A Force of Nature
Prologue
10 miles off the coast of Kenya, shortly after Cortana's retrieval
THE LEVIATHAN-LIKE creature was perfectly stiff, blending into its abyssal environment. It's massive hide looked like part of the deep-sea bedrock on which it was laying against, blending in with its environment almost perfectly. The beast was in bliss, well-knowing of the ownership, nay complete dominance of its pitch-black undersea kingdom. In slumber, its body pulsated a blinding blue light.
The Covenant ships descended from low orbit into Earth's atmosphere. Rtas 'Vadum commanded the ships to drop to and hold at 10 kilometers and wait for further orders. Every centimeter of the contaminated area as well as a 30 kilometer wide ring surrounding was carefully mapped and locked in. The designated area spanned for such a great length as to enter a few kilometers off the coast. The flood would soon be contained and then extinguished from the Earth. Despite this, there was something still bothering him, but he couldn't quite figure out what. The shipmaster shook off the feeling and continued his shepherding of the small fleet of six Covenant cruisers. An elite in a navigator position signaled, "The ships are all in place shipmaster. Awaiting orders..."
'Vadum closed his eyes. He didn't know if the demon, and more importantly, the Arbiter, made it out of Voi alive. Even so, he took a deep breath, opened his eyes and made a face of aggressive resolve, declaring, "Commence glassing! No spore shall be left uncleansed!"
With the swipe of his commanding hand, high pitched noises pierced the air outside, and six large beams of light illuminated the sky above, and torched the ground below. Slowly, they moved across the landscape in a pattern like that of how an expert landscaper mows their own lawn.
There was a rumble, a tumbling of rocks. and then, its eyes opened. Its eyes were painted of blue flames. It was confused and angry. The pulsating blue light became solid and blinding. A rumbling from within the creature was followed by a massive blast from its mouth. The massive blue beam broke the water's surface with boiling ferocity, hitting the front of a cruiser and causing it to explode in a haze of purple and blue flame and smoke, crashing down to the land and once again giving way to small purple explosions before yielding to a massive one.