Here is the last chapter I will post for quite some time. School is starting and I won't be able to write much.
Disclaimer: NO OWN HALO
First Contact
MC: 0600 Hours, January 18, 2538
Nexus V, Aboard Covenant Cruiser Ascendant Justice
Kara woke early fully intending to accompany Drek'nari to the morning meal, which before now she had been forced to eat within the confines of the room she shared with her now adopted father. As she began to change, she noticed with satisfaction that for once she had beaten Drek'nari out of bed.
The clothes into which she changed were not the human clothes she had worn the past three months, instead she donned loose fitting pants and a sleeveless shirt made of a black material that felt like silk. The clothes had been waiting along with her identification disk when she and Drek'nari had returned form the meeting with Truth. Though she could only wonder how they had been fitted. She completed her outfit by tying her hair, which now hung down to her shoulders, up with a short length of black cloth. Drek'nari had said she should cut it short before she joined the academy, but that wouldn't be for another week or so.
When she had finished she sat down in one of the two chairs and tried to untie the knot that was forming in her stomach as her elation subsided. Any number of things could go wrong. Her first meeting with the rest of the crew meant the whole crew; Brutes and jackals included. From what she had been told these races looked down on others more than any other. These thoughts were not helping her calm down, and she steadied herself as she realized she was fingering the silver band on her wrist. Taking a deep breath she told herself it would be all right, she had done well with Truth. She would be able to gain acceptance with the others.
"You're up early." The voice of her new father had a remarkable way of calming her nerves. Very much like the way her human father had.
"Or maybe you're up late." She countered, finally at ease.
Drek'nari laughed while he pulled on an outfit similar to hers, though in deep navy blue with silver highlights. "The day I sleep late is the day the Covenant breaks." They shared a laugh as he finished dressing then they picked up their ID disks and left for the public mess.
Together they walked down the nearly deserted halls of the cruiser, it was early and many were taking advantage of being able to sleep in. The few Sangheili that they did pass greeted Drek'nari with a nod or a friendly remark, and then their eyes would be inevitably drawn to Kara, a human dressed in Sangheili clothing walking easily besides a well-known officer. Kara's presence never drew comment however. Some would look darkly at her or direct a questioning glance at her companion, but most seemed to understand that this was, for whatever reason, the will of the prophets.
Minutes passed as they wound their way through the ship, and as each one passed Kara's anticipation and dread grew. This was it; there was no turning back now. Finally they reached the doors to the mess. The doors slid open with a pleasant hiss as they approached; inside it looked almost identical to the cafeterias Kara had eaten in during the brief struggle for Nexus V. Rows of long tables lined the space hovering a little more than a meter off the floor. Dozens of chairs in a variety of styles occupied each table, most of them were like the ones in Drek'nari's cabin or a squat backed long legged style that Kara assumed were for the shorter grunts and jackals. At one end of the hall three or four-dozen chairs of another style sat empty, the chairs were low, wide, and sturdy. When questioned, Drek'nari explained in hushed voice that the chairs were built for the small attachment of Jiralhanae that had been assigned to the Ascendant Justice despite the best efforts of both Ship Master Jue'ren and Fleet Master Fulsamee. The Jiralhanae were the youngest race in the covenant, having joined just a few local decades ago, but already a deep animosity had sprung up between the two races. "They'll learn their place soon enough," Drek'nari said with chuckle, " we've led the covenant armadas since the covenant was formed. We are the vanguard of the great journey and the Jiralhanae will learn that soon enough."
Kara laughed softly and started to respond but stopped short as a sound reached her ears. The mess wasn't full by a stretch, but there were enough occupants for the word to begin to ripple though the room. As Kara and Drek'nari proceeded down the center isle towards the dispenser at the other end of the room they were noticed. Conversation halted as the people lining the center stopped to look at the pair before turning back to their companions to wonder what the meaning of this could be. Word spread slowly but by the time they reached the end of the isle every Sangheili table was abuzz with the whispers. No one understood why a human was here, but everyone knew better than to question what could only have been the word of the prophets.
Kara did her best to ignore the whispers as she examined the food dispenser. It consisted of a small terminal and holo screen on which an order was placed and a niche in the wall where the food as delivered automatically by a small gravity lift. After collecting her meal Kara followed Drek'nari towards a nearly empty table in the corner. Three Sangheili were the only other people sitting at the table and Drek'nari made straight for them. Each one wore a similar expression, something almost, but not entirely, unreadable. In fact the only thing Kara could make out for sure was that they all seemed unsurprised by her presence. Drek'nari approached the table with the same easy lopping gait that he always used, unfazed by anything he saw in the eyes of the three companions and Kara was forced to follow or be left behind.
Drek'nari sat down facing the three and Kara plopped down next to him. For a moment there was silence while the three sized up the two and the two did likewise. Finally the Sangheili sitting in the center of the three broke into a grin. "So the great commander Zoultel comes crawling back to his friends."
"Yes, he finally realized that he's no better than us and that consorting with fleet masters won't change that." Another added drawing a laugh from his companion.
Drek'nari talked easily with his two friends replying to their jokes in turn. Kara watched from the side content to let the conversation take its course, which happened to be away from her. However the Sangheili sitting across from her didn't seem content to ignore the stranger in their midst.
"Enough stalling!" He blurted out, just managing to keep his voice down. "I don't know about you, but I want to know what's the meaning of this." He practically spat the last word and pointed an accusing finger at Kara. "It's a human."
The Sangheili furthest from Kara laughed before responding. "Only genetically Sivo, if half of what we've heard is true." Kara looked at the one who was defending her. His face wore a perpetual grin and she recognized the playful glint of a troublemaker and a joker in his golden eyes.
"I don't care what we have or haven't heard Orli, it's still a human. At best it's just a Kig-yar amongst Unggoy." Sivo replied angrily.
Drek'nari might have intervened if she had waited a moment longer, but Kara had decided it was time to take a stand. "What exactly have you heard?"
Sivo looked at her like he had just realized he had a plasma grenade on him, Orli however looked pleased that she had joined the conversation. Although Kara suspected he could have looked pleased to be in front of a firing squad. "Well, some of your escorts from last night let slip under "gentle" persuasion the details of your conversation in route to High Charity." As he spoke his grin grew and Kara got the impression that he did this sort of thing a lot. "Didn't get much from the tight jawed Honor Guards though."
"You didn't get much from them because by the time they started talking you had them so drunk that they were starting to pass out." The middle one jibed in a slightly disgusted, slightly amused tone.
"Ha, you're just jealous that your idea to get them to talk didn't work Jinol." Orli said offhandedly. "Anyway what we did get before the big guys passed out was that you already knew the Writ of Union." He sounded as though he were talking to a good friend about old times. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard, Kara mused.
Kara started to respond but was cut short by a deep voice behind her. "What's this we have here? I wasn't aware that the Hierarchs encouraged keeping pets." Three voices laughed deeply at the leaders comment. This was the meeting Kara had been dreading the most, of all the races in the covenant the Jiralhanae were most likely to challenge her appointment to the covenant. She searched desperately for something to say, someway to respond but she found nothing. Neither Drek'nari nor herself had foreseen this meeting happening so soon.
She was spared having to respond by Drek'nari, who knew she wasn't ready to confront the Jiralhanae yet. "Leave us be Gortek, you are not welcome here."
"Ha, I go where I please." Gortek sneered, " and now I think I'd like to see what your precious pet is made of. Turn and face your better." Kara did no such thing, turning would mean showing the Brute the fear she could not hide. Her refusal however, did not sit well with the Brute. "I said turn around, you insolent little whelp." Laying a massive hand on her shoulder Gortek began to force Kara around.
With hardly a thought for the consequences she reacted; grabbing the knife from her tray, she stabbed the Brute between his fingers. After that everything happened at once; Gortek reared back and ripped the knife from his hand, Kara slipped from her chair and dove under the table to the other side and Drek'nari and the other Sangheili rose from their chairs and moved to stop the enraged Brutes. Roaring in feral rage, Gortek and the other Brutes leapt across the table, Drek'nari followed the Brutes across, taking one of the Brutes in the back as he came across. Orli jumped on the fallen Brute while Sivo and Jinol wrestled the second one to the ground. As soon as he landed Drek'nari tackled Gortek to the ground and placed him in a headlock, but not before Gortek managed to land a backhanded slap that sent Kara sprawling.
The fight had drawn the attention of the rest of the hall and dozens of Sangheili converged on the sight to see the cause. As a circle closed around the combatants, Gortek and his cronies began to settle realizing that they were far outnumbered. Rising from his position atop Gortek, Drek'nari moved to Kara's prone form. Scooping her up he pushed his way through the forming crowd. A low whisper followed him as the members of the crowd began to speculate or demand answers from the three he had left the seen. A few asked him what had happened as he passed. To these he answered simply that Kara had stabbed Gortek and he had attacked her. Let them figure the rest out on their own.
As he wound his way through the corridors Drek'nari couldn't help but sigh, Kara certainly knew how to make a splash. He wondered what would come of this. On one hand, she had left a lasting impression on the Sangheili.
On the other hand, she had left a lasting impression of the Jiralhanae.
1-2-3
MC: 1000 Hours, January 18, 2538
Nexus V, Aboard Covenant Cruiser Ascendant Justice
"I'm telling you, she could be out for hours still. Just leave the message and go." Drek'nari's voice pierced the pain that filled Kara's head. She felt like she had been run down by a Warthog.
"Regardless, I was instructed to deliver the message to her." This second voice was a guttural, high-pitched whine that sounded vaguely familiar. "The fleet master was very specific." At this latest information Kara sat up, suddenly not drowsy anymore. Even as she did she wished she hadn't, a splitting pain ripped though her skull and she uttered a few well-picked curses in her native tongue.
After recovering from the pain in her head Kara took a look around and found herself back in the cabin she shared with her adopted father. Drek'nari sat on a chair at the terminal facing the owner of the other voice who turned out to be a grunt of unremarkable stature. Standing a head shorter than the average grunt he looked somewhat comical in his slightly too big armor. Taking a long look at him Kara understood why he had sounded familiar.
"You were here that first day." This was the quiet grunt that had been there when she had woken up three months ago. The small creature seemed surprised by the recognition and nodded silently.
"Well she's awake now, you can deliver your message." Drek'nari offered.
"Oh, yes." The diminutive grunt waddled over and offered Kara a small crystal disk. "Fleet Master Fulsamee told me to give this to you." Kara took the disk and watched as the messenger scurried out of the room.
"Who was that?" Kara asked standing and moving to the other chair.
"He is called Dek, he's a demolitions expert that was transferred to my squad recently." Drek'nari answered as she placed the disk in the terminal. Soon a small holographic message played from the terminal.
"Kara, Drek'nari, meet me at the following coordinates as soon as possible. There will be a Phantom waiting for you in the hanger of the Ascendant Justice." After the message a set of coordinates flashed across the air between them.
Without a word, Kara grabbed the disk from the terminal as Drek'nari began to shut it off. Slipping it into her pocket she followed him though the door and out into the corridors.
1-2-3
MC: 1017 Hours, January 18, 2538
Nexus V, 37 Kilometers Northeast of the Covenant Cruiser Ascendant Justice
Drek'nari landed the Phantom on a rock-strewn ledge indicated by Orna's coordinates. As the craft settled he saw Orna's Banshee sitting off to the side of the ledge. As Kara descended the gravity lift behind Drek'nari she wondered what it was the Fleet Master could want. A glance around the ledge revealed a cave entrance, it looked natural enough but Kara could see signs of digging equipment.
They found the Fleet Master waiting a short distance inside the cave; he rose smoothly as they approached. "Good, you're here. Follow me." With that he started off into the depths of the cave. An hour came and went as the small procession wound it's way down into the heart of the mountain. The cave proceeded steadily downward and it quickly became apparent that little of this tunnel had been formed naturally. Walls quickly became smooth and uniform; the ceiling was without formations or variation, and the floor smooth and steady in its decent.
Finally the slope leveled off and small chamber opened up in front of them. The chamber looked more like a pocket in the stone, like something had come and scooped out a ten-meter sphere right out of the middle of the mountain. The walls were blacked and charred however, and after a closer inspection Kara realized the walls were plasma scarred, and the whole chamber looked like the walls had melted and cooled. She looked around again, taking in the whole cavern, and then she saw it. Near the bottom of the crater was the start of a set of stairs. Following them up she could just make out the outline of a door on the edge of her vision.
After so long in silence Kara jumped when Drek'nari spoke. "Is that…?"
"Yes, the Forerunner ruins that we found here." Fulsamee answered
"But, what happened here?" His gesture encompassed the entire cavern.
"When the doors remained locked despite our best attempts, it was decided by the Sangheili in charge of the dig that a small anti matter charge should get it open. Obviously it didn't."
"Then why are we here, and what did you want her for?"
"Because the only thing we know about these ruins is that they will only open for a certain genetic signature. When the search party came in contact with the locking mechanism, they were told that the offered bio-signature did not match and that it would await a re-claimer signature. So far a human genetic signature is the only know signature that hasn't been tried."
Kara listened to the conversation calmly, already suspecting that her father would relent; not that he had much choice if the Fleet Master decided to pull rank. As she listened she continued to study the stairs and the door at their peak. Tiny lights framed the door and cast a weak glow over the area but eventually Kara could make out a panel about 20 cm high and half as wide. She assumed this was the locking mechanism that the Fleet Master had spoken of. Looking over, she watched as Drek'nari broke down and gave in to the inevitable.
"And the Hierarchs?"
"Truth agrees. She's one of us now and so there's no reason she shouldn't try."
"Then I guess we should get this over with."
Drek'nari followed the Fleet Master down into the room and Kara fell into step behind him. As he mounted the final step, the Fleet Master pointed out the panel to Kara and told her what to do. She walked over to the small panel and placed her palm on it as she had been instructed. There was a bright light and a sharp pain in her fore finger as the mechanism scanned her and took a tissue sample. After a moment a bright mechanical voice played over an intercom. "Physical and genetic markers within standard deviation, match confirmed. Welcome re-claimer."
Kara stepped back as the doors opened with a barely audible hiss. Behind the doors lay a well-lit, pristine hallway in polished white; at the far end of the hall lay a second set of doors. After a moments hesitation, the Fleet Master flashed her a smile and stepped over the threshold.
"Warning, unauthorized entry. Purge immediately." The Fleet master jumped back outside and watched from a safe distance as a half a dozen sleek robots hovered out of compartments in the ceiling. They floated in formation facing the door but otherwise made no move to "purge" the offending organisms now that it was outside the facility. After a few short moments the doors at the other end of the hall opened and another, smaller robot floated though. Floating right up to the doorway it swiveled to face the Fleet Master.
"What have you done with the re-claimer?" it's mechanical voice rising to a shrill, panicking whine. Kara let herself a small laugh as she stepped into the things line of sight. Now it tuned slightly to face her, it's single large "eye" focusing on her, the Fleet Master long forgotten. "Oh, there you are. Good, good. If you'll follow me I'll show you the way." It chimed in a content voice.
"What are you?" Kara asked, not quite ready to follow something that had just tried to kill one of her companions.
"I am 709 Culpable Theorem, I am the monitor of the 9th ascension facility." The monitor said waiting for Kara a short ways inside the facility.
"And what are those?" she asked pointing to the other floating robots.
"These are Medical Grade Sentinels. While not as powerful as the ones that serve on the primary installations, they are quite adequate for the purposes of this facility." The monitor did not seem to notice or care that Kara wasn't moving.
"What is the purpose of this facility?"
"This facility was constructed for the sole purpose of administering the ascension process."
"The ascension process?"
"The ascension process is a series of physical and mental augmentations designed to elevate the abilities of the subject far beyond what is possible naturally. Unfortunately volcanic activity within recent geological history has limited the supply of materials available in the facility. I'm afraid this facility is equipped to handle only one subject at this time."
Kara turned to her companions unsure of how to react to what she had just learned. For a moment all three sat in silence. In the end it was Drek'nari who voiced his opinion first. "You should go." Seeing the uncertainty on her face he elaborated. "It said that this process would enhance your natural abilities. When you enter the academy the one area where you will be at a severe disadvantage will be physical abilities, this may be a way to level the playing field."
"Is it safe?" Orna asked. Currently Kara was a soldier under his command and he wasn't about to waste her life if he could help it.
When Drek'nari had no answer it was 709 that provided one. "If I may interrupt, the ascension process is 99 successful, 1 margin of error accounts for mechanical failure. Also 95 of test subjects that received successful treatment came away with minor or no side effects. So, I believe the answerer to your quandary would be, yes the ascension process is safe."
Orna hesitated a moment longer before nodding his assent. Turning to Kara he motioned for her to follow the monitor. As she slowly entered the facility the monitor faced the two Sangheili one final time. "The re-claimer should be able to leave in two local weeks. I would ask that you return here at that time." With that the monitor floated after Kara the facility doors closing after him.
For a minute longer the two stood looking at the doors of the facility wondering if the young human that they had worked so hard to protect would be alright, on her own for the first time since they had met. After that they turned and began to wind there way up though the mountain, leaving Kara to face this alone.
1-2-3
There you have it Chapter 5. Now once again this will be the last chapter I'm able to post for a couple of months. I should be able to post chapter 6 some time around November-December, maybe earlier if you're lucky.