Author's note 1:
Tristen343: If I respected the lore then Jake could spam his super everytime he sees Covenant troops and the crossover wouldn't make sense in the first place. There has to be balance.
Enjoy!
The pelicans hovered on the sea, forming a straight formation. Each of them was protecting the other's flanks while simultaneously pushing forward. The engines' rumbles joined the calm sound of the breeze.
He had never seen this much human firepower for one single operation. And that included Vanguard operations… although an experienced Guardian was already an army of its own.
Jake glanced to his right and stared at the bright and clean water they passed on. He demanded the notebook from Ghost and raised his pencil.
It's been two days or so since I have uploaded my notebook.
We have concluded our theory and realized that the Taken portal spit us right into another universe, full of different aliens wanting to extinguish humanity like back home.
I met this 'Master Chief', could easily be confused for a Titan. He's focused solely on the mission like me.
I like it.
We must find the control room of this 'Halo' and stop the Covenant. Seems to be the ultimate weapon of all weapons.
This humanity cannot experience a form of collapse like we did.
The Titan let the stream of consciousness disappear in his inventory and instead demanded for an old rifle he found in Vanguard operations: Hung Jury. The baby was so powerful with Firefly and considering the terrain they would land on, it made sense from a strategic point of view.
He would find Halo's heart and rip it out as he did for the Black Garden's.
He clenched his fists, his Titan origins surfacing from deep within. He needed to fight something. This wasn't his humanity, but it didn't matter. He was a Guardian, THE Guardian.
He wouldn't let everyone down.
"The Covenant believe that what they call the 'Silent Cartographer' is somewhere under this island…" Cortana's voice echoed from the comms. "…the Cartographer is a map room that will lead us to Halo's control center."
"The island has many structures and facilities." Ghost chirped. "But me and Cortana managed to isolate the scans and could find a pattern. It should lead us to the right coordinates but we've gotta be fast or the Covenant will beat us to it."
Harrison snorted from his seat. "Ah! As if they'll ever have the chance. They'll never get to Halo first."
"That's the plan, Sergeant."
He could just feel Ghost rolling his eye at the remark.
BOOM!
"We're approaching the LZ and it's gonna be hot! Get set to come out swingin'."
Jake reloaded his scout rifle and snatched a magazine from a nearby crate full of weapons. He launched it to Chief who caught it effortlessly and inserted it inside his assault rifle, he then checked his magnum in his holster along with the grenades.
Jake quickly scanned Hung Jury for any malfunctions and narrowed his eyes at the opening hatch. Covenant troops were surrounding the whole area and started firing upon the vehicles.
"Let's get to work."
He received a small but firm nod.
The next moments could be described as pure Hell. Shots after shots of plasma energy rained upon them, they used rocks as covers while they advanced. It reminded the Titan of the old footage of World War II when americans arrived in a Normandy controlled by Germany.
KU! KU!
Hung Jury brushed aside a Jackal, one shot to its arm, the other to its head. He exploded in solar flames, taking a Grunt with it. Jake concentrated arc energy in his palm and launched a pulse grenade in the mist, he then summoned a barricade and motioned to the marines to get behind it and use it.
Chief cleared the left side, mowing alien after alien with his assault rifle.
CLICK! CLICK!
One Grunt noticed his lack of fire power and fired upon him. The green traces lowered his shield a little but he bolted for the alien and headbutted him with the barrel, he snatched the pistol from his grip and released a charged bolt on an Elite, effectively shattering his shields.
The poor Grunt shook his head as sand fell from it. The last thing he saw was the Demon with his weapon… darkness welcomed him with open arms.
The Spartan used the remaining energy inside the pistol to take out two remaining Jackals and watched his companion punching the previous Elite with unmatched strength. Jake grabbed the Sangheili's chest and flipped him behind him, the alien screamed as the impact blinded him temporarily.
"He's all yours." The Titan said.
Chief marched on the Elite as he turned on his back, he calmly reloaded his rifle and grabbed his magnum.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
"Area secured." Cortana announced and the marines cheered at their minimal losses.
"Affirmative. Echo 419 inbound. Somebody order a Warthog?"
Echo 419's pelican dropped a Warthog from its back and it landed on the sand of the beach.
The Titan grasped the sides of the machine gun on the back while the Chief drove like before. He glanced to his right as they proceeded down the island, he felt… a strange calm sensation by witnessing the blue of the sea. This ring almost resembled the Golden Age images he accessed to back home. He couldn't feel the wind because of his helmet, but he imagined it brushing against his cheeks.
"You know, we've been through a lot together. If we get back home and the universe cuts us some slack, I really would like to visit a biome similar to this. For just one day, you could be a simple human enjoying his life."
"That… I would love it."
A strange structure hidden in the mountain appeared in their vision, along with multiple trees adorning the way. And behind those, Covenant troops waited outside.
"They're already inside! We need to get in there quick before they discover the location of Halo's control center!"
"Fasten your seatbelt." Chief said.
The Guardian didn't have time to question his words as the Warthog literally slid in a 180 degrees circle, the wheels creacked by the speed and left black marks on the ground. It mowed down five aliens, with a final grunt jumping in the air to avoid the strike.
The vehicle stopped and placed its back to the mountain structure directly connected to the facility.
Jake gripped the machine gun and shook his head. "Next time, use better words so I can understand what you're talking about."
The previous grunt slowly pushed himself on his feet. He touched his chest and arms. "I'm alive." He cheered and pumped a fist in the air. "I'm alive!"
CRACK!
It was short lived. The Spartan's magnum shot a directly hit through his right eye, the body dropped dead with a soft thump.
"Noted."
Both of the soldiers dismounted and headed for the entrance. Jake circled around the wall covering the view and stationed himself on the other side of the door. Chief held up a fist.
He prepared…
The Spartan released his hold.
They rushed in and-
Found no-one waiting for them…
"You must have eliminated the entire patrol tasked to defend the external part of the Cartographer. The rest of them must be downstairs." Ghost carefully beeped.
"A concentration of Covenant troops like this must mean that they've found it. Quick! We must download the coordinates and head straight for Halo's control room."
The duo caught the side of a Zealot Elite with an energy sword in his grasp. They raised their weapons to fire but the door leading further in the facility closed.
The Sangheili stared at them from the other side and loudly rumbled. Was it a chuckle? Was he amused because he was protected?
Jake lifted his free hand and ran his glove on the material of the door. He glanced for a moment to Master Chief before opening his palm, Ghost materialized and floated up.
The Elite stopped his action and blinked his eyes, not that they could see it since it was concealed by the huge helmet. He tilted his head and rushed out of view.
"He seemed fascinated by your presence." The Titan mused aloud. "Can you open the door?"
Ghost used his beam to scan it, the little light shook his frame. "I have never seen this type of encryption. The security protocols are surely harder to decipher than the Covenant's. We underestimated their understanding of Halo's subsystems. We'd need a whole squad of marines armed with rocket launchers to get through here and before you ask, your strength won't be enough, Jake."
As Cortana contacted Keyes to inform him of their situation, the Titan gestured to his Ghost. "Can you at least trace the security override location so we can get this damn door open?"
"I already have." He chirped. "I'll share this information once Cortana has finished talking with the Captain."
Time was ticking…
He already knew the Covenant were trying to locate the control center. The question was: Who would get there first?
Thel 'Vadamee rumbled in his throat as he adjusted the cloack hanging on his back. These humans proved to be resilient and much more cunning than the army he had destroyed on the planet known as 'Reach.' He held a tiny bit of respect towards the vermin currently occupying part of the Sacred Ring, he had to admit they didn't surrender and continued to fight from the beginning of this holy war.
The Supreme Commander knew that their victory would be forever echoed in the future tails of the upcoming generations. This campaign couldn't be compared to the Unggoy rebellion or to any unification of races under the Covenant banner for that matter.
And as the Supreme Commander, multiple reports already arrived about human activity near the Silent Cartographer, the key to unlock the Holy Ring's secret and begin the Great Journey as the Prophets announced.
But this cursed Demon travelled around the ring, bringing death with him.
The door leading to his room opened, Thel turned around and clicked a greeting to the Sangheili Commander in front of him.
"Commander Grire 'Regamee, what news do you bring today?"
Grire approached the Supreme Commander and bowed in respect. "Supreme Commander, a Zealot unit captured another Demon travelling with this 'Master Chief' through footage of his helmet."
Thel hummed and motioned to continue, shifting his undivided attention completely on the Commander.
"However this 'Guardian', as the humans have been calling him, is quite different from other Demons we have been facing in our glorious campaign." Grire opened his palm and placed a holographic projector on the floor. He activated the device and quickly stepped back. "This is the footage he immediately sent us."
Thel squinted his eyes and concentrated on the displayed encounter. The footage stopped when this 'Guardian' opened his human palm and summoned a strange construct.
An Oracle? No… it can't be. Why would an Oracle help the unworthy species tainting this Holy place with their wretched feet? What is it then?
"On the previous night, the same Guardian aided the Demon in rescuing the Captain of the last ship we pursued." The footage changed to mirror the vision of a Sangheili trooper with an energy sword. "We recovered this from the battlefield."
Thel widened his eyes and almost stumbled back. He instead clenched his fists to suppress any unnecessary emotions. He just watched this Demon being resurrected! He replayed the last seconds and analyzed the construct scanning the dead body of its companion before releasing a wave of blueish energy.
The Guardian shook off the rot and rose again as if nothing had happened. And if this wasn't strange enough, other footage retrieved showed him using strange abilities. Purple energy seemingly appearing from nowhere and used as an effective weapon against Thel's troops.
These capabilities… they are unheard of. What kind of knowledge can a human possess to achieve such impossible feats? Or rather, how can he deceive death? Is it the construct giving him power or is it something else linked to his small companion?
"Increase our strength in defending the entrance to Halo's control center once we find its position." Thel turned around and returned to viewing written reports. "Use any means necessary to kill the Demon. As for this Guardian? Capture him dead or alive, it doesn't matter since he can be revived. Just bring his corpse here so I may interrogate him."
Grire snatched the projector from the floor and nodded. "As you command, Supreme Commander."
Have the Gods punished us for our inability to effectively eradicate the humans? Did they sent him to test our true strength and see how we would react?
He growled under his breath.
I shall meet you soon, Guardian.
It was strange to pass through a forest, instead of the dead or barely still alive plants of old Russia, his boots made contact with flourished vegetation.
Suddenly two Hunters padded their way from behind another structure built with the ring. Chief reloaded his rifle and refreshed his reserves from a particular place where dead marines rested on the ground.
He placed his arm on the Spartan's chest and shook his head. "We don't have time to deal with them. I'll do it in an instant, let me."
Master Chief considered his words, he then nodded and stepped back.
The Titan channeled arc energy in his palm and before the Hunters could fire upon them, he lunged in the air and literally flew towards them while surrounded by electricity. He crashed against one of the aliens and used the force of the blow to bounce back, the arc energy did the rest of the job for the other Hunter as they were both atomized. Jake softly landed on the ground on one knee, he straightened his posture and cracked his neck.
He looked back and saw Chief silently staring at him. "We should get moving." John snapped out of whatever trance he was trapped in and marched towards his direction.
Too bad another Covenant platoon descended from the mountain on their right and engaged in combat.
Chief grabbed the last human grenade he had and threw it in the mist, decimating two jackals and a grunt. He fired everything he had on two Elites that noticed him.
Jake stood slightly behind to have a better aim with Hung Jury. Firefly washed away everything standing in its path, he then decided it would have been enough and bolted in the air. During his double jump he activated his secondary ability and crashed on the grunt near a Sangheili hiding behind a rock, the shields weren't enough to withstand paracausal energy.
He grabbed Null Composure and pressed the trigger. Wave after wave of void energy mowed grunts and jackals alike, he moved to help Chief with the two Sangheili and grabbed one behind from the throat. The Spartan killed the second while he squeezed tighter and tighter, until the alien didn't move anymore. To be absolutely sure the Sangheili wasn't tricking him, he snapped his neck with a swift motion.
"I cannot detect other biological traces. You have eliminated every enemy in the zone. You can now gain access to the Cartographer by lowering down the defenses."
Navigating through this strange structure felt like a dejavu, the alien architecture was similar in design for every interior. Although, of course the paths changed, but it was basically a labyrinth.
Jake covered Chief while he disabled the security protocols through a holo-panel.
"Good! That should open the door which leads into the main shaft."
"MAYDAY! MAYDAY!" A marine yelled on the comms. "Dropship Bravo-22 taking enemy fire. Repeat: we are under heavy fire and are losing altitude. We-"
BOOM!
An explosion outside the facility vibrated through the walls. The Titan pointed his index and middle finger up and down and sprinted away, Chief immediately followed him in suit.
They stopped on a nearby cliff, a pelican laid destroyed on the beach. Dead marines were scattered around with blood splattered everywhere, boxes with weapons were sprayed throughout the area.
"Has anyone survived the crash?" Master Chief asked.
"Scanning… no other life sign detected. I'm sorry, Chief. Looks like we're all that's left for the mission."
Jake tapped the Spartan's shoulder to gain his attention, he pointed to the right side of the cliff. "We left our Warthog there, we should search the crash in case they have any weapons you might find usable by sliding down and then we'll reach the vehicle from the site."
He jumped down without a second thought and used his abilities to slow down his speed, he touched the ground safely. Chief did not possess the same opportunity, he slid down the cliff's wall and once he impacted on the ground he rolled a few times.
The Guardian took notice of a rocket launcher and scanned it for any damage. When he was certain it could be useable, he offered it to John who grabbed it. He discarded his magnum and placed the heavy weapon on his back.
Looks like he's as strong as a Titan after all.
When they got back to the entrance of the main facility, Jake nodded to the Warthog. "They'll try to ambush us when we get back to the surface. I'll wait here until you return and clear the area."
"Alright, just be careful."
He chuckled and shrugged. "You shouldn't be saying it to me, ma'am. Tell that to the Covenant."
In the end, Jake watched Master Chief coming outside of the entrance with his arms crossed while dead Elites laid near his feet. "Have you found the control center."
"I have received its coordinates from Cortana while Chief returned. I also took the liberty to contact Echo 419."
That same instant, the pelican hovered above them. "And she's just on time."
Jake lunged forward for the back of the pelican, he caught John just as he landed.
"Let's moving! Foe Hammer: here are the coordinates and a flight plan we've worked up."
"Huh, guys, these coordinates are underground." Echo 419 deadpanned.
"The Covenant did a thorough seismic scan and my analysis shows that Halo is honeycombed with deep tunnels… which circle the whole ring."
The Guardian sat in a seat and reviewed the data Ghost was sending him through the HUD.
"I hope your analysis is on the money, Cortana. This pelican won't turn on a dime."
"Look on the bright side, Foehammer: the last thing the Covenant will expect is an aerial insertion… from underground."
"Reminds me of some infiltration missions we did back with the Vanguard…" Ghost commented as they descended in the tunnels. "…some things never change, do they?"
"No." He glanced at Master Chief. "I guess not."
Author's note 2:
It has become increasingly difficult to write different combat sequences.
But my fanfiction was more about what would happen if a Guardian was in Halo (in the sense of how he would approach the Covenant) rather than fight scenes.
Until next time!
Gino out!
