Author's note 1:

Guest: Thanks for the feedback, however I cannot accept that tone because it feels like an aggression… so get the fuck out of here asshole.

Nachox1: I might have something in mind.

Enjoy!


The pelican hovered in the air, passing through the natural montains of the ring.

Jake reloaded One-thousand-yard-stare and settled it on his legs while he reviewed some files Ghost sent him on Covenants' battlecruisers: their features and general weaknesses. Thankfully they weren't much alien than the ships from his universe… for how they could be destroyed: just pop a huge ammount of firepower and you're done. That's what the Titan cared about, the rest was needless.

The Guardian looked glanced at Master Chief, he was clenching and unclenching his fists. Jake crossed his arms and knocked his glove on the wall behind him to get his attention.

"You're good?" He keenly asked, gesturing to the hands.

"I was just calibrating his suit with some upgrades regarding my presence." Cortana answered for the Spartan. "It should help increasing his reaction time in battle and combat effectiveness. You do not do that too? There hasn't been informations on suit's upgrades for you 'Guardians' in the files."

"I can answer for that." Ghost stepped in the conversation. "While his suit requires upgrades for general requirements, his reaction time is already high of its own and it would be useless to strain his body when he's capable of such abilities."

"Well, either way!" A third voice yelled from the back of the pelican. A man approached the four members of the team and took a deep hit of his cigar before grinning, rifle resting in the other hand. "You two tanks will be our answer to the Covie's cruiser presence on this ring…" He turned around and faced the marines. "…while us will cover your asses and kill every goddamn alien face that tries to stop us. Uha!"

"Uha!" The marines roared back.

Jake was briefly introduced to Sergeant Johnson and if he had to use a word to describe the soldier that would have been: eccentric.

"So, you're the one that contacted Keyes when the Covenant followed us from Reach…" Johnson had said, making the Titan tilt his head in confusion. "…I don't care if you're human like us 'cause you're sure as hell ain't part of our unit and I don't know ya. Let me set this straight: You try anything funny, son, I'm gonna kick your ass until you're out of orbit and in the Covenant's claws, understand?"

He merely nodded and smirked behind his helmet.

"The enemy has captured Captain Keyes and are holding him aboard one of their cruisers, the Truth and Reconciliation. The ship is currently holding position approximately three hundred meters above the other hand of this plateau." The AI explained while they landed.

"So how do we get inside the ship if it's in the air? The corps ussued me a rifle, not wings or the jetpack the uh… Guardian has." One of the marines commented.

"I'll show you later on." Jake said to placate the look Chief gave him.

"There's a Gravity Lift that ferries troops and supplies between the ship and the surface. That's our ticket in." Staff Sergeant Parker supplied from his seat.

"Once we get inside the ship, I should be able to lock on to the tracking signal from Captain's Keyes neural implants."

"Mind giving me a link?" Ghost asked. "I can trace him too and direct my Guardian into the right direction if we're forced to split."

The pelican landed on solid ground and everyone disbounded… everyone expect for Johnson.

"I'm gonna keep the sight clear from above, can't accompany you ladies yet."

"Hit it, Marines! Go, go, go! The Corps ain't payin' us by the hour!" Parker shouted and waved his hand in the classic military motion to advance.

"There's a small hill uphead to the right…" Ghost supplied and sent them an indicator. "…it will be a good position for your snipers. Might wanna keep the element of surprise on the Covenant for as long as we can. Cortana? I can't exactly intrude in the comms without the marines freaking out, I'm still an unknown AI to them and they trust you. Could you pinpoint them with instructions?"

The Guardian and Spartan settled up in their covers. Jake held up a fist and pointed to the three Elites patrolling the area, he then nodded towards Chief.

John got the message and aimed down his sights. The Titan wasn't exactly a Hunter, he didn't have the same accuracy to oneshot so many enemies at once in the head, so he decided to concentrate on the Grunts and Jackals.

"Affirmative. Get ready to move in to support us, Sergeant. The Master Chief and Guardian are going to covertly take out as many of the Covenant as they can. Don't open fire until you hear the enemy return fire on us."

Jake held up three fingers.

3…

2…

1…

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

KIUM! KIUM! KIUM!

Two Grunts, one Jackal and two Elites fell lifelessly on the ground, holes either in their bodies or heads.

The third Elite acted as soon as his second comrade disappeared by ducking and only losing his shield protection. He crouched behind a rock and roared to the rest of the patrol.

That's when the marines went guns blazing and from the Guardian's perspective, they all looked like mini-Rambos.

Jake raised from his seat and sprinted towards the very end on the hill, piercing the bodies of two more grunts while Chief took care of the aliens attacking the marines. He jumped down and switched to Fatebringer, using Explosive-Payload to lure out the aliens from their covers and let the humans finish them.

"All hostiles eliminated and no marines dead. That teamwork strategy is surely working, Guardian." His companion chirped from the other dimension, he merely ignored and reloaded the rifle with another magazine.

"Hey, we did it! We're right behind you, sirs."

There was a slope, not enough large to contain so many people at once. Jake watched how a rock he walked on fell down because of the gravity and hit the ground with a loud sound. Those could have been more than twenty meters. He calculated.

"Watch my six, Guardian." John said, it sounded more of a demand rather than a order.

They all scattered in an Indian line and proceeded, their boots echoing in the dead night.

"Covenant forces detected up ahead. The path up on the left should let us sneak up around."

"I'll bash into the enemy forces with my shield…" The Titan announced. "…Chief, you take the marines and sneak on the left. Flank the bastards and send them into oblivion."

Cortana and Chief did not question this decision, they both knew what he was capable of. They took the marines with them and waited for him to make the first move.

Jake took a deep breath and ran straight into the first alien he saw, shield banging him. His body disappeared in void energy, quickly he brought up Fatebringer and took down the turret on his left which had a Grunt on.

"Argh!" Hot plasma shots connected with his armour and his shield resisted, but barely remaining up and running. He decided to exploit a nice trick he learnt and created a void barricade, this particular shield healed him faster like a Warlock's rift and also supplied him with an overshield.

"Engage marines." He heard from the far back.

Jake grabbed his sniper rifle and peeked from the right side of the barrier, using the advantage of firepower by bringing down multiple targets hunched over a passage-like-bridge. They crashed on the ground with a loud THUD! once darkness beckoned them.

First casualties did not miss their team, two marines died as they advanced.

He saw an Elite sneaking behind Chief and the marines, he broke in a sprint and slammed himself against the alien's chest once he saw him rapidily approaching. Jake gripped one of the Elites claws as it held an energy sword, they both had the same idea as they used their free hand/claw to choke the other combatant.

John and the troops were too busy with the remaining forces to even notice them, with the Spartan rapidly wiping out the targets… but not fast enough.

The Elite headbutted him, he had to admit the strength could be only matched by a Spartan or Titan. It dazed him and gave enough time for his opponent to shove the weapon in his chest.

Blood flowed from his mouth, he heard his Ghost calling for him and the faint clicking of the Elites' mandibles in satisfaction…. although it was short lived.

The Titan placed a firm hand on the alien's throat and launched him against a rock wall using all of his strength. Jake grabbed the energy sword from his chest and pulled it out, he beheaded the Elite before he could understand what happened.

He let himself fall on the ground next to the dead enemy. "R-revive me as fast as you c-can." Blood spurted from his mouth, the metallic taste invading his senses. He closed his eyes and let himself fall asleep, fully knowing he would just come back later.

And when Ghost did revive him, he wasted no time in exploiting the rush of energy from the revival to grab his rifle and join John. He made a mistake with the Elite, a mistake he would not do again in the future.

"I read your vital functions… were you?" Cortana switched to a private channel.

"Dead? Yes, I was. There was an Elite sneaking on you, took care of the job and gained some experience on close quarter fights against them."

They let the subject be with that answer and directed the marines to the destination.

"We're directly under the ship."

"Mother of God!" One of the last three remaining marines exclaimed. "I've never thought I'd get close to one of these things. How the hell are we supposed to get inside?"

The Guardian held up a fist and pointed at two stationary guns in the far back of the zone, with Grunts piloting them. They were alone, where was the patrol that it was suppposed to protect the lift?

"The Covenant use a Gravity Lift to ferry troops and supplies between the ship and surface. We need to ambush them at the Grav Lift's loading zone and use the Lift to enter the ship."

Something was wrong…

"Let's keep it low, we walk slowly towards the guns while concealed and take them out…" He glanced behind him. "…keep it tight, marines. Don't let the Covenant startle you."

Parker, a soldier and Chief chose the left side while the Titan and the last two marines went for the right one.

BOOM! BOOM!

"Christ!"

Two Hunters descended from the Lift and noticed them, unleashing a trail of plasma shots. The Grunts basically chirped in fright but quickly prepared their weapons.

"We're under heavy fire!" Parker cried over the comms, peeking every now and then to shoot with his rifle. "How the hell do we get out of this mess without a proper cover?!"

Cover…

"Everyone! I've got a plan. When I tell you, you rush towards the middle of the area and get behind me. I'll let you know when to shoot."

"Sir! With all due respect but what kind of plan is that?" One of the marines with him wheezed out, ducking under a rock to avoid the Hunter's green plasma hits. "That's gonna get us all killed!"

"You want to complete this mission, soldier? Trust me…" One-thousand-yard-stare's bullets bounced off the Hunters' armours. "…Chief? Are you ready?"

A few moments passed under radio silence.

"Affirmative."

He suppressed the Hunters with a few more shots. "Now!"

ZIUM!

Jake activated the Sentinel's shield and concentrated the void energy towards him, bringing up a giant purple barricade by holding his shield in two hands.

The plasma hits were absorbed, the force pushed him back but he planted his feet firmly on the ground.

"Shoot!"

Enhanced bullets were much more effective on the monstrosities, pecies of their armour slowly crumbled under the assault and the team managed to finish them. Chief raised his rifle after the Hunters were wiped out and took care of the remaining grunts.

He let the energy fade off and breathed deeply.

"You let it continue much further than any other activation, Jake. You should not use Light for a while."

"I'll probably follow your suggestion." He felt a warming touch in his mind, like someone was caressing him. He indulged in the sensation before straighting his posture.

"Are you alright?" John asked as the marines picked up ammos from a nearby abandoned crate.

"Light exhaustion, if I use it beyond its recommended duration, I could risk going into unconsciousness…" He directed his attention to the Lift. "…area is secured, but we had some casualties. Next move?"

"Cortana to Echo 419. We've reached the Gravity Lift and are ready for reinforcements."

Static followed for a few moments. "Copy that, Cortana. Hang tight gentlemen. Foe Hammer out."

"Once we're inside the ship, I can home into the Captain's command-neural interface. He'll probably be in or near the ship's brig, which should narrow our search."

"Sounds like a plan. Link received, thanks for the courtesy, Cortana."

"Anytime."

The pelican raised from under the mountain, it turned around and began its descend. "Echo 419 inbound, clear the drop zone."

Private Paul Jackson and Sergeant Andrew Harrison touched the ground and marched towards them.

"Alright marines, we've got the Lift secured…" Parker rolled his shoulders and nodded towards the energy source. "…let's get inside and rescue the Captain."

The Guardian looked at the cruiser. "The sniper won't be useful anymore up there, give me Null Composure." A change of weight on his shoulder gave him the confirmation on the weapon swap.

Jackson was the first to be taken up by the light. "Whoa!"

A marine followed up. "Yee-haw!"

John and Jake were the last ones.


Usually Gravity Lifts were no problem at all back when Jake had to deal with Vex simulations or when fighting Fallen. But there could be incidents where the acceleration is too much and he would need to use his double jump to avoid slapping against the ceiling or the ground.

This was one of those situations.

When his double jump was over, he effortlessly landed on the floor and looked at Master Chief. "That's what the marines meant by 'jetpack', Chief."

"We're in. I've got a good lock on the Captain's CNI transponder. No Covenant defenses detected."

Jackson shifted his gaze around the room and scratched the back of his head with a hand. "No Covenant here? I'm thinking nobody's home."

The area looked clear, in fact.

Wait a minute…

A shift of… air? Or was it something else?

He widened his eyes. He fought the Fallen for more than seven years and he could recognize that technology when he sees it.

"AMBUSH!"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The bullets amplified by Explosive Payload turned down the Elite's camouflage. Chief opened his fire with the assault rifle and killed the alien before he could gut Harrison.

Doors opened and in came an entire squad of Covenant.

Harrison rushed for cover and groaned at Jackson. "'No Covenant'. Ya had to open your mouth!"

"Contacts! Left side, left side!"

"Ambush!"

Three Grunts and Jackals with shields formed a straight line. Jake snatched Null Composure from his back and aimed.

BOOM! BOOM!

Their bodies disappeared in purple energy.

Chief's bullets collided with an Elite who held another energy sword, he roared at him and charged. The Spartan slid on the floor to avoid a strike and pullet out his magnum.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

Three direct shots to the head and the Sangheili was dead meat. He directed his attention to Jackson and Harrison who were pinned down by a group of Jackals, he pulled out a grenade from his belt and threw it in the mist.

BOOM!

He saw the Private giving a thumbs-up to signal their well-being. John reloaded his weapons and glanced at the Guardian as he cut down a whole group of Covenant with a strange rifle.

The room was cleared and they all grouped up. Two marines died, they gathered their dog tags, it was just him, Jake, Harrison, Jackson and Parker.

"It's a fusion rifle." Jake explained to him.

The blast doors leading ahead were closed, Harrison set to work on the panel. He pursed his lips and slapped with. "Damn it. Sorry, doors are sealed shut on lockdown, can't bypass the system."

"We're gonna have to find a way around."

"Actually!" Ghost chirped, appearing near Jake's shoulder.

Jackson jumped in fright and aimed his rifle at him. The Guardian stepped on the line of fire and slapped the soldier's arm down. "Stand down, marine." He said slowly and with an authoritarian tone. "He's the AI you've been hearing on the comms."

"Rude. Anyway, as I was saying, I might be able to open the doors without wasting time in searching a way around. Give me a moment, gentlemen." The small being hummed and opened his shell, the classic ray of blue light hit the panel a few times.

"Can you do it?" The Titan asked on a private channel.

"Of course I can! These security protocols are a joke unlike those at home. I'm just adding suspense by taking a long time."

The blast doors opened and Ghost rotated his shell. The humans, minus Chief and Jake, looked surprised at the achievement. Jake opened his palm and Ghost disappeared in his dimension.

"Good work. The Captain should be on the third level, we have to find the ship's command center and pass through there."

Roars from the distant alerted the group.

This wasn't going to be easy…


The corridors were more or less the same by colours and structure. Another Elite fell down screaming, shooting his last plasma bullets around without a clear aim.

"Clear!" Harrison announced.

Master Chief set out to the control panel and opened all the cells. The marines stumbled on the floor, helped by the armed comrades.

Jake stood in the background and stared at the prisoners, no one of them resembled Keyes.

"Coming here was reckless…" He heard and perked his head up, he marched towards John. "…you two know better than anyone." The Spartan helped the Captain getting on his feet.

Keyes' gaze rested on the Guardian who nodded and extended a hand. "Guardian Jake Torrance from the Tower reporting in, sir."

"I recognize your voice. You're that unknown contact on our radars, aren't you? You look like a Spartan but you're clearly not." He shook his hand raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, sir…" Jake retracted his hand. "…and no, I'm not a Spartan. I will explain my unexpected arrival once we get out of here."

"I agree, son." Keyes snatched a Needler from the floor. "Marines! Lock and load your weapons, let's be ready to move on."

A chorus of "Yes, sir!"s echoed throught the room.

Keyes stood in the middle of the room and faced everyone. "While the Covenant had us locked up in here, I overheard the guards talking about this ring world. They call it 'Halo.'"

Jake narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms while John rested his rifle on his shoudler, both of their undivided attention focused only on the Captain.

"One moment, sir. Accessing the Covenant Battlenet." There was a short pause. "According to the data in their networks, the ring has some kind of deep religious significance. If I'm analyzing this correctly, they believe that Halo is some kind of weapon. One with vast, unimaginable power."

Keyes sighed. "And it's true then. The Covenat kept saying that whoever controls Halo, controls the fate of the universe too."

"Now I see! I have intercepted a number of messages about a Covenant search team, scouting for a 'control room.' I thought they were looking for the bridge of a cruiser that I damaged during the battle above the ring. But they must be looking for Halo's control room."

Another powerful weapon to wipe humanity off of the face of the universe? Why am I not surprised?

"That's bad news. If Halo is a weapon, and the Covenant gain control of it, they'll use it against us and wipe out the entire human race." Keyes turned to them. "Chief, Cortana and…" He paused.

"My callsign is 'Guardian' while my class would be 'Titan.'" Jake supplied.

"Right…" The Captain cleared his throat. "…Chief, Cortana, Guardian. I have a mission for you. We need to beat the Covenant to Halo's control room. Marines! Let's move."

Everyone gathered their weapons and marched out of the room.

"We should head back to the shuttle bay and call for evac."

A sudden roar startled them, from a locked door an entire platoon of Covenant bolted. Plasma shots missed them only by a few inches. Jake summoned a supression grenade and launched it behind him, multiple explosion shook the floor by the vibrations.

They reached the control room and barricaded themselves by forming a straight line and using supression fire to slow down the Covenant.

"Cortana to Echo 419 – We have the captain and are in need of extraction on the double."

"Negative, Cortana! I've been engaged by Covenant's air patrols and I'm havin' a tough time shakin' them. You'll be better off findin' your own ride… sorry."

"Acknowledged, Foe Hammer. Cortana out."

"We're on our own?!" Jackson yelled. "Shit, we're screwed!"

"Keep it tight, marine! Cortana, if you, Chief and the Guardian can get us into one of those Covenant dropships I can fly us out of here."

The hangar was still intact and full of dead aliens, John released the dropship and everyone gathered inside.

"Hell no! Captain, Hunters inbound, we've gotta get out of here!"

"Working on it, Private. Cortana, you'll take too much time to interface with the systems, I'll pilot this bird myself."

Jake gripped anything to stabilize his position, he wondered if Keyes was a real Captain because under pressure his driving skills reminded the Guardian of a drunk man under drugs.

The dropship flew away safely at least.

"I've managed to hear a few communications of Major Antonio Silva and his establishment of Alpha base. We'll go there…" Keyes faced the group of survivors of the operation. "…coordinates are lock and loaded. I think explanations will be in order."

That sideway glance confirmed Jake's suspicions on who the phrase was directed to.


It surprised Jake on how in a single day the UNSC managed to create a fully operational base and even went as far ahead as restoring buildings with electricity.

Chief went off to rest and wait for the next day when the operation would begin.

That left the Guardian alone with Captain Keyes, who was smoking from his pipe while reading the files Ghost made for him under request. He sat right in front of the man, arms crossed, waiting.

"Hmm." Keyes hummed. "Paracausal energy. I'm no scientist but from what I have seen during my rescue, it seems to be effective against the Covenant."

No shit? I have killed Gods with this power.

"Affirmative, sir."

"And this… AI you bring with you." He gestured with the hand holding the pipe. "Is 'he' here now?"

Jake opened his palm and Ghost manifested. "Hello, Captain Keyes. You can simply call me 'Ghost.'"

"Heh, strange name for an AI when that name is already owned by Covie's vehicles."

"I hear that a lot, Captain."

Keyes pointed to the datapad. "I read here that you 'appeared' out of nowhere one day while the UNSC was monitoring the two artifacts we discovered. This… 'Traveler' thing and the Pyramid."

"Indeed. I don't know why or how I was created, only that I needed to find my Guardian."

"So you can revive Jake when he dies? And he has no memories of his previous life?"

"Correct and correct."

Keyes set the datapad on a table meanwhile and took a hit of the pipe's smoke. "There are many genetic therapies willingly to remove any desease or cancers if they still exist. If you died by one, why didn't you go underneath a therapy?"

Jake clenched his fists for a moment. "From what I heard, I was some sort of guy that just accepted his faith as it was and wanted to experience his last months in a research station. I had basically given up on life."

"Some sort of suicide attempt? Seems pretty strange or exaggerated as a motivation even if you were a crazy religious fanatic like the Covenant are."

"I don't know who I was, sir. But I changed."

"Hmm."

Keyes smoked for a minute or two, tapping his fingers on the table.

"Even if I were to believe your story of how you died, that doesn't explain this project you speak of."

"Sir?" He asked.

"It is convenient, isn't it? For you to receive a mission regarding this ring when all important communications are to be sent to the Central Command or kept as a secret until further order… an order the 'Tower' did not receive."

Fuck…

"We've been at war for so many years." Keyes continued, shrugging. "Why hasn't your project sent Guardians to assist the Spartans now that there are many of you who mastered these abilities? If the Tower was located in the Outer Colonies it might have been already spotted by the Covenant so why hasn't it already been located if it was inside the Solar system? Or rather…" He leaned towards Jake, "…why aren't there traceable coordinates to pinpoint your base?"

"He's good, too good." He agreed with Ghost.

Jake relaxed his muscles and raised his hands, clapping a few times. "Good job, Captain. You're the first person that understood my facade. Are you going to question my true origins now and where I come from?"

"No."

"Wha-"

"Listen, son…" Keyes held up a palm. "…we're at war and on the bridge of extinction. And all the help we get is appreciated. The only question I truly have is: 'Can I trust you?'"

"I helped Master Chief this far and helped the UNSC saving you. You have seen what I'm capable of: if I wanted you all dead, you wouldn't stand there talking with me."

"Fair enough..." He smoked again. "…take off your helmet."

"Sir?"

"I want a honest answer on what I'll ask you next. And I want to see the truth by watching you straight in the eyes. Now, take it off soldier."

Jake stared at Keyes, he carefully grabbed a hold of his helmet and took it off. His brown eyes were revealed along with the black short hair and black short beard. He thanked the Traveler for being human and not an exo or awoken, it would have been awkward to explain.

"That expression, I have only seen it on Master Chief before. You two look alike in a lot of aspects."

"Thanks I guess, sir?"

"Here's the question: 'What is your real mission?'.

That was an easy answer. "To destroy whatever threat there is to humanity."

"Not enough of an excuse if ONI or the rest of the UNSC captures you."

"Maybe…" His voice wandered off. "…but I won't kill humans if I can help it. I'm a Titan, the class of Guardians that act as a shield for the weaker."

Keyes remained silent for a minute or two.

"How does it feel to die?"

Jake somehow knew why the Captain was asking this question. "Depends on how you're killed. Usually a shot to the heart or decapitation is swift and clean, it hurts only for a moment. But any prolonged wound will hurt much and make you wish for the sweat release."

"Is there anything on the other side, son? Heaven, Hell or somethin' else?"

He smiled. "Nothing. For me, at least, there's nothing. Might be a side effect for being chosen by the Traveler."

Keyes held his gaze on the Guardian before getting up and offering a handshake. "Welcome aboard, Guardian."

He reciprocated the gesture. "It's an honour, sir…" He placed his helmet back on. "…I'll join the others and get acquainted with my surroundings. Maybe get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day."

Keyes chuckled. "Ain't that right, son."

He was about to exit the room when Keyes started talking again.

"You might have a callsign or an origin I don't want to hear for choice. But I still can't help but think: 'What are you really, Jake?'"

The Titan glanced behind him.

"I'm a Godslayer and I shall bring the sky down upon my enemies."

He and Ghost left the room without another word.


Author's note 2:

DAM! DAM! DUM!

Phew, almost 5000 words!

There is a special reference to a videogame produced in 2009 when the ambush starts. It's a quote divided in three sentences.

Try to locate it and include it in your review!

(Plz gimme review.)

Until next time!

Gino out!