Halo: Damascus
The Forward unto Dawn silently glided through the darkness of space, time had past since the destruction of the Ark and the Flood. When the Arbiter got back to earth in the other half of the ship
it was believed that 117 was dead, he was in slumber in a cryo-tube alone with Cortana. Cortana
was looking with sadness at John a warrior with such grace and strength reduced to a sleeping giant. "Wake me, when you need me" those last words echoed through her she needed him she felt useless.
Cortana noticed that they were being drawn in by a hard artificial gravitational pull. Without thinking she deactivated the cryo-tube, "John get your ass up now I need you something is happening to us and I'm not liking it at all".
117 was drifting in and out of consciousness he was dreaming, dreaming about Kelly, Linda and Will how they were took out of his life and how the human race depended on him like he was a god ready to punish the Covenant for what they done. "John, wake up already I need you things don't look good at all" Cortana was frantic about getting him back to his normal state. "What, what's happening Cortana" His voice was dry, painful and gritty. "We are drifting toward some planet, it's not in my archives or anything, we are not in the galaxy that's for sure, though my scans indicate it has roughly the same state of Forerunner technology that was on the rings and the Ark" her bright pulsating green was because of her pure processing power as she sounded out of breath. 'Great even more of this shit to put up with' John thought, "How long to impact" he demanded "Seven minutes" she replied almost instantly. "More than enough time" he replied as he floated toward his MA5C ICWS assault rifle. "Five minutes to impact" Cortana yelled, 117 drifted through the ship to get Cortana back in the holographic chip as she moved in to the chip John clicked it in to his helmet.
"How long to impact" John asked anticipating Cortana's reply "Two minutes, hang on John this is going to be a hard landing" the AI warned "If we don't make it" she said quietly "We'll make it" he replied knowing his luck hasn't ran out yet.
*
The half of the ship screamed into the atmosphere at a high speed "Hang on" Cortana shouted in to Johns ear. The ship crashed on to the surface kicking up debris and knocking structures over like skittles in an over-sized bowling alley until it grind to a halt. "Are you OK" Cortana asked concerned "Never better" his sharp reply came, 117 made his way down the half of the Dawn until he could get to the ground. "Cortana how long was I out and where the hell are we" he asked looking over a large what looked like to him as remains of a city of some kind. "Well" she began "You were out for seven months as we were getting pulled to this place and well, your guess is as good as mine" she added glumly. "Damn, I only have a few clips left for my assault rifle" he growled out of frustration "Is this place deserted?" he asked. "I don't know this place reminds me of the rings but older, much older" she replied her mood left a coldness in his mind. "Older than the Forerunners, those were hundreds of thousands of years old what could possibly pre-date them" he challenged her. "Again I don't know" she replied "Are you picking anything up, you know tech wise" he asked hoping that she could. " I don't see why not lets find a way to tap in to the system" she offered. Something caught Johns eye a large structure with long pulsating blue lights down the side of it and what looked like a haunting, sinister place to go he didn't really have a choice in the matter. "Lets try there" he said making his way toward the monolith. As 117 made his way cautiously to the structure his motion sensor picked up movement, John sprinted behind a wall. Peaking round he seen sentinels large ones, nothing like of what he fought on Halo or the Ark these were big repulsive looking things with red gleaming eyes scanning the area for movement, weapons came from their tentacle like limbs which John and Cortana could not even comprehend of what they were capable of. "Do not move" Cortana ordered, John obeyed as he watched the trio of sentinels disperse over the smaller structures. "I guess we're not alone after all" John said with caution in his voice. The Spartan continued to move to the structure with his assault rifle aimed in front of him hoping not to run in to any more of them things. They finally made it to the structure but there progress was hindered by a huge grey door with hieroglyphics on the doors, "Those seem familiar, Cortana can you translate that" John asked. "I can try" she replied. After a few short minutes she could translate only partial parts of the language it read something about a war and an AI with great power. Something got Johns attention a large control panel with out thinking he pressed it the huge doors burst in to motion, "How did you know how to press that" Cortana broke the silence with her confused voice. "I didn't" John shrugged and walked in to the tower.
A few minutes had passed since they entered making their way through twisted dark corridors until they came in to a room with a holographic projector much like the one on UNSC ships. "Put me in there" Cortana demanded. John walked over to the projector and placed his hand over it until Cortana got into the system. "So what have you found" 117 asked getting impatient from waiting.
"This signature I have picked up before when I was in High Charity, parts of an AI but some how that AI is here and has rebuilt it's self" she said in awe. "What is this AI then" John asked deep in thought. "All I'm finding is a name" she got silent, "What name Cortana" John asked impatient again. "Mendicant bias that's all I'm getting, the very same AI construct that was in charge of the Ark and the Halos" Cortana waited until John absorbed the information. "Mendicant went rampant he got manipulated and descended in to rampancy because of a Gravem-" John cut her off "Like the same thing Gravemind done to you?". Cortana looked directly in to Johns visor, "Yeah pretty much " She replied. A sense of pride started to fill John an advanced AI from a race full of wonderful technological power succumbed influence from the Flood, but a two years old UNSC AI pulled through maybe it was because Dr. Halsey was a genius more than anyone thought or maybe it was Cortana on her own who learned and her determination was all it took, his thoughts were broke by a large bang and crack. "Yank me John" the AI said quickly without thinking the construct was in his MJOLNIR and his assault rifle trained in front of him anticipating what made the noise, John made it halfway down the hall when a sentinel slammed in to 117 sending him in to a wall taking his shield halfway. "OK now I'm pissed" John growled, he fired a full clip in to the sentinel blowing off one of its mechanical like arms off making it back away a little John regained his stance and fired another full clip at it hitting it in the face popping one of its three red eyes out, the sentinel went into a frenzy swiping and ramming at the Spartan "This thing ain't going down try and get behind it" Cortana said franticly. John obeyed slamming his third clip into it staggering it and slid under the mechanical beast he jumped on to its back slamming his fist in to the control panel with all his strength ripping out its wiring the sentinel became a heap of metal as John fell off it to the ground. "You did good, real good" Cortana praised "we should fall back to the Dawn and see what we can salvage" John was still on his back breathing heavily "Are you OK" Cortana asked concerned, John got to his feet "I'm getting to old for this" he complained as he ran out of the tower and back to the ship which they crash landed in.