Chapter Nine - Rendezvous

TIME: DATE STAMP ((ERROR)) ANOMALY\Revised date

estimated 0900 Hours, August 30, 2552 (Military Calendar) /

Epsilon Eridani System, in space over Reach

Jack knew something was wrong the moment they re-entered normal space. Their journey through the slipstream had lasted several seconds. And instead of empty space due to a randomized vector…a smoldering planet drifted before them on the main viewscreen. Jack activated the Spartan COM Channel.

"Rachel…why are we here? That's-,"

"Reach. I know. I don't understand either," Rachel whispered over the COM.

Jack's mind raced for an explanation. A malfunction? Perhaps their ship had taken its previous location data and accidentally jumped there? Jack entered the cockpit. There had to be an explanation…

A warning icon flashed before the command station. Jack didn't recognize the alien symbol, though its familiarity tantalized his memory. But a side screen hummed to life and showed a rupture in normal space from a ship leaving the slipstream, just three hundred kilometers away.

Rachel noticed it too.

"Incoming contact, unknown."

The distortion cleared, and a human frigate materialized out of space. On its side, white painted letters marked its name.

Surrogate Victor…

Jack's stomach dropped.

How?

He clutched the crystal tighter and put a hand on the back of Rachel's chair. Logan prepared their ship for combat and began to warm its weapons. Jack waved a hand for him to belay that. Instead, Jack simply stared at the screen, watching the ship drift in space. Rachel stuttered and tried to guess how this was possible.

"I don't understand. Did they know we were coming? Did they guess we would arrive here so late? How could they have known? Its just-," Rachel began, when another warning icon appeared next to her.

The Engineer moved to her controls and tapped a glowing glyph.

The main viewscreen snapped on, and Lieutenant Commander Alkaev Vladimir's face stared back at them. Jack instinctively hid the crystal from view behind his back. Vladimir grinned and his accented voice echoed about the walls in a cool manner.

"Ah. I was mistaken to assume you would miss your appointment. 0900 Hours precisely. Perhaps you Spartans are more than Ackerson makes of you. I've read his reports," Vladimir said with a chuckle, then added rather tragically, "well, the ones I have access to. Master Chief, are you prepared for our mission, then? You have successfully disabled that destroyer's crew?"

Jack stood in stunned silence, bewildered that Vladimir wasn't demanding a court martial. It was as if the Lieutenant Commander believed it still to be 0900 Hours, their meeting time…in fact, he did believe it was 0900 Hours. Jack gripped the crystal behind his back tighter.

Perhaps it was 0900.

There were properties the crystal possessed that Jack had never imagined. He never believed in the possibility of time travel. But here the object seemed to have bent space and time itself to inconvenience them…or this was an elaborate hoax.

Vladimir raised an eyebrow as Jack continued to stare, thinking rapidly.

"Sir…" Jack began. If it was true, and they had somehow gone back to 0900, there was still time to fix things with the Lieutenant Commander. Once and for all. A plan began to formulate in Jack's head as he continued.

"Sir…we have successfully captured a Covenant Prophet in your absence. It is currently under a sedative, but we may bring it aboard if you wish."

Vladimir's eyes widened with shock at the Spartans' seemingly impossible efficiency, but he quickly recomposed his face into stoicism.

"This is good news, then. I must say, your work is exceptional. However, I had hoped you would wait for our rendezvous before undertaking your mission. Success, however, is always welcome. May I see this Prophet, then? Show me what you have captured."

Jack nodded to Logan, but activated a private COM link to him as he rose from his seat at the weapons station.

"The Elder is dead. Load a drop pod with plasma grenades and any explosive ordinance you can find. Then bring out the Elder for Vladimir to see."

Logan flashed his acknowledgement light and left the navigation room. Jack turned back to Vladimir while they waited. Vladimir spoke first.

"I must say again that I am impressed. Do enlighten me on your mission; how did you do it?"

Jack's mind worked furiously as Vladimir spoke; to Jack time seemed sluggish as his brain calculated the appropriate words.

"Sir, we captured this destroyer by 0830 and became engaged with a Covenant flagship. We were able to board it to try and disable it from within. What we found onboard, however, was a Prophet. We were lucky." Lies. Jack felt odd lying to the face of authority. Any other UNSC officer he would have the respect to confess their entire operation. But something within Jack knew that Vladimir was scum from the start.

Vladimir shook his head in near disbelief. But he grinned and nodded with approval.

"Again, impressive by all standards, Master Chief. Earth will be glad to have this leverage in the war. The Surrogate Victor will make sure this Prophet returns to Earth safely. Let me know when you wish to board and I will arrange an escort."

There. A flicker of the eyes. The shift in balance. Jack knew Vladimir was lying. The Spartans had studied psychology on various levels to detect traitors in the UNSC and other personnel in the event that a rebel informant was amongst them. Vladimir wasn't going to send them an escort. He was going to send them a funeral pyre.

He was going to erase all evidence of the surviving Spartans and their success.

And he would take all the glory.

Jack could care less about glory. But he did care about himself and his team, the safekeeping of humanity, and the elimination of traitors to ensure it was protected.

Jack's plan began to accelerate.

Jack clicked his mike on a private COM Channel to Logan twice, a pause, then twice again for help. It was designed to signal that he needed covering fire or a distraction. Logan broadcast a message through Jack's external speakers.

"Green-One, could use a little help on the deck. There's a chunk of debris that's fused to the door down here, and as much as I hate to admit it, I may need a little more strength to pry it free. The Engineer might be able to unlock this thing as well."

Jack nodded and spoke to Vladimir.

"Excuse me. I'll return shortly, sir. Rachel can fill you in on the details." Sorry, Rachel.

Jack turned and quickly left the navigation room, the Engineer obediently following, before Vladimir could try and call him back. Once out of sight, Jack raced to the drop pod deck and found Logan with the Elder over his shoulder. He stood next to the opening of a drop pod. At first glance nothing seemed out of place. But a closer look inside and Jack saw more. Logan felt like sharing.

"At least a hundred plasma grenades, a Covenant fusion coil from the reactor room, and a HAVOC tactical nuke captured from a human arsenal at some point or another and brought aboard this ship. Most likely for study. But its still armed."

Jack nodded his consent, saying, "Clever excuse you gave us. It should buy us five minutes. But Rachel won't be able to hold out forever back there. Listen, here's the plan." He raised the crystal and tossed it inside the drop pod. Logan cocked his head.

"I'm assuming you're not handing Vladimir that as a parting present, right?"

"Correct. That nuke is the present. But we have to destroy that crystal. I think it brought us here. I don't know how it works or why, but if we can't figure it out, the Covenant will. So no one's going to have it."

Logan nodded his agreement, now that the prospect of it all dawned on him. Jack knew he understood what was at stake. So much potential for power lied within the crystal. But it was a power no one could unleash without harming themselves.

Just like Innovative Gesture's Installations, Jack thought. Just like the Forerunner legacy.

Three warning lights flashed in both Jack and Logan's HUDs from Rachel, and a nearby camera zeroed in on them. Vladimir's voice spoke into their headsets, channeled through Rachel's. Vladimir could see and hear them. Good.

"That is the Prophet, then?" Vladimir asked.

Jack nodded at the alien slung over Logan's shoulder. Vladimir continued swiftly.

"Excellent. Go ahead and send him in a drop pod. My Pelican will pick it up. And from there, I will then come and bring you onboard. Forgive my caution, but I must make sure that the Prophet is in proper hands before proceeding. The fate of the war rests upon it."

Yes, Jack thought. It does.

But you can't have it.

"Yes, sir. Logan, send the Prophet on its way."

"Yes, sir," Logan said, and he slid the Prophet from his shoulder and crawled inside the drop pod, gently setting the alien down inside. Jack knew he was also activating the timer on the HAVOC warhead. After a moment, Logan withdrew and moved to the eject panel. He pressed his palm against the button…or at least, it appeared he did, as Jack glanced again. Logan feigned trying it again, then looked up at the camera. Jack realized something must be amiss with the plan, and that Logan was improvising to buy them time.

"Sir, the launch sequence seems to be malfunctioning. We're still figuring out what this ship has and has not lost due to combat damage. We may be able to-," Logan began, but Vladimir interrupted impatiently.

"Can't you use another pod?"
"Sir, all other drop pods are empty. Now, we may be able to drag this one out and onto the hangar bay where we can open the doors and release it into space. We'll make it quick. The cameras in the hangar are offline. We'll get the Engineer here to get started on repairs…"

The Engineer hurried off, fully aware that the Spartan wanted it to go and disable those cameras.

Vladimir snorted in frustration.

"Fine. Do whatever it takes. Get that Prophet to me ASAP, and I will gladly bring you onboard and we can return to Earth. We must hurry before the Covenant fleet finds us. We are not too far from the planet, after all."

"Of course, sir," Jack responded. "We'll get it done."

The Channel snapped off.

Logan sighed and turned to Jack.

"The HAVOC's dead. It'll detonate, but it has to be manual. The timer won't set. When we arm this, it'll blow. And we can't shoot it from the ship. The weapons aren't functioning."

Jack understood the problem. Someone would have to be physically inside the drop pod to activate it. The instant detonation would kill them for sure.

"I'll do it." Jack said, and before Logan could protest, "That's an order. Now, let's get this thing moving."

o o o

"Tell me again, SPARTAN-045…where are your other two squad members?" Vladimir asked, a hint of mockery in his voice and the shadow of a grin on his stone-cold face.

Rachel sighed. The last thing she wanted to think of at the moment was Eric and Ashley. What else did Vladimir want to know, besides the fact that they were dead, killed in action? Did he want to know how long it took for Ashley's body to fade away, how much blood now washed the deck Rachel stood on now? Did he want to know how many Covenant were destroyed by Eric's suicidal explosion? Did he want to know how long the Elder Prophet sat suspended in space and agony and time?

These were the details Rachel knew she could never confess to Vladimir. He didn't deserve to know their fates.

But Jack and Logan need more time…

"Sir…allow me to explain…"

o o o

With a final grunt the drop pod was in place. Jack sighed and stood before the open hatch. Once he was inside and the door shut, Logan would open the hangar bay doors and the drop pod would be sucked out with the atmosphere into the stars. Jack steadied his breathing and shoved the notion of what he was about to do out of his mind. There could be no turning back. No time for regrets. He had one last mission. No more Spartans would die today…just one.

Jack felt Logan place a hand on his shoulder from behind. Logan gave him a small squeeze. These were the only unspoken words needed. Jack took a deep breath.

What will Rachel say? When Logan tells her what I did? Will she know that I do it for her? Will she understand why I must do this? Will she know…that I love her?

Love her…What have I ever done for her? What time is there for any of us with this life? How can Spartans love when we are so close to death?

Perhaps this is it, then…the only thing I can do for her. Give her life…by taking mine.

There was a moment where Jack saw himself alongside her, the crystal in his hand, the infinitude of time stretched before them. Forever free from the harsh reality of the present.

Then it was gone. Shattered. Jack had a responsibility. Vladimir… the Covenant…no one was getting their hands on that crystal.

Jack took another deep breath. Rachel would have to love…someone else.

"Logan…tell Rachel…tell her that I…tell her to be careful for me. And Logan..." Jack fought the urge to turn around and look him in the eye, "…take good care of her as well."

Logan's hand withdrew.

"Don't worry. I will."

One second. One second for Jack to register the blow to the back of his head, the darkening vertigo that tunneled his vision and numbed his body. One second as the floor rose up to catch him. One second to know that by the time he awoke…it would be too late.

He was out before he hit the deck.