Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo - MechWarrior/BattleTech crossover. Once again, I must thank you all for the support and attention that you have given this crossover. I greatly appreciate the time that you have spent reading each chapter.
Recently, I decided to reopen a poll that I closed some time ago. If there are any BattleTech/MechWarrior crossovers that you are interested in that are listed on the poll, go ahead and make a vote. If there is a crossover that you do not see, but you are interested in looking at, then inform me of that crossover idea in the reviews. Every little bit helps decide what I write next. I will, however, have to close one poll in order to start this one up again.
Thank you for your time, and I hope to see your feedback in future chapters.
As always, leave a review and enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or MechWarrior/BattleTech franchises. They are the respective property and trademarks of Microsoft Game Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, FASA Corporation, FASA Interactive, Catalyst Game Labs, Piranha Games Inc, etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to it's original composers and/or artists.
Delta Halo
Near Control Room
November 27th, 2552
With the situation resolved, Thel keyed his BattleNet Transceiver, with the others quickly coming out in short order. As they came out, Thel walked over to 'Refumee and said, "Once we have stopped Tartarus, we will need to head back to Sangheilios in order to warn the Kaidons. If we can gather their support, we will have a chance at defeating the Brutes."
"A wise strategy," 'Refumee nodded, "but it will not last against the Covenant. Our species is proud, and has a long history of having the best warriors, but we are just one species fighting against a larger collective. We will need more allies if we are to survive the coming storm."
"Who would you suggest?" Thel asked.
"The Star League," 'Refumee replied simply.
The answer caught Thel off guard, enough that he thought he had misheard 'Refumee for a moment. "The Star League?" he asked, stupefied. "But we are currently at war with them! Why would you say that they would make excellent allies?!"
"Let me ask you a question?" 'Refumee countered. "What other alternatives are there?" When he said this, Thel found that he couldn't think of other alternatives. No matter how hard he tried, he simply couldn't think of another faction, aside from the UNSC, that was capable of helping the Sangheili fight back against the Jiralhanae.
'Refumee, seeing this, nodded. "I thought as much," he decided. "Like it or not, Arbiter, you will find that sometimes, in the name of survival, you will have to work with people that you once viewed as enemies. Since the Brutes have betrayed us, and likely are being led by the Prophets, then you will have to work with the Star League and UNSC in order to survive."
"Are you certain of that?" Thel asked.
"Yes," 'Refumee replied. "The Star League is our only hope of stopping the Covenant. The UNSC, at this point, is a spent fighting force. They've only achieved the victories they have thanks to their alliance with the Star League Defense Force. The Star League is the only way forwards now."
While Thel wanted to protest, he realized that 'Refumee had a very good point. Still, I want to know for certain once we reach the Control Room and find the Oracle, he decided. The Oracle will tell us if the Humans are truly heretics, or if the Hierarchs have woven a web of lies and deceit that have ensnared the entire Covenant.
Walking back over to the Wraith, Thel asked, "R'tas, is this all that you have for transportation?"
"No," R'tas replied. "I have two Spectres and a pair of Revenants on hand. They should be arriving now." Right on cue, the four vehicles mentioned arrived, their anti-gravity engines humming quietly as they came to a stop. "The warriors piloting them will guard the way to the canyon, should the Brutes attempt to follow you through."
"Good," Thel nodded. Turning to the others, he said, "Mount up on the vehicles, and prepare for a fight. Those that cannot will remain here to guard the entrance to this canyon." As the others complied, he clambered onto the Wraith before slipping inside. Turning to R'tas, he said, "You monitor the systems. I will control this machine."
"Understood," R'tas nodded. "Once we reach the weapon I intend to use, I'll retake command."
"Agreed."
With that, Thel began driving the Wraith inland, while R'tas monitored the systems to make sure they were still operational. The Revenants and Spectres began to move further ahead. Without any orders, they assumed a scouting formation, with the Spectres taking the lead, while the Revenants moved to ensure they had supporting fire.
As they drove onward, Thel took a moment to look around the area. Much of the area was as he had seen when he exited: large stone columns that were spaced throughout the canyon at random intervals. Some of the columns were flat topped, and had plants growing on them, changing them into buttes, with some of them large enough that they could provide cover.
His idle reverie was interrupted when he spotted a sensor contact, only for the contact to disappear. He was about to ask what was wrong when R'tas said, "The canyon walls and buttes inside interfere with the sensors. We will have to rely on visual acquisition in order to assault the Brutes."
Just as he said this, trouble emerged. As they rounded a bend in the canyon, Thel spotted a pair of Covenant Ghosts moving rapidly towards them. Fortunately, one of the Revenants had managed to catch sight of them too, as it quickly fired on them. Magenta colored bolus' of plasma flew through the air, smashing into the Ghosts moments later.
Said Ghosts were instantly immolated by the bolus' of super heated plasma. One Ghost outright exploded, it's chassis fragmenting into hundreds of smaller fragments from the plasma, while the other was ripped in half, it's pilot vaporized by the intense heat. "An excellent fight!" Thel heard the driver of that vehicle crow over the BattleNet.
"Stay focused," R'tas ordered. "Do not clutter the BattleNet with idle chatter. The Brutes will likely have sent more forces ahead of us."
True to form, R'tas words proved accurate, as Thel spotted more Ghosts, as well as hostile Revenants that were up ahead. Targeting the Revenants, he fired the Wraith's Plasma Mortar, spewing superheated balls of plasma at the hostile contacts. While the Revenants could handle moderately heavy firepower, they were unable to withstand the firepower a Wraith could bring to bear.
One exploded as the plasma bolus connected, showering the area with fragments of nanolaminate and other exotic alloys. One managed to fire off a shot, with Thel bracing for impact. The interior shuddered as the bolus impacted, with the two inside being shaken around by the force of the impact. In retaliation, Thel fired the Wraith's gun again, blasting apart the offending vehicle.
As they drove forwards, they eventually reached a clearing up ahead. Here, Thel noticed a break in the canyon wall to his left; where there should've been sandstone and limestone, there was nothing but open air. It must have formed naturally like this, he thought to himself. Still I wonder if -
Before he could finish his thoughts, he spotted a shape that he knew well: a Phantom. Probably an ally, he thought to himself. The VTOL quickly rose into view, then did something that threw him off at first: it fired all of it's weapons at the Wraith. Throwing the control yoke to the side, Thel narrowly avoided the worst of the attack, though the chassis still shuddered from plasma bolts that managed to connect.
Firing the Plasma Mortar, he watched as the first bolus missed. May the gods damn this thing, he snarled inwardly. This Wraith was intended for destroying ground vehicles, not an aerial target that moves around too much! Thinking of an idea, he decided to lead the target, firing a bolus at where he thought the Phantom was going to be.
It turned out to be the right idea. This time, the bolus smashed into the nanolaminate armor of the Phantom, shaking the thing around as though it was flying through a hurricane. Smiling, Thel continued to lead the target, hitting another bolus onto the Phantom.
Realizing it was in danger of being destroyed, the pilot of the Phantom quickly pulled back, while throwing the vehicle into an evasive pattern. While it made things more difficult, Thel was still able to predict where it was going to be at most of the time. As such, he smiled when the Phantom exploded, hurling pieces of it's chassis everywhere.
As soon as the battle was over, he noticed another detail that he'd overlooked in the fight. Off in the distance, he could see a CCS-class Battlecruiser, no doubt controlled by the Brutes. R'tas, though, tapped him on the shoulder. "Arbiter, look here," he instructed.
Looking at the camera feed, Thel spotted the weapon that R'tas had found. "Is that -?"
"Yes," R'tas nodded. "The Scarab's main gun will break through the Control Room's door. At the far end of the beach is a passage that will take you up to the Scarab. As for the cruiser that you just saw, the Brutes, as you have already guessed, control it. I will remain here in order to prevent any reinforcements from following behind you, then I'm going to take that cruiser back! Good luck, Arbiter!"
Nodding, Thel quickly clambered out, landing on the sandy ground feet first. Looking past the Scarab, Thel noticed a doorway set into the cliff at the end of the canyon, likely the only way up. Unfortunately, he spotted Brutes that were there as well. "Warriors, purge the Brutes!" he ordered.
The moment he said that, the other Sangheili and their allies, most of whom were still in the vehicles, opened fire. At that point, it was a massacre, with the Brutes being torn apart in gruesome fashion. It wasn't long before most of the Brutes were dead, their bodies melted into grotesque forms, or turned to ash by the intense heat.
Weapon drawn, Thel moved up, just in time to see more Brutes coming out of the doorway. One of them, to his surprise, was wearing what appeared to be armor of some kind. It was a beautiful, burnished bronze color, with the armor covering most of the Brute's body. The helmet was also quite protective, with only a thin slit allowing one to see outside of it.
That was when another surprise happened. Before he could act, the Brute fired… directly at his fellow Brutes. Roars of shock and rage at the betrayal filled the air as the Brutes turned to engage their new foe, only to be stabbed in the back by Thel and the others. Within seconds, all of the Brutes were dead.
Thel was about to take aim when the armored Brute said, "Stay your weapon, Arbiter! I do not wish to fight you."
"How can I trust you?" Thel asked. "For all I know, you are a hidden dagger that seeks to pierce through my flesh and into my body."
"My only friend was a Sangheili," the Brute replied. "When the Prophets began to slaughter them, his death was one that nearly shattered my resolve. I only pretended to work with the other Brutes so that I could have my revenge."
"Who killed him?"
"Tartarus," the Brute replied, spitting the name out like it was poison. "My Chieftain may be strong, but he is not as wise as he would claim to be. He is nothing but a monster, a monster that would see all of our kind slaughtered for a lie!"
"I take it that you encountered Xhov?" 'Refumee asked, having walked up to where Thel was at.
"No," the Brute replied, "but I have heard his teachings. I went to the same Forerunner Dreadnought when I was young, and spoke with it's Oracle. It too, revealed the truth to me. I have been hiding it until now." Placing his Spiker onto the ground, the Brute got down onto both knees and said, "I have spoken in my defense. My life, is in your hands now, Arbiter."
While a part of Thel wanted to kill the Brute for his species crimes, a much more reasonable part of him spoke up, telling him to stay his hand. The more Thel considered the Brutes words, the more his act of betrayal against the Covenant made sense. After a few seconds, he said, "Very well. I will let you live, but make no mistake, if you betray me…"
"I won't," the Brute replied. "You can be assured of that." Standing up, he took up his weapon and said, "My name is Throrang. My weapon is at your command, Arbiter."
Nodding at that, Thel proceeded forwards. Leaning in towards Bero, he said, "Keep an eye on him. If he shows signs of betrayal, silence him."
"I do no think he will betray us," Bero replied, "but I will watch him." With that assured, the others began to move up.
Moving through the hallways, they entered a larger room that led to another chamber up ahead, though this room had a divider in the middle. On top of that, there were cargo crates that had been rearranged to form a makeshift barrier. Two Mgalekgolo were standing on either side, while a SpecOps Sangheili was in the center, Plasma Rifles ready in the event hostiles came through the door. His armor was covered in scratch marks, and dents, likely from the Brutes that had tried to kill him.
Upon spotting the team coming in, his eyes widened from a mixture of shock and relief. "The Arbiter?!" he gasped. "I thought he was dead!" Turning to the Hunters, he said, "Hold your fire!" Clambering over the crates, he said, "Arbiter, it brings joy to my hearts to see you alive and well. When we heard of your disappearance, we assumed the worst."
"I felt the same as well," Thel replied. Looking at the two Hunters, he asked, "What about them?"
"These Lekgolo have come to our aid," the Sangheili replied. "They saved my life when the Brutes attempted to kill me. When they invaded this chamber, they drove them back outside. They will fight by our side. I can vouch for them."
"There is no need," Thel replied. "If they wish to fight alongside us, then they are welcome to do so." Turning to the Hunters, he said, "Are you ready to help us drive the Brutes out?"
The Mgalekgolo's response was more felt than heard, though the reply was clear. "We will fight by your side," they replied. "The Jiralhanae will flee at our unity and strength." Taking that as a yes, Thel nodded, before they began to move forward.
Moving forwards, the entered a long corridor, past which was what appeared to be a cave. A narrow, but deep, chasm cut through the middle, with a short bridge being the only way across. Unfortunately, Brutes were present, with one of them manning a Shade Turret. "Elites!" one Brute shouted. "Silence them! Do not let them pass!"
With that, an intense firefight broke out. The Hunters, more than eager to spill Brute blood, charged forwards, loud roars coming from them as they charged ahead. The Brute manning the Shade Turret only had enough time to look with wide eyes before the first Hunter smashed into the Shade Turret. The entire upper half was promptly sheered away from the lower half, with the canopy, and Brute, being hurled down the chasm.
The second Hunter quickly went to work too. Despite being a massive, lumbering beast, it showed a surprising level of agility, as it smashed aside a Brute before stomping on it's head, crushing it in an instant. On top of that, the Brutes had to deal with the others. Thel roared as his plasma rifle tore into the Brutes, while the others filled the air with carbine rounds and projectiles from other weapons.
Moving through the door on the other side, Thel found himself crossing a bridge that led to the rest of the place. He was about to move forwards when he heard a familiar chittering sound. Moments later, Drones swarmed through the air, their chittering angry and loud as they flew around.
Thel was about to fire when Bero said, "Wait, Arbiter. I have an idea, one that will spare us bloodshed." Before Thel could ask, he watched as Bero's eyes rolled upwards into his head, before they closed.
For Bero, the experience was a truly unique one. As his mind spread outwards, he could sense the thoughts and minds of the others around him. Thel's mind, he noted, was orderly and logical, with everything in it's proper place. The minds of the Unggoy were chaotic and simple, while those of the T'Vao were cunning and unpredictable. The Mgalekgolo were like a chorus of musicians, each one singing in a unified symphony that would bring tears to even the most hardened soldier.
That was when he touched the minds of the Yanme'e, the Drones. To his surprise, he noticed that their minds were like voices that were constantly speaking to one another. He could also sense that they communicated through scents and other subtle means of communication. The one thing that caught his attention the most, though, was that they were just like him in one regard. They are also telepathic, he realized. But they also communicate through their wings, pheromones and chittering.
With that in mind, he reached out to them. Hello, he asked. Can you hear me? Can you understand me?
A response wasn't long in coming. We hear your thoughts, came a single, feminine voice, which he noted was the Drone carrying a Plasma Rifle. Why do you wish to harm our masters?
They seek to destroy our species, Bero replied. Please, I beg of you, do not listen to them. They would see your hives subjugated and destroyed by their hand. With that in mind, he showed them the memories of his encounter with the Gravemind, as well as what he had learned since.
To say that the Yanme'e present were surprised was an understatement. After a moment, they said, It seems as though you speak the truth. We will allow you through, but we will not assist you until the Oracle confirms this. One of our own will travel with you.
That is all that I ask, Bero replied. Thank you for considering my words.A moment later, he withdrew his mind, before his eyes opened and returned to their original positions. Turning to Thel, he asked, "How long was I speaking to them?"
"Only for a few seconds," Thel replied.
"I see," Bero remarked. "The Drones will let us pass, but they will send one of their own with us to learn if we speak the truth." As he said this, a single Drone that had a reddish-brown carapace flew over to them, before coming to rest on one of the Hunters.
"That is all we can hope for at this point," Thel decided. With that, they proceeded forwards, weapons at the ready.
. . .
While this was going on, Sergeant Johnson watched as the Brutes guarding them paced. Both eyes were watching them closely, with the Sergeant working out flaws in their routines and movements. No opportunity yet, he thought, but one'll spring up soon.
So far, the plan was turning out quite well, and it was only a matter of time before it would fully come to fruition. As the minutes ticked by, he felt the cuffs that were around his hands. I've undone the locking mechanism, but the Brutes don't know that, he thought. Once the signal comes, I'll make a break for the Scarab, while the others use their concealed weapons to cause some damage.
As he thought this, he noticed that one of the Brutes was talking. He couldn't make out the dialogue, but he did notice that the other Brutes were preparing their weapons. "Will we need the other one?" he heard the Brute that was talking ask, his translator finally coming fully online.
"Mine will do," came the reply. "Kill the others."
"Yes, Chieftain," the first one replied. Turning to the others, he said, "A day's rations say I can do this in one cut." He placed his Spiker onto a Marine's neck as he said this."
"Two cuts at le -" That Brute's reply was promptly interrupted when a plasma bolt zipped through his skull. The Brute's brain exploded as the water inside it's cells flash-boiled, splattering brain matter and bone fragments everywhere.
"Elites!" another Brute shouted.
Now's our chance, Johnson realized as he spotted Elites and other aliens coming through the corridor he was facing. "Now!" he shouted. "GO, GO, GO!"
In a burst of movement, Sergeant Stacker and Banks, two of the UNSC personnel that were being held captive, busted out concealed sidearms and opened fire, filling the air with percussive weapons fire. At the same time, Johnson turned about face and ran as fast as he could, his legs pumping as powerfully as possible. In a few seconds, he leaped the gap between the Scarab and the ledge, landing on the vehicle with a muted thump before dashing for the cockpit.
Thel had to admit, the Human's plan had worked out quite well. The moment he and his forces had gotten through the door after liberating the Sangehili and other dissidents held by the Brutes, the Humans had pulled out concealed handguns and opened fire. The chaos of the surprise attack, combined with his arrival, had thrown the Brutes into disarray. It wasn't long before they were dead.
Looking at the Scarab, he frowned as it turned around, it's main weapon pointing directly at him. "Listen," he heard the Human inside say to him, "you don't like me, and I sure as hell don't like you. But if we don't do something, Mohawk's gonna activate this ring, and we're all gonna die."
"Tartarus has sealed the Control Room doors," Thel cautiously replied.
"Well, I just happen to have a key," Johnson beamed, priming the main gun without firing it. "Come on. Grab a Banshee and give me some cover. He's gonna know we're coming."
Nodding, Thel watched as a pair of Banshee's approached. Turning to Bero, he said, "Can we trust the Human?"
"What choice do we have?" Bero replied.
"Can you not read his mind?"
"I can, but telepathy takes considerable amounts of energy. I do not want to use it all the time if I don't have to."
"Fair enough."
With that, they waited for the Banshees to arrive. Looking around, Thel said, "Bero, 'Refumee, you will come with me. As he said this, the two Banshees arrived, landing as soon as they came to a stop. Without another word, Thel got into one, while Bero and 'Refumee did the same as well. Gunning the throttles, Thel turned the Banshee around and began to fly up into the air.
For the first few minutes of their journey was fairly silent, with not much going on. Thel was about to make conversation when he heard the Scarab's main cannon fire. "Hah!" Johnson shouted. "How do you like that!" Looking towards the ground, Thel spotted the cause for the weapons discharge: a single Wraith that was now nothing more than a molten puddle of slag, polymers, and dead Brute.
"Banshees!" Bero warned.
"Take them out," Thel calmly ordered as he spotted them. Accelerating, Thel tracked one Banshee, firing the Plasma Repeaters on his before launching a Fuel Rod. Moments later, he pulled away, the enemy Banshee exploding as the munition penetrated it's hull.
It went on like this until they reached the beach that they had arrived at earlier. As the Scarab came to a stop, Johnson said, "Stay clear of the doors!" As soon as Thel and the others had gotten out of the way, he said, "Hey! Bastards! Knock-knock." Moments later, the main gun on the Scarab opened fire.
Thel watched as a beam of pure energy zipped through the air at a fraction of the speed of light. Within milliseconds, it smashed into the doors for the Control Room, denting and fracturing them, but not penetrating them. With another blast, the doors shattered, blasting apart into thousands of different pieces. What a terrible waste, Thel thought as he and the others flew towards the doors, but a necessary one.
. . .
Inside of the Control Room, Miranda Keyes knew it wouldn't be long before she would be forced to comply. She could already feel the Brute holding her by the neck breathing down said neck. "Come, Human. It is easy," Tartarus said to her, "Take the Icon in your hands and do as you are told!" With that, he roughly shoved her against the console, while hammering the Icon down onto said console.
"Please, use caution!" Guilty Spark pleaded, concerned for Miranda's safety. "This Reclaimer is delicate!"
"One more word, Oracle, and I'll rip your eye from it's socket!" Tartarus thundered, his patience reaching it's limits. Turning to Miranda, he snarled, "Which is nothing compared to what I'll do to you."
Just then, he heard a voice that made his eyes go wide with shock. "Tartarus, stop."
"Impossible!" he gasped, losing his composure for the briefest of seconds. Turning around, he found, much to his shock, that Thel 'Vadamee was still alive.
"Put the Icon down," Thel ordered firmly.
"Put it down?" Tartarus asked in disbelief. "And disobey the Hierarchs?"
"There are things about Halo that even the Hierarchs do not understand," Thel replied.
Several Brutes growled and began to advance forwards, only for Tartarus to stop them. "Take care, Arbiter," he warned Thel. "What you speak of is heresy."
"Is it?" Thel asked. Turning towards Guilty Spark, he said, "Oracle, what is Halo's purpose?"
"Collectively, the seven -"
Before Guilty Spark could finish, Tartarus seized it with both hands. "No!" he shouted, "Not another word!"
"Hey," came another voice. Behind Thel, Johnson approached the group, a Sniper Rifle in his hands. "Don't shake the light bulb." As the Brutes began to growl and advance forwards, he said, "If you wanna keep those brains inside your head, I'd tell those boys to chill." Growling, Tartarus had the others calm down. "Go ahead, son."
"The Sacred Rings," Thel asked Guilty Spark. "What are they?"
"Weapons of last resort," Guilty Spark replied, "built by the Forerunners to eliminate potential Flood hosts, thereby rendering the Flood harmless."
"And those that made the rings? What happened to the Forerunners?"
"After exhausting every other strategic option, my creators activated the rings. They, and all additional lifeforms within three radii of the galactic center, died as planned. Would you… like to see the relevant data?"
The moment Guilty Spark said this, Thel bowed his head, both in shame, as well as horror. So, the Gravemind was right, he realized. 'Refumee was right. The Prophets have lied to us. The Forerunners did not ascend to godhood; they died to stop the Parasite. As he bowed, Johnson noticed what he thought were tears coming from Thel's eyes, tears of shame, sadness and regret. Looking up at Tartarus, Thel said, "Tartarus, the Prophets have betrayed us."
Tartarus paused, almost as if he was considering Guilty Sparks words, then in a howl of rage, he threw the Monitor at Johnson. Unable to dodge in time, Johnson was knocked cleanly over onto his back. Grabbing the Index from Miranda, Tartarus roughly slammed it into the slot on the console. "No, Arbiter!" he roared. "The Great Journey has begun, and the Brutes, not the Elites, shall be the Prophet's escort!"
"Oh really?" Miranda Keyes asked dubiously. Tartarus was about to whirl around when it happened. To his, and Thel's shock, the Index was promptly ejected into the air. For a few seconds, it twirled through the air before hitting the ground. The moment it did, it shattered into thousands of pieces.
Tartarus was so shocked that he was silent, and motionless for a full two seconds. Even Thel, who had learned of the truth, was shocked by what he saw. Then, a loud bang ripped through the air.
Tartarus clutched at his chest as blood erupted from it, before two more shots cut through the air. "Surprise, motherfucker!" Miranda shouted as she opened fire, blasting Tartarus' brains out onto the ground. At the same time, Johnson, who had gotten up at this point, dropped his sniper rifle and pulled out his handgun, firing on the Brutes. Taken completely by surprise, the Brutes were instantly overwhelmed, each one dropping dead in just two seconds.
Looking at the pile of powder that was the Index, Thel examined it before saying, "How? I-I do not understand. I thought that was -"
"The Index," Miranda Keyes finished. "Aesthetically, it was identical to the Index. In actuality, it was a copy, a clever forgery of the real thing, which is now in Star League hands."
"How is this possible?" Bero asked.
"Mostly because of me," came another reply. Moments later, another human being shimmered out of thin air, his active camouflage fading away. While his helmet hid his face, it was clear that he was a soldier, and a deadly one at that.
"Agent Stennings?" Miranda Keyes asked, surprised. "How'd you manage to get in here before the Brutes did?"
"I didn't," Stennings replied. "I followed the Elites inside when I was dropped off by a cloaked VTOL. It's good to see, though, that Operation FALSE ASCENSION was a complete success."
"FALSE ASCENSION?" Thel asked, confused.
"A plan the Star League and UNSC developed in the event something like this happened," Miranda replied. "When we recovered the Index from the first Halo, the Star League realized that there were likely other Halo's out there, and accompanying Indexes as well."
"That," Agent Stennings added, "led Cortana and my boss, Admiral Chernenko, to develop a plan to fool the Covenant into thinking they had the Index to buy us time to find the real Indexes and secure them. The main part of the plan was to create clever forgeries using data on the first one. When Miranda Keyes retrieved the Index, she hid it inside one of the destroyed Sentinel Enforcers, while retrieving the false Index at the same time. I recovered it once the late Tartarus had recovered it, while attempting to kill you, Arbiter, and capturing Miranda and Johnson."
Upon hearing that, Thel realized just how brilliant the Star League's plan had been. Before he knew it, a peal of laughter erupted from his throat. "You had us fooled from the very start!" he realized. "Well played, Human. Well played."
"Indeed," Stennings nodded. Looking at 'Refumee, he said, "Good to see you're around. I take it that was a surprise, yes?"
"It was," 'Refumee nodded. "Even though I knew of the plan, it was still a surprise." Turning to Thel, he said, "Now do you doubt my words?"
"No," Thel replied.
Before 'Refumee could reply, a sound from the console drew their attention. Turning around, they watched as the holograms faded away, replaced with a single holographic icon that was blinking. "What's that?" Miranda asked.
"A beacon," Guilty Spark replied.
"What's it doing?"
"Communicating. At superluminal speeds, with a frequency of -"
"Communicating with what?" Stennings interrupted.
"The… other installations," Guilty Spark replied, a little surprised.
"Show us," Stennings ordered.
With that, Guilty Spark brought up more holograms. These showed the other installations, all of which had a single, orange colored glyph over each one. "Failsafe protocols," Guilty Spark explained. "In the event of unexpected shutdown, or an failed, unauthorized attempt such as the one the dead Meddler attempted, the entire system will move to standby status. All remaining installations are now primed for remote activation."
"Remote activation?" Miranda Keyes asked, surprised. "From where?"
"Don't be ridiculous," Guilty Spark remarked in a patronizing tone.
"Listen, tinker bell," Johnson growled. "Don't make me -"
Miranda, moving close, placed a hand on Johnson's shoulder, getting him to stop. Looking at Guilty Spark, she asked, "Then where? Where would someone go to activate the other installations?"
Guilty Spark was silent for a moment as he considered what the appropriate answer would be. Upon deciding an appropriate response, he said, "Why, the Ark, of course."
"And where, Oracle, is that?" Thel asked.
. . .
Onboard the UNSC Cairo, Admiral Hood was extremely busy. His hands were moving rapidly over holographic consoles as he helped Chernenko coordinate their efforts against the Covenant. Once more, they were attacking Earth, with the UNSC and SLDF fleets working rapidly to keep them away from the planet.
I don't know how much longer we can keep this up, he thought as the Cairo destroyed another CAS-class Assault Carrier with it's Super MAC. We're starting to lose WarShips, and a few ODP's. It won't be long before they punch through our defensive network and land on the planet. While the Star League did send reinforcements, we might not be able to keep them away from the planet.
As he continued to help coordinate the defense, he heard one of his officers say, "Admiral, we've got a new contact. Unknown classification."
Looking at the scan of the contact, Hood frowned upon seeing it's profile. "It isn't one of ours," he decided. "Shoot it down."
Moments later, he heard a voice that he didn't think he'd hear again. "This is SPARTAN-117. Can anyone hear me? Over."
The moment he heard that voice, Hood knew who it was. How did he get back here? Is he onboard that thing, he thought. "Isolate that signal!" he ordered. "Master Chief? You mind telling me what you're doing on that ship?!"
All he got were four words in response. "Sir, finishing this fight."