I am trying to keep this tied in with the books, the games, and with Spartan Ops as it happens. That said this is AU because it's fanfic so if something hasn't matched perfectly, that's creative license for you.

The Reclaimer Legacy

Part 8

BrokenPoet12

X

Forerunner Planet Requiem

Human Year 2557

Location Unknown

As they followed the Prometheans ahead of them, John and Cortana noticed a flurry of activity in the wall panels of the halls they went through. Although there was no audible sound, both of them could feel a sense of urgency, as if an alarm was going off repeatedly, getting louder as they approached their destination. Cortana's hand was still tight in his grasp and he let her guide him. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing up and John couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was happening. Turning a corner, the Knights before them suddenly halted and stepped to either side of the hall. The Spartan and the construct edged past them cautiously and continued a few until a panel slid open. It revealed what seemed to be a control room.

As they stepped inside they both noticed the pulsing of amber light around the room and saw several consoles lit up with data. Cortana halted a few feet inside and dropped his hand. As John moved to stand beside her, he felt her tense and saw her eyes closed. Her expression changed slowly from impassiveness to dread and he heard her whisper a curse. Before he could question her, John felt energy crackle against his skin and suddenly the Librarian was before them.

"Reclaimer. There is no time to explain; we must flee."

"Why, what is happening?" John asked, bristling. His eyes flicked to Cortana, who was still standing rigid and unseeing. He could see the faintest symbols running across her skin, the same ones that he knew so well when she projected her AI avatar. The Librarian was frantically pressing icons on the nearest console, ignoring the Chief. It was Cortana who answered him, her eyes snapping open as she gasped.

"They have set this world into the final stages of self destruction. With the Diadact gone, the only thing holding it together was a slipspace tether. It's gone and the planet is going to fall into the sun."

"Who? The Covenant?"

"No, us." The Chief knew then that the mission he had been sent on must have been somewhat successful. Though he wasn't sure how long it had actually been since the Librarian had retrieved him, he knew it couldn't have been a very long time. Captain Lasky had sent Charlie squad and the Master Chief to the surface of Requiem to try and deactivate a slipspace portal that was blocking access to the actual tether. He had failed and the squad had been decimated, but somehow it must have been deactivated. Unless the Covenant had done it themselves.

"Librarian, I need my armor and I need my weapons. I think you're going to be in for a fight." He spoke, his voice hard and determined. "Are the Infinity and her crew going to be able to escape the slipspace well and get clear?"

The Librarian hesitated a moment before facing the Chief, nodding her head, she motioned for the two of them to follow her. The three of them stepped through another door and entered a room. On the far wall his armor hung, the pieces splayed out on machinery, a platform beneath it all. The Librarian activated the machinery with a wave of her hand and the Chief stepped up on the platform. Without blinking, he felt his clothes fall away as the robotic arms went to work. For a brief moment he caught Cortana's eye, saw the faint blush on her cheeks, but it was gone as his black suit was lowered in front of him. With that on and secure, he held his arms up and the machinery began assembling his armor from his feet up. His chest piece snapped into place last his helmet lowered above him. Lifting his hand, the machine halted and he took it. Stepping from the platform with a detectible thud, he locked eyes with Cortana once more and nodded.

Let's go."

XX X X

They ended up in a large bay with several ships and every kind of machinery conceivable. As they passed, Cortana couldn't help but note how similar some of the human equipment looked to the Forerunners. She followed behind John and the Librarian as they made their way to the far end. Without warning, bolts of hot plasma roiled the air around her. The next thing she was aware of was a weight pressing her against the floor. John had knocked her down and covered her as they were fired upon. His armor shields flared and he rolled away. He came up with his pistol drawn and aimed across the bay. Lifting her head, Cortana could see the glow of Kig-yar shields and the tall, shapeless forms of the Sanghelli that led them. The guttural roaring and squawking of the aliens, coupled with the gunfire deafened her.

Suddenly a blur of green caught her eye and she turned her head. Almost faster than she could see, the Chief had crossed the room and closed with the first line of Jackals. Smashing his empty fist down, he batted the glowing shield aside and with his other hand fired point plank into the creature's beak. He was on the third one by the time the body hit the floor. As he closed with the last rank, the Sanghelli warrior roared insults and drew his plasma sword. With the last Jackal down, the Chief and the Elite closed and collided with a heavy echo. A hand on her shoulder pulled her focus away from the battle. Looking up she saw the face of the Librarian.

"I need your help. He will be fine, but if we do not activate the ships drives we cannot escape in time. Come."

"But…"

"He will be fine Cortana." Nodding, Cortana took one last look, watching as the Chief was thrown back into a crate. She ascended into the ship behind the Librarian and followed her into the cockpit. The Librarian seated herself in front of the largest display, while she motioned Cortana to her right. The former AI sat and stared at the controls before she felt something responding to her. Tentatively she lifted a hand and held it out. The display above her glowed and came to life. "Good, activate that and the point defense. We have two minutes until the tether will no longer sustain this planet." Cortana closed her eyes and moved her hands over the controls. Around her the ships systems hummed to life, display after display winking on. With a distinct rumble, she felt the ship lift free of its docking cradle. The Librarian took control and began to maneuver when Cortana was seized with panic.

"Wait! What about John?"

"I'm right here Cortana." A voice replied from behind her and at the same time she felt his gloved hand rest against her shoulder. She threw a wild glance back and took in his battered armor. She saw fresh plasma scoring on his side and hip. It looked like the Elite had managed to reach him with his sword. He met her appraising look and shook his head. He would be fine.

"Reclaimer, take control of the weapons station and strap yourself in. We have forty five seconds left."

"Right." John turned and settled into the chair to the Librarians left and watched the controls before him configure themselves. The chair was awkward in his armor, obviously not built for bulk like his, but he ignored it. As he pressed a button, he felt a solid clock beneath his finger and saw the systems coming online. Vaguely familiar glyphs scrolled across the screen, he recognized human, covenant, and Forerunner symbols in them all. Without warning, he had the sensation of rapid ascent and the ship turning sharply.

"Where are we going Librarian?" Cortana was frantically pressing buttons and reworking the display as the picked up speed. One of them switched to a foreword view of the external hull. All around them was fire. It seemed as if the ship itself had caught and would not escape without frying. As they rose, Cortana switched to an aft view and saw the dark planet slowly falling away from them. Her sensor started flashing and drew her attention. There, several hundred kilometers away and growing farther was the Infinity. She could see its engines straining to pull the behemoth; the velocity required to make a sudden slipspace jump usually drained and smaller ships engines completely. The Infinity was no ordinary ship though and had more engine than half of the remaining UNSC fleet combined. Still, it took almost a minute before Cortana saw the telltale edges of a slipspace rupture.

Their own ship turned sharply again, this time veering away from the Infinity. As they picked up speed, Cortana was about to ask her question again but John beat her to it.

"Where are you taking us Forerunner?"

"We must stop them. We must get clear and warn the rest, but we must stop the others."

"Stop who?"

"Jul Mdama…and...my son. He has betrayed me; he will see humanity destroyed and so he has gone to Jul Mdama with knowledge of the key that I gave the doctor." As they approached slipspace velocity, John relaxed at the weapons station and stood once more. Cortana's hands were motionless in her lap as she watched the Librarian pilot the ship.

"What doctor?" Cortana asked quietly, a feeling of dread coming over her. The Librarian pressed the final icon and they transitioned to slipspace. She seemed to deflate a little as her hands dropped. Staring straight ahead, the Chief could almost see her deciding something. Finally she stood and turned to face the two of them.

"Your creator, Dr Catherine Halsey."

"Dr. Halsey is alive?" The Chief was quiet as he asked, no emotion betrayed on his face. Inside his mind was reeling.

"Yes Reclaimer. However, before I was able to pass the key to her, your human ship captain was given orders regarding her."

"What orders?" He asked, his hands balling in to fists. He took a step towards Cortana and stood rigidly behind her.

"Execution for treason and aiding the enemy." The words hung in the cockpit like something tangible. For Cortana it felt as if she had been given a gift and then had it ripped from her hands. For the Chief, he felt as if something had hit him in the middle, knocking the air from him. The both of them made eye contact, Cortana breaking away from the Chief's gaze first. Standing, she turned to the Librarian and spoke. There was a waver in her voice.

"Can we save her?" The Librarian considered this for a long moment and then she looked Cortana in the eye. Neither of them was completely sure what the other saw, but Cortana got the impression that the Librarian would not hide the truth.

"We may have the chance to save everything Cortana. Do not give up hope." She nodded her head and felt moisture pricking her eyes. Blindly Cortana stepped around John and disappeared into the passage that led to the rest of the ship. For a long moment John and the Librarian stood in silence. With his hearing, he could just barely detect the harsh gasping sobs coming from the direction that Cortana had fled. Frowning slightly he turned to follow her when the Librarian called to him softly. "She will need you more than ever in the coming day Reclaimer. And you will need her. Take care of each other." He nodded without turning back and stepped out of the cockpit. She could hear faint words as his steps receded down the hall.

"We always have."

X

Don't worry…I have a plan!

Thank you for your continued support and readership! Hope you enjoy this.

X X X