AN: I want to say for the first chapter of Escalation of the Guardians pt1, I may be doing a slight canon divergence involving Spartan Team Black. Them getting killed off panel from the Halo Escalation comic series left a bad taste in everyone's mouth, I imagine. Here, I have their fates be different and yet the same. I also wouldn't mind anyone's input of how I'm handling writing Blue Team. I just need to know if I'm doing Black Team justice. Also, I am currently having problems with my computer lately so it might be a while for some of my other stories including this one. Without further ado, let us begin Escalation of the Guardians pt 1 aka Halo 5.
As always, please read, review, and enjoy!
Chapter 1: Recollection
Emergency UNSC transmission from Ivanoff station on July 25, 2557. Encryption Alpha-97-Alpha. Location: orbit above Installation 03 in the Scutum-Centaurus Arm of the Milky Way. Lost contact with Fireteam Crow one hour ago while escorting Science team Galileo. UNSC Security Council deems it necessary for a Spartan team deployment to investigate.
Orbited off of Doavyn in the Khaphrae system, a GA-TL1 Longsword soared in the vastness of space. Inside the Longsword, were four Spartans sent by the UNSC security council to investigate the emergency transmission from Ivanoff. The emergency beacon signaled on Gamma Halo. Three of the four were helmet, one a man while the other two were women. The man had a scarred face that experienced fair share of battles and streaks of silver in his hair, wearing blue tinted Centurian armor. A woman with red hair who was much paler than the others, wearing gray-tinted Argus armor. The other woman had a rough angular face as she wore light blue tinted Hermes armor, with the final person in their four-man team appearing behind them. Donning green Mark VII Mjolnir armor among the rest of his team, the legend himself known as the Master Chief with Blue Team accompanying him on the mission to investigate.
"I repeat, this is SPARTAN team Blue calling Gamma Halo Science envoy. Gamma Halo Science envoy, respond." Kelly glanced at Master Chief. "Nothing, Chief. No response on any band."
"Keep trying, Kelly."
Kelly flew the Longsword downward toward the Gamma Halo ring, landing ringside near a terrain. "I'll put us down near the coordinates."
Blue Team put their helmets on with the exception of Master Chief who was already ready beforehand. Chief equipped himself with a MA5D Assault rifle while Fred armed himself with a M395 DMR. Linda had her custom-made SRS99-S5 AM sniper rifle, Nornfang as Kelly armed up her custom M45D shotgun called Oathsworn. The doors of the Longsword opened up as Blue Team stepped out, setting foot on the surface of the ring. The team of Spartan-IIs remain vigilant as they moved, observing their surroundings as they walked with each step, they take in following the coordinates of the beacon in the desert area of the ring. While they walked toward the coordinates, Linda spotted something from the ground as she stopped.
"Chief."
"What is it, Linda?"
Linda crouched down on one knee at what she spotted. "Tracks. Is there wildlife on this ring?"
Fred stopped and glanced down on the tracks. "Nothing in the Ivanoff files said anything about-"
"Crawlers." Chief interjected. "At least that's what Cortana said they were called."
"Tracks come from the north, then headed south." Linda pointed out
"The Science team are south. We'll check there first." Fred replied
Blue Team trekked down in the canyon they came from, proceeding down the steep hill. They noticed a small camp in the distance.
"This was the Science team's last location. Kelly, try hailing them."
"Gamma Halo Science envoy, do you copy?" Kelly heard nothing but static. "This is Sierra-087 to Gamma Halo Science envoy, do you copy?" the static was heard again. "Nothing, Chief." she said as they made it to the camp. "Awful quiet down here."
The camp itself looked deserted, almost seemingly abandoned from the looks of it. Blue Team remained vigilant and cautiously prepared as they search the camp in two. Chief and Kelly on one side, Fred and Linda on the other. It wasn't long when Kelly spotted something nearby on the ground close to her and Master Chief.
"Chief. Corpses."
Master Chief noticed the dead corpses. "Ivanoff science."
"Blue One." Chief heard on comms link
"Go ahead, Fred."
"John. We found them. We found Fireteam Crow." Fred informed Chief and Kelly
"Killed in action." Linda added
Blue Team regrouped back to each other.
"What the hell happened here, Chief? Your crawlers capable of doing this?"
"No." Chief replied as he and Blue Team leave the camp. "This is something else. Kelly, send ops a sitrep. Science team Galileo and Fireteam Vulture are dead. Unknown assailant. We're investigating."
"On it." Kelly said informing command
"Everyone on me. Let's find the origin of the Crawler tracks and-"
Chief was cut off when he and the rest of Blue Team hear sounds of gunfire, hinting off a firefight going on in the distance. Sounds of explosion and energy weapon fire was heard off in the distance afterward. Before they could head into the distance of the sounds of fighting were coming from, they heard another.
"What is that sound?" Linda asked
All of a sudden, Promethean Knights appeared before Blue Team and armed with forerunner weaponry.
"Promethean Knights! Weapons free!" Chief bellowed
Blue Team opened fire as two of the Promethean Knights were taken down, while another one crept up toward Fred. The Spartan was able to notice as he dodged an incoming attack from its blade, with Fred using his combat knife plunged at the attacking Knight's head. The last one was finished off, as the sounds of more Promethean Knights got closer leaving Blue Team rush in to whoever was holding the line against the Prometheans. Once the team got to where the fighting was happening, they spotted Spartans in black Mjolnir Mark VI armor taking down the incoming Prometheans. It was upon seeing the roman numerals of I, II,III, and IV they recognized the Spartans to be SPARTAN Team Black.
"We got friendlies!" Fred shouted out
"Provide support and covering fire." Chief ordered
Spartan teams Blue and Black huddle together as they take down wave, after wave of Prometheans. However, the waves of Promethean Knights, Crawlers, and Watchers were no match for the Spartan-II teams. Leaders of Blue and Black team, Master Chief and Margaret-053 were back-to-back firing their assault rifles. Roma-143 and Fred took shots at some Crawlers and a couple of Watchers trying to revive the killed Promethean Knights. Kelly and Otto-031 make short work of the rest, with the latter being a heavy weapon specialist using his M739 SAW machine gun. The firefight ended with Linda and Victor-101 picking off the stragglers with their sniper rifles respectively, the threats neutralized as they deconstruct into nothing.
"Clear."
"Black Team. We thought we were the only Spartans to receive the emergency transmission." Chief said
"So did we." Otto said to Chief. "Thought you were dead, 117."
"Spartans never die." Chief replied
"Wish the same could be said about Fireteam Crow. They were one of the team we had personally trained ourselves." Margaret stated
Roma reloaded her DMR. "Something killed them. But to what it was, we don't know."
"Which is why we're here." Fred said, in an assuring tone. "Sure, enough with both teams here, we can find what killed them along with the Science team."
"We better." Victor said in a bitter tone
Chief turned to Linda. "Linda, the Crawler tracks."
Linda pointed ahead. "This way." Blue and Black made their way to see a Forerunner structure. "Looks like they came from down there."
"Down we go, then." Margaret said, with Chief nodding in response as Blue and Black head down to the structure itself
"This is where the Composer was buried before Ivanoff dug it up." Chief stated, as he and the rest of the Spartan-II teams slide down below. "Everything's perfectly smooth down here. Armor telemetry doesn't show anything-" Chief is cut off by Kelly
"Wait. I got eyes on a tunnel. Northwest side." she stated
"Let's get a look." Chief said, as the Spartans form up alongside him
Teams Blue and Black venture down inside the structure with each step they took. Weapons at the ready, ready for whatever came next. Fred handed Roma a datachip from Fireteam Crow which could help her recount their last moments on the Halo ring. While she attempt to decipher the data, a bright light shimmered toward the Spartans once they walked further down.
Victor gasp at the sight of what he was seeing among the rest of the Spartans. "What the hell..."
"Chief, is there anything you'd like to advise us on right now?" Fred queried
Blue and Black walked into an abyss of sorts. Digitize bodies screaming out as if they were the souls of the dead.
"What is this place?"
"Science team Galileo called this place the Composer's Abyss. But..." Roma trailed off looking at the digitized remains of humans. "This place was empty according to the files. How is any of this happening?"
"We won't know if we don't head to that slipspace portal." Margaret declared
Chief nodded in agreement. "Be ready." he advised the rest of the Spartans, stepping through the slipspace portal
They pass through the slipspace portal to enter a Forerunner city of some kind, with overgrown flora growing over the metallic cervices of the city itself.
"We're not on the halo ring anymore." Kelly said, in view of their current surroundings
"No, Kelly. Forerunner portal system, judging from our surroundings." Chief stated to her and the rest of the Spartans
"We could be anywhere in the galaxy, John." Fred said to him
"Especially considering we have no idea where we are to begin with." Otto added
"As long as the portal's open, we have a way home." Chief assured them. "Blue. Black. Over here."
Both Spartan teams were presented a view of the desolate Forerunner city. Everything completely dark, safe for one building. A tower displaying light in the far-off distance of the city, as Roma was nearly finish with her decryption on the datachip. After a few shortcuts with the bypass, the decryption was complete as she saw a video display of Fireteam Crow investigating the strange occurrences of slipspace portals ruptures in the ring's atmosphere.
Linda spotted a light in the distance. "There's a light in that tower." she stated
"So, whatever killed Crow and the Science team is probably there." Otto deduced with the others agreeing with him
"Or whoever." Chief said, jumping
Fred and the rest followed suit. "Whoever? John, is there something you like to share?"
"The hit on Earth. The attack on Ivanoff."
"You think the Didact is here?" Kelly queried. "You said he was dead."
"I said I thought he was eliminated." Chief replied
"When were you going to tell us about this?" Victor questioned Chief with a tone of condensation
"When it was confirmed if he was alive after the last encounter I had with him."
"Chief," Master Chief turned to Roma. "Sending you a last video feed of Fireteam Crow now. Is this the Didact?"
Chief along with the other Spartans were shown the video inside his HUD when he saw Fireteam Crow being brutally killed one-by-one until it came to the very last teammate of Crow.
"Affirmative." Chief spoke, confirming the identity of the Didact. "That's him."
"Odd. A city like this, out in the open." Fred commented. "Everything of this scale we've seen so far has been Halos and Shield Worlds."
"I can hear Doctor Halsey in my head. She'd be amazed by this place." Kelly added
Margret agreed with her. "On that, we can definitely agree. She'd have a field day with all of this."
Linda pointed off ahead. "Looks like a bigger avenue here."
Once they walked closer to the structure ahead. "Are those Composers?"
"Six of them from the looks of it. Why?"
Linda noticed something behind them. "Contact!"
"Blue and Black, ready up." Chief ordered as both Blue and Black aimed their weapons at what was in their sights
Standing before them was an 11'4 tall ancient Forerunner, Ur-Didact himself. In his hand, an activation codex. To the rest of the Spartans, this was their first time encountering a living forerunner. But for someone such as the Master Chief, this reminded him from his first encounter with the Didact to stopping his attack on Earth which cost Chief the sacrifice of Cortana. His finger near the trigger, ready to continue his mission in stopping the Didact by whatever means possible.
"You tread, humans, in the Composer's Forge." Didact said
"Weapons free." Chief ordered as the he and the Spartan-II teams opened fire on the Didact
Unamused, Didact conjured a Forerunner staff. "Unpredictable." he struck the staff on the ground, caused a shockwave that heavily staggered the Spartans, with only Margaret and Victor maintaining their footing. "See that which you fear... and attempt to kill it. Even when your nightmare has already won."
"Chief, we got incoming!" Margaret shouted, seeing incoming Prometheans
Blue and Black were all back-to-back, firing on the Prometheans while Didact watched his commanded forces deal with them. The Spartans each shot with a purpose to neutralize and push away any Prometheans charging toward for the kill, taking shots at any incoming Watchers that came to revive their dead Promethean brethren. Eventually, the firefight attracted the attention of the monitor of Installation 03 known as 859 Static Carilion. The monitor watched as the humans fight the Didact's Prometheans in battle. It flew past both, making its way toward the Didact.
"This is unacceptable. We had an agreement, Didact." 859 Static Carilion said in a displeasing tone. "You have manufactured more of your knights in direct violation of our compact."
Didact ignored the monitor's complaint. "They will be dispatched to Requiem soon enough, Monitor. And afterward, your installation shall be silent once more." he merely stated
"This is not about the quietude of the Composer's Forge! These Prometheans are abominations! Tortured souls encased against their will-" the monitor was stopped when the Didact violently grasped it
"So quickly you accuse me of violating our agreement. Where is your portion of the bargain?"
"It- It is arriving now, Didact."
Didact looked to the stars to see a slipspace portal erupt in space, seeing the view of Gamma Halo appearing above them.
"Perfect." Didact put his hand forward at one of the composers. "Now to repair the ring." he said as both he and the Composer are teleported away
The Spartans continue to push back the Promethean forces as Fred noticed a halo ring above them in the battle. "What the hell-"
"A Halo? Did Didact bring Gamma Halo here?!" Victor interjected, in an angered tone
Before Roma could speak, a monitor appeared before the Spartans while they were still engaged in a firefight with the Prometheans.
"Hello, humans. I am 859 Static Carilion, keeper of the Composer's Forge." the monitor, introducing itself. "It is here where the Composer was designed and built."
"The Didact has another composer he just taken."
"Oh, he has an entire halo now. He is repairing it, you see. From damages caused by humans, if he is to believe. Although, he appears to blame humans for rather a lot..."
"We've barely noticed." Otto said, sarcastically as the monitor made its way to Chief
"I understand you have some disagreement with the Didact?"
"He killed millions of our kind-"
"Ah, so you do know the origins of these enemies you are currently fighting." the monitor interjected
Roma glanced at 859 Static Carilion. "The Knights... they're humans?!" she fired her last bullet at a Promethean Knight, taking its suppressor in the process
"They're the citizen from New Phoenix?" Chief queried
"Freshly composed. And therein lies my complaint. Their memories are being added to the whole. As of course, the plan when the Composer was built." 859 Static Carilion explained to Master Chief
"Have a feeling there's a but in that problem." Victor chimed ripping a Crawler's head off
"They bring terror. They also bring fear, rage, and confusion. This is most unacceptable." the monitor said in disapproval. "Equally unacceptable to you, I imagine. Once the Halo is repaired, Didact intends to fire it near your species' homeworld. He will burn your kind from the universe."
"Over our dead bodies." Victor spat, plunging his knife at a Promethean Knight while he killed the other using the final rounds of his pistol's magazine
"We need to get to that portal." Chief declared. "Beat the Didact to the Halo."
The Spartans ran at a fast pace, as they headed toward the slipspace portal leading back to Gamma Halo. They push pass any Prometheans with the intent to kill and shoot down any more tailing them to prevent them from leaving.
"Please understand. I do not care about the Human-Forerunner War. It raged before my inception. It may well rage now, and for centuries more. Erde-Tyrene can burn, and while I will sigh at the loss, I will not care. What I do care about is that the Didact himself broke our compact." the monitor turned to the Prometheans created by the Didact. "He brought his abominations here. He violated the sanity of my home. No longer will I endure it." 859 Static Carilion fired its eye beam at a Promethean Knight while the Spartans rushed toward the portal. "Hurry!"
"Can you deactivate the portal once we're through?" Chief asked the monitor
"I will see what I can do. Now, enough talk. You must hurry! Stop the Didact! I will keep these monstrous abominations at bay!" the monitor responded as Chief left through the portal before 859 Static Carilion prepared to fire its eye beam at the incoming Prometheans
Blue and Black returned back on Gamma Halo, where the Composer was buried based on their surroundings.
"Back out the way we came in."
"Time to move! He's moving the Composer into position!"
"Double time, Blue."
Suddenly, they heard a sparking noise coming from above to see a slipspace portal erupt.
"Clear out, now!"
The Spartans jumped out of the way from the incoming impact of the Composer.
"You humans, still persist in surviving." Didact said in a annoyed and menacing tone
Didact swatted both Fred and Linda away, while Black Team opened fire on the ancient Forerunner using Promethean weaponry. This caused Didact to retaliate by striking down the ground using the forerunner staff which lifted Margaret, Roma, and Otto off their foot. Didact swatted Margret toward Roma with a backhand, while he slammed his fist toward Otto's chest as he was sent flying. Victor ran charging at the Didact while firing a Suppresor before he was slammed into the ground, with the Forerunner noticing Roma grabbing her boltshot before he kicked her away. The Didact prepared to throw the staff toward them before Victor shot it in time, breaking the staff itself using his Binary rifle. Didact turned his attention to Victor as Margaret and Otto were shooting light rifles at the Forerunner, as the Didact batted them away with half of the staff. Victor attempted to fire another shot at the Didact, only for the warrior servant Forerunner to violently grasp his hands as he impaled the Spartan-II with a piece of the broken staff.
'Victor!" Roma screamed as the Didact tossed his body to Roma and Otto
"I tire of your distraction." Didact said, grabbing a hold on Kelly while his foot was on Margaret
Unknown to Didact, Master Chief lunged at him with a combat knife as the Spartan plunged it into the forerunner's right eye.
"NNRRYAAAA!" he grunted in sharp pain before grabbing Master Chief by the head, along with Margaret using his other hand after taking his foot off her. "Consistently, the opportunity to eliminate you is presented. Yet I foolishly refuse." with enough force he cracked the visor of Master Chief, leaving his left eye to be visibly exposed from inside the helmet. "No more."
"Let's take him down, Spartans!" Fred shouted, as Didact threw Chief toward Fred and Margaret
As the fastest of the second generation of Spartans, Kelly ran at top speed toward the Didact in an attempt to grab the codex. She dodged a swipe to the throat from Didact, while Roma and Otto fired on Didact from behind as the forerunner was caught offguard. Kelly also shot Didact toward the chest with the Scattershot. Linda also fired a couple of shots at the Didact with her Binary rifle, before Otto staggered the ancient Forerunner opponent with a incineration cannon.
"Petulant children." Didact mocked, grabbing Kelly's weapon as he crushed with just one hand. "You fight the inevitable." he taunted, before sending Kelly sending flying after he swatted her. "Your mission is a failure."
"Something's happening! He's shaking off direct hits."
Didact grabbed Linda by the waist. "I will not tolerate your continued disobedience." he bellowed sending her flying across
Roma and Otto charged firing the Promethean weapons they use, two blasts from the incineration cannon make the Didact stagger to at least only a few feet away from Linda. After the last shot from the incineration cannon, Otto quickly grabbed the suppressor near Victor's dead corpse as he and Roma continued firing at the Didact to no avail. Didact rushed toward forward as he plunged his hands through Roma and Otto's chests while they fired, the Forerunner tossing their bodies aside near Victor's corpse.
"I will allow a moment more to fire the weapon, human." Didact taking the knife out of his right eye as he stared down at Fred. "I will grant you the gift of a dying warrior." he told the Spartan as Fred fired a charged shot from the boltshot, leaving no effect. "We are done here."
"I agree wholeheartedly." said the monitor of Installation 03 as it fired its eye beam at the Didact. "He is disabled for the moment. I am initiating emergency teleport." it said, transporting the Didact elsewhere. "You must quickly regroup."
Kelly got up from the ground. "Ow. Linda, you okay?" she asked her team mate
"Battered and Bruised, but I'm alive."
"Okay, John. Talk to me."
"Still here." Chief assured his friend. "Ears are ringing. Armor's power cycling. Just a second longer." he stood up off his feet, hands on his helmet. "Helmet's fused on. Going to take a torch to remove it."
"But you can operate as is?"
"Not much choice."
Margaret knelt down at the corpses of her team, taking their dogtags. "Roma, Victor, Otto. I'll make sure to complete the mission or die trying."
Chief walked up to her. "Margaret."
"We need to take him down. For good, John." she said, gripping the tags of her fallen comrades
"We will." Chief replied
"If you are going to fight a warrior servant, you must not give him the opportunity to attune his armor to your weapons!" 859 Static Carilion advised the Spartans
"Where is Didact now?"
"I suppose I must admit I intentionally committed a severe tactial error..."
"Explain."
"I have placed him in the most secure location on the Halo."
"Where is that?"
"The control room." Chief deduced
"Hmm... quite." the monitor admitted
"Why would you-"
"It was that or watch him finish slaughtering you." 859 Static Carilion interjected Kelly, stating the reason behind the monitor's choice. "You would be dead and he would still reach the control room. I have expedited the inevitable by skipping the preventable."
Chief noticed the activation index as he picked it up from the ground where the Didact once was. "You said his armor adapted to the weapons. I know a weapon he can't adapt to."
Margaret turned to the monitor. "Can you take us to him?"
"All of you aren't going." Chief said. "I am. This is between me and him. The rest of you head back to the Longsword and leave this ring."
Margaret shook her head at Chief. "No, John." she then took off her helmet to look him directly in the eye. "This involves me too, and you know it." Margaret took a step closer to Chief. "I'm not asking."
Chief and Margaret set out on a final confrontation with the Didact in the control room. The forerunner himself was surprised at the humans who willingly faced in his moment of triumph; however, he was not expecting an attempt at diplomacy. But it was only a cover as Master Chief use the activation index to purposely activate the Composer, as Margaret signaled him to make a run for it. She'd make sure the Didact wouldn't plan to escape his fate, after a part of the Halo that led to the control room was severed as it was crashing into the nearby planet. Due to the attempt to compose him, Didact lunged his clawed hand through her chest but before Margaret fired a charged shot directly into his eye hole. In the end, the Didact himself was composed leaving nothing but his smoldering armor. Master Chief was transported back to Blue Team in their Longsword with help from 859 Static Carilion. The monitor of Installation 03 thankfully informed the Spartans in giving it a new perspective as it decided to repair the Halo and take it to safe hiding.
Back on the Infinity, a mission report of Blue Team's encounter with Didact and sacrifice of Black Team is being read via datapad. After the mission, Master Chief and the rest of Blue Team were ordered for R&R but Chief instead assigned himself on another mission. Mission after mission, with Chief refusing to stop according to the redacted ONI message files. The figure placed the datapad on the table.
"So, that's the story." the first voice said, feminine sounding smooth yet professional
"Chief can't keep doing these missions non-stop." the second voice, strong and confident with a bit more concerned
"Pretty sure when it comes to Master Chief, he can do whatever he wants." the third responded in a suave and pragmatic tone
"It's the mental and emotional I'm worried about. Everyone has a breaking point, even him." the fourth voice replied, sounding collected and levelheaded.
"Maybe. Which is why ONI doesn't want Blue Team involved in finding Doctor Halsey. That's where the UNSC Vociferous comes in." the third voice as a marathon-class cruiser was displayed in a hologram projection. "From what we know, the UNSC Security Council has handpicked Spartan-III Team Bravo for the mission. They're specifically tasked with the pursuit of Jul M'Dama." files of Rosenda-A344, Hazel-A302, Owen-B096, and a dark-haired Spartan with a scar across his eye by the callsign of Harvey-B197. " Let's hope they succeed."
The hologram showed as Janissary James, Kevin Morales, Benji Wong, and Natasha al-Cygni of Fireteam Crimson were shown before being called away on another mission as they left the room.
Elsewhere, A lone figure shrouded in invisibility on a swamp planet. The figure stared down at the two toed claw footprints, before gazing a body among the bushes as the figure brought out an energy sword. The figure's invisibility disappeared as an Elite quickly lunged forward and stab his weapon toward the body. He heard no wails of pain, seeing the body was lifeless as he pulled out the energy sword. The corpse was of that an Elite, but the Elite's own horror the body bared white armor resembling that of the Elite. Just then, the Elite hear low growling from behind him as he readied his energy sword.
"Disappointing." a growling voice said behind the Elite
The Elite attempt to slash its opponent as a clawed hand slip through the energy sword, while another simply grabbed the Elite by the neck. The Elite began struggling due to the sudden hold his enemy had on him as the hold got tighter.
"Was this all you can do? I have hidden among your pack for hours, and yet you sensed nothing. What a waste of my time." the voice said, forcing the Elite to stab himself in the chest as the body was tossed aside. "Imagine my disappointment." the figure then decapitated the Elite
The Elite's killer turned out to be none other than Knuld, the Pytauri warchief of the Forsaken. Behind him is a few of his chosen warriors, as he strapped the Elite's head onto his belt
"Have you found what is needed?" he asked
"Yes, warchief." one of his warriors answered
"Have a detachment of our forces here once we left. We head for the Wrath." Knuld said, before tossing the corpse of the headless Sangheili into the water as a creature underwater took the body deeper into the river.