Garrett eyed the cybernetics on his arm, then asked where it was. "Turn to your right." He turned, as saw an odd looking pod angled at a 25 degrees. There seemed to be clamps on top of it, with writing… in something that resembled English. "Dr., I think, Ma, ya, Tir. Wait, Dr. Maya Tir. Huh?" The pod activated. Garrett freaked and jumped back. The clamps disengaged and the pod re-angled itself to a vertical position, then opened the pod door. A greenish fluid flooded out of the pod and he stepped back some more. He looked up, and inside was a naked woman, about the same age or similar to Ilana in look, with Raven hair down to her waist and all matted. The same ears were prominent, and pleasantly voluptuous. He didn't care. He was hoping that there weren't anymore pods opening, and he watched his sides. "Auron, I hope this isn't for holding like, prison inmates or something." He checked the fluid on the ground with his boot, saw that it wouldn't burn away the sole, and moved closer.
As said before, the woman, Garrett thought her name was Maya, had the similar long hair as Ilana, only Black. She seemed to stand at about 5 feet six, and similar body structure to Ilana's. The difference was the face and hips, with a slightly more pointed chin as extra. He kept his rifle trained on the outside area, watching the shadows with the flashlights. "Hey, if she's a doctor, does that mean she, I don't know, can help with the Battle Frame and stuff?" He asked. "Checking data log… she has knowledge of the design of the Nexus" Auron said. "Well, that helps Ilana, but what about me? I wanted to know if she knows anything about the Battle Frame?" He said annoyed. "You should ask her yourself. She is awakening." The woman's eyes fluttered a bit, opened slowly, closed her eyes again from the light, and opened them again. She tried to walk forward, but her legs collapsed from under her, and she fell towards Garrett. He shot his arms out to catch her, and then laid her on the floor. She was shivering, probably from Cryo stasis nerve shock. He pulled his pack out, grabbed an advanced medical kit he brought, pulled out a nerve stim, and pushed the needle into her neck. The fluid entered, and the shivering stopped. He then pulled a vita patch out, slapped it to her shoulder, and then pulled a canteen of water. She feebly moved her hand out to grab at the canteen, and he had to push her hand away and put the thing to her mouth. She drank the entire contents, the first few sips she spit out on the floor, with some of the green fluid.
Garrett pulled a small camp towel and tried to clean her off, then pulled an extra package he brought. The package had extra clothes in it, for the reason that Garrett knew if he moved through unknown territory, he would most like find something that wanted to tear at the clothes he was wearing. The sponge like hole he came down in also had sharp jagged edges as well. "Hey, you alright?" He asked. She still was blinking furiously, and she was trying to flail her arms about with little success. He knew what she was doing. Long exposure from Cryo hibernation, for a year or more, made motor functions slow down considerably and nerve endings go quite numb. It was the equivalent to sleeping on your arm, only all over your body. She tried to get up, and he helped her as best he could. "Bal Agi, Tor Aszahigo. To Dagaha." He tilted his head to the right, trying his best to figure out if she was annoyed at him, telling him to back off, or thanking him. "Um… I don't know your language. Shit… Auron, can you translate?" Auron acknowledged, but before he could do it, she talked again. "You… speak… English… your… human." He became shocked. "I didn't know, humans were, space faring yet. How long, have I, been in, hibernation?" She asked slowly, gulping in air. "I don't know. I was hoping you could give me some answers." She stood there, naked, and looked at the clothes, then toward an adjacent room. "Can you take, me to that, room please? I need to get, cleaned up." He helped her toward the room, her slipping somewhat as she still didn't have much use of her body. It was slow, and they eventually made it. He placed her down on a metal bench as she told him, and a machine moved right up to her. It scanned her with some sort of eye, and when it finished, which took about half and hour, she could move. "Note to self, which I'll probably forget anyway, get UNSC to make something like that." She stood up like anyone else, walked over to a shower system, and closed the door. He stood there, waiting, checking his back for anything that might have opened up as well. She came out cleaned, and moved to a replication opening, got some clothing to what style he had no idea, and got dressed. She seemed to be wearing some sort of form fitting cat suit, VERY form fitting. She also wore a long, what looked like patchwork lab coat, and high heeled boots that looked like a mixture between something from a fashion catalog and combat boots. She put some nail polish on at a machine, and had some makeup put on, stuff he thought was makeup anyway. "Uh, is that really necessary right now? I need to ask you a few questions." She turned, finished and accepting of her look, and walked up to him. "No, I need to ask you a few questions, and your going to answer them." He eyed her a bit, thinking her cocky, and ignored what she said. "I need to know who you are first." She smirked. "Did you read the side of the pod? It is my name. Maya Tir, Dr. Maya Tir. Goraha complex experimentation, fleet design and head mistress of fortress creation." He scratched his head. "Goraha… that was… that was where the Nexus was made right? Is this Goraha complex?" She looked at him quizzically. "No. This is Zorago station. This is an archive storage. Now who are you?" She asked. "Captain Garrett Gryphen, First Unit of Project SLEIPNIR, attached to the United Nations Space Corp and SPARTAN II program, Earth, or I was. I'm human." He put his hand out for her to shake, and she looked at him oddly. "A custom on Earth. Sort of a well met gesture." She looked down at his hand, put her own hand out, and said "well met then." He took her hand and shook it. She stared at him, and then his hand shaking hers, and relaxed, figuring out what he did.
"So why were you here in that pod?" Garrett asked. "There was a disaster that happened. I was put in hibernation until it was under control, so as not to have life support fail and kill me. I'm one of the greatest minds known here you know." He was starting to realize she had somewhat of an ego problem. "So why are you here? Why are you in this station? How long has it been since I was awake?" She asked. "Um, broke through a door, looking for technology to hide from factions on Earth, and I don't know. Forerunners haven't been around ever since we started to figure out what you guys are. We find artifacts in ruins and stuff, but that's it." He said. She became shocked. "What? Artifacts?… it must have been the disaster. Rana Sarishu!" She seemed to swear. "What did you mean by 'you were' with the humans?" She asked, taking a seat. "I… it's a long story. Look, I'd love to talk all day, but I have to transport the rest of the stuff inside here to the Nexus." "You said Nexus. You don't mean the ship made at Goraha complex?" He confirmed it. "Why? Something odd with that?" She stood up and walked by him. "That ship wouldn't have allowed you on board. It goes against the evolution directive." He laughed. "What is so funny?" He turned around. "I heard that from Ilana and Auron. I was already detected as an ally when I went near it, but she won't let anyone else on board that isn't someone like you." "That is correct. After all, I designed it and her." He got stumped after that. "So, what, you made Ilana?" She laughed. "She is in all honesty, my daughter in a way."
She looked him over. "Where did you get that cybernetics?" She said quietly. "Azaraha complex… what the hell am I saying, I got it on Valeius after chasing some covenant into one of your abandoned bases! And the damned thing thought I was the pilot!" She continued out of the room, and he followed. "That thing was only a myth. Supposedly, it was a battle frame armor made for anti-fleet warfare in the event that the allied races fighting against us would stop attacking and consider peace." He stopped. "So do you know anything about it? How to get it off of me or what it can do?" She laughed. "You're the pilot and you don't know what it is capable of doing?" He looked annoyed. "I was an involuntary pilot, thank you very much. Now, do you know anything about it or not?" She stopped and turned around. "I don't know anything about it, other than it is a called a battle frame, and made in Azaraha complex. I didn't design it, so other than knowing about the experiment, I know nothing. If it is about the Nexus, I know everything about it." He sighed.
"I need you to take me to the Nexus now." He got a little annoyed. "Now look, I'm not your slave or assistant or what not. I'm a soldier from another race that is getting kinda pissed at you right now for the ego problem. Why should I help you get up there?" He pointed. She looked somewhat sad at that moment. "I would like to see how she turned out." Garrett relaxed a bit, feeling a bit guilty. "Sorry. Can you wait? I need to make sure the UNSC doesn't get anything from this place." Maya looked surprised. "Your part of their race and yet your trying to hamper them from taking our technology? I'm impressed that humans could be so cold hearted, even if I'm glad about it." He tried to object, but she continued. "Your probably keeping the technology from those factions you talked about. No doubt political I'm guessing. They probably backstabbed you, and now your getting revenge. You found that technology at Azaraha complex, and now that you have it, they want to use you as their puppet. You wouldn't work with their strings, so they wanted to get rid of you. Am I close?" He dropped onto his rump on the floor. "How? That was…" She straightened her coat. "I am a genius, or so I'm told." He got back up and followed her as she kept moving. "The fact is, since your doing something to keep the evolution directive working, and in effect allowed to be on that ship, I guess I should assist you. Follow me."
They both moved from room to room, checking area after area for information they could download or transport to the ship. Once they had cleared the entire complex, which was assisted by various machines in finding the items wanted, the machines were transported up and then Garrett and Maya were left. "Alright, now we need to get out of here." Maya eyed him. "Why not use the teleportation system on the Nexus?" She asked. "I was told that the system didn't work very well on organic stuff, so the we have to get out of here and wait for a transport." She followed him to the door he made a hole in. "That wasn't a door. That was a wall." He made a funny face. "Oops. No wonder I didn't find a lock panel." She chuckled a bit, and he helped her through the opening, then followed suit. "Can you carry me? I'm not very good at climbing. I wasn't the best when I was a child. 200 years, and you still don't get your balance correct." He stared at her. "200... How old… nope, I don't ask that question from women… bad manners…" he grabbed his climbing gear and hoisted his repelling equipment onto his chest. "For your information, I actually lost count somewhere around 4,000. Sorry to disappoint you on the exact number." He shook his head, remembering he was only in his twenties. "Man, I hope I look that good when I make even sixty" he chuckled. He tested a grappling hook and cable he shot to the top, and felt a hand tap his shoulder. "How do I get up?" She asked with a smile. "Oh no…"
five minutes later
Garrett pulled himself up with the help of an auto winch above, and had an attached 110 pound Doctor on his back, roping her hands around his shoulders and neck. "Watch the buckles please" He winced as her forearm pressed against a buckle on his harness, pressing it into his skin. "Sorry." He got to the top, and she clambered over him, sitting on his face for a second, which he could and couldn't complain about, then stepped on his shoulder with a heel. He yelped, and she jumped to normal ground, he pulling himself up and out. "Alright, call Ilana. I'm sure she'll be eager to see me." He shook his head free of dirt, then tapped his ear. "Hey Ilana, I need a transport down here. I found someone that you need to take aboard. You might find this interesting." She acknowledged, and they waited. Suddenly, a shot flew by as sub machine gun fire hosed nearby the Doctor. She cowered, and he grabbed her and ran, dived behind a boulder, and pulled his own guns out. "Rogue Garrett Gryphen, you are to surrender immediately. Come out at once."
He answered with a grenade thrown out, and covered Maya's head. The explosion rocked the ground, and gun fire was heard. He also heard the sound of shields being hit by the shrapnel. Damn Spartans. He peeked out, and saw four of them, one being the major, the others being unknowns. "Fat chance! You sold me out you bastard!" He threw another grenade and heard the explosion. "You risked more than just military lives when you didn't give that information. You risked the survival of all humanity. Your court martial would have just brought you to your senses." Garrett got pissed at that. "Brought me to my senses? They were going to execute me! All so they could cut me into little pieces for research! Fuck it! I like my body staying in one piece thank you very much!" He concentrated for a second, and moved his hand out in a slapping motion, and fired a cryokinesis attack. It hit one of the Spartans that was hailing rifle fire on him from an MA6B. The Spartans shields flickered, and died, followed by him falling back and pulling himself away to cover. He saw out of the corner of his eye another Spartan aiming at him with a sniper rifle, but didn't fire.
What the hell was happening? He thought to himself. "Wait! Let the hostage go! Come out and we'll talk! I didn't know about the execution! Hold your fire!" The rifle fire stopped and silence filled the air. "Hostage? I'm no hostage! Your firing at the mrp…" and a hand clamped down on her mouth. "Don't say anything! You'll definitely be used as a guinea pig if the council got its hands on you!" She stopped speaking under his hand. "You come here and we'll talk!" Garrett yelled. There was sound moving toward him, and he readied another grenade. The sound slowed, one pair of feet moving, and the major moved around the boulder slowly. His hands were up, no weapons in hand, and he lowered himself to a crouching position. "Now, let's talk."
For about ten minutes, Garrett explained the whole thing to the Spartan, who wasn't being told the whole story. He thought Garrett was being trained to better suit his new responsibilities and might spend some time in a brig for what he did, but didn't know he was to be executed. It was a ludicrous idea, one that the council thought would yield some new technology. "You men… you look like… the honor guard… reclaimers…" Maya said, staring at the major. He looked at her through his visor, showing no emotion out of his helmet. "Reclaimer? Do you know about the Halos?" He asked. "Yes." He looked at Garrett. "She was in a pod in the complex. She's a forerunner." Auron suddenly acknowledged the self destruct sequence, and the ground rumbled. "The transport is inbound. I suggest you get ready." Maya and the others stood up, and the major stood there, watching them. "Actually, we aren't called forerunners. The name we use for my people I doubt you could pronounce, so I guess we should just keep it the way it is." the major stopped Garrett by the arm as both walked by. "What just happened under us?" He asked. "The self destruct sequence was activated so that no other tech could be stolen, as per what she wanted. They have an evolution directive." The major cocked his head back a bit, caught off guard by that. "And why did you do that?" Garrett shook his arm free of the Spartan's hand. "Because if I didn't, the stuff falls into wrong hands. Very bad, like you've said before about leaving equipment behind. They have rules about their technology falling into the wrong hands, or in this, our hands. Kids playing with fire sort of thing." They got onto the transport, and Garrett turned. "Hey, are you gonna report this?" He asked. "Report what? The recon crew was taking core samples. The mountain side was unstable and it collapsed inside, and that was all that was found. Hey, if we need to get in touch with you, how can we Spartans do it?" He asked. Garrett sat there for a moment, wondering if he should tell him. "There's a com channel that phases through a BPT wave in sub space. Your Trans communications system should be able to hook up to it. Don't abuse this trust, major." Shots were heard nearby, and marines were seen in the distance. Garrett heard chatter on his nanite communications. "The Spartans are letting them get away! I knew they were in league! All units! The Spartans are to be contained! Everyone else, take down that transport!" Rocket fire erupted as firepower flew from all directions. Multiple extra Spartans dashed up the mountain side, clearly hiding in case Garrett was wanting a fight instead of talking. About thirty in all, ran toward the major, guns not in use. "Sir, I guess we have problems. We're considered hostiles!"
The major turned around and checked the area. Marines and warthogs were moving slowly up toward them, and fighters were popping into the air. Mortar fire was hitting pretty close, and rockets were flying out to meet the transport, doing nothing against the shields. "How many Spartans are here?" Garrett asked. "All of them. We don't really know how powerful that armor of yours is, so we came in full strength. Why?" Garrett took a glance around as the Spartans condensed around the boulders near the transport. "Shit… tell them we had you at gunpoint and couldn't open fire." The major thought for a second before ordering everyone to back away. Ilana tried to interrupt with not allowing them to have the frequency to get in touch with him, but Garrett stopped her. "Their on our side. Let em leave okay?" Ilana sighed over the frequency, and then agreed, only because it was him, which he thought was odd. The transport was loaded, and it lifted off, straight towards the Nexus. It landed, and the Carrier jumped out of the area.