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Forerunner Artifact

Unknown Location

September 19th, 2552

For a long time, the Forerunner artifact that the Autumn had discovered had a measure of peace, one that hadn't been disturbed for well over a hundred thousand years. Plants and trees grew alongside various animals and other fauna that inhabited the ring, with those fauna living and surviving as most do. As such, one might not expect anything to change for even longer periods of time.

For the first time in a hundred thousand years, however, this peace was about to be shattered irrevocably. Onboard one of the Bumblebee lifepods that were quickly entering the ring's atmosphere, Chief could feel the lifepod shuddering as it continued on it's downward trajectory to the ground. Looking at his HUD, he could clearly tell that something was deeply wrong. Nearby, Alex, who saw the same data, had a frown on his face.

"We're coming in too fast!," Cortana shouted.

As soon as she said this, there was a loud, tearing sound, as though metal was being ripped apart. Looking outside, Alex, who was in the rear of the lifepod, spotted the four, air brakes that were installed being ripped off the pod, as though a giant was tearing them off. "Damn," he heard the lifepod pilot shout. "Air brake failure! They blew too early!"

A loud, beeping tone came from part of the pilot's console, indicating they were going far too fast to land safely. "I'm losing her," the pilot shouted. "Brace for impact!"

"Everyone, brace, brace, brace," Alex shouted, tightening his grip while using the armor's myomers to perform an armor lock similar to what MJOLNIR armor could do. Chief did the same, while the Marines did whatever they could to survive a crash that they might not survive. Moments later, all hell broke loose.

As soon as they hit the ground, it was like a giant had kicked the lifepod on it's belly. Despite the strong grip that he had, and due to a manufacturing defect in the safety harness that was hidden until now, Alex's was ripped out of the seat he was in, sending him bouncing around the interior like a pinball in a pinball machine. Chief was luckier, as he managed to maintain his grip, though he grunted when Alex collided with him. The door to the lifepod was ripped open by the impact, with the supply locker being torn open, sending ammunition and medical supplies flying everywhere.

The lifepod continued to grind along after it impacted the ground, though it wouldn't do so for long. Just five meters after it impacted the ground, the lifepod smashed into a large boulder just ahead of it, shattering it into thousands of small pieces. Fortunately, that impact absorbed most of the lifepod's kinetic energy, causing it to grind to a halt just two meters later. As soon as it stopped, the loud, horrible grinding sound ceased as well, with the area falling silent once more.

Groaning loudly, Alex began to get up off of the ground. Damn, he thought as he moved around, his muscles screaming as he crawled out of the lifepod and sat down on the ground. It feels as though a nova cat decided to use me as a play toy. Looking at his vital sign readouts, he sighed with relief when he saw that his worst injuries were just some abrasions and bruising. I will live, he thought, fighting through the pain. I have been through far more painful events than this.

Forcing himself to deal with the pain, he got up and moved back into the lifepod. Spotting one of the Marines, he scanned the man for any signs of life. Fuck, he thought when the scan came back negative. Poor freeborn had his neck snapped by the impact. I hope I am not the only survivor.

Thankfully, it seemed as though some of the Marines were lucky, as he heard a stifled groan moments later. Checking that Marine, who's name tag identified him as Pvt. Chips Dubbo, he was relieved to see that Marine only had bruises as his worst injuries. "Fuck," the Marine groaned as he undid the safety harness around himself. "Feels like when I got piss drunk back at Arcadia, only all over my body." Looking up, he said, "Is that you, Alex?"

"Yes," Alex replied. "You are very lucky to have survived. Most people would have been killed by the impact."

"I guess I'm just a really stubborn Marine," Dubbo remarked. A choked cry came from his mouth as he attempted to move. "Oh, fuck me!," he snarled as he tumbled to the ground, before slowly getting to his feet.

"Do you need assistance," Alex asked.

"I'll be fine," Dubbo replied. "I just need to move around, get the blood flowing." Looking at the others, he asked, "Can you see if they're alive as well? Also, make sure Chief's OK as well. I don't want to have a Spartan die on my watch. It would be wrong."

"I will do what I can," Alex replied. Moving back inside the lifepod, he checked the other Marines to see if they were alive. Thankfully, two more Marines had made it out, including the one Chief had rescued just before they left the Autumn. Again, thanks to either good design on the lifepod engineer's part, or just pure luck, they had survived with only minor injuries.

Moving over to Chief, he checked the Spartan over, rolling him onto his back. So far, all is well, he thought as he examined the Spartan for any injuries via his scanner. Nothing is broken, and his armor protected him well. I believe it is a matter of waking him up. Tapping Chief's helmet, he said, "Chief, can you hear me? Chief, are you still with us?"

At the same time Alex was doing this, Cortana was doing the same thing. "Chief?," she asked. "Chief, can you hear me?"

A slight noise came from Chief as he came to, both his eyes blinking underneath the visor as he shook off unconsciousness. "Yes," he replied, getting up as he did. "I'm here."

"At last," Cortana beamed. "Are you alright? Can you move?"

"Yes," Chief replied. Checking his armor readouts, he found that he only had some minor bruising, nothing that was serious. Looks like Halsey's augmentations worked once again, he thought as he noted that he had no broken bones. Then again, he knew that Halsey would never give Spartans second-rate augmentations. It was unthinkable. Looking at Alex, he asked, "Are you alright?"

"I am fine," Alex replied. "Minor bruising and throbbing, nothing that needs urgent medical attention. I wish it was the same for the freeborn Marines, though." He frowned, even as he motioned to the dead Marines. "Fled from the Autumn, only to die on some nameless place. An ignoble death, if you ask me."

"We'll ensure they receive proper burials," Chief replied. "Right now, we have to focus on regrouping with the others."

"I agree," Cortana added. "There's nothing we can do for the dead now. All we can do is live on for them." After a moment, she added, "Now that we know that some survived, we need to gather what supplies we can. We might be staying here for some time."

"I agree," Alex nodded. "Only a fool would leave this place without the supplies." Turning to the surviving Marines, he said, "Soldiers, gather whatever ammunition and supplies you can. We might be here for a very long time."

"Got it," Dubbo replied. With that, the Marines, Spartan and Elemental went to work gathering what supplies they could. While they did this, Alex used a hand shovel that he found in the ruined supply locker to dig four graves, an effort that only took fifteen minutes due to his enhanced strength. Taking the bodies, he gently placed them inside, before covering them up.

To mark the graves, he took their name tags and wrapped them around the weapons they carried, before sticking the weapons into the ground and putting their helmets on the stocks of each gun. Stepping back, he got onto a knee and bowed his head in a moment of silence for the fallen. Nearby, Dubbo, having gathered what he could, did the same. "I never really got to know them well," he admitted to Alex. "Now that they're dead, I wish I got to know them better."

"Me too,"Alex replied. "For now, let us give our respects to the dead. They have paid their dues in life. It is up to the living to pick up the tab." For a minute more, they paid their respects to the fallen.

Nearby, Chief was looking around the area, having already given his respects. The area they were in appeared to be a box valley, with a gorge to the left that served as an exit, while a waterfall and stream split the valley in half. "I'm reading thousands of types of flora and fauna," Cortana informed him. "The ring's ecosystem is highly sophisticated."

Just as she said this, Chief felt something smack into his helmet. Looking to the left, he was surprised to see a squirrel-like creature hurling what appeared to be acorns at his head. The creature was clearly upset, as it was barking and chirping at him from the safety of a tree. "Well, not everyone's happy to see us," Cortana remarked. "Apparently, we've disturbed this ring's equivalent of a squirrel nest." Chief merely gave the thing a stare, before walking towards the others.

Having completed their respects to the dead, Alex walked over. "We will have to move soon," he informed Chief. "The Covenant will likely begin investigating this area to find any survivors and either kill, or capture them. We would do well not to be found out."

"Noted," Chief replied. Turning to the others, he said, "Marines, prepare to move out. We'll be heading deeper into the valley." As the others gathered their equipment and prepared to move out, he spotted the only way deeper into the valley: a small bridge that had no railings. Once the Marines were ready, they began to move out.

As they did so, Cortana detected something. "Warning! I've detected multiple Covenant drop ships on approach," she told the others. "I recommend moving into those hills. If we're lucky, the Covenant will believe that everybody aboard the lifeboat died in the crash."

"Sounds like a plan," Alex nodded. "Everyone: move it! Into those hills, now!" Moving quickly, Chief, Alex and the surviving Marines quickly moved over the bridge, getting into the hills in the valley.

It was here that Mother Nature herself provided them with a little help. There was a large amount of foliage and brush on the other side of the bridge, all of which came up to Chief's waist and to the Marine's chests. "Get down," Chief ordered, with the others complying. As soon as they were crouched down in the brush, they continued to move through, though at a slightly slowed pace.

As soon as they got down, the Covenant arrived. A single Spirit troop transport flew overhead, with the VTOL's gravity repulsors quietly humming as it flew overhead. "Alert," Cortana reported. "Covenant drop ship inbound! I recommend immediate evasion!"

"Noted," Alex replied. "Marines, move out. Keep low to the ground. The color of your armor should make it difficult to see you in the brush." As the Marines did so, he approached Chief and said, "I do not want to cause difficulties from a split command. Do you have any suggestions as to the command structure?"

"Yes," Chief replied, having noted the same problem. "What is your rank?"

"Star Commander in the Clans," Alex replied. "It is the Clan equivalent of a Lieutenant. Why do you ask?"

"That means you have a higher rank than I do," Chief replied. "Technically speaking, you have command of this unit. Send the order, and I'll direct the men."

"Alright. Just remember, the Clans have no equivalent for the rank of Master Chief Petty Officer, which is what you are if I recall correctly. Still, I will handle the general orders, you will complete them in the manner you wish to do so. Decentralized command is good in this case." Having long understood the concept of decentralized command, Chief nodded in agreement. That meant that Alex would issue the general orders, he would handle the details.

As they moved forwards, he heard a sound up ahead. Looking around, he didn't notice anything, then he realized that he was looking in the wrong place. Looking up, he spotted two Banshees that were flying around in the air, most likely looking for something. "Banshees," he told Alex. "Two of them, 1 o'clock high."

"Aff," Alex replied. "Marines, be careful. Do not let those Banshees see you." The Marines quietly complied, with the squad continuing to move forwards through the thick brush. If they weren't in armor, the brush would've slowed them down even further.

As they continued to move forwards, Chief spotted contacts up ahead: a pair of Elites, as well as a few Loyalist Skirmishers and Grunts. Alex, having spotted them on his sensor suite, nodded at Chief, before using his hands to issue orders. He could tell that the Elemental was telling him, 'Get rid of those assholes quietly."

Looking around, Chief assessed the situation. Looking around, he noticed that the Elites and other Covenant personnel were guarding the entrance to the rest of the valley system, no doubt intent on capturing any survivors that made it this far. Shifting slightly, he looked down to see a few rocks that were lying on the ground. I wonder…, he thought to himself. Picking one up, he quickly tossed the rock at a large boulder.

While a normal toss would've been quite slow, Chief was a Spartan, and therefore much stronger than a normal person. As it were, the rock flew through the air as a blur, before it smacked directly into the rock, shattering with a loud CRACK! That was enough to catch the attention of the Covenant guarding the gorge, as they began to move towards the source of the disturbance. With the Covenant distracted, the squad was able to move forwards. Reaching the entrance to the gorge, they quietly slunk down a small embankment and down to the ground.

"Whew," Dubbo breathed as they got out of earshot. "That was too close. One wrong move and we'd have… well, at least it's over."

"Do not say that yet," Alex replied. "Just because we got out of that sticky situation does not mean that we are in the clear. Remain vigilant." Chief nodded in agreement.

As they moved forwards, he heard a sound that was familiar after 25 to 27 years of combat against the Covenant: gunfire. "I'm reading a lifeboat beacon up ahead," Cortana told him, confirming what he knew. "We should check it out to see if there are any survivors."

Just as she said this, they rounded the bend in the canyon. The gorge widened up considerably into a massive area, one that could easily hold a few Union class DropShips with room to spare. Occupying part of this area was a large structure that, by it's architecture, was Forerunner in origin. The structure was sending pulses of energy up into the sky, for some unknown reason.

However, that wasn't what had Chief's attention. What had his attention the most were the Covenant that were in the area. A Spirit troop transport was offloading Covenant, all of whom were firing at UNSC and SLDF Marines that had hunkered down at the structure. Pulse lasers, plasma bolts and SAPHE munitions flew everywhere as the Marines fought like mad to protect themselves. "Take out the Covenant," Alex roared. "With me, people!"

Just like that, the fight was on. Moving forwards, Chief smoothly engaged a pair of Elites that were coordinating the offensive, with Alex providing assistance. The Marines, falling back on what they knew, quickly began firing on the Grunts and Loyalist Jackals that were present. One Jackal's head exploded as a SAPHE round tore through it, while a few Grunts were bisected by the powerful rifle rounds.

Chief and Alex engaged the Elites at the exact same time, with Alex engaging the Elite Major while Chief engaged the Elite Minor. Ducking underneath a blow, Chief responded with a shoulder ram, knocking the Elite backwards. Before it could recover, he fired his rifle, killing the Minor with six rounds in total.

Nearby, Alex smoothly engaged his own target, using the M96IV to down the Elite's shields. Dodging a swipe from the alien, he grabbed the arm before using it as leverage, flipping the Elite onto it's back over his shoulder. Before it could get up, he smashed an armored boot onto it's neck, a loud SNAP filling the air as it's vertebrae shattered. The Elite went limp moments later, it's spinal cord severed by the blow.

The fight took just thirty seconds to complete, from start to finish, with Covenant blood splattered onto the ground. With the fight terminated, two Marines came over, with Chief identifying both of them as Staff Sergeant Avery Johnson and Private Bisenti. "Good to see you, Chief," Bisent breathed. "I thought we were in real trouble there."

"Staff Sergeant," Alex asked, "What is the SitRep for your group."

Johnson sighed as he looked around. "It's a mess, sir. We're scattered all over this valley. We called for EVAC, but until you showed up, I thought we were cooked."

"Don't worry, Sergeant," Cortana said reassuringly. "We'll stay here until evac arrives."

"Does anyone have a long range radio," Alex asked.

"One of the SLDF Marines does," Johnson nodded. "Private Osman! Get your ass down here!"

Right on cue, one of the SLDF Marines got up and ran down the ramp to where Alex was at. "We have a long range radio set up on the deck of the structure," he informed the Elemental. "If you need to call for DropShip support, that's what you need to use. Mind you, they can pick up your signal, but I'm not sure if they'll be able to hear you."

"That is all that I need," Alex replied. Moving up the ramp, he quickly saw where the others had gathered. Most of the survivors were UNSC and SLDF Marines, though there were some crewmen from the Autumn present. There were wounded as well, as he spotted an SLDF Corpsman working on a Marine, who had suffered a number of severe gashes and cuts. A few bodies were present, with those bodies being covered by a black sheet.

Looking to the left, he spotted the radio that Private Osman had told him about. Thanks to the use of advanced nanotechnology, both in the radio and in the manufacturing processes, long range SLDF radios were fairly compact, enough that they could be fitted onto a backpack. Punching in the emergency SLDF frequency, he said, "Mayday, mayday, this is Gamma 1-1 of the SLS/UNSC Pillar of Autumn. We need DropShip support ASAP. If any DropShips are in the AO, please respond." Releasing the mike, he awaited a response.

He didn't have to wait long. Just twenty seconds after he issued the call, he heard the reply. It was filled with static, but thanks to his training, he was able to make out the reply. "This is the SLS/CWS Mjolnir's Twin. Is that you, Alex? We are barely reading you. What is your situation?"

The DropShip my fellow Clansmen use, Alex realized. Now that is a stroke of luck. Clearing his throat, he said, "We are located at a Forerunner structure inside of a large box valley. We have survivors and wounded that need immediate evacuation. Grid coordinates are… Lima, Two, Niner, Five. Look for a lifepod beacon signal in that area."

There was a moment of silence before the reply came. "Roger that. We have a fix on your position. ETA: five to ten mikes. Hold out as long as possible. We will provide fire support if possible. Quiaff?"

"Aff, Mjolnir's Twin," Alex replied. "We will hold out as long as possible." Cutting the MILCOM link, he turned to Chief, who had followed him up the ramp, and said, "We have a friendly DropShip inbound, Chief. We just have to hold out long enough for them to arrive, then we can get everyone out of here."

As Chief left, Alex began thinking to himself. It is a good thing that I had the Mjolnir's Twin docked to the Pillar of Autumn, he thought, a smile on his face. It appears that bit of foresight was a prudent measure. Still, we must prepare for an immediate attack. I believe that the Covenant will not like us being on what might be holy ground to them.

Moments later, his train of thought was derailed when another UNSC Marine, Private Mendoza, came in over the COM. "Heads up! I've got a Covenant drop ship headin' in, over here!"

"Roger that," Alex replied. "Does anyone here have experience with long range weaponry?"

A moment later, he heard a voice that was very familiar. "I do, sir." Turning around, he spotted a familiar figure. "My apologies for not meeting you sooner, Star Commander," Ward said. "I was busy helping the others."

"Ward," Alex beamed, with the two Elementals clasping each other's forearms in the traditional warrior's greeting. "I was wondering where you were. Can you provide the Marines with fire support?"

"Certainly," Ward replied. "We have plenty of spare ammunition for my Thunderstroke IV. I will set up here, on the platform. This gorge is the only one that isn't choked with trees."

"Good. And Ward? It is good to see that you made it out alive and well."

"It was tough, but I managed it. Also, Shaw made it out as well. He is currently with one Major Silva if I recall correctly."

"Major Silva? I thought he did not like Elementals?"

"He does not, but he has little choice in the matter. Either way, we have work to do." With that, both men left to coordinate the assault, while the Marines quickly got into position to hold off the enemy attack.

It wasn't long before it arrived, with a Spirit flying into view before descending, it's troop bay doors opening to disgorge it's cargo. As soon as it did, Ward opened fire, with hypersonic ferrous slugs cutting through the air. One Elite was promptly split from head to toe by a round, with the kinetic energy overwhelming the shielding and armor in one, fell swoop. Once the Grunts got close enough, the Marines simply shredded them.

The second wave went much the same way, with the Marines, Chief and the Elementals wiping them out as well. Firing his rifle, Chief neutralized the last Loyalist Jackal that was present, the muzzle of his rifle smoking. As soon as the Jackal died, he heard Mendoza shout, "Uh-oh! Another bandit coming in behind us! They're trying to flank us!"

"They must be getting desperate," Alex shouted. "Hold them off! We have just two minutes left until the DropShip arrives."

At that, Chief turned around and looked towards the sky to see if he could see the DropShip. Sure enough, he spotted a glint of light that was approaching their position rapidly. Tearing his gaze away, he began to move towards the rear of the Forerunner structure, reloading his weapon as he did so.

By the time he got there, the SLDF/UNSC Marines and Elementals were engaged in combat with the Covenant. He was just in time to see a Jackal being split in half by a ferrous slug, before he threw in his own firepower as well. Alex was engaging a pair of Elites, allowing Chief and the others to neutralize the rest of the infantry. The rifle he had roared as 7mm rounds tore out of the muzzle, before ripping apart the Grunts and Jackals that were present.

Hearing a loud sound, he looked to see Alex gutting an Elite, with his combat knife spilling the Elite's guts onto the ground. As the Elite began to scream in agony, Alex's knife drove through the bottom of it's skull, with the blade coming out of the top of the alien's head. That silenced the alien's screams forever, with the Elite's eyes rolling up into it's head. The other Elite, enraged by this act, moved to engage, only for Chief to down it's shields, allowing Ward to kill it with a ferrous slug.

As they cleaned up the last enemy contacts, Mendoza shouted, "Fuck! Two enemy bandits inbound! They're trying to overwhelm us." Running towards the front, Chief spotted two Spirits that were flying into view, each one ready to disgorge it's cargo.

Those two troop transports never got the chance to do so. Suddenly, two lances of energy shot out of nowhere, with the Spirits being ripped apart by the lances of energy. Looking towards where they came from, Chief spotted the Union IV DropShip that was the Mjolnir's Twin. He watched as the large, spherical DropShip came in to land, it's powerful fusion thrusters spewing nuclear fire as they slowed the massive ship down for a safe landing. Moments later, the DropShip's landing gear deployed, with the Mjolnir's Twin coming to land moments later. The ground underneath it looked as though it had been glassed by an energy projector.

A moment later, the pilot of the Mjolnir's Twin came in over the COM. "Star Commander," the pilot remarked, "did you need assistance?"

"Yes," Alex replied. "Thank you for destroying those two troop transports. The Covenant were gunning for us hard."

"I can see that," the pilot replied. "We are preparing a BattleMech for you to use. We will have it ready in just a minute."

At that moment, another voice came in over the COM. "This is Pelican Echo Four Nineteen. Anybody read me? Repeat: any UNSC personnel, respond."

"I know that pilot," Cortana replied. "That's Flight Captain Carol Rawley, Foehammer." A moment later, she said, "Roger, Echo Four Ninteteen. This is Fire Team Charlie. We read you. Is that you, Foehammer?"

"Roger, Fire Team Charlie. Good to hear from ya? Is that an SLDF DropShip I'm seeing?"

"Affirmative, Foehammer. There was just barely enough room for it to land here. If you're not too busy, can you serve as recon and transport? We're probably going to find more survivors where the DropShip can't get to."

"Affirmative, Cortana," Foehammer replied.

As soon as she said this, Chief heard a sound. "Look, more lifepods," Alex shouted. Moments later, two more lifepods flew overhead, their air brakes slowing them down to land at a safe speed.

"They're coming in fast," Cortana confirmed. "If those lifepods make it down, the Covenant are gonna be right on top of them!"

"I agree," Alex nodded. Keying his MILCOM, he said, "Mjolnir's Twin, when is that BattleMech going to be ready?"

"We are sending it out now," was the reply. Moments later, one of the 'Mech Bay Doors on the DropShip opened, with a single BattleMech marching out into the valley. From this distance, Chief could tell that it resembled the SLDF 'Mech known as a Catapult, but it was different. For one, the 'ears' were not nearly as wide as those of the aforementioned 'Mech. In addition, the 'Mech's cockpit looked different.

"What 'Mech is that," Cortana asked. "The SLDF provided me with an ID database, but that one doesn't come up."

"That is a Stalker IV BattleMech," Alex replied. "One of our Assault Class 'Mechs. It's geared for short range firepower, though it has long range weaponry as well. Not as fast as, say, a Mad Cat IVa, but it is fast enough for what we need. Does Foehammer have any transports to deploy as well?"

"Yes," Cortana replied. Using Chief's COM system, she said, "Foehammer, we need you to disengage your Warthog. The Master Chief and I are going to see if we can save some soldiers."

"Roger, Cortana," Foehammer replied. Moments later, her Pelican came into view, with the VTOL quickly moving towards one of the lifepods that had landed in the clearing they were in. As the VTOL got closer, Chief could tell that Foehammer's Pelican was one of the ones that had been refitted by the SLDF. His armor scanners identified the armor on the Pelican as Lamellor Ferro-Aluminum, and the 70mm chin mounted weapon had been modified and enhanced. He figured that there were more weapon systems onboard, but he was more concerned about transport than anything else right now.

As the VTOL came into view, it swiveled to the right, exposing a Warthog that was being carried underneath the Pelican's aft section. Moments later, the magnetic clamps holding the vehicle in place disengaged, with the Warthog hitting the ground moments later. "OK, Charlie Team, Warthog deployed," Foehammer reported. "Saddle up and give 'em hell!"

"Roger, Foehammer," Cortana replied. "Begin performing recon of the area up ahead. Alex, can your DropShip evac the survivors?"

"Aff, Cortana," Alex replied. "We have plenty of space aboard for the survivors. Sergeant Johnson, can you spare one of your men?"

"Sure thing," Johnson replied. "All right ladies, volunteers step up. The rest of you, get to the DropShip."