Chapter One: A New Arrival
"Captain! Multiple contacts exiting slipspace! Looks like a bunch of beat-up Covenant frigates sir," Corporal Mendrick reported. "It looks like they've just run from a fight."
Captain Miranda Keyes leaned forward to study her own displays. The disturbingly familiar bulbous shapes of the covenant ships were punctured in many places by holes and scars that could not have been caused by any UNSC weapon. She made a mental note to ask intelligence about those scars, but right now she had a job to do. Three of the four battered frigates were venting atmosphere, and as she watched one of the frigates exploded from the sheer strain of reentering realspace. Of the remaining three ships only one of them looked like it could be a threat.
Straightening herself in the chair Amanda surveyed the waiting command crew. "Alright, another case of coming out of the frying pan and into the fire, and for once we are the fire. Ready the MAC gun and Archer missile pods, set speed to—"
"Captain, another target has entered from slipspace! Only this one isn't covenant and it's HUGE! Target does not appear damaged; it's covered by some weird alloy that is neither covenant nor human. I think we now know what they were running from."
The newcomer opened fire upon the hapless covenant ships that were at least two times smaller than that black-clad hostile. The crew of the UNSC Star Galleon could only watch in awe as the behemoth fired green beams of energy at its victims, easily tearing through the frigate's damaged shields and burning away the patched hulls. Both of the critically damaged covenant ships soon erupted into a balls of flame. The third ship, however, was able to charge up its weapons and fire at its attacker. The plasma hurled towards the triangular hull, and splashed harmlessly against the black metal, not even a burn mark to show its effect.
"I'm reading a power surge from the target," Lieutenant Jacobson read automatically from his screen.
The ghostly black ship angled it's "nose" toward the upstart covenant who had dared to fire upon it. The tip of the ship's front began to glow as it charged up its main weapon. The captain could hear the crew and herself audibly inhale a collective breath as they awaited the inevitable. Suddenly a thick beam of green energy shot out of the ship's front and collided with the small covenant frigate, which disappeared in a colossal explosion.
It was only then the newcomer took notice of the UNSC ship. It started to slowly navigate its way closer. In all of her years Captain Keyes had never been so frightened; her legs shook as she watched her doom float towards her menacingly.
"They're hailing us captain," said Mendrick in shaky voice.
"Put them on."
The corporal forced his shaky hands to obey the order and then stopped to listen to the cold voice that floated through the deathly quiet ship.
"Unidentified ship, this is the Iron Wolf of the sovereign world Triad. I advise you to power down and prepare to be boarded."
"They seem like cheerful people," remarked Cortana somewhere from within Master Chief's mind.
The Spartan grunted his agreement as he turned and started jogging towards the bridge. The captain was going to want to see him, probably to prepare the ship's defense. He had no doubt that the people on the Iron Wolf were rebels, given their talk about the "sovereign planet of Triad." Whatever Triad is anyway. He racked his brain for any information on an inhabited planet called Triad, hoping to find out at least exactly who these people might be. Maybe he should ask—
"I wonder who they are," Cortana said to herself.
"I was hoping you would know."
"There are no records of a human or covenant inhabited planet known as Triad. Someone could have renamed a rebel planet, or this could be some new species the covenant has ticked off and that we could ally with, or the species may just kill us and return to it's planet without worrying that it is being followed."
"That's a pleasant thought," replied Master Chief dryly.
"Either way it means that we are being delayed in our search for the next Halo. Already Sergeant Johnson has declared that if he has to spend another minute with Guilty Spark he is going to hang himself."
"The Arbiter was mentioning that the other day if I remember correctly, adding on that if that is the sergeant's true intention, he was going to help."
"They don't get along, do they?" sighed Cortana.
"Like two male badgers in a small den."
Passing through a door the Master Chief was greeted by the familiar sight of confusion in a place where he didn't want it—the bridge.
"Captain, um, we're moving sideways." Lieutenant Katt squirmed in her seat, obviously uncomfortable in the knowledge that the Star Galleon was no longer under her control.
"What do you mean, 'sideways'?" Miranda Keyes looked up from her console where data statistics of the alien ship scrolled down in droves, and peered at the young navigator who couldn't help but fidget in discomfort.
"There seems to be some sort of gravitational field emanating from that ship, and it's pulling us in."
The captain was up now and looking over the lieutenant's shoulder. They were indeed going towards the newcomer under the influence of some sort of tractor beam. "Can you get the area the tractor beam's affecting on screen?"
"Yes, captain."
A map showing the location of the Star Galleon and the gravitation fields nearby appeared on the large screen at the front of the bridge, the gravitational field created by the Iron Wolf showing in green. To everyone's dismay, the Star Galleon was too far into the tractor beam to have any hope of escape. The captain sat down hard in the command chair and sighed, rubbing her temples. "Alright, we're going to have to take the Iron Wolf's advice. Power down and prepare a welcoming committee. I want Master Chief on this bridge faster that I can say—"
"—Holy tropical fruit salad, Batman!" Cortana finished for the captain as Master Chief stepped onto the bridge.
"Reporting as was going to be ordered, Captain," said the Chief with a smart salute in Amanda's direction.
Captain Keyes breathed a sigh of relief. The sight of the Chief standing there was like the sight of land after years lost on a stormy sea.
"Chief, I need you to get down to the airlocks and lead the defense of this ship. Cortana, I need you in the central computer for now. You're going to beam yourself into their computer system if you can, and give them the worst headache they've ever had! Master Chief, find Sergeant Johnson and have him report to me, I have a special mission for him. Also, if these people are hostile against the covenant, make sure the Arbiter and his crew is kept out of sight until we can figure things out."
"Yes, ma'am!"
The Spartan walked over to the A.I. console and inserted Cortana into the computer. She promptly appeared on her pedestal.
"This is going to be tricky," Cortana mused, turning a deep purple. "They have a very, interesting, setup for input. Whoever runs that ship doesn't mess around. I'll have myself uploaded onto their system in a few minutes."
"Good luck."
"Thanks, you too."
Master Chief turned away from the A.I. and headed down to the armory where Sergeant Johnson was getting several boxes of frag grenades down so they could be distributed among the marines.
"Sergeant, the captain wants you up on the bridge so she can brief you on a special assignment."
"Don't tell me I'm going to be scrubbing toilets while you grab all the glory," Avery said with a grin. Setting a box of grenades down on the floor he saluted the Spartan, who returned it. "Did she say what it was?"
"No and I didn't ask, you better get up there."
"Alright, I'm going," the sergeant said, rolling his eyes and turning to leave.
"Sergeant, do you know where the Arbiter is? I have orders regarding him as well."
Turning, but not stopping, Avery pointed over to the far end of the armory and frowned, then turned his back on Master Chief and jogged towards the bridge. Sighing, Master Chief walked in the direction the sergeant had indicated. The Arbiter was sitting along with his fellow elites, each checking their weapons and stocking themselves with extra plasma grenades.
"The captain wants you guys to stay here unless the fighting really gets fierce. Those guys on the Iron Wolf are hostile to covenant and it would probably hinder any negotiations if you assisted in the fighting."
The Arbiter looked up at the Spartan with a look border lining on anger. However any argument that would have started was halted by the sound of scraping and a very metallic thud. The elites clicked their mandibles in alarm and looked to the Arbiter for orders. Throwing a venomous glance at the Spartan he relayed the captain's orders to his crew. None of them liked it but they realized it was too late to challenge the order. They had about five minutes before the ship was boarded.
"Alright, we'll stay here until further notice. Get yourself armed, Demon, this could be a rough fight."
The Chief muttered his thanks and grabbed some plasma grenades. He ran over to the wall lockers and grabbed a battle rifle, a shotgun, and a handful of ammo. Grabbing a few boxes of frag grenades he shouted to all the marines.
"Get up to the air lock! We need to defend this ship at all costs! Last person up there has to eat a bucket of that slop they give us during hibernation! Let's MOVE IT!"
The marines turned and ran for their lives out the door. When they came up to the air lock they found a small group of marines already there getting the welcome wagon ready under the watchful eye of Sergeant Johnson. A few titanium plates were propped up for the marines to use as cover, while a portable turret was set up so that anyone coming through the air lock would be staring down its barrel. On the walls, floor, and ceiling around the air lock the marines were setting up some frag grenades that were all connected to a trip wire. A single lotus antitank mine served as the trigger for the trap. The sergeant grinned as the Spartan approached.
"Those guys are gonna get one hell of a surprise when they step through that door. We heard them setting up explosives on the other side, it looks like they're gonna blow their way through. I hope they don't set of the trap off before they walk into it."
"As long as their personal armor is a lot weaker than their ship's armor we'll be fine, trap or no trap," the Chief indicated the boxes of frags, "thought you may want some more punch."
"Don't mind if I do," the Sergeant replied, grabbing a handful and clipping them onto his belt. Everyone took cover behind the titanium plates and waited, guns trained on the air lock. The seconds ticked by, Master Chief sincerely wished that he could wipe away the sweat beading on his brow. One of the marines shifted to a more comfortable position.
Suddenly an explosion ripped the airlock open, and a humanoid figure wearing black armor stepped into the Star Galleon wielding a five-foot-long rod. It stepped out of the smoke and right onto the antitank mine. The marines ducked behind their cover as the figure looked down at what it had trod on.
"Aww, SHIT!"
In a brilliant flash the creature was slammed up against the ceiling and fell back to the floor, its armor undamaged but whatever was inside it wasn't moving.