Chapter 2: Inside Out, Backwards Forwards
"All hands, report?"
"There appear to be no issues with the ship itself. Systems are just going crazy because it got forcibly dragged into a planet. Everything we lost is now coming back online, but we still cant control propulsion or steering and a few combat systems are still rebooting, along with sensors that are also a bit haywire. And there are crazy energy signatures throwing our systems for a loop" Lt. Com. Price reported.
"Any good news? Ruu?"
"I think this is some sort of automated docking protocol. I also identified the scan. It was a part of the strange slipspace anomaly we registered while in slipspace. It seems we were scanned, redirected here, and then scanned again" Ruu reported. "I am trying to use the connection to get information from the servers...so far all I have gotten is Shield World, and Salvation. And, its also trying to ping other Forerunner installations as well, but with little success...they seem to be isolated to some extent".
"So a haywire planet that scanned us, decided it liked us or such, and brought us in. But what does it mean by Salvation?"
"Shield Worlds were created to keep entire populations safe against the flood...although, that should be concerning in its own right, because most seem to have been infested or contain traces of the Flood" Becket mentioned.
"...at least we dont have to worry about some Halo Ring accidentally activating and killing us all then" Emerson mentioned. "Any idea why it chose us, and no UNSC ship before?"
"Maybe its because we headed towards it on this terrible idea. Of course, it might have noticed our Forerunner Engines, scanned us, detected us as humans, and tried to move us...maybe..."
Suddenly, a large amount of Sentinels were seen flying outside the Bridge, scanning them.
"Sentinels, and not Prometheans like the Infinity encountered...that's a relief I suppose".
"They are not attacking us also, which is a good sign" Ruu added.
"Detecting something up ahead..." Price mentioned.
"I think we are nearing the end of the docking protocol...strange, I think someone is fast tracking us inside. Also, all the doors and seals behind us are closing, so until we open them again we cant leave this way".
"Good to know. Dr. Hope? What is your take on all this?"
"I cant say for sure until we access the system and get answers...hold on, Captain. What is that ahead?"
As they were exiting the docking passage, they entered what appeared to be an inverse world, with a large artificial sun at its center. That drew Rebeca Hope's attention, but even she wouldn't ignore the thing right in front of the sun...a large Covenant Carrier.
"Captain, detecting the ship ahead powering weapons and shields! They have open fired!"
"Raise our own shields! Get weapons up!"
"Trying, but the docking procedure has messed those up...powering...brace for impact!"
Suddenly, the entire ship shook as it got his several times.
"Shields are up! Weapons are online! Only one ship detected, but only barely! Energy signatures around this place make it difficult to find any using long range sensors or even optics!"
"All crew, fire at will!" he said, as the Carrier class ship continued to fire. Its shields were already up, but the Bastion was not a normal ship they were used to. Its weapon fire struck the target, dealing colossal impact to the shield and outright damaging some of the systems.
However, that was when they got hit from the side.
"They have AA gun emplacements! Bombing them now!"
"Organizing fire teams to deal with the damage!"
"We have more AA guns on the far side!"
"Captain, give the order" Ruu mentioned.
"Understood...This is Captain Emerson to all Spartan Fireteams! The light is green for operations! Take down those AA guns, and then find out whatever you can about this place!"
As the Pelicans launched from the hanger, among them was Zulu 347, designated Icarus.
"You holding on okay, Fireteam Rook?" Charlie asked as he avoided some anti air attacks.
"I am a bit curious as to why we are fighting Covenant in a Forerunner Shield World myself" Jake mentioned, as he operated the weapons systems from the co-pilot's seat.
"I am detecting a lot of life signs and heat signatures. I am also analysing their deployments...I dont think the Covenant have been here long".
"Probably not" Ruu said, before looking over at Fireteam Rook. "By the way, did you pick up the chip?"
"You mean this one? Isn't it used for AI storage so an AI can operate with a Spartan partner? I think the ship needs you more then we do".
"No, thats not quite accurate. Its been modified into a powerful Connection Chip. It will let me do what you said, but I wont actually be with you. Anyways, its standard equipment, but also expensive, so please dont break it" Ruu explained. "Also, Spartan Forge already has a secure enhanced uplink module of his own, so one of you four need it".
"I'd say give it to Max. His armor is the most unique, so you could help maximize its power and ability" Jacob said, taking the chip from the table and handing it to Max.
"You sure? You have the sniper rifle, so you can use the scope to gather the most intel".
"Yeah. How about it Ruu?"
"I am fine with it" Ruu said, prompting Max to take the chip and put it in his helmet. "Connection established...optimizing everything. Testing Testing One Two Three".
"I read you" Max said. "Now, what about our drop point? And what is the scale of the Covenant deployment?"
"I agree with Luci Harper. Their deployment suggests less then a month of activity. I am also detecting signs of battle, so it seems that slowed their exploration considerably. That said...the ship itself is strangely old. Based on intercepted comms, they are still using terms like 'For the Prophets', and Sangheili voices at that" Forge mentioned, looking over the data.
"Strange...anything else?" Spartan Reese asked, wanting as much information as he could get.
"They are wondering if we are here for revenge...or for reinforcements? Their code and comms are ten years old too".
Suddenly, weapons fire was heard.
"Engaging enemy! We cant find a good LZ!"
"Then we will drop from the Pelican. Can you do a fly by?" Forge asked.
"Only once, and from high up! You might get scattered!" Charlie replied, as the Pelican door in the rear began to open. The five Spartans went to the back.
"Tell us when!"
"Got it...drop in three...two...one...now!"
The moment he said now, the five Spartans jumped out of the back. The moment they did, Charlie closed up the hatch.
"Anything else to report Jake?"
"Yeah...several Banshees, Spirits, and Seraphs heading our way".
"Alright everyone! Lets get out of the range of those guns, and then mop up the air battle!"
""Sir Yes Sir!""
"Is everyone okay?" Forge asked, noticing the group of Spartans had gotten separated during landing. The area they were in appeared to be a rather lush jungle, and the Covenant had no serious setup in the region aside from that camp with the AA guns.
"Spartan Smith, reporting me and Ruu are okay".
"Spartan Shaw, reporting all good".
"Spartan Karolyn, reporting green status".
"Spartan Reese. I have eyes on you Captain" Reese mentioned. "I can see why he couldn't find an LZ. These trees are tall. He probably dropped us from high up, but we should still be close to each other. Also, iv got some weird heat signatures registering through the forest, and I see some Sentinel activity".
"Ah, Captain, I see you" Shaw said, speaking through his voice from the tree line rather then through comms.
"I think I fell into a ravine" Max mentioned. "I also see...Ruu, are you sure?"
As Maxwell spoke, notably his comm began to get filled with static.
"Spartan Smith, please relay. Your comms are coming in strange" Forge mentioned.
"...got...weir...sig..."
"Ruu, can you track him for me?"
"Ah...interfer...working..."
"Hey, what just went up with the comms?" Spratan Karolyn asked, heading out of the trees and approaching them.
"Boss, look up there" Shaw mentioned, pointing at the sky. Above them was a rather strange Sentinel, which appeared to be giving off energy pulses while surrounded in a powerful energy shield.
"We dont have time to deal with it" he noted, switching out his shotgun and taking out an assault rifle. "Max knows where we were headed, we can link up with him. Still, my tech was made to cut through Jamming, but...I suppose Forerunner jamming might be more advanced. Lets head away with it, we might regain connection".
Deciding that they would likely meet their ally at the AA gun camp, they decided to move forward towards the location.
"Spartan Reese, how is your comms with us?"
"I have some static, but it appears that perhaps the fact I am closer lets me connect better. Maxwell said he dropped into a ravine, and I did spot something that looked like a ravine close by. I checked heat signatures, and he is heading towards the AA gun".
"Alright, then we can meet up with him there. In the meantime, let me know if you see anything else, and provide sniper support as best you can".
"Understood sir...wait, I have heat sigs, coming right towards you! They are charging!"
The Spartans readied weapons, when they saw a Zealot Class Elite leading two Commandos, heading right towards them. The Zealot had an energy sword, while the Commandos had carbines.
"I got this one!" Karolyn mentioned, projecting a Hardlight shield and coming into conflict with the Zealot, blocking the sword. Reese then fired at it, but the energy shield absorbed the blow from his sniper despite getting a headshot. Forge meanwhile put down suppressing fire on the two Elite Commandos, using his Assault Rifle to make them take cover, while Spartan Shaw deployed a drone from his suit that flew around to harass the enemy and flank them. He then took out a DMR and fired a few rounds into the Zealot, who finally managed to knock aside the Hardlight shield and attack Karolyn.
However, Karolyn took out her knife and stabbed the Zealot in the side of the neck, ducking down to avoid the energy sword while doing so. Or at least, that was what she thought, but the Elite twisted his head around and avoided a fatal stab, grabbing the Spartan's arm. But that lasted only for a second, as Reese shot him through the head, this time penetrating his shields and killing him.
Meanwhile, Forge had moved around the side, and open fired on the Elites that got pre-occupied with the Drone. He got one with weakened shields, taking him out through maintained fire from his Assault Rifle, while the other, attempting to avoid him, came into sights of Spartan Shaw, who fired several rounds from his DMR into the Elite's head, penetrating the shields and killing him.
"All hostiles down. I dont see anyone left" Reese mentioned. "Moving up so I stay within comm range".
"Understood. Anyone nearby?"
"Some Sentinel activity, but im too far from the camp to see what is going on. If they noticed Icarus dropped something, they probably sent them to investigate, so once they dont return they will fortify. We should get there faster. Ah, I am picking up a bit of a heat signature up ahead by the way. By a waterfall, but I cant get clear visual on it. It might be a Jackal, so watch for snipers while I reposition".
"Understood, we will go to investigate" Forge said. "Alright, Fireteam Rook, lets head over to the alcove that was mentioned".
"Got it sir".
"Understood".
The trio of Fireteam Rook decided to head forward, going towards the waypoint left behind by Reese. The closer they got, the louder the sound of the waterfall that was mentioned, providing as an extra way to find the right direction.
"Hey guys, I dont think this area is visited too often. Barely any tracks...some of them are a bit strange..." Karolyn mentioned as they moved forward, only to hit into Forge who had stopped. Shaw stopped behind her.
"What is going on?" Karolyn asked, peaking out from behind Forge, but then saw something unexpected. There was a boy, a human boy, maybe around ten years old, naked in the waterfall. It looked as if he was showering and cleaning himself off. "Why is a child here?!"
"Unknown. Reese, are you seeing this?"
"Yeah, I am. I got a better view now...well, that didn't sound right. Anyways, I think I see his possessions by him. A small bag, looks handmade maybe. Some clothes, and something that looks like metal armguards of Forerunner design, as well as a short stick".
"This explains why I just found human footprints in the ground...but why are humans here?"
"...the Shield Worlds were created to preserve sentient life when the Halo's activated I believe...do you think that perhaps, some of them were stored here and then never returned? I mean, that is what shields worlds were made for, right?"
"Or he was on a ship that got trapped here, just like the Covenant did. Or maybe his parents did, and they have lived here ever since".
"So we are inside a planet, staring at what could be a human from another period, or maybe just from a crashed ship or the child of those who crashed here".
"Hey Reese, I think I see something around his neck. Can you confirm?" Forge asked.
"Zooming...confirmed, there appears to be some sort of high tech collar around his neck. Forerunner in design I think. Question is, should we talk to him...rather, can we talk with him even? And do we have the time?"
Forge considered their options. "If we leave him here, and the Covenant find him, he will be killed. And also, we need more intelligence. So at the very least, we need to approach and talk to him. That said...we should probably wait for him to get dressed first".
They continued to sort of monitor him, though they did their best to do so while averting their eyes. Eventaully, he finished up and began to get dressed, putting on a shirt and shorts that while did appear to be machine made, didn't look like any design he had seen. The shirt was sleeveless, but it appeared to have Forerunner Glyphs printed on it, and the shorts appeared to have pieces of tech put into them. Finally, he put on the gauntlets and picked up his spear, both of which looked like Forerunner tech.
He didn't seem to put on any boots, but he did seem to become wary of his surroundings.
Deciding this was the best time, Forge emerged, taking off his helmet. The moment he did, the boy seemed startled, but raised his short stick. The moment he did, a blade of hardlight energy emerged from it.
Something about the collar on his neck began to glow as he spoke up.
"Who are you? What are you doing here? Why are you so big?"
"Relax, relax. We are humans, from Earth. Who are you though? Why are you here?"
"Earth...its real?" the boy questioned for a moment. "Wait...do you know those other aliens? The ones that attacked my village?"
"You mean the Covenant?"
"...that is how they called themselves I think, yes. I keep hunting them, but more come from that ship. The Sentinels hunt them too, but also Index them. Some were added to some of the villages by Sentinels as well".
"Wait hold on, can you explain further? I don't quite get what you mean".
However, before he could say anything more, the collar deactivated somehow.
"Oh dear, sorry about that. I was going to just observe, but sometimes these things can be very finnicky" a voice said, as a Monitor floated down in front of them. "Welcome! I am 707 Wardens Silence, Monitor of this Installation, Shield World 140, also known as Sanctuary!"
Forge saw this, but then he noticed the boy moving about. However, suddenly the collar seemed to power up, but instead of auto-translating, it powered up and then delivered a powerful and painful electric shock, stunning him and forcing him to the ground.
"My apologies. It appears to be heavily malfunctioning. Its linked to his spinal cord and nerves you see, so it cant be removed. I just need to adjust it" he said, firing some sort of beam from his eye into the collar and into the boy himself. "He might sleep for a bit, but when he wakes up, that should stop happening. In any case, I am so glad more of your kind made it to Sanctuary! Now when the Halo Array fires, more of you will be saved!"
"Wait, the Halo Array?"
"Yes! I have been on standby, searching for any Forerunner ships with human presence, or any ships that contain Sentient Life, and bringing them here for Preservation and Indexing. I am happy to say that for all the years this installation has active, I have successfully indexed, Cataloged, and sorted all Sentient Life in here and kept them safe! And since I detected the signal from the Ark that indicated the Arrays were going to fire soon, I have been doubling down on my efforts!"
Forge was roughly able to understand. It appeared Warden here had mistaken the Bastion for a Forerunner ship, and redirected the slipspace to bring it here and pull it inside. Apparently, because of the fact the Ark nearly activated all the Halo Rings, he started to pull in even more ships, such as the Covenant Carrier.
However, Forge had a bad feeling...mainly, that this Monitor was lying to them about something important. He began to reach for his weapon, but suddenly three Sentinels appeared behind them and activated some sort of Gravity Lock, pulling the Spartans off the ground and into the air and keeping them there. The sentinels also removed Shaw's and Karolyn's helmet, while three other Sentinels came with collars identical to the boy's.
"Now then, lets begin the Indexing Procedure! This may sting a bit!"
Forge was about to call for Reese, when he saw a fourth Sentinel appear.
"Never fear, I didn't forget your friend either! After I am done indexing you, I will make sure to assign you to a settlement so you can live your life safely and properly inside Sanctuary under my authority!"
However, before the collar was placed around his neck, a large explosion was heard, as the two AA guns they were sent to destroy suddenly exploded. And in the next moment, several missiles and laser attacks were fired, accurately taking out several Sentinels. This included the ones that were holding them, and the source of it was seen as Icarus flew into the battle, providing support from overhead.
"Sorry we are late, Spartan Forge! But we needed to wait for your teammate to take out those guns".
"Sorry I cut it close guys" Max said, the comms re-established while the Monitor collected himself and analyzed what was going on.
"I wont allow this! All life here must be indexed! For organization and safety!" the Monitor declared, as several slipspace portals opened up, with large Sentinels appearing. One of them shot at the pelican, causing it to destabilize a little, but did not do critical damage thanks to its shields.
"Spartan Forge!" Ruu said through comms.
"Ruu! You back?"
"Yeah, Icarus took out the jamming Sentinels. Listen, a lot of activity is inbound, and I think we have a lot to talk about. But grab the boy, and give me a connection to the collar!"
"Understood!" Forge said, firing at one of the Sentinels to take it down as he moved over to the boy. "Icarus, our AA guns are down, so we are extracting to the Bastion! We need to get this kid out of here, somewhere safe!"
As that was said, Reese came over and picked him up, making sure to grab his belongings as well. At this point though, a new type of Sentinel appeared, appearing to be a bit more humanoid. Not a Promethean by any account, but instead something different. Max ran into the battlefield, providing covering fire with dual SMGs, heading right for the Pelican. The Pelican shot down a few Sentinels, but more kept appearing, so they knew they had to run.
707 Wardens Silence, or just Warden for short, fired a powerful blast at him, but he successfully dodged. Max fired at the Monitor himself, but a powerful barrier seemed to be around him, preventing anything from hitting and even causing some of the bullets to ricochet around. Reese managed to carry the boy onto the Pelican, with Shaw and Karolyn right behind him, backing up while firing at the Sentinels. Jake came to the back section of the Pelican to assist with the boy, as Forge and Max both entered.
However, a slipspace portal then opened behind Jake, with one of the humanoid Sentinels appearing from it and grabbing him, pulling him back through before any of the Spartans could react.
"They just took Jake!"
"What?! Where?!"
"A slipspace Portal! Ruu, where did it go?!"
"Warden is opening them all over! I need time to trace them all! Just get out of there!"
"Now without Jake!" Luci screamed.
"We have to! Don't worry, the moment we find him we will get him back...Roads, get us out of here before they snatch any more of us!"
"Understood!" he said, flying the Pelican up as the doors closed, and heading away. "...just find him quickly..."
Back on the Bastion...
"We still dont have a signal on Fireteam Winter, which was sent after one of the AA gun camps we discovered after already deploying Rook, Knight, Bishop, Scepter, and Crown. All those teams however came back okay, though...we lost a Junior Cadet to a sentinel" Ruu said, giving his report.
"What about Jake!" Luci asked. "Have you found him?"
"Unfortunately, the Monitor was opening a lot of slipspace portals...but I was finally able to track him down. However, I cant get any intel on the Region. Somethign is obstructing long range scans, and even optics gets disrupted trying to look too far. It appears he is here" Ruu said, bringing up a map of Sanctuary. "Right in this mountain range, that was where the portal went to".
"And what of the boy we recovered. Doctor Hope?"
"Well, I prefer my patients to be conscious when I examine their entire body, but...I can confirm he is a human boy. I ran a DNA test and examined the results with Ruu. Honestly, its definently something very close to human, but there are evolutionary differences. This confirms he is an ancient human descendent that was stored inside this facility, and then never returned. Flexibility and muscle density appeared greater then normal when I tested them, and I think Ruu said something about lower average height in their genetic code?"
"Yes. It appears that unlike humans of Earth, humans here tend to be shorter on average, their growth stopping earlier in their years and their bodies remaining shorter. Its quite facinating really. But the Collar around his neck is a bigger concern. It appears the Monitor didn't lie about it, its wired right into his spinal cord and his nerves. Removing it would almost certainly kill him. That said, the collar is designed to adapt, to grow with him. It appears to provide an automatic translator, detecting the language of those around them, downloading and uploading any communication and data it can find on the language, and then make his words be in that language. Unfortunately, as Fireteam Rook saw, it also has...well, its called in the Collar's coding as an 'Obediance Assistance Function'. If the wearer defies a registered administrator, it will give them electric shocks, the severity of the disobedience determining the severity of the shock. I suspect the shock administered to him was for disobeying the Monitor's prime directive, to Index, Catalog, and Store all life here".
"So he wants to Index everyone and keep them here?"
"Well, as mentioned, it seems like he has started actively abducting nearby ships, and anything that gets remotely close with a Forerunner Engine, and Indexing them here, rerouting ships from other Forerunner facilities. It appears this is in response to the Ark sending out a signal for the Halo Rings to activate, when humanity chased them to the Ark. I think that Warden believes the rings will be firing again at any moment, and therefore has increased his efforts accordingly".
"Honestly, I think he was lying to himself and us, at least partly. I dont see how these collars have anything to do with that goal. Seems like he is on a power trip".
"Oh, there is actually more. The collars also serve as a locator, letting the Monitor locate anyone who wears them anywhere, no matter where they go. That said, their design indicates they would only be effective on Sentient races...interestingly enough, the same races that the Flood goes to infect. Which is probably why there is a function that incinerates the wearer".
"Wait, so he can incinerate the boy at any moment?"
"No, that appears to not be something that can be triggered by Warden. That can only activate if the collar detects the host has been infected by the Flood. Its very specific, and very exact. It wont trigger even if ordered to, only if the host is infected".
"I see...anything else that collar does?"
"Yes, it records and processes information about the wearer, and sends a copy to the data hubs on this planet. I have his name. Zari. No last name. Gender: Male. Species: Human. Height: 134cm. Weight: 89 lbs. Assigned Settlement: Azure Crossing...interestingly enough, the location data for that settlement is the same as where Jake was taken to. I wonder how he got so far away...perhaps a transit system is on the planet that anyone can use?"
Price then interrupted. "Speaking of which, the fact he can deploy a massive army of Sentinels anywhere is bad for us. We need to find a way to shut that down. Ruu is currently doing something that is jamming the Slipspace portals, preventing them from opening onboard the Bastion".
"Yeah, but it wont work forever. I can already tell Warden is trying to adapt. ANd we really cant afford to let them in..."
"Yeah...especially into the Civilian decks, where families of crew members are" Emerson mentioned.
"I told you this was a bad idea..." Ruu mentioned, again.
"Yes, well, that was what Command told me would be done, so you can take it up with them".
"...Command told you...strange..." Ruu said, before focusing on the matter at hand. "The good news is that we were able to drive the Covenant back. It looks like the Covenant are doing something with their shields, feeding slipspace energy into them. We cant really do the same, our deisgn wont allow it, but it explains why they are still in the fight. And because of that, I am willing to bet they have put work into finding that Slipspace control hub for us".
"Alright. In that case, there are two fronts then. Rescue Jake Harper from Wardens Silence, and shut down the portal network that allows Warden to deploy his Sentinels en mass everywhere. First we have to find the portal hub though. Rescue will be near impossible if they can pull of slipspace extractions".
"Sir, if you dont mind" Flight Officer Roads spoke up. "He is my responsibility. So I would like to fly the team that gets him back when able".
"Same...I let him get grabbed. I should be responsible for getting him back" Spartan Forge added.
"That is fine. We can deploy Fireteam Bishop to the portal hub...but, I dont want this Monitor catching onto us. Dealing with either objective will be hell so long as he is keyed in to our position. So we should sent the other fire teams to distract him...still, again he might catch on".
"Then perhaps I can lend my assistance" Spartan Aetos mentioned.
"As can I" Sha'Vehm said, stepping forward as well. "Also, I wish to convey the findings of my own investigation".
"I see...a small team would be able to handle it better, and you two are well versed in stealth ops, so I think its a good idea. ANd about your investigation?"
"Analysis of the armor, weapons, and communications of the enemy ship. We have confirmed that they appear to be from a ship that disappeared ten years ago, the Vehemently Enduring. We have also discovered why they disappeared ten years ago, but only have a month's worth of fortifications here. They make reference to their ship having been trapped somewhere else, then sent here mysteriously last month. Apparently, their ship had some sort of malfunction that the Engineers couldn't repair and they got stuck over a planet they refered to as Genesis. Then, they got removed from that planet and were sent here. They are completely unaware that the Covenant has fractured, or that the Prophets are dead. It appears they have a full compliment of all races, though they have had some losses to the Sentinels, including a few of their own captured by Warden himself".
"Sentinels tend to mainly fly around, so that explains the large amount of Anti Air defenses" Ruu added. "So, Icarus and Fireteam Rook fly to retrieve their partner at the same time Fireteams Bishop, Knight, Crown, and Scepter make a large and loud distraction for them. Should we depart now?"
"No, I want to hear from that boy, Zari, first. Ask him for details about these villages, the natives here, and Warden. Lets get the lay of the land" Emerson said, and Ruu gave a nod, clearly approving of the action himself.
"This apple fruit is delicious" Zari mentioned, eating it happily as Forge, Aetos, and Becket entered the room. Zari was currently sitting on the table, eating some of the fruit left there, along with Zaraz, the Uggony Scientist employed on the Bastion.
"I know right? Its great!" she replied, noticing the others. "Ah! Hello everyone!"
"Zaraz...why are you and Zari sitting on the table?"
"Ah, apparently its a cultural thing for his tribe. They have one large table with the food on it, but everyone sits on it as well around the food, and they take what they want".
"But only if you are believed to have earned it" Zari mentioned. "Nothing is for free. Everyone has to work hard in my village. Nothing is provided for you, you have to earn it. You can earn something by trading with someone else for it. You can earn privileges by doing enough hard work. You can hunt and forage for your own food, but if you provide food for others, you can also be rewarded. And no privileges are just given. Permission to use the village baths. Permission to vote. Permission to wear clothes. Even the clothes themselves are not given to you, but something you must earn through hard work. You come into this world with nothing but family, and so you much earn everything you get. Though, obviously as infants you get a certain amount of food and drink till you are capable of understanding this and working. For example, I worked hard as a hunter, and a guard, and I did well, which is why I have my weapon and arm braces".
Although it was the auto-translator, considering the tribal like culture of villages, Forge was a bit surprised he could speak so fluently, since it wasn't what he expected. It seemed that Zari was a very good speaker.
"Ah...I see. Well that is good to know, considering that we think our friend might have been taken to your village...by the way, how did you get so far from it?"
"Ah, I used the Portal Terminus. Although being under that god is very unpleasant and painful, there are some advantages. Anyone who is collared, or Indexed as he refers to it, like me, has privileges to access the portal network that spans the planet. We also have access to use certain terminals and machines, and can even create our own tools and clothes. Furthermore, unlike the rest of you, the God cannot kill me directly".
"What do you mean? He seemed to put you in a lot of pain..."
"Ah yes, we managed to place dampeners and specialized jammers on the collar, so it should no longer have an active locator beacon, and Wardens Silence cannot use the collar to shock and hurt him either" Zaraz mentioned, proud of herself.
"...with my help of course" Ruu mentioned to her. "That said, it required a lot of resources and supplies, mainly metals, to make the jammers that would work with it. So we cant mass produce them all that well...if we could get our hands on more forerunner metal though..."
"Anyways, yeah. He seemed able to hurt you just fine".
"He can use the collars to 'educate' us, and actually he can force us to comply in certain situations, but he cannot directly kill anyone who is, as you say, Indexed. At least directly. He can set fire to a forest we live in to try and kill us, but he and his servants cannot attack us directly".
"I see...so the collars make you slaves to his will...by the way, you call him God?"
"Yes. Although there are those who want to rebel against him, he can use these collars to monitor us. Whenever a baby is born, he has a collar placed on them. When a new person arrives from the outside, he attempts to capture and collar at least some of them. He will try to get aliens when it is convienent, but he isn't extremely dedicated to them. No, his main targets are humans. Apparently his primary goal is to Index, Catalog, and store humanity here on this world for safe keeping. He is also authorized to perform experiments and observations on us from time to time, as well as manage and control the population".
"No wonder you refer to him as god. He essentially controls your lives".
"Yes. Make no mistake, he may claim to be acting by his divine mandate, but personally I think the power has gotten to him, and he is a tyrant god".
"Well, glad to know you can see things clearly" Sha'Vehm mentioned, reflecting on his own species inability to see that for hundreds of years.
"In any case, its certainly clear that he holds a special obsession for humans, so you should all be careful. A ship this large, full of Unindexed Humans? He will be making his move soon, very soon".
"Yeah, but we plan to move first, and hit him hard...now, what do you know about the Portal Control Network?"
And with that question, the next step of their plan began to form.
Character Insights:
Captain Jax Emerson: An old man in his sixties, Captain Emerson is considered to be one of the great strategic minds of the UNSC. Although he likes to be humorous and give out a number of jokes, in battle he can get quite serious, deploying tactics and foresight that would make even the most experienced Elite commanders to shudder with shock and awe. He has a strong connection to his family, and when his grandson who was a beloved star in his life was tragically killed, he had him converted into an experimental A.I., one that was designed to last longer before entering Rampancy, just to have him back for as long as he could. He tends to combine special ops and special forces deployment with large army organization, which often leads to his enemies feeling overwhelmed and outmatched. Before they went MIA, he had a number of War Games with the Spirit of Fire, with the two leaders about roughly even in their win loss ratio.
Ruu: A prototype A.I., his creation process was new and experimental, different from other Smart A.I. As a result, his full capabilities and limits are unknown, though his lifespan is said to be far greater then any other AI. He was created from Captain Emerson's Grandson, Ruu Emerson, who was killed during a carjacking gone wrong, although the case is still open and the culprit not found. Ruu was actually the first child to shake hands with a Sangheili ally, and was considered to be exceptional and wise for his age, showing from his grades and a few papers he wrote while in elementary school that left his teachers baffled by their sheer depth of thought and complexity, but also the fact they were all logical and reasonable. And as not only the grandson of a dedicated captain, but also the son of one of the new diplomats in their alliance with the Swords of Sangheilios, he saw and witnessed a number of non-combat related turn of events. This is reflected even as an AI, where he has maintained all of his old personality traits, and shows his inventive creativity as well as his experience of what he has seen and is capable of.
Commander Sabrina Becket: The new Commander of the ship, she has a bit of an ambitious streak that causes her to be determined to succeed, and to do great things. Proud of herself, she will always correct Ruu with a glare when he calls her the "First Mate". Often very professional, its been known for her to sometimes show her softer side in rather emotional situations. This surprises most, as she often gives a professional and logical demeanour, sometimes even appearing cold, but she does have the crew's best interests at heart, as well as the ship. She will try to keep things within regulations as much as possible, but she also understands that out in the field, you cant always play by the book. She is also very organized, quickly having everything ready for any operation quickly, and predicting what the captain will need. This has a lot of people grateful to her, since she helps speed operations up, not slow them down.
Lt. Commander Richard Price: Responsible for monitoring the ship systems, posts, and keeping the Captain and Ruu from getting into any major fight, he can pretty much always be found on the bridge while working. Should something happen to both the Captain and the Commander, he is the next in line for command. He has extensive experience with the Captain and Ruu, so dealing with either of them is usually delegated to him when its bothersome. He helps keep everything running smoothly, and keeps everyone connected and informed about everyone. He tends to be a very friendly person, and is considered very easy to approach.