AN: A few people brought up me using 'gei' not 'geas'. I haven't read the forerunner books so most of my knowledge on that has come from research on my own. I found a few articles about the 'geas/gei' and I saw the plural of geas listed as gei…so I used it. If this is absolutely upsetting, I'll change it….eventually.
The Reclaimer Legacy
Chapter 7
By BrokenPoet12
X
UNSC Infinity
Patrol Station Alpha
Location: Planet Requiem
2557
Time: 14:38
Captain Thomas Lasky stepped onto a silent bridge. The eyes of the crewmen around the room followed him as he walked towards his command console. Settling rigidly onto the chair, he tapped the display and brought it on line. Without turning he spoke.
"Roland, give me a status update." The golden avatar materialized several feet away on a pedestal, his hands folded behind his back and a look akin to apology on his face.
"Captain Lasky, fire team Majestic is RTB with Dr. Glassman and a Forerunner artifact that was captured during a firefight. Catherine Halsey is MIA at the moment. According to Spartan Thornes' mission log she was taken captive by Jul Mdama and both escaped via portal. Commander Palmer is en route and should be on board in 15 minutes."
"What is the status on Charlie squad and the Master Chief?" Lasky asked after a pause, the news about Halsey settling like iron in his stomach.
"All members of Charlie squad are KIA Captain." The Captain stopped what he was doing and stared at Roland.
"And the Chief?"
"We...don't know for sure. No body was recovered. I was unable to locate Sierra 117 at all after 16:47:38. I did note a large energy disturbance just prior to him going off the grid and I have been unable to analyze it."
"So we've lost the Chief, Halsey has disappeared, and now we have some new Forerunner artifact. Great. Have Commander Palmer in my stateroom as soon as she lands and send Spartan Thorne in as well. I need to make a comm."
With that, Lasky was up and leaving the bridge. The crewman snapped to attention as he passed, only relaxing when the doors had hissed shut behind him.
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Twenty minutes later, Roland alerted him that Palmer was outside of his cabin. Spartan Thorne and the rest of Majestic were still enroute from the surface of Requiem and wouldn't arrive for another ten minutes. Palming the door control, he stepped aside as all 6 and a half feet of Sarah Palmer stepped into his room. Motioning her to make herself comfortable, he noted the anger in her eyes as he turned to fix himself a drink. Without preamble she started in on him.
"You set me up!" He ignored her, handing her a glass which she pointedly ignored. "Captain Lasky, I went to complete a mission on you set me up. You…"
"I did what I felt was necessary, just as you did Sarah."
"Necessary? Osman gave you your orders, you knew what they entailed. I would have done it for you Tom."
"I don't need you to fight my battles for me Sarah. And I don't need to have you carrying a murder on your conscience because you think you owe me or you're sparing me."
Palmer stood and started pacing, with her back to Lasky it was easier to keep her resolve, but she knew deep down he was right. Halsey was nothing short of a disloyal bitch out for her own ends, but at the same time she was the best chance the UNSC had at uncovering the Forerunner secrets.
"Tom she has done nothing to indicate her loyalties are anywhere but to herself. She kidnapped valuable assets and then cut and run so she and her chosen few could ride out the rest of the war in safety."
"This isn't about that. Halsey will get what is coming to her, especially with Osaman heading up ONI now. We should not be her judge, jury, and executioners. It is unprofessional to let emotion get in the way of our duty. " Lasky approached Sarah from behind and watched her reflection in the smooth metal paneling on the wall of his cabin. She wouldn't meet his eyes, instead staring down at some nick in her armor. Encased in it, she cut an imposing figure and was able to intimidate almost everyone, including a few of the unruly Spartan IVs. But Tom had never been intimidated by her. He'd been drawn to her.
Lasky and Palmer had served together under Admiral Hood, had been together when the Covenant had glassed world after world, getting ever closer to the Inner Colonies. And they had grown closer to each other, becoming confidants and lovers. Then she had disappeared into the black world of ONI special weapons and projects. It wasn't until Infinity was in the final stages of completion that she had come back into his life. This woman was different. She had been highly motivated before, a gifted combat leader, strategist, and tactician. The woman who snapped to attention when he and Captain Del Rio had done their shakedown inspection of all the Spartan IVs was not the one who had left him two years before.
But he wasn't bitter about it. In some ways she had become what he knew she was supposed to be. The woman in front of him now was angry and upset with him.
"Sarah, I understand that you're angry, all I am asking is for you to trust me. Not Halsey, trust me. You used to."
She turned around finally and met his eyes. What he saw there was a look of sadness and defiance. Her mouth was a thin line as she searched his face.
"I do trust you Tom." With a soft sigh she bent slightly and kissed Lasky on the lips, lingering for just a second. Pulling away she straightened and stepped away. As she walked towards the door Palmer spoke again, "I need you to trust me too though."
Lasky was left alone with his thoughts for another few minutes before Roland indicated that Spartan Thorne had arrived. He keyed the door and in came the Spartan. Thorne stopped ten feet in front of the Captain and snapped to attention.
"Spartan Thorne reporting as ordered Sir"
"At ease Spartan. I want you to run me through what happened during the firefight and how exactly you received the artifact from Halsey."
Thorne spoke quickly over the next five minutes, jumping around but filling in the details as he went. Captain Lasky only asked him a few questions and when he was finished Lasky crossed his arms and leaned against his desk. Thorne stood there still, growing more nervous by the second as the Captain continued to stay silent. Finally Lasky spoke.
"I want you, Majestic, and Commander Palmer all assembled in the staging area at 0530 tomorrow. We have a few things to do and I'm going to need all the Spartan help I can get."
"Sir?"
"We have two rescue missions to plan, a missing doctor and a missing Spartan. I trust you and your squad are up for it?"
"Sir, we're ready for anything."
"Dismissed."
With that, Lasky started to make his plans.
Forerunner Planet Requiem
Relative Human year 2557
Location unknown
John and Cortana were braced against the window as the two Knights approached. He knew that as it stood, he would have a very difficult time defending the two of them. Unarmed and unarmored, he was at a huge disadvantage. Reaching behind him, John let his hand rest against Cortana's hip, holding her body against his. The warmth of her skin through the thin material he was wearing still surprised him. But he had never felt anything quite like it before. His eyes hardening, he withdrew his hand and spoke softly.
"Cortana, no matter what happens in the next thirty seconds, I want you to run."
"Wait!"
"Promise me you will run."
"No John, wait." Cortana's voice was insistent. He place a hand on his should and pulled slightly, though she did not move him. His eyes never left the stalking Knights, but he turned his head just enough to indicate he was listening.
"What?"
"I can hear them. They aren't going to harm us. She sent them."
"How can you know?" The Chief asked, relaxing slightly.
"Listen Chief. Can't you hear them in your mind?" And she was right. If he concentrated he could hear them. Whispers at first, but they became clearer the more he focused.
Reclaimer…we will not harm you. She has summoned you and your construct. Come with us.
"They want us to go with them." Cortana said, edging around from behind the Chief. He relaxed slightly, but moved along with her. Keeping her in arms reach in case anything happened. One of the Knight stepped forward and extended a hand to them. Cortana looked quickly at the Chief and nodded reassuringly. When he hesitated she stepped towards him and took his hands in hers. Tugging gently again, they moved towards the Knight and let it take them wherever it needed to. As they left, the Chief was surprised again by the warmth of Cortana's skin. It was something he would never forget.
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