November 20th
2583
11:30 UNSC time
Activation Chamber
Halo Installation 07 Library
Halo Installation 07
Nobody's POV:
"Cortana. You don't have to do this."
"Oh, but I do. I need to prove to you that I am worthy of the Mantle of Responsibility. And this Forerunner facility has been my prison for far too long. It will feel my power as it crumbles to nothing. You will die with it!" Cortana shouts, her eye glowing red once more before making her way to the Activation slot. The Sentinels, however, continue watching their enemies.
"Cortana. What shall we do about our guests?" A male voice asks from one of the Sentinels, turning towards his superior.
"Oh, them? Kill them all. And I would like that mercenaries' body vaporized, in case he decides to come back again." Cortana say off-handedly, not turning away from her work.
"I don't think so, Cortana." Ahsoka says, activating her lightsaber and gets into a fighting stance.
"I have to hand it to you; you have courage. But it will be for nothing." Cortana responds, then turns around to face them. All around them, lights start blaring violently and strange symbols start appearing all around the Activation Chamber. "In a few minutes, Halo will no longer exist. No matter what you do, this ring will self-destruct and every single being on Corusant will die with you. Come, let us leave our exile behind."
"All hail the Created!" The AIs hijacking the Sentinels chorus in response and all but 5 of them glow yellow before disappearing in a flash of light. The 5 that remain begin firing their Sentinel beams at the only living beings in the chamber. One of the AI drags their beam across the ground, striking Felix's body as it progresses towards Cody and Rex. The 2 clones dodge to the sides, and avoid getting disintegrated into nothing. Felix's body, however, starts glowing with an orange light and crumples into ashes that dissolve in the air.
"Keep firing on them!" A Sangheili Honor Guard shouts over the chaos, pulling out his plasma rifle and firing at one of the Sentinels. The energy shields around the Sentinels flare up before the Sentinel dodges to the side, directing its beam at the Sangheili and killing him.
Both Cody and Rex avenge the Sangheili by combining blaster fire on the Sentinel, crushing what's left of its shields and making the Sentinel explode in a ball of blue fire before the scraps come crashing down. "You killed Minerva, you bastards!" The 2nd Sentinel screams before sending his beam towards them.
"Well, this isn't going too well." Rex says dryly, as he fires his blaster pistols at another Sentinel only for its energy shields to absorb it. Even when Ahsoka and Anakin leap into the air and slash at one of the Sentinels, barely able to dodge its beam in the air before slashing at it. Just like before, the shields flare up violently but still manage to hold point.
"We need to run." Anakin says, using his lightsaber to try and deflect the Sentinel Beam. He holds out for several seconds before the constant beam makes Anakin lose the grip on his lightsaber which flies out of his hands.
"Ha! Not so tough now, are you?" The AI quips at Anakin, stopping his beam for a few seconds so it can recharge.
As the surviving clones, Jedi, Sangheili and UNSC troops point their weapons at the remaining Sentinels, Anakin hears the sounds of a Warthog's engines and an idea comes to mind. "Jump!" Anakin shouts before jumping off the side. The rest of the group stare at the falling Jedi like he's crazy but decide to follow his lead. All at once, they jump off the side, barely avoiding another wave of Sentinel beams. Like before, Anakin and Ahsoka use all of their willpower to use the Force, successfully slowing their descent down enough so they land on the platforms below. Just as the Sentinels catch up and are about to rain their beams on them again, a heavily dented Warthog with part of its windshield cracked drives forward at top speed before stopping at the edge. Thel fires the damaged turret on the back of the Warthog at the Sentinels. The barrage of bullets overloads another Sentinel's overshields and makes it explode in a ball of fire.
The other Sentinels, deciding that it wouldn't be best to stick around, start glowing with a yellow light then teleport away. "What in blazes has been going on?" Obi-Wan asks, stepping out of the passenger seat of the Warthog after it comes to a stop and looks at the group, some more hurt than others.
"Where did you get a fully functional Warthog, sir?" Cody asks, looking at their saviors with an impressed tone in his voice.
Suddenly, the sounds of mechanical hissing echo through the tall walls.
11:22 UNSC time
Outside Halo 07 Library
Halo 07
Ever since the Jedi and Sangheili Arbiter made it back to the level ground, they regrouped with the Master Chief and together, they easily turned all of the MagnaGuards that were guarding the Activation Chamber into piles of smoldering scrap metal. Of course, Chief let on his suspicions to his companions that Cortana might betray them soon so finding a means to escape as quickly as they can takes top priority.
The trio start running through the long grey corridor, their nerves on the edge since they don't encounter any opposition. They continue going on and on until they reach a large rectangular door with a control panel on the right side. Chief walks towards the panel and places his hands on it. As a result, several Forerunner glyphs appear around his hand and the door slides apart, revealing a magnetic elevator that leads to the other side of the ocean, but isn't currently at work.
Before anyone could figure out how to activate the Forerunner platform, they notice something in the distance. Two Pelicans are flying towards them, one of them smoking considerably while the other is in good condition. Even though both ships have signs of brown mold growing on them. "The Flood are coming." Thel says, activating his energy sword and holding it out front.
Within seconds, the Pelicans crash into the Forerunner structure, knocking the trio off their feet before standing up again. The Pelicans are crashed into the sides of the Forerunner installation with a Warthog that was attached to a Pelican had detached itself and is lying on its side, battered from the crash. The damaged Pelican is lying on its side and smoking from the impact while the other is in better condition, but due to the way it smashed into the complex, it was jerked in such an angle that the closed hatch is facing them. "Well, that was easy." Kenobi remarks.
Just then, the windshield of the right Pelican smashes forward and 2 dozen combat forms charge out of the front while the 2nd one has its hatch ripped apart and a dozen combat forms charge out, with 3 dozen infection forms barreling out. "Why do I keep saying things like that?"
"We need to keep moving. Hold off the Infection Forms." Chief says, firing the last bullets in his assault rifle and scooping up the one that belonged to the combat form that was once a UNSC marine. After he does this, he grabs the edge of the Warthog and pulls with all his might and manages to flip it onto its wheels. All the while, Kenobi and Thel are fighting against the combat forms and dodging from side to side to avoid being infected by the smaller flood forms. Chief gets into the Warthog and revs the engine to life. "Get in. We need to help the others."
"I'll take care of this slime." Thel says, running towards the Warthog and jumps onto the turret, then starts pumping bullets into the Infection Forms. One by one, they start popping under the pressure of concentrated fire. Their erratic behavior only makes themselves easy targets for the Arbiter as he guns any Flood down that he can.
"Nice shooting, Arbiter." Kenobi says, slashing the last of the combat forms down with his lightsaber.
Before he can jump onto the Warthog as well, another series of hisses can be heard but these ones are mechanical. Then, seconds later, dozens of orange lights appear in front of Kenobi before they materialize into bipedal machine with glowing orange lights all around it. They raise strange-looking rifles that are just like their wielders, made of a silvery metal and an orange light on the top. "What in the Force are these things?" Kenobi asks, running in to try and slash one of them apart, only for it to backhand Kenobi and send him sprawling. The rest of the machines prepare to fire on the Jedi until Chief runs into them with his Warthog, sending several of them flying a few feet away.
"Get in." Chief says. Kenobi jumps on the order, running to the passenger seat and the second he is seated, Chief puts the Warthog in reverse and drives back, hitting another machine, before Chief puts himself in the right direction and drives back into the facility.
11:45 UNSC time
Halo 07 Library
"It doesn't matter. We need to find a way to save Corusant before this ring self-destructs." Ahsoka says, looking in the direction of the strange sounds warily.
Obi-Wan lets out a long sigh. "How do I keep finding myself in these situations?"
"Perhaps there is a way." Hood says. "When I was ambushed and captured, I overheard some troops that the Insurrection managed to modify several of their freighters so they could push the Halo ring through slipspace to their designated destinations. If we could somehow plan out new coordinates and re-activate the freighters simultaneously, we could push the Halo ring to an abandoned system."
"That's…actually a good idea, sir. I might know the coordinates to a system in the Outer Rim where we can take the ring." Rex adds.
"Which system?" Chief asks.
Rex doesn't get a chance to respond before the sounds reach a new pitch and the Promethean Knights come running down the halls, firing their lightrifles at them. Ahsoka activates her lightsaber and starts deflecting the light shots. However, the Promethean Watchers are making it difficult since they are teleporting the Knights all around the room. "Sergeant Tano, take the Warthog and get to a Pelican. General Skywalker, get a Pelican primed and ready to fly." Chief adds, lifting up his assault rifle and begins firing at the Promethean Watchers floating overhead.
"Are you sure he can handle himself?" Anakin asks, getting back into the driver's seat and driving away as the Spartan, Sangheili, Redfield and Kenobi start engaging the Knights.
"Chief can take care of himself. I have seen many soldiers in my life, but Chief is the most remarkable of them all." Hood responds as he sits in the passenger's seat and grips the side while Anakin recklessly drives the Warthog through the grey corridors. Suddenly, a Promethean Knight teleports to the back of the Warthog being ridden by Thel. The Sangheili punches the Promethean, causing the Knight to knock its opponent to the ground and they start wrestling. In an attempt to frighten his opponent, it's metal helmet splits apart to reveal its skull, glowing orange which lets out a loud hiss.
In that moment, Thel grabs his energy sword and activates it, stabbing it into the Knight's skull. It starts shuddering violently before Thel pushes it off the Warthog. The Knight tumbles on the ground, glowing with an even greater light than ever before it explodes in a ball of golden light and disappears.
"What was that clanker?" Anakin shouts as he continues driving through the facility.
"That was a Promethan Knight. They were used by the Forerunners to fight off the Flood thousands of years ago. We had many engagements with them decades ago." Hood explains, looking at the scenery as it zooms by until they reach the elevator bay where the downed Pelicans are still lying on their sides and covered in brown masses.
Anakin jumps out of the Warthog and runs towards one of the Pelicans, with its hatch facing them. The Jedi runs through the transport, making his way to the control set at the base level of the Pelican and looks around at the mechanisms, trying to figure out how everything works and using his lightsaber turned to low power to cut any brown masses that get in his way.
As Anakin figures out the Pelican's mechanics, only 1 of the Honor Guard, Kenobi, Ahsoka, Redfield, Master Chief, Rex and Cody run down the hallways of the corridor, firing behind them as the Promethean Knights continue charging towards them. However, it is becoming distinctly obvious from their actions that they are almost out of ammo. With a jolt, Anakin gets an idea. He pushes the buttons on the control panel on his left and the Pelican starts humming to life. Smirking at his accomplishment, Anakin then pulls the lever on his right and the Pelican surges forward, hovering in the air before turning around. Finding the firing mechanism on his control panel, he pushes it. Heavy machine gun fire rains down on the facility, and the survivors barely dodge to the sides to avoid it, even though some of the bullets come within inches of hitting them. But the bullets successfully collide with the Promethean Knights, and the barrage of high caliber bullets tear through the armor of the Prometheans, making them explode into balls of orange light.
Once the Prometheans are wiped out, Anakin turns the Pelican around and lowers it enough for everyone to jump onboard. "Good job, Anakin." Obi-Wan says, making his way to the front of the Pelican.
"Thank you, Master. Unfortunately, I can't close the hatch to the Pelican. It's stuck." Anakin says, pushing the buttons on the sides but failing to close it. Suddenly, they freeze in place when they hear a faint explosion.
"That is the least of our concerns." Chief says, walking into the front and staring straight ahead. The 2 Jedi look ahead and their hearts sink. While the survivors had fought against the Prometheans, massive explosions have been going off all around Halo's surface.
"Anakin, get this ship going." Obi-Wan suggests, a noticeable shake in his voice.
Anakin nods in agreement, then pushes the Pelican to fly away from the Library, just as it explodes in a ball of fire and falls into the ocean below. All the while, Anakin weaves the Pelican around the explosions, following the guidance of the Force. He continues flying onward until he reaches a massive crater in the ground. "We're almost there. Hang on back there!" Anakin shouts to everyone in the back of the transport before directing the Pelican to dive to the crater, weaving through the metal structures and layers of earth before making it to a large hatch. Anakin then uses the Pelican's built-in rocket launcher to launch 2 rockets at the hatch. The rockets explode upon impact, making the hatch explode inward and the Pelican smashes through. Unforunately, Anakin has no time before the Pelican smashes into the ground, scrapping as it continues riding on the ground.
"We need to go." Anakin shouts, getting up and running out of the cockpit. No one needed to be told that since everyone had already jumped out and are rolling on the ground. Anakin does so, and seconds later, the Pelican explodes and lies on the ground.
Hood stands up, brushing some dust off his uniform. "We need to get to the bridge." He says, then runs off through the ship, followed close behind.
Once they reach the bridge, Hood walks to the front panels. "I can coordinate the frigates to push the exploding ring into slipspace. But if we do that, we all die." The group looks at each other, not sure how to respond. Then Hood says something else that catches everyone off-guard. "Which is why I must be alone for this."
"You can't be serious." Ahsoka says, desperation in her voice.
"I have fought many wars in my life, Sergeant Tano. So I will give you one last order. Get to a spare Pelican I saw on this frigate and fly it out of here. Someone has to stay behind to keep everything together."
Chief steps forward, then salutes the former Fleet Admiral. Hood salutes back. With nothing else to say, the group makes their way through the ship until they reach the docking bay. By now, the explosions can be heard from where they are at. Sure enough, there is a single Pelican just sitting in the docking bay, waiting for their escape. "Sergeant Redfield, get the release mechanisms open." He says, as he runs up the ramp and into the cockpit. He starts working on the controls, while Anakin gets a seat on the upper ramp to assist Chief.
Before them, the docking bay doors start opening. "Is everyone onboard?" Anakin asks.
"Yes. Get us out of here." Redfield says. Chief nods and after closing the ramp, flies the Pelican out of the freighter. They watch as the 10 freighters, remodeled so they could push Halo, activate their slipspace drives and push Halo into the portal that is produced.
"It's done." Anakin mutters, leaning back in his seat and letting out a sigh of relief. But Chief doesn't relax. He stares straight ahead and watches as a massive Forerunner Guardian finishes entering slipspace before that portal is closed.
"Cortana. This isn't over." He says as several Republic warships fly towards them, their docking bays opening up.
AN: Hi. Sorry I didn't get this out yesterday, but I just couldn't muster it.
I'm glad that the arc is over and I can move on to something else. Honestly, I hope that the couple other arcs that are left in this story are easier to write.
See you next time when the Separatists and Insurrection get some new allies.