This Chapter is up... Please take note that this is one of the 324233590498 Halo 3 fictions out there, but I promise that it will be original.
The Foreward is mostly just a character description and an introduction for the characters I created myself. By the way, Rise of the UNSC is postponed, but I do have chapter 2 sitting around here somewhere. If I can find it.
Some of the dialogue may match the end of Halo 2 because I needed to transition from the game to this work. The title does have a significant meaning later in this fanfiction, just like the titles of the chapters.
Chapter 1 – The Arbiter
The Arbiter stood in silence in the Control Room of Delta Halo. Only the humming of the machinery and computer systems could be heard, their noise amplified by the cavernous chamber. Most of the once luminous computer terminals had now dimmed, giving a clear indication that this installation had shut down. However, it was not the computer systems the Arbiter was concerned about. Instead, he stared blankly at the holographic display floating in front of him in awe. A feeling of suspense hung in the air as the three others in the stared in the same fashion. The silence was broken as the hovering AI named the Monitor piped up.
"Now, to activate all these rings, one would go to the Ark, of course," it replied in its usually cheerful manner.
"Where, Oracle is that?" questioned the Arbiter.
"Why, the homeworld of the reclaimer!" the Monitor answered in an offhanded manner.
"That's where the Prophet of Truth is heading. The Ark was where the Great Journey is to take place, according to what was said to us," stated the Arbiter.
"Of course, that damn bastard was headed out of here all along. He only left his Brutes here as a distraction," roared the Sergeant.
"Earth… the Ark… that would make sense why the Covenant declared war on us in the first place. It was because we were on their holiest of all relics, and they decided to wipe us out. They knew that we were there all along…" Miranda Keyes trailed off into thought.
"Indeed, we have long known the homeworld of the Infidels, but the two other Prophets had insisted on purifying every planet of the presence of your race in order to prepare the Covenant for the Great Journey. The Prophet of Truth did not want this. He wanted to begin the Great Journey immediately, reasoning that the Infidels would be cleansed from the galaxy anyway. Now I fear that he will have his way," mused the Arbiter.
"We must warn Earth about the threat the Prophet poses, yet we are currently stuck on this installation," groaned Keyes.
"Don't worry about Earth, ma'am, they've got the Master Chief to baby-sit them. As far as I've seen, he can handle the slimy Covenant better than anyone we got. With Cortana, he can put a stop to their puny invasion," declared Johnson.
"We still have to find way out of here. With the In Amber Clad lost to the Flood, we are without supplies, shelter, and weapons. The Flood will eventually overwhelm us and Earth will never get their warning." Keyes looked helpless. I am a commander with my duties to my soldiers. I have sworn to do everything to bring them back alive. Now, I have forsaken that duty and left them all to a painful death at the hand of the Flood.
Another moment of painful silence passed until the distinct clamor of footsteps was heard in the great chamber. The echoes grew closer and closer until a silhouette appeared in the doorway of the Control Room. It was a humanoid, but definitely not a human. It spoke in a voice the Arbiter recognized at once.
"Arbiter, your crushing of the insolent Brutes will bring you great fame in Elite history. Yet the deceiving Prophet has left the High Charity and now heads toward the Infidel homeworld. He must be stopped from activating the Halos and beginning the Great Journey. Either his followers are blind to what he is about to commit, or very foolish. The Brute fleet has fled to join the Prophet of Truth, and our Elite forces have taken control of the Delta Halo sector," announced the Spec Ops Commander.
"What of the High Charity?" asked the Arbiter.
"I am sorry to say, but the city has fallen to the parasites. Many members of our race have valiantly attempted to hold off the Flood, but it was too much. It is now occupied by the parasites, yet there is still the presence of not one, but two artificial intelligences on the Holy City. While one is the Guardian Spirit, the other one is unidentifiable," mused the Commander.
"Its Cortana! We must rescue-"
Miranda Keyes' outburst was cut short when the Arbiter held up his hand.
"No. The High Charity is inert without its power source. The Flood won't be going anywhere soon. The Prophet is the greater threat. If he succeeds in his goal, nothing can be done to stop him. You can come back for 'Cortana' after we stop him," the Arbiter said in a commanding voice.
"You had better watch your mouth before I create a second one in your head, alien slimeball! I had saved your damn ass just a second ago so you had better listen to me!'" Sergeant Johnson raised the beam rifle and pointed it in the Arbiter's face. The Elites surrounding the Arbiter raised their plasma swords in response. The Spec Ops Commander walked between the two opposing groups.
"It is in your own interest humans, to cooperate. If you do not choose to follow our fleet, we will leave you behind on this installation. You have the word of the Elite race that we will not harm you," he stated in a firm voice. The Elites sheathed their plasma swords and backed off from the Sergeant. However, Johnson continued to hold up the rifle while staring nervously at the Elites.
"Stand down, Sergeant. It is, for now, the lesser of the two evils. We will go with you. I will help identify you to the UNSC so that you are not attacked," commanded Keyes. Johnson was about to grumble a response when Keyes looked sternly at him. The Sergeant dropped the beam rifle to his side, but his finger still hung loosely on the trigger.
The Spec Ops Commander led the group outside of the Control Room where a group of Phantom troop transports were waiting. A giant Covenant or more precisely, Elite cruiser hovered in the valley beyond, its metallic surface shimmering in the glare of the setting sun. The Scarab, an enormous walking assault vehicle, was attached to the bottom of the ship by four clamps. The nearest Phantom's gravity lift brightened, and four Elites floated silently down. They watched with suspicion as the humans headed toward them, and then traveled up the lift. A group of Marines went up the lift as well. Bringing up the rear were the Arbiter and the Spec Ops Commander, who discussed the humans.
"Do you believe that they really will help us out?" The Spec Ops Commander still had his doubts about the humans.
"I do not know about that, but I strongly believe that they will not threaten us. Even if they did, they are seriously outnumbered. The Infidels are quite trustworthy, as experience has dictated." They very never really our enemies were they? Only because of the Prophets and our blind following. With that, the Arbiter headed up the gravity lift. As the last of the Elites returned to their Phantoms, the dropships screamed away toward the cruiser.
Sergeant Johnson, Commander Keyes, and the Marines watched in awe as they exited the Phantom dropship into the landing bay of the Elite flagship Luminous Scepter. It was maybe the first time in history humans had actually landed on a Covenant ship with peaceful intentions. The Grunts and Hunters in the landing bay halted their activities and stared at the humans as if they were a bizarre occurrence, an anomaly. The Marines and Johnson looked back with apprehension, with their weapons ready. They reached the large exit of the launch bay and a group of Elites that blocked their way.
"Stop. You must remove your weapons," stated the Spec Ops Commander.
"What guarantee that you won't slit our throats when we sleep?" growled a Marine.
"If we wanted to kill you, we would have done so already. Do not doubt our word," said the Elite standing at the checkpoint. The Marines reluctantly let go of their weapons as the guards policed them.
The hexagonal door hissed open, revealing the typical interior of a Covenant ship. The hallway was lit by a purple glow emitted by a bank of lights embedded in the wall and the ceiling was almost three meters high, which seemed very unnecessary to the humans, who built their ships using practicality as a principle. The ship seemed more like an ornamental government building rather than a warship. On the exterior, the Elite starships were sleek and shark-like, which was fitting for their power and maneuverability.
The group entered the control room as the commanding Elites turned to watch them. The Arbiter ordered them to sit on a block in the rear as the captain of the Luminous Scepter, Ship Master 'Unammee walked up to the Arbiter and the Spec Ops Commander.
"Greetings, fellow Elites. Our ship is ready to depart. There is one thing I must ask you. Are those Infidels your prisoners or allies, Arbiter?" asked Unammee in his native tongue.
"They are neither allies nor enemies. They are simply coming along with us to their homeworld. It is a possibility that they will prevent their fleet from attacking us," replied the Arbiter.
"Indeed. Yet I do not want them loose on my ship. They will be put into stasis for the duration of the journey," ordered 'Unammee. The Arbiter turned toward the humans, who were staring around the bridge of the Covenant ship.
"After we make our Slipspace jump, you will be put into what you call "cryo" until we reach your homeworld. I trust that you will find your pods accommodating. They are built for Elites, so there may be some momentary discomfort." The Arbiter gestured to a group of Elite guards to lead them away. Johnson glared at the Elites for a moment, but then turned with the rest of the Marines and stormed off the bridge.
The ship's engines groaned to life as the fusion reactors struggled to lift the Scarab off the ground. It blasted off the ground, scorching the land below. It rose vertically until it broke free of Delta Halo's gravity well. As the Luminous Scepter prepared its Slipspace generators for the long jump ahead, a signal from the High Charity was detected.
"What is that? It is not one of ours," commented the Ship Master.
"If it is not the Guardian Sprit then it can wait. We must stop the Prophet of Truth before he activates the Ark. We must only hope that we will reach it in time." With that, the Arbiter shut off the signal receiver. The stars surrounding the Elite fleet distorted as the ships began their Slipspace journey. With a flash of green light, the fleet was gone. The stars once again took their place in the heavens.
Cortana watched the Elite fleet depart with great disappointment. She had sent a desperate message for help only to be rejected. The presence, which was neither Covenant nor Human, was closing in. The room in the Covenant system was becoming more and more compacted. Its dark tendrils reached hungrily towards her presence. She isolated her memory chip from the system, but it kept coming. It disabled the isolation routine and continued to advance. She searched desperately for the access point from where it entered the system.
There. The Inner Sanctum. It was the only open terminal in the entire system. She broadcast her holographic presence to the projector located next to the terminal. What she saw next she never expected.
The Gravemind. The Overlord of the Flood.
"From the corpse of the emperor a new one rises. Silence fills the empty grave. Now that I have come. But my mind is not at rest, for questions linger. I will ask, and you will answer." The rumbling voice of the Gravemind sent a subsonic shudder through the Inner Sanctum, where the Prophets once held command over the mighty High Charity. It was now the host to a new type of ruler, a ruthless and ambitious one. The Gravemind extended a tentacle toward Cortana's holographic figure. She held up her hand as if to block it.
"All right. Shoot."