Volume 1: Chapter 10: Dust And Echoes
Originally Drafted: May 1st, 2022
Originally Uploaded: May 7th, 2022
Updated: August 2nd, 2022
"It's coarse, rough, and irritating."
/ UNSC Fires Of Liberation, Alpha Base, November 7th, 2558. UNSC Calendar /
As day broke to reveal a clear open sky, nothing but the white swirling clouds and visibility for miles around before them. The crew aboard the Fires of Liberation were eager to start their journey.
"Has everyone come aboard yet?" Commander Ferdinand spoke up as he and his aides made for final preparations before they departed.
"Aye, Sir. All crew and Marine complement are present. So is the Spartan-IV Fireteam you requisitioned for this mission." Reported the ship's onboard AI, Perry.
Their ship's AI had fashioned himself after an old Commodore from an age where Navies still sailed the seas of Earth instead of the stars. He had the appearance of a rather portly looking man with sideburns and a clean pressed uniform resembling those of the ancient British Empire.
"How about the ship's status?" Commander Ferdinand asked another man present on the ship's bridge.
"All systems green, Commander . We are good to go." Said the Lieutenant Commander of the Autumn-class Cruiser, Fires Of Liberation, Sergu Pushkin. A younger man in his mid-30's, he had only been recently promoted before arriving here on this planet along with the rest of the Eternity's fleet.
The ship's Commander nodded at his report. It was time to start their quest off to distant lands. Ferdinand thought to himself with a slight smile.
"Get us to 3,000 meters above sea level. We don't want to spook anyone down there by flying too close." The Commander ordered.
"Aye, sir."
The Cruiser lurched forward as it floated away from Alpha Base. The personnel left behind on the base below cheered when they set off and the shadow of the vessel that covered the ground moved on from the site as it went further away.
Today was to be the day they would set off for their mission. Initially told to find a suitable position to build a second home base for the UNSC, should negotiations fall apart and conflict become inevitable. Their mission parameters had changed.
The Eternity's luminary had been reactivated temporarily at some point during the repair process. The slipspace drive was still inoperable ー but the long range scanners within the ship had detected some familiar signatures off in the far distance ー towards the Elven lands.
Sensing a plethora of possible Forerunner artifacts out in the desert of Sahara. Captain Morgan had authorized the go ahead for Commander Ferdinand. He was to investigate these signatures and return with what he found. Given the nature of Forerunner artifacts, they couldn't allow such tech to fall into the hands of the natives.
As the ship slowly ascended skyward, it disappeared into the clouds. Parting them as it went. The Fires Of Liberation was nothing but a speck of dark gray far above in the sky for those viewing from below now.
"Helmsman, set our course due east. Take care to avoid any populated areas." Commander Ferdinand ordered a nearby crew member manning the ship's controls.
With a quick acknowledgement, the ship changed course and made their way east. Passing over most of the Tristainian countryside.
About an hour into their journey. The Fires Of Liberation had passed the Tristainian border. Given the country's small size, that was to be expected.
They were now currently flying over Germanian airspace. A region they had no legal right to trespass through. Not that they had any jurisdiction on this planet in the first place. Mused the Commander.
All was quiet on the eastern front. With nothing but the sight of clouds and birds accompanying them up high. The ground beneath appeared as nothing but a patchwork of fields and forestry with the occasional mountain cutting through.
In the far distance of the landscape, however ― could be seen fiery red mountains and active volcanoes. A hallmark of this planet's strange version of Germany. Something Commander Ferdinand still had trouble wrapping his mind around.
The cultures of this continent they found themselves in, were eerily similar to the ones found in old Earth history. Reminiscent of the Renaissance period of Europe, minus the Iberian peninsula and many Far Eastern nations. Although the Elves could be an expy of Arabia. He thought. They didn't really have too much information on these "Elves." The hated enemy of the Halkeginians. And he didn't like going into missions with minimal information. Though, he supposed that he'd gone on missions with even less clearer objectives than this.
From what they managed to gleam from the natives ― most of which was hearsay. The Elves seem to be a force to be reckoned with. Capable of easily annihilating thousand score armies of humans in one fell swoop. He dreaded facing what kind of magic they could unleash. And if they were anything like the Elves from Earth mythology, they'd be long lived. They'd be well experienced when dealing with foreign invaders. He had to play this carefully. The UNSC only had fourteen ships on this world, one of which was grounded indefinitely. They couldn't afford to lose a Cruiser.
As they leisurely cruised above the Germanian countryside, the ship's AI had pinged the Commander for alert. Something has been trailing them for a while since they crossed over.
"Commander, we're being followed." Reported Perry as he casually made to mime the motions of drinking some holographic tea in his appearance.
"Who?" Commander Ferdinand asked quizzically
"Airship, unknown make and affiliation, but we can assume them to be either a Germanian Noble's ship or pirates. Either way, they're gaining on us. 1,000 meters away and closing."
"Bring up the rear view cameras and zoom into the vessel. We need a Positive ID before doing anything drastic."
The AI brought up the viewscreens in the room to a close-up view of the trailing vessel. Aesthetically it looked as if you stuck wings to a 16th century Galleon and made it fly. Something the UNSC attributed to this world's magic. Onboard the airship the Commander could see several winged creatures on the deck, no doubt being prepared to intercept them.
Beating their wings in preparations for flight, their riders hopped aboard quickly and set off towards the UNSC ship.
"Sir, they're rapidly closing on us." LtCmdr. Pushkin interjected.
"What're we dealing with?" Commander Ferdinand asked, he wasn't familiar with a lot of mythology so he couldn't quite place the creature's type.
"Fast-mover is a bird-like hybrid. Designating them as 'Feathers' on our database." Reported a crewman manning the ship's sensor suites.
"Feathers? A bit on the nose for a brevity code, wouldn't you agree, Perry?" Commander Ferdinand turned to the AI.
"It's serviceable enough, Commander. Following that logic, we can refer to the dragons as 'Scales' in turn. Would help our forces easily tell apart their flyers." The AI answered with a smirk.
"500 meters and closing, Commander. I think they're trying to hail us." Reported the crewman from earlier.
"Hail? They don't have radios. How can they expect us to hear them?"
"Unknown, Sir. But our external cameras have captured them attempting to shout at us."
The screen's showed the forms of the riders atop their oversized bird-like creatures shouting - nearly barking orders at them. He couldn't tell what they were saying, but he knew enough that they intended for them to halt.
"Increase our speed, we don't want to cause a diplomatic incident by having these unknowns try to board us." Commander Ferdinand ordered the crew.
With a quick acknowledgement they braced themselves for the ship's sudden acceleration. Soon widening the gap between them and the flyers.
Looking at the screen in front of him, Ferdinand saw the looks of bewilderment on their faces. Shock then turned to fury, as the riders attempted to cast spells against the ship. To no effect. They had been too far away for their attacks to deal any noticeable damage.
"Gaining distance, Commander. We're leaving them in the dust." Reported a crewman.
"It seems one of them's a pretty stubborn bastard, though." Another pointed out.
A single rider had pushed itself to chase after the Fires Of Liberation. Increasing its speed, no doubt with the aid of some sort of magic. The creature seemed to be stressing itself, yet the rider paid no mind. If he died there the UNSC wouldn't be at fault, but their stubbornness instead.
"Get us away from that man." The Commander ordered.
The ship began to ascend higher than the rider could follow. Reaching heights where oxygen deprivation would become a problem. Yet the rider persisted. Chasing them further into the clouds.
"Persistent little bastard, isn't he?" Commented LtCmdr. Pushkin.
As the ship seemed to go even further above, the rider seemingly began to feel the fatigue hitting him. They could see his mount gave up on flight and started descending smoothly as it glided on the air currents with the rider visibly frustrated on its saddle. He seemed to be yelling up in vain at the UNSC ship before passing out on saddleback.
"He was determined, I'll give him that." Said Perry, impressed at that man's dedication.
"Hopefully they won't make a big deal out of this. Helmsman, take us back on track." Commander Ferdinand ordered.
The ship then began to orient itself back to the direction they had initially been traveling towards. Putting this incident out of mind.
/ UNSC Fires Of Liberation, outskirts of Sahara desert region, November 7th, 2558. UNSC Calendar /
It had been nearly nightfall by the time the Fires Of Liberation reached the edge of the Halkeginian kingdoms, crossing the border into the Elven region. They could have gotten here faster, but flying at a normal speed for the UEG space would have raised alarms from the kingdoms about their capabilities on this planet.
As they entered into the desert, the only source of illumination to be found was the waning moonlight of the twin moons. The ship came to a slow descent before maintaining a hover above the surface.
Aboard the bridge, the scene was quietly humming with activity. As personnel silently manned their stations, while the Commander of the ship had been conversing with his second and their AI, Perry.
"Perry, fire up our long range scanners, we need to know where to start looking before we start our scavenging tomorrow." Commander Ferdinand ordered.
The AI obliged by giving a thorough sweep throughout the vast desert region they found themselves in. Scanners peering through the vast dunes of sand littered throughout the landscape, penetrating even underneath to some degree. But, if they wanted anything more concrete for underground scans, they'd have to be specifically looking for it. After a few minutes the AI reported back.
"Caught several familiar signatures nearby, Commander. In fact, one of them isn't too far off. I believe it's an M313 'Elephant' probably displaced here not too long ago."
"Huh, I haven't seen one of those since '52." Pushkin commented. "Commander, do you want to recover it?" He asked.
The Commander thought for a bit. They didn't need the gargantuan vehicle for now, even more so since they had their replacements, the 'Mammoths' back at Alpha Base. But the extra wheels couldn't hurt, they'd need all they could if they were to establish a FOB in this region.
"Do it. Send a recovery team to bring the vehicle back to us. We're going to be setting up a FOB here." Commander Ferdinand ordered after a moment of contemplation.
"Very well, Sir. I shall dispatch a repair crew and several Marines to recover the Elephant. But, where shall we drop the prefabs to begin construction on the FOB?" Questioned Perry, making an exaggerated motion of poring over some material on a holographic desk he summoned for himself.
"Bring up a local topographic map of our area, I'd like to see what we've got to work with first." Commander Ferdinand asked of the AI.
To which, Perry, obliged by bringing it up on the holographic table for the officers aboard to see. Commander Ferdinand scanned with scrutiny, every inch of usable land visible on the map. There were a few good contenders, but none of them ideal for long term deployment.
"Is there nowhere else suitable, Perry?" He asked the AI who was also viewing the projection on display.
"I may be an AI, Commander, but I'm a Commodore, not a Geologist. I'm afraid matters of the soil are well beyond me." The AI quipped.
"Perry, now's not the time for jokes. Is there anywhere else suitable for us to set-up?" Commander Ferdinand said, a little annoyed at the AI's eccentricities.
The AI gave an exaggerated sigh, for once he wished someone would play along with his little persona play. "Commander, we're in the middle of a desert. There's not much else for us to do here. If we tried to set anything up, it's going to be covered up by sand eventually. We might as well work with what we have." Perry suggested.
LtCmdr. Pushkin, who was standing nearby, looked at the topographic map with intense scrutiny.
Looking over the areas the Commander disregarded as less than useful, he tried to find the one that would be more than enough for their operations at the moment. He noticed a formation of rocks on the desert sands, ones that seemed to provide protection from the harsh desert elements, and large enough to accommodate an outpost on the smaller size.
"Commander, I think I found someplace useful." LtCmdr. Pushkin said to the Commander who had been busy conversing with Perry.
The Commander turned to look at his X.O. skeptical as to what he has found.
"What do you have for me, Lieutenant?"
Pushkin pointed out to the area he had been looking at earlier. The Commander seemed to weigh their options as he assessed the area pointed out by his second.
Covered by rock formations to shield them from sudden sandstorms, and forming a natural barrier for any troops on the ground that would be foolish enough to attempt an attack. The place seemed suitable enough.
Commander Ferdinand looked towards Perry and asked. "How long will it take for us to clear that area out and start setting up there?"
Making quick calculations, faster than the human brain could comprehend, the AI responded after a few seconds of pondering.
"Shouldn't take too long, Commander. Around five or so hours. Have to clean all the rocks off and flatten the ground first to get us comfortable though."
"Then do it. The sooner we get things done, the sooner we can begin our mission." Commander Ferdinand ordered.
"Very well, Commander." The AI gave a quick salute at the order.
/ UNSC Fires Of Liberation, Forward Operating Base: Dune, November 16th, 2558. UNSC Calendar /
After making landfall and establishing a FOB on the area, a job which took them nearly two days. The UNSC immediately began to work. Sending out scavenging teams regularly to recover nearby debris and technology.
Scavenging teams out in the deserts frequently brought back old Earth and Covenant technologies alike; ranging from all the way to the early 1800's to the current late 2550's. With the possibility of even older ones having been buried deeper in the sands.
This expedition raised some concerns among them, as the prospect of finding technology too advanced for this world's societies to handle was a dangerous one. They were determined to pick the place clean before anyone noticed.
On occasion they'd find a group of local scavengers, no doubt sent by many of the native kingdoms to bring back exotic treasures from this desert, and merchants, who had been more than eager to do business with the UNSC when they learned they had built a Forward Operating Base here.
The FOB, affectionately called: Dune, was abuzz with activity. Smaller than Alpha Base, with a rather modest size of under 1000 meters. The base was serviceable enough for most of the crew, who had seen action in worse environments. Among them were the members of Fireteam Malachite, one of the few Spartan-IV teams aboard the Eternity when it left UEG territory in a hurry.
Led by Spartan Harrows, a former ODST turned Spartan when the IVth generation was announced to be recruiting, the rest of the team consisted of other former ODSTs. Spartan Jenns, the team's field expert in medical aid, Spartan Miller, the team's explosives expert, and Spartan Valdez, the team's designated cyber warfare expert.
The four were currently idle, as they hadn't encountered a situation yet which required the intervention of Spartan assets. Most of the scavenging teams had only been sent to recover discarded UNSC and Covenant equipment, ranging from Mongooses to Wraith tanks. With some of them being able to be brought back to working order with the right facilities. A worrying prospect for the UNSC if the natives ever found a way to do so.
Stuck at the FOB with not much to do. The Fireteam was left to their own devices.
"How long are we going to be here?" Asked Spartan Jenns, she had been occupying her time by reading through a paperback novel she brought with her. Physical books weren't that common these days, the sight of one was a novelty for most.
"About as long as there's still salvageable tech out in the desert, I suppose." Added Spartan Miller, currently doing some light exercise out of armor.
"Yeah? Well I don't think we're gonna stop this scavenging business anytime soon. Here, look." Spartan Valdez held out a datapad. It showed an extensive list of the material they managed to bring back. Aside from UNSC equipment, there seemed to be ones dating from hundreds of years prior.
"They found a derelict Typhoon-class, Soviet Submarine? Seriously? How long have things been disappearing from our side of the galaxy to here for?" Jenns asked incredulously.
"Probably thousands of years, as long as their magic's been around, far as I could tell at least." Valdez surmised.
"Heh, do you reckon the Infinity might pop up here someday?" Jenns joked.
"Probably? I don't know how their magic works. But it'd be too much of a blow to humanity if they lost two of their most expensive ships in quick succession. I just hope she's still out there fighting." Valdez replied, a little saddened at the implications.
The trio went back to doing what they were doing after their brief conversation. A few moments after the sound of conversations ended, the door to their currently occupied building swung open as a fully geared up Spartan walked into the room.
The three Spartans stood at attention as the man looked at them with a scrutinizing glare for their behavior. Seeing no problems however, he turned to speak.
"Fireteam Malachite, we have a mission." The voice of their Fireteam Leader said.
"What's the mission, sir?" Asked Spartan Miller, his posture rigid at attention.
"Investigation. The eggheads up top have found an intact Forerunner structure nearby. They're sending us to investigate."
"Forerunner? Sir, I thought only Human and Covie tech were present." Spartan Valdez asked, he didn't like where this was going.
"That's what we're going to find out. With luck, we may find ourselves a way to fix the Eternity. Now, suit up. We're leaving in 40 minutes." Spartan Harrows said to his team before turning to leave.
The trio headed for their lockers to get their gear in check. They didn't want to keep their leader waiting.
"Guess we've got plans for today, boys." Spartan Jenns said as she began to suit up. Slipping into her black undersuit.
"Buried under the sands of time."
/ Fireteam Malachite, onboard a Pelican heading for Forerunner site, November 16th, 2558. 1300 hrs. /
"Your mission is simple, Spartans." Commander Ferdinand's voice came through to their radio.
"You are to enter the Forerunner facility and ascertain its nature. Whether or not it's native to this world, or summoned like what happened with us. Either way, we get answers. I've been told however, that this structure borders on the Elven kingdom's territory. Be quick, go in, find what you can, then get out as fast as possible. We need to be done before the Elves notice."
"Sir, rules of engagement?" Asked Spartan Harrows.
"Only fire when fired upon. We don't want to get them into fighting a war against us." Commander Ferdinand replied sternly.
The communication cut off after the Commander relayed his orders. The team made one final check for their equipment before exiting the Pelican they were on. They soon arrived moments after the Commander finished relaying his orders.
From above, they could see that the structure resembled those found on one of the many Forerunner installations dotted throughout the galaxy. Being all grandiose in scale and made of simple geometric patterns. Like all Forerunner architecture, it seemed to meld with the surrounding environment around it, but this one in particular, appeared to have been plucked out of one location and placed precariously here ー with the supporting structures seemingly leaning into the sand and sinking.
As the Spartans hopped off their transport and made their way forward, their accompanying Pelican moved away to maintain a holding pattern above the site. After all, they needed a quick getaway when their mission was done.
Identifying an open entrance the Spartans halted before it. Carefully looking out for any possible traps or hidden ambushes.
"See anything on your scanners, Val?" Asked Spartan Jenns, while the older Spartan didn't mind the nickname, he didn't quite enjoy it being used during missions.
"Nothin' the scans are clear on my end." Spartan Valdez reported.
Their leader motioned for them to proceed after overhearing this. But paused before he stepped foot inside.
"Stick close, don't break off. This mission's not complete unless we all get home safely." Spartan Harrows reminded the team.
"Roger." The trio chorused.
As the Spartans made their way deeper into the facility. The dull and faded lights of the ancient structure illuminated the equally as old, gray and brown walls that surrounded them. They found nothing of interest yet as they made their way through. But, they couldn't shake the feeling of something far more ancient watching over them as they walked through.
Passing by empty rooms with the same kind of design and layout as the last, it felt like they were going around in circles. The only indication they'd made any progress at all were the signs of more doors leading further down.
Cautiously making their way over to a doorway, one which still had power on as indicated by the illumination of the Forerunner lighting embedded within the walls and doors itself ― they began to stack up on the sides. Spartan Harrows palmed the door's holographic opening and the door permitted them entry, Entering in first, he motioned for the rest to follow after proving it safe.
The door seemed to lead even further downward before stopping at another, larger door. Doing the same as before the Spartans got into position and entered the same way they did the last one, Spartan Harrows still leading at the forefront.
It led them to a hallway, one which seemed to have seen recent traffic, as indicated by the well worn footprints on the floor.
"This place doesn't appear to be unoccupied." Spartan Valdez pointed out.
"Worried?" Asked Spartan Miller from behind him.
"Maybe. I just don't want to be caught unprepared. Who knows what kind of voodoo shit they'll pull on us."
The four made their way through the halls cautiously. Given the appearance of footprints, it wouldn't be too far-fetched to assume they might still be around.
The hallway they'd been walking through led into another room. One wider than the previous space they'd treaded on their way here. Unlike the rest of the architecture they'd seen prior to here, this room appeared to be more open and spacious. Numerous holograms glowed around them ーone displaying the planet they were currently on, another of the twin moons in orbit. If they didn't know any better, this place seemed to be an observatory.
"Spartan Valdez, see if you can find something to plug into. We need all the data we can get from this place." Ordered Spartan Harrows.
With a quick nod, Spartan Valdez made his way past the rest of his team looking for anything to connect to and start his search.
"Jenns, Miller, you two guard the entrance. We don't need any surprises coming in from behind us." Spartan Harrows ordered the other two.
The pair made their way back to where they came and stood guard after the order. With the three other Spartans currently occupied, Spartan Harrows looked for something to do. Looking over the nooks and crannies of the room they were in, he went to check for any hidden ambush spots. It wouldn't do for his own mental and physical well-being if they were to be caught unawares here.
It was a process which took at least several minutes. Allowing him to go over the relatively spacious room at least once. Satisfied at seeing nowhere an attacker could potentially hide in. He made his way to Spartan Valdez, who had begun rather animatedly tapping at a holographic console.
"Anything new?" He tapped the Spartan from behind who had been largely silent while doing his work.
His fellow S-IV jolted in surprise at the sudden contact. Having lost himself in his work, he failed to notice their leader coming towards him. After recomposing himself, he spoke, "I think so. Sir, this building is not a natural part of this environment." Spartan Valdez reported.
"Buildings aren't natural, Valdez. But, what do you mean by that?"
Spartan Valdez gave his personal datapad to Spartan Harrows. On it was a set of coordinates outling the rough location of where this structure once stood. It didn't appear to be anywhere near this planet before it was transported here, it almost looked as if-
"A Forerunner installation? You mean to tell me, this structure came from one of those things?" He asked Spartan Valdez.
"That seems to be the case, yes." Valdez replied. "If we're lucky, we might be able to find this thing's Monitor and ask it some questions."
"What makes you say that?" Spartan Harrows skeptically asked.
"Because I tried pinging it to come to us." Spartan Valdez said simply.
A rhythmic humming droned out nearby. The sound of which alerted Spartans Harrows and Valdez, who looked upon the sight with apprehension. Spartan Harrows recognized it as the telltale sign of a Forerunner's teleportation technology at work. A brilliant light show of golden hues gave way to the familiar form of a Forerunner Monitor.
Spartan Valdez nudged his CO to put his weapon down, to appear non threatening towards the Monitor. It took a moment to gaze at the humans before it began speaking.
"Greetings, I am 72410 Perfidious Speaker, how may I assist, Reclaimers?"
From the shadows of the ancient walls of the Forerunner structure, crept a dozen heavily armed men. Armed with ancient weapons, brandishing the finest armors of Elven make, they came to intercept an unknown group of interlopers who had descended upon this hallowed structure. They could not be allowed to defile this place.
"Nephri, how deep have they gotten?" Asked the leading Elf.
"They've managed to reach the observatory, my Lord." The named Elf said bitterly.
Terrible. Absolutely terrible. They could not allow this place to be further disgraced by their unwanted footsteps.
"We have to press on, faster now!" He ordered.
At once, all twelve of them rushed towards the inner depths of the structure to meet with the invaders.
Spartan Harrows eyed the Monitor warily. He'd been made aware of their existence when he and his men had partaken in simulation runs against Prometheans and other Forerunner types. But the one before him betrayed no sign of aggression. It seemed to be rather worn and beaten by time. He didn't know what to make of it.
"Monitor…" He tried to ask.
"Yes, Reclaimer?" It turned to him.
"What is this place?"
The Monitor seemed to hum in thought for a moment. Odd behavior coming from an ancient AI, but he didn't pay it much mind.
"This is, or was, the Observatory, although we're currently on a different planet from where I was initially stationed." It replied.
"How? Did this place get sucked in here via a portal as well?"
The Monitor bobbed up and down, seemingly in affirmation.
"Indeed. It happened a few thousand years ago." The Monitor tried to recall.
A few thousand. He didn't know how long that could have been. The Monitor did not seem sure as well. But the history of these people seemed to only stretch back 6,000 from what they've gathered. Either there was a discrepancy, or this Monitor knew more than the natives.
"What happened then, all those years ago?" Harrows asked, he motioned for Valdez to record their conversation in the meanwhile.
The Monitor hummed and fluttered about the room they were in. Moving towards the holographic representation of the planet they were currently on.
"Tell me, Reclaimer, what do you know of Shield-Worlds?" The Monitor asked.
"Not much, admittedly. I'm only aware it's a Forerunner installation of sorts." Spartan Harrows replied.
"Ah, excellent, it seems I can begin my edification process with you. It seems you have some semblance of what a Shield-World is meant for, so that is where we shall start." The Monitor excitedly said. "They were meant to safeguard life from the firing of the Halo arrays. To put it simply. Stashed behind its own little bubble of slipspace, untouched by real space. Unfortunately, that's also where these complications lie."
The Monitor changed the hologram to one of the galactic map. Highlighting where they currently stood on the starcharts. "We are currently, here." The Monitor pointed out.
"But, not here in 'real space' I imagine?" Spartan Valdez chimed in.
"Correct." The Monitor nodded along with its floating chassis of a body.
"Thousands of years ago, this structure along with several others were 'summoned' here, so to speak. I'm not quite sure about who did it, but I assume it to be the work of these strangely evolved humans." The Monitor admitted.
"Are you referring to their 'magic' then?" Spartan Harrows asked.
"Yes, a fascinating power is it not? An inborn ability unique to the people of this reality. How wondrous to research!" The Monitor said excitedly at the idea.
"Then what have you been doing here for the past millennia?" Harrows asked. If this Monitor was as old as it claimed to be, they'd have a wealth of information to work with.
"Observation, of course. I was made to monitor the growth of several species across my original installation. But, ever since my unwanted relocation, I've been continuing the process here instead." The Monitor spoke as it fluttered about the room in an exaggerated manner to emphasize his point.
"Ohh, I was frustrated at first. A hundred thousand years of records deemed useless by my current predicament? How infuriating! But, the people from this world have proven to be much more fascinating than my previous charges." The Monitor pulled up an extensive list of observations from his position.
"Many races have even come to consult me, in my tenure on this world. Seeking my knowledge of all the happenings around." The Monitor proudly said.
"Other races? Does that happen to include the Elves?" Asked Spartan Harrows, this was surprising, but it explained all those footprints nearby.
"Yes, I believe some of them are even approaching this place as we speak." The Monitor told them.
"What do you mean by-" Spartan Harrows attempted to ask before being cut off.
The sound of gunfire and the uniquely alien noises of magic being casted interrupted them.
"Boss, we're under attack! Elves, lots of them!" Shouted Spartan Jenns over their comms.
Spartan Harrows and Valdez readied their weapons and moved to turn to the entryway. Sparing a look towards the Monitor, Spartan Harrows asked.
"Why are they attacking?"
"I do not know. I'm not familiar with your prejudices and conflicts. I'm simply here to observe and provide knowledge." The Monitor replied.
"Boss, we're coming over to you! They're trying to push but we've managed to hold them off so far." Spartan Miller shouted loudly over the room.
Spartan Harrows was conflicted. While the Monitor had been thus far informative. He still had a duty to his squad, a duty to see them safe. He'd have to come back later.
"Monitor, is there any other means for us to contact you?" Spartan Harrows asked.
"Not outside, I'm afraid. I don't have nearly as much power out there as I do here. Perhaps you could reach a compromise with your counterparts?" The Monitor suggested.
The Spartan thought it over. He didn't have the authority to do such a thing in his position. He'd have to report this to his CO first.
"I'll relay your words to the Commander..." Spartan Harrows said. He then, along with Spartan Valdez ran towards their beleaguered colleagues.
The Monitor watched as the Spartans left the room, filing this encounter into his vast library of information in regards to this world.
"Good luck, Reclaimers." The Monitor said before disappearing to somewhere else within the structure.
The Elves had spotted the unfamiliar humanoids standing guard outside the Knowing Speaker's Hall. They appeared similar to the Barbarians to the west, yet were distinctly different. Sporting strange armor and even stranger muskets, they didn't seem like the ones they fought against ages ago. The ones which nearly brought ruin to their race.
Seeing the two of them standing there and talking, they seemed harmless, at the moment. A perfect opportunity to strike.
The leading Elf ordered one of his men to attack with a quick barrage of lightning spells. Aimed to stop them dead in their tracks. Needing no focus to conduct their spells unlike the humans, but instead through the aid of the spirits of the land itself. The elf took aim and unleashed the deadly force at his fingertips.
Spartan Miller had been cautious on his post. Standing at rapt attention, eyeing even the slightest of movements, in stark contrast to his partner, Spartan Jenns.
"You should relax, Mill. It's not like we won't notice someone coming down the hall." She offhandedly brushed off his behavior.
"Don't be too cocky, Jenns. We haven't seen what these people are truly capable of yet." He attempted to warn her.
"Eh, what's the worst that could happen? Are they going to try to zap us with lightning?" As soon as the words left her mouth, Spartan Miller sprung into action, and pushed her down.
With a thud ― the both of them collapsed onto the floor.
"Hey, what was that for?" She shouted at her partner. To which he pointed to the smoldering hole behind where she once stood.
Her eyes widened as she took in the sight of the charred wall. Looking to where the source had come from, they saw at least a dozen cloaked figures armed and pointing at them.
One of them, armed with a sabre-like sword, attempted to rush towards them. Earning a quick shot to the head, courtesy of Spartan Miller. Leaving the rest of their group in shock. The sight of one of their own, dying so unceremoniously, like a sack of potatoes dropping, ignited fury within the proud Elves.
As one, they surged forward to attack. Spartans Jenns and Miller held their ground. Even as inch by inch the Elves relentlessly pushed on. Blocking some of their projectiles with some sort of barrier as they surged.
"Boss, we're under attack! Elves, lots of them!" Shouted Spartan Jenns over their comms.
That had been a few minutes ago. Spartans Harrows and Valdez had managed to link up just in time to see Jenns and Miller holding their ground against the relentless attacks of the Elves.
Not noticing the pair who had just arrived. The Elves were unaware of their sudden coming demise. With precision, Harrows and Valdez took aim and shot the unguarded Elves . Dropping them like puppets whose strings have been cut.
By the time some of their number had noticed. It was already too late. Cut down from their earlier group of twelve, they were left with only four. With a bitter face, the remaining Elves retreated back to the entrance. Hoping to get some of their comrades for reinforcements.
The Spartans collectively sighed in relief as their attack let up. Revealing to them a hallway littered with corpses and shell casings.
"We need to get to the surface. The rest of the fleet need to know about this." Spartan Harrows ordered.
As they retraced their steps back to the surface. Spartan Valdez had been trying to hail the Fires of Liberation. Hoping to get in contact and ask for backup, but to no avail. All he had gotten in turn was static.
"I can't get through to the radio from where we're at. Some kind of interference from this structure." Said Valdez.
"All the more reason for us to get out of here." Spartan Harrows reminded them.
As they passed the now familiar yet irritatingly similar architecture of the surface level floor of the structure. They spotted even more of the Elven attackers from beyond the hall they stood in.
"Daggers ahead!" Spartan Jenns called out upon seeing several cloaked figures beyond the hallway.
"Daggers?" Asked Spartan Harrows incredulously. He had taken cover after Spartan Jenns called out the hostile Elven position.
"They've got pointed ears. And they're pretty sharp with their aim." Spartan Jenns pointed out.
Spartan Harrows paused for a moment ― pondering whether to take her comment seriously.
Attempting to open a direct commlink to the Commander aboard the Fires of Liberation, he reported.
"Commander, this is Fireteam Malachite. We've taken fire from hostile Elves. Designation, 'Daggers' requesting a pick-up."
Nothing. Static. Noise was all he got in turn. It seemed they were still too far away to make contact.
The Elves seemed to notice them as they were trying to get a call for help out. Returning fire in turn. The occasional spell being flung and the inevitable return of lead bullets from the Spartan's side had reduced the battle into a war of attrition. Neither side gave way willingly.
The Elves had numbers on their side, the Spartans had superior firepower.
"Val! Try reaching for the Liberation again. We're running out of ammunition here." Spartan Jenns shouted. She was getting frustrated at this back and forth.
"I'm trying, damn you. I've almost got it." Spartan Valdez shot back.
He'd been trying to bypass the strange jamming which seemed to have weakened the closer they got to the exit.
While the Elves were still hammering at them with their attacks, the Spartans pushed them back in turn with every foot forward they took. They were determined to get out of here.
A desperate Elf attempted to swipe at Spartan Harrows using a curved sword, aiming for his legs. Only to be caught by Spartan Jenns. With a sweep of her leg, she knocked him downwards, causing the Elf to look in surprise before he was put down with a shot in the head for good measure.
Spartan Miller nearly took a blast of unknown energy which almost drained his shields when an Elven mage managed to catch him with his attack. The Elf arrogantly tried to boast at the result. Not realizing the Spartan wasn't dead. Spartan Harrows, seeing this, turned to the mage and shot at him. Only for the mage to deflect it with a barrier. The rounds didn't penetrate, but it was enough of a distraction for him to pull back Spartan Miller.
Spartan Valdez ran in tandem with the rest, occasionally fiddling with the communications equipment he carried. In-between taking shots at any Elf who got too close, and returning to his work on fixing their comms. Attempting one more try at reaching the Fires of Liberation, he finally got through.
"Spartans. Are you there? Over." Came the voice on the other end. It sounded slightly rough and static, but intelligible enough for conversation.
Feeling relief at the fact that he managed to reestablish contact. "This is Fireteam Malachite…" he spoke to the radio.
"We're under fire from hostile Elves , designated 'Daggers'. We're currently being bogged down and need a hot extract, over."
The other end of the radio seemed to crackle as the voice barely made it through. For a moment he thought they were out of luck. Needing to move in the blistering desert heat to reach safety while under fire from a hostile group. An unappealing prospect at the moment.
"We re-... you… Fireteam Ma-...-ite. Additional fi-...-ort inbound. Ho-... -n." Said the voice on the other end.
It wasn't ideal, but he could make out enough from the broadcast. They just needed to get out first.
Spartan Valdez turned to his team who were still busy fighting off the remaining Elves . They seemed to have taken out a good deal of them, as the hallway now appeared littered with the corpses of their fallen enemies.
The way leading to their exit, was smeared with blood from all the many combatants felled in their short bouts.
"Any bright ideas?" Asked Spartan Harrows, he was nearly out of ammo for his BR55 Battle Rifle and didn't want to have to resort to melee if he could help it.
"I got one, sir." Said Spartan Miller, pulling out a fragmentation grenade from his person.
Seeing an opportunity, he said to Spartan Miller, "Flush them out with the frag, then we take out the stragglers." Spartan Harrows ordered. A crude plan, but it usually worked.
Spartan Miller tossed the frag towards the Elven cover and watched as they barely reacted. Possibly assuming they had run out of ammunition and resorted to throwing rocks as a result, they heard boisterous laughter coming from their side before the grenade exploded not too long after. Catching a couple of them in the blast.
"Spartans, move up!" Harrows ordered, they passed the disemboweled corpses of the lightly armored Elves who had taken cover here just moments ago. Their faces stuck frozen in fear as they laid dead. A few of them were unlucky enough to survive the blast, reaching for their weapons to fight back against the Spartans. They passed them by in a rush. Barely sparing a glance of pity, though Fireteam Malachite simply put a bullet in their skulls as a precaution.
Seeing that the way was cleared, the Spartans moved up once more.
"No time to check the bodies. There could be more out there, we need to get out." Spartan Harrows ordered as Spartan Jenns tried to pick something up from a fallen Elf.
They sped through the similarly designed hallways of the Forerunner structure. Passing through in a sprint at speeds which would take them through the structure a quarter of the time it took for them to descend.
As the team made their way back towards the entrance where they entered from, only to be greeted with the sight of multiple Elven guns aimed at them. For a supposedly magically powerful race, they weren't opposed to firearms. Their designs were familiar. Looking like something used centuries prior, precursors to their more modern weaponry they carried.
"Nowhere to run, Barbarian. Surrender your weapons and armor and we will grant you a swift death!" Ordered a haughty looking Elf.
Out of options and ammunition. The four of them were just about ready to make a break for it instead. They couldn't allow their MJOLNR armor and UNSC issued firearms to fall into their hands.
The four of them tensed up at the situation as they prepared to make their stand, only to be interrupted as they heard the familiar sound of the radio crackling to life.
"Spa-... can you h-... me?" The voice came on the other end.
"On my count… Get down." He said with a cocksure attitude.
"I won't ask another time." The Elf began to furiously tap at the floor they stood on. The Spartans had their arms raised to appear non threatening towards them.
"3…" the radio counted.
"Surrender!" The Elf ordered.
"2…"
"Very well, I assure you this will be very painful for all of-"
The Elf tried to say before the Spartans all dropped prone as the sight of a Pelican descended on them. Unleashing fire from above with its nose mounted chaingun - catching many of them off-guard as it spew forth bullets like a torrential flood of rain.
Sparks and ricocheting metal erupted off of the floor they stood on. Dust and debris shooting upwards with each bullet impact, impacting those that couldn't shield their body from the incoming projectiles. The Spartans took this as a chance to escape. After getting up quickly, they made a sprint towards the friendly aircraft.
"There's our ride." Shouted Spartan Harrows.
He urged his team to hop aboard the Pelican as quickly as they could. Helping push them along if he could help it. Miller, Jenns and Valdez quickly hopped off with Harrows trailing behind. He was the last one aboard.
Catching a breath, the rest of Fireteam Malachite slumped in their seats aboard the aircraft. Seeing the tension dissipate, Spartan Harrows made his way to the cockpit to thank the Pilot.
"Thanks for waiting for us." He said to the man flying the aircraft.
"Don't worry about it. If I lost you guys, I'd be getting my ass chewed back at base!" The Pilot quipped as he turned the aircraft back towards the vicinity of FOB Dune.
Battered, bruised, beaten. The Elves who survived the gunship's attack began to rise up from the ground. The floor was caked with gore and viscera from their fallen comrades. Utterly decimated from the sudden support the Barbarian invaders brought with them.
"Damn them!" An Elf shouted.
"How the hell am I supposed to report this to the council?" He angrily shouted to the Heavens in an exasperated tone as he fell limply in exhaustion.
He lay in a pile of corpses made up of his former comrades. Having failed to account for them having flyers with them, he supposed this would be the consequences for his failure. His mind couldn't or perhaps would not, accept the fact that he'd been beaten so thoroughly.
They couldn't possibly have lost to the lesser races. Not when they as the Firstborn were made to be superior. His pride wouldn't allow it. He promised revenge.
/ UNSC Fires Of Liberation, Forward Operating Base: Dune, November 16th, 2558. 1600hrs. UNSC Calendar /
The FOB had been set to high alert by the time they returned. As it turned out, they weren't the only ones to have been attacked. Scavenger Teams sent out to retrieve material from the deserts were also ambushed at roughly the same time. It seemed the Elven Kingdom had finally taken notice of them.
For security reasons all essential personnel were moved back aboard the Fires Of Liberation, which had gone off into low-orbit, reasoning that the lack of space capable aircraft on the native's side would keep them safe for now.
Fireteam Malachite, upon return to the FOB, were given a short reprieve before being sent spaceborne towards the Cruiser. They still had to give their report.
"You guys go on ahead and rest up. I'll deliver the report myself." Said Spartan Harrows, he knew his team was capable, but he didn't intend on running them ragged.
The three gave a nod of appreciation before they all slumped back to their quarters, exhausted.
Spartan Harrows made his way to the bridge.
The trip took him a while, the service elevators and multiple hallways were somewhat labyrinthian to traverse. Necessitating the need for asking directions to a couple personnel. Upon reaching the bridge he saw it was filled with activity. From the ship's X.O. issuing orders to the deck's other crewmen to the Commander currently conversing with the ones aboard the Eternity back at Alpha Base.
His heavy footsteps interrupted the bridge as he made his way inside. He hadn't had time to take off his armor.
Commander Ferdinand turned to see the source of the noise and realized it was the leader of the Spartan Fireteam aboard his ship.
"Sir." The man saluted the Commander after stopping in front of him.
"At ease." He ordered the tall man standing before him.
"I heard you were also attacked by the Elves ?" Commander Ferdinand asked him.
"Yes, Sir. We were intercepted by them within the structure itself. It seemed to be a place of great importance to them." He surmised.
"Casualties? I don't want to have to file another report for more dead Marines under my watch." He sighed at this, they'd already lost a few squads who were sent out to aid the Scavenger teams they sent out.
"None, Sir. Spartan Miller had his shields drained, but I managed to save him before the Elf could strike the killing blow."
Commander Ferdinand appeared surprised at this. He didn't expect any of them to be in any true danger given the kind of power the humans on the other side could dish out.
He'd have to tell the rest of his men to stay on alert and pack more firepower in turn if their enemy could actually harm them.
"Was there anything else of importance down there when you delved deeper into the structure? We lost contact with you the further down you went."
Spartan Harrows clenched his hands at what he was about to report.
"Yes, Sir. There's a Forerunner Monitor inside."
The Commander halted dead in his tracks at this revelation.
"Forward everything you have recorded on this mission. We need to report this to the Eternity." Commander Ferdinand ordered after regaining his composure.
Spartan Harrows nodded and handed him a datapad. On his way over he started compiling all the information he could gleam from this mission, to which the Commander graciously accepted. Feeding the device to an eagerly waiting Perry, they began to work setting up a report for the Eternity. Seeing his work done, the Spartan was dismissed and moved to return to his team.
/ UNSC Eternity, November 16th, 2558. UNSC Calendar /
Captain Andrew Morgan slumped down in his chair. After going through the reports sent by Commander Ferdinand over at FOB Dune, he felt exhausted.
Relations with the native Tristainians were amicable at best. But to have angered another kingdom as soon as they arrived, that wasn't good. He began to wonder if these Elves truly were the enemies of mankind the natives had made them out to be. But he knew things wouldn't be that simple.
The Covenant were blinded by their zealotry, unquestioningly conducting a systematic genocide on the human race ー over the misunderstanding of their religion's true goal. He assumed that would be the case here as well.
But did their relations sour so deep as to both of them hating each other so much they'd kill on sight? The idea was troubling.
His own men were caught in the fighting. Being killed by the Elves in the midst of their work, barely even leaving a body for the UNSC to bury due to the nature of their spells being cast upon them.
He dreaded having to report this back to HIGHCOM if they ever got back.
Still, they had a job to do to pacify that region and prevent the natives from mishandling things they couldn't be mature enough to handle. But before he could do that, he had to know the enemy first.
Heading towards a communication suite he tried to contact the one person who could probably help him gain this information. The Magic Academy's Director, Old Osmond.
Author's Notes: Chapter 10 done! Hey, ho… I may or may not have rushed into an Elf confrontation this early into the story. But, in my defence. Their ships can easily traverse the entire world in a few hours, heck, they can easily traverse the current star system they're on if they wanted… which may or may not happen in the future chapters. Gotta have a way to keep the "Space" part of the United Nations Space Command relevant somehow.
Anyway, tell me what you think, was it hard to follow? Did I go too far? Personally, I see a lot of parallels with Halo and the world of Zero No Tsukaima. I kind of wanted to bring some of that here and merge some of the ideas that I like about the originals.
But, rest assured, if you've come here for ZnT stuff and think Forerunner lore is convoluted, then fret not. They're only here as a sort of McGuffin to help the UNSC understand the native cultures since the Monitor would have been present for a long while. Like an alien Derflinger…
Oh, damn, I forgot about Derf…
Anyway they won't play too much of an important role to the story. More like an exposition delivery service ー giving an unbiased (if I can help it) look at both civilizations.
If y'all don't like this direction then I apologize. But it's an idea that I'm interested in pursuing, I just don't know if I could actually do it justice.
Next chapter will be a side story featuring the village of Tarbes. I think I may have moved too fast with these developments so I'll be slowing down with a side story involving the ODST's from earlier chapters, and maybe a little snippet on Albion.
Update: Mostly done now with the re-write. Gonna be able to write new chapters soon.
If you have any suggestions or comments. Feel free to join the Discord server: /sDgJN8F4tY
Thanks for reading. And as always. I'll see you in the next one. じゃ、またね