A holographic display materialized in the centre of the observation room. Lines and codes ran across its surface, written in a language that seemed to be composed entirely of figures and hieroglyphs. Jane stared at them, trying to decipher them, but the only thing she got was a sudden headache.
"The UNSC Infinity…" John said.
Shepard looked at him, surprised. "How do you know?"
He gestured at the holographic display, much to Jane's chagrin.
"Yeah, I can't read that."
The Infinity held its position a couple of dozen kilometres away from the Guardian – basically remaining at knife-fighting range. Though it must have bristled with weapons, the massive ship didn't attack the Guardian.
What a time to be living in, that humans not immediately attacking other humans was something to be relieved by…
"Millennia, open a channel to the Infinity," John asked. A moment passed, after which John loudly proclaimed, "UNSC Infinity¸ this is Sierra One-One-Seven – "
Jane cocked an eyebrow, but didn't comment.
" – we have– "
The Infinity's response echoed through the chamber, completely devoid of static or interference. "Unidentified vessel, this is Captain Del Rio of the Infinity. You will identify properly!"
This would be the moment where Shepard's own squadmates would break the tension with a snarky comment or stupid joke. Blue Team's continued silence and professionalismhad its advantages, but their sheer stoicism started to bother her.
She wasn't used to operating like this anymore.
"Captain Del Rio, this is Master Chief Petty Officer Spartan One-One-Seven," John clarified when he realized this Captain wanted to hear the tongue twister version of his rank. "Transmitting clearance codes now."
A moment of silence followed.
"Confirmed, Sierra. You will rendezvous with us at the following coordinates."
Shepard almost heard John sucking in his breath for what he was about to say. "Negative sir, there are no single ships aboard this vessel. Requesting doctor Halsey be transported to us, instead."
Again, not as much as a peep from the other Spartans. This had to be the first time in John's life he told a superior "no".
"Sierra One-One-Seven, confirm that you are in the presence of the disavowed Operator Zero-Zero-Three."
"Yes sir, confirmed. Be advised; the Forerunner intelligence known as Millennia Never Falling is in our presence as well."
There were a few moments of silence as John's golden visor stared at Shepard's emerald eyes. Then, Captain Del Rio responded.
"Very well. We are sending an escort towards your…vessel. If this is a trap of any sort, we will not hesitate to open fire on you and yours."
"Understood. Sierra One-One-Seven out."
"I'm sure that's a fetish on its own," Shepard commented as soon as Millennia cut the connection. "Shall we go welcome our new friends?"
"Blue-Two," check up on Noble Six and Three," John ordered. "Blue-Three and Blue-Four. Stand by as QRF."
His Spartans snapped to attention and hurried to complete their orders. Mister Sierra himself, meanwhile, gestured towards the exit. "Ladies first."
"Hmm. Now he breaks the tension," Jane shot back. "Let's go. I'm guessing there are some things we need to talk about?"
John didn't respond at first. But Shepard was patient. She waited silently for him to speak.
"…the UNSC won't be happy to find us here. They ordered Blue Team to find Three and bring him in."
"Nothing good could have come out of that order."
"I know that." Haltingly, John struggled to pinpoint his discontent. "We've followed unwise orders before. We always complete our mission. Always follow orders."
"But not this time."
"We could have brought him in. But I gave the order to stand down."
"You've always done as you were told." Shepard sighed, mostly to herself. "You think you're making a mistake, going against the UNSC. For Cortana's sake."
John stopped. "It's just – I've taken risks. Gambles. They always paid off. But now…what if I'm wrong?"
"Wrong about trusting Millennia? Or wrong about wanting something for yourself?"
After a moment of silence, John said, "I don't know."
Taking great care to keep her voice neutral, Shepard replied, "Take your time. You'll figure it out. If you want to talk, I'm here."
"I don't want to talk."
"Okay," she said easily. "What do you want, John?"
"…I want to fight. For Cortana's sake."
A feeling of warm pride settled within Shepard's chest. It was about damn time.
The two of them continued towards the pickup point together. John passed by a section of the wall that oddly reflected his image back at him. Shepard halted for a moment, pausing to examine the metal surface.
The faint background light reflected her general outline in the banded metal. She reached out and touched her image. There was translucence to the material that, for a moment, bounced reflections within the reflections— and an infinite number of herself appeared mirrored.
Fuck me, Jane thought, and hastily continued.
The latter section of the Guardian had a large opening on its "spine", large enough for a group of fighters to land. As it was, the UNSC had only deployed two ships to meet up with them, although their fighter escort numbered in the dozens. The first Pelican dropship touched down at the far end of the "tail" section, while the second one continued to hover a few dozen meters above the Guardian's surface.
The dropship was massive by Citadel definitions, but you wouldn't be able to tell that by the way the pilot handled her. The bird stabilized itself for a couple of seconds, then gracefully touched down. A moment later, the pilot cut the ignition and the craft went still.
"You've never mentioned Doctor Halsey before," Shepard quietly said. "But I couldn't help but notice that Blue Team almost seemed…wary."
"Doctor Halsey…masterminded the SPARTAN program," John answered after a moment's hesitation.
Another revelation, another delicate minefield to tread around. The Commander really didn't know what to do with that, or how to respond – or even if she should respond.
Halsey masterminded the Spartans? Was she…what, their creator? Their mentor? She hoped it would be akin to the way Anderson looked at her. However, the matter of the fact was that John's age – and thus his consensually – was dubious at best.
The cargo door of the Pelican opened with a subtle mechanical whir. A group of soldiers clad in UNSC armour ran outside, brandishing those heavy rifles of theirs. They took up kneeling positions around the dropship's perimeter, but didn't refrain from shooting the occasional awe-inspired look at the Spartan from behind their atmospheric masks.
One of them scanned the air with a wrist-mounted device, then called out to his comrades.
Shepard clasped her hands behind her back and made sure her expression was as neutral as possible. She hadn't mentioned it to John yet, but the last time she came into a contact with a UNSC Pelican was an attempt on her life.
Two figures followed the soldiers out of the Pelican. Jane's eyes, honed by years of combat, took in every detail.
One was a man a couple of inches shorter than her, dressed in a dark dress uniform with gold trimming, yet devoid of any medals. His hair was cut short, but not short enough for a soldier. He wore some sort of armoured shoulder pad on his left shoulder, below which three yellow stripes signified his rank. His dark eyes met hers for a second, before they settled on the Chief.
Jane liked him.
The other person was a woman clad in heavy body armour that looked suspiciously like MJOLNIR. She stood tall in it, maybe even taller than Shepard. Her hair – also brown – was tied back in a small knot, leaving only a couple of bangs to frame her face. She wasn't unattractive, but something about her expression made Jane's hackles rise.
Jane did not like her.
Smiling sheepishly, the man approached the two of them in an almost casual manner. "Hell of a place to meet up again, Master Chief."
Then he actually offered the Spartan his hand – bare and unprotected – which John took without a moment's hesitation.
"I'm Lasky, First Officer of the UNSC Infinity. This is Spartan Commander Palmer. Never thought I'd see you again."
Spartan Commander? Spartan. Commander?
The other woman snapped off a sharp gesture at one of the soldiers, then turned back towards John. She sized him up with a cocky smirk. "I thought you'd be taller."
Times like these adhered to Joker's wisdom: what the shit?
There was no way in hell that Blue Team would ever take their orders from her. Jane found her voice alone too annoying to bear, let alone having to listen to actual orders.
John, for his part, merely stared at this woman in silence.
"Charming" Jane commented. She turned her attention towards the officer and decided she'd be talking to him from then on. "Officer Lasky, it's good to have you here. I'm Lieutenant Commander Shepard, of the Systems Alliance."
"Commander Shepard?" Lasky remarked. He shot an odd glance at this Palmer woman. "It is an honour to meet you, Commander. I must say, I did not expect to find you here of all places."
"Nobody expected to be here of all places, if it helps," she offered in return.
Lasky seemed to smile at her comment, but that didn't last long. "I won't lie to you Commander, Master Chief, the circumstances are…well, they're bad," he grimly said. "Would you mind explaining to me why we are meeting on a Forerunner vessel in the middle of dark space? In the company of an avowed enemy of the UNSC, even?"
The UNSC had declared Millennia hostile already? Or was he talking about 003? If so, this would turn real awkward real soon.
"The Reapers are a threat to everyone, sir, humanity included," John said. "This AI can help."
Now that they were face to face with an official UNSC group, Shepard had to consider what to reveal and what secrets to keep. John used her motivation for going along with Millennia's will, since he could barely admit he had a motivation of himself, let alone reveal this to his superiors.
"Not happening," Palmer sharply said. "This thing has proven itself to be a threat to all civilizations. Infinity has strict orders to take it out."
"Word of advice?" Jane commented. "Pipe that down. This is her ship and she doesn't like threats."
Palmer shot her a furious look, but it was Lasky who said, "We know of the danger this AI poses, Commander." He put a hand to his temple, his brows furrowing. "Look. We might be able to figure something out. I'm inviting you both to Infinity's bridge. Captain Del Rio will be sure to hear you out, if you turn over the rogue asset."
Shit.
Shepard didn't like the sound of that at all. Setting aside 003's claims that he never went rogue, Millennia obviously preferred him to anyone else. It would be like asking EDI to hand over the Normandy with Joker still in the seat. The suggestion alone might be enough for Millennia to declare that the deal was off.
She glanced at the Chief, trying to hide her discomfort, hoping that he still had it within himself to continue. She knew that, for Cortana's sake, there did not exist an obstacle John could not overcome. But ignoring a direct order? Every fibre of his being had to be screaming at him to back down.
But John did not back down. "Sir, the AI has embedded itself within the asset's Spartan Neural Interface. Turning him over will have to wait until after doctor Halsey's involvement is over."
His response took Shepard by surprise. Was he truly willing to sell 003 out like that?
Lasky grimaced. "We'll bring Doctor Halsey in," he relented. He brought his finger to his ear and ordered the second Pelican to come down.
Just its sister, the dropship nimbly touched down with a grace that belied its size. Its troopbay hissed open at the middle, then descended completely. Just like before, a team of masked soldiers quickly ran out to establish a defensive perimeter, shortly before the guest of the hour made her appearance.
The woman was older than Jane expected. Her hair was cut similar to Cortana, and she wore a labcoat over her clothes. Her expression wasn't exactly friendly. Strangely enough, she was held by each arm by the soldiers flanking her, and they held her rather tightly as they marched her down the Pelican's ramp.
At first, Jane guessed that was the reason the doctor looked so sour, but then she saw that her hands were cuffed.
That puzzled her. Why bother escorting a handcuffed senior with a whole team of soldiers?
The woman was met by a bunch of grim expressions from her fellow UNSC personnel, including Lasky and Palmer, whom the doctor regarded with an icy look. When she saw John, however, something changed in her steel gaze. It was the same sort of change whenever Wrex looked at people like Tali and Shepard herself. Her eyes lit up with a flicker of joy.
John took a step towards her. "Doctor Halsey," he spoke with his gravelly, rumbling voice.
The soldiers flanking the elder woman quickly released her.
"Master Chief," the doctor muttered, a myriad of emotions crossing her face until she finally settled on the nonverbal equivalent of armed neutrality. "It has been too long. I hope you have been treated well?"
Jane didn't like the way Halsey's eyes flickered towards her for a second there.
"Considering the circumstances, yes," the Spartan replied. He made a deliberate effort of looking down at the doctor's bound wrists, then levelled a glare at Lasky.
Without breaking eye-contact with John, Halsey lifted her wrists and said, "I am not walking around a hostile Forerunner craft with my hands tied."
Lasky made a sharp gesture with his head at the soldiers flanking Halsey, and one of them quickly removed the shackles.
"Things have changed since you were gone, Master Chief," Lasky said, almost hurrying to explain. "If I could have a moment of your time, please?"
"Commander Shepard, take Doctor Halsey," John simply said.
Halsey's "escort" didn't like that. The moment John spoke those words, a tension rippled through their ranks. Soldiers nervously shifted their weight, fingers moved away from triggers and Palmer took a step towards the Spartan.
The moment she did that, Lasky swallowed nervously. "We can't exactly let you do that, Chief. Doctor Halsey…" He paused for a moment and closed his eyes, wincing for what he was about to say. "She's considered a war criminal now. Priority orders say we can never take our eyes off her."
Now he had John's full attention. He visibly nodded at Jane, then bore down on the officer, stepping close enough that he towered over the man. "Explain."
Normally, Shepard would have thought twice before risking a serious interspecies incident. However, with the Reapers pouring into the galaxy, she couldn't be bothered to give a fuck about that. She approached Doctor Halsey, pointedly ignored the guards flanking her and said, "Ma'am? Please come with me. She's waiting for you."
Nobody moved to stop her. The soldiers all looked at Officer Lasky, who glanced between Halsey and the Chief with a troubled look. To his credit, he didn't look intimidated at all. More than that, he almost looked guilty.
"I'm sure Lieutenant Commander Shepard is more than capable enough to keep Doctor Halsey from doing any damage," he slowly said.
"Lasky…" Palmer warned him.
"The Master Chief has been out of it a long time. We owe him an explanation," he replied. "Nobody likes this situation. Chief, a moment of your time, please."
Shepard didn't stick around for that. She gently prodded Halsey's shoulder, pointing her where she needed to go.
For her part, Doctor Halsey wasn't exactly talkative as Shepard took her through the shiny, mind-fuckery halls of the decrepit Guardian. She kept looking at some sort of tablet, or datapad, and occasionally asked questions Jane hadn't the foggiest idea about.
"Where did this structure come from?"
"…I dunno."
"When did this intelligence first make itself known?"
"I dunno."
Though Halsey was exceedingly good at keeping her expression neutral, annoyance was a difficult emotion to conceal. "How did you even get into contact with this intelligence?"
"That's a long story," Shepard said. "Maybe it's better if she explains it herself,"
"She…" Halsey mused. "You said that before. We are talking about an actual, sentient Forerunner AI?"
They passed through an intersection where the glowing light of Halsey's datapad illuminated the walls. The surfaces were angled and carved with Forerunner hieroglyphs. It was very unsettling. Compared to the simple, pristine surface of Prothean structures, these Forerunner halls felt like they were alive. Alive, and judging them for their trespassing.
"Without a doubt. I've seen things even the Reapers couldn't do."
Reapers, Halsey mouthed. Her finger idly tapped her datapad. "Where is this AI now?"
Somehow, Jane didn't think "sleeping in the head of a nearly-dead Spartan" was the best answer here. Then again, it was way too soon to let John explain about AI's residing within the minds of their chosen partner, so she might as well try to breach that particular subject now.
"She chose her carrier a while ago," Shepard explained. "He was wounded during a skirmish with hostile forces, while she hasn't been in the most talkative mood lately."
Halsey stopped dead in her tracks, staring at the Commander. "Her carrier?" She repeated. Her voice was calm, but her steely eyes could have drilled a hole into the Commander's head.
There was something familiar about that gaze, something Jane couldn't quite put her finger on…
"I don't know the specifics, but she chose him to ferry her around, doing her bidding," she replied. "It must have been his armour, or…"
"The rogue Spartan," Halsey whispered. "She chose the rogue Spartan."
"…yes," Shepard relented. She had hoped to keep that particular detail from the good doctor, but she might as well have been keeping secrets from Mordin. "I'm guessing his augmentations are the only reason he survived initially."
Shit, Halsey looked at her like she could read her thoughts. Jane didn't like that one bit.
So that's what that feels like.
"You seem to know a lot about the Spartans," the doctor spoke in a guarded voice.
Jane shrugged, but she didn't exactly feel at ease here. There was something about this woman's attitude towards the Spartans – and John in particular. It wasn't scientific curiosity, nor was it possessiveness. A heavy tension hung in the air, as if Jane's very presence was a threat to the Spartans.
"I've worked extensively with the Master Chief in the past," Shepard simply replied.
"I assumed as much." Halsey said, then changed the subject altogether. "This Forerunner AI…if even half the stories detailing its actions are true, it must be extremely aggressive and territorial."
Shepard suspected that they hadn't even seen the worst of it. "Essentially correct. Worse, she hates humanity."
"Then dabbling with her attention strikes me as a fool's errand."
That comment bothered Shepard more than it should have, but she checked her temper. The doctor was right; they were all playing with fire here. "It would be. But as much as she hates us, she hates the Master Builder far more. She's willing to help us fight the Reapers if we help her fight him."
But Halsey didn't seem convinced. "Those words have been spoken before. It did not end well the last time, why would this time be any different? The enemy of your enemy is not automatically your friend."
Jane shot her a look, carefully studying her face and taking in her nonverbal cues. "We don't have an alternative here, doctor. If we want to even have a chance at surviving the Reapers, we need every edge we can get. I'm not dabbling with anything, I willingly chose to."
Halsey's eyes hardened. "You have no idea what you're dealing with, Commander."
"If the Reapers get their way, everyone dies," Shepard vehemently replied. "Every last man, woman and child." Arguing with someone as sharp and on-guard as Doctor Halsey would get her nowhere. She had to change directions, change the way she approached this. One look at the woman's face when she beheld John had told her everything she needed to know. "And you know this, when the Covenant attacked. You knew everything was preferable to extinction. Everything."
Halsey's expression softened a bit, though her stubbornness gave way for visible suspicion. Jane couldn't have that, either. "When you're that desperate, and that willing to ensure the people you care about survive, you'd be willing to do anything, right? Isn't that why you started the Spartan program?"
The doctor stared at her for several long moments. "What else has he told you?"
"Nothing that he considered classified," Shepard reassured her. "And the rest I deduced. Trust me. I want the same thing you wanted. For everyone."
"Trust you?" Halsey softly repeated. She was shaken by Jane's words, that much was obvious, but her paranoia still won out. "I was lured here under false pretences by an ancient AI that despises my race. I have no basis to trust you."
There it was. The tipping point in the conversation, the part where everything clicked and the right words fell together that, once uttered, ensured things went the way she wanted them to.
So she did.
"He does."
Halsey blinked. Her ability to mask what the thought was very impressive. "Does he? Can you prove that?"
Without hesitation, Jane leant over Halsey's shoulder and whispered his name into her ear.
When she pulled back, a look of confusion and wonder crossed the doctor's face. She opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it again.
"Alright," she slowly said. "I trust you."
Jane loved it when things came together.
-(++)-
Spartan B312 awoke.
She almost wished she didn't. Her senses bombarded her with bad things. A dull, throbbing pain in her wrist. Biting hunger. A burning ache in her throat and an unquenchable thirst. That last one was particularly bad. It made her feel dizzy – delirious even. Her mind was foggy and her thoughts slow.
Noble Six struggled to stay awake. She blinked the darkness in her vision away, and was surprised to see that she wasn't wearing her helmet anymore.
Son of a bitch.
She slowly glanced down at the rest of her body. She was lying prone on a makeshift bunk. Most of her body was still MJOLNIR-clad, safe for her wrist.
Her wrist.
Painful memories of screaming monsters and collapsing metal came back to her. If she ever came across that Brute again, she'd stick Emile's kukri so far down its eye socket that –
She caught a flicker of motion from the corner of her eye. Not alone, her instinct screamed at her. Very slowly, very deliberately, she cast her gaze through the room.
Alien walls. Not purple. Not Covenant. Green and black bags and cases were scattered through the room. UNSC equipment.
Then she spotted the actual alien, and the panic set in. She was alone, unable to move and locked inside with this tentacled floating thing
But it hadn't spotted her. It merrily floated from one side of the room to the other, chirping and playing around with what looked like a helmet.
Her helmet.
Son of a bitch.
"Don't worry, it's friendly."
Her heart skipped a beat when she heard that voice and she flinched, instinctively curling up to protect her vulnerable arm and reaching for the knife that would surely be attached to her boot.
It was gone.
In a daze, Noble Six stared at the black-clad figure that rested against the wall behind and to her right. Another Spartan?
Her perplexed mind struggled with that thought. All of Noble was…but then…
It came back to her like a blow to the stomach. The final battles. The clash for the shipyards and the frantic attempt at evasion and escape, which swiftly escalated into a struggle for survival on Reach's desolate surface as the Covenant burned it to a cinder…
Again. She had the realization again. But then…when did she…?
But when the other Spartan offered her his canteen, all rational though went away, and all Six could care about was quenching her incredible thirst.
"Take it easy," the Spartan told her as she greedily extinguished the burning fire in her throat.
"W-Why?" Six croaked. "You…I saw…"
Her mind just wouldn't work. She couldn't make the connections she needed, couldn't translate the fading dreams in the back of her consciousness into something concrete.
She vaguely recalled combat aboard a Covenant ship, recalled firing her rifle at a horde of screeching, warped monstrosities.
"Who are you, exactly?" Six settled for asking.
The Spartan sitting against the wall seemed like he was carved out of stone. "An unconventional asset," he reiterated. "A Spartan. Like your own generation."
"Then what's the difference?"
"Form and function."
"That doesn't tell me anything."
He ignored her question. "Why were you in NOBLE?"
Underneath her helmet, Six furrowed her eyebrows. She did not feel trust this person. He knew things not even the original II's were meant to know. His knowledge should have made him a spook. She didn't like spooks. "I had to take a position that…the rest of the team would rather not have seen filled."
"What were you before taking that position?"
His voice was hoarse and quiet, barely above a whisper. Nevertheless, it had a sharp edge to it. "You aren't cleared to know," Six carefully replied. She searched around for her helmet, found it, and carefully slipped it on again.
"Settle for listening, then. You will be in the presence of a woman, Lieutenant Commander Shepard. Whatever you were, whoever I am, is not important. She is. Try to harm her in any way, and I will kill you."
The sudden hostility took Six by surprise, especially since Three sounded like he was about to slip away himself.
From what she remembered, this man – this Spartan – saved her life on Reach. She didn't know Shepard or her relevance. Above all, she did not like being threatened like that. If he thought he had what it took to kill her, he was sorely mistaken. "Good luck with that."
Three tapped his armoured fingers against the side of the canteen she just drank from.
Six did not respond, but the message was chillingly clear. He wasn't some amateur clad in MJOLNIR. If he wanted her dead, she likely wouldn't see it coming.
…maybe they were more alike than she realized. Was that who Three was? Another killer, another ghost raised to do ONI's bidding?
An unconventional asset…Six didn't like the sound of that. She had worked for the Office for a long time. Long enough that their good intentions had paved a road to hell itself. Somehow, she had managed to stray away from the worst. Because, no matter how well-meaning the individual was, the collective had no standards they would not betray. No principles or ethics that would stop them. The line ONI wouldn't cross had yet to be drawn.
As Parangosky so succinctly put it, the Office was against unnecessary cruelty. That meant someone had to decide when cruelty was necessary. And that someone was ONI.
This Spartan meant trouble.
Six decided against asking more questions. She needed time to get her thoughts together, discover what went down since the Covenant glassed Reach. Maybe the other members of this crew were more informative. If she could –
The door noiselessly flashed open, revealing two human women. A young redhead clad in strange, shiny armour and one senior clad in blue civilian clothes covered by a white coat.
Six' eyes widened as she recognized the older woman.
Doctor Catherine Halsey.
-(++)-
Shepard carefully observed the doctor's face as she beheld the two wounded Spartans. This time, Halsey did not bother to hide her feelings. She stared at the female Spartan with open wonder – and recognition. "Noble Six…" Halsey quietly said. "Is that you?"
'Noble Six' did not respond.
"I don't think she's awake yet. Do you know her?" Shepard said.
"I…know of her," Halsey replied after a brief pause. "I thought she perished on Reach."
"Three pulled her from Reach's surface. Nearly died in the process, too, but they're both alive."
Halsey tore her gaze away from the sleeping Six and looked at the other Spartan in the room. "Two more Spartans saved from the fire. If only the circumstances were better…Spartan Zero-Zero-Three, I presume? Please, don't get up," she quickly added when Three sluggishly tried to get back to his feet. "You shouldn't be moving at all with the injuries you sustained."
But Three didn't listen He braced himself against the wall as he slowly dragged himself back to his feet. His left hand slipped and Shepard quickly darted towards him, catching him before he could crash to the ground again.
She barely managed to get a good grip, as his energy shields interpreted her touch in the worst way possible.
"I forgot how heavy you guys were," she said, grunting with exertion to keep Three from slipping again. The man could barely stand on his feet, let alone walk. 'Hey deactivate your shields. Let me help."
The slippery barrier that stubbornly refused to let Shepard get a good grip flickered, then disappeared.
Shepard sighed in relief, then covered the Spartan in a Biotic field. The rapidly oscillating fields of dark energy eased the burden of his weight without actually Lifting him.
Behind her, she heard Halsey gasp.
Oops.
Maybe she should have mentioned her Biotics before using them on one of Halsey's Spartans.
"There. That should help," Jane said, gently guiding the Spartan away from the wall and back to his own feet. "I suppose I should explain – "
"No," Three hoarsely said. "You're not here for me, ma'am. Help her."
So he knew Doctor Halsey as well?
Shepard felt a hint of unease creep up on her that she couldn't rationalize away. She didn't like how everybody connected to the Spartans seemed to know each other. It reminded her way too much of the STG, and other intelligence agencies, when the Spartans were supposed to be Special Forces.
"I presume you mean the AI, Millennia Never Falling. Where can I find her?" Halsey replied, likely picking up on the urgency in Three's voice.
I am here.
Shepard nearly jumped. She spun around, her hand automatically going for her sidearm as the voice echoed within the depths of her mind.
Just like Cortana, Millennia had put together an avatar that seemed to reflect her personality. She was…Shepard hesitated to simply call her attractive, as she had strange, exotic features that came together in a way that was beautiful in an impossible, disturbing manner. Her avatar was wreathed in a torrent of liquid flames, flowing around her, giving her a regal appearance.
"Fascinating," Doctor Halsey whispered. "Millennia Never Falling, then?
Indeed. You are the one who created the Warriors, the one who garbed them in their Combat Skin.
"That is correct," Halsey replied, staring at the Forerunner AI with an almost unreadable expression. The woman must be killer at poker. "I assume this is significant in some way?"
You are needed within the core.
Before either of them could retort, a glowing Slipspace portal just…appeared in the middle of the hallway they just came from. Merely looking into that shimmering blue-black mass was dizzying as fuck. Stepping through one…
"A Slipspace translocation system?" Halsey noted. "Very well."
Shepard bit back a sigh and steeled herself. She stepped through the glimmering portal –
- and landed on her knees on yet another smooth, silver floor that strobed with ancient figures and symbols. She clutched her stomach and muttered several of Jack's favourite phrases.
A machine the size of a small skyscraper dominated the centre of the spherical room she found herself in. A beam of blue energy arced upwards and into a hollow tower of sorts, which pulsed with bioluminescent colours. Rings of floating, golden spheres lazily spun around its axis. They too glowed with Forerunner hieroglyphs etched into their surface.
Despite the nausea the Slipspace portal had brought her, Shepard couldn't help but feel impressed. There was an angular beauty to this room, an ascetic she appreciated for reasons that eluded her. It all felt…familiar. Like she had seen this before.
Millennia's avatar strode past the three of them, strolling towards the towering core with an almost casual air.
What has been will be again. What has been done will be done again. We stand on the brink of a storm of insanity, and hunger, and hatred. Soon, it will be upon us again, and our reality will snap before its might,
"The Reapers," Shepard said.
"We hope," Tree ominously said.
"From what I've heard, concepts like hunger, insanity and hatred don't seem relevant to the Reapers," Halsey muttered. "No, I fear our situation is grimmer than I realized – more than anyone realized."
Several more portals opened up around them, except these ones contained images instead of the looming depths of whatever abomination Slipspace was. They contained images, like some sort of interconnecting mirror, or window.
Halsey instantly had her datapad ready. She began scanning the images and pulling them into some sort of charting model.
Jane honestly had no clue what the good doctor was up to. And why was it important that she developed John's armour? What difference did that make?
"The centre of this system…these readings are odd. Is this - ?"
There should be a stellar engine within the centre of this system, built around the Class-A star.
"A stellar engine would be the next logical step after the reports of the Halo structures, yes. Is it a Dyson Sphere? Swarm?"
It stands as one of the few creations of the Ecumene that survived the enemy warded off by the Rings. It is lost. This is the location, I remember it well.
Millennia did not bother hiding her frustration – her voice almost trembled with raw emotion. She was getting desperate.
Doctor Halsey squinted at one of the Slipspace windows. Numbers, charts and spectroscopic analysis flashed on her datapad's screen. "No spectra or energy output…radiation levels are background only. There is no star here, and yet…"
Shepard anxiously paced behind the doctor as she and Millennia contemplated whether or not the system's star had magically disappeared. She felt powerless, frustrated and increasingly paranoid. The Reapers poured into the galaxy as they spoke, and John was out there with that annoying Palmer woman and Lasky, both of them clearly in over their heads.
"How are you feeling?" She asked the Spartan, noticing how he kept his distance.
"Starting to feel the pressure. We don't have much longer."
"Yeah, I can relate…"
As they worked together, Millennia brought up all kinds of devices and new Slipspace windows. Jane spotted asteroids, images of different stars and a close-up of the Infinity.
Halsey asked something about a gravitorial analysis and Millennia grudgingly complied, presenting her with several holographic displays filled with numbers and other symbols.
"That's strange…" the doctor muttered.
"What is it?" Shepard asked.
"The objects within this system are clearly positioned as if a star had once been present in this system. Notice these asteroid belts, for example? It is clear that the coordinates are correct."
The Commander shrugged. "Do you think the Forerunners moved it? Is that something they could do?"
That, and far more. But the data refutes that.
"On the Shield World known as "Onyx", we encountered a Slipspace bubble of compressed dimensionality. Perhaps the star resides within a Micro Dyson Sphere?"
Shepard didn't understand half those words, but decided against asking. She was far from ignorant, but these two were on a completely different level. No doubt Mordin would have had the time of his life in this place, debating the physics behind the Forerunner's incredible technological marvels. He might have been able to explain it in a way she understood as well.
Besides; Three kept silent as well. Maybe it was for the better to follow his example. She didn't want to disturb the two geniuses at work.
Millennia scanned the system again.
'No Slipspace anomalies detected. Unless…
"What are these?" Halsey suddenly said, pointing at a series of oddly-shaped rocks displayed within the Slipspace windows. "Could you…? Yes, like that. I do believe we have found the solution to this mystery."
Millennia magnified the images. At first, Shepard didn't get what the doctor saw. It was a collection of fourteen asteroids, nothing special.
"I don't see it," Shepard said. She scanned the images again, looking for the detail that Halsey had spotted, but there was nothing there.
Halsey shot her an incredulous look. "What do you mean, you don't see it? Look closely Commander, you will see the glow."
"What glow?"
You cannot see it. There is a low-level alteration within your perception and conceptualization. Here.
As Millennia said that, Shepard was suddenly struck with an enormous headache. She reached for her temple and nearly stumbled, as mall trickle of blood dripping from her left nostril. "What…what the fuck?"
I manually activated the neurons inhibited by the signal. Watch closer.
Jane glared at the AI's avatar. "I don't take kindly to people messing with my head."
"You'll get used to it," Three remarked.
"Take another look," Halsey urged her on. "Do you see it now?"
Scowling, she did as the doctor asked. "Huh...well, I see that."
The asteroids glowed with a sapphire-blue light, dull enough that it wouldn't be picked up on any normal sensor without a truly extensive scan, but bright enough to allow for visual confirmation. It was clever for certain, but she didn't understand what it meant.
"What did you call it, a...an alteration in my brain?" Shepard asked.
"Fascinating," Halsey whispered. "These objects emit a vector that interacts directly with specified neurons…I can only speculate why the Forerunners would have it attuned to humans, or why I remained unaffected. Unless, of course, the answer has to do with Reclamation."
That is hardly relevant now.
Within the Slipspace windows, the formation of asteroids shattered and crumbled as the Guardian emitted some sort of signal, or energy pulse. Whatever it was, it stripped them of their outer shell, revealing fourteen cylinders made from a golden material. Floating at the tip of each and every one of them was a miniscule crystal, tapered to a sharp point at both ends. As the smaller pieces of debris and stone lazily spun away from the point of impact, the crystals orientated themselves as if guided by an invisible hand. They spun to point towards the centre of the system, the facets along their centreline folding and shifting like the pieces of a puzzle.
"Detecting neutrino radiation…now I see!" Halsey exclaimed.
Shepard waited to see if she would follow up on that statement, but nothing happened. The system remained empty.
Slipspace Flakes. Within the folds of Slipspace, they are as the beacons anchoring our vessels to reality.
Halsey looked up from her datapad and looked at Millennia. "I encountered such a crystal on Reach before. It had curious time-dilation effects."
Millennia's ruby eyes narrowed.
Lost not within space, but within time itself. As your people say, hidden within plain sight. Remove yourselves from the core, I must concentrate.
Then, she quietly added,
…please.
Doctor Halsey pushed her glasses farther up her nose. "Very well. If you could return us to the observation room, I can continue to work from there."
The Slipspace portal that brought them to the core room opened again.
Shepard set a hand on Three's shoulder, and nodded to the doctor. "Come on Spartan. Let's watch the lady work from up there."
But Three shook his head. "I think I'll stay here."
"What?" She glanced at Doctor Halsey, who subtly shook her head. "Won't that bother her?"
"Not this time."
Spartans and their AI's…Jane smiled at the thought. Now she knew what the man truly fought for. She discarded her concerns about Three's loyalty, just like she had with Zaeed, all those months ago.
Doctor Halsey strolled past the two of them, stopping right in front of the portal. "Come Commander. I have done all I can. It is time to take a more passive approach. Moreover, I want to see the Master Chief."
"Don't we all?"
Shepard glanced over her shoulder at the Spartan who would remain behind. He had quietly sat down and looked up at the chamber's core.
What has been will be again. What has been done will be done again.
She had heard something like that before. What did Millennia mean by that?
Then the portal overtook her, and Shepard was gone.
-(++)-
Silence. For the first time in years, there was silence. Alan lay with his back to the reactor core, staring blankly ahead. The oppressive burden of his past deeds had been lifted. He was free to think for himself, as far as the conditioning would allow.
"Why me?" He asked, his mouth dry and sore. "Why…did y-you…pick me?"
Do you believe in fate?
A small chuckle escaped past his torn lips. "No."
Perhaps it is time to change your views. We are all bound to destiny, inseparable and irrevocably burned into reality. Struggle, pathetically, feebly, passionately – it will not change.
"T-That's – "A fit of coughing made him dizzy, lightheaded. His feverish limbs felt heavy.
You disagree. So did those who went before you. So did he. He vowed to fight until the end, even if the act of fighting itself were to be part of the destiny he hoped to change. I can only presume he failed, for now, eons later, nothing has changed, and he is no more.
"Destiny…the Forerunners created you to fight Ancient Humanity," Alan weakly protested. "You changed. People can change."
And yet our plight remains carved in stone. Before soon, we shall we delivered unto as literal a hell as can be imagined.
"You really…think highly of the Reapers…don't you?"
You misjudge my words. Their fate was preordained as well, their very conception a forewarning of what will be.
Alan would have laughed if he could. As it was, he settled for a simple smile, albeit one without humour. "So you're…saying t-there's no hope?"
An apt description. You would prefer fighting to the death? To die, struggling and cursing your enemy? Of course you would. That, too, is her legacy.
"Legacy?"
The Warrior and the Ancilla, alone against the oncoming storm. What difference will it make, in the end?
"Not a damn one…" Alan whispered. But yet…but yet…
The candle still burns?
"We're not…we're not done. Not yet."
He felt a wave of approval trickle through the Spartan Neural Interface.
Indeed. Why see reason and logic when your purpose awaits you still? Consider.
The Slipspace portals reconfigured into a new position. They displayed the fourteen crystals that, according to Doctor Halsey, were capable of interfering directly with time.
For a hundred millennia my Heart has remained hidden from reality. When my Retainer's mate fragmented my consciousness and seeded the resulting shards throughout, she knew the consequences failure would carry. As much as she embodied life, my conceptualization of death was stronger still. We have always been rivals, she and I, in more ways than one.
Alan closed his eyes and listened to Millennia's voice. Now, without the arrogance and hatred, he found it beautiful to listen to, even if his mind struggled to comprehend her words.
My mainframe was not to be exiled like Mendicant, or dissected like Offensive. I was not to be imprisoned in space, but in time. No more than a heartbeat out of sync with the rest of reality, so that I could never do harm to her creations again.
History would judge him for his actions, for…for turning against humanity. For releasing an entity like her, who had killed billions of humans and enjoyed it. An entity whose one purpose in life was the destruction of his people.
Maybe, when everything was done, someone would live to understand that he had only acted for the sake of humanity's survival. It had always been about humanity's survival, ever since the conditioning. He could not break free even if he wanted to.
Maybe she would be merciful. Maybe he had already succumbed to the mental degradation.
"How do we free you?"
She already has.
Her Retainer's mate…the Didact's wife. That would be…the Librarian? The glyphs describing their exploits had burned their names within his mind .Or perhaps it was Millennia's consciousness bleeding over into his own. What she believed about humanity was the same a Spartan – any Spartan – would feel regarding the Covenant. The Covenant was humanity's worst enemy and their most dangerous foe. Even if a greater threat would arise, they would never surpass the Covenant in their effect on humanity.
Sleep now. When you awaken, everything will be better.
Somehow, the Spartan felt like that wasn't right. Somewhere, there was a gap in his reasoning. But he lacked the strength to protest, lacked the mental clarity to correct himself and soon, his mind drifted away…
-(++)—
TIME: DATE RECORD ANOMALY\ UNSC Military Calendar) Aboard UNSC Infinity, location unknown
Captain Andrew Del Rio was a man who left nothing up to chance. When he looked outside the main viewports of the Infinity's bridge and saw the pinprick of light that represented the Forerunner vessel, he did not see an a potential ally or – god forbid – a deity that clawed its way from the abyss of time – but merely another possible enemy. As such, he kept the ship's heavy MAC's spun up and ready to fire in the first sign of hostility.
In his mind, the various aliens that made up the Citadel civilizations grossly overreacted when they found themselves in the midst of this "crisis". Had the choice been his, he would have ordered the destruction of the Master Builder and this insane AI the very moment they dared to show themselves.
Then again, it wasn't like that bunch had the capability to actually destroy anything Forerunner. For all their boasting and threats and arrogance, the aliens could hardly compare to the UNSC. To them, the Master Builder truly was a giant in a children's playground.
That time has passed, Del Rio thought with grim satisfaction. We are the giants now.
The Captain checked his pocket watch, then decided he had waited long enough. "Roland, patch me through to Lasky."
"Of course sir," the AI replied.
Within seconds, the Infinity's powerful communication array had singled out Officer Lasky's signal within that abominable vessel. "Lasky here, Captain."
"What is your status? Did you locate the asset?"
"Uhm…not yet. We've linked up with the Master Chief and Lieutenant Commander Shepard. I've invited the Master Chief back to the Infinity, but he…refuted…sir."
Del Rio cocked an eyebrow. "He refuted?"
Lasky sounded uncomfortable from his end of the transmission. "Yes sir."
Del Rio resisted the urge to curse. He wanted to keep himself composed in front of his crew, but on the inside, he was fuming.
Who the hell did that Spartan think he was? No doubt this was that Shepard's doing. He had skimmed through her combat service record on his way to this god-forsaken system. This whole mess had been started by that "second humanity" business. He would have none of that idiocy.
"Inform him of the consequences of ignoring a direct order from an officer," Del Rio calmly retorted. The Office of Naval Intelligence had informed him that the Spartans only had one objective here: to apprehend the rogue element and bring him in. "Inform him that Doctor Halsey's cooperation is not a given."
"Sir, it's complicated. The Master Chief believes he is fighting to achieve an alliance for fight against the Reapers."
Del Rio snorted. "Ah yes, Reapers. Do you believe those claims, Lasky? The claims of a delusional woman with a track record for insubordination? You know the punishment for personnel interfering with an official Spartan operation, civilian or otherwise. Arrest her, or get her out of the way."
"Captain," one of his bridge officers suddenly cried out, much to Del Rio's frustration. "Forerunner vessel is showing signs of – "
One of the viewscreens showed the decrepit monstrosity firing off a series of energy weapons – but none of the aimed towards the Infinity.
"What the hell?" The Captain muttered. He had been told the AI was possibly insane. What was she firing at? Ghost signatures? Cloaked vessels?
"Targets appear to be a series of asteroids," Roland informed them.
"What are you playing at?" Del Rio muttered. "Lasky, do what you need to do, then get Halsey and the asset back on the Infinity. I'm not risking this ship for the delusions of a paranoid renegade and an insane AI."
"I…got it, sir. We're meeting up with the rest of Blue Team soon, I'll see what I can do then. Lasky out."
The Forerunner vessel wasn't done. It guided itself towards what Roland calculated to what was the "perfect centre" of the system. He provided a series of theories about supposed anomalies within the system that might explain why they had to rendezvous here of all places, but Del Rio was beyond caring at that point.
Ever since he had laid eyes upon that…metal monstrosity, every fibre of his being had been screaming at him to get out. To take the Infinity and run. He…wasn't sure where his mind came up with that thought, but that was the best way he could describe his feelings of chilling unease.
Captain Del Rio sat down in his seat, thinking over how strange this entire situation was. The Slipspace probe, the Forerunner vessel, the request for Doctor Halsey…it all felt…off. Contrived. Like he had uncovered the fringes of a vast conspiracy.
But why? And against whom?
Admiral Parangosky had told him not to overthink these developments, but Del Rio couldn't help but feel sceptical about all of this. A replica of Sol, two humanities, the appearance of two feuding superpowers in the form of the Master Builder and the AI…it felt like someone was playing a huge game here.
Again, why? What stakes, played by whom?
But then, the Infinity's sensors picked up something unbelievable. And Roland's voice echoed through the cavernous bridge as he yelled, "Unknown energy signatures! Output cannot be calculated."
"Evasive manoeuvres!" Del Rio yelled in return. "Divert all power to our shields and brace for impact!"
Armoured bulkheads slammed shut all over the ship. A layer of Titanium battle-armour slid into place over the windows, seconds before the brightness of a newborn star could have blinded all within the bridge.
"Status report!" Del Rio barked, but Roland did not respond. "Roland, that was an order! I want a status report!"
"It's…beautiful, sir," the AI weakly said, and he wasn't the only one. All across the Infinity's bridge, officers stared slack jawed at their screens, too stunned to act.
"What?" Del Rio demanded of them. "What is it?"
"…take a look for yourself, sir," Roland said.
Captain Del Rio was a man who left nothing to chance. But, as a magnified image appeared on the central viewscreen, he realized that he had been massively outplayed.
For a split-second, the Captain was too awed to say anything. That feeling of flight was back now, stronger than ever. He was all animal, consumed by a desire to run, and never return.
With a herculean effort, he managed to snap out of it.
"What the hell is that?" He exclaimed. "Battle stations, battle stations!"
But it was too late.
-(++)-
On the main viewscreen, a star ignited in the heart of the system. The observation room was enveloped in light and warmth. The Guardian shook and trembled as the anomalies caused by the sudden reappearance of an entire star took their hold.
Halsey's hand went slack and her datapad clattered to the ground.
Shepard felt her jaw drop.
"Unbelievable…" Doctor Halsey whispered.
Unbelievable was the understatement of the fucking century. It wasn't just a star. The object…objects were several layers of enormous rings, many thousands of kilometers wide, running around the star, perhaps reminiscent of the electron shells of an atom. The first layer consisted of two such rings wrapping around the sun vertically, the second consisted of three rings positioned horizontally around those and finally, the third layer again consisted of six gargantuan rings running diagonally around those.
For a split-second, Shepard couldn't think. The absolute scale of the project filled her with awe, and she felt her legs grow weak. This was the legacy of the Forerunners? This was the species everybody kept comparing the Protheans to? The Citadel was nothing – nothing – compared to astroengineering of this scale. The Protheans were ants compared to the ones who built this thing, and humanity…humanity…
"What is it, Doctor?" Shepard asked, not taking her eyes off the structure.
"I…I think it is a Matrioshka Brain," Halsey replied with a whisper. She cleared her throat and quickly explained, "The Matrioshka Brain is a mega computer, a combination of megascale and nanoscale engineering, capable of harnessing the power of a star."
Shepard could barely comprehend such a massive device. It was unbelievable. It was beautiful. Completely beyond her. She felt like she was staring at the heart of the galaxy. Thinking about the ramifications of such a construction would surely drive her insane, so she didn't. She had to focus on the military applications – finding a way to kill the Reapers with this. Although, before she got to that, "Why is it called that? What's a…matru…yoshka thing?"
"We named the concept after the Russian Matrioshak Doll, the "doll within a doll within a doll" concept often utilized to maximize efficiency. These innermost rings absorb the sunlight and run calculations at extreme temperatures, which gets emitted as waste heat, only to be…recycled by the next layer of rings. A series of Dyson Spheres nested within each other would have increased the processing power to truly absurd levels, but I doubt the Forerunners had the local resources to utilize that concept."
"What could the Forerunners possibly use a computer this size for?" Shepard asked.
Halsey turned to face her. "Almost anything," she replied. "It could contain the minds of billions of individuals, simulated or actual uploaded minds. It could simulate entire universes, or even alter the fabric of reality if it possessed enough computing power. Consider a perfect simulations or uploads of human minds into virtual reality spaces supported by the Matrioshka brain. Possibly, a sufficiently powerful species like the Forerunners could utilize its immense processing power to simulate entire alternate universes."
"And this thing existed here all this time..." Shepard was struck with a horrible thought, one that had nothing to do with the physical threat the Reapers posed. "You are saying this thing can simulate an entire universe? Then…how do we know we're real? How do we know any of this is real?"
"You don't, not really," Halsey quietly replied. "But I think that existential horror is the least of our problems. This construct has activated …and the entire galaxy knows it. Imagine a black spot suddenly appearing on a white canvas, with thousands of onlookers suddenly aware of the change."
The Commander was painfully aware who Halsey meant when she said "thousands". If what Doctor Halsey said was true, they just revealed their position to the entire galaxy, challenging them to come get them.
The Reapers would come for them en-masse.
Shepard was about to tell that to Doctor Halsey when the light pouring in through the viewscreens grew brighter. She felt a sudden bout of dizziness, and her knees wobbled dangerously. Through hazy eyes she saw Halsey reaching for her temple, before slumping against the wall and sliding to the ground, unconscious.
Then, bright light exploded in her vision, and she knew no more.
-(++#W_U_J++#)—
John stood in the middle of a field of grass. Sunlight dappled the river that flowed past a grove of trees that blossomed with beautiful, pink flowers. He watched a group of children as they screamed and chased each other across the field, playing a variation of "tag".
He felt the warm rays of sunlight beam down on his face. He felt the faint wind rustle through his hair. It carried a scent of crushed pine needles.
It had been too long.
John could have watched them for hours, drinking in the display of innocence and happiness that he hadn't seen in decades. But he couldn't. He had been here for too long already. Something nagged at him, nestled deep within the back of his mind. There was a moment of contemplation, a moment where he wondered how long it had truly been.
Then, the thought faded away again, and he turned his back on the moment of peace and tranquillity. He couldn't stay. After all, he promised her he'd meet her here, and he wasn't going to break that promise.
He headed westward, into the forest. He would walk there until night fell, but night didn't fall. It would never fall. The day lasted forever.
He didn't encounter anyone else on the path. Eventually he arrived at a ribbed lancet arch that grew between two trees, serving as an entrance. As he passed by the trees, a small clutter of butterflies that fluttered towards the orange sky.
Through the natural archway lay a flower garden, small and arranged deliberately to look like a pristine, wild meadow. The names of the many blooming flowers were utterly lost on John, who was more familiar with blackened glass and ashes than living flora.
Perhaps that was the reason they always brought him such a modicum of tranquillity.
"Aren't they beautiful?" A familiar voice asked.
John gazed at the newcomer, and said, "They are. And so are you."
Cortana smiled.
-(++#W_U_J++#)—
