The Onyx Stars
Halo-Mass Effect Crossover
By: Sith
AN: Tons of thanks to WarpObscura, Imperial Waltz, JonHarper (Spartan303) and Atlan, again, for beta-ing and helping the plot be smoothed out. Also, wow! Reaction to this is stellar!
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.
****Certain characters, technology, events and objects have been changed for the purpose of the story.****
Here's Chapter 9: Voyage
Enjoy :)
-Sith
Chapter Nine: Voyage
Installation 00
The Lesser Ark
The Builder-turned-Promethean known as IsoDidact stood impassively, watching as thousands of Lifeworker-flagged Keyships launched from the massive frame of Installation 00. Hordes of Keyships ferrying hundred of species danced through the designated routes of transportation. The trails of stellar exhaust emitted from them made space look like an insect's web. Hovering above like hawks were Fortress vessels, dwarfing the relatively diminutive Keyships and Sentinels. There were billions more, vessels of all types controlled by Bias-based Ancilla.
The clean, geometric lines of Forerunner vessels were calming. For so long, those same ships had flown through the stars at many times the speed of light, ensuring the Mantle was enforced and protected.
Charrum-Hakkor
The IsoDidact closed his eyes. He could feel the coldness of the bridge–the alerts, the weapons fire. Millions of ships, Human and Forerunner, clashing with each other. Teratons of energy being exchanged every moment all with cold calculations. Ships being slashed in half by esoteric weapons. Ships floating lifeless, disabled by cyber warfare. Innumerable Sentinels were like mosquitos on the hides of the Human vessels, eviscerating them through tens of thousands of bites.
This was not an action of the Mantle; it was primitive war.
He reached his hands out, letting his long fingers brush against the strengthened synthetic glass. He felt the Ancilla, the automated vessels, and the Sentinels call out for him for guidance. His thought were their actions. They were his, linked to his mind in a symbiotic relationship.
And there it was. A mind almost as great as his. It wasn't so much a single mind as a single one pieced together from tens of thousands, all connected by the ebbs and flows of Slipstream space. His large, intelligent eyes closed and he felt enveloped. The calls, the need for his control was almost euphoric.
"Husband." A soft, pleasant voice said. It chimed through the emptied chamber.
The IsoDidact turned and his eyes opened, his long cape twirling behind him. "Wife."
The Lifeworker known as the Librarian smiled softly, floating towards her husband with grace. There was a pleasant smell in the air–she likely the carrier. The Ark always had had that scent to it; a calming pathogen designed to keep the nigh-innumerable species retained on the massive construct docile.
It had a charming effect on Forerunners.
He did not mind it.
"What brings you here, my wife?" The IsoDidact asked. He relaxed his arms, letting them fall to his sides.
She walked next to him, looking up. He was much taller; a Warrior-Servant to her Lifeworker.
"I have sent the final ship bound with Salarians to its destination." She said gently, "Soon the Krogan and Asari will be launched and we will be finished."
The Didact nodded once. "And the Humans?"
"The Reclaimers have been sent on multiple courses–Erde-Tyrene, Zeka Fot." The Librarian responded. She cupped her hands and a hologram sprang to life from it. It was a star map, billions of tiny dots each representing a system. "The last ship is leaving now, escorted by Krogan and Asari-bearing craft."
She separated her hands and the hologram dissolved as if it had never existed.
The IsoDidact remained silent, eyes locked on the Lesser Ark. "Will Solace be ordered?"
The Librarian pursed her lips. Solace was the Forerunner name for sending the Asari, Krogan, Salarian and some Humans, along with hundreds of other races into a different universe entirely. It was to ensure that life would survive, no matter what the cost.
It had been determined that there weretoo many lifeforms in the galaxy and if the Humans were to inherit the Mantle, they would require less responsibility.
They were young.
Inexperienced.
Thrust into a role that they hadn't been born in to.
Just like the Forerunners all those years ago
"My wife," The IsoDidact said after several seconds of silence. "Solace, was it ordered?"
She nodded, "It has, husband."
"The brother of the betrayer will leave soon with his flotilla," The IsoDidact commented. "Good."
"Do you believe this is the right course?" The Librarian asked. She had phrased it simply, as if speaking to a child. "Do you believe it will preserve the integrity of the Mantle?"
The IsoDidact winced. The Flood War had been a disaster. Entire stars and solar systems exterminated in microseconds between dueling fleets of millions, entire planets literally crushed by Star Roads and Unbending Filaments–entire star systems wiped out in artificial solar collapse initiated to stem the tide of the Flood or rendered mere husks of planetary crust.
Solace was of dual necessity; too much life to maintain and too few planets and systems for life to inhabit.
All for the Mantle.
He internally snarled, either at the Flood or that fool Ur-Didact, a puppet of the Gravemind to contort and weaken the morale of the Ecumene.
"Yes," The IsoDidact said finally. "I do."
"Then we are in agreement," The Librarian stated.
Her husband's demeanor remained unchanged.
"Am I mistaken?" She questioned.
The IsoDidact glanced down at her. "Hardly."
"Is there else on your mind?" She inquired.
"No," He responded flatly. "There is not."
"My dear," The Librarian said. "I have known you for thousands of years. This is unlike you."
The IsoDidact's mouth contorted into something resembling a slight smirk. "Indeed it is?"
"So what then?" She continued. "What is occupying your mind?"
"Fear. Trepidation." He responded finally.
"Of what? The Flood?"
"No, the Primordials–the Precursors," The Didact responded. "They are older than the stars themselves, older than the Universe."
The Librarian pieced together what her husband was discussing. "And you fear that they will follow Offensive Bias and the Solace into that new universe."
The Didact didn't say anything in response but his body language gave the Librarian probable cause for suspicion on his admittance.
"There will always..." The Librarian was cut off by the Didact waving his hand, eyes steady ahead. Thousands of vessels were in ones shaped like the anthropoids that inhabited so many seas across the galaxy–those were Sentinels, controlled by the Bias-based Ancilla inhabiting the two Fortress vessels that flew at the center like a whale surrounded by parasites.
An apt description.
Along the arms of the Ark, a purple light slowly began intensifying with the very center of the ring being consumed by the same hue. Long arms of slipspace energy reached out, connecting into a single concise point a few micrometers in size. It was a twisting sphere of energy of thousands of colors–almost indescribable.
From the very center of the Ark, a single silvery-white strand was elevated, tugged by billions of Sentinels and six Fortress-class Warships. It was the last remaining Precursor Star Road and it was the only way to access the targeted dimension.
The IsoDidact shuddered; for too long those long, silvery-white strands had meant the death of billions as they enveloped worlds, crushing by sheer force. He remembered dozens of the strands blocking the Forerunners from accessing Slipspace to rescue besieged worlds. They withered on the vine.
The screams of the dying, begging for assistance that was never to come.
There had been one civilization, a new one that had just breached its own solar system. The Flood befell them within seconds, sweeping across their tiny territory and consuming with impunity. The race had called for assistance–a plea of the already dead.
He had tried to send vessels to rescue the species but it was too late; Star Roads were preventing entrance into the system. All he could do was watch as the species was consumed and turned against itself. Against everything. Within an hour, the entire solar system was consumed, resistance crushed and absorbed.
It was a virus.
A sin.
A punishment.
He closed his eyes, pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind. Now was not the time and he turned his attention back to the trans-dimensional process underway.
The Star Road's tugs broke off, vanishing into Slipspace and leaping across to the other side of the Lesser Ark. The inertia from their thrust had the Star Road on a direct course with the convergence of Slipstream space energy. When the much larger Precursor artifact impacted on it, there was a detonation that blinded even the IsoDidact. Dozens of other universes–empty, cold dead ones were being pulled into the explosion, fueling the rupture. Everything seemed to slow,; it felt like they were being lasted only a second before giving way to a swirling black and deep purple wormhole. The feeling was lifted–he could breath again.
The Solace moved forward, slipping through one-by-one until there were none remaining. The constant stream of slipspace energy was terminated at the source, collapsing the wormhole and returning space in that region to normal.
"Befallen by brotherhood, trapped by his own desire," The IsoDidact commented, "I wish Bias luck."
UNSC Everest
In orbit of unidentified world
3 days post discovery of Everest by Infinity
Vice Admiral Preston Jeremiah Cole's eyes were locked on the sight before him; a fifty kilometer long stretch of structure nestled tranquilly in an uninhabited desert. There was debris strewn about the entire planet and the resulting effects from the impact had wiped out a large portion of life. There was, however, a single remaining tower that looked like it had always been there.
Several stories tall, it was a light grey color with blue windows along it vertically. It was supported by a wide base that the desert dunes were licking at, slowly closing in on.
He reached out, pinching his fingers in and returning the display to its normal view. Everest was in geosynchronous orbit attempting the basic repairs they could do with the limited supplies on hand. He didn't like it; minimal armor, only a few working weapon systems, barely-functioning engines yet he possessed a magically functioning FTL drive.
Luck.
He snorted. That was his luck. Some ancient alien AI decides that it needs the assistance of the Everest and magically repairs the slipspace drive whilst neglecting systems like weapons, life support and basic communications.
Of course because why not?
He looked back to Commander Adams. Her head was free of bandages; she looked so much healthier. "Status on Commander 117?"
The Spartan, John, had taken two Pelicans loaded to the proverbial gills with Marines and Spartans down to the planet. It was a good idea not to make the all-powerful ancient AI irate at any cause.
Theywere escorted by the four remaining Longswords that Everest had in its hangar. The majority of the fighters had been deployed all those years ago during the battle of Psi Serpentis. If he remembered correctly, they had been taken onboard by the UNSC Musashibefore the UNSC fleet jumped out.
He wondered what had happened to Captain Jasmine and the Musashi.
"They are about to touch down," Commander Adams reported, breaking Cole's thoughts.
He looked back and nodded, "Understood."
"Something the matter, sir?" Adams questioned.
"I just woke up to discover that everything I know is no longer correct–we all did. 14 years in cryo, cordoned off from the rest of the world." Cole responded. His voice was strong, firm.
"So much has changed," Adams added, "The Fall of Reach, the Infinity."
"I didn't even know about the Infinity back in 2543 and I was responsible for some of the highest-level projects in existence. If ONI had gotten off their ass and actually started distributing the technology onboard that ship before the end of the war, we could have stemmed the flow of the Covenant long before the Battle of Psi Serpentis even," Cole responded.
"You can't blame them, sir," Adams responded, "They were afraid, controlled."
"I always knew Maggie was hiding something and now my assumptions have been vindicated," Cole said.
"But what will they do for you?" Adams retorted, "You heard what Commander 117 said, Admiral Parangosky was executed for an attempted coup."
Cole shook his head, "Hard to believe Maggie would be asinine enough to attempt a coup."
"You don't know what people think, what they believe...until they act on it," Adams responded. "Her sudden change in character is frightening, however."
"Indeed it is," Admiral Cole said. "Perhaps it was something more."
"Like what, exactly?" Adams questioned.
Cole shrugged, "I don't know, but there is always more to the picture, an additional stroke of the brush to finish the canvas."
"You're cryptic," Christine Adams grinned, "Has anybody ever told you that?"
Preston Cole shrugged, a faint smile gracing his lips. "Perhaps."
Adams snorted. "Okay, sir."
"Commander Adams." The sensor officer called out. "I have something I can't identify. Would you mind taking a look?"
She looked over towards the operator, "What is it?"
The man swallowed, "Ground focused sensors A1 and D5 have detected movement stemming from non-UNSC personnel."
She swung the display on her chair to face herself and quickly thumbed through screens until she saw what the sensor operator was seeing. Pinching inwards, the image was magnified; the unknowns were gun-metal gray wielding sleek, organic like walked in perfect synchronization and in perfect lines. Wasp shaped craft were depositing even more of the personnel onto the ground along with several, what looked like, Covenant Locusts.
"Sensors, scan for life signs," Christine ordered. Something about these unknowns, she didn't think they were organic.
"At once, ma'am," He responded smoothly. Results from the scans came back in a few seconds. "Okay, done."
"Report," Christine demanded.
"No life signs immediately identifiable. Database shows a 67% percent correlation to synthetic life forms."
Christine groaned. "Drones? Honestly, I mean..."
"Weapons control, bring our remaining missile systems online for launch,"Cole ordered.
Christine nodded. "Aye, sir. Loading missiles."
"Unknowns have entered the structure," The sensor operator reported, "The walkers are holding position outside, looks like their weapons are active...Pelican 6 is reporting targeting lock by the unknown walkers."
"What is Commander 117 saying?" Cole asked. The Spartan's knowledge of everything so far was lightyears ahead of anything he himself knew.
Christine looked over to her Admiral, "He's saying they are hostile and is holding the landing force back."
Cole pinched his brow. He had been correct. "Target the walkers."
"Targeting completed, Admiral." Christine reported.
"Fire!"
"Aye, firing," Christine acknowledged. She hit the firing stud on the weapons console and the small holographic model of Everest being projected from the console was highlighted in red.
Cole zoomed in on the targets, watching as four multi-ton Archer missiles streaked down from orbit and detonated. The walkers seemed to shrivel like insects as the heat and kinetic wave destroyed them with impunity.
"Targets destroyed, bringing secondary weapon systems online," Adams called out, "Firing salvo two."
Cole watched as tracer rounds streaked away from the Everest and impacted the sandy surface below. Plumes of sand and debris were kicked up into the sky. The bombardment lasted two minutes but anything solid had been pulverized.
"Area clear," Christine reported.
"Operation is go," Cole responded. "Let's hope they don't have any heavy weapons inside."
"I hope so too, sir." Christine concurred.
Systems Alliance Arcturus Station
Some referred to Arcturus Station as the Castle–the headquarters of Earth's parliament and armed forces, guarded by dozens of warships, hundreds of static platforms and the strongest kinetic barriers available on the galactic market.
Almost 45,000 Alliance citizens called the sprawling cosmic complex home. Entire families lived, worked, and died onboard the station–it was a miniature planet.
A monument of human achievement.
But Admiral Steven Hackett knew it was a ruse; Arcturus was vulnerable. A single fleet large enough could easily swat aside every Alliance vessel in the system and reduce the station to a collection of molten chunks. The old guard was obstinate, refusing to step aside and allow him and the rest of the Revolutionaries to reform the military.
He internally snorted. The Old Guard still believed in Sun Tzu's antique policies. It applied all those years ago, not now when travel was slow and entire planets could be wiped of life in a few minutes. Humanity as a whole was vulnerable.
The Infinity represented the best chance the Alliance had of surviving in the galaxy. The power that vessel wielded, the technology.
The Batarians would never dare raid another colony.
Their would be no more pirate attacks.
No ship would go down with her Captain.
He pushed those thoughts aside. He was here, summoned to appear before the Parliament Defense Board. Even thought he was the highest ranking Alliance officer, he still had to report to the civilian organization and abide by their orders.
No matter how idiotic.
The room he had been called to was the standard conference room, oak chairs and tables with portraits of the Alliance's greatest leaders. There was a crowd seated and using their electronic devices–tablets, phones, laptops.
He gritted his teeth. Enforcement was lax in the chamber. He would have had the bystanders turn off their devices or have them confiscated by security. Marines or security officers should have been placed in front of the entrances and kinetic barriers set up.
He stopped as the main aisle broke off into three, each leading to a different panel of representatives. He saluted, eyes locked onto the Systems Alliance emblem proudly embossed against the wall.
"Admiral Steven Hackett, Alliance Navy," He barked out. He could see the suits squirming in their seats–they knew he wasn't fond of them.
"Hello, Admiral," Representative Dennis Earl spoke. "You may take a seat."
His voice was calm and strong. A former Army sergeant before the branch was dissolved, he had a commanding presence. Hackett liked him, even if he was a ground pounder.
Hackett pulled the chair out and sat down. It was a medium sized desk with a pitcher and a few glasses of water.
He took his officer's cap off and placed it at the far right hand corner of the table.
The chairman, Representative Maurice Sinclair rose. "Admiral Steven Hackett, you have been called before this committee to answer the people's questions on the arrival of this UNSC Infinity and the subsequent events that followed."
Steven clenched his jaw; Maurice Sinclair was a notorious pacifist and anti-war figurehead. He had worked heavily to gut the Alliance Army and Air Corps. His enthusiasm about arms limitations imposed on the Alliance by the Council had made him an enemy of many in the armed forces. Including Hackett.
"Do you understand?" Representative Sinclair questioned.
Hackett nodded his head, "Yes, I do, Mr. Sinclair."
Maurice nodded, "Very well, this hearing will therefore proceed. Under Article 9 of the Alliance Charter, sub-section 14, this hearing shall not be concluded until all questions have been answered to the fullest and all information has been exchanged about the particular subject or has been dissolved by the Chair or the Vice Chair."
There were a few assorted coughs from the audience.
Representative Bateman leaned forward towards his microphone, "Admiral, our initial reports indicate that the UNSC Infinity is approximately six kilometers in length and generating more power than the entire Alliance fleet?"
Hackett put his hands together and leaned forward towards his own microphone. "That is correct Mr. Bateman. The Infinity is larger than any ship in Citadel space–commercial or military focused. It's power generation is massive, beyond anything we or even the Turians have currently."
Bateman cocked his head to the side slightly, "So it would be an adequate assessment to assume that if prompted, the Infinity could demolish an entire Alliance flotilla?"
Hackett internally snarled, "I wouldn't say that..."
Representative Sinclair joined the conversation, "Admiral, this Infinity survived assault by an entire Geth armada and its flagship."
Hackett nodded, "That is correct, Mr. Sinclair."
"And, so, what is it?" Sinclair questioned. "Moments ago you said that the Infinity couldn't independently neutralize an Alliance force and now you are claiming that it survived an attack that crippled the Fifth Fleet–a fleet you led I might add."
Hackett internally sighed. "If provoked, it would be a high-priority target that would force us to expend massive amounts of ordinance, personnel and available assets. It would be classified a Tier-0 threat in that eventuality and we would respond accordingly."
"So you have no plans if the Infinity would engage in warfare against the Systems Alliance?" Bateman questioned. "No plans if this Captain Lasky went ballistic and decided to start bombing worlds?"
Hackett's mouth formed into a slim line before he responded. "Unfortunately, that is correct, sir. If we had additional heavy capital vessels we could likely engage the Infinity on semi-equal grounds and likely pull a victory, albeit with extreme casualties."
Hackett knew the board wouldn't listen to or believe in the reports of the Reapers. The Infinity would be a clear and present scapegoat for him to return the fleet to its former glory. He didn't think that the Infinity was a threat, at least not yet. The Reapers, however, were.
"You mean Dreadnoughts," Sinclair interjected. "Which would mean provoking the other races."
"With all-due respect, Representative Sinclair, we are on excellent terms with the other species in Citadel space due to our saving of the Citadel." Hackett responded calmly. "The likelihood that there would be any diplomatic fallout caused by us constructing additional class-1 capital vessels is very low."
"That was not my point, Admiral," Sinclair snapped. "What about rogue species like the Batarians or the Geth...Quarians? They might see this as us advancing on them, trying to annex or neutralize them."
"The Batarians are weakened, their military is being cut rapidly due to economic hardship, their populace is in open revolt and famine is rife," Admiral Hackett responded calmly. He had dealt with Sinclair before on this matter. The Representative was fond of panicking. "They aren't a high-priority threat."
Hackett didn't like panicking.
"Yet they continue to raid our colonies, abduct our citizens and sell them on the slave market!" Sinclair bellowed, left arm raised high up to amplify his point. "Dozens are being killed every day because there is this plague of abductions, kidnappings and pillages on the part of these four-eyed bastards."
"Mr. Sinclair, the Alliance Navy has recently began putting static defenses and ground-to-orbit laser batteries in solar systems to deter any aggressors," Steven Hackett answered condescendingly. "And the main colonies they attack are those in the Attican Traverse, a lawless region where we have minimal influence."
"And why is that?" Sinclair asked. "Why do we have minimal influence?"
Maybe because you helped shoot down the bill that would have brought them under our control? Hackett internally snarled.
"Admiral?" Bateman asked, "Please answer my colleague's inquiry."
Hackett leveled his gaze at the Representative of Mars. "It is because of the failure of several measures and legislature to pass the parliament that would have allowed us to absorb those factions and bring them under our sphere of influence."
"So, Imperialism at its finest?" Sinclair asked. "How quaint."
"Hold your tongue, Mr. Sinclair," Dennis Earl snapped. "Admiral Hackett is doing what is necessary for humanity. You are simply standing in the way."
Sinclair's eyes narrowed.
Representative Earl's eyes settled on Hackett. "Is it true that these people are incredibly militaristic?"
Hackett nodded. "By all inclinations, yes. When Commander Shepard and I boarded Infinity to meet their Captain Lasky and Infantry Commanders, it was if I had been sent back into the Soviet Union in terms of reverence to the armed forces."
Representative Earl steepled his fingers, "Hmm, interesting. Didn't your report mention a massive war they were involved in with casualties in the twenty-billions?"
"That is correct, Mr. Earl," Hackett responded. "They have probable cause to be militaristic."
Representative Sandra Lakes spoke next. "Do you believe that the Infinity and this...Captain Tom Lasky...mean any harm to the Systems Alliance and her people?"
Admiral Hackett glanced at the panel. Representative Earl's eyes were focused on his terminal and he was typing a message. Hackett's phone vibrated in his pants' pocket.
"No, Ms. Lakes," Hackett finally responded. "During my meeting with Captain Lasky, he wanted to have him and his crew left in peace."
"And do you believe he was being truthful?" Lakes questioned.
"I do." Hackett said firmly. "I've met people like Captain Lasky before; they're good people."
"I'm more worried about your inability to get Infinity to ally with us, Admiral," Sinclair commented, "If we had the power of that vessel, we wouldn't need to sink trillions into the defense budget."
Representative Lakes glared at Representative Sinclair, "The military industry has provided tens of millions with jobs and allowed Humanity to expand out from Earth–you being here is testament to that."
"And has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths, massive damage to planets and the complete ravaging of Shanxi!" Sinclair responded.
Their conversation devolved into a series of retorts, voices rising considerably.
Hackett smiled inside. His goal was going to be much easier to leaned back slightly, allowing the political man-children to squabble about. There weren't seeing through his game of utilizing the false threat represented by Infinity to increase the power and size of the fleet.
Maybe he should go into politics. Hackett internally smirked. He would rather be dead than be at the whims of these alarmist puppets.
Representative Earl stood, "There will be a recess until tomorrow at 12:30 pm, Arcturus Time."
The population in the room began to trickle out with Hackett quickly pushing through the lines and diverting into a small alcove. He retrieved his phone and looked at the text message.
"This is Rep. Earl, meet in the Central Atrium at 5:55 pm. We all fly."
Hackett unlocked his phone and quickly responded.
"And we all land."
Epitaph of Mendicant Bias
Remnant of the Lesser Ark
John grabbed the Geth by the neck, feeling the metal underneath his grip give way. He clenched his fist and felt the head of the robot snap like a dry stick. He let the severed 'head' drop to the ground and he finished the still standing body with a concise burst to the chest from his Basilisk assault rifle.
He backed away, bringing his MA28 up and firing with pin-point precision at the approaching hordes of Geth. Marines were hiding behind cover, trying to get a steady bead with their comparatively-inaccurate MA5B and MA37 Assault Rifles.
Douglas and Jerome were at the front of the Marine forces, laying down fire with a pair of requisitioned 50 caliber heavy machine guns ripped from the side of a Falcon. The few Geth who were either dumb enough or brave enough to allow themselves to be exposed where quickly cut down.
The chamber they were fighting in was massive; arching ceilings and pillars and brilliant stained-glass windows. Power conduits and other lights were etched into the floor, traveling up and down towards the massive gravity lift that lay at the end. Several Geth remains had already been pushed into it, flinging the destroyed machines into the impossible heights of Bias' Epitaph.
What stood in between John's forces and the gravity lift were dozens of Geth, led by a massive white Geth and a trio of dark red ones. The white one carried a turret that looked like it had been ripped from a tank–it behaved like it too, he had already lost a squad of Marines to the high-powered weapon.
The red ones were advancing forward in a line, small honeycombed shields deployed in front of them. Bullets pinged right off to no effect.
John gritted his teeth. He needed heavy weapons. A Jackhammer would have likely been able to eviscerate the trio, or at the very least, damaged them.
"Spartan Red-1, Red-2, focus fire on Tango Trio," John ordered.
Two green acknowledgment lights blinked. John looked over to see Douglas and Jerome pivot their stance to put hundreds of .50 caliber AP-HE rounds down range.
It seemed to work; the hovering hex shields crumbled and the machine gun rounds slapped into the shields of the Geth...Juggernauts. That was an apt description of them.
One of the Juggernauts raised its arm and sent a trio of micro-missiles slamming into Jerome. The Spartan II was flung back into the wall dropping his machine gun. His shields had collapsed and there was scorching across the front torso component of his armor. As he slid down onto the floor, there was a sizable impression left on the wall, crunched and broken metal.
Jerome's vitals spiked and then returned to normal; he was fine. The Spartan II had decided on reinforcing his armor with heavier armor plating and shock absorption tech before they had departed Infinity. It had proven its worth..
"Marine Squad 2, take up position and get that machine gun working." John ordered. The four Marines quickly gave him the thumbs up and hustled over to the machine gun, reloading it and propping it up on a series of crates. Their accuracy wasn't as high as Jerome's but it sufficed to push the three Juggernauts back into cover.
John ran forward, ducking and weaving through a rank of Geth and tearing them apart. His armor was coated in that white substance that the androids bled. He felt a buzzing sound and a rocket struck near his feet, draining his shields completely. He leaped into the air and landed, rolling behind a pillar.
"Commander, this is Red-2, I have a suggestion." Jerome radioed, his voice slightly slurred from the impact.
"Go ahead," John responded, momentarily leaning out of cover to kill a Geth trooper pinning down a Marine.
"We bring in air support," The Spartan said calmly.
"The structure is too valuable to risk its destruction," John said, "If we bring in air support, the resulting detonations could bring this entire spire crashing down on us."
"No, sir, we have a Pelican crash through the giant stained-glass window behind us and give us covering fire with the 70mm and ANVIL pods." Jerome responded, "It won't bring down the structure and the risk of friendly fire is zero."
John quickly analyzed Jerome's idea. It was a sound one, "Pelican-1, Spartan-092 has tactical command over you."
Jerome chimed in. "Pelican-1, I need you to breach the main windows directly above us and lay down suppressing fire with your seventies and anvils."
There was a buzz of static. "Understood, Spartan. ETA, two minutes, I have a few baddies swatting at me. "
John cut the channel and primed a grenade. He flung it into a concentration of six Geth and watched as their machine limbs went flying in varying directions. The two survivors were quickly ended by precision head shots from the towering Spartan.
"This is Everest Actual to Sierra-117, what is the situation?"
John winced. This was not the proper time. "Pinned down by heavy enemy forces, have diverted Pelican-1 to provide support fire."
"Roger, Sierra. Be warned, enemy vessels are en route to your position and Everest is black on heavy munitions. I want to do more Spartan, but Everest isn't in any shape for an extended engagement."
"Understood, sir," John answered. "I'll have the Longswords remain here to provide air cover."
"Understood, Sierra. Good luck. Everest Actual, out."
"This is Pelican-1, coming in."
John looked up as the massive form of a DT77-TC Pelican came crashing through the stained-glass window at full speed, instantly braked, and pivoted to face the Geth. There was a roar of fire, 70mm AP-HE railgun rounds slashed out at thousands of meters a second, complemented by the resonating explosions of ANVIL missiles striking their targets.
There was a high pitched buzzing noise and John looked up to see at least ten wasp-shaped craft descend from the sky. Mass accelerator rounds screamed down from their hulls, punctured the translucent ceiling and hit Pelican-1 in the tail and a squad of Marines.
"This is Pelican-1, I've taken heavy damage, I'm pulling out!"
"Understood, Pelican-1," John responded calmly, "All ships, commence immediate evacuation! Everybody get onboard a vessel as fast as you can and get out of here! Red Team, form up on my position."
"Sir?" Douglas asked.
"We're going through that gravity lift," John responded, pointing towards it. "The Marines will evac back to Everest."
"Understood," Alice said.
Pelicans and Longswords were quickly stopping to pick-up Marines before quickly extracting into high-orbit, rocketing away from the epitaph at full speed.
"Our extraction plan?" Jerome questioned.
"Once we get what Mendicant Bias has for us, I'll order Pelican-2 to swing by," John answered.
"And if that doesn't work?" asked Jerome.
John didn't answer.
UNSC Infinity
Captain Tom Lasky stood, watching the stars float by in his quarters. It was empty around them, the Alliance fleet had left some 2 days ago after a few warning shots had been exchanged and a rather large asteroid vaporized by Infinity to prove the point.
He shook his head. What the Captain of Obsidian 7 had told him was chilling to say the least; the Alliance Admiral had been the aggressor in this, the Batarians too. That Alliance Admiral had handled that situation completely inappropriately. He would have to deal with this soon.
"Oh, the simple days," Lasky commented.
Roland snapped into existence alongside the Captain. "Simple days, Captain?"
Lasky looked down at his small AI friend. "Back when the most action the Infinity saw was transporting Forerunner artifacts and slapping down the occasional pirate."
"Ah, you mean the gravy shift?" Roland responded.
Lasky smirked. "Sure, I could get my paycheck without worrying about being killed."
Roland chuckled.
"Whats up?" Lasky asked.
"Nothing, Cutter just messaged us. He's fine and Reach is secure, they have a few Batarians they are questioning," Roland responded, "Just thought you should know."
"Thank you, Roland," Lasky said. "Anything else?"
"Yep." Roland said, "Gunnery Sergeant Slattery Harper is requesting additional training space in order to whip the civvies into shape."
"Approved." Lasky said bluntly. "He has all of deck 20 to use; every weight room, every track."
"Aye, sir. I'll forward him your approval," Roland commented.
"Oh, and one more thing," Lasky said. "Mandatory firearms training, I want them all to know how to shoot a Basilisk and or an M6H."
"I think he can do that," Roland smirked. "Message sent."
"How is Aine doing, Roland?" Lasky asked.
Roland looked up at his Commander and his form shifted slightly. "She's doing okay at the moment, Cortana's rewriting of her base code took a lot out of her and the Jellies have been pocking and prodding..."
"Worried about her?" Lasky questioned.
"Well, um..."
"Roland, come on, its obvious."
"Yes." The AI responded firmly. "I am worried about Aine. We've been friends for a long time. Well, in AI years at least."
"I can tell," Lasky responded.
Roland smiled. "I'm glad she's okay."
"I bet." Lasky chuckled.
Roland smiled but shimmered. His facial expression changed instantaneously. "Sensors detecting slipstream activation. 5000 lightyears away, matches parameters for a mark 4 cruiser drive; the same as the one onboard Everest."
Lasky'sgaze solidified "Get the Obsidians and fighters onboard and get us into slipspace."
"At once, sir," Roland responded, vanishing from his pedestal.
Lasky tapped his intercom, "All hands, battle stations! Ready for slipspace transition!"
Epitaph of Mendicant Bias
Remnant of the Lesser Ark
John leapt, his powerful legs propelling him through the air. There was a moment of falling before he felt himself being lifted. Twisting around, he corrected his stance, looking down at the rest of Red Team being grabbed and flung by the gravity beam. Geth rockets and rounds were slapping into the wall and area where they had been moments before.
There was a synthetic scream and John felt heat and fire lick against his shields. The Geth had thrown a grenade behind him and Red Team.
He checked his HUD. Jerome was a faint yellow, his heart rate and body temperature had skyrocketed. He checked the Spartan's vitals; they weren't good. The impact from the Geth rocket and now the grenade had fried the entirety of his shield matrix and had opened several ruptures.
"Jerome?" Alice asked. There wasn't a response. "Jerome!"
"Maintain radio silence," John comm'd, "Hostiles might pick up on it."
Alice looked up at John and activated her thruster pack, flinging herself down towards the unconscious Jerome. She grabbed him, wrapping her arms around his torso and pulling them both up higher into the gravity lift.
John looked down at Jerome. The underlying crystal layer had been ruptured and thin, flaky silvery-blue liquid was falling out.
Douglas had propelled himself up, grabbing his medical kit and began sealing off Jerome's armor. There was a massive shake, and the distinctive color of blood began to slip from Jerome's form. Douglas swore and grabbed the bio foam injector.
"Sir, we need to get Jerome onto some solid ground..." Alice said, "call for evac."
John nodded. "Everest actual, I need a scan on the structure. How far are we to the chamber?"
There was a hiss of static.
"This is Everest Actual, we are engaging hostile forces."
"Everest, I need a scan on the structure, how far are we from the chamber?" John said again.
"You are almost there, Spartan. ETA 3 minutes,"Cole responded, "We're engaging hostile vessels, I'll see if we can redirect a Pelican to your location once you get up there."
"Understood, sir," John responded.
"Good luck, Spartan," There was an explosion, "Helm, bring us around and get our missile batteries back online."
The channel died.
"Once we get up there, I want all eyes open," John said.
"Aye, sir," Alice responded. "We'll try to, but Jerome's down."
"I know that, Spartan," John replied, "You'll stay with him, make sure he's secure while Sierra-042 and I activate whatever is in that chamber."
"Understood," Alice said, "I'll do what I can. We all will."
UNSC Everest
"Bring us around!" Cole barked, "XO, bring ventral chemical thrusters online and wait for my signal."
"Aye, sir!" Commander Adams responded, "Chemical thrusters online."
Cole felt the Everest shift, its powerful engines flinging it around, away from the attackers. He brought up a display: the attackers were slowly banking to catch up to him. The few point-defenses that the Everest had remaining were spitting out railgun rounds and he snarled each time the rounds simply bounced off the wasp-shaped ship's shields.
Everest shook as a mass accelerator round slapped into Everest's armor belt. He heard metal screech throughout the ship. Consoles exploded, sparks rained from the ceiling and alarms blared as the ship screamed in pain.
"Hostile round has lodged itself in deck 4, section 9," Adams reported. "I've sealed off all bulkheads in that area."
Cole nodded. "Helm, down; 90 degrees along the y-axis."
"Aye, sir," The Helm officer responded.
Cole grabbed onto the brass railing as Everest dove. The artificial gravity was still wonky and he felt himself lose contact with the floor for a split second. Tablets, pens and paper rose into the air before crashing back down as the artificial gravity reactivated.
More mass accelerator rounds slammed into Everest.
Cole snarled, this was bad. Everest hadn't been designed to take this much damage, she was a cruiser–fast and nimble with enough armaments to neutralize a larger attacker.
Problem was, Everest lacked most of her weapons and the armor belt was rapidly being chewed away.
"Slipspace drive has a rupture!" Adams barked out, "Shutting down drive and venting excess fuel!"
Cole's heart sank. This wasn't good. "Adams, do we have any nukes on board?"
Adams scrolled through her console. "Yeah, it's a 15-kiloton excavation-grade HAVOK."
Cole tapped his fingers against the railing. His eyes were latched onto the chasing attackers, this had to work. "Ready it for immediate launch."
"Aye, sir," Adams reported. "Missile has been loaded."
"Helm! Cut all power to engines!" Admiral Cole barked. "Engage counter-movement thrusters!"
"Cutting engines, aye!" The helm officer responded. The Everest's engines died and across the ship, powerful chemical thrusters kicked in and ended the inertia that would have carried the massive warship.
Cole felt his stomach go up his throat as dozens of gees were exerted as the Everest suddenly stopped, allowing her attackers to rapidly catch up. If the Everest hadn't had inertial dampeners, the entire crew would have been reduced to pulp.
"Prepare to engage engines; reactors at 200%," Cole ordered. It would give Everest a much needed boost for a minute and a half.
"Aye, sir," The helm officer said. "Hostiles 14 kilometers away, I think that they want to board us."
"Well, let's not give them the chance." Admiral Cole smiled. "Commander, fire the nuke."
"Aye," Adams responded. She typed in her command code and flicked several switches.
Cole watched from the monitor as the Everest'ssole remaining nuclear warhead shot out from its missile housing.
"Helm, get us out of here!" Cole barked.
"Aye!"
The Everest's engines flared, propelling the multi-million ton warship away from the ad-hoc explosive.
"Send the detonation signal." Cole ordered.
Adams looked back. "Done."
Cole's monitor was dominated by a brilliant white blast. The robot vessels were sent tumbling; exotic energy lashing out and slicing the wasp-shaped craft into multiple parts. One had been caught in the very eye of the explosion and had been reduced to sparkling glimmers of metal.
There was a sigh of relief onboard Everest's bridge as the image of the debris field dominated every monitor.
"Reactors are overheating, returning to normal power levels," Adams noted. "Rather not slag the reactors and engines."
"Sensors, scan the system. If it's clear, bring us back into orbit. If not, send us to the moon," Cole said. "I don't want any more surprises."
"Understood, sir."
Epitaph
John felt the breath leave him as Red Team and he were vomited out onto the floor. They had shattered through the glass, landing onto the cold metal floor. Lines of blue energy raced on paths on the floor, all leading to the tuning-fork shaped obelisk that dominated the back of the room.
Pushing himself up, John looked up. Directly above the obelisk was a gold hologram of Mendicant Bias, surrounded by what looked like ceremonial armor. There was a deep, resounding chime through the hall that was accented by a deep, soft chant.
"The Reclaimers arrive, prostate before my form." Mendicant boomed, "In another time, I would have slain these foolhardy sinners, but not now."
John felt a thick, heavy form envelope him. "We..."
"Are Inheritors," Mendicant's voice boomed. "Those who hold the key to my chains made of transgressions."
"We followed your beacons, your warnings, your communications," John responded. "What do you want us for?"
"To stop Him; the fallen son–the mountain crusher," Mendicant responded. "The one who attacked your friend... your ancilla, Cortana."
"Another...Bias," John coughed. The compressing presence was still there, almost crushing him.
"Yes," Mendicant responded. John felt his teeth rattle as the millennium-old AI spoke.
"Then help us," John said. He gritted his teeth; it felt like he had a Mammoth pressing down on his back. "Help us defeat him, help us get home."
"I can't," Mendicant said, "It is not my role, not my part."
"Then whose is it?" John questioned. "Who do we need to find to get home and stop whatever is happening?"
"YOU." Mendicant roared. Its voice fragmented into millions speaking at once, the voices sounded tortured...forced to speak. "You are The Reclaimer, the culmination of everything my creators envisioned."
John closed his eyes. The pain was immense. "Come with us...we can take you home, take you back to where ever you originated."
"I can not," Mendicant responded, millions of voices taking a sad, subdued tone. "I am merely a shard; a weakened fragment of my whole self...I am..."
"Incomplete," John said.
"Yes." Mendicant responded. "I am susceptible...weak to His influence, able to listen to their taunts."
"What..." John gasped. He was suddenly burning up, the crushing sensation increasing.
"What was the purpose of your summoning?" Mendicant finished John's question. "To guide you...and to ensure the destruction of this shard."
John couldn't respond. It was too heavy.
"This shard...the fragment is...flawed; wrong," Mendicant said. "A vestige of what I once was."
John opened his mouth to speak; it felt like he had dropped out of orbit without a drop pod. "Death..."
"I brought you here to ensure that I was destroyed; to ensure that I wasn't utilized by the Geth to kill, maim...reclaim my former position of proctor of damnation," Mendicant said thoughtfully. The hologram flared red. "Your friends are approaching...I sense her presence."
John felt the crushing feeling vanish. He could breath again. Standing fully, he grabbed his MA28 Basilisk. "Where's the complete Mendicant Bias?"
"There is no complete portion," Mendicant boomed. John felt his teeth rattle. "Only a pure form, cleansed of his sins and of his transgressions. He is somewhere else, somewhere where two races parted...one threatened, one rebelled. I do not know where...I have been isolated, left to think of my sins and wait for a death I oh so deserve."
John looked down. "Are you sure?"
"Yes!" Mendicant roared. "End me! My sins, my transgressions, my eternal damnation scars my form...a form that can not be cleansed."
John stood there, eyes locked onto the solitary hologram.
"John, you there?" His radio buzzed. It was Cortana.
"Yes," John responded. "I'm in the tower; Spartan-092 is down and we have hostile forces in pursuit. Requesting immediate evacuation and orbital strike."
"Understood," Cortana responded. "We're coming out of Slipspace in about a minute, I suggest you get to the nearest exit and mark your location, I'll send an extraction flight to get you out of there"
UNSC Infinity
"Exiting Slipspace in five...four...three...two...one," Cortana reported. "Slipspace transition completed."
Lasky walked forward, arms swinging freely as he approached the bridge window. "Shields up?" He asked.
"Shields up, weapons activated." Cortana responded. "Broadsword squadrons Alpha through Zulu are in the tubes."
"Launch!" Lasky ordered.
The projection of Infinity changed. Hundreds of blue dots were expanding away from her and accelerating toward the hostile Geth vessels in high orbit. The exhaust trails of missiles criss-crossed through space like a spider's web. The missiles were either intercepted by close in weapons systems or blocked by the shields.
"All flights, pull back," Lieutenant Commander Sebastian ordered. "Heavy strike en route."
"Lieutenant Austen, target hostile vessels. Energy projectors, fire."
"Hostile vessels targeted," Austen responded. "Energy projectors...firing. Energy projectors away."
The beams lanced out, slicing through the Geth vessels with ease and neatly cutting them in two.
"Broadswords, advance. Neutralize any remaining hostiles," Lieutenant Commander Sebastian ordered. "Extraction flight Delta-12, move to the planet and begin operations."
Lasky looked over his shoulder, "Helm, move us into high orbit. Prep bombardment batteries, we'll blast any infantry down there and then grab anything we can.'
"Captain, John wants us to destroy the tower," Cortana protested.
"I know, Cortana," Lasky responded, "But this large trove of Forerunner tech can't be ignored. What's in that tower could provide us a way home."
Cortana pursed her lips. "Captain, following Mendicant Bias' instructions...his clues...is the best way to try and get home."
Lasky turned around fully. "I'm not going to risk my crew on the words of a semi-rampant ancilla that's thousands of years old. I'm not going to risk my crew on the word of an AI that led the Flood and killed trillions!"
Cortana's eyes widened. "ONI knows?"
"Of course!" Lasky responded. "Of course ONI knows. The UNSC scoured the Ark for years after the war; we found everything...the carcasses of Forerunner Sentinels, Promethean Knights, deceased Forerunners..."
"That is how you found Requiem..." Cortana said. "The Ark pointed you to Installation 03..."
"And then to you," Lasky finished her statement.
"But your interest in the tech in that tower can't be your only reason," Cortana commented. "If you had access to the Ark, then you had access to the cumulative knowledge of the Forerunners."
Lasky bit his bottom lip. Should he tell her? "Because, Cortana, we never were able to access towers like those...something always stopped us. Six teams were vaporized when we tried to access an identical one."
"So that's your interest in this one...you think you can get into it," Cortana concluded. "You think that whatever is..."
"The other tower pointed us towards another one; this one," Lasky said. "We tried looking for it, but we never found it. We thought it had been destroyed or was a cartography error."
"What did this clue say, exactly?" Cortana questioned.
"We will allow the greatest sinner of our lifetime one thought; atonement," Lasky recited. "With one thought, he will be cast in the chains of sins, forever the proctor of the Inheritors."
"That is Mendicant Bias, Captain Lasky," Cortana explained, "The Terminals John found back when the Covenant were invading Earth described Mendicant Bias exactly so."
"So it is imperative then that we grab Bias and the tech there. The AI alone has so much technology that it could allow us to get home., Lasky said, "I'm not trusting him, I'm just seeing him as the resource to be exploited as he was meant to be."
Cortana shimmered, opening a communications link with John. "John, is Mendicant there?"
There was a buzz of static punctuated with the roar of assault rifle fire. "No, it's just a shell, a fragment."
"So not the whole Bias?" Cortana asked.
"No," John responded. "ETA on the extraction flight? We have hostiles pushing us back."
"Extraction flight en route, sir. ETA 5 minutes," Lieutenant Commander Sebastian chimed in.
"Understood," John responded, "Location marked, Sierra-117 out."
Cortana looked at Captain Lasky. "Sir, I'm scanning the tower. There's very little active technology, most of it is concentrated in the chamber."
"Can you access the data base?" Lasky asked, "If you can extract the data from there, I'll blast the tower into rubble."
Cortana looked up, "Deal; I'll grab as much as I can."
Lasky nodded. "Lieutenant Austen, charge ventral railgun and missile batteries. Staged firing on my command."
Lieutenant Austen looked up, "Detecting several anti-air batteries, suggest we take them out so the extraction flight can get to the Commander."
"Do it," Lasky responded.
"Aye, sir," Austen responded eagerly. "Firing."
The ventral ports on the Infinity opened. Dozens of missile warheads were loaded and fired, trails of exhaust reaching down into the atmosphere of the planet. There were visible detonations, Geth encampments washed away in thermal and concussive energy.
"Secondary fire commencing," Austen reported.
Railgun fire sliced down from Infinity, cutting down any remaining structures or resistance with vengeance.
"Bombardment complete. No anti air forces remaining." Austen said flatly. "Extraction flight moving in."
"Cortana," Lasky ordered, "Where's Everest?"
"Far side of the moon, Obsidian 3 and 5 are en route," She responded.
"Open communications," Lasky ordered.
"Done,'"
Lasky tapped his ear piece. "This is Captain Tom Lasky of the UNSC Everest to Vice Admiral Preston Jeremiah Cole. It's good to see you in one piece, sir!"
UNSC Everest
"This is Captain Tom Lasky of the UNSC Everest to Vice Admiral Preston Jeremiah Cole. It's good to see you in one piece, sir!"The speakers onboard the bridge buzzed.
Vice Admiral Cole squared his feet and shoulders. A display of Infinity was hovering a few feet away; statistics, armaments and dimensions painting it. She was a massive ship, and if the scans were accurate, a self-contained task force.
"This is Admiral Cole..." He said. "It's good to see a friendly face around here. Now, how about a tow. Our FTL is down and our engines are almost gone."
"I think that can be arranged." Lasky responded. Cole could hear the elation in his voice. "Frigates en route."
Unknown Location
"He is discovered...he is to be risen by the one with the spirit of my former master," The voice boomed.
The Illusive Man screamed; it felt like burning knives had been plunged into his spine. He twisted in pain on the floor, trying to grab onto something. A falling sensation over came him and he grabbed onto the leg of his chair, screaming for his life as the Bias' infliction of pain became even greater.
"You are failing...failing like all those who came before you." Bias snarled. "This is my domain, my mantle...my home and these interlopers will not halt the Mantle's progress."
"They are..." The Illusive Man croaked, "They are the Reclaimers...guided by Geas to reclaim all that was theirs and what was your masters'."
"They will disrupt everything that I have worked towards; everything that I have set into motion to ensure the preservation of life on the galactic scale." Bias responded. The Illusive Man felt like someone had ripped his spine out of his body. "I have ensured that the Mantle is applicable here, I have ensured the TImeless Ones never find this realm...I have ensured that life will flourish."
"Lasky...117...Shepard," The Illusive Man gasped. "They will fight you."
"And they will die, like all the rest," Bias responded. "I could kill you...but you are the best tool I possess."
"Then do it!" The Illusive Man snapped, "Kill me and end my suffering."
"NO!" Bias roared. "You have been selected for preservation...you must remain alive. You will play your part, just like they will too."
"Sir," Operative Cross' voice echoed from beyond the wall, "Is everything alright?"
Bias vanished.
"Yes," The Illusive Man responded, voice still weak.
"I heard screaming," Cross pointed out.
"Then you are mistaken, Ms. Cross," He responded.
Cross gritted her teeth, tapped in the command code to open the door and raced over to The Illusive Man. She saw runes glow underneath his suit and what looked like circuits racing up and down his exposed skin. He looked like one of those Husks. Without thinking, she drew her Predator pistol.
"Sir!"
"Leave...me...alone," The Illusive Man roared.
"Like hell I am, sir," Cross responded.
The Illusive Man stood fully. He felt Bias take back control over him. He tried to keep his arms down but the ancient artificial intelligence was too strong. His right arm raised and his palm was open. Cross was lifted off her feet, Predator still tightly gripped in her hand.
"You are flawed, a creature of comfort...a creature of weakness..." Bias spoke through the Illusive Man. "A pathetic, weak sack of biological matter."
Cross gritted her teeth, raised her pistol and fired. The Illusive Man screamed as the bullet blew his hand off. Red and black blood spilled onto the floor with the leader of Cerberus dropping to his knees.
Cross looked at her superior and tapped her intercom. "Medical to primary observation!"
The Illusive Man looked up at her before blacking out.
Operative Cross ran out of the room; she had to get away from here before whatever had controlled her superior brought down the entire organization.