1034 Hours, September 5th, 2552 (Military Calendar)/ UNSC Washington/ In Slipspace, Destination Unknown

For five days, the dreadnought had been in Slipspace, and used the time to make internal repairs. Fighters from other ships at Hydra Shipyards had landed on the Washington, and had their fighters being repaired and rearmed. Most were from the Inflexible, and there were also some from the frigate Itchen. Other than that, there were no survivors from other ships. Admiral Cain had gone without sleep, going over every single report from every part of the ship. The engines were damaged, and incapable of Slipspace, but could still maneuver at good speeds. Many of the consoles on the bridge were damaged.

"Sir, I've identified the system we're in. It looks as though we are in the Coelest System, pretty far from any UNSC outposts," the navigation officer said, putting a large star map down on the main table.

Admiral Cain looked at it, and said, "How long until we can get back to human space?"

"Until the Slipspace drives are back online, I wouldn't try," the officer said.

"Anything else?" Admiral Cain asked.

"There's a large structure in orbit of one of the planets in the system. Definitely not ours," the navigation officer said.

"Then it's probably Covenant. Are the fighters ready for action?" asked Admiral Cain.

Commander Krause looked at the Admiral, and said, "All squadrons are ready."

"Are the weapons charged?" Admiral Cain asked the weapons officer.

"Yes, sir," the officer replied.

"Then we do the only thing we can do. Attack," Admiral Cain said.

"Good. Time for some payback," Commander Krause responded, a grin on his face.

...

"What the hell am I looking at?" asked Admiral Cain, looking up at the screen. On the screen showing the front of the Washington was a view of a massive ring structure. It hung in orbit of a large blue gas giant. The dreadnought approached the structure, all weapons on standby.

"I have no idea," the operations officer said, in awe.

"Are there any Covenant on that... thing?" asked Commander Krause.

"Scanners are picking up nothing," said the operations officer.

"What do we call this thing, for future reference?" asked the Admiral.

"Ringworld?" suggested the weapons officer.

"No, that sounds weird," the Admiral said.

"How about Halo?" Saul said.

"That works. Yeah, Halo. Has a nice ring to it. Send word down, launch all fighters, get control of Halo's orbit before the Washington arrives. Get us at top speed to that thing," Admiral Cain said.

"Yes, sir."

Out of the hangar bays, dozens of Longsword fighters soared out, rushing to Halo. Quickly they arrived, and relayed word to the dreadnought that there was a planet-like surface on Halo, complete with mountains, jungles, and oceans. Ten minutes later, the UNSC Washington was in orbit of Halo, deploying her marines to the surface. Reports came in that Halo was teeming with wildlife, much like Earth's. Across the station were hundreds of structures, made by the ancient Forerunners. No intelligent life was yet found on Halo, however.

...

"Scratch two Covenant cruisers!" shouted the weapons officer after the Washington's main Super MAC gun shattered the second of three Covenant armored cruisers. Moments later, the Longsword squadrons destroyed the final armored cruiser. The fighters then spread out, and covered the area, waiting for more.

"Sir, that appears to be it. We got 'em!" the ops officer shouted. The bridge erupted into cheering. Since the attack on Hydra, the crew was highly discouraged. This victory would definitely help.

...

November 3rd, 2552

"Get us into attack position! All squadrons have a green light!" shouted Admiral Cain as the alarm blared ship-wide. It had been just under two months since the last contact with the Covenant, and the Slipspace drive was still having problems. As such, the marines planetside were quite acquainted with Halo, having explored much of the ringworld. Now, a Covenant assault carrier had just jumped into the system, and was quickly approaching. Then, multiple Slipspace ruptures came in behind it, with UNSC transponders.

"My god, it's the fleet!" shouted the operations officer.

"Get them on the horn!" Admiral Cain ordered, looking at the screen.

"By God, they're finally here," Saul said happily.

"This is Commander Miranda Keyes, of the UNSC In Amber Clad. Unknown vessel, please respond," a voice crackled over the radio.

"In Amber Clad, this is Rear Admiral Cain, of the UNSC Washington. How did you find us?" Cain replied over the comm.

"Found you? We're pursuing this carrier from Earth, sir," Keyes replied.

"Looks like the Coral Sea, Dusk, Paris, and Redoubtable are with the In Amber Clad, sir," the ops officer reported.

"Do we have clearance to fire, Commander?" asked Cain.

"Wait a second... my God... it's another Halo ring!" Commander Keyes exclaimed.

"What?" Cain yelled.

"Never mind that. Look's like they're heading for Halo. If you wanna fire, you can, sir," Keyes said.

"I wasn't going to ask. All units are clear to engage!" the Admiral yelled.

The three frigates fired, their small MAC slugs barely doing any damage to the massive carrier. Then, the Washington prepared to fire, and just as the order came, the gun didn't fire.

"Shit! The MAC won't fire!" the weapons officer yelled.

"Open up with everything else then! Bring us in close!" Admiral Cain yelled.

The dreadnought came into close proximity of the assault carrier, opening up with the point defense guns. The carrier responded with lasers skimming the armor of the ship. The human ships trailed behind the carrier, which appeared to be heading into a holding pattern over Halo.

"Washington, can you hit the ship with a Super MAC round when it's in a holding position?!" asked Commander Keyes.

"Negative. We have ground troops down there. Hold all fire. Chances are that they're going to deploy forces there. If you can do that too, that'd be great," the Admiral said.

...

John-117 had killed the Prophet of Regret. After two of his fellow Spartans, Anton and Grace, had held off Covenant reinforcements from the carrier, John singlehandedly slaughtered the Honor Guard and then assassinated the High Prophet. Anton and Grace, who were far from the temple, couldn't get to their leader in time before hundreds of Covenant ships appeared in the skies, seeming to escort a massive dome shaped space station. The Washington and the other UNSC ships quickly retreated, holding off an attack. John was forced to jump into the lake as a Covenant ship destroyed the temple. But his story was not over yet...

...

The Prophets sat in their chairs, inside the Inner Sanctum of the Prophets. In front of them was Tartarus, and only Tartarus. He held out the Sacred Icon in his hand, and the Prophet of Truth quickly took it. He floated back, and smiled. "You have done well, Tartarus," Truth said, calmly. "The Great Journey can now begin with all who truly believe. The Arbiter was disposed of?" he asked.

Tartarus nodded, and said, "My hammer sent him into an endless pit."

"It is a shame that after so much time, the Sangheili have proven their incompetence," the Prophet of Truth said, a heavy sigh following his sentence.

"I shall make my speech to our followers. The Jiralhanae shall be our guide on the Great Journey!" he then added.

All across High Charity, and ships across the galaxy, the voice of the Prophet of Truth came on the loudspeakers, saying, "My brothers and sisters! Loyal followers of the Gods! On this day, Tartarus and the Brutes have brought us a great gift: the Activation Index to Halo! As a result of this, we can now all embark on the Great Journey! But a great tragedy befalls us all today as well. The faithful Prophet of Regret, who we thought dead after an assault on a human world, was assassinated today by a Demon! Once again, the Sangheili... have failed us. They have failed to protect the Prophets, and in doing so, have put all of our lives at risk. Let no warrior forget his oath, 'Thou, in faith, shall keep us safe, whilst we find the Path.' The Sangheili have forsaken this oath. "

Across the fleets, Brutes approached their Sangheili leaders, weapons concealed.

"With my blessing, the Brutes now lead our fleets! They ask for your allegiance, and you shall give it!"

At that instant, Sangheili were gunned down, pummeled to death, impaled, or crushed by the newly promoted Brutes. Seconds later, Sangheili controlled ships began firing on the Jiralhanae controlled ones, and then the Combined Fleet of Righteous Purpose vanished. However, the supercarrier Sublime Transcendence remained.

...

"What the hell is happening?!" Commander Saul Krause shouted, looking up at the screens.

"The Covenant are firing at each other, Saul. Get FLEETCOM notified, tell them to hold off on reinforcements," Admiral Cain said. "Arm nukes," he then said to the weapons officer.

"Sir, Earth is under attack," the communications officer said.

"Commander Keyes said that the Covenant were wiped out there! Must be an old message," Commander Krause said.

"Negative. FLEETCOM reports more than there were at Reach," the communications officer then replied.

"Are the nukes armed?" Admiral Cain asked, turning to the weapons officer.

"Yes, sir!" the young officer yelled.

"Are all ground forces evacuated?" the Admiral asked.

"Yes, sir. All assets are en route to our battlegroup or already here," the operations officer reported.

"What about Commander Keyes and her marines?" Henry inquired.

"Nothing from Keyes. Sergeant Johnson reports that he and some... Elites... are going to stop the Covenant from activating Halo, sir," the ops officer added.

"Hold the nukes, then. May God help them all," Admiral Cain said, after a minute of silence.

...

"Come, human, it is easy," Tartarus said, trying to have Keyes insert the Index. "Take the Icon... and do as you are told!"

He slams the Index on the console, which flashes red lights.

"Please, use caution! This Reclaimer is delicate," 343 Guilty Spark, the Monitor from Installation 04, said.

"One more word, Oracle, and I'll rip your eye from its socket!" Tartarus snarled, pushing Miranda Keyes forward. She exhaled sharply.

Tartarus growled, "Which is nothing compared to what I'll do to you." She grimaced defiantly.

At that moment, Thel 'Vadamee and Imperial Admiral Xytan 'Jar Wattinree, followed by a mix of humans and Elites, entered the chamber.

"Tartarus, stop."

"Impossible!" the Chieftain gasped, looking up in surprise.

"Put down the Icon," Thel said.

Tartarus turns to face 'Vadamee.

"Put it down? And disobey the Hierarchs?"

"There are things about Halo even the Hierarchs do not understand," Thel spoke.

A group of Brutes step forward menacingly, Tartarus waves them off.

"Take care, Arbiter. What you say is heresy!"

"Is it? Oracle, what is Halo's purpose?" Thel asked the Monitor.

"Collectively, the seven—" the Monitor began.

Tartarus grabs 343 Guilty Spark and jerks him around.

"Not another word!"

"Please..," a voice behind the Arbiter said.

Tartarus lowered 343 Guilty Spark to see Sergeant Avery Johnson standing next to 'Vadamee. He held a Beam Rifle and aimed it directly at Tartarus.

"Don't shake the light-bulb," Johnson said.

The Brute Captains growled and approached. Johnson raised the Beam Rifle to Tartarus' head.

"If you wanna keep your brain inside your head, I'd tell those boys to chill."

Tartarus barked a command, and the Brutes backed off.

"Yes, before I do it myself," the Imperial Admiral said.

"Go ahead. Do your thing," Johnson said to Thel.

"The Sacred Rings, what are they?"Thel asked Guilty Spark.

"Weapons of last resort, built by the Forerunners to eliminate potential Flood hosts, thereby rendering the parasite harmless," Guilty Spark explained.

"And those who made the rings? What happened to the Forerunners?"

"After exhausting every other strategic option, my creators activated the rings. They and all additional sentient life in three radii of the galactic center, died, as planned," Spark explained.

Thel lowered his head in sadness, while the Imperial Admiral put his hand on the Arbiter's shoulder. "We all feel this way, brother," he said. Johnson lowered the Beam Rifle, his attention turning to the Arbiter.

"Would you... like to see the relevant data?" Guilty Spark asked, awkwardly.

Thel looked back up at Tartarus again and said, "Tartarus. The Prophets have lied to us. Betrayed us."

Xytan stepped forward, and said, "I have been a loyal follower of the Hierarchs for many years. This is as hard for me as it is for you."

Tartarus, enraged, threw Guilty Spark at Johnson, knocking him down. He then forces Miranda's hand to push the Index into the console. He turned around, and yelled, "No! The Prophets would not lie to us! The Great Journey has begun. And the Brutes, not the Elites, shall be the Prophet's escorts!"

The Fist of Rukt was in Tartarus' hands, and he stared down the Arbiter.

"Very well," Xytan said, his voice low and commanding. He rushed forward, throwing two energy daggers into the throats of two Brute Captains. Thel followed him, cutting down more Jiralhanae. The Imperial Admiral, moving fast, dodged a strike from the Fist of Rukt and grabbed the handle, struggling with it. The Imperial Admiral, standing two feet taller than the Chieftain, snarled in his foes' face. Tartarus roared back. Just then, the massive Sangheil brought his full strength into his grip, snapped the Fist of Rukt in half, and tossed it aside. He then shoved the Chieftain back, and kicked Tartarus back.

"Arbiter, he is yours," the Imperial Admiral said, turning around. Thel strode forward, and picked up the Chieftain by his throat, holding him high.

"The Great Journey... shall not be stopped!" cried Tartarus, as his comrades were killed all around him.

"It never began," Thel said, plunging his energy sword through the Brutes' chest.

Miranda Keyes jumped back onto the main platform, and grabbed the Index. The room began shaking, and Keyes held the Index to her chest. All of the energy fired into space. In the center of the ring, a large pulsing ball of energy had formed from the firing sequence, and then the shot from the Control Room reached it. The ball glowed, exploded, then dissipated.

The control room seemed to be running on emergency power, as many of the lights were dimmed or not functioning. Keyes stood in front of a holographic depiction, and Johnson rode 343 Guilty Spark to her.

"What's that?"she asked.

Guilty Spark replied, "A beacon."

"What's it doing?" she asked.

"Communicating. At superluminal speeds with a frequency of—" Spark began.

"Communicating with what?" she interrupted.

"The... other installations," Guilty Spark said, a bit surprised.

"Show me," she said.

343 Guilty Spark interfaced with the hologram, and it depicted the seven Halos. A red message pointed to one ring, Installation 04, which was destroyed.

"Fail-safe protocol: In the event of unexpected shutdown, the entire system will move to standby status. All remaining platforms are now ready for remote activation," it said.

"Remote activation? From here?"asked Keyes.

"Don't be ridiculous," Spark said, patronizing.

"Listen, tinkerbell, don't make me..." Johnson began.

Keyes put a hand on his shoulder.

"Then where? Where would someone go to activate the other rings?" Keyes asked.

343 Guilty Spark was truly baffled by the humans' supposed ignorance.

"...Why, the Ark, of course," Spark said.

Thel and Xytan came up behind the trio.

"And where, Oracle, is that?" asked the Arbiter.