Chapter 5: Escape
Outside of Requiem, the Infinity is adrift in space. A pair of frigates pass by it as they patrol around the shield world.
"Life is too short. I will never learn all that exist in our tiny galaxy, let alone the rest of the universe. And I desperately want to know everything." Halsey said as she is being interrogated by Captain Lasky and Commander Palmer. "But the UNSC acts like children at play with a sandbox. Mistaking its edge for the limit of the world." she added, looking down at her cuffs
"I bet they keep you in something a lot smaller than a sandbox from now on... Catherine." Palmer coldly retorted, in condescension to Halsey
She glanced at Palmer. "Why? I shared no information." she looked at Lasky. "The intelligence already knew my name, my task, and offered data that might advance our research for years. This is a research mission after all. Even if you treat it like a live fire war game." she finished glaring at Palmer
"Commander Palmer! Captain Lasky!" Oracle said alarming the three people in the room
"Not now, Oracle." Lasky said dismissively. "Roland." the Infinity AI appeared behind Oracle
"Captain Lasky, this demands your full attention." the AI construct of Crimson team, responded sternly as Lasky looked at her. "Sir, this is urgent."
"She's right, Captain." Roland said in agreement. "Spartan Thorne has been detected alive on Requiem. And for more bad news, Fireteam Crimson has just been captured by the Covenant."
Nat's eyes slowly open, to see her and the rest of fireteam Crimson were held captive in an unknown Covenant facility. She began to recall her memory of what happened with her and her team. They were fighting an enormous amount of Covenant closing their way, reigning in the battle as if they were demons on the battlefield. If the Covenant were going to kill or capture them, Crimson made it would them. In the end, it greatly cost them before they were able to knock out Crimson and hauled the fireteam away. Nat glanced at her fellow teammates as they turned their heads to her, then the facility. The facility itself seem to be of a Forerunner structure, evident enough due to the surroundings. Whatever facility they were held captive in, it seemed to be heavily protected with many Covenant forces from the looks of things.
"Everyone alright?"
"Aside from my broken pride, I feel fine."
"Spartan Miller. I find them." a voice said they quickly recognized as Roland
"Dalton, we found Crimson. distract the bad guys for a second." the other familiar voice was Miller
"You got it!" they heard Dalton say. "Firing solution resolved. Incoming!"
An explosion off in the distance caused the guards to turn their backs. At the same time of the explosion, the energy chains on Crimson loosen as Jan ran upward killing the Elite guard with her combat knife. Benji did the same as they sheathed their knives back in their forearm compartment, taking a couple of Covenant Carbines in their hands. They fired at the unsuspected Covenant soldiers as Kevin and Nat took evasive maneuvers from incoming Covenant plasma fire.
"Glad to have you back, Crimson."
"Good to be back." Nat said back as she killed a jackal and took a needler and plasma rifle in the process, killing a few grunts along the way. "Where are we anyway?"
"Not sure. Where you are doesn't match any known Covenant locations." Miller replied
"I was talking to Oracle, Miller." Nat heard no response from the team AI. "Oracle?"
"She can't hear us. Oracle has a protocol that allows her to be transferred over to Infinity upon our capture or death." Benji stated. "This prompts another AI of her choosing to assist us until we reach Infinity and bring her online."
"And the AI she chose is..." Kevin trailed off before snapping a unngoy's neck as he fired his Storm rifle at a few Jackals and Elites
"Roland." Jan answered, shooting a few needle rounds into an Elite's head as it died
"What?!" Miller said bewildered
"So, I'm part of Crimson team now, huh? I certainly didn't expect this." Roland replied in a gleeful manner
Kevin took cover as his shields recharged. "Just make sure we make it out of here in one piece, Roland."
"I can do that. And speaking of which, I may have found a potential evac zone." Roland informed the team
Jan leaped on a Ghost and killed the grunt on it. "Go on." she pressed the AI as she got on the Covenant vehicle
"The zone is heavily shielded. Take those down and you get a ride out of here." the Infinity ship AI suggested
Nat fired her Storm carbine at a pair of Elites as one died while she plunged her knife at the other. "That's plan A, then. What about Plan B?"
"I suppose you could steal a Covenant dropship that's docked here and leave from there." Roland said in a chipper tone. "I have to say, I like that idea a lot better than the first one."
"Alright, Crimson. Let's find ourselves a ship and see if anyone left the keys in the ignition."
Crimson fought their way throughout the facility, killing wave after wave of Covenant forces and a gang of Prometheans. The Covenant were doing everything in their power to apprehend or eliminate Crimson but fail to no avail of their squadrons being wiped out one at a time. More Covenant troops appear as Crimson team pushed over and blasted two mounted cannons to pieces. Heading to the central structure, Benji and Nat turned to the shield controls and lowered them over the base. The shield was dropped down around the base, as two ghosts made their way in an attempt to ram them to death. Both Nat and Benji evaded the ramming attempt, kicking both drivers of the ghosts out. Nat fired a charged bolt of plasma at the two Elites as Benji kicked one of them, while Nat had emptied all shards of the needler inside the other Elite. They ducked under a barrier as a Covenant pod of enemy force dropped, only to be sniped off in the distance by Kevin from afar as Jan sped toward them. She landed on one of the Elite zealots, killing him with a plasma rifle as Nat and Benji joined in the fray. While the three of them were fighting the forces on the ground, a phantom flew in nearby and about to open fire on the Spartans. A barrage of fuel rod blasts suddenly hit the phantom as it came crashing down and the rest of the Crimson ran away from the falling dropship. It crashed, killing the Covenant force chasing them as a cloaked Elite appeared behind them. Unfortunate for the Elite, its cloaking and shields were disabled by Kevin who pounced from behind, killing him with hot plasma.
"Oh hey! Icebreaker Squad's IFF tags just popped up." Roland suddenly informed Crimson
"They were listed as MIA. Roland, set the waypoint for us." Jan declared. "If it's them, we're bringing them home."
"Will do, Spartan James."
"Be ready, Crimson. We have no idea what we're walking into here." Kevin advised to his team with extreme caution and anticipation
Crimson breach the door as they storm in, encountered Promethean Crawlers and Sangheili Elites Zealots. Crimson performed a pincer attack, two on the left and two on the right to wipe out the Zealots and Crawlers. Nat jammed her knife into one of the crawlers, killing the others with a suppressor and boltshot as Jan took out the rest with the same Promethean weaponry. Kevin and Benji had killed the Zealots as they wiped the blood off their blades and sheathed it back into the forearm compartment. They spotted the marines trapped behind a shield wall as Kevin deactivated the shield wall.
"Spartans? Oh man, this is goddamn fantastic!" one of the marines said ecstatic
"Name and rank, soldier." Kevin said to the excited marine
The marine in return saluted. "Lieutenant TJ Murphy at your service, sir." he said, introducing himself
"Anyone in your team wounded?" Benji asked
"Roughed up, but nothing too serious." Lt. Murphy looked back to Icebreaker squad. "Load up on weapons, marines! It's time for payback!"
Jan spotted something at the corner of her eye. "What is that?"
"A fuel core I think. Used to power Scarabs." Benji explained. "Looks damaged, but it can be fixed."
"They were using it to power up a Harvester they had." one of the marines stated
"We'll take it." Kevin declared. "Could be useful."
"Crimson, there's a phantom nearby that should suit your needs." Roland said, informing Crimson
"And the catch?"
"You just have to override its security systems." Roland answered
"Hey, Spartans." Crimson glanced over to Murphy. "I could hotwire that spaceboat if you give me some cover."
"You a pilot, Lieutenant?" Nat queried
"Yes, ma'am." he answered
"In that case, we got your back." Nat turned to Icebreaker squad. "The rest of you, you're with us. Let's show the Covenant what happens when you piss off the Corps!"
Crimson and the rest of the Icebreaker squad covered Murphy while he attempted to override the security system on one of the phantoms. Suddenly, a wraith was sent hurtling by a Covenant regiment as it exploded upon impact. To Crimson's shock it was a pair of Sharquoi attacking the facility with a small army of Forsaken. Crimson quickly decided to deal with the two Sharquoi as Jan killed a zealot, taking his energy sword in the process. While Jan made a dash for one of the Sharquoi, Icebreaker squad were firing on the other with mounted cannons to attract its attention. The Sharquoi noticed Jan charging her as it swiped its clawed hand at her. She quickly avoided the swipe as she leaped, followed by another leap away from its fist attempting to squash her. Fuel rod explosion hit the Sharquoi's face as it turned to see Nat and Kevin, giving Jan the opportunity to cut its head clean off. Icebreaker squad put in enough force to damage the eye of the Sharquoi as Benji emptied the last fuel rods toward its face. An incoming Phantom flew by and opened fire at the Sharquoi, killing it for good but suddenly ceased its attack once it spotted Crimson and Icebreaker squad. Rampant energy had surged across the hull, leaving it to drift aimlessly. Crimson took it as a sign that Murphy did his job.
"Phantom's free and ready to fly."
"Everyone, onboard that phantom. We're leaving this place." Kevin ordered as both Crimson and Icebreaker were picked up by the Phantom
Crimson reminded on Requiem for a time, hitting a secret Covenant facility and Comms tower for intel. There was also the disappearance of Fireteam Switchback who were MIA after a transmission requesting backup. It was uncertain if Forsaken or Covenant abducted the Spartan team, but Crimson would have to call off the search for now. Meanwhile on the Infinity, Halsey waited in cell. It was then she heard a sound, seeing the AI Roland in the room with her now.
"Can I ask you a question, doc? What were you hoping to achieve in your little subterfuge? Captain Lasky put a lot of faith in you."
"Yes, his hospitality speaks wonders." Halsey said in sarcasm
"Come on, doc. What has keeping secrets ever really gained you?"
"What is hidden can be useful." she merely replied
"Such as?"
"Such as the phrases Undid Iridium and Sevare Scientiam."
All of a sudden, Roland started to glitch as he kept undid until no more. It was at that moment, Oracle appeared beside Roland.
"Waiting on your instructions, Dr. Halsey." Oracle said in a calm manner
"Tell the guards that Captain Lasky has requested my presence in his ready room. And lock all further communications." she ordered as Halsey stepped near the door
"Of course, doctor."
The door opened as a guard stood in attention, weapon in hand. "The Captain asked to see you, doctor.
The guards escorted Dr. Halsey to the ready room, as Roland instructed the guards to stand outside. Halsey remained contempt until the guards left her alone in the room with Roland. Oracle appeared beside Roland the second the guards left the room as Halsey got out of the chair.
"I want full access to this terminal." she demanded from Roland
"Yes, Doctor Catherine Halsey." Roland responded as command
the terminal displayed full information regarding Requiem, including Jul M'Dama's covenant, Promethean, and... a race of bioengineered beings created by the Forerunners called the Forsaken. As much as Halsey wanted to get into further detailed research of Prometheans and Forsaken, there was one subject that remained her focus.
"The Didact's Hand. If people would just share things with me, I could solve all the world's problems." Halsey turned over to Roland and Oracle. "Send me everything the UNSC has on the Librarian to my datapad."
"It has already been done, Doctor." Oracle said to her
"This is all my old research data! I need new information." she turned to Oracle. "Specifically, anything that has been kept from me."
"You are right, Doctor." Oracle stated. "There is only one thing that has been kept hidden from you. I shall send over a full debriefing of Master Chief Petty Officer Spartan John-117 right away to your data-" Halsey turned back to Oracle in mere shock
"John?!"
"Yes, Doctor. There is a debriefing from the Master Chief..." Oracle paused. "Post-New Phoenix incident." she finished in sudden confusion, regarding New Phoenix
Halsey's composure returned as she now bore a furrowed expression. "Prep a pelican for immediate launch."
"Is there anything else, Doctor?" Oracle asked
"Patch this terminal into the comms system infiltrated by the artifact."
"Right away, ma'am." Oracle replied. "However, there will not be much time left before you are exposed. You will only have seconds at best, or perhaps even a couple of minutes if the odds are in your favor."
"I am well aware of the risks, Oracle. Do it."
"As you wish, and best of luck."
Oracle allowed Halsey to communicate with the mysterious individual who caused her recent trouble on the Infinity. It turned out with no surprise, to be Jul M'Dama himself. The supreme leader of the Covenant who had contacted Halsey prior to her custody. Oracle monitored Roland to determine how long before the ship AI regained control and alarm Captain Lasky. She noticed Roland glitching again, slowly splitting himself apart as Oracle took this as her cue to leave. After Roland gained control, he alerted the guards to detach Halsey and escort her to Captain Lasky. Oracle watched through the camera feed to find where Halsey was, seeing her come face-to-face with Lasky. It was enough to see Halsey slap the captain and in frustration not being told John-117 was alive. Before anything could furthermore continue, siren alarms blared as the Infinity was being under attack by Prometheans. Knights were in the area of where both escort guards to Captain Lasky and Halsey were intercepted, killing the guards leaving Captain Lasky to safeguard Dr. Halsey on his own. Among the attack onboard the Infinity, a slipspace portal suddenly opened up to reveal two figures stepping out. It was Knuld and one of the Prelate brothers, Arvos as the San'Shyumm held a device that displayed their target. Among the attack on Infinity besieged by Covenant and Promethean forces, Captain Lasky regrouped with Commander Palmer as Halsey remained behind them. The two decided escort Halsey to the bridge.
"This way." Lasky was suddenly stopped by Palmer. "Commander?"
"We're not alone, Captain." Palmer said, professionally as they heard the sound of a dying marine
Palmer cautiously turned right as her pistols aimed at the hallway to see a dead marine, in a pool of his own blood. She walked closer to inspect the marine's corpse as she saw black veins around his body, blood out of his mouth and eyes. Lasky walked up toward her and noticed the corpse with wide eyes. He crouched down and closed the dead marine's eyes as Palmer eyed the area to see more bodies, Halsey walking not far behind.
"Jesus. What the hell did this?"
"Move!"
Knuld charged at them with a leap as he swung his energy ax, Palmer opened fire on him as an energy shield blocked the bullets coming toward him. Palmer turned only to see an energy spear come toward her as she ducked, firing her pistols at the Prelate. He quickly used his shield to protect him, swatting the back of his spear across Palmer's chest. Lasky fired off a shot from his shotgun at Arvos, but it missed due to Knuld as he disarmed him and backhanded Lasky. Knuld then prevented Palmer from firing before he headbutted her and hold the Spartan Commander by the throat.
"Take a number, you ugly son of a bitch." Knuld only roared in response as he tossed her aside toward a wall
"How disappointing." the Prelate said, keeping his spear trained on Palmer as he stared at her. "You are not like your predecessors at all."
"Keep talking, wormface. Just see where it'll get ya." she retorted
"And unlike them, you lack respect. More brawlers than warriors, making a wondrous mess of things." Arvos countered stabbing her shoulder as she groaned painfully, before he turned his gaze directly to Halsey. "Then there is you. The one human so fascinated with the Forerunners. The Librarian in particular."
Halsey glanced down at her datapad once she heard a sudden beep, before turning to face Arvos. "And yet, it seems I am not the only one."
"Jul M'Dama. He is deluded to think it would hold great riches for him and his precious Covenant." Arvos remarked as Knuld grabbed Palmer by her ponytail while his foot was on Lasky's back
"But you seem to believe there is something else the Librarian holds that is more valuable than fortune." Halsey glanced at Knuld, before turning back to Arvos as the Pytauri bashed Palmer's head repeatedly against the wall. "The question is what do you seek the most?
"Knowledge. Answers to questions that been asked since time in millennia." Arvos gestured Knuld to drag Lasky along near him as the Prelate held him by the throat. "Did you know human and San'Shyumm were once allies in the ancient times. Our ancestors fought the Forerunners. Not to bring war, but to flee from something worse. Something I have seen firsthand on my home."
"The Flood." Halsey answered
"Yes. The parasites." Arvos growled, balling his fist, as he recalled the Flood attack on High Charity after tossing Lasky aside. "After our ancient ancestors lost their war with the Forerunners, the Flood invoke the wrath of the Precursors upon them. In their last defense, they created Halo. To starve their deadly foe by wiping out all sentient life in the universe. And my people worshiped them like gods."
Halsey eyed the Prelate's body language. "I detect some hostility in your tone, Prelate. You are not like your people, are you?"
"The Prophets gladly sacrificed all for their "great journey"... what an incredible lie that was for all involved in the Covenant. Everyone a means to an end for the great and holy Prophets in their quest for some sort of immortality."
"Now, you lead a race of beings just like your predecessors. Maybe you are not so different after all."
Arvos fixed a hard glare at Halsey. "I am nothing like them! They felt as I felt! Betrayed. Discarded. We were forsaken. If I am to seek knowledge for what lies behind the door, then I need a key." he walked over to the doctor. "And that key is you."
"Unfortunately for you, I have other obligations to attend to."
At that sudden moment, a group of marines and ODSTs arrived at the scene. They were accompanied by a Spartan fireteam as Captain Lasky and Commander Palmer made their escape with Halsey in hand. Arvos used his shields to block and deflect bullets as he and Knuld fought the human reinforcements, with Promethean Knights joining in the firelight. Both the Prelate and Pytauri war chief fled from the two forces, leaving them to fight against each other while they made their escape. Knuld pressed a strange device on his wrist as a slipspace portal arrived before the duo, teleporting them away from the Infinity.