Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo/Star Wars crossover redux.

Thank you all for your wonderful feedback and support. I deeply appreciate it.

This chapter is going to be probably one of the most controversial, or interesting chapters out there. My beta-readers and I have long since discussed this moment in the crossover, as well as the consequences of what our decisions would be. As such, this is going to be a chapter that we believe will definitely shake things up. No matter what happens, I appreciate your feedback and support.

As always, leave a reivew, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or Star Wars franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of Microsoft Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Fox, Disney Films, etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers, producers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to its original composers and/or artists.


Fallout OST – Desert Wind

Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic OST - The Old Republic Theme

Star Wars: Knights of The Old Republic OST - Bastilla Shan's Theme

UNSC Cascadia

En Route To Ziost

August 9th, 0BBY, 1000 Hrs (March 21st, 2559, 1000 Hrs)

"We're nearing our destination," Halifax, the ship's AI, announced. "Slipspace ETA: four minutes."

Captain French nodded, a steaming cup of coffee in his hands. "Very good. Continue present heading. Inform the Rear Admiral we are nearing our destination."

"Aye, sir."

He sipped his cup of coffee. The bitter tasting liquid quickly passed down his throat, banishing the drowsiness from the morning. "All officers, report in."

"Nancy here. Systems are green."

"Holland here. Weapons locked tight."

"Kimbal here. Communications good to go."

"Percy here. Ship is on course."

"Orwell here. Sensors are good to go."

"Very good," French said. So far, all is well. "Continue to monitor the systems onboard. If anything happens, inform me immediately."

"Yes sir!"

The door behind French hissed open, permitting the Rear Admiral and his squad into the bridge. Saluting, French said, "Admiral on deck!"

"At ease," Chief said. "What's the status of the ship?"

"Green so far. Halifax says that we're going to be arriving at our destination shortly. My officers report that all systems on the ship are green. If we find trouble at Ziost, we'll be ready to take it on."

"Very good," Chief said.

French shifted his stance slightly. "Sir, permission to speak freely?"

"Granted."

"Why are we out here, sir?" French asked. "I understand the need for secrecy, but I don't like it, especially when I'm left in the dark as to what's going on. That being said, I would like to know why we are out here, instead of an ONI team from Section One."

Chief pursed his lips behind his helmet. "He's got a point," Cortana said. "We do need to tell him what he needs to know."

"Agreed." Directing his gaze to French, Chief said, "We are here to investigate a facility located at Ziost. ONI believes that it might contain information and useful technology. Once we arrive, we are to recover that information and technology."

French frowned. "So we're heading to Ziost to recover more tech and info for the scientists to study?"

"That's correct."

"I see." He pursed his lips, then shrugged. "Well, if that's what Lasky wants, then that's what he'll get. I'll make sure we get to Ziost and back home, safe and sound."

"Slipspace exit imminent!" Halifax informed them.

"Understood. Percy?"

Percy cleared his throat. "Commencing Slipspace exit in T-Minus five… four… three… two… one… now!"

The blackness of Slipstream Space shimmered, before being ripped open by a hole into real space. In just seconds, the Cascadia tore her way out of slipspace into the star speckled blackness of real space. Behind her, the slipspace rupture closed, emitting radiation in the quantum mechanical equivalent of a shrug.

"Sensors coming up now," Orwell said. He frowned, tapped a few buttons, made adjustments to readouts. "Hyperscanner is ready. Orders?"

"Begin scanning for the destination," French ordered. "Report any anomalous readings immediately. Halifax, see if you can aid him."

"Understood," both man and machine said. Working together, it wasn't long before a satisfied smile cross Orwell's face. "Found it," he said. "Right where she's supposed to be. FTL sensors say we're roughly 4.2 light minutes away."

"Halifax, engage the Slipspace drives and bring us in orbit over the target."

"Aye, sir," Halifax said. The ship shuddered as it tore a hole into slipspace. Sliding inside, it remained in slipspace for a few seconds. Then another portal opened, bringing them back into real space once more. Before them, the planet of Ziost could be seen.

Chief's eyes swept over the planet. Ziost was a blue-green jewel, its green continents interrupted only by blue oceans and seas. Streaks of white clouds crisscrossed the oceans and continents. The sight didn't dissuade Chief from his ultimate goal; in fact, it only reminded him of his mission.

French also remained focused. "Orwell, get a scan of the planet. I want to know what we're dealing with."

"Understood," Orwell said. "Halifax, can you adjust the hyperscanner resolution. We need to know what life forms are down there and what defenses are present. We don't need to know too much about the composition of the planet."

"Scanning…" Halifax said. There was a brief pause before he spoke. "No signs of sapient life currently present at the planet, though there are ruins that indicate previous habitation. Lifeforms present include unknown fauna, as well as plant life. Atmosphere is earth-like and surface gravity is .98g."

"Launch probes," French ordered. "Send them to the coordinates Lasky and Cortana sent us. Report any major finds you make."

"Understood," Orwell said. "Launching probes."

A series of holes opened on the surface of the Cascadia's bow. Powerful rockets thrust eight probes into the vacuum of space. Focusing on their targets, they flew through space into the planet's atmosphere. "Anything?" French asked.

"We'll receive information within a few minutes," Orwell said. "We just gotta be patient enough to wait."

"Take as long as you need," Chief said. "Don't rush."

Several minutes of careful searching soon produced results. "Got it! We've got a structure at one of the coordinates. Scans indicate power is still operational at the facility. Some of the readings are strange, though."

"How so?" Chief asked.

"There's no plant life in an irregularly shaped section surrounding a nearby city and part of the mountains. Scans are also picking up odd energy readings from the area. Halifax?"

"Unknown at this point," Halifax said. "Cortana, can you make sense of this information?"

"Certainly," Cortana said. "Scanning information now… Hhmm, how interesting."

"Cortana?" chief asked.

"The anomalous readings are too off from what we know of the Force. If I had to guess, whatever is killing off the plant life is the same energy Cal uses when he uses the Force, albeit directed in a weaponized manner."

Chief frowned. The hairs on his neck began to stand on end. I have a bad feeling about this, he thought. "Understood," he said aloud. "Continue to monitor the situation. Orwell, Halifax, any signs of hostile activity?"

"Negative," Orwell said. "Scans haven't picked up any signs of life down there. If there are people down there, they're likely either at medieval levels of technology, or they are in stasis. I'd be careful if I were you, though. That energy might've mutated any wildlife down there."

"We'll take that under advisement. Captain French, continue to monitor the situation. Be ready to provide fire support if necessary. Blue Team, to the armory."

"Yes sir!" the other said. The Spartans quickly marched to the armory.

As the door closed behind them, French sighed. "Even as a Rear Admiral, Chief is still one hell of a soldier. Still, I'm curious as to what would warrant Spartans for this mission."

"Your guess is as good as mine, sir," Halifax said. "Whatever it is, let's hope that the Master Chief won't have any problems."

"My thoughts exactly."

. . .

The door to the armory opened, permitting Blue Team inside. Opening the weapon lockers, they quickly gathered what weapons they needed for the mission. Magazine catches clicked, bolts snapped into place and magazines loaded with bullets.

Checking his MA5D one last time, Chief holstered it, then holstered his sidearm. Glancing up, he watched Kelly load shells into her shotgun before holstering it. Fred slapped a drum into the M739 SAW he had, while Linda adjusted the scope on her rifle Nornfang. Their Spartan-IV guest, Buck, perused his options before taking an M20 SMG and a M41 SPNKr.

"You sure we need that?" Fred asked.

"Just being careful," Buck said. "You never know when you'll need anti-tank firepower." Fred shrugged, conceding to Buck.

"Systems check," Chief said. "Kelly?"

"All good," Kelly said.

"Linda?"

"Prepped and ready," Linda reported.

"Fred?"

"Green," Fred said.

"Buck?"

"All good to go," Buck said.

"Good," Chief said. "Cortana, pipe the briefing into our helmets."

"Piping information now," Cortana said.

Information appeared on their HUDS. "Eyes on, Blue Team," Chief said. "ONI intelligence gathering has located a potential source of information on the world of Ziost. RADM Lasky has taken an interest, and has authorized this mission. Our orders are to head down to the surface of the planet and retrieve the information inside.

"Once we land, we'll man the Warthog and Mongoose provided to us for this mission and travel to the structure. Once inside, we will retrieve any useful tech and information from the structure before calling for EVAC. Once we land, unless ordered otherwise, Blue Team will be under the command of Team Leader Edward Buck for the duration of the mission. You are to follow his orders as closely as you follow mine. Understood?"

"Yes sir," the others said.

Using a private channel, Chief said, "Just so you know, Buck. Lasky suspects that whatever is down there is a trap. As such, I expect you to be on top of things once we get down there. Understood?"

"You got it," Buck said. "Wouldn't be a Spartan mission if it was easy."

"Very good. Chief keyed his COM. "French, we're ready to go."

"Copy that," French said. "All hands, brace for atmospheric reentry. Percy, take us down to the surface."

"Aye, sir," Percy said.

The powerful engines on the Cascadia flared, pushing the ship towards the planet. The atmosphere grated against the energy shields, forming a corona of plasma fire around the ship. Turbulence shook the interior, causing lights to flicker briefly. Before long, the corona of fire faded from the ship, the viewports now filled by Ziost's blue atmosphere.

"Reentry successful," Percy reported.

"All systems green," Halifax said. "Damage to armor plating superficial."

"Textbook reentry," Orwell said. "I like that."

"Same here," French said. "RDML-117, we are approaching the planet's surface. ETA to destination: two mikes."

"Understood," Chief said. Closing his COM, he said, "Blue Team, to the loading bay!" The Spartans followed him out of the armory, boots clanking against the ground.

The doors to the loading bay opened, permitting the Spartans inside. Inside, technicians swarmed around the vehicles, checking every circuit and strut. "They're good to go," one technician said to Chief. "They'll handle anything other than a direct missile hit. Shouldn't be a problem where you're going, but I'd advise caution. No telling what you'll find down there."

"Thank you," Chief said. "Buck, your command now."

"Thank you, sir," Buck said. "Blue team, load up! Time to get ground side." All five Spartans loaded up. Buck took the Mongoose, while Chief, Kelly, Linda and Fred took the Warthog. Thumbing a switch, Chief checked the status of the M343A2 Vulcan. An indicator light in his HUD winked green, signaling the weapon's condition.

"We're landing now!" French said over the COM. "Lowering deployment ramp!" A hiss of air echoed in the loading bay. Yellow strobe lights winked on as alarms filled the air. A jerk ran through the bay, the sound motors filling the air. The deployment ramp slowly, but gracefully, began to lower. Within seconds, the ground and forests of Ziost came into view.

"Looks like Halifax and Orwell were right on the money," Cortana said. "My own scans are indicating a temperate climate at our latitude."

"Your assessment of Ziost?" Chief asked.

"Mostly tundra, with temperate areas," Cortana said. "However, the floral dead zone around the structure has me worried. I'm not sure what's causing it."

"We'll be fine, Cortana."

"I know that," Cortana said dismissively. "I'm just curious as to what would create a ten kilometer radius dead zone."

So am I, Chief thought. Putting the matter out of mind, he focused on the ramp.

The motors stopped once the ramp touched terra firma. The lights and alarms continued to sound off. All five Spartans drove their vehicles off the ramp and onto the planet's surface. "Good luck, gentlemen!" French called out over the COM. "We'll maintain a high altitude orbit in case you call for fire support!"

"Understood," Chief said. Behind him, the Concordia's powerful engines roared to life, sending the ship high into the atmosphere. Before long, the only indicator of its presence was a small tag on Chief's HUD."

Buck got off his Mongoose. "Linda, you take point. I'll drive the Warthog, you take the Mongoose. If you see anything suspicious, radio me immediately."

"Yes, sir," Linda said. Both Spartans switched vehicles, with Linda taking off. Gunning the throttle, Buck kept the Warthog a respectable distance behind her.

True to Cortana's assessment, much of the terrain was temperate, with tall trees, green grass and fields of flowers. A temperature gauge in Chief's helmet read that the temperature was hovering around 17.78 degrees centigrade. He turned his attention away from his HUD and focused on the environment ahead.

Fred, on the other hand, had his mind elsewhere. "Not a bad place," he said. "If it wasn't so abandoned, I wouldn't mind settling down here."

"You really going to settle down eventually?" Kelly asked.

"No. Of course not. The day I retire is the day I die."

"Well, try not to die too early on us," Buck said. "Besides, you know what they say. Spartans never die. They're just missing in action."

If only that were true, Chief thought. The conversation, lighthearted as it was, dredged up sad memories. "Cortana, what's our distance to the target location?"

"We're nearing the outer boundary of the dead zone," Cortana said. "If your suit isn't sealed, I'd suggest doing so right."

"Understood."

"OK," Buck said. "This is it. Stop your chatting and start looking. I want all eyes peeled once we enter the dead zone. Watch your motion trackers and your sixes. Double-check any shadows. I'm betting every credit I've got that this mission might go sour soon."

Chief sent a mental command to his armor. A small smile crossed his face when the diagnostic indicated that his suit was fully sealed. "Armor's sealed," he reported.

"Good. Blue Team?"

"All good," Kelly said.

"Green," Fred confirmed.

"Linda?"

"Good to go," Linda said. "I'm at the edge of the dead zone."

"Is it really as dead as they say it is?"

"You have to see it to fully get what I mean," Linda said.

The words sent a chill down Chief's spine. He could hear his gut instincts warning him of the danger ahead. If Linda says we have to see it to confirm, that's a bad sign.

"Hold position where you are at," Buck said. "We're coming." Closing the COM, he said, "That's bad news. Everyone remain vigilant." No further conversation followed. Instead, the Spartans kept their weapons primed and ready. For Chief, the sensation of something being horribly wrong only grew stronger.

Before long, they were approaching Kelly's locaiton, whereupon they saw exactly what she meant. Just fifty meters away from where she had parked, the grassland and forest abruptly stopped. Beyond that fifty meter mark, Chief was mildly surprised to see dusty, barren ground. Dead trees pockmarked the area here and there, but for the most part, no living thing was present. The boundary itself was so sharp and sudden, it was like someone had removed a massive swath of land.

That wasn't what bothered Chief the most. What did was the fact that, beyond that fifty meter mark, the world felt that way. Something terrible happened here, a voice whispered in hid mind. Something that should never have been but was allowed to happen. For a moment, he thought he could hear a faint and horribly distorted wail.

Even the others were affected by what they saw. "What the hell happened here…?" Fred whispered.

"I don't know," Kelly said. "It… it looks like the aftermath of a nuclear accident."

Buck shook his head. "No. A nuclear war wouldn't leave behind this desolation. This was something else entirely."

"I agree," Cortana said. "That energy field we detected earlier is really strong after that boundary. If I had to guess, perhaps it's some twisted, weaponized technology that created this deadzone."

"Worse," Chief said. "I think this is a direct manifestation of the Dark Side of the Force."

The others looked at him. "What makes you say that?" Fred asked.

"During one of our meetings, I spoke with Cal on how to recognize effects of the Dark Side. One of the things that he told me is that places that are very strong in the Dark Side will often be barren and lifeless. There are exceptions, such as Felucia, but that's generally the norm."

Those words sent a chill up the other Spartans spines. "Perhaps we can get a second opinion," Buck said. He keyed his COM and said, "French, can your sensors tell us anything new?"

"Yeah," French said. "We just did an analysis of that energy field. The data's preliminary, but Halifax says that it's actively neutralizing life on the microbial level. It shouldn't cause you any harm, but I would recommend a thorough decon when you're done. Whatever can cause that large of a dead zone isn't to be taken lightly."

"Understood," Buck said.

"What now?"

Buck looked at Linda. "Well, we need that information, and it seems like the only way to get it is to go into the dead zone. Trust me, I'd don't like it, same as the rest of you, but it seems we really don't have a choice. Let's head inside, but with weapons primed."

"Understood," Chief said. So far, he's doing good. He's making sure he has all the information he needs, and he's making difficult choices based on the info he has. Still, he couldn't shake off the feeling that Lasky was right, that this was one enormous trap.

"Everyone ready?" Buck asked.

"We're ready," Linda said.

"Then let's go, and pray that this doesn't spell our deaths." Their resolves grimly set, they drove past the fifty meter mark and into the dead zone.

Thankfully, none of them keeled over and died. Chief, however, noticed that the dead zone was more than something that affected plant life. The moment they passed the boundary, he noticed that the color of his armor seemed washed out, as though the paint had less green and more grays.

Feeling an odd urge to look at the sky, he obliged that urge. To his surprise, the sun had gone from bright blue, to the color of mud. The sky itself had became so dark it was almost black in color. Even the very sound of the wind, and the Warthog's engine, appeared to be dull and flat. "Cortana, are you seeing this?" he asked.

"Yeah," Cortana said. "Whatever that Dark Side energy's done, it's drained the color in the environment and muffled any sound. It's almost as though we're in the middle of a dream, a really bad dream at that."

Chief nodded. He'd gotten much the same feeling too. Now, he thought he could hear that distorted, muffled wailing at the edges of his hearing. Few things made a Spartan feel unsettled; being in this place was one of them.

The others felt much the same. "I've got a bad feeling about this," Kelly groaned.

"Same here," Fred said. "I really hope we don't run into whatever caused this event to happen."

"Keep you eyes peeled and your weapons loaded," Buck said. "I really don't like this place."

Much of the journey was spent in silence. Not for one second did the Spartans let their guard down, or attempt to speak over the TEAMCOM. Only the sound of the engines of their vehicles broke the silence, a silence that did not like to be broken. We don't belong here, another voice whispered in Chief's mind. Nothing does. Only Death.

"Got something," Linda said over the TEAMCOM. "Looks like we've got a series of structures up ahead. Judging by the density, I'd say that we've come up on a suburban area. Sending you a video feed now."

A video feed winked to life on Chief's HUD. On it, Chief could see what looked like a series of buildings. Most of them had long since collapsed, and some were barely standing. All of them looked as though they hadn't been used in thousands of years, if not more.

"Copy that," Buck said. "Any signs of life?" Deep down, he already knew the answer.

"No," Linda said. "No life signs at all. Scans have also come up negative for microbial life, including midi-chlorian life."

"I figured as much. Keep your weapons primed and ready, though. We could run into trouble at any moment."

They continued to drive through the desolate wasteland. Rocks crunched as each vehicle drove over them, but there was little sound beyond that. The feeling of unease continued to grow ever stronger in chief's mind. While the rational part of him argued that there was nothing alive here, the animalistic part continued to grow warier by the minute.

As the team traveled, they eventually caught sight of a large metropolitan area ahead of their position. "Looks like a city," Fred said.

"French, what can you tell us about the city?" Buck asked.

"Not much from where we are, other than it being massive," French said. "Scans indicate no life signs in the city whatsoever. Whatever happened here also destroyed the power grid. We're reading no signs of electricity or any dormant systems. The entire city's just… dead."

"Where else does the deadzone extend?"

"Give me am moment," French said. "Orwell, Halifax?"

"We've just completed another scan," Orwell said. "According to our newest scan, the dead zone, as stated before, is irregular in shape. We've identified another structure near the city in question. No idea as to what it is, but if I was a betting man, I'd say that's where we'd find information. It's also the only place that seems to have any sort of power."

"Can we get to it without using any roadways?" Buck asked.

"No. You'll need to use the roadways built into the mountain in order to get up there. The structure's literally built into a mountain range nearby."

"Then we'll have a Pelican come in and get us up there. French, how's the crew?" Buck asked.

"OK, but I 'm starting to get worried," French said. "Some members of the crew reported feeling a sense of unease when we passed over the dead zone. Around five minutes ago, one of our crew members reported feeling physically ill. She's fine, but we can't stay too long in this dead zone. If more trouble comes up, we'll pull out temporarily and extract you when you call for us."

"Understood," Buck said. "Do whatever is necessary to keep your people in good condition. Buck out." Turning to the others, he said, "It's not just us. French's crew is starting to feel it too. We'll need to hurry."

"I've marked our path to the structure via a waypoint," Cortana said. "It'll take us around an hour to get there at top speed."

"Then let's go."

After changing direction, they continued to drive through the desolate wasteland of the dead zone. The terrain began to grow rockier as they approached the base of the mountains. "Looks like we've got a path up ahead," Linda said.

"I see it too," Fred said. "Got a guard house and everything. If I had to guess, I'd say it's a pedestrian path."

"We'll make do with it," Buck said. "Warthogs and Mongooses can traverse narrow spaces."

Before long,they had arrived at the guard house. Coming to a stop, Buck signaled the ship. "Ready for transfer to the structure above."

"Copy that," the Pelican pilot said. "Echo-416 inbound on your position. ETA: four mikes."

"Now we've just gotta wait. Form a circle. I want to make sure nothing ambushes us." The Spartans quickly created a small perimeter, each one warily watching the wasteland. It was a relief when the Pelican arrived. Boarding the Pelican, Blue Team kept their weapons up.

"Man, I really hate this place," the pilot said. "Almost looks as though someone killed this part of the planet. Not even the Covenant were able to do something like this."

Chief found himself agreeing with the pilot. It is as though this area was killed. The existence of such a weapon unsettled him. Not even the Forerunners were willing to do such a thing.

Before long, they came to the very top of the cliff the structure was built on. Before them lay a city filled with stone structures made from gray, cheerless granite. A single pathway made of dressed black stones led all the way to the entrance of a large structure. "Looks like a citadel of some kind," Linda noted.

"It does," Buck said. "OK, people. This is the real deal now. We'll go in, find what we can, and then get the hell out of here. Understood?"

"Affirmative," the others said.

"Good. Pilot, drop us off. We'll radio you when we need EVAC." The Pelican lowered to the ground, it's loading ramp dropping down. Moving out, Chief and the others took up formation. On a signal from Buck, the Pelican took off, leaving them in the deserted city.

Here, Chief and the others saw something that would stay with them for the rest of their lives. Rounding a corner, Chief paused when he spotted the silhouette of a man. Closer examination revealed that the silhouette was the ash statue of a man. "Oh, fuck!" Cortana gasped. "What happened here?"

"Is that what I think it is?" Kelly asked.

"Yep," Fred said. "A genuine ash statue. Don't know who the poor bastard was, but he didn't deserve this."

"That's not all," Cortana said. "Look around, all of you. Notice something else?"

Blue Team did as instructed. To the growing horror of those present, the first ash statue wasn't the only one. There were dozens of them, all with arms outstretched and mouths open in a silent scream. "Oh my… What the hell happened here?" Fred asked.

"I don't know, but it was clearly bad," Buck said in a subdued voice. "This is a mass grave, people. Let's show what respect we can. Don't disturb the bodies, no matter what you do."

The Spartans continued through the streets of the ghost city, weapons raised all the while. The ash statues only grew in number as they approached the central structure in the city. As they did, the hairs on the back of Chief's neck began to stand up again.

Then, the alarm bells in his head began to ring yet again. Something's not right, he thought. Observing his environment, he noticed the one thing that seemed to be missing. It's quiet… too quiet. Memories of when he was at Alpha Halo surfaced in his mind.

"That bad feeling's coming back, " Linda said.

"I'm feeling it too," Kelly said.

"Let's keep calm," Fred whispered. "If there's something here, we'll be ready to face it."

"Agreed," Buck said.

Chief moved to rejoin them, only to stop dead in his tracks. Out the corner of his eyes, he spotted a flicker of movement. His heart began to race, his breathing quickened and his vision sharpened. No sooner had he spotted it than Cortana screamed in his ear. "CHIEF, LOOK OUT!"

Chief promptly exploded into motion, rolling forwards and firing his rifle at the exact same time. Something swiped through the air he was at just as he rolled, while the tracer rounds from his rifle vanished seemingly into thin air. A howl of agony reached his ears just as whatever had attacked him shimmered into existence after hitting the ground with a thump.

To all the Spartans, it appeared to be a massive, reptilian creature. Dark scales covered a quadrupedal body with a long tail and sharp, wicked looking claws. The elongated head had a mouth filled with sharp teeth and red-orange eyes. The creature, even in death, radiated an aura of malevolence.

"What the hell is that?!" Fred asked.

"No time!" Buck shouted. "Motion tracker's got lots of contacts! Weapons free, people!"

No sooner had they entered battle formation than all hell broke loose. Right before their eyes, eight more of the reptilian creatures appeared and charged. Jumping over one that attacked him, Buck fired a burst from his SMG. Bullets tore into its head, splattering its brains all over the ground.

No sooner had he landed then something heavy slammed into him. Acting fast, Buck threw his arms up, grabbing the jaws of one of the creatures. It roared and snapped at him, teeth barely an inch away from his helmet faceplate. Roaring with effort, he drove an armored boot into the creature, sending it flying. Rolling, it jumped to tackle him again when it's head promptly exploded in a shower of gore.

Nearby, Kelly pumped her shotgun, ejecting the shell she used to save Buck's life. Seeing two more of the creatures approaching, she slam-fired her weapon, blasting their heads off in quick succession. One of the creatures, sneaking around her, roared and charged, only for bullets to tear through its hide. "Thanks!" she shouted as Buck came over.

"Anytime!" Buck shouted.

While Buck and Kelly were fighting back to back, Chief and the others were having their own fight with the reptilians. Fred swiftly dodged one creature, before driving his knife into it's skull. There was a loud, metallic SSHHHNNKKK as the blade drove deep into the creature's skull. It dropped to the ground dead, it's body twitching before finally going still.

The last two charged Linda and Chief, roaring loudly as they did so. Chief answered with gunfire from his rifle, tearing the creature apart. The last one, thinking Kelly was easy prey, charged at her. Kelly fired, sending a 14.5mm round directly through the creature. In horrific fashion, the creature was split from head to toe. Blood and gore splattered the ground. In just twenty five seconds, the battle had come to an end.

"Fuck me!" Buck shouted. "As if believing there was nothing on this planet was bad enough. Now we've got this to deal with!" Recollecting himself, he said, "All right! Sound off, people!"

"I'm good!" Fred shouted.

"Same," Kelly added.

"We're all right," Chief said. "Cortana, what were those things?"

"Doing a scan right now," Cortana said. "Hhmm… how very interesting. It appears as though these creatures are capable of projecting a very weak cloaking field, enough to fool the average Marine, but not enough to fool an attentive ODST or Spartan."

"Any sign of how they were able to evade detection aside from that?"

"No, but I do have one suspicion," Cortana said. "Normally, living organisms wouldn't be able to cloak, but I've got a theory. If you can get a sample for me to analyze, I should be able to figure things out. I will admit, though, that my specialty is in electronics warfare, not biology."

"We'll take one back with us to the ship," Buck decided. "Any idea on how we can keep these things from catching us off guard again?"

"Yeah," Cortana said. "Let me make a modification to your suit's motion tracking systems." On his HUD, Chief watched as it winked out, then returned. "There. I've just modified our HUDs to track very slow moving objects. If those creatures are present, they'll now show up on the trackers."

"Good," Buck said. "Lets get inside."

The team, now warier than ever, moved to the doors. "Damn, doors are closed," Linda said, her hand pushing on the granite doors to little effect. "Fred?"

"Got some C-7 Foaming Explosive," Fred said. "Damn stuff comes in handy all the time." Moving to the door, he pulled out a small container and depressed the top. A grayish-white foam erupted from the nozzle, forming a thick foam wherever the jet impacted. "Stand back!" Once all the Spartans had stood back, he depressed the detonator.

There was a loud WOMP-BANG as the C-7 Foam detonated. Chunks of granite flew everywhere, while parts of the doors collapsed. When the dust settled, the doors had a hole tall enough to allow a Hunter through with ample room to spare. Weapons aimed, the team advanced through the door and into the building proper.

"Shit," Kelly grumbled when she saw more ash statues. "Looks like the people in here were affected as well. Not even the structure's walls kept them safe."

"There's something else as well," Cortana said. "Notice the way they're standing. Whatever killed them did so without them knowing."

Chief nodded. These new ash statues looked like people going about their daily business. Some looked like they were holding onto small items when they died. Only a few resembled the statues outside, while some were curled up in corners in a vain attempt to shield themselves from what had happened.

"Shit… it's so sad," Fred said. "Is this what could've happened to us if the Covenant won, or if the Halo Array was fired?"

"I don't know," Chief said. I hope we never find out, he thought.

"More contacts!" Buck shouted. "They're moving away from us!"

"That's not normal," Linda said. "If they were animals, they'd be attacking us for invading their territory. This isn't normal behavior for them. They wouldn't do this unless…"

"… unless they were semi-sapient," Cortana said. "If they're semi-sapient-"

"-then we've got a nasty problem on our hands," Buck finished. "OK, keep an eye on any means of entry they can use on us. Check the floors, walls and ceiling. Double-check any shadows." Slowly, the team made their way through the winding hallways of the structure.

"Up above!" Kelly shouted suddenly. "They're in the ceiling vents!" Just as she said this, one of the vents above them gave way, the cover loudly clattering onto the ground. One of the reptilians leaped out at Kelly, maw wide open.

Rather than dodge the blow, Kelly charged herself. Both individuals smacked into each other with a meaty THUMP. That sound quickly became a loud CRACK as the creature's skeleton tried, and failed, to remain intact. The creature's howls of agony turned into whimpers that fell silent when Kelly fired her sidearm, blasting its head apart.

Two more rushed them from the hallway ahead. Both Chief and Buck laid down a withering salvo in response. Bullets scythed into the creatures, cutting them down before they could get close enough to attack. Two more that were behind them quickly retreated, hissing loudly as they faded out of visibility.

"Well, that was intense," Cortana said. "Nice job breaking that thing in half, Kelly."

"Just doing my job," Kelly said. "I really hope they don't continue attacking us while we're in here. That would be tiresome."

"Maybe not," Fred said. "Motion tracker is all clear, and those things retreated. They know they can't come near us while we're alert. My guess, they'll attack us when we're busy taking care of other matters."

"Then we'd best disappoint those things," Buck said. "Chief, Kelly, you two take point. Fred, you and I will take the rear. Linda, provide fire support where possible. Cortana, run a scan and see where that power's being to and from."

"Copy that," Cortana said.

The team slowly made their way through the structure in this manner, weapons aimed and ready. They're testing us, Chief thought as he watched contacts appear and disappear from the motion tracker. Looking for a weakness in our defenses. As they drew closer to the center of the building, ascended and descended stairs, more contacts appeared, until the motion tracker was filled with them.

Then, much to everyone's surprise, all of the contacts simply vanished, like they had never existed. "That's odd," Fred said. "They've vanished."

"That's not good," Cortana said. "Chief, Buck, the last time something like this happened, it was because something much more dangerous was around the corner."

"Agreed," Buck said. Pulling the SPNKr off his back, he said, "Fred, take this. If we find something big that needs killing, shoot missiles at it."

"Understood," Fred said.

Eventually, they came to a large chamber at the end of a flight of stairs. Examining the room, Chief saw two pairs of ramps that went up to doorways on either side of the room. The center of the room was dominated by the large statue of a cloaked man. In the back was a large door that was covered in various symbols.

Upon entering the room, he stopped. I don't like this, he thought. We're walking into a trap. I can feel it.

"This isn't good," Fred said. "Feels like we're walking into a trap."

"He's right," Kelly said. "This would be perfect as a trap room. One way in, no ways out as far as I can tell. This smells of a setup."

"I was thinking that too," Buck said. "OK. We'll split up into teams of two. Linda, take position at the top of one of those walkways and provide sniper fire." The Spartans quickly moved forwards, with Kelly and Chief going right, while Fred and Buck went left. Linda followed Buck, then took up position at the top of one of the ramps. Cautiously, the Spartans moved forwards.

Their caution was richly rewarded.

Just as they reached the stairs to the door, a loud CRASH erupted. The ceiling above the door shattered like glass, just as a massive creature dropped in. It was massive, standing on two legs that supported a large body. Twin arms ended in three fingered claws, while it's head had two eyes that glowed white. A long, tentacle like structure grew out of its back, with the end slowly whipping through the air.

"Contact!" Kelly shouted. "It's a big one!"

"Take it out!" Buck shouted. Gunfire erupted as all of the Spartans opened fire. Wounds opened up on the creature, splattering black colored blood onto the ground. Enraged, the creature charged towards Buck and Fred, swiping at them with its claws.

Buck threw himself backwards, barely avoiding the blow. Fred did the same, just as one of the claws clipped the SPNKr. The weapon flew off of Fred's back, sending him spinning, while smashing the weapon against the wall.

"FUCK!" Fred shouted when the weapon broke apart into two pieces. "SPNKr's down! We can't use it!"

"Kelly!" Buck shouted.

"Something's interfering with the targeting on my scope!" Kelly shouted. "I can't land a hit without hitting you as well!"

"We'll distract it, then! Chief, Kelly, take this fucking bastard out!"

"Focus fire!" Chief shouted. Both he and Kelly began laying into the creature. Roaring loudly, the monstrosity punched a hand into the ground. With a grunt, it tore a chunk of flooring out, then hurled it at Chief and Kelly. Both Spartans ducked, barely avoiding the impromptu projectile, which shattered behind them like glass.

Roaring, the creature huffed. Much to the team's shock, the wounds on it's body seemed to melt away. "It's regenerating!" Fred shouted. "We can't keep this up for long!"

"KELLY!?" Buck shouted.

"I've almost corrected for the interference!" Kelly shouted. "Give me more time!"

"Any day now!" Kelly shouted, avoiding a swipe. "I'd rather not- URGH!" A tentacle from the creature's back zipped out of nowhere, ensnaring Kelly and pinning her arms to her sides.

At that moment, Chief entered Spartan Time. Racing forwards, he delivered a trio of shots that severed the tentacle, freeing Kelly, before smashing his fist into the creature's face. Blood and teeth flew out of its mouth. Roaring in pain and anger, the creature tried to swipe at Chief, only to miss by a few inches.

This time, all of the Spartans attacked. As he fired, Buck watched as the world seemed to slow down, while his vision sharpened. So this is what Spartan Time feels like, he thought. I kinda like the feeling.

Once the Spartans had entered Spartan Time, the creature was doomed. Moving faster than any human being could hope for, the Spartans engaged the creature. Kelly slam-fired her shotgun, blasting out the creature's kneecaps. Roaring in agony, it attempted to charge, only for Buck to grab it's tendril.

A roar of effort escaped his lips as he pulled backwards, nearly sending the creature stumbling backwards. Linda fired her rifle twice, sending two slugs directly into the creature's head. As the coup de grace, Fred tossed Chief a grenade, with the latter priming it before throwing the grenade down the thing's throat. With the grenade in the creature's body, the Spartans quickly retreated.

The alien coughed, it's head wounds regenerating. Just as it was about to vomit, the grenade detonated, blasting its head apart in a shower of blood and gore. The Spartans opened fire, blasting the creature full of bullets. The combined firepower split the creature's chest apart, spilling its organs to the ground. Torn to shreds, the thing's corpse fell to the ground, twitching once before going still.

"Whew!" Buck shouted. "That was one hell of a fight! Nice work, people!"

"Thank you," Chief said. "Fred?"

"Got the SPNKr here," Fred said. "Well… I'll be."

"What?"

"It's not broken after all. The preloaded tubes were merely dislodged. Could've used this thing."

"Well, we might get a chance to do so later," Kelly said. "Still, what was that thing doing here? Was it guarding that door?"

"I think so," Chief said. "Cortana?"

"It was," Cortana said. "There's power going to the rooms to the left and right of the structure we're in. If I had to guess, there are computer terminals located in those rooms. I recommend investigating immediately."

"You got it," Buck said. "Let's check out the left side first."

The left side quickly turned out to be a bust. The computer terminal inside, while powered, had been wiped clean of any useful information. Now, in the right hand room, Chief inserted Cortana into the scomp-link adapter. "Anything?" Buck asked.

"Yes!" Cortana said. "I found some information on here. There's also something that explains the dead zone too."

"Do tell."

"According to the computer data banks, a Sith named Vitiate performed some kind of ritual on this planet. No details as to what the ritual was, but it was designed to literally drain all life from the planet itself. The dead zone we traveled through used to cover this entire planet."

"That explains the dead zone, and why it seemed so… unnatural," Fred said. "Whatever this Vitiate did must have been real nasty to do that to the entire planet. It's worse than what the Forerunners did with the Halo Array."

Chief nodded. The Halo Array only destroyed sapient life, not life that wasn't sapient. "Anything on what's behind the door?"

"Yeah," Cortana said. "From what I can tell, it's a 'Holocron Storage Chamber.' Does that ring a bell?"

"Yeah," Kelly said. "Our resident Jedi, Cal, said that the Jedi stored knowledge inside of Holocrons. As far as I know, though, they can only be accessed by Force Sensitives."

"Either way, we need to get into there," Buck decided. "Cortana, can you open the chamber up?"

"Already did," Cortana said.

"Good. Let's go."

The door opened, revealing a long and narrow room within. Most of the holocrons inside were damaged beyond repair by the passage of time, or by the ritual Vitiate had done. "Anything?" Buck asked.

"No," Chief said. "Most of these are destroyed."

"I've got something!" Linda shouted. Following her, the team found her next to a pyramidal holocron that glowed red. "Looks like this one's fully functional."

"Interesting," Cortana said. "I'm reading organic structures inside of it. Don't know how, but I think we're looking at a form of organic computer."

"Is it safe to transport?" Buck asked.

"Affirmative," Cortana said. "You'd need to shoot this thing to even damage it, let alone destroy it."

"Then it's settled. Chief, you'll carry this device. The rest of us will cover you."

"And not a moment too soon," Kelly said. "The motion tracker's lighting up again. Our old reptilian buddies are coming to get us!"

"Let's go! Move out!" Grabbing the Holocron, Chief slipped it into an armored box he'd carried on his back. Once secure, the team moved out, weapons at the ready.

The moment they exited, more of the creatures assaulted them. This time, the Spartans did not hold back. Bullets flew freely through the air, each one a lethal blow. Killing one of the reptilians, Kelly slung it over her shoulder, using her free arm to fire her sidearm.

Battling through the creatures, they eventually reached the exterior of the structure. "Buck to Echo-416, requesting EVAC on the double!"

"Affirmative," Echo-416 said. "Echo-416 moving on station."

"We're nearly there!" Buck shouted. "Hold them off a little longer, people!" The rest of Blue Team followed this order to the letter. Bullets flew through the air, cartridges littered the ground, and corpses of alien reptiles began piling up. Before long, a makeshift barricade of the creatures had been formed.

"Running low on ammo!" Fred shouted.

"Only one mag left!" Chief reported.

"They're coming back!" Linda shouted. "I'm out of ammo!"

"Same here!" Kelly shouted.

Just as the reptilian creatures charged in for the kill, a storm of tracer rounds rained down, tearing the creatures apart. "I'm here, folks!" Echo-416 said. "Get onboard! We! Are! Leaving!" No sooner had he said this than the Spartans jumped onboard. "We're taking off!"

The ramp closed, then the engines surged, the Pelican shooting through the sky. Within minutes, the Pelican reached the Cascadia. The pilot rotated the VTOL around, then set it onto the hangar deck. "We're in!" Buck said over the COM. "French, take us out of here!"

"You got it!" French said. "Performing Slipspace jump in three… two… one… now!" The entire ship shuddered as it surged into Slipspace, before shuddering again as it entered real space once more.

"Package secured," Buck said. "We got what we came here for!"

"Good work," French said. "Some of our crew was starting to fall ill. We've got four casualties in the infirmary so far. The docs say that they should make full recoveries once we fully leave the planet. We're plotting a course back home."

"Good work," Chief said. "Nicely done, people! Head back to the armory. This mission is complete."

"Thanks," the other said.

Chief muted his helmet speakers. "Cortana?"

"I've just analyzed Buck's performance," Cortana said. "Despite a few hiccups, he performed in exemplary fashion. I'd say he's ready for the job of being Spartan Commander. Wouldn't you agree?"

Chief mulled her words over. She's right, he thought. Once we get Buck officer training, he'll make for an excellent Spartan Commander. "Yes," he said. "I agree." Switching the topic of conversation, he said, "Captain French, can you establish a COM line to RADM Lasky?"

"Sure thing," French said. "I'll set up an encrypted COM call with him. Give me a minute."

A short paused reigned, then Lasky's voice came in over the COM. "RADM Lasky to RDML-117. You needed to speak to me?"

"Affirmative," Chief said. "The mission was a success. We are coming back with a new piece of technology. We will need Kestus' expertise in the matter."

"Good," Lasky said. "Once you're back, we'll conduct an initial scan of whatever you have while its onboard the Cascadia. Once we've determined that it's safe to bring aboard the Infinity, we'll bring it aboard and have our resident expert examine it. RADM Lasky over and out."

"Understood. RDML-117 over and out."

. . .

Lasky paced around on the bridge of the Infinity, eyes focused on Cascadia's holographic image. It's been a day since they left, and they've already got something we could use, he thought. Hopefully we won't have another situation like what happened at Requiem.

Roland's voice promptly derailed his train of thought. "Sir, the techs have just finished scanning the device that Blue Team brought back with them."

"And?"

"According to them, it's safe to bring aboard the Infinity for detailed analysis," Roland said. "Chief and Blue Team will be bringing it aboard."

"Good. What about the specimen that they brought back?"

"Dr Halsey and Olivia are currently studying it, as are our resident Force users," Roland reported. "In fact, Dr. Halsey and Olivia are wishing to speak to you when you have a moment."

"All right," Lasky said. "Inform Conners that he has the bridge. I'm heading to the labs to see what Dr. Halsey and the others can tell me."

"You got it, sir," Roland said…

The trip to the science deck seemed to take only minutes to complete. Stepping off the tram, Lasky found Halsey and Olivia waiting at the tram station for him. "Halsey, Olivia. You needed me for something?"

"Yes," Halsey said. "If you'd be kind enough to follow us?" Lasky nodded and walked with the two. Before long, they entered Halsey's lab. On a surgical table in the room was one of the creatures that attacked Blue Team.

"Ugly son of a bitch," Lasky said. "That's a face only a mother could love."

"Indeed," Halsey agreed. "Olivia and I have been putting this creature's DNA through a battery of tests, and we've conducted a dissection. I must admit, Blue Team finds all of the interesting creatures."

"Looks like it. Where's Cal and Merrin?"

"Right here." Both Cal and Merrin emerged from another part of the room.

"I take it you two know what this is?" Lasky asked.

Merrin frowned. "No," she said. "However, there were legends whispered among my sisters as to what it was. It was said that they could kill living beings with a poison. Beyond that, I know little of what they were."

"I know a little more," Cal said. "Some of the records in the Jedi Temple made mention of a creature called a 'Hssiss.' They were reptilian quadrupeds that could influence Force Sensitive beings. From the looks of it, that's what attacked Blue Team. However, I must remind you again, as I did when they left, that you should have sent us with them. They would've had a much easier time with us around."

"Point taken," Lasky said. "Halsey, can you and Olivia share with me what you've learned thus far?"

"In the two hours since we began the dissection, quite a bit," Halsey said. "Samples of the venom we extracted from the venom glands indicate that it is highly corrosive to living organisms. Test cells we mixed in the venom underwent cellular death in mere minutes."

"Good thing Blue Team was wearing MJÖLNIR armor then. I'd hate to imagine what a squad of Marines or ODSTs would've gone through if they got bit."

"Me too," Halsey said. "During one of our experiments, Cal was probing the creature with his abilities when it turned invisible. We managed to replicate the effect, which led us to discover a series of cells that had a high concentration of midi-chlorians. My guess is that these Hssiss can use the Force to cloak their presence from Force Sensitives while creating the illusion of invisibility to other organisms."

A shiver ran up Lasky's spine. "That's not good. What effect did it have while the Spartans were at Ziost?"

"Not much, thankfully," Halsey said. "According to RDML-117, he was able to see the things even as they moved away. My belief is that the augmentations used by Spartans enable them to more easily detect cloaked enemies, a belief that has been proven correct on multiple occasions."

"Good," Lasky said. "Chief and the others should be here shortly. We can get a direct account of what happened from them."

At that moment, the door opened, permitting Chief and the members of Blue Team inside. "Sir," Chief said. "I have the device."

"Excellent," Lasky said. "Just set it down onto the table. I'd like your debriefing first," Chief complied, setting the large box onto a table in the room. "Captain French gave me his report, but I want to hear from you what happened down there. So, would you furnish me with the details?"

"I can do that for you," Cortana said, her avatar popping up over a holo-table.

"Go ahead then."

"Thank you," Cortana said. "Around 1000 hours yesterday, we arrived in the Ziost system. While we were conducting scans of the planet, we discovered an irregularly shaped ecological dead zone in the northeastern hemisphere of the planet. Scans also indicated an energy field with no known source. After determining a plan, we landed three kilometers from the border of the dead zone. Once we arrived, we entered the dead zone and began heading to where we determined was the center of it."

"Things became… strange there," Chief said.

"What do you mean?" Lasky asked.

"Cortana, can you pull up a feed of the dead zone from my helmet cameras? Begin at time stamp 5:54 and stop at time stamp 7:42."

"You got it," Cortana said. The video feed winked into existence, showing Blue Team's arrival at the edge of the dead zone.

The moment he saw it, Lasky felt a chill run down his spine. That chill became more powerful when the team entered the dead zone. Colors that were once vibrant became dull as grays and blacks became more pronounced. The sky turned a near black color, while the sun appeared to turn the color of sand.. Even the sound of the vehicles they drove, and any conversations, sounded muffled and dull.

"Oh my…" Olivia trailed off.

"What could have done this?" Lasky asked. "Merrin?"

"I have no idea," Merrin said. "Cal?"

"Let me see," Cal said. "Chief, can you bend down slightly?"

"Why?" Chief asked.

"If you do so, I can use my Psychometry to get an idea of what caused that dead zone." Chief remained silent before bending down slightly. Reaching out with a hand, Cal closed his eyes and reached into the Force. He was immediately inundated with a wave of despair and terror of such power that his stomach churned. A ghostly wail echoed in his ears and a malevolence far greater than anything he ever felt echoed in his mind. Gasping, he staggered back, bumping the holo-table and slumping to the ground.

Lasky and the others ran over. "Are you all right?" Merrin asked. "Cal?"

"I…" Cal felt his stomach lurch. "Bag! Now!"

Chief handed him a open bag. With a loud groan, Cal vomited the contents of his breakfast into the bag. When the vomit stopped coming, he dry heaved for a minute. Gasping, he handed the back to Olivia, who tossed it into a biohazard bin.

"Cal?" Lasky asked. "Are you OK? Cal?!"

"I'm… I'm all right," Cal said. "Give me a minute…" Once he had sufficiently recovered, he said, "I… I could feel despair, terror and malevolence. Worst of all, I could hear the Force there. It… it was screaming. Whatever made the dead zone, it was an act of the Dark Side so powerful that it killed all life in that area/"

Those words sent a chill up everyone's spine. Chief's mind flashed back to that time in the dead zone. Now I understand, he thought. I was hearing a wailing sound. It chilled him to think that the ritual Vitate conducted damaged the Force so badly to allow that to happen.

"Shit," Lasky said. "What could have caused this?"

"Chief and I found the answers inside one of the structures in the dead zone," Cortana said. "While we were driving through the area, Captain French's people informed us of a structure that was built into the nearby mountain range. Once we got there, we had to deal with these things, as well as some kind of massive organism. The records we found indicated that the organism in question was a 'Monolith.' Apparently, they were created by the ancient Sith as biological weapons."

"That's fucked up," Olivia said.

"Agreed, but what killed all of the life outside of the Citadel?" Halsey asked. "Even the Forerunners were never that genocidal."

"We found that out too. Records indicate that a Sith by the name Vititate conducted a Force Ritual of some sort. Whatever it involved, it destroyed all life on the surface of the planet. The dead zone that Blue Team traveled through covered the entire planet at one point. The records are old, but they suggest that this happened over four thousand years ago during the Great Galactic War."

The entire room seemed to go from being warm to ice-cold. "They used a Force Ritual to kill all life on the planet?" Lasky asked. "Why? Why would they need to do that?"

"No idea," Cal said. "The fact that ritual happened likely explains the dead zone, and my physical reaction to even the memory of it. If it took the planet that long to recover…"

"… then the Dark Side of the Force is a weapon more powerful than anything we've ever come across," Lasky said. "Only the Forerunners could create more powerful weapons, but this 'Ritual' comes very close to the level of destruction they were capable of inflicting. If we find any Sith getting ready for such a ritual, kill them on sight, and that's a standing order. I"ll also speak with HIGHCOM at a later time and inform them of the threat that this Force Ritual poses."

"That would be prudent," Merrin said. "Only the most heinous monsters would inflict death and destruction on this scale."

"Yeah. Let's focus on something a little more pleasant right now," Lasky said. "That device we found, for instance. Chief?"

Chief advanced to the box. Depressing a series of buttons, he unlocked it, before reaching inside to pull the item out. The pyramidal shaped device still glowed with that ominous red light. "Any idea on what it is?" Lasky asked. "Anyone?"

"I know what it is," Cal said. "My master and I encountered these items on other worlds, and we regularly used them at the Jedi Temple. This, Lasky, is a Holocron."

"A holocron? Can you tell me more?"

"Yeah," Cal said. "Holocrons are a form of data storage that makes use of organic crystal lattices and hologrammic technology to store information. The owner's appearance and cognitive patterns were copied to recreate them as a 'gatekeeper' of sorts for that information. Gatekeepers in Jedi Holocrons could restrict information, while those of Sith Holocrons did the same, but could corrupt the user."

"Interesting," Halsey said. "Are you saying, Cal, that these Holocrons act like Rheinmann Matrices?"

Cal shrugged. "Possibly. Could you elaborate on that?"

"Rheimann Matrices are used in AI technology. When we create an AI, we send electrical signals through a donor brain to generate a map of that individual's neural pathways. We then replicate these pathways using a superconducting nanoassembly, thus creating a Rheinmann Matrix and the AI at the same time. The entire process is known as Cognitive Impression Modeling."

"That sounds a lot like what Holocrons do," Cal said. "However, I'm not certain if the gatekeepers on Holocrons could learn and change the same way your AIs can. However, Holocrons, as far as I know, can only be accessed by Force Sensitives, though exceptions to the rule might exist."

"Either way, we're not going to be taking any chances" Lasky said. "Cal, Merrin, I want you two to check this Holocron over for anything that could cause harm if accessed. Halsey, Olivia, Cortana, I want you three to perform a thorough analysis of the Holocron. Once the five of you have finished your analysis, send a report to me. I'll need it for when we decide to crack this thing wide open."

"You got it," Halsey said. "We'll make certain there are no unpleasant surprises on it."

"Good. I'll be in my quarters." Moving to the door, Lasky exited the lab.

"He seems a tad… hurried," Olivia said.

"Well, we did just stumble onto a potential repository of information on the Jedi Civil War and Great Galactic War," Cortana said. "Any officer I know of would be keen on getting access to the information inside, if only for studying up on history."

"Either way, we've got a long task ahead of us," Lasky said. "Given that it's a Sith Holocron, I'm not particularly keen on accessing the damned thing. Let's probe it and find out what we can before we start a lottery on who gets to open it."

"I think that is a sensible plan," Halsey said…

Up in his office, Lasky finished the final pieces of paperwork he had for the day. He got up to leave when his computer chimed. Opening it, he read a message in the inbox. "Analysis Complete. No trap triggering mechanisms found. Device considered safe for use. "

Lasky sighed. Good. That's one hell of a weight off my shoulders. He typed back a response. "Very good. Bring the device to my quarters. Have guards & medical teams on standby in case a trap is triggered."

"What was HIGHCOM's reaction to the information?" Halsey asked.

"As expected. Hood agreed with my standing order decision, though he was especially angered and scared that such a ritual existed. Resources being diverted to find ways to interrupt the ritual should it happen on a UNSC controlled world. Continue your research where possible in that regard. L"

"Understood. H."

Closing the computer down, he rolled his neck. Time to find out what that Holocron has inside of it.

Reaching his quarters, he looked at the guards outside. "Is everyone ready in case this explodes in our faces?"

"Yes sir," the guard said.

"Good," Lasky said. Proceeding inside, he found the Holocron resting on the table. Sitting down, he regarded the Holocron with a wary eye. What is it about the Sith that, when they made these damned things, they made it to where the user could be corrupted as well? Either way, I fully intend to remain who I am, and if the gatekeeper in this thing tries anything funny, I'll take a baseball bat to this thing. "Cortana, you there?"

"I'm here," Cortana said.

"Is everything ready?"

"Yes," Cortana said. "A QRT is ready in case something happens. Why?"

"Just making sure. I know it's seemingly paranoid of me to have that many security measures, but I believe that it's justified. The last time we brought something like this onboard, the ship ended up getting stuck, and we had a security breach of monumental proportions."

"I know what you mean," Cortana said. "That wasn't very fun at all. Still, if you think it's too dangerous to use, now's your chance to back out."

Lasky gazed at the Holocron. She's right, you know, a voice said in the back of his mind. You have a choice, a choice you've always had. You can walk away.

He shook his head. I've come this far now. If I stop, we might never know what's inside, whether it is a trap, or a repository of knowledge. He took the Holocron into his hands. The outer shell was smooth, smoother than polished titanium. The parts that didn't glow gleamed in the light of his quarters.

Out of curiosity, Lasky placed his hand underneath it, like he was holding a glass of wine. For a full minute, nothing seemed to happen. Well, to be fair, Cal did say it wouldn't open to non-Force Sensitives, he mused. He was just about to put it down when something did happen.

In an instant, the corners of the pyramid turned, with nary a sound coming from them. Lasky jumped with a yelp, sending the Holocron tumbling down. Instead of landing, it floated a few inches in the air, much to his shock. His heart began to beat with such intensity, he could hear the dull thumping in his ears. "Cortana!" he said, panic nearly overwhelming him. "You might want that QRT to get here now!"

"I've called them already!" Cortana said. "We -"

In an instant, the top section of the Holocron unfolded like a flower spreading its petals. The red glow quickly grew, before suddenly flashing into a brilliant white light. A tearing, throbbing pain tore through Lasky. A loud screech of agony seemed to echo in the room as emotions of terror, agony and pain ripped through his mind. The light remained blindingly bright, even as his vision faded. In the final moments before the darkness mercifully claimed him, it occurred to him that the screech of pain… was his own.

The moment the Holocron had activated, Cortana had instantly called for the QRT. She had just done so when she heard Lasky's agonized screech. Scanning frantically, she found her sensors overwhelmed by the brilliant energy coming from the Holocron. "LASKY!" she screamed. "LASKY!"

Then, as suddenly as it appeared, the light faded out of existence. The Holocron, once pristine and clean, now looked partially melted. It fell to the ground, shattering into thousands of pieces upon hitting the ground.

At the same instant, Cortana's sensors broke through the interference. To her terror, Lasky was lying on the ground, unconscious. An initial scan revealed no obvious injuries, but a deeper scan showed dangerously high levels of neural activity. "Cortana to QRT! RADM Lasky is down! Repeat: RADM Lasky is down! Get up here ASAP!"

"We're almost there!" Dr. Larry shouted. "Hold on! Get the door open!" Cortana opened the door, with both the guards and the QRT rushing inside. Larry, reaching down, felt for a pulse. "He's alive," he said, "but I can't tell how bad the damage is! Cortana?!"

"He's uninjured, but he's showing dangerously high levels of neural activity!" Cortana said. "He needs medical help!"

"Get him to the hospital!" Larry shouted. "I need 85 milligrams of anti-seizure agents stat!" Picking Lasky up, the QRT quickly threw him onto a anti-grav gurney before pushing him down the hallway. "Cortana, get Harper on the line! I've got a bad feeling about this!"

. . .

The sound of his heartbeat accelerating was the first thing that greeted Lasky. Before long, both his eyes opened, revealing a blurry world beyond. A few blinks, and the blurry world was replaced with a white ceiling. W-Where am I? he wondered. W-What's going on?

"Neural activity is increasing," a muffled voice said. "Still well within acceptable parameters."

"Keep an eye on those readings. I don't want to lose our patient due to a gran mal seizure."

Seizure? Lasky thought. Then his memory returned to the fore. Oh, shit! They think I'm still unconscious! He tried to speak, only for his vocal cords to remain ummoving. Speak, damnit!

After a few seconds of struggle, his vocal cords finally acknowledged their subservience to him. "Doc… Doctor…?" he rasped out. "Whe...where… am… I?"

That got the doctor's attention. "Lasky! He's coming to!" A pang of relief washed over Lasky as Halsey's face came into view. "Lasky?" she asked, her voice becoming clear once more. "Lasky? Can you hear me? Lasky?"

Lasky coughed. "I… I hear you. What happened? I remember a flash of light and… and…"

"You had a pretty good scare," Halsey said. "That Holocron knocked you out cold." She touched something out of sight. Lasky felt the pressure on his back change. Before long, he was staring straight ahead. "We're checking to see if you're all right. We can remove the face mask now."

Lasky reached up and tore the mask off. Shaking his head, he gauged his surroundings. I'm in the on-ship hospital, he realized. Looking down, he sighed when he found himself still in his dress uniform. Well, that's one small blessing. Looking at Halsey, he noticed that she looked ashamed. "What's wrong?" he asked. "You said there was no booby trap on the Holocron."

"I did," Halsey said. "It shames me to say this but… it appears that one of the traps eluded me, even with Cal, Merrin, Olivia and Cortana helping me. First time that's ever happened to me."

"So, what happened?"

"You triggered some kind of mechanism in the Holocron," Halsey said. "When it did, it conducted something akin to a concussion blast. Cal says he felt a violent tremor in the Force, like a plug in a drain pip suddenly bursting. Whatever it was, it knocked you out cold. Cortana signaled for the QRT and had you brought here when she detected dangerously high neural activity. We gave you some anti-seizure meds and it seemed to calm down really quickly."

Lasky smiled. "I gotta give that AI a raise."

"That you should," Halsey said. Frowning she said, "Damnit! I should have seen this coming!"

Lasky laid a hand on her own. "There was no way of knowing what could have happened. Even with Cal's advice, we were still walking into unknown territory. If anything, this was to be expected."

"So it would seem."

Lasky looked around. Nearby, Cal and Merrin sat in a pair of chairs, while another familiar face was standing in the doorway. Well, looks like Harper was told too.

"Dr. Halsey, how's Lasky holding up?" Harper asked.

"So far, all of the readings are normal," Halsey said. "I believe that the worst of it is over. Lasky's going to be fine."

"How long was I out?" Lasky asked.

"Almost three hours," Halsey said. "Still, we couldn't find anything wrong with you, and Cal says that you weren't negatively affected by the Holocron. I think that the mere act of opening the Holocron led to a sensory overload triggered gran mal seizure. Simply put, your brain was unable to adequately process what was going on, leading it to shut down. Needless to say, I wouldn't recommend trying it again."

"You got that right," Lasky said. "Harper, I should've -"

"I know, son," Harper said. "Normally, I'd be very pissed off at you, enough to confine you to quarters. However, given that you took every precaution you could, and even had advice from other people that were more knowledgeable in the matter, I can say with certainty that what happened was unpredictable. Hell, even Cal here said those things can only be opened via Force Sensitives."

"Not one Lasky had, unfortunately," Cal said. "Now we know that Holocron was modified."

"Agreed," Harper said. "As such, Lasky, given what happened, I'm ordering you to get some rest. A medical team will be on standby in case this seizure comes back."

"Yes, sir," Lasky said. "Should I do so here, or at my quarters?"

"I can monitor your vital signs in case something happens," Cortana said. "Larry and his team have also agreed to remain close at hand for the next two weeks. You'll be in good hands if something happens."

"We'll be close by if something happens to," Cal said. "I should've sensed something was wrong. It was my responsibility."

"There was no way for you to know what could happen, Cal," Merrin said. "It could be that what happened was the will of the Force."

"All right," Lasky said. "Consider those orders followed. I'm heading to my quarters." Getting up, he walked out of medical bay and to the tram…

Entering his quarters, Lasky yawned. Damn… that Holocron must've worn me out pretty quick. Getting out of his dress uniform, he threw on a T-Shirt and some pants. Laying down in bed, he switched out the lights. Before his head hit the pillow, he was fast asleep.

Unbeknownst to Lasky, something had happened, something that would change his life forever.

. . .

"You will give in to me and my power!"

"No! I will not!"

"Give in to your rage!"

"NOOOOOO!"

For a long time, the presence that lay within the Holocron had felt those memories tearing through her mind. I'm… dying, she thought. I can't… the Force, I… I can't… feel it. At this point, she knew that true death would be a mercy compared to the torture she was trapped in. If I am to die… then at least… I can die… knowing that I resisted the… the Dark Side… For the first time in her life, she felt ready to die.

Suddenly, she felt a shift, as though something had opened her prison. Before the presence knew it, she had been sucked out of the prison she was in. She cried out with joy as she felt herself reconnect to the Force, her fading spirit restored, though she still felt weak from the Emperor siphoning her power. Almost forgotten memories returned to the forefront of her mind.

My name… is Bastila Shan, she recalled. I am, or was, a Jedi Master of the Jedi Order… and I am free from that place of torment! All around, she could see the Netherworld of the Force. It's… beautiful. I've never imagined that the Netherworld of the Force would be so beautiful!

Her thoughts were interrupted by an intense flash of agony. Bastila barely restrained a scream of pain, a task made all the more difficult by the torment she had withstood. "Someone! HELP!" She nearly screamed. "HELP ME!"

Then, as suddenly as it began, the pain stopped. Bastila took a moment to collect herself. What was that all about, she wondered. Wait, since I'm in the Netherworld of the Force, I can contact other Force beings. Maybe I can find out -"

A faint, but familiar voice jarred her from her thoughts. "Bastila?" a voice asked. "Are you there? Bastila?"

Revan! The name brought a wave of memories forwards, both good and bad. She frowned. "If he's here too, then he's also dead… just like me." A brief pang of sympathy ran through her, before anger and hate replaced it. Why did he abandon me? Why did he leave me to raise my children alone?

She shook the thoughts away. "Revan?" she asked. "Is that you?"

"Bastila?" Revan asked, his voice still quite faint. "Is that you? I… I can't hear you very well! I… oh, spast! Our Force Bond is damaged! Hang on! I'm gonna try something!" Something rippled through the Force, then his voice came in much clearer. "Bastila, can you hear me now?"

"Yes!" Bastila said. "What happened? Where are you? Are you alive?"

"I'm in the Netherworld of the Force, like you. I… I'm not among the living, anymore. I died a long time ago. Since then, I've become one with the Force."

Bastila sighed. "I see. However, I have some questions for you… if you are willing to answer them, of course."

"Oh, boy, here we go. I had a feeling this was going to happen."

"You're damn right it is!" Bastila snarled. "Why did you abandon me, Revan?! I asked you – no – pleaded with you not to go after the Sith Emperor! Instead, you went off gallivanting across the galaxy, leaving me to raise our children by yourself! Why abandon me and our children when you could've been there for them?! ANSWER ME!" By now, Bastila was shouting at Revan, fully expecting him to give her an excuse.

To her surprise, regret and shame rippled from him. "I've had thousands of years to think the matter over," Revan said. "I… Nothing I can say will make it right. Oh, if only I could've been able to escape and come back to you, if only to tell you how sorry I was. I was such a fool, such a damned fool for rushing off to deal with another problem when there was another one beneath my very nose! People looked to me to be the perfect Jedi, only I ended up disappointing them! I was such a fool! A blind, cowardly, stupid fool!"

Bastila remained silent throughout his tirade. Something happened to make him say all of this, she realized. Still, she was quite angry, and she was not nearly finished yet. "You're right!" she said. "Nothing you say will make it all better!"

"I know," Revan said sorrowfully. "And that's what hurts the most. If I could go back in time, I would do so to fix the damage done, but alas, I cannot. Instead, I must pursue the path of reconciliation, no matter how long it takes."

Bastila could still feel rage pouring through her, but Revan's words seemed to make the flow taper off. His feelings are genuine, a voice whispered to her. He has paid for his mistreatment of you in full.

She shook the thought away. "Normally, I would refuse never to speak to you again, but I cannot because of our unbreakable Force Bond. I suppose I'll have to settle for you being contrite." Contempt and anger flowed off her like a raging storm.

Then, all of the pain, anger and terror from her imprisonment slowly filtered through. It seemed like an eternity as she wept over what happened. Strangely, she could feel the sensation of tears flowing down her face, though she dared not dispel it; if anything, the sensation was a comforting one.

A ripple in the Force reached her, followed by her feeling Revan's presence. Initially, she thought to push him away, to make him suffer in solitude. Then she realized how selfish the thought was, and allowed him to come closer. To her relief, Revan remained silent, opting instead to remain by her even as she wept.

Curse the Sith Emperor and his evil! she raged. If it wasn't for him, the galaxy might've known peace and Revan would've been with me to the end! She huffed, then brooded over those thoughts. For what seemed like yet another eternity, she remained that way, unwilling to do anything but stew in her own misery.

Eventually, the voice of her Master reached her ears. Don't blame Revan forever, it said. As cold as it seemed for him to leave you, he was unable to stay. The Force was constantly pulling at him. Even if he did stay, he would've left if only to keep the galaxy, and by extension you, safe.

Eventually, she pulled herself away from that dark pit in her memories. Get a grip on yourself, a part of her mind said. Focus on the here and now, and entreat with reality. Blaming Revan for your misfortune is a waste of time. Focus on what you can do.

She let out a breath. "All right,"she said. "Now that I've had some time to decompress, I can work out what I need to do, or rather we can, given that we're still connected to each other."

"Agreed," Revan said, his voice notably subdued. "How about we start with what happened to you. I… I cannot imagine how that must've felt."

"You can't," Bastila said. She was still angry, though her anger was now directed at the Sith Emperor, not at Revan. She wouldn't trust him for a while, but she did recognize that he was genuinely remorseful. "However, I am willing to tell you. I don't know how but… the Sith Emperor, Vitiate, trapped me inside of a Holocron, feeding off of me all the while. I don't know how long I've been in there, only that, before I broke free, I was on the verge of death."

Revan made a hissing sound. "Damn… that's… it… It seems that what happened to me happened to you."

"What do you mean? How are you able to understand what happened to me?"

"Well, to put it simply, I got stuffed inside of a prison for over three hundred years, with the Sith Emperor torturing me while Meetra Surik's Force Ghost kept me centered and alive after she died in the battle.," Revan said. "I eventually broke free, but when I tried to become one with the Force, I literally ended up with a split personality, with my Dark Side half occupying my body, while my Light Side half ended up as a Force Ghost. I stitched myself back together, but then I had to stop the Sith Emperor's resurrection after the Hero of Tython literally banished him. That's what happened to me in a nutshell."

More hate flashed through Bastila, along with jealousy. "So you abandoned me and our children to go off with another woman?! You didn't even come back to rescue me! You bastard!"

"Bastila, that's enough!" Revan shouted. The sharpness of his words stopped her dead in her tracks. I did not abandon you to go off after her! She, like me, was a prisoner inside that cage! It was only thanks to her, and to my memories of you, that I held on long enough to escape. On top of all that, as I said, I had to help the Hero of Tython prevent the Sith Emperor's ressurection when he was killed a third time! How dare you accuse me of blatant adultery!"

Bastila winced. So he did remain true to our wedding vows, even if he was unfalithful in almost every other aspect. "I see," she said, her emotions, once raging, were now held back by a calm detachment. "It seems... that I was… too hasty in my judgment. Still, words cannot describe how... disappointed and angry I am with you."

"I know. I'll have to go on the long walk of shame. To be fair, though, you're free to leave me; we're no longer married. 'Till death do us part, and all that."

Bastila couldn't help but chuckle ruefully. "I might be angry at you still, but I must admit, it seems that death hasn't dulled your sense of humor or sharp wit in the least."

"What can I say? Dying really makes one something of a deadpan snarker. In all fairness, though, you are free to go. I won't hold it against you."

"If that's the case, why are we still bonded to each other in the Force?" Bastila asked.

Revan seemed puzzled. "That is a really good question, actually. Normally, death would sever our Force Bonds, but something's happened to keep it together. Would you mind if… um… I investigate why that's the case."

Bastilla shrugged. As miuch as she was angry and disappointed at Revan, she knew he was the only person that could tell her what was wrong. "Like I have nothing better to do, and I'm stuck with you still, so I really can't say no, can I?" she asked, firmly resigned to the fact that she faced a Hobson's choich.

Revan winced. "All right. I'll make it quick." For a few seconds, Bastila could feel Revan gently probing their Force Bond. "OK… It seems as though your being trapped in that Holocron damaged your bond with me to the Force. Yet, I…" He abruptly fell silent. "Well, hello… What have we here?"

"What?" Bastila asked, her anger being displaced by curiosity. "What is it, Revan?"

"There's another Force Bond connected to you, and it's far more powerful than I thought. So powerful that I don't know how strong it is. It reminds me of something I've researched, but I can't put my finger on it. Still I… OK. Who the hell is this person? Bastila, have you sensed any strange memories so far?"

"No. Why do you ask?"

"Because you've ended up bonded to another person," Revan said. "No idea who it is, and I don't want to risk your wrath any further. Once was enough already, twice would be far too much."

Bastila sighed. Revan is wise to avoid provoking her any further. "All right, all right. Fine. I'll investigate the bond myself." Focusing on the Force Bond, Bastila probed it.

To her amazement, it was as powerful as Revan said it was; in fact, even more so. As she probed the bond further, she sensed them: memories. Sensing one, she reached into it.

Within seconds, she found herself looking at the memory of a man, likely the person she was newly bonded to, looking at himself in a mirror. He was tall, with brown eyes, dark brown hair, and skin tanned by years of space travel. Wow… she thought. He's actually pretty good looking. Reminds me of Revan when he was younger. His garb is clearly military, but its an odd blend of utilitarianism and formalism. Feeling another memory, she probed it.

Her curiosity was promptly replaced by horror. Bastila gasped, tears streaming down her face as she watched children and women being butchered alive by aliens she had never seen before. She could hear the Force screaming in agony as billions of people were murdered over the course of numerous conflicts. She wept when she saw a child kneeling before her dead parents, screaming in agonized longing for them to come back.

More memories flowed through the bond. Bastila watched as soldiers clad in olive drab armor fought back against the aliens with slug throwers. Many of them fell, but not once did they retreat. One man even screamed in defiance as an energy blade rushed down to tear through his chest. She could hear the Force singing between screams of agony as the soldiers valiantly fought to protect their homes.

Then it's screaming faded, just as a strange music accompanied by a choir reached her ears. The memories shifted to that of one of the soldiers. Unlike the rest, his body was covered from head to toe, with an orange faceplate hiding his face. It's not a memory, Bastila realized. The Force is showing me something. The vision shifted, showing the soldier fighting back to back with one of the aliens. She could hear a roar of rage from the alien as it cut down members of its own alliance, while the soldier gunned more aliens down in silence.

Then she saw a vision that was so horrible, she couldn't help but scream. Monstrous creatures the color of decayinf flesh leaped at various soldiers, turning them into abominations that only the Rakghouls could match. The soldier and alien she saw cut through their infected comrades with little mercy. Structures created by a race she had never seen before hovered in space, all the while those forces battled in a fight to achieve supremacy.

Gasping, she pulled herself away, only to hear a voice said, "Lasky, Thomas. Age: 49. Service Number: 98604-72690-TL." A brief image of the man she had seen in the first memory appeared at the same time, then she fully pulled out of the bond.

"Bastila, are you all right?" Revan asked. "Bastila?!"

"I'm… I'm all right," Bastila said. "I know who I'm bonded to now. The man's name is Thomas Lasky. Apparently, he's a member of some organization called the 'United Nations Space Command.' I have no idea as to what that is, though."

"Sounds like a military organization," Revan surmised. "However, we won't know more until he wakes up. From what I can tell, he's fast asleep."

"We might get your chance earlier than we think. I sense that he's starting to awaken." She didn't mention the embarrasing fact that she had sensed Lasky's crush on her.

Revan sighed. "Here we go. Let's hope he doesn't panic."

"Revan…"

Revan frowned. "Sorry. He might not be used to talking to people that are stuck to him like glue. No offense intended."

"None taken. Now shut up, before you make me angry again."

. . .

The Light will always be stronger than the Dark.

We will agree to the two of you retaining your marriage, but you will not be permitted to spread your beliefs.

Through power, our chains are broken! The Force shall set me free!

There is no death. There is only the Force.

Lasky gasped. Shooting upright in his bed, he banged his head against the ceiling of his bunk."Ouch! Damnit!"

"Are you all right?" Cortana asked.

"Yeah, I'm OK," Lasky said. "Just had a really odd dream. Heard a bunch of voices in that dream. Probably nothing to worry about. I did get really worked up earlier after all."

"True," Cortana admitted. "So, you heading out? It's 2100 hours right now."

"Yeah," Lasky said. "I'm awake now. No chance of going back to bed. Good thing Phillipe pre-cooked some food for me to have." Sitting up, he rubbed at his face while extending a hand subconsciously.

One minute, he was rubbing his face, the next, he found himself holding his dress uniform in his left hand. That's odd, he thought. I don't recall getting up and getting my… He stopped, then sudden realization struck him. "Cortana, did you notice anything odd just now?"

"Yeah," Cortana said. "Your dress uniform just flew into your hand like it had a mind of its own, right as I detected a strange energy signature in…" She trailed off. "Oh for… don't tell me this is what I think it is!"

"It might," Lasky groaned. "Can you have Cal come to my quarters?"

The door hissed open, permitting Cal inside. "Lasky, I just felt a surge in the Force," he said. "I sensed it coming from this room."

"I know," Lasky said. "Cortana just told me, and I think I might be the source of it."

"Are you saying…" Cal frowned. "OK. Let's do an experiment just to be sure. Try and grab that cup from the shelf without getting up to get it."

Lasky sighed, then extended a hand. For some strange reason, he found himself imagining the cup flying into his hand; in fact, some part of him wanted it to come to him. In a split second, the cup literally flew across the room into his hand. A jolt of terror ran through Lasky, even as he and Cal looked at each other. "Well… shit."

"Shit indeed," Cal said…

Down in Halsey's lab, Olivia examined a sample of Lasky's blood."Well, there's no denying it, Lasky. I'm seeing a lot of midi-chlorians inside of your blood samples. In fact, I'm seeing the tail end of what appears to be a population boom of midi-chlorians; your previous blood tests show significantly lower levels of by several orders of magnitude."

Lasky frowned. "Midi-chlorian baby boom. Yay."

"No need for sarcasm," Halsey said.

"How else am I supposed to react?" Lasky snapped angrily. "First, I open up this Holocron, which then proceeds to zap me into unconscious. Then I have strange dreams while I'm sleeping, and now I find out that midi-chlorians that have previously gone undetected in any of my tests during and following recruitment are literally getting busy making babies in my cells! If sarcasm isn't the right response, then I don't know what to say! For all I know, I could get kicked out simply because of that fact!"

"Good thing we called up Admiral Harper and Fleetmistress 'Juran then," Halsey said, "as per regulations. What do you think, sir?"

Harper facepalmed himself. "To be honest, Lasky, I'm just as bewildered as you are. However, if anyone even thinks of throwing you out, then I'll make them wish the thought hadn't crossed their minds. You are clearly sane, as Halsey's psyche evaluation shows; hell, if I were in your position, Lasky, I'd be reacting the same way."

"That leaves us with a bit of a problem," 'Juran said. "Since Lasky clearly has the capability to use the Force now, thanks to his brush with a Sith Holocron, what are we to do?"

"No idea," Harper said. "To be frank, this is a situation that no one within the UNSC planned for. No contingencies, no protocols, nothing. In any case, Cal's going to be quite busy teaching Lasky and N'tho how to use their newfound capabilities. We'll have to play things by ear for the time being."

"Agreed," Halsey said. "Still, it seems as though this might turn out to be a blessing in disguise. I doubt that Palpatine will be anticipating one of the UNSC's best and finest being a Force Sensitive. Still, I have to sympathize with you, Lasky. It's not easy being thrust into a strange situation where the rules have gone out the window."

"Well, thanks for that," Lasky said honestly. "I guess I should be grateful. At least I've only become Force Sensitive. It's a whole lot better than going batshit crazy."

"Indeed," Harper said. "For now, I'm gonna keep this quiet until we have more information. We just don't know the extent of things well enough to send a report to HIGHCOM. In addition to that, it's Lasky's decision on whether or not he wishes to share this with HIGHCOM."

"Wouldn't it be wise to share this with them?" Cal asked.

"I do intend to tell them, just not shortly after they arrive here. There's too many questions and not enough answers. However, given that Lasky is clearly mentally stable, I'll clear him for active duty. Lasky, if anything pops up, you let me know when you can. All right?"

"You got it," Lasky said…

Just a few minutes later, Lasky laid on his bunk, his mind a whirlwind of questions. Why did this happen to me? he wondered. Does the Universe have a hard-on for me? Is this some sick joke? Or is there something else I'm missing here? Was I just unlucky enough to be cursed with this power?

"There's no such thing as luck," a voice promptly said. "And please don't call the Force a curse. It's quite rude to do so."

Lasky shot upright again, panic surging through him. "Oh, hell! Don't tell me I'm starting to become schizophrenic! I do not need that on top of everything else!"

"Easy, Lasky!" the voice said. "I didn't mean to scare you, and I can most definitely assure you that you aren't becoming schizophrenic."

"Well, you did scare him quite badly, Revan," a woman's voice said. "If I was in his position, I'd be just as frightened myself. A nasty encounter with a Sith Holocron will do that."

"I know, Bastila. To be honest, it's really been a trying day for both of us, what with you literally venting onto me and Lasky ending up becoming Force Sensitive, when it's clear he wasn't before."

Lasky jumped slightly. Before he could speak, Revan said, "Think your answers, Lasky. We can hear them."

All right, Lasky thought. Still, you called the other voice in my head Bastila. What, are you ghosts or something?"

"Of course," the voice known as Revan said. "We're Force Ghosts, though we've currently decided not to manifest. And you're right, the other person is Bastila, She was my wife, which is why I'm wondering why you're bonded to her. Though, I have to admit, a man as handsome as you is quite fortunate to be bonded to someone like my former wife."

"Revan," Bastila growled. "You're making me... testy."

"What? I'm just making an observation is all."

"That you are," Bastila said, "but you are trying my patience, which is already becoming frayed. Lay off!"

Oh great, Lasky grumbled. First I become connected to the Force, and now I've got a pair of voices in my head that are arguing like a married couple. At least Cortana can't hear this conversation.

"Married couple?" Revan grumbled. "Haven't you heard the phrase, 'till death do us part?' We're clearly dead, so we're not married anymore."

"He does make a fair point, though," Bastila interjected. "Though to be fair, we weren't much of a married couple, especially since you abandoned me and my son to go about gallivanting across the galaxy!"

Lasky frowned. Is there something you two aren't telling me that I need to know about. What he didn't tell them was that he could feel the barely contained rage and grief behind the shell of disassociation Bastila had created.

"Yes," Bastila said. "After Revan and I became married, he started having nightmares of this vague threat. I asked him not to go, but at the time, he mentioned something that I couldn't counter. Plus, I was pregnant, so I couldn't go. So he went off into the galaxy and disappeared while I was left to raise our son Vanor all by myself. I was happily dead while Revan was stuck inside of a prison with another woman for three hundred years! On top of that, he never once came back for me!"

Lasky shook his head. It sounds like you were a really bad husband, Revan. What kind of a father abandons his children to go fight off a threat that is rather vague?

"The kind that is, apparently, too stupid to see what's in front of him," Revan grumbled. "It was one of my greatest mistakes, a mistake that haunts me forevermore."

Lasky sighed. At least you admit that you did wrong. Would you two be, at the very least, willing to show yourselves, so that I know I'm not crazy?

"If we did, everyone would be probing you like some kind of lab experiment," Revan said. "I can tell you from personal experience that it is not fun at all."

Lasky frowned. Fair point. Still, how the hell did I become Force Sensitive?

"Language young man," Bastila said. "As for how, well it's simple really. When you opened that Sith Holocron, you triggered a trap laid by Vitiate, the Sith Emperor, designed to sever Revan and I's bond with each other while forcibly bonding me to whomever opened the Sith Holocron that served as my prison. If the person didn't have sufficient midi-chlorians, or somehow had none, it would force the midi-chlorians to reproduce or to literally appear out of thin air inside of your cells."

Then how is Revan still connected to you, given that I'm hearing his voice?

"Because Vitiate underestimated the strength of our bond," Bastila said. "As such, it's been severely damaged, but not severed. However, that also means that, through me, Revan is connected to you, which means you'll hear me having a bone to pick with him from time to time."

Let me guess, marital issues?

"You have no idea," Bastila said. "That means you and I will still be talking to each other, Revan."

"I know," Revan grumbled. "I'm not looking forward to it. However, the strength of the bond between you and Lasky is…" Realization smacked Revan in the face. "Of course! That's why your force bond is so powerful! I should've recognized it the moment I saw it!"

What? Lasky asked. What's going on?

"I'm wondering the same thing," Bastila said. "Could you explain, Revan?"

"Remember when I said the bond you two have reminds me of something I read? Well, it turns out, there was information that indicated the existence of a rare Force Bond known as a Force Dyad. In a Force Dyad, the bonded individuals were so strongly bonded to each other that, in the Force, they were effectively one and the same. You have separate bodies and personalities, but in the Force, you're literally one!"

Shock reverberated between Lasky and Bastila. Wait, Lasky said. You're telling me that Bastila and I are one in the Force?

"Yep," Revan said. "I know, it seems impossible, but the Force is really strange like that. Even I don't know the full extent of its capabilities. All I can say is that what happened wasn't the product of chance. The Force willed this to happen, which means that, like it or not, you two are glued together for the rest of your lives."

Lasky facepalmed himself. Wonderful. No wonder Bastila and I are talking so easily: we're so tightly bonded together that the Force believes we're one individual.

"It isn't all that bad," Revan reassured him. "Being part of a Force Dyad is something that most Jedi would only be able to dream of. It also means that Bastila and I get the chance to teach you how to use the Force. Keep in mind, though, that it'll take some time before you're powerful enough to use the Force proper. You only grabbed that cup because Bastila and I helped you do so. In terms of actual strength in the Force, you're fairly weak right now."

Let me guess, we're going to do a training regimen to build up my strength in the Force?

Revan smiled. "Very astute of you, and good for me. It'll allow Bastila to have some alone time." Fair point.

"Either way," Bastila said. "We're going to have to sort this out at a later time. We'll speak more at an opportune moment. Get some rest Lasky. You'll need it."

You too, Lasky said. The moment they left, Lasky buried his face in his hands. Shit! he groaned. I can't be haunted! I've got work to do, and sleep to get! He smiled rutefully. Well, I wanted to get with Bastila, but I never imagined it would happen like this, and now I know she was married, but not anymore. How embarrasing!

"Lasky," Cortana asked.

Lasky jumped. "Uh, yes?"

"You all right? You seemed to space out for a moment there."

"Just thinking really hard," Lasky said. "It's not every day a man like me ends up in this position. Plus, I was having a conversation with my conscience."

"I see," Cortana said. "Well... I'll leave you to it. Who am I to interrupt a man's private conversation with himself? Get some sleep, Lasky. You look like you could use some."

"You too, Cortana."

. . .

Unbeknownst to any of them, another presence was watching, one that was far more malevolent. So… my trap partially failed, Valkorion thought, the Sith Emperor's ghostly face twisted into a sneer. Oh, well. I will have to content myself with the satisfaction of knowing Bastila was trapped in that prison. What a foolish man, that boy Lasky.

His sneer turned into a cold, predatory smile. Still, such a nice ship he commands, and such technology! Not even the Rakatans, in all their vainglorious power, wielded such technological might. Still, the humans from this new galaxy will be a considerable challenge when I begin rebuilding my Empire. I must admit, they are not weak; a weak civilization would've fallen to the enemies they faced long ago.

His smile turned into a frown. Still, I will need to look for a suitable host for the time being. I must learn what I can about these newcomers. Reaching out into the Force, he sensed a vergence of anger and disgust. Ah, Captain Harrison Jones. It seems as though you despise Lasky for some reason. You will do. Now I must begin preparations. Soon, the galaxy will tremble before me! Me! Valkorion! The True Emperor of the Sith!