Colonel McPherson watched the bridge of the Raven's Shield carefully. The crew were forced to work at gunpoint, adjusting course to bring the ship on the proper trajectory to Farthern Star, and informed that any failure on their part would be met with a swift execution. It took three crew members before everyone got it through their head. All was according to plan. They would land as scheduled, and simply wait for the rest of the fleet to arrive before melting down the engines of the ship. Countless lives would be lost by the assault, and any trace of them on Farthern Star would quickly be wiped out. The effects of such an assault would be immense. No records of the Covenant still remaining on the planet, and any hope for the Humans to discover the location of their home world would be lost.
He looked to the Captain, then crossed his arms as blue Elites padded by them, growling a bit and looking over star charts. He was confident the plan to find Halo and the A.I. would succeed, it was only a matter of time. His troops were scowering the entire ship, looking for him, but he had to urge, several times, that time was of the essence. He wondered where he could be. The Captain remained defiant, trying not to assist the Colonel in anyway, but the lives of her crew were more important. Reluctantly she gave them orders on approach.
The Sword of Damocles was soon detached from the Raven's Night, sent on its own way, the course set so it would burn up in the atmosphere of planet Farthern Star. That ship was useless. Nothing more than a decoy, and its usefulness was over. The crew would perish upon re-entry. All was according to plan. The Colonel turned when an Elite walked up behind him and bowed, started growling. Halo had avoided capture several times, and last reports stated that he had managed to salvage an invisibility module from a fallen Elite. The Colonel was not happy about this. It only meant that it would take more time. With twenty minutes to re-entry.... He grabbed the Elite by the throat, growling loudly.
"I don't care what it takes, but I want that Traitor captured and retrieved. That A.I. is more important than the traitor!" he shouted, the Elite cowering in the grip of his commander.
"Y-Yes Sir..." he managed to gasp, stumbling back when he was released, and quickly rushed off.
"Where the hell are you, Halo?" he asked himself, before a red armored Elite approached him.
"Sir. We have discovered that the A.I. is using a remote link up to the ships systems. We managed to triangulate the position of the A.I, and is currently moving towards the rear of the ship. We can only assume the Traitor still has it."
The Colonel smiled cruelly, then patted the Elite's back, "Good work.. I want you to send your best soldiers to go and capture the Traitor. But when he passes out from having lost his arms and legs, I want him to be immediately woke so he can see his beloved Humans die."
"Sir, there is one other thing. The link up is getting interference, and we are losing their position whenever there is this interference. It does not look like it is steady, completely random. It may hinder our capture of the Traitor."
The Colonel nodded slowly, then rubbed his chin. He pondered why there would be such interference in the first place, then nodded once to the Elite. He bowed, then zipped off, ordering a group of Elites on the bridge to follow him. They headed down the stairs, while the Colonel merely smirked at the Captain.
"Not long now. You put all of your faith into the Traitor, and in the end, he will fail." he spoke smugly, watching her frown, then spit at him.
"He will not let me down," she warned, scrambling back when the Colonel moved to her, and yelped when she was pulled to her feet, staring into his eyes, "I hope I live long enough to see Halo choke the life out of you."
The Colonel grinned slowly, taking her by the neck, "I bet you do, Captain," he growled, tossing her back onto her rump.
"Dammit, Halo, will you stop using that cloak for a few minutes?" Katrina spoke, highly agitated at him, "how many times do I have to tell you, that Covenant cloak is interfering with my transmissions."
Halo sighed softly, and wished that Katrina hadn't patched into his armor's comm link to speak to him directly. She was getting on his nerves. Right now, he was inside a storage room for food, his back to the wall as he watched the door like a hawk. It was a good place for cover, for now, and Katrina was busy with her own thing. Finding locations of the marines. Many were still fighting, the ones that were captured, were forced into the lower levels, and locked there. She was about to suggest the armory, however, explosives were rigged on the entrances. Anyone who even touched one, would set of an enormous charge, destroying any viable weapon to use. Not like it mattered, considering a group of Elites were guarding the lifts and the stairs from the lower levels.
Halo just didn't know what to think. He was sure the Humans could handle themselves, but with large casualties, and he was stuck in the mess hall, several levels below the bridge, and at the opposite side of the ship. His only weapon: his plasma rifle, and he was dismayed to find it almost empty. Since no Human could figure out how to recharge the weapons, he doubted he would find any facility to do so, while Katrina's report of the Sword of Damocles breaking away from the Raven's Shield, he wouldn't be able to try and find a Covenant ship which had such equipment.
Before too long, Halo was busy searching the area for something to eat and drink. He was starving, and he needed to get his energy up. With only a few hours of sleep, he was at a disadvantage. He sorted through the shelves, finding many canned goods, before finding a large container, filled with his synthetically made food. He frowned a bit, opening the container before using his hands to scoop in large amounts of the gelatin. Katrina was going to mention something about using manners, but she understood he was starving. He was her last hope, after all.
Finishing up, he found a large bottle of water, drinking it greedily. His small feast was quickly brought to an end as he heard several footsteps down the hall, and loud growls. He backed into the corner, raising his plasma rifle.
"Are you done?" Halo asked, flicking his finger over the trigger, just starting to see the tip of a plasma saber pass by the door, not to mention his heart beating faster and faster.
"Done, hit it!" she advised, feeling her link cut off as Halo touched the module.
He disappeared completely, steadying his breath as Elites walked into the kitchens, looking around carefully, before one walked right up to the storage room. Halo's heart was pounding, staring at the Elite flex his jaws, searching inside of the room, and to his greatest relief, turned his attention elsewhere and began to move way, four others following him. He let out his held breath, holding his head a bit. Katrina knew this was taking its toll on the Covenant. She had been reading his life signs, and they have been fluxuating ever since the Colonel's intentions were revealed. She wondered if she should tell him that they were about to enter orbit, and had only five minutes left until re-entry. Halo just closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall.
"Halo... why do they want you so bad?" Katrina finally asked, observing that the Covenant were purposely going out of their way to find him.
"Besides you?" he replied, clearing his throat, "a Covenant going against the teachings... is considered a sin to all Covenants. It is their greatest threat, having someone abandon them. It could inspire others, and so... I will be shown to all, with... insides lying at my feet."
"Oh my," Katrina spoke quietly, hearing the nervousness within Halo's voice. The way he spoke about it, it was the one fate that scared any Covenant to death, "why did you defect in the first place?"
Halo frowned a bit, then thought about that for a long moment before he answered, "Don't... know why. I couldn't... help it."
"I don't understand you at all."
"It may not matter too much longer," he growled, feeling the ship start to shake as he grabbed hold of the shelves, steadying himself.
"We're attempting re-entry. The drop ship has disconnected from the ship. We're stuck in the drop ship now," Katrina spoke thoughtfully, knowing they were to land as scheduled, but Halo's safety was more important. She would remain blind to the computer systems on board so he could secure his safety, "everything should go smoothly if the computers are still programmed to land according to your plan. But if there are that many Covenant there to warrant five battle ships.... I'm afraid we might have long to survive."
"But Farthern Star does have ways of sending out distress signals..." Halo growled, pulling his feet away from heavy containers almost falling on them.
"Yes, that is true. When we land... our first priority is to get off of this ship, and make it to the antennae rays. I can call us some more backup, but it means we will have to keep alive until all of them show up. Closest vessel, I estimate at a little under three hours before they land on Farthern Star."
Halo lowered his head a bit, then nodded. So the next four hours of his life were going to be very well tested. He hoped his faith would not let him down. He whimpered when the shelf he was holding onto suddenly fell, trapping him underneath, and covering him in small cans. He squirmed a bit, getting his legs free and backed himself further into the corner, hearing several orders through the halls to find places to secure themselves. It didn't make him feel any better about being huddled in a corner. Then an idea of inspiration hit him. With everyone in a rush to get off of their feet, he bolted out of the door, following the directions of Katrina to a tee, on his way to the docking bay.
The Colonel held onto the console in front of him as the ship rocked and shook, the Captain braced against the underside of the console while her crew navigated the ship, to keep everyone alive through this. A few of the Elite's were rocking a bit, some tumbling over from some sudden turbulence, the Colonel simply watching the glowing of heat from re-entry through the large view port. This moment of tenseness lasted for several minutes, until the bright light from the sun shone through. It was well in its way to night fall, the Captain noticing it would be daylight for at least an hour before the sun disappeared over the horizon. If Halo could make it off the ship and to safety under two hours, she was sure no one would ever find him again. He was doing a good job of hiding on a contained ship where it was well lit, and knew that he would simply disappear under the cover of night.
The Colonel stared at the atmosphere, it's dark blue blending into a deep red, before smirking. Ever so closer to finding out the location of planet Earth. When Farthern Star failed to provide a location, this was his last chance to retrieve it for the Elders, and he would fail them not. The Captain just felt that weight on her shoulders, of time running out upon seeing the Colonel's malicious grin. It was obvious the Colonel needed her crew to pilot the ship to land safely, but after that, they were no longer needed, and she had the feeling that everyone else felt the same way.
Halo ran into the docking bay, where just an hour before, was an intense firefight. He stared at the bodies and the scorching of the walls and equipment, Katrina informing him that any vehicles here were severely damaged. He'd have to be going on foot as soon as the ship touched down. But to his understanding, the docking bay doors were quite high on the ship. He couldn't just jump down.
"How do I... get out?" he growled, examining every glowing light on the walls, wondering if he could operate something to help him down, or at least find a rope or a line to repel down with.
"You're standing on it," Katrina spoke, as Halo jumped back.
He
could make out the large square he was standing on, noticing how big
it was, then nodded with resolve.
"I'll try, but I think I
can still patch into the main boards via remote to lower the lift. It
doesn't move all that fast, so I suggest you find some place to hide
while I start to hack into my own systems." Katrina warned, as
Halo quickly hid behind a tank, noticing splatters of blood next to
him. He frowned, seeing the Needler's projectiles on the ground, and
wondered who was unfortunate enough to have been hit by one. He
touched the module, his Human image appearing to make it look like he
was at least smaller, and quivered in breath while Katrina promptly
started to work her magic.
Samantha awoke with a start, suddenly clutching at her chest as she coughed loudly. Panda was there, tying bandages around every spot a needle had once been, and fell back in alarm. Marines were all around her, some getting first aid kits and rushing to her side, while she looked around with wide eyes.
"Halo?" she asked, gripping Panda's shoulder tightly, then looked to him, "where is he?"
"I... I don't know," he spoke honestly, wiping the blood from her neck as she felt the ship shake a bit.
"We're in Farthern Star's atmosphere..." she spoke in wonder, before some medical officers looked her over.
They
began to do a better job at the bandages, replacing soiled ones,
while Sergeant Powell knelt by her.
"You're a tough girl,"
he spoke in his gruff voice, moving some of her hair to the side.
"What happened?"
"We were overpowered. Anyone not on the bridge was escorted down here. The lifts and the stairs have been sealed. We're prisoners on our own ship," he replied and frowned, "we've also disengaged from the ship. The drop ship is well on its way down to the planet."
"Good... then he still has a hundred places to hide," she spoke with relief, remembering the sheer size of the drop ship.
Samantha let out a long breath, rubbing her face gently as she remembered her squad. She quickly looked for them, her eyes wandering about the countless number of crewmen, all of them in a deep despair, but no signs of anyone, except for Panda.
"Where is... my squad?" she asked, looking into his eyes.
He lowered his gaze, then shook his head. Samantha closed her mouth, turning her head away as she closed her eyes, saying a small prayer for her fallen friends. She opened her eyes again, her attention turning the bright red flashing lights filling the hall.
"Attention, prepare for emergency landing. Attention, prepare for emergency landing. Time to landing: five minutes." a voice spoke over the intercom
Was the ship damaged? How long had she been out? She watched Sergeant Powell standing, suddenly screaming orders at his marines. Everyone took cover as best as they could, a loud whirring being heard coming from above them.
"They're closing the blast doors of the Docking Bay," Panda spoke, hearing a few metallic scrapes and a solid sounding thud.
"What is going on!?" the Colonel shouted, watching the Captain's pilots struggle with the controls to keep the ship level.
It was no surprise that they had made a mistake with re-entry. The fear and tense moments of trying to set the ship on course had caused its nose to point down far too much. The Captain clutched the console, hearing her ensign's yelling something about a rough landing.
"Blast doors are sealed through the drop ship. Brace for impact!" one of the pilots yelled, grabbing his console and ducking his head.
The Colonel watched the terrain of the planet through the view port, finding a chair as he held onto it tightly. The ship rumbled deeply when the landing gears were operated, the ship firing its counter thrusters, and soon held the ship afloat, but it was still descending too fast. Just a few hundred more meters.
The impact shook everything and everyone within the ship. Anyone that wasn't holding onto something had firmly hit the floor, and those that did hold onto something, weren't much more safer either. Covenant and Human alike fell out of chairs and down the stairs in the ship, the engines taking the biggest impact of them all, grounding the Raven's Shield in the process. The marines in the makeshift prison were screaming and yelling as the effects of the impact thrown them about Samantha held onto Panda as tight as she could, keeping his head covered before looking to the near by stairs. Grunt and Elite bodies fell down the stairs, some breaking their necks when they hit the bottom, while the Grunts were being crushed because of the increasing weight. It was the same at the other set of stairs as well.
"Sergeant!" she shouted, getting his attention.
"What!?" his voice sounded above the shouts.
"Order your men to pick up the weapons the Covenant has dropped. We have to get to the Docking level. It's our one chance at getting out of here!" she yelled, feeling the rumbling subside.
"Roger that!" the Sarge shouted, quickly barking out orders to the marines next to him, then rushed to the fallen Covenants, taking hold of their weapons, and began to storm up the stairs
The
Colonel lifted his head from the console, closing his eyes as he
slowly stood, his legs a bit shaky. Several crew members were on the
floor, lifeless. Many of his own soldiers were twisted in impossible
angles, but there were still quite a few of the Covenant left through
the ship. He took in a long breath, noticing the Captain squirming a
bit, then held her head where a big bruise resided. He cleared his
throat and stood before his Elites.
"We have landed on planet
Farthern Star. Covenant forces will be on their way to assist us, but
we still need to find the A.I. and the Traitor before he gets off of
his ship. The only way off of this graveyard is through the docking
bay. We will wait here aboard this ship until reinforcements arrive,
during that time, I want guards dispatched to the areas surrounding
the Bay. If there is any chance the Humans can have, I want to take
it away before they even get the idea. Move!" he spoke to a
group of Elites, watching them bow and take a few Jackals and a good
helping of Grunts.
The Colonel growled with each breath, looking over the consoles before looking to the Captain, "Captain Anderson. I want you to display an image of what is going on in the Bay right now."
"Blow me." she hissed at him.
The Colonel narrowed his eyes, holding out his hand as a nearby Elite placed a plasma pistol into his hand. He looked to the nearest Human, promptly shooting him in the leg with it. The ensign screamed in pain, clutching his knee from the impact, the heat of the weapon burning flesh. The Captain parted her mouth, partly in shock as she stared at the Colonel, swallowing hard as she climbed to her feet, quickly typing on the keyboard. Several monitors in the bridge came to life, displaying the rather empty docking bay. The blast doors were all sealed, on every level, but the ones for the main level had very thick panes of plastic, allowing clear views inside and out, while promising to resistance to heavy impact. The glass was much stronger than metal, and much heavier as well. The Colonel smiled slyly, taking a seat as he watched the display intently, the sweeping camera showing almost all of the bay. He frowned slightly, his look turning one trying to comprehend a complex situation, and saw a Human hiding behind a tank, occasionally peeking his head out from the side of the treads to make sure no one was coming.
"Sir! Position of the A.I. is triangulated. Coming from within the Docking Bay, Sir!" an Elite promptly told his commander, warranting a slight nod.
He stood, a smile appearing across his face before he took hold of the Captain's wrist, pulling her along as he walked to the stairs.
"You are in command of the bridge until I return," he growled to an Elite, taking hold of the plasma saber hanging at his wrist, holding onto it tightly before he dragged the Captain down the stairs.
"Where are you taking me!?" the Captain demanded, struggling to keep up with the more powerful Colonel.
"I think you'll like what I have planned for you," he growled a bit more, stepping through entrance to the level when he read the sign that said 'Docking Bay Observatory'.
He had to take the long way around, considering the escape route designated by the computer had a slight malfunction upon the landing, blast doors sealing all over the ship, and many doors remaining locked to prevent possible air leaks. Several other areas were accessible again, which were dutifully guarded by the rest of the Covenant forces on board, keeping the Humans right where they should be, if they managed to escape their prison and try to storm the bridge. He made it to the catwalks, taking the long way around, glancing at Halo every now and then. It perplexed him why he would be hiding like that, until he heard the warning sirens within the bay.
'Docking Bay doors opening. Stand clear. Docking Bay doors opening. Stand clear.'
Halo jumped at this, staring at the double set of doors starting to open, mechanical noise filling the air along with loud buzzers, and soon, the first few beams of sunlight started to pour in. He growled softly, wondering if everyone on the ship knew where he was now.
"How is that... help me?" his voice was irritated, hoping Katrina would activate the main lift.
"Sorry. Systems took a knock upon landing. I'm trying my best," she spoke, deactivating the doors, searching through the sub-systems, "okay. Stand back, I'm lowering the lift. Crap... just a few more minutes."
There were suddenly bangs on the large walls of plastic and metal, causing Halo to spin around, raising his pistol as he stared at a battle beginning to unfold behind the door. At least a hundred marines were battling with one quarter that of Covenant, stray shots hitting the plastic, not even making a scratch, but just a slight burn with the plasma that struck it. He frowned a bit, and had to concern himself with his escape.
Samantha pulled herself up the stairs, clutching at her chest, knowing she was leaking again, but that didn't stop her for the final hurrah. She was a soldier first, and if God decided it was her time, then today she would die fighting for the Human race. She shouted, raising a plasma rifle, and fired a few shots at two approaching Elites, dropping one while the rest of the marines stormed down the halls. Many of them didn't have weapons, save for make shift weapons like pipes and chivs. Despite the far better weaponry of the Covenant, they were slowly and surely winning the battle, and making it closer to the main level of the Docking Bay. One more level. Samantha led a charge up the stairs, firing at anything that moved, particularly Grunts and Jackals, the marines following her picking up the weapons dropped by those slain and turning them onto other hapless soldiers.
"So close," she whispered, firing once more before the barrel of the weapon starting steaming quite violently. It was also quite hot to the touch. She rolled it over in her hands as she took cover, hearing the screams of Human and Covenant alike, waiting for the weapon to cool before she gripped it again.
A full stream of automatic fire sent bolts of plasma through the air, striking down a few more Elites in the way, before she turned the corner, seeing the main entrance of the Docking Bay, and the blast doors sealed shut. She started firing at the glass, watching some of the bolts bounce off of the material, before the weapon stopped firing. It was empty. She tossed it to the side, pounding on the glass firmly before she spotted Halo, standing near the main lift. She looked up a bit, spotting the Colonel, dragging the Captain along the top parts of the catwalk, and quietly started to take the stairs down. Halo didn't even notice them.
She banged on the glass firmly, screaming at Halo to hide, but to her dismay, she realized he could hear nothing of what she was screaming about, or even tell that she was hitting the glass. Sgt. Powell rushed up behind her, seeing the lone marine inside of the Bay, then frowned before he looked to the other armed marines catching up.
"Marines, on my order, fire at this glass. We have to get in there and keep the A.I. from harm!" he shouted, lifting his weapon before Samantha struck the glass again.
"I already tried that. These doors can survive large scale explosions. We have to find some way to open it up. Panda!" she cried out, looking all over the place, then found Panda, grabbing him by the collar and dragging him to the control panel, "Panda, I need you to get these doors open."
"Y-yes ma'am," he spoke, squirming out of her grip before he looked over the panel. It was normally reserved for reading biological signs of the higher ups, but anything could be hot wired if done correctly.
"Sergeant. I want you to find other hackers to try to get the doors on the sides open as well," she spoke, looking back through the glass, and Halo impatiently waiting for something. The Colonel was busy with his own thing, namely, holding the Captain over the edge of the small balcony, maybe twenty feet above the floor.
"Got it! We're out of here!" Katrina cheered into Halo's ear.
Yellow lights lit up along the floor, another siren filling the air as the sound of mechanical whirring filled the air.
"Yesss," Halo hissed, watching the platform start to descend, hearing a loud scream from above.
It was the Captain, held over the edge of the small balcony by her neck. She kicked a bit, holding onto the hand around her throat as much as possible before the Colonel smirked widely, staring at the lone Covenant in the middle of the Bay.
"Drop your weapons, or I drop her," the Colonel spoke, gripping her neck tighter.
Halo tilted his head slowly, the platform sinking more and more, his grip tensing and relaxing around the handle of the plasma rifle.
"Halo...
we don't have time to think. We have to go, I can't stop the lift."
Katrina said with urgency.
"But... have to help... Captain."
he growled in a whisper, still fighting the battle within his mind
that started about a few seconds ago. Help the Captain, or save his
own life.
"What's it going to be, Halo?" the Colonel asked, lifting her higher. She cried out, croaking for breath as she started to grow more limp, and looking down at the lift. It moved further down, the sounds of an airlock opening, and soon he could see the land just barely through the crack, before the pit was highlighted by the sunshine. It was well on its way down, and if he were to jump, he could survive the fall. But the Captain.
The Colonel stared at Halo, watching him fight with the decision, the Captain gurgling for breath before she bared her teeth.
"Run..." she croaked, choking louder as the grip around her neck tightened.
Halo immediately held up a hand, tossing the pistol into the opening, and then the plasma saber, watching it bounce off of the platform, and fall to the ground. It was a long fall, and he'd never be able to make the jump now. The Colonel chuckled, then let go of the Captain. She fell to the deck, falling over twenty feet, and landing with a thud as she rolled onto her back. She clutched at a leg, pathetic mewling being heard as the pain of a broken leg racked her body. Halo frowned at this, looking back up to the Colonel, who leaned forward against the rail.
"Halo, Halo, Halo," he growled, waving a finger at him, "I'm glad it was I who managed to confront you. After all, it would only be right that the one that brings you in be someone you know."
Halo parted his mouth a bit, frowning some more before he growled, "What you mean?"
"That's right... your memories were taken from you," McPherson spoke, baring his teeth a bit.
Samantha could only watch the two, hoping for some kind of miracle now to let Halo escape. Panda fiddled around with a few more wires, and after a sharp crackle, he yelped, pulling his hands back and shaking them quickly. She fretted her brow, though started hearing the sounds from inside of the Bay. Panda had shorted out the intercom system, allowing them to hear everything that was going on inside.
"You know me?" Halo asked, stepping back slowly, the Colonel merely laughing.
"Of course I do. I know all about you. In fact, I couldn't let you die here today on this ship. Being bound and beaten so roughly by the Humans you thought were your friends," he spoke and smirked widely, "it wasn't your fault though, your trust made you feel safe around them. I know this about you, you trust far too easily. So much in fact... some results of your trust, were very bad, restless nights."
"You know about my nightmares?" Halo asked in confusion.
"Especially about your nightmares, and your last mission on Icenein, before you were captured."
Halo stepped back again, shaking his head, "How... that possible?"
"Yes... how is it possible?" Samantha whispered, staring at Halo's posture betray him.
He was scared.