Chapter 1: Prologue
Fleet Admiral Lord Terrance Hood stood solemnly on an empty observation deck of the Infinity. He had a long, very long, day. Perhaps the longest and darkest day in human history.
"I abandoned Earth." He whispered to himself.
The Covenant had came in hot and heavy, and his only choice was to winter contingency the home world of humanity. Even more sickening, several Nova bombs were included in that particular contingency, and unique compared to each remaining system's own flavor of the final protocols.
"I destroyed Earth." He whispered again while letting tears fall.
If the people that lived and grew up there couldn't have that pale blue dot, then no one and especially not the Covenant could. It was standard protocol for the animals. Show up, slaughter, then glass the place when they either had enough blood, or found whatever Forerunner junk they were looking for. It was a mercy to the people of Earth really. They would be spared the slow death. In addition whatever Covenant force that forced the Winter Contingency onto Earth would be destroyed as well.
It would give those that could run a chance to survive as well. It was a small solace to him that the analysis he read in a report when he green lit the preparations proved right. It looked like the Covenant had brought damn near everything they had for the final assault, like the desk jockeys said they would when they finally found Earth. Somehow they had broken the Cole Protocol so thoroughly they entered the system at the perfect range to start battle, and their prophets had decided to finish the job in one fell swoop.
He remembered watching the contacts show up on the main command screen aboard Cairo station, like it was yesterday because it nearly was. One after the other, so many he lost count. Thousands. Their full might arrayed against realistically the last of human defenses. Destroyers, cruisers, carriers, assault carriers, and finally two more CSO super carriers than what even ONI knew about.
Then final the death blow to Earth. High Charity itself and it's escorting fleet, with one of the super carriers that ONI did know about. This happened right as he was pinning medals on people for their actions at Instillation 04. Right as people just found some hope for the turn of the war. The war ended in that moment.
He would never forgive himself for the orders he gave as soon as the contacts stopped entering the system, but he had no other choice except to save who he could, sacrifice what he had too to accomplish that, and make the destruction of his people quick and as painless as possible.
The Covenant was so focused on their holy crusade and the billions of heretics plant side that it wasn't anything for him to slip a million or so out the back door as he blew the place. The Infinity and Odyssey had been activated for their intended purpose, as unfinished but flyable as they were. So was every single ship he could corral into the fleet and get off Earth.
The evacuation fleet got away with the sacrifice of most of the last of the UNSC Navy, billions more innocents. Just as they hit slipspace, before the rupture closed, he hit the big red button for Earth personally. He only could from the Infinity because he was knocked out by the Chief to be carried there, then woken up by Laskey as soon as he hit the command deck. The kid was a wiz, and supposed to be the XO of the most advanced vessel in human history, but Del Rio obviously didn't make it. Hood wasn't mad about it. Laskey would be a fine CO. Del Rio was a competent manager to build the things, but not to run one.
"Damn them." Hood said as he rubbed his bruises from whatever spartan neck pinch he was hit with. Damn the covenant, and damn the chief for making him live with the guilt of what he had done. He could have, and would have, blown Earth from his spot on Cairo.
"Damn them indeed. Fore their heinous acts have indeed damned them." A soft feminine voice called from behind him.
No one had entered the small observation deck. It was looking over an Earth like world they had, by good luck, exited their slipspace transit over. Colonization hadn't quite begun, but it would in short order.
Hood calmly turned his head and bore his hard eyes and features into who would intrude upon his self pity. He said, "Who are you?"
The woman had had sharp almost human like features, save a nearly flat nose. She wore a crown, or some device over her seemingly bald head, and her dress was as much armor as it was for grace and style.
She said, "I am but a figment of the Librarian's thoughts. Her own contingency, as it were, should the worst happen."
"It did happen." Hood said. Whatever the hell was going on, if the figment meant harm she had all the drop on him to carry it out.
"Indeed. Now you are here. One thing leads to another."
"Where is here? Our drives experienced anomalies when we started the transit. Fleet wide. We figured it was because of the shock wave, and now our star charts are off."
"Partly, yes, but many things can be guided along certain paths once momentum is started. It's only an application of force."
"That doesn't answer my question."
"Somewhere far away child. Far from the concerns of your home, from all things that were forced upon you without a thought of what you desired, thousands and million of years before any to face their consequences were born."
Hood took a deep breath, "And you brought us here?"
"Partly."
"Why?"
"You are the reclaimers. Chosen of both the precursors and the Librarian, the Lifeshaper herself. But that matters not anymore."
"You said the covenant damned themselves."
"They did. Not only from your willingness to strike such a mortal blow in a last defiant act of your species, but because their great journey is now over. Now they will face a hunger that even High Charity's famed gluttony will never hope to match. The ultimate hunger. The end of all other life."
Hood nodded in understanding, "The Flood. We were just beginning to figure all this out when the Covenant brought the hammer down."
She nodded reassuringly, "I know. Your ancilla had barely brushed upon the domain. I will say if she hadn't, I would still be dormant."
"We'd face the same hunger. Like the last of the humans out there will."
"Yes. With no reclaimers, at least enough in a position to learn what you had just begun to learn, with the portal to the ark destroyed, their likely target, there will be no one to use the tools needed to stop the flood. The heretics will burn for an eternity within it's grave mind, that I assure you child."
"That's some solace. Not much. I still failed everyone, alive and dead. All those billions for a million to come out the other side."
"You did not fail. Anyone to survive at all against enemies as implacable as yours is a great victory indeed. The Librarian knew of another Lord of Admirals that I think would look proudly upon the war you made. The lengths you were willing to go to ensure survival of your people in any form. The raw steel and hot fury every single one you fought with. Your predecessor waged a thousand years of war against us because of their battle against the Flood. Because he knew it was the only way to save life. That sometimes means you must destroy it. It is a heavy burden you will always carry, just as he did, just as even the Didact did, but please do not think you could have done any more, that you have committed a crime in saving your species the pain of the Covenant and the Hunger."
Hood stool silent for a moment, not really believing her words but happy to have heard them all the same. He asked, "Why here?"
"What you would consider to be distant cousins to us once inhabited this galaxy. They evolved convergently, similar but still different in many ways. You will learn about them as time goes on I'm sure, but none of what plagued your home has been wrought here. You are safe from such matters, though still not others."
"Space to breath. A second chance...thank you." Was all Hood said.
She smiled, and even put her hand on Hood's shoulder, "I must go, fore I have only what was needed to complete my task and engage in some light conversation. She so did love conversation. Go forth reclaimers, make your way in this new time and place."
Hood blinked and the figment of the Librarian was gone, not a trace of her presence. As soon as she did Hood was already starting to question himself, if what happened really happened, or if he was suffering from. some extreme third man syndrome and PTSD combined with exhaustion.
He needed some sleep. He was going to take some, turning to return to his quarters. He was was on some off hours anyway, meant for sleep anyway. Not stewing in self hatred and delusional figments of ancient imaginations. What the hell was even half of what she was talking about, he wondered.
He hadn't breached the deck's threshold when his communicator interrupted his plan. "Laskey to Hood. You're going to want to get up here, Admiral. We got a new contact that just dropped in next to the main stellar mass. Like nothing Roland has ever seen, sir, and he was former intel."
Hood took another deep breath, an angry and dejected one. It wasn't the kid's fault. He was just doing his job. With what he now knew, he certainly needed to be there for a potential first contact.
He centered himself and activated his communicator, "Hood here. On my way Laskey."
As he walked to the tram system he prayed to ever god and goddess humans ever prayed to that it was peaceful this time.