Hello again, everyone, and welcome to my Halo - Terminator crossover. The poll that I've started has concluded, and I am very happy to say that two story suggestions have won the vote. The first is a Star Wars - Halo crossover, and the second is a Star Wars - MechWarrior/BattleTech crossover, both of which I will be writing once my Halo - Terminator crossover is completed. The runner ups were a Halo - Destiny Crossover, a Destiny - MechWarrior/BattleTech crossover and finally, an Inheritance Cycle - MechWarrior/BattleTech crossover. Thank you for your input. I deeply appreciate the feedback that I have gotten, and I hope you had a fun time voting too. As always, leave a review and enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or Terminator franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of Microsoft Game Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, Carolco Pictures, Hemdale, Skydance Productions, 20th Century Fox, Lightstorm Entertainment, etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers, producers 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 their original composers and/or artists.
Lesser Ark
Exiting Slipstream Space Tunnel
November 20th, 2552
After over two weeks of traveling through the slipstream space portal, R'tas was starting to wonder when they would arrive at the Lesser Ark. Getting out of his bunk in the Captain's Quarters, he slipped into the 'fresher and turned on the water, allowing the automated cleaning systems to massage his scaly skin. A sigh of relief escaped his mandibles as warm water ran down his back. As he cleaned himself off, he remembered the events that had happened after their meeting. Once it was decided on what they were going to do, he had returned to his warship in order to assemble his troops and make sure they were ready for the mission ahead.
When he got aboard, he was surprised to see the Human's 'Terminators' loading up crates of what appeared to be weapons. When he inquired as to what they were, he learned that SKYNET's phased plasma weaponry was superior, in every category, to what the Sangheili had designed and built over the thousands of years of membership they had in the Covenant, membership that had recently ended. As a result, SKYNET decided that the best possible way to increase the efficiency of the Sangheili warriors was to arm them with advanced weaponry. In order to ensure that no Sangheili that defected back to the Covenant, or went rouge, could use these weapons, SKYNET had modified the weapons with built-in security measures that would prevent unauthorized usage. While he was more comfortable with the weaponry that he and his people had used for thousands of years after joining the Covenant, R'tas realized that SKYNET did have a point. While phased plasma weaponry had only recently come into use for the UNSC, he had witnessed how powerful it was during his encounters with the Human's military forces, particularly on Installation 04, when the UNSC had completely replaced it's arsenal with the powerful plasma weapons. As a result, he had relented, and allowed SKYNET's machines to load up the new weapons.
During the two weeks of travel through the Slipstream Space Tunnel that the Generator on Reach had created, he had taken the necessary time to practice with the weaponry in order to get a feel for it. To his amazement, SKYNET was correct in it's assessment, in that it's phased plasma weapons were superior to to the plasma weaponry that the Covenant, and Sangheili Separatists, made use of. Most plasma bolts from Covenant, and Sangheili, weaponry moved around 125m/s, which was slow enough that a combatant could dodge the bolts if they worked at it. They also had a globular shape and they lost most of their kinetic and thermal energy over the first 100 meters. In direct contrast, plasma bolts from SKYNET designed weaponry tended to move between 700-1,100m/s depending on the weapon being used. This meant no one could dodge the bolts, even if they tried to do so. In addition, the plasma bolts from phased plasma weaponry had laser-like coherence, meaning the bolts were like cylinders with rounded ends, rather than being globular in shape. The bolts moved fast enough that they had a similar kinetic energy as their ballistic counterparts, with the bolts from an MA5E having roughly 25% more kinetic energy than the older M118 Ball round used by the MA5B, MA5C and MA5D. This, combined with the high thermal energy from the superheated hydrogen plasma, meant that SKYNET designed weapons were equally effective against energy shields, armor and flesh. To R'tas, it explained why such weaponry was highly effective against Flood Combat Forms and Pure Forms.
A quiet beeping sound interrupted his train of thought, alerting him to the fact that he needed to finish up quickly. Rinsing his body off, he got out of the 'fresher and dried himself off, before looking at himself in the mirror. His fingers idly brushed the two mandibles that were now stumps against his face, a permanent reminder of his fight with Bero when the younger Sangheili was temporarily controlled by the Flood, or Parasite as his people called them. He still felt occasional twinges of pain, which he knew was the phantom pain that most amputees felt after losing a limb, though he knew that if he had to fight that battle again, he would willingly trade those mandibles once more for victory. If SKYNET can make Sangheili Terminators that look exactly like an organic being, then it can find a way to grow replacement mandibles, he decided.
Getting out of the small bathroom, he looked around to see another crate that had been dropped off in his quarters. Opening it up, he found what appeared to be body armor inside, though he knew it wasn't his normal suit of armor. Instead of the white colored Combat Harness that most Sangheili Ultra's tended to wear, this armor was matte silver in color, with angular armor plating inside, as well as a black body suit that he could tell was reinforced, as he saw lines that would follow his musculature once he put it on. Noticing a small data pad, he picked it up and began using it. Using Human data pads was difficult for a Sangheili, due to the two thumbs they had on their hands, and the two, elongated fingers that filled the hand out. As a result, he struggled with the 'pad for a few seconds before finally pulling up what appeared to be a text document. It simply read, "Your armor was not an efficient design. This armor will suit you better for your rank – Anonymous."
Smirking at the note, he began quickly putting his new Combat Harness on. He found that it was comfortable, with the suit easily conforming to his body, while being easy to move around in. It was also surprisingly lightweight, weighing less than his older nanolaminate suit. In addition, the placement of the armor plates meant that he had maximum protection while retaining his range of movement. This is surprisingly comfortable to use, he thought as he flexed and moved around in his new Combat Harness. I barely feel the weight, and it appears to be highly protective. I can even more around with less effort than my older armor. If this is SKYNET's doing, then I have to compliment the machine. As he made sure everything was fitted properly, he heard the COM in his helmet chime. Keying it, he asked, "Yes?"
"Fleet Master, we are approaching the end of the Slipstream Space Tunnel," another Sangheili informed him. "In addition, the Human Admiral and General are requesting your presence."
I see, R'tas thought. A moment later, he said, "Tell them that I will not be long. I am on my way." Closing the COM channel, he got up, grabbed his new weaponry, and walked out of the Captain's Quarters, before moving towards the bridge. As he walked along the purple and blue hued halls of the warship, he could see many things that showed him the changed reality he was living in. In addition to Huragok, he could see SKYNET drones that were busy making sure each part of the ship was operating at full capacity. Feelings something rub against his leg, he was surprised to see a large machine shaped into the likeness of a wolf, an animal from the Human's homeworld. Curious, he patted the creature, running an armored hand over the skin on it's chassis. Apparently, that was what it wanted, as it happily barked before running off. Strange, he thought as he proceeded on. Reaching the bridge, he could see two Sangheili that were guarding the area. These, he learned, were Terminators that were designed to look exactly like Sangheili; they would've been sent to infiltrate High Charity and Sangheili society, but the recent Schism meant that they had been assigned as his personal guard, even though he felt he didn't need protection. Walking inside, he settled into the Command Chair and pulled up the holographic COM-links. Two screens came up, one showing General Connor and another showing Admiral Hood. "Greetings," R'tas cordially replied. "I take it you wish to finalize the last few details."
"Good guess," Connor nodded. "We're about to emerge from the Slipstream Space Tunnel. According to Guilty Spark, he'll request schematics of the place from the Monitor of the Lesser Ark. Once that's done, we can plan out an attack more thoroughly."
"Agreed," R'tas nodded. As soon as he did, the ships emerged from the Slipstream Space Tunnel and over the Lesser Ark. The Lesser Ark was shaped in a manner similar to that of an eight petal flower, with a central area that extended outwards into eight arms, each one bending upwards somewhat. The center of the Lesser Ark was empty, save for a large spherical object that sat in the center of the installation. On the insides of the arms, which were facing upwards, he could see blue oceans, green continents and towering mountain ranges, all separated from other areas of the installation by silver lines that disturbed the border-less beauty of each area. It's beautiful, he thought to himself, his eyes widened in awe and appreciation at the sight. If the Forerunners were capable of this, then I wonder what else they were capable of, and since the Humans are the Reclaimers, they are going to earn all of this as their rightful inheritance. While he felt a little jealous at that, he knew that if the Sangheili were going to become allies, then it was likely that Humanity might share that inheritance with them as well.
His silent awe was interrupted when he heard Hood ask, "Fleet Master, are you still with us?"
Shaking his head slightly, R'tas said, "My apologies. I was… distracted by the beauty of the sight. It will not happen again."
"Good," Hood nodded. "Guilty Spark just contacted the Monitor of the Lesser Ark. The good news is that we've got access to the schematics for the place. The bad news is that the Covenant beat us to the area. Still, if Guilty Spark is correct, they can't activate the Halo Array unless they abduct one of our own."
"I see," R'tas nodded. "Can I see the map for the Lesser Ark?" As soon as he asked that, he was presented with a holographic map of the entire place. From what he could tell, most of the Covenant were interested in a particular segment of the Lesser Ark, on the portion that they were directly over as a matter of fact. Zooming in on that particular segment, he could see red blips, which indicated Covenant forces, that were scattered throughout a sandy area, as well as an area that was near the shore of a large, artificial ocean. Looking at those areas, he said, "Good. General Connor, are you listening?"
"Yes," Connor replied. "What is it?"
"Most of the Covenant are interested in this one, particular area for some strange reason. It would do well for you to concentrate most of your forces where they have landed. I wouldn't worry too much about the strength of your forces. Given the way Brutes think, it will be easy to eliminate them."
"In your experience, yes. However, I know from personal experience that brute force won't cut it in this situation. Here's the plan: We'll split the ground forces into two groups, namely Alpha and Bravo. Task Force Alpha will engage the Covenant that are in the sandy area located here. Once they've done so, they will converge on this ocean side area here and eliminate any Covenant in the area. Task Force Bravo will head to any other areas on the Lesser Ark that the Covenant are interested in. If I was the Prophet of Truth, and I'm not, I would be in the area that Task Force Alpha is going to handle."
"An astute observation." Looking at Hood, R'tas asked, "What is your plan?"
"We'll assist your fleet in destroying any warships that the Covenant have brought along with them," Hood replied. "You'll be the main attack force in that case. Should any Brute controlled fleets arrive, you'll be the hammer and we'll be the anvil. While you engage the Brutes head on, we'll hammer them from the sides and rear in an encirclement maneuver. Once any Covenant fleets have been eliminated, we'll repair and rearm while landing ground troops."
"A sound plan," R'tas nodded.
As soon as he said that, one of his men said, "Fleet Master, incoming Covenant warships! They outnumber us three to one!" As he said this, R'tas caught sight of the Covenant fleet that was coming in.
"Then it is an even fight," he decided. Keying the fleet-wide COM, he said, "To all warships, engage the Brutes and their warships. Burn their mongrel hides!" As soon as he said this, he heard a roar from the other Sangheili as they cheered him on, their bloodlust becoming stronger with each moment. Looking outside, he watched as the Human ships disappeared, only to reappear behind the Brute fleet. They are holding true to their word, he thought as the Human warships prepared to fire on the Brutes. There's one more thing I must do. Keying his COM, he said, "Zealot 'Kusovai to the Bridge. I have a mission for you."
. . .
Onboard the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn, Chief was performing a final check on his weaponry inside a Pelican, making sure that the weapon systems were fully operational. During the two weeks that he had until they got to the Lesser Ark, he had made sure that Blue Team was ready to go, with the team running simulations to make sure their combat prowess had not faded during the half-month long transit time. Fortunately, their fight with the Covenant during the Battle of Earth and the Second Battle of Reach had ground off any rust they had in their skillset, as they easily completed each simulation with minimal losses. That is to be expected from Blue Team, he thought.
During this time, Cortana had briefed Chief on one of the more unusual members of the Sangheili Separatists, a Sangheili named Bero 'Kusovai. When he heard that Bero had survived being infected by the Flood, and had gained preternatural abilities from the experience, he was naturallyskeptical. It wasn't until R'tas shared some footage with Cortana that he saw what she meant. He found that Bero's ability to shape-shift was extremely useful, as it meant that he was able to perfectly mimic any organism that he came across. All he needed to do was physically touch them in order to gain a sample of their DNA, which his body would replicate in order to allow him to change into that species. The downside, however, was that shape-shifting required high levels of energy to perform, though this requirement tended to decrease the more often he used this ability, similar to how muscles became stronger and more efficient the more they were exercised. Another unusual quirk was that he wasn't able to shape-shift into a Human for unknown reasons. According to Bero himself, when he attempted to do so, he was not only unable to do so, he was immediately incapacitated by crippling pain, which sent him tumbling to the floor, writhing and screaming in agony. It was only after two minutes that the pain faded, after which, he never attempted to mimic a Human being again. Another one of his unusual abilities was his telepathy, which he had gained during their trek to Delta Halo's Library. Not only could he sense the thoughts and emotions of other organisms around him, he could communicate with those organisms as well with his mind. It was also predicted that, if his telepathy became stronger, he could use his mind to control other organisms as easily as his own body, though he did remark that he found the possibility repulsive.
As a result, Chief had designated Bero as a priority target in the event that he went rouge. While it wasn't likely that he would turn on them, Chief wanted to be prepared in the event that did happen. As he made sure his gear was ready, he looked up to see the people that were with him as well. It was decided that he would be going with some ODST's, as Major Silva was more than willing to donate some of his people to Chief's command. In that regard, he knew who was going to do what. According to Connor, he would go with Thel 'Vadam, otherwise known as the Arbiter, while the ODST's that Silva had lent to the mission would go with them. Blue Team and a few others would handle some of the other mission areas, while Noble Team would be split between Task Force Alpha and Bravo. Parsons was coming along, while William was going to be working alongside Commander Carter and Task Force Bravo.
Looking up, Chief could see Thel standing just in front of him, a hand holding a loop of cable that dangled down from brackets in the ceiling. He was no longer wearing the older Combat Harness that most Arbiters wore. Instead, he was wearing armor that was specifically designed by SKYNET as a replacement for most Sangheili Combat Harnesses. There weren't many of them around, so only high value individuals, such as Thel, were given the new harnesses. Aesthetically speaking, Thel's new armor resembled the Zealot Combat Harnesses that high ranking Sangheili wore during the First Battle of Reach, only this armor was matte gray in color and the armor plates were more angular than the older models. In addition, his body suit was reinforced, with lines following his musculature, indicating artificial muscles that would enhance his strength and reflex times. After a moment, Chief asked, "You ready?"
"I am ready," Thel nodded.
As he said this, Johnson, who was up in the cockpit, was waiting for the signal to begin the operation. As he got into the cockpit, he heard his COM chime. "Yes, ma'am," he asked on reflex.
Moments later, Miranda Keyes came in over the COM. "Sergeant, Truth's Carrier is present on the Lesser Ark. He's gone to ground."
"Then we'll follow him down there," Johnson replied. "We'll capture his ass and drag him back to Earth for a trial at the Hague. If not, we'll kill him."
"Roger that," Miranda nodded. "Good luck, Johnson."
"You too, Commander," Johnson replied. As he closed the COM, he entered the troop bay and said, "Alright, people! Get tactical; we are leaving now!" The ODST's whooped in acknowledgment, just as the Pelican detached from the Forward Unto Dawn. As they began to fly, the dropship angled downward, with the rest of the Ark coming into view moments later. As they flew downwards, UNSC Longsword fighters, SKYNET drones designed for space combat, and Sangheili Separatist Banshees and Seraph fighters flew into view, firing their weapons at incoming fighters. "Watch it," he shouted as a Covenant Banshee flew in to engage them. Spotting the incoming danger, the pilot veered hard to port, dodging an incoming stream of plasma, while an HK Aerospace Drone destroyed the pesky Banshee with a well aimed missile. Moments later, four more HK Aerospace Drones flew into formation around the Pelican, acting as their escorts as they made best speed for the planet surface. As they flew onward, they began to reenter the atmosphere, with a pale blue glow quickly becoming a fiery red-orange.
As this light show went on, Chief and the others made sure they were good to go. Patting Parsons on the shoulder, he asked, "Are you ready?"
"Affirmative," Parsons nodded. Nodding in agreement, Chief walked over to the weapon rack, located in the center of the troop bay, and pulled out an SRS-99e Sniper Rifle, slapping in a Fusion Mag before placing the weapon onto his back. In addition, he placed an MA5E onto his back as well, before pulling out an M6E and placing it on his hip holster. As he did so, the Pelican finished reentry, with the troop bay opening to reveal the exterior. The area they were landing in was a desert, with outcroppings of limestone and sandstone that interrupted the otherwise monotonous landscape. Looking outside, Chief could see wind that blew sand through the air, with large, wavy dunes having formed over the millennia of vacancy the place enjoyed.
As they flew to the LZ, Johnson said, "Alright, men. This is the plan: priority one is to clear a landing zone for the Forward Unto Dawn, so that the Commander can deploy some big toys for us to play with. Once that is complete, we will move out to the Cartographer that is located in this area. While the Monitor for this place got us the schematics, he can't give us specifics due to his programming. Only the Cartographer can, and it's located in the area we are landing at. Once we've figured out where Truth is at, we'll head over to that fat bastard's location and nail his ass to the wall. Understood?" When the others agreed, he said, "Figured as much. As soon as we land, double time it people!" Just as he said this, the Pelican slowed, before coming to a stop and landing moments later. As soon as it landed, Chief and the others quickly got out of the VTOL, before it took of moments later. Getting out, Chief looked up to see a sight that he thought he wouldn't see. To his amazement, there was a large, barred spiral galaxy that was in the sky, with the center glowing brightly, while the arms extended outwards from it. There was a small bar that he could see at the center, but it was fairly short and stubby, at least to his eyes. In actuality, he knew that barred portion was probably thousands of light-years in length. Behind him, Thel's eyes widened as he gasped in awe at the majesty of the sight, before refocusing on what he needed to do.
"Hey, check out the sky," an ODST remarked. "Is that-"
"Hey, focus," another one replied, interrupting his comrade. "We got a job to do." As they said this, Chief and the others pressed onward, with the Spartan quickly taking point as they advanced through the area. He could hear sand shifting underneath his armored boots, which turned to a dull clunking as he began to walk onto sandstone that was in the area. Spotting a tunnel, he began to move in, with small light pillars activating to provide illumination.
Apparently, a Pelican up ahead had dropped off more ODST's, as he spotted an ODST with a Sniper Rifle up ahead. "Chief, eyes on," the man said to him, motioning forwards through a cave as they moved. Moving up, Chief followed the ODST to a small bluff that overlooked the next area. The area up ahead was a sandy caldera that had a ring of Forerunner Alloy surrounding it. Wind had blown sand into the caldera, covering up most of the ring and coating everything in a layer of gritty sand. What got his attention was the Covenant AA Cannon that had been set up in the area. It wasn't powered up, as it's barrel was pointing towards the ground, but the fact that the Covenant had gotten AA defenses set up was worrying. Looking around using his helmet's zoom function, he could see Covenant forces in the area, as well as some Brutes that were present. He was about to take aim when one of the Brutes looked in his direction. Instead of alerting the others, the Brute in question began flashing a small light in his direction. Apparently, Taraeus had managed to secretly contact some other Brutes, as the Brute was using Morse Code. Decoding the flashing in his head, Chief realized the Brute was saying 'Ready on your mark.'
"Got tangos up ahead," the ODST informed him. "Looks like we've got a friendly. Covenant don't use Morse Code. Permission to engage?"
"Granted," Chief replied, getting into position himself. Once he was set up, he placed the reticule onto the head of a Brute Major that was in the area, his finger gently resting on the trigger of the weapon. As soon as the Major was looking at him, he opened fire. A phased plasma bolt quickly crossed the distance between Chief and the Brute Major, tearing into the Brute's armored helmet with ease. The ape-like alien fell to the ground dead, it's head exploding as the superheated plasma flash-cooked it's brain and flash-boiled the water and cerebrospinal fluid inside. Almost immediately, some of the Grunts and Jackals in the area were thrown into chaos, with the Brutes opening fire on Chief's position. However, they were caught completely off guard when the Brutes behind them fired on them, trapping the Covenant in a pincer maneuver that had them firing in all directions at once. Switching to his MA5E, Chief advanced forwards, with the ODST's and the others immediately attacking as well. Thel roared as he charged forwards, his Energy Sword ready as he began cutting into the Covenant furiously, while Parsons, who was behind the group, calmly fired his MA5E with the precision that only a Terminator could achieve. The fusillade was so intense that in just twenty seconds, all of the Covenant had been killed. "Area clear," Chief reported. Walking over to the Brute, he said, "Name and designation."
"Corveus, Jiralhanae Captain," was the reply. "Taraeus contacted me on an encrypted channel and asked me to rally any Brutes that wished to protect the Sangheili to our cause. It took some work, but we managed to do it. There are other Jiralhanae up ahead that wish to continue serving the Sangheili, now that they know that the Great Journey is a lie."
"Any intel on the area ahead?"
"Yes. The Brutes up ahead are loyal to the Covenant, as are their Hunters. As for the AA Cannon here, do not worry about it. We will ensure it is never activated." Looking at his comrades, he barked a few orders in a dialect that Chief's helmet failed to translate. In response, the other Brutes began to move towards the AA Cannon, before placing explosives onto the legs and parts of the chassis. Turning to Chief, Corevus said, "Follow me, Demon. We will tear the flesh from the bones of the Covenant." Nodding in agreement, Chief followed the friendly Brute, with the others following them into the cave just before the explosives detonated, sending the AA Cannon tumbling to the ground. Behind him, Thel sighed in relief, happy to see that not all Brutes were blinded by the Prophet's lies. Following Corevus, they entered another caldera, this one with a partially completed AA Cannon. A Phantom was overhead, with the rest of the AA Cannon held in a pair of gravity tethers as some Jackals directed the VTOL. More Brutes were in the area, as well as a pair of Hunters. Spotting the Jackals, Corevus took out his Spiker and fired a single shot. It was an expert shot, as it was at the range at which a Spiker lost most of it's accuracy. The spike from the weapon impaled one of the Jackals cleanly through the head, with the alien tumbling ass over teakettle off of the incomplete AA Cannon. At the same time, another friendly Brute fired a Fuel Rod Launcher at the Phantom, causing it to wobble enough that the gravity tethers disengaged. The upper half of the AA Cannon came down with a loud CRASH, smashing most of the Brutes and both Hunters in one fell swoop.
"An impressive show of marksmanship," Thel remarked.
"What can I say," Corevus remarked. "It got the job done. We have a couple more Brutes to handle, but they're Minors. Shouldn't take us long to deal with them." Just as he predicted, it didn't take them long to deal with the last of the Brutes in the area. He continued to lead them forwards, with the Brute Captain leading them up a sandy ramp that led into a hallway made of Forerunner alloy. Fortunately, the hallway was empty, allowing them to move through with little trouble. Emerging out the other side, they came to another caldera that was partially overshadowed by a massive, rocky overhang in the area. To the right, Chief could see the entrance to the rest of the rocky canyon area, while to the left, he saw a small bluff that was walled in by the rest of the outcropping. A sandy ramp led down into the area, with the caldera below filled with sand. As they advanced, he watched as an HK Aerial landed in the area, dropping off a few Arachnid HK's, as well as a Warthog with a Gauss turret. Reaching the bottom, Chief manned the Warthog, with Thel in the passenger seat while Parsons manned the turret.
As soon as as they did so, another Brute vehicle came over the rise. Unlike the Warthog, this was was much larger, with two pods that could hold one occupant at a time, as well as a center chassis that could house a driver, as well as a gunner. "Incoming," Thel shouted. "It's a Prowler! Take out the gunner first!"
"Affirmative," Parsons replied, firing the Gauss turret on the Warthog. The ferrous slug tore through the Gunner's head, causing the Brute to explode while the vehicle was jostled around by the impact. Using precision shots, he neutralized the rest of the Brutes on the Prowler, with the vehicle only sustaining minor damage before it came to a rest, unoccupied. "Get onboard," he told the others. "The Prowler will be suitable for troop transport." At his order, around four friendly Brutes manned the Prowler, with Corevus manning the pilot seat. As they did so, another HK Aerial flew in, depositing one of the IFV's that Chief had seen during the Second Battle of Reach. He was about to ask what it was when Parsons said, "That is the M25 Stallion IFV. It is designed to transport a maximum of eight Marines to the front lines. It is armed with a Light Railgun and can withstand multiple hits from a Wraith." As he said this, the ODST's manned the IFV, with the vehicle quickly driving to catch up to them.
As they drove along, Miranda came in over the COM. "Chief, clear a landing zone as soon as possible," she ordered. "The Dawn can last a couple rounds, but this is a heavyweight fight."
"Moving as quickly as possible," Chief replied. "We'll get it done." As he drove forwards, he could hear more enemy vehicles coming from up ahead. Moments later, a pair of Choppers and Ghosts appeared over the rise of a hill, firing their weapons as they boosted forwards. In response, Chief veered to the right, allowing the allied Prowler to move forwards with the Stallion IFV. The IFV's main cannon fired, sending hypersonic Gauss slugs at the two Choppers, while Chief and the friendly Brutes engaged the Ghosts. Moving the vehicle to the right, Chief smoothly drove towards the enemy Ghost, with Parsons firing a shot. The slug smashed into the Ghost's power cell, causing the enemy vehicle to detonate in an instant. Nearby, the Prowler fired on the other Ghost, with one of the passengers hurling an incendiary grenade. The Grunt on the Ghost screamed as it's body was consumed by flames, before the Gunner mercifully put it down. With all hostiles down, they continued on.
The rest of the trip was marked with pockets of Covenant forces, which were easy to neutralize as they advanced forwards. Moving through the winding canyons, they began proceeding towards a large area that the orbital scans from multiple HK Aerials had detected. Rounding a corner, Chief spotted a massive, open area that was wide and long enough to house the Forward Unto Dawn with room to spare. Some rock formations and a small caldera were present, but most of the area was flat, and covered with sand. Up ahead, Brute vehicles patrolled the area, as well as four AA Wraiths that were filling the sky with Fuel Rods that flew towards any UNSC or Sangheili controlled fighters and VTOLs. Driving forwards, Chief allowed the IFV to match his speed, before he engaged a Chopper that was directly ahead of his position, while the IFV engaged a Revenant that was nearby. Aiming the turret, Parsons fired a shot, with the precision so great that the slug flew through both the oversized wheels of the Chopper and into the pilot, blowing the Brute apart with the kinetic energy of the slug. At the same time, the IFV opened fire on the Revenant, smashing the vehicle's hull with hypersonic slugs, before one slug tore through it's nanolaminate armor, killing the vehicle immediately.
"Look out," Thel shouted, directing Chief's attention towards a Wraith that was firing at them. Moving evasively, Chief dodged an incoming plasma bolus, while Thel pulled out his new M6E, switching it to a mode he only recently noticed. Taking aim, he fired a round at the Wraith, with the plasma bolt impacting the nanolaminate hull. While it wouldn't do much on it's own in terms of damage, Thel hadn't intended to damage it. Instead, the plasma bolt, thanks to the new setting the weapon was on, generated an intense EMP field as soon as it impacted. In an instant, the Wraith fell to the ground with a loud CLUNK, with the Brute inside getting out in order to fire his weapon; before he could, Thel leaped out of the Warthog, cutting down the Brute before killing the one in the Gunner seat. Once it was dead, he leaped onto the Wraith and got inside. "I will assist with this vehicle," he informed Chief as he restarted the Wraith's systems. Seeing the brilliance of Thel's plan, Chief nodded. Now they had heavy firepower, with Thel firing on the remaining Wraith. While the enemy pilot was good, the Arbiter was even better, as he blew it apart in a few Mortar shots. After that, the AA Wraith's fell easily.
"Sierra-117 to the Forward Unto Dawn, you're cleared for landing," Chief said on the COM.
"Affirmative," Miranda replied. "We're inbound."
As she said this, one of the ODST's said, "Hey! There she is!"
"She's coming in for landing," another ODST shouted. "Get behind something. It's about to get really windy!" As soon as he said this, the Forward Unto Dawn came into view, with the Strident-class Frigate flying towards them at breakneck speed. Reaching the destination, the Frigate slowed down, it's powerful plasma thrusters firing at maximum thrust. Winds reaching 200km/h blew through the area, sending debris and corpses flying as the ODST's, Chief and the others got behind cover, sand whipping past them as the Frigate came to a stop. As soon as they started, the winds died down, with the rear Vehicle Bay Lift on the Forward Unto Dawn deploying moments later.
"Oh, hell yes," an ODST shouted as an M820 Scorpion rolled off the lift. "Now those are my kind of toys!"
"Chief, hop onboard," came a gruff voice, which Chief recognized as Sergeant Stacker, another famous Marine in the UNSC. "We've got plenty of vehicles to choose from." Spotting the tank, Chief dismounted from the Scorpion and made his way to the vehicle.
As he did, Guilty Spark, who was on the ship, flew into view. "An excellent choice, Reclaimer," he beamed. "This one is in very good condition, though not as sophisticated and advanced as some models that I know of."
"A tank is a tank, lightbulb," Stacker retorted.
"Good to meet you again, Chief," Chips Dubbo remarked as he hopped into the armored pintle mount. "Time to kill us some covies!" In response, Chief gunned the throttle once they were onboard, driving the vehicle towards the next nav-point, which was back in the system of winding canyons. Spotting a pair of Ghosts, Chief fired the Heavy Coilgun, smashing the Brutes apart in an instant. "Wow," Dubbo beamed. "Tank beats Ghost." As they drove on, a pair of Hunters came into view, only to be blown apart. "Tank beats Hunter." Driving onward, Chief drove down a sandy ramp that led to what appeared to be a massive wall, with an entrance located at a roadway above. A sandy ramp led to the balcony, with a caldera in the area. Several Revenants were present, along with a Wraith and a Phantom. Targeting the Phantom first, Chief blew it apart with a couple shots from the Heavy Coilgun. "Yeah," Dubbo shouted. "Tank beats everything! Oh, man. I could do this all day!" Chief slightly shook his helmet at the Marine's antics, though he knew they were in good taste.
As they drove forwards, while engaging the Covenant, Stacker said, "Alright, Chief. Get to that door, and have that robot of yours pick that lock."
"To be clear," Guilty Spark remarked as Chief blew apart a Wraith, "I am 343 Guilty Spark, Monitor of Installation 04."
"Well, you're also our ticket to this massive door here," Stacker retorted, "so can you mind a little jab here and there?"
"Of course, Reclaimer," Guilty Spark relented. As they drove onto the balcony, a flight of Sentinels came into view, firing at the remaining Covenant that were on the balcony. With all hostiles down, Chief dismounted the tank, allowing one of the Marines to drive it as he advanced inside. Reaching the door, he watched as Guilty Spark attempted to open it, with a blue-white beam coming from his optic. A moment later, he said, "Hhhmmm, I think I crossed a circuit."
"Here, let me have a try," Dubbo remarked, reaching his hand inside the door panel. Spotting an exposed circuit, Guilty Spark zapped his hand, not enough to harm him, but enough to cause him to jerk backwards. "Hey," he shouted. "That hurt!"
"Oracle," Thel shouted, moving to the Monitor's rear in order to engage should the Monitor turn rampant.
"There was an exposed circuit inside," Guilty Spark dutifully informed the Marine. "I did not wish to see you harmed."
"Well, you've got a funny way of showing it," Dubbo remarked, rubbing his hand where it was zapped. With that, Guilty Spark finished modifying the door, with the door opening up moments later. Walking inside, they began to traverse a hallway that led to a large chamber just beyond their position. The chamber was smaller than most Chief had seen, but it was split in half by a large chasm that prevented travel. Spotting a control panel, he pressed a few buttons, which caused a light-bridge to form moments later, allowing the vehicles waiting on the other side to traverse to the exit. Exiting the structure, he found himself overlooking what appeared to be a large slope that led downwards to a large, flat area that was partially covered with sand, with the far area leading to a drop towards what appeared to be a waterfall. Rock formations in the area broke up the monotonous terrain; up ahead, he could see another Forerunner structure, which he realized was, in all likelihood, the Cartographer that they needed to get to. Manning the tank once again, he began to drive forwards, intent on getting down the rocky incline and towards the structure. Halfway down the mountain, he began to hear a series of loud thumping sounds. "Oh, come on," Dubbo shouted, just as a Scarab came into view.
"Chief, maintain distance," Parsons ordered the Spartan. "SKYNET has deployed a Scarab scale Terminator to the area." As soon as he said this, Chief watched as a large blob of mimetic polyalloy flowed over the lip of the area ahead. As it flowed along the ground, it began to bulge upwards, with legs and a body bulging out of the material. Within a few seconds, a pair of mandibles bulged out of the front, before the rest of the body took shape. In a few seconds, Chief could see what Terminator SKYNET had deployed: a T-1000000 Arachnid Terminator. The fight that happened next was less of a fight, and more of a massacre. The T-1000000 screeched loudly as it shook it's body, with the Scarab turning around to face it's new foe. Just as it did, the T-1000000 leaped forwards, morphing back into a blob moments later. The polyalloy flowed over the Scarab, coating it from top to bottom in an amorphous blob. The Brutes onboard screamed as it enveloped the vehicle, with their screams silenced as it covered the entire vehicle from top to bottom. Moments later, the blob began to flatten out, until it was flat once again.
"What just happened," Thel asked. "That's the very Terminator that tried to kill me."
"The T-1000000 has broken down the Scarab and it's occupants down into a slurry of organic materials," Parsons explained. "You would call it 'gray goo.'" As he said this, the T-1000000 flowed away from the Scarab's location. Where the once fearsome Covenant walker was at, there was nothing but a puddle of grayish colored paste on the ground. It then occurred to Chief and the others what had just happened: the nanites inside of the T-1000000's chassis had torn apart the Scarab and it's occupants at the molecular level, melting them down into a gray paste that was now lying on the ground. It was a complete, but surprisingly merciful, way of neutralizing an opponent. According to information he was reading just now, Chief learned that Covenant killed in this manner fell unconscious first, before their bodies were broken down into that gray colored paste. Just then, some Brutes came out of the Cartographer, only to meet a similar fate at the hands of the T-1000000.
As they drove towards the facility, Chief watched as the massive Terminator walked over to Thel. A tentacle bulged out of the mimetic polyalloy, wrapping around the Arbiter's waist before lifting him into the air. Unlike last time, where it had attempted to kill him, it surprised the Sangheili when it nuzzled him, a quiet chittering coming from it as it put him back onto the ground. Once that happened, it began to move away from the area, climbing over the wall and out of sight. Chief wasn't too surprised. He had learned from Cortana that the behavior of a non-humanoid Terminator largely depended on the architecture of it's Neural Net Processor, as the NNP tended to mimic the brain structure of the organism the machine was based on, resulting in similar behaviors. It also helped that the brains of those organisms were scanned to allow for more believable behaviors. Walking up the ramp to the Cartographer, he could see gray colored piles of paste where there had been Brutes. Nanotechnology warfare at it's most advanced, he thought to himself as they proceeded inside.
Moving through a series of hallways and rooms, they began to climb up the structure, anticipating a fight. To their surprise, the structure was vacant, and it was only when they came to the Map Room itself that they learned why. The Map Room was a massive affair, with a large plaza that jutted out over what appeared to be a waterfall. A large central area was in the middle of the plaza, with nothing present but bas-relief Forerunner flooring as well as a control panel. Standing in the center of the room was Taraeus, the Brute Chieftain that had allied himself to their cause. He was standing over a freshly killed Brute Chieftain, while his bodyguards were finishing off the last of the enemy Chieftain's personal guard. Grunting, he pulled his Gravity Hammer out of the ruined corpse of the enemy Chieftain before walking over to Chief. "We met again, Demon," he smiled. "My apologies for the mess. The Chieftain challenged me to a duel of honor. As you can see, I won yet again. The other Brutes allied themselves to our cause."
Chief merely nodded before walking over to the control panel. Pressing a few icons, he watched as a map of the galaxy he had seen in the sky appeared over the small hole in the center of the plaza. For a moment, he noticed that the positioning of certain dots was familiar, as though he had seen this arrangement before. Then it hit him. "That's… our galaxy," he realized. "We're beyond the rim."
"282,395 light years from the galactic core, to be precise," Guilty Spark replied. "Still, I am amazed by this Installation. This truly is the Lesser Ark. I always assumed that it was a Shield World, and not something as grand and wonderful as this."
"I know," Chief replied, remembering what the Monitor had said about compartmentalization. "Where is Truth?"
"He's here," Guilty Spark replied, highlighting an area on a map of the Ark, "near one of the superluminal communication arrays built into the Ark. I… oh… most unfortunate. The Meddler known as Truth has triggered a defense barrier around his location. We will have to disable the local emitters in order to get inside."
"I see," Chief nodded. Keying his COM, he said, "Sierra-117 to General Connor, do you copy?"
"Go ahead, Chief," Connor replied.
"We've reached the Cartographer and have found Truth's location. Unfortunately, it's behind a shield barrier that's barring entry. According to Guilty Spark, we will need to disable the local emitters in order to get inside."
"Understood, Chief. We saw the barrier activate a few minutes ago. I'm retasking you and Noble Team to head there and disable the emitters ASAP. Task Force Bravo is currently completing it's objectives, and Task Force Alpha is going to work on getting to Truth's location. We're also seeing a massive surge of Sentinels in your area, probably for the same reason. Get to that location, and neutralize the Covenant."
"Understood," Chief replied, just as a swarm of Sentinels began to fly towards the area in question. They parted to allow a Pelican to come and extract Chief and the others. As they finished loading up, it was clear what was about to happen: the war with the Covenant was about to come to a dramatic, and final, end.
