Chapter 4 – Halo
Johnson wears his finest smoking, for a sad occasion. It's a big plain, there is a lot of people next to a tree, but it's not a normal tree, it is a tree with golden leaves, typical of Novalight. Chief, Lord Hood and a lot of Marines, everyone is there. Johnson carries his candle, like all the other people next to this monument. Nobody say a thing, everyone leaves their candle next to the tree and leave. The sunset in the background makes it even sadder. Chief is not wearing a smoking and he doesn't have a candle with him. Johnson sees that Chief does not have a candle and says:
-Aren't you going to pay any tribute to your dead friend?
-He is not dead.
-What makes you believe he isn't?
-Spartans never die.
Johnson understands what Chief meant with that and just look away, ashamed of what he said. He doesn't realizes that Chief has Ender's helmet with him. Chief leaves the helmet next to the tree and leave. Johnson is the last one next to tree, he leaves his candle and look again to tree. The pictures of everyone who died during this time is there, Keyes, Lovegood, Lasky, Ender, and the list continues. Johnson goes away crying.
Chief go to the UNSC Base, there he go to his room and start listening to the video recorder. In the video, Lord Hood shows up and starts talking:
"John, by the time you listen to this, I'll be dead. There are some things that need to be clarified. It wasn't the Covenant that started all of this, it was us. A long time ago, we tried to colonize a Covenant planet, but we didn't know that it was a Covenant planet, hell, we didn't even know that the Covenant existed. We started killing every plant species, only to benefit our other colonies. Suddenly, they showed up, killing everyone, Elites using their plasma guns to kills us. We weren't prepared for that. The Covenant slaughtered us, 5 Marines survived and ran away from there, and I'm one of those Marines. Later, that planet was uninhabitable for us and for the Covenant. As a payback, they destroyed Harvest. We thought that this was over, that this was their payback, but it wasn't. Their prophets told them to kill us, that we were the scum of the galaxy. Chief, by now, you must be angry, really angry, but we didn't know. I'm sorry you had to hear this, Chief, hope you understand. Lord Hood, out. "
Both Chief and Cortana are surprised, even Cortana didn't know that. Chief stands up and gets out his bedroom, angry, Cortana says:
-Chief, I know you are angry, so am I, but…don't do anything crazy.
He sees Lord Hood next to the Communication room, he is talking with a lot of superior UNSC personnel. Chief runs to Lord Hood and grab his neck. Chief holds his neck strong and raise him up, Lord Hood is trying to resist, but Chief is too strong. Chief looks Lord Hood in the eyes and say:
-How could you hide this from all of us?
-What…are you…talking…about?
- I know that we started the Covenant war.
-How?
-I've found the video recorder.
-Chief… we… didn't know.
-That doesn't matter! You killed harmless species for OUR benefit.
-We…were stupid…at the time. We just…wanted…to find…other planets….to live…in. Forgive…me.
-If wasn't your expansionist greed, Harvest wouldn't have been destroyed. Reach wouldn't have been destroyed. You are a monster, you don't deserve this life you have.
Chief prepares himself to punch Lord Hood in the face, killing him. Lord Hood closes his eyes afraid of what Chief was going to do with him. Before Chief punches Lord Hood, he remembers something. Chief remembers Sam saying:
"When you see the information of this video recorder, you will see that we were right. After you listen to it, you'll understand why we hate you humans."
Chief releases Lord Hood and go away. Lord Hood falls in the ground, breathing a lot. The UNSC personnel helps Lord Hood to stand up, he goes to the infirmary. Chief walk through the base and find Johnson, Chief says:
-Prepare your men. We're leaving today.
-Chief, let our men rest a little bit. They're tired.
-Ok, but tomorrow we leave, no exceptions.
-Hey Chief, are you alright? I heard that you fought against Lord Hood, what happened?
-Lord Hood is a filthy liar, he lied to everyone.
-Chief, I don't want to know what you discovered. But… whatever it is, do not tell anybody.
-Why?
-I'm sure as hell that it is something bad that we did. If you start telling everyone, people are going to rebel and it will be easier to the Covenant to wipe our asses out of this galaxy.
-I understand. I'm not going to tell anyone.
-You're doing the right thing, believe me, there are some things that we shouldn't know at all.
Johnson leaves and go to sleep. Chief goes to his bedroom, but he can't stop thinking about what he saw. He says to Cortana:
-I can't do what Johnson want me to do. I have to tell everyone about, I'm being as bad as Lord Hood.
-John, Johnson is right. When the time is right, when this is over, you can tell everyone. If you tell them now, everything that Johnson said will happen. People will be just like you now, they will not be conformed to this, and they will rebel against the government.
-I guess you're right, Cortana. I just can't forget what he said on that video.
-I know. I can see everything that you think.
Chief takes his armor off and sleep. In the next day, Chief wakes up when he hear Johnson shouting in the hall:
-Wake up, ladies! We have work to do!
Chief puts his armor on and listen to video recorder once more time. In the end, a series of numbers shows up, Chief take notes of all of them. He goes to the cafeteria and lunch alone. After all of this, he goes to the hangar and enters a cruiser called SS Normandy. Johnson see Chief coming and say:
-It is definitely better going today, if we went tonight, we wouldn't see anything, there is no energy. At day, at least the sun helped us to turn on the cruiser's light.
Chief enters the cruiser and wait everyone to come in. Suddenly, Lord Hood show up and start talking to Chief:
-Chief… I'm really sorry.
-Sorry won't bring Harvest and Reach back
-Do you think that I like it? I suffer every day, knowing that I'm responsible for the death of millions of people. I don't like hiding this from everyone. When all of this is over, I'm going to tell the truth and give up my post. I would love to tell this to anyone, but this is a period of war, people are afraid, they are fragile mentally. Revealing this would make people go crazy, we would lose lots of soldiers. The Covenant would win the war, and the human race would be terminated. I hope you understand me. I don't want to be your enemy.
Lord Hood raises his hand and say:
-Are we understood?
Chief shakes hands with Lord Hood and say:
-We are understood. Here are the coordinates to the Halo.
Chief gives a piece of paper to Lord Hood, and he say:
-Thank you, Chief. I'm glad that we are understood.
The cruiser turns on and they get out of Novalight. While they travel to the destination, Cortana asks Chief:
-Why did you forgive him?
-Because he was right, you were right and Johnson was right. People are fragile right now, after Harvest and Reach, they lost their hopes, telling this to them was only going to make things worse. Group C didn't understand that, so they rebelled against everyone.
Before Cortana could say anything, the alarm starts ringing and they hear a message:
-WARNING! WARNING! We are under Covenant attack, everyone go to the hangar and get aboard on a Pelican.
Chief run to the hangar and through the window he sees a giant Covenant cruiser nearby. Chief sees Johnson shouting to his soldiers:
-MARINES! GET ABOARD THE PELICAN! LET'S GO, LADIES!
Chief runs and gets aboard Johnson's pelican. The pelican starts running and they fly away from the cruiser, they go directly to the giant ring, the Halo. Johnson looks to the Halo and say:
-Whoa, that's something you don't see every day.
Chief receives a message from Lord Hood:
"Chief, there are other pelicans going to the Halo, but I can't go, I must get the cruiser out of here. Goodbye, Chief, good luck on your mission."
SS Normandy makes a slip-space jump and gets out of there. The Covenant cruiser isn't fast enough to follow the SS Normandy. Johnson's pelican get in the Halo's atmosphere. They land on a forest, with different kinds of plants. Chief grabs an assault rifle and a pistol and they get out of the pelican. Everyone is surprised with this Halo, even Cortana, she says:
-Oh my… this is beautiful! This forest is so colorful! We can learn lots of things with this ring, why is the Covenant so interested in it?
-Maybe all this is a camouflage to something worse.
Covenant dropships surround Chief and the Marines, Cortana says:
-Covenant dropships nearby! We should leave now!
Everyone runs away from the Covenant dropships, but quickly, the Elites are in the ground and start looking for humans. They keep running, until they get close to a big plain, where they see lots of human bodies and an abandoned Warthog. There are lots of Covenant troops next to the Warthog, Chief hide behind a tree and say to the Marines:
-We have to get to that Warthog as fast as we can. Do anyone have a good plan?
-I do. – says a Marine
Chief runs to the opposite side to the Warthog and draw the attention of the Covenant troops, while the Marines start running the Warthog on. Johnson run over 5 Elites with the Warthog, saying "Sorry" every time he ran over an Elite. Chief runs and gets in the Warthog as quick as he can. Everyone is shooting the Covenant troops, but there is a lot of them. While they pass through the Covenant troops, shooting them, Chief complains:
-Why a transport Warthog? Why not a missile Warthog?
-Do not complain, Chief. It could be worse, it could be a mongoose.
Two Covenant Grunts follow the Warthog with Ghosts. They shoot the Marines, but their armors protect them from dying. They can't kill the Ghosts drivers, because they are always dodging Chief's bullets. Johnson shouts to the Marines:
-Wraith up ahead.
-Oh no. – says Chief
-Chief… before you do anything, remember that I'm still on your armor. – says Cortana.
Chief stands up and runs to the Warthog's hood. He waits until Johnson gets near to the Wraith and jump on it. The gunner of the Wraith starts shooting Chief, which resists to the plasma shots and punch the Elite's face, making it faint. He plants a plasma grenade on the Wraith's driver seat and he jumps out of the Wraith. Chief starts shooting the Grunts, which are driving the Ghosts, while the Wraith blows up behind him. He kills both of the drivers and get back in the Warthog. They drive until they find a pelican landed and some Marines. Johnson stops the Warthog next to the pelican and say:
-Did any of those ugly monsters bothered you?
-No Covenant signs over here, Sir! We were about to get out of here and try to find someone. – says a Marine called Chips Dubbo
-Well, so I think this is a good place to stay. By tomorrow we go find more Marines.
-Do you have any kind of transport besides your pelican? – asks Chief
-Sir, my answer is yes and you're going to like what I have here. – says Dubbo
Dubbo takes a Hornet out of the Pelican and say:
-I know that behind this mask there is a happy face.
-Holy cow! How big is this pelican? – asks Johnson.
-Let's just say that it is big, really big.
-I don't want any Marines coming with me. – says Chief
-Are you sure? – asks both Johnson and Cortana
- This is something I should do alone.
-Well, at least let me go. – says Cortana
Chief get aboard on the hornet and fly out of there. Cortana asks Chief:
-So… what are you going to do now?
- Sam told me he have the door lock, that I'll bring the key and that I'll open the door of salvation.
-And you are going to bring him the key?
-Yes, but I'm not going to open the door of salvation.
-So what are you going to do?
-I'll lock the door and throw the key out.