Once aboard the ship and in pursuit of Regreat's transportation, Jake and Chief retreated inside capsules called 'HEVs' during the jump. Precautions, the agitated crew explained. He didn't linger on it, but found the space rather tiny. He wasn't claustrophobic or anything, it was just that he preferred open environments.
"Sorry for the quick jump, Sergeant." Miranda's voice reached out into the comms. "You in one piece?"
"I'm good." The soldier grunted. "Chief?"
"We're fine." Cortana answered.
"Jake?"
"My Guardian's fine, Sergeant. I can heal him at any moment."
Considering the amount of time required to board the vessel and prepare for the upcoming mission, it was a good time as ever. He transmatted his notebook and pen in his hands.
It's been a while since I last touched this.
We visited this Earth, and Traveler if it isn't beautiful!
I revealed my secret and surprisingly the UNSC is willing to cooperate despite my unforeseen arrival.
Me and Master Chief battled the Covenant on solid ground.
We must find and eliminate one of the Covenant's Prophets.
Hopefully if I help this universe's humans win the war, I can concentrate on getting back home.
Savathun is still plotting against the City… and the Eliksni need a neutral individual to carry out the interactions between them and the City.
"Ma'am… there's an object. Coming into view now!"
"Cortana? What exactly am I looking at?"
He raised his head and transmatted away the object, listening close.
"That… is another Halo."
He didn't have to vocally express his disbelief, Johnson did by spitting out his cigar and coughing. "Say what?"
"I can confirm the visual as well." Ghost butted in the conversation. "Whoever built the first Halo knew that the despite the great power the Installation held, it would be useless without multiple versions fired at once."
"So this is what my father found. I thought Halo was some kind of super weapon?"
"It is. If activated, this ring will cause destruction on a galactic scale."
The viewscreen flashed and he got a good look at "Delta Halo", he really wanted to get his helmet off and facepalm. He didn't even consider the possibility of a whole Halo Array. How stupid could he be? If a kind had the resources to build a ring, of course it would erect a formation for bellic purposes.
"Cortana, Ghost? I want all the information you've got on the first Halo: schematics, topography, whatever. I don't care if I have the clearance or not."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Data packages will be delivered in thirty seconds, ma'am."
And after all our efforts in stopping Halo, we've got another beast to tame. Will the universe ever cut me some slack?
"Given what we know about this ring, it's even more important that we capture the Prophet of Regret – find out why he came to Earth. Why he came here. Chief, take first platoon. Hard-drop. Secure a landing zone. Sergeant, load up two flights of Pelicans, and follow them in."
"Aye, aye, ma'am." He heard Johnson's capsule opening.
"Guardian? I need you on the bridge until we can properly strike."
"Ma'am?"
"Your abilities can be useful for special and targetted operations, but we need intel before we can proceed. Reach me to the bridge and you'll wait here. I have a feeling we'll need your experience."
He couldn't disobey orders, could he? "Undestood, ma'am."
Jake opened the HEV and climbed out of it.
"Until I can move and fight, I'm going to keep a low profile. Once you leave the ship, you're on your own."
He banged a fist on Chief's capsule and received a quick response. Their way of acknowledging their departure.
"Understood." The Spartan answered.
He wasn't surprised when every eye on the bridge moved to him. Jake ignored the stares and approached the Commander, she glanced at him and nodded. "Good to see you." Keyes seemed to scan his shoulders. "Where's your Ghost?"
Said individual manifested and waved a fin. "Present and accounted for, madame. Me and this silent protagonist over there?" He nudged his shell towards the Titan. "We're spiritually bonded."
Miranda scrolled down the files. "Thanks for the data. Stay here and wait for orders."
"Yes, ma'am." He crossed his arms and waited.
Good to know Chief's combat footage would be visible to them both. He would die of boredom if not.
They watched the Spartan getting out of his capsule and grabbing a rocket launcher, with Cortana's humour and jokes following on the double. Now that he could fully analyze the warrior's abilities, he saw why he was the best of the best. The way he moved and easily cleared out the temple for a landing zone demonstrated years of combat experience in highly dangerous operations.
Chief's cool and ability to adapt reminded him too much of himself. Sometimes he wondered if luck exists as a paracausal force similar to the Light and Darkness. The Spartan's tank was almost ready to explode, its engine was on fire. Yet, he managed to kill every Covenant troop in the temple-like structure and to get out of said vehicle before it happened.
Now that he thought about it, John's reaction to his words was unexpected. It was like he encountered his worst nightmare.
"You can't save everyone, Chief. Sometimes… sometimes being in charge means you get to decide who dies."
What was so strange about that? A veteran such as Master Chief should have already realized this lesson.
"Wait! Go back!"
He blinked out of his daze and shifted his weight, concentration now directed on the comms.
"That's what I thought he said. The Prophet of Regret is planning to activate Halo."
"Are you sure?" John asked.
The sound of fingers snapping could be heard. "I shall light this holy ring – release its cleansing flame, burn a path into the divine beyond!" That was most likely the Prophet, the AI must have provided a translation by capturing a sample of his speech and converting it into human speech.
"Ghost?"
"On it." The little light zipped towards Miranda's console and gained access to project the orangish hologram of a familiar object. Keyes leaned closer and scanned it while reading the files.
"Commander? We've got a problem."
"So I hear. But from what I understand, the Prophet will need an object… the Index… to activate the ring." The hologram shifted into another image, this time displaying a Forerunner structure. "I've located a library similar to the one you found on the first Halo. If the rings work the same way, the Index should be inside."
"I'll bet the Covenant are thinkin' the exact same thing."
"Then we'd better beat them to it, Sergeant. Extract your men and meet me at the Library."
"Yes, ma'am."
"We'll secure the index, Chief. You take out the Prophet…" She smirked. "…he's given us all the intel we need. Keyes, out."
Miranda turned the console off. "Set a course for the Library!" She looked on her right towards the Titan. "This is why I ordered you to be stationed in the In Amber Clad. I need you to help Johnson and I retrieve the Index."
"Not my place to question strategic moves in a war, ma'am. I merely rely on following orders and eradicate aliens out of existence with paracausality."
"Then, we'll work godly together." She rose from her seat. "Join the marines in the hangar and wait for my arrival. We'll load the equipment in the Pelicans and roll."
"You're coming too, Commander?"
Oh, he wasn't sexist, he was just worried in case the Commander had not advanced combat training. She was mainly a strategist after all. But he didn't know if in this universe UNSC's higher ranking officers had experience on the field itself.
He cursed his mouth and Cayde's influence on him when an intrigued look appeared on Keyes' face and many eyes around the bridge flocked on their exchange.
"Are you implying something, soldier?"
Ghost floated in the air near the left side of his helmet. "She's giving the Ikora look. You better defuse this."
Thank you, genius. I'm trying.
"Nothing, ma'am. My question wasn't complete." He gestured to her outfit. "Will you put on a marine armour or go out with your current gear? Covenant plasma is dangerous after all."
Keyes' shoulders softened and she shook her head. "Armour slows me down." She gave him her back. "Now, get to the hangar on the double, soldier."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Damn you Cayde and the effect your jokes have had on me.
The Pelicans lined up in a tight formation, flanking each other and on alert for possible contacts.
If the ring had an Index just as the previous Installation, would a Monitor greet them? A fifty, fifty chance maybe. There weren't Flood with them… yet. But would the Monitor accept their request of the Index even when no infection has occurred?
Well, if they managed to pass through the giant barrier blocking their path, they could find out.
He cursed under his breath and retreated from the cockpit of the pilot to the back of the vehicle. "Ma'am, there's a shield around the structure. If the generator is inside and not stationed outside, we won't be able to infiltrate."
Miranda took those moments to contact Master Chief and inform him of the development.
"Ghost?"
"Your guess was right, Jake. The generator is inside the portion of the Forerunner facility protected by the barrier. Unless there's a hole in the security or our weapons can pierce through, we're stuck. Look at the bright side though, if we can't get to it, neither can the Covenant."
Famous last words.
A shift of energy, explosions in the distance. The shield shattered in various areas until it completely lowered.
"Woh!" A marine sitting near him exclaimed, staring at the display through the opened cargo door. "The hell happened?"
"Commander, we didn't have ground forces tasked with destroying the generator, did we?"
Keyes narrowed her eyes and grabbed an SMG. "No, we didn't."
"Covenant forces are nearby!" He called over the comms to all the soldiers waiting in the Pelicans. "Ma'am, we must hurry up or the bastards will outrun us to the Library."
"Roger that. Pilot, hit the gas and take us inside! I want one of the Pelicans to dock on that exposed platform over there and enter the structure!" The woman pressed a finger to her ear. "Sergeant, where are you? We're gonna fly in. Covenant forces have disabled the shield. They're already here."
"Almost reached the Library, Commander. Won't start the party without me for sure. Got a load of alien heads to collect and mount on my wall."
The Titan clicked the safety off on his sniper and prepared as the Pelicans flew towards the main building. The architecture reminded him of a Vex's spire, though not as advanced as that type of technology.
The comms picked up a transmission. "Proceed to the objective, we'll hold out as long as we can!" The soldier screamed painfully. "GAH! Get it off me!"
"Supressive fire! Supressive fire!" Another yelled.
"Squad 1!" Keyes put a finger on her earpiece. "Report! Are you pinned down by the Covenant?"
"Negative, ma'am! They are not the Covenant!"
"Shit! Cover that fucking doorway!" Objects were scrambled around. "O-Okay, we're good." Something slithered. "What? Oh, no, they're coming out of the walls! NO! NO, GET IF OFF ME! AHHHH!"
What surprised the spectators weren't the dying screams of the human, but the primal and animalistic roar following them.
"The Flood."
Mirana looked at him.
"The Flood are on this ring. An outbreak must have occurred, not sure how much ago."
"Damn it. Sergeant, you better be there when we land."
"Working on it, ma'am!"
Jake looked down the Pelican's ramp. "My God." They flew up wrackages and fire ignited by the Flood controlling both the Humans and Covenant alike. Forerunners sentinels and other types of drones suddenly passed by them, but the machines ignored their presence.
Well, seems that only humans can use Forerunners technology and this universe's Humanity is basically their successors. They must have been programmed to attack anything but us. Hopefully they'll slow down the Elites.
Keyes ordered the rest of the Pelicans to detach from the formation and cover the ground to buy them more time. Their Pelican was the only one remaining and headed for the Library. It arrived on a platform and he waved his hand. "Let's get going marines!"
"Oorah!"
He snapped his sniper up and stopped when Johnson's Pelican revealed itself. The Sergeant and another group of marines dismounted and jogged towards them. The man was smoking a cigar as always.
"Ma'am, Guardian." He acknowledged them both with a nod. He put his hands on his hips. "So, this is where we need to go." Johnson grabbed a nearby rock and threw it in the void below them. It took about four seconds to hear the impact. "That's quite the fall. How do we pass it?"
Jake marched to a terminal and summoned Ghost to work on it. He used his beam to interface with the technology and chirped. "The gondola is ready to be activated. We should all get on board."
"You heard the Ghost!"
There were about 10 marines with them. Not enough to fight the Flood by a long shot, maybe enough to fend them off until they retrieved the Index.
"Behind you, Jake."
He grabbed OTYS and whipped the scope up. Two Elites were staring at them while they were in front of a terminal controlling another gondola. There was too much distance for him to take a shot. However, he was intrigued by one of the Sangheili's armour design. It resembled vibrant 'scales' or something like that. The gaze the alien held meant only business and authority.
The ride was silent for the most part and he was surprised when no Flood ambushed them. They hadn't reached the Library yet.
They quickly dismounted from the gondola.
"Alright!" Johnson barked. "Marines, I want you to establish a perimeter while me, the Guardian and the Commander retrieve the Index. Shoot anything that doesn't look human."
The room was in chaos, Sentinels and Enforcers were destroyed and laid around, effectively creating a graveyard of machines. Johnson shined his flashlight while Ghost provided his own light source. There, in the center, stood the Index, but the technology was dormant unlike the first Halo. They'd need to retrieve it themselves.
"I'm gonna check the perimeter of the room." The Titan rolled Fatebringer in his hand. "You get the Index. If anything happens, contact me." He disappeared in the shadows.
"I'm gonna check and see if I can find anything among the scraps to latch on the thingy."
Miranda looked around and grasped a rope tightened around an Enforcer. She slid down it and extended her hand, she couldn't reach the object when it opened to offer the key. She took a deep breath, groaning, and jumped, snatching the device in a quick motion. "Gotcha!"
The rope slid away…
…but it was caught by Johnson.
"You know, your father never asked me for help either."
She hmmp-ed. "The Index is secure."
Johnson chuckled and helped her getting up. "McKenzie, Perez! How's our exit?"
Silence.
"You hear me, marines?"
No answer.
"We got trouble." He opened his comms and snatched the battle rifle from his back. "Jake, get your ass back here. The marines aren't answering, might need your help."
"On it, I was looking in another room among the scraps for answers on what happened. Corridor's kinda long. 2 minutes."
A roar and heavy foosteps. Johnson unleashed two bursts and rolled out of the way as the Arbiter attempted to tear his head off with his claws. He succeeded in slapping away his rifle however. "Damn!" The Sergeant used the weapon to block a strike and butted the alien with its barrel in the stomach and face.
Thel 'Vadamee had clearly enough. He latched his claw on the human's throat and pinned him on the wall, making the soldier release his grip on the rifle. "How ya doing?" He roared in Johnson's face and threw him away against the Enforcer.
He groaned and fell unconscious.
The Arbiter shielded his face from Keyes SMG's burst, the shield absorbed the damage. He retreated.
"Shit! Johnson, you alright? Johnson!"
Thel jumped back into action and grabbed the woman's arm, the SMG firing aimlessly around. He slapped her and she fell on the ground, unconscious as well.
He prepared to deliver the final blow to the pest daring to handle the Sacred Icon and-
One moment he was towering on the female, the next he was pushed away on the ground by a great force.
Thel raised his helmet and growled. "The Guardian." He looked at his shoulder. "And your construct." The Sangheili rose. "At last, we finally meet face to face."
"Finally?" The Titan puffed out as Ghost disappeared. "Have we met before?"
"Not directly. I was the Supreme Commander in charge of the fleet that chased the Pillar of Autumn from the planet named Reach to the sacred ring." Thel clicked his mandibles. "Your interference has costed me all the honour and prestige I held." He tilted his head. "Though I wonder, what have you done to achieve such incredible feats? To be able to be resurrected as well as the usage of your strange powers is unprecedented."
"You're not the only one serving Gods, Arbiter." He responded. "It is the will of the Light and the Traveler."
Thel didn't know what he meant by 'Light' or 'Traveler', but judging by his words, they were the names of the entities or Gods he served.
"My mission is to retrieve the Sacred Icon so that the Covenant may finally embark on the Great Journey towards salvation." He nudged his head towards the unconscious Miranda Keyes.
"And my mission… is to retrieve the Index so that the rings may not be activated and so that every being in the galaxy may survive." Jake clenched his fists and planted himself between the Arbiter and Miranda. "Looks like only one us can succeed."
Thel snorted in agreement before roaring and bolting towards him. The Titan wasn't intimidated and did the same. Just as the Ultra on Earth, the Arbiter didn't expect the sheer amount of strength at the Guardian's disposal and he was slammed against the crashed Enforcer.
The Sangheili avoided the strike and the punch literally buried itself deep within the machine. He utilized the opportunity to reverse their roles. He pushed Jake against the Enforcer and striked him down with his claw repeatedly. The Titan was resilient, he had to give him that, but it wouldn't be long until his hits would kill him and he could capture his corpse along with the Icon.
He didn't expect the Titan to open his palm and catch his fist. Jake raised his head and stared at him, Thel glanced between his hand and the Guardian with widened reptilian eyes. Body cracking with arc energy, the next strike in the chest sent the alien flying and connecting to the ground, dazed.
Jake calmly walked towards him to finish the fight.
A roar echoed throughout the room and he was struck by no one other than Tartarus' hammer.
He almost fell in the central hole but managed to grab the edge before he could. His super died.
Tartarus collected Miranda's body. "Excellent work, Arbiter. The Hierarchs will be pleased."
Said Sangheili panted and clutched his chest, raising from his knees. "The Icon… is my responsability."
"Was your responsability, now it is mine. A bloody fate awaits you and the rest of your incompetent race. And I, Tartarus, Chieftain of the Brutes will send you to it!"
"When the Prophets learn of this, they will take your head."
"When they learn?" The Brute laughed. "Fool. They ordered me to do it."
Tartarus pointed his gravity hammer towards Thel and unleashed the energy.
The Arbiter crashed against the Guardian who was gathering his stamina back.
They descended into the darkness…
Author's note:
I had originally planned to extend this chapter by including the Gravemind cutscene and some interactions of one of the next missions. But I think incorporating everything together could be better.
Believe me, next chapter cannot be missed!
Until next time!
Gino out!
