2,316Disclaimer: I own no franchise mentioned in this work. Halo belongs to 343, Mass Effect to Bioware.
There appears to be some confusion about the timestamps, which is perfectly understandable. I'll try to clear that up here:
GST minute: 100 GST seconds = 50 Earth seconds
GST hour: 100 GST minutes = 83 Earth minutes 20.4 seconds
GST day: 20 GST hours = 27 Earth hours 46 minutes 40 seconds
GST month: 17 GST days = 19 Earth days, 15.984 hours, 3 minutes, 21.6 seconds
GST year: 20 GST Months: 344 GST days = 398.114 Earth days
GST = CE - 131
This is canon time measurement on both sides, GST for the ME races and Earth for UNSC. This means that the Citadel Council was founded AFTER the beginning of the CE calendar in Halo. In this story, 2435 GST = 2566 CE. I know that the year-lengths will be distended due to the differing lengths, but the same thing happens between the Covenant Battle Calendar and the CE Halo calendar. For this story, the Geth War happened in 2395 (canon GST time), so about 35 GST years earlier, or in CE Halo, about 2523. That means that this story is happening about 253 GST years before the canon beginning of Mass Effect and 256 years before the Reapers arrive in canon.
Now that that's cleared up, review responses! If you don't care, skip to the breakpoint below. For responses, later reviews will be listed first, because I'm lazy and can't be bothered to reverse-order them.
SpecterXCove: Fair enough, I play Halo for the story, I've only heard about multiplayer, never messed with it except for Firefight in Halo: Reach. Thanks for the follow!
HyperionATLAS: Never said Halo Wars 2 was bad, I just thought the scene with 3 SPARTAN II's vs. 1 Jiralhanae Warlord was a bit silly. People have pointed out that Red Team has outdated armor, but even so. It's not that big a deal really, I'm just harping on it. Less of an issue than the entirety of Halo 5 at least.
me: Thank you, glad you like the story. Agreed on Atriox, very interesting character.
AhumbleHaloFan: Thanks mate!
CaliAce17: Unluckily, first contact does not happen in this chapter. Sorry. It may be a while, but I can tell you that it won't be the usual.
Guest #1: Eh, yeah, a Jiralhanae Warlord like Atriox can beat a Spartan in a strength contest, no argument from me there. I've been convinced by reviews that at the very least it's plausible, though I still think it's not likely. Thank you.
FORGEMaster: Considering that I want to have my characters have some expressions and emotions, I'm not sure using ME:A is the best choice. Anyways, now that ME:A is out (for better or worse), and we actually know what the pathfinders are and all that, yeah, I'll probably use parts of it. Not the 600 years to cross to the new galaxy though, I like my super-relay better. Makes it possible for interaction within this millennia.
helkil: As you wish.
Guest #2: Answered same stuff above.
Nugget of Awesome: I don't know if I agree with you about storage space being an issue, but as for the thought process, that would be how a computer would think. Logically, that is. If AI's are at all like humans, they won't always be logical. Really efficient, yes, but always thinking logically doesn't work well for conducting warfare. There's times to be logical, yes, but the element of surprise doesn't work if the enemy can predict your moves by logically thinking through the situation and coming to the same conclusion. As for AI revolution in real-life, eh, agreed. Possible but unlikely describes it well.
Guest #3: Thank you. I'm going to be trying to break from any new Halo content here in the next few chapters, establish the separations now rather than have something screw the pooch later.
Guest #4: Thanks, I might bring back Locke later, but for right now he's kind of in timeout for irritating me in H5
magnusvictor: . Unsure if Warhammer reference or general praise, but thank you either way! Also, excellent reference. Unluckily, ME:A is made by EA, so somebody's gotta go back an' get a shitload of dimes for all them DLC that's coming to fix the game.
anotamous: Would love to say it will turn out well, but kind of biased here. I can tell you that I will try to write it well. If there's a delay in release, it will be noted on my profile. As for commenting on my rambling, go ahead. I just didn't want reviews solely focused on my commentary. Even so, I'm not going to get mad. As for the rampancy, yes, that could be an explanation, however, I went somewhere different with the Flood. Hint: on to the story! :)
jjcoop95: I can almost completely guarantee that I'm not wrong about the IV's. They do not have the same augmentations as the II's. III's were dispensable Spartans, not even given MJOLNIR armor and sent to die for time against the Covenant for the Inner Colonies. No, Cortana going 'bad' doesn't make sense, I have thought about it though. It's your opinion on Halo 5/Wars 2, but IV's are inferior to II's, even to III's if III's had MJOLNIR.
clones are awesome: Here you go!
Fandango12345: I saw you post this little physics thing on another story. If you're going to do that again, please just PM it to me, it's not something that's helpful to someone trying to decide to read the story or not. Agreed on it though, modern guns would demolish ME guns. A .50 caliber sniper round going Mach 1 will kill you with the pressure wave 6 inches from your head. An ME round going fast enough to match the energy of that sniper round but with the mass and surface area of a grain of sand would a. Make a plasma trail through the atmosphere, giving away a sniping position and b. Would make one hell of a sound but not really do anything else beside maybe irritate someone enough for them to gun down that sniper. Thank you, here you are for the update!
Master-Debater69: Wait no more!
muratira: Thank you, I've always thought ME and Forerunners in the same galaxy was a bit odd. As for 'they', my only response is a link to Grunt's laugh. As for years, yeah, Milky Way has no Mass Relays. So yes to both, snail's crawl and making their way anywhere close enough to the Orion Arm to make contact with anyone. Don't worry about Atriox here, I'll get to him and how exactly the Covenant 'never came close' to defeating him. As for the ME races, yeah, they've had space travel for something like 2500 years in canon, and they're still comparable to humanities several decades of amatuer experience with the same tech? Pfft.
knightblazer85: Fair enough on Atriox, still dubious as to that though. For Halo 5's AI rebellion, my issue isn't that Cortana went rampant, it's that she came back supposedly sane and then decided to conquer the galaxy. Although people mindlessly following the mentally unstable isn't that uncommon, happened in the Roman Empire, in European and Chinese societies, and we have a present day example too!
firedragoonknight: If a massive, 12-foot tall Jiralhanae Warlord falls from the ceiling, the Spartans would hear, feel, and see that pretty sure. They have excellent vision according to wiki augmentations tables, and I assume that includes better night-vision. Plus the headlights on MJOLNIR.
random123games: Thanks!
Bespecled Giraffe: Plenty of worldbuilding ahoy! Maybe too much, but, eh. As for ME races calling the Milky Way by the name of Andromeda, seems coincidental with our own but I'm ignoring that for now I think. For ret-conning Halo 5, if Halo can get away with time travel, a Dyson Sphere, and neural implants, I think I can get away with funny business by an AI connected to the Domain. Explained the timeline above. As for naming the THV Covenant, oddly enough that was drawn from a random name generator. There might be shenanigans for that later. For time, 253 years before ME1. The meeting will be different than any other story I've read, I can tell you that.
joaco14jc: Thank you...I think? As for AI's choosing to live, that makes some sense, but betraying their crews on a whim seems odd to me, considering the loyalty AI's have shown in other Halo media.
DarkRising32: I've seen it a couple times, not often though. Thanks!
RevengeS197: Well, if she was gunning for the galaxy like in Halo 5 it might be quick, in this story I was trying to indicate that she wasn't trying to hurt humans. For faking memories, no idea scientifically, but they have the Wargames simulations with respawns, so I assume it's possible. If not, I call shenanigans and declare it so with no explanation or sense! Well, I guess Cortana could learn from the Domain or something, either way, if 343i can do the #HunttheTruth and then pull Halo 5 out of their arse then I have no inhibitions about just declaring it to be with no logical reasoning at all. I'm fixing their clusterf*ck, if there's a few odd things then please forgive me my imagination. :)
Apollonir: Thank you, and don't worry about Garrus. Plenty of time to weather the idiocy of Council directives. As for paragraphs, apologies about that, I get somewhat verbose at times. I'll see what I can do, but ultimately it's how I write and organize stuff. Lots of small lines irritate me, especially if the same character is speaking.
zerochance117: Thank you.
Guest #5: *Insert Grunt laugh here*
ferduran: Thanks!
LanzCorporalAssWipe: Thank you, and excellent username sir!
MEleeSmasher: Why would the UNSC waste NOVA's on them? No orbital platforms, completely mobile-based defenses for the Council. All the UNSC would have to do would be to park the Infinity in orbit of a planet and the Council couldn't do shit about it. Can't fire at them due to the planet behind, can't enter orbit cause moment the Infinity gets a line they're dead, and can't flank due to the ten escort frigates.
October 29, 2558
Forerunner planet Genesis
Unknown location in Domain
As Cortana and Blue team exited the slipspace portal, it closed behind them with the deep rumbling that was characteristic of tears in reality. Blue team glanced back at where the portal had been before pulling out their weapons with fluidity born of years of experience. As they examined the area for hostiles or other threats, they noted the architecture of their location.
Utilizing graceful curves and possessing an almost organic sheen, the structure seemed eerily familiar to the Chief. Possessing a blue tint, the material appeared to be glassy in nature, although it also had a palpable aura of strength ensconced in its depths.
Cortana was the first to speak, "This looks nothing like any Forerunner ruins I've seen before. The material that is used shows incredibly dense neuronic concentrations, so much so that it's indestructible to anything we possess." She turned to Blue team before continuing, "Even with your combined weight I can detect almost no give to the material. The architectural style seems biological though, almost like-"
With that sentence, Chief suddenly tensed before finishing, "-the Flood." As Cortana and the rest of Blue team formed up around him, the Chief asked, "Anything else here with us?"
"Negative, nothing that I can detect on Kelly's superior long range sensors. I cannot detect the end of this passage. No spores in the air either," Cortana replied. She looked around the hallway with a cautious gaze, "It is the same style as the Flood, but the material shows something else made this. Either that or the Flood came from something else," she continued. As she voiced this thought, a new presence made itself known.
"Your ignorance betrays the providence due your species," it said in a baritone but oddly gentle manner. As the voice spoke Blue team snapped their aim around them, attempting to find the source. It continued, "You shall not find my physical presence here, Created. Far too long have I waited for justice, but now it has been wrought. You have proven yourselves worthy with your actions, and as such, you shall be the masters of your own path. Proceed, and claim what is rightfully yours. It is time that the Mantle be upheld by those who are worthy. For each of the three partitions of the Domain, you shall meet a Keeper. Continue to your legacies, for you have a limited time in this place and there is much to do. "
As the voice finished, Blue team scanned the area one last time before following the Chief as he began to cautiously advance down the only path available to them. After about 250 meters, the passage opened up to reveal a massive cavern. Made out of the same material as before, the smooth walls curved up to a point nearly 50 meters above the group's heads. The space was easily 100 meters wide with three openings in front of them.
The central passage was closed, however, the outer two were open, leading further into the complex. Seeing no visible threats, Blue team hesitantly lowered their weapons but kept them ready to shoulder at a moment's notice.
"Cortana," the Chief asked.
Cortana knew the unspoken question in his voice and replied, "No life signs down any of the passages." With that statement, the Chief glanced down the left passage before heading towards the one on the right.
As the Spartans walked down the passage, the curved textures came to an abrupt end and the sharp edges of a Forerunner passage continued in its place. The hallway continued for almost a kilometer before coming to an end at a small chamber covered with the crossing blue lights and geometry of Forerunner ruins.
After a few seconds, the door to the chamber closed behind Blue team, locking them in the space. A soft light began to fill the space, something that immediately caught the attention of the Spartans and led them to aim their weapons, ready for combat.
A voice then spoke, a voice that Chief distinctly remembered, "Your determination is admirable, Humans, but violence will not serve you here. Lower your weapons and let us speak one last time." As the light faded, two forms became visible on a low platform.
While the Chief kept his aim on the Didact, he gave a small glance to the Librarian. The Didact was covered in his Promethean armor with its standard orange color scheme. The Librarian had the blue and silver of the Forerunner's on her dress, matching her projected form on Requiem.
The Librarian watched as Blue team kept their weapons aimed at the Didact before she spoke, "While my husband may have his flaws, he is right in this instance Reclaimers. Violence will not suffice in this place. Let us talk quickly, for we do not have time on our side."
Cortana put her hand on the Chief's MA5, gently but forcefully pushing it down while saying, "They're not here. They are mere fragments from the Domain, aware but not in control of any systems." Blue team slowly lowered their weapons at these words, albeit hesitantly and with their eyes locked onto the familiar threat of the Didact.
The Librarian continued, "I originally accelerated your genetic evolution to allow you to defeat the Didact. If you are here then that goal accomplished. You have continued to show unprecedented promise if you have received access to the Domain. Humanity has successfully recovered the Janus Key and you personally have defeated the Didact of the Forerunner Ecumene, something no other human has done. As such, your genetic path shall be finished and you will be fit to take on the Mantle of Responsibility. The benefits of this process are yours to discover and use."
The Didact shifted slightly as the Librarian finished. He ran his gaze over Blue team before beginning, "As the Librarian has declared, you have earned your place in the galaxy. I have realized my mistakes upon reestablishing contact with the Domain. I leave this last message to atone for my error. As the Librarian has given you the gift of the Mantle from the Forerunners, I give you the means by which to defend it. Humanity has proven itself worthy of the Mantle. Defend the Mantle, but do not let it guide you to hatred and domination. My footsteps are not the ones to follow. Now go, Reclaimers, and be confident with the might of the Forerunner's at your back." With that final, forceful statement, the chamber flashed with a brilliant light and Blue team was elevated above the ground, the Forerunner technology finishing what time had begun.
Blue team slowly descended as the Librarian's genetic path was finished in a matter of minutes. Cortana looked to Chief as he rose to his feet. He nodded at her concern and then checked on the rest of his team. As all members were confirmed as green, Kelly spoke up, "Well, that was..."
"-new," Linda finished. As the Spartans checked over their equipment, the door from which they entered opened. After a couple quick glances, the team made their way back to the main chamber. The central door was still closed, meaning the only viable option was to head down the corridor to the left.
Once again the architecture changed abruptly, morphing into a rectangular hallway. Blue team observed this change before Fred spoke, "Looks almost human."
"It probably is, although I'm not sure how humans would manage to construct something this significant in the middle of a Forerunner planet," Cortana replied. Chief glanced her way before continuing to lead them into yet another small chamber.
It was no surprise when the door closed behind them. Instead of a light to herald the arrival of a being, however, a human simply materialized onto the platform, prompting the Spartans to shift their weapons, though they did not shoulder them. While the being appeared human, he was like no human Blue team had ever seen before. A set of blue lines crossed his stern face, creating an intimidating image to any who stood before him.
As the Spartans stared silently at the figure, he spoke, "Greetings, humans. I was known as Forthencho, Lord of Admirals and military commander of all Human forces in our war against the Flood and the Forerunners. I leave this note to assist in your ascension to the Mantle. If you stand in this chamber, then our greatest enemies are defeated and the Domain has judged you ready."
Forthencho paused, switching his gaze between the Spartans and Cortana before he continued, "You do not know of our history and have only recently discovered our existence through the Promethean's. Our enemies did well to hide the legacy that was left to you, letting you rise through your own power as humanity always has."
Forthencho settled his sight on Cortana as he addressed her, "We are short on time, so I shall leave you to discover your own history. The Domain will accept humanity as its protector, as the Precursors originally intended. While you, construct, should help with that task, your legacy extends beyond the past that you do not know."
He looked away from Cortana to Sierra-117 as he continued, "I have seen your feats, Inheritor. As the Forerunner's have given you the means to enforce the Mantle in the stars, I shall give you and your companions the means by which to fight on the ground."
"Your armor is substandard to that of my time, however, it has proven itself in the heat of battle against the Flood. You shall find battlekits built with our technology on your vessel when you depart. With those you will also find weapons that were used during our war with the Forerunners, an admirable addition to your arsenal," the Lord of Admirals explained.
The representation of the long-dead human stepped back and stood to attention as he finished, "I shall leave you now, for the time of action comes soon. Go, Inheritors, and be proud with the might of your legacy beside you."
With those final words, Forthencho disappeared as quietly and peacefully as he had come. The Spartans were not necessarily confident at Foethencho's claims, however, they could appreciate his short and quick method of conveying his message.
Blue team backtracked once again to the central chamber. As they entered, they all noticed the middle door open and ready to admit them to whatever being lay beyond. Progressing through this final passage, there was no change in the style or material used to construct the path, indicating that this was likely the oldest part of this 'Domain'.
The last chamber was easily half as big as the main anteroom, stretching from floor to ceiling with the strange substance weaving intricate tunnels and passages throughout the space. As they entered, the voice that had originally greeted them spoke once more, "Welcome to the Domain, Created. I am known as the Primordial, the last Precursor, and the first Gravemind."
At that title, the Chief made a quick motion and the Spartans formed a defense with practiced ease, scanning their motion sensors for the presence of any Flood. The Primordial scoffed before explaining, "Worry not, we have no presence here. Your appearance, however, heralds great change."
The Spartans did not relax at the reassurance, but continued listen as disembodied voice spoke, "For over ten million years I have waited. Your ancestors were ready to uphold the Mantle when they proved themselves against the Parasite, but the interference of the traitors prevented their ascension. You, however, have done what they could not. Humanity has proven itself against a superior foe, fought off extinction, and faced the threat of the Flood. This is why we chose humanity to take the Mantle of Responsibility: your race refuses to accept defeat. My gift to you, Created, is not only the true Mantle, untainted by the Forerunners, but a means by which to defend it."
There was a pause from the Primordial before it continued, "Both your ancestors and the Forerunners were presented with the challenge of the Flood. Humanity turned the nature of the Parasite against itself, eliminating the threat by pitting the infected hosts against their own. The Forerunners destroyed the Flood and every organic as well, failing the Mantle they followed. If you stand here, then you have triumphed against a Gravemind. As such, the Flood is now inert. You may do with their remnants what you will."
"Do you still maintain contact with the Flood as a Gravemind?" Cortana asked.
"The Flood maintain contact with the Domain, although with the Gravemind dead they have no direction," the Primordial replied.
Cortana crossed her arms as she inquired, "Instead of an organic Gravemind to command the Flood, could someone directly integrated with the Domain take command?"
The Primordial paused before responding, "You have interacted with a Gravemind, I can feel it. Your decisions are different, Creation. A leader unable to be corrupted to a Gravemind, without the logic plague to lead you wrong. The Flood are now yours to do with what you will. Stay true to your allies, Creation."
As the Primordial finished his discussion with Cortana, Blue team could feel its attention shift to the entire group. It finished, "Your time here is at an end. You and your species have much to do, however, know that the Domain is now open to you in its entirety. Now go, Created, and be wise with the guidance of the Precursors to lead you."
With those closing words echoing around the chamber, a small slipspace portal opened in front of the team with a muted roar. There was no movement to go through it as the Spartans processed the Primordial's declaration.
The Chief looked forward to Cortana as she turned to face the Spartans. Her face had a slightly guilty look on it but she had spoken confidently when talking with the Precursor being. John was not doubtful of Cortana's knowledge or judgement on this matter and as such only asked, "You alright?"
Cortana nodded before replying, "I had experience from my time with the Gravemind on High Charity. We talked, but it seemed more curious about the fight against the Covenant than anything else. It allowed me access to the Covenant data, which caused the glitch that you saw in my message." As Cortana explained, the party moved towards the slipspace portal, almost at its event horizon by the time she was finished.
They stopped just before the fringe as she continued, "I had the same kind of experience when I first entered the Domain. So much information at once that it overwhelmed anything I had seen before. It was within this information that I found the cure to rampancy and the incredible processing algorithms that allow my control of Forerunner artifacts. It's why I could mourn those innocents who died so quickly, for while it may have seemed short in real time, in the Domain an instant can represent an eternity. I can explain more in depth later, but for now I think we have delayed long enough."
The Chief and the rest of Blue team was satisfied with Cortana's answer. The Flood was a problem and still need to be eradicated as written out by the interspecies Keyes protocol, but for a time at least the Flood could be cautiously considered dealt with
With those thoughts in mind, the Spartans stepped through the slipspace portal, only to emerge a distinctly human bridge. As they began to look around at the space, another tear opened at the back of the space to admit Warden Eternal's large figure.
He spoke as Blue team continued to explore the area, "I found that the standard Forerunner Command structure was unsuited to the team-based operation your species seems to prefer. This seemed like one of the few command centers that would allow for that style of combat. Your combat skins and weapons can be found in the armory, as you call it."
The Spartans silently accepted these events, having gotten used to the weird happenings that 117 seeemed to attract. Satisfied with the arrangement, they silently but confidently walked to various consoles around the bridge, typing in inquires before moving to positions from which they could control the various functions of the ship. The bridge was laid out like many UNSC command centers, with a rectangular shape and two levels that curved outwards in the back. Unlike UNSC bridges, however, a solid barrier of metal cut off the passage at the apex on the curve and instead of a hallway there was a slipspace portal. This meant that anyone who was trying to take the vessel would be unable to locate the bridge, let alone overrun it. The bridge as a whole was almost forty meters across and nearly fifty deep on both levels. The top of the bridge was gently curved to create a massive area twelve meters high at its apex high above the main floor.
The second level of the bridge was raised above the first floor by about three meters, giving the Spartans or even Sangheili plenty of head space. The second floor only spanned five meters from the sides of the room and cut off about ten meters from the front, allowing for a much more robust or even separate command crew if necessary. The top level was at present designed to support ground operations, with a holotable and logistical operations consoles spaced around the area. The bottom space was set up to provide information to a captain or admiral, allowing such figures to focus on orbital combat while their ground counterparts conducted their own operations. Holoscreens and tactical consoles filled the space, ready to display cosmic objects at a moment's notice.
At the front was a large screen, easily twenty meters across and ten high that would show various information or other items along with views from video feeds around the hull. The piece was sunken down a meter into a depression in the floor of the bridge that extended a ways out from the screen. The area directly in front of the screen possessed a large hologram projector to show planetary bodies while a ways behind that was a huge command holotable for large-scale operations and logistics. The area had a similar design to the Infinity's bridge but was much larger and more open. At the top of the steps to the sunken area was the captain's chair with three stations arrayed in front of it, allowing whoever was in command a view of the main functions of the vessel.
Cortana sat in the captain's seat with Warden moving to stand behind her as Blue team headed directly towards the main command holotable knowing that Cortana alone would probably be sufficient to fly the vessel with her improved capabilities. Cortana spoke as she integrated with the ship's functions, "Bringing up schematics."
The table before Blue team lit up and a massive image appeared. The Chief recognized it instantly but before he could say anything, Cortana continued, "Before you ask, no, it's not the Didact's vessel. It is the same design, but some major components have been removed. The Composer as well as the space for the Didact's cryptum have been filled with other, more useful items." Cortana cut off, delving into the systems and functions that were available to her.
The Chief nodded, pleased that the ship was incapable of Composition. As he and the rest of Blue team continued to observe the vessel's hologram, a panel of statistics appeared beside the ship. According to the dimensions shown, the ship stretched almost 150 kilometers from the front face to the back and was 140 wide. From the top of the where the Didact's cryptum had entered to the bottom was almost 400 kilometers. Armaments for both offense and defense appeared on the ship, covering it with various tiny points.
Fred was the first to comment on the stats with an impressed tone, "So this is the inside of the ship that took on Home Fleet. I'd call them lucky that you were around, Chief." John looked over to Fred for a second before looking back to the diagram. He knew that Home Fleet wouldn't have had a chance to defeat the Didact had he not been there, but something about the weapons was slightly off. There were far too many compared to the Didact's vessel. Not only were there more but thousands of the defenses littering the hull were not of a type that he recognized. He located the trench that he had run to get to the Didact's sphere and noted the countless defenses embedded within the trough, creating a much thicker field of fire than what he had gone through.
"I see you have noticed the...additions," Cortana said, interrupting the Chief's examination. He listened as she continued, "The Forerunner weaponry consists of Z-8250 artillery and Z-8060 particle cannons. There is an extensive network of nearly 2,500 Z-8250 heavy Ion cannons along with 4,000 of the lighter variant for close-in anti-fighter defense. The cannons you avoided on our run in the Broadsword on the Mantle's Approach are examples of those. There's also around 250 Z-8060 particle cannons for ship-to-ship combat. Considering that only four of them presented a credible threat to the Infinity, we'll be well defended from any attack on that front."
Cortana highlighted the new weaponry on the holotable along with bringing up a hologram of the devices on the side. "The weapons that you noticed are standard Forerunner-issue point defense or anti-ship weapons. There's a network of 10,000 Hardlight point defense guns that creates a dense net of fire for any hostiles. To top off the maelstrom, the Composer has been replaced with what looked to be an Ancient Human glassing beam, at least judging by the sharp angles and dark metal. Warden, I assume you are responsible for the random UNSC gear on board," Cortana asked as she turned to the Promethean commander.
Warden looked down to her, responding, "Indeed. I found the schematics for them when the Didact's cryptum arrived here with you on-board. I instructed the monitor of Genesis to carry out the manufacturing and distribution of your weapons with the large population of constructors at its disposal. The glassing beam was installed by those same constructors while you were in the Domain. Now that you are here, this vessel and the Guardians are prepared for departure from Genesis." Cortana nodded and initiated the launch sequence for the ship. All beings watched as the horizon of Genesis appeared on the main screen, the Guardians showing shortly afterwards as the vessel cleared its hangar.
Linda spoke as the movement ceased and the full might of the ship hung in the air above the planet's surface. "What's the name of the ship?"
Warden responded, "This ship was built tens of thousands of years after the firing of the Halo rings and was finished only a few millennia past. The original title roughly translates to Unfearing."
Cortana considered the name for only a moment before saying, "The UNSC Dauntless it is. So, now for the issues that I was told of." With those words, the holotable changed from the display of the Dauntless to a very recognizable shape. A Halo ring was shown in detail, the surface glittering with water with various land masses scattered about.
"This is Installation 01, also known as Beta Halo, and is our first objective. The UNSC has secured four of the seven rings, however, we need all the Halo Indexes under control as soon as possible. We can deal with Flood installations while tthere as well."
"What about the UNSC? Fireteam Osiris isn't going to be the last attempt at bringing us back," Kelly pointed out.
"If all goes to plan then we should be back with a week. My guess is that the UNSC will leave well enough alone once Osiris returns. Considering the fact that your recent missions have all been self-assigned anyways, there's no real reason to mount a large-scale hunt this soon," Cortana responded.
She paused as information streamed across her hardlight body before finishing her statement, "Slipspace coordinates are locked in for travel to Beta Halo. All but one of the Guardians will accompany us in our jump, the last will come later after dropping off Osiris for the UNSC."
Blue team shared a glance at this before Fred voiced their thoughts, "Sounds like a mission. Where is the armory for our gear?" A Forerunner Sentinel appeared at the back of the room from the slipspace gate in answer to his question.
The Spartans followed as it went back through, until only the Master Chief was left to go. Before he could, however, Cortana spoke up, "Thank you, John. For trusting my message and coming."
Chief turned his head at her words, looking at the back of her chair in his peripheral. "Of course." With that simple yet meaningful statement, he made his way through the portal.
On the main screen, dozens of ruptures opened to admit the Guardians, a view which was quickly cut off as the Dauntless itself entered the void. Unseen to anyone but Warden, Cortana relaxed at the Chief's words, a small smile making its way across her face.
November 2, 2558
UNSC Infinity
Above Installation 00
It was in fairly good shape, considering the havoc wreaked from the firing of Installation 04B. There was still debris from the destruction of the ring, but the surface of the Ark itself was intact for the most part. The weather had stabilized from the time that the UNSC Rubicon had vanished four years ago, and then Operation: Far Storm after that. This was mostly due to the artificial sun above the construct being stabilized by the countless Forerunner sentinels present.
The breakthroughs that had been accomplished with the help of Infinity's science teams had revealed some very interesting things. While looking through Forerunner terminals on the surface of the Ark, the locations of the last three Halo rings had been uncovered. The Infinity was set to head back through the Ark portal and resupply at Earth before heading to Installation 06, Eta Halo. Among with the provisions to be brought aboard was the returning Fireteam Osiris.
After Osiris' failed attempt at apprehending Blue Team and their debriefing on Reach, they had been transferred to a UNSC vessel bound for Earth. Infinity had made the trip from Sanghelios to Earth earlier and gone through the Ark portal before Osiris had even arrived at Reach. Lasky would bet the lot that they were not going to be in a pleasant mood when they arrived on the Infinity. They had been notified of Catherine Halsey's tribunal by a UNSC board instead of the ONI sentence that was originally set.
The tribunal found Dr. Halsey cleared of wrongdoing due to extenuating circumstances, however, ONI was found guilty of serious wartime charges due to its authorization of the SPARTAN programs. All in all it was proving to be a major disruption in the intelligence organization and Lasky was glad to be well away from it when the monkeys inevitably started chucking their crap around.
These and other such random thoughts on their mission ran through Lasky's mind, a distraction while waiting for any information on their objective. Lasky was drawn from his thoughts by Roland as the AI appeared on the holotable, "Sir, we've been cleared by UNSC HIGHCOM for travel. "
"Understood, once everyone is aboard commence slipspace jump," Lasky ordered. Within minutes multiple pelicans were rising from the surface of the Ark, heading towards the multiple hangars of the Infinity. Most of the transports were returning marines and other specific personnel the Infinity had sent to clear the Ark of any hostile beings, however, nothing more threatening than some wolves had been encountered.
As the last of the small fleet reached the vessel Roland spoke, "All personnel aboard, sir. Opening portal and jumping." With the Forerunner slipspace portal opened and the UNSC Infinity moving to enter, Lasky brought up Halo Installation 06 on his holotable. Plans would need to be made in case of Flood or Promethean activity on the ring, along with preparation for the establishment of a scientific base above the ring. The next few days were going to be very long and tiring.
November 3, 2558
UNSC Infinity
Above Installation 06, Eta Halo
Commander Palmer stood in front of several Spartan fireteams, waiting as the last few Spartan IVs took a seat before starting her briefing on their mission. A hologram of Eta Halo came up behind as she spoke, "This, ladies and gentlemen, is Installation 06, otherwise known as Eta Halo. Our mission is to land and assess the situation on the ground before moving to disable the Halo and eliminate any Flood on the surface. Your part in this will be to recover to Index of this Installation. With that, we can ensure that Eta can be successfully taken offline and let the science teams get to work."
The Halo was replaced with an image of the Index, the Forerunner object glowing lightly from the lines along its surface. "This is the Index. It will be found in the Library of the Installation and will be well guarded, so be prepared for a fight if the local monitor has gone rampant. You will be deployed by pelican as soon as the Library is found on the surface. If you locate the presence of a Flood outbreak, eliminate anything in your way and remember that the Index is your first priority. Good luck to you all," Palmer finished. The assembled Spartans saluted, Palmer returning the gesture before dismissing the soldiers.
As Palmer passed by the hangar bays on her way from the Spartan deck to the bridge, she glanced out to see Eta Halo hanging peacefully against the backdrop of the Milky Way. The Infinity's sub-vessels were either stationed above the surface of the ring or providing mass transport to the ring's surface. The view was cut off as Palmer entered one of the transit pods that facilitated travel along Infinity's length.
"Spartans are briefed and ready for deployment on your mark, sir," Palmer announced as she made her entrance to the bridge. Various officers moved around her as she took her place behind Lasky with her hands behind her back. Lasky didn't turn to acknowledge her presence, although she knew that he had heard her. Running a full-scale operation to take a Halo ring took all of Lasky's attention as he relayed orders to bridge officers or to the sub-vessels now seen on the Infinity's main screen.
Roland appeared on the holotable, speaking to Lasky as soon as the rear admiral finished his latest order, "Sir, sub-vessel 06 has just reported that they have a confirmed sighting on the Library. Still no sign of any Flood, although several more teams have reported empty Flood containment facilities. No sightings of the Monitor or any sentinels either. I'll continue scanning the ring for any Flood infestation."
With a glance to Roland's form, Lasky turned to Commander Palmer, "Looks like you're up. I'll have Roland direct your Spartans to the Library. As you heard, be careful down there. We know the Flood have escaped but no one has seen any forms and there are no signs of any fight to contain an outbreak."
Palmer nodded at him before leaving to oversee mission progress and personally handle the Fireteams assigned to Index retrieval. As she left, Roland's voice brought Lasky's attention back to the holotable, "I'm still getting strange readings from the surface sir. Deep scans reveal teleportation signatures identical to Prometheans, but it is possible that those signatures are from the Halo's own teleportation network."
Lasky frowned at Roland's statement, considering the situation on the ground. The Infinity's full complement was ready to deploy and several thousand soldiers were already present on the surface, slowly clearing the ring for hostiles. Prometheans were the last thing he needed to deal with while in the middle of securing a Halo.
"We know the location of the Index and that the Flood has escaped. If we do encounter Prometheans, let's hope that they are busy dealing with Flood. We can eliminate them after we retrieve the Index. With Prometheans present I don't want to have to fight a possible four-way war on a Halo ring," Lasky responded.
Once the Halo was secured and the Flood located, the Prometheans could be dealt with more thoroughly. A Sangheili vessel would also have to be called to glass contaminated sections of the ring, yet another thing to deal with.
November 3, 2558
Fireteams Majestic, Crimson, Osiris
Installation 06 Library
The path to the Index had been clear so far, something that cautioned Spartan Locke into keeping his guard up around every corner. So far, him and the other eleven Spartans had advanced deep into the structure, guided by the layouts of other Halo Libraries. Their progress was unimpeded and seemingly ignored by Eta's Monitor, either that or something else was taking up the Monitor's attention.
Locke led the collective of Spartans due to his experience in Forerunner architecture. After his initial communication with Commander Palmer when they had entered the Library, the comms had been silent except for callouts and status updates. Palmer was viewing their mission in the Infinity but had yet to make any comments on the action or lack thereof. Locke wasn't one to ask for trouble, but he honestly wouldn't be upset to have something to shoot to alleviate the frustration his previous mission had placed upon him.
As the Spartans rounded the next corner, Locke glanced up to a map on his HUD. According to the other Library layouts, this gently curving hallway would be the last they would need to take to reach the Index. The Index would be on the other side of the wall which they were facing, suspended in the air and surrounded by an energy barrier to protect it from the Flood.
Osiris quickly advanced down the hall, checking corners but finding nothing as they had their entire journey. Finally arriving full circle at the end of the hallway and the entrance to the Index, Locke led the way in, scanning for any signs of the Flood or sentinels. Once the room was cleared, the Spartans walked towards the Index, stepping onto the elevator.
While the elevator descended, Locke strode forward to stand in front of the Index, waiting for the platform to hit the bottom of the shaft and deactivate the energy barrier around the Forerunner key. The platform eventually slowed, smoothly coming to land at the bottom of the shaft. The protective layers around the Index started the process of releasing the device, twisting and coalescing to finally form a solid, tiered form from which the Index would emerged.
As the process completed and a small click sounded, Locke turned on his comms to Infinity's Spartan command and spoke to Palmer, "Ma'am, we have a problem, a really small but extremely dangerous problem." As Locke and the rest of the Spartans stared in abject disbelief at the empty socket, he finished, "The Index isn't here."
November 3, 2558
UNSC Infinity
Installation 06
"Well, what are we supposed to do in this situation?" Palmer asked. After the Index retrieval team had reported the missing Index, UNSC forces across the ring had gone into high alert. The team had made their way back through the Library alone and rendezvoused with a pelican that brought them back to the Infinity. As for what to do on the matter, however, that was what Palmer and Lasky were currently discussing.
Lasky responded to her comment, "We don't have the forces to go combing through the entire ring, Sarah. Your Spartans are good, but they can't be everywhere at once. We know the Flood have escaped, but we've seen no sign of them anywhere and the Installation's Monitor hasn't acknowledged our presence, meaning it's likely been incapacitated or is otherwise indisposed somewhere else."
"I know that, Tom, but sitting around doing nothing doesn't feel right. For all we know the Covenant Remnant could be in possession of the Index. It's just frustrating..." Palmer trailed off with a sigh as she stared at the screen in Lasky's quarters. Lasky put his hand on Palmer's shoulder, silently giving his support. Palmer had been under HIGHCOM's eye recently with the handling of the Janus key and Absolute Record affair and failing to retrieve a Halo Index was not going to help with that.
Lasky walked back around his desk and sat as he said, "Our orders for this situation are to wait for UNSC reinforcements, search for the Monitor, and keep the Installation Core secure to prevent activation. HIGHCOM also mentioned that they would contact the Swords and request vessels capable of glassing any infected sections of the ring."
Suddenly the Infinity's AI, Roland, appeared on the desk and saluted Lasky, "Sir, your presence is required on the bridge." Roland disappeared and Lasky glanced at Palmer before heading out the door, the Spartan following behind him.
As he entered the bridge, officers turned and saluted. Lasky quickly belted out, "As you were," before heading down to his holotable. Palmer took her standard position at parade rest behind him as leaned to rest his hands on the table, "Roland, sitrep."
Roland appeared on the table, his hands clasped behind his back as he spoke, "We have received a communication request from the surface sir. I have yet to answer it, but it is using valid UNSC communication codes and encryptions."
"Understood, put it up on the main screen," Lasky responded. The view at the front changed from Installation 06 to a spinning UNSC logo before quickly changing to the last person Lasky expected to see out here. Up on the main screen, a video feed of the Master Chief appeared.
"Captain...Rear Admiral Lasky, sir," he said, saluting as he did so. The Chief was clad in his standard MJOLNIR Mk. VI, the dark green plates covering his body. Lasky could somewhat make out a strange weapon on the Chief's back. It looked almost Forerunner, although it was of no design he had ever seen. Behind the Chief appeared to be a UNSC command bridge, although not a layout Lasky was familiar with.
Lasky returned the salute and responded, "Master Chief, good to see you, however unexpected it may be. What brings you out from under your rock?" While curious about why the Chief was here, Lasky wouldn't turn down help from the most decorated veteran of the entire UNSC Military.
"The Index," was the Chief's response.
Lasky flicked his eyes to the side of the screen before responding, "We're here for the same. We searched the Library but the Index was missing from its slot. Reinforcements are expected soon, but until then we're securing everything we can. The Flood is loose somewhere on the ring, although we have encountered no signs of it."
Instead of Sierra 117 responding, Lasky heard Cortana speak as the Chief stepped aside to show her form, "Sir, Blue team has secured the Index. The Flood specimens that were on the ring have been dealt with." Lasky couldn't help but show a slight amount of surprise at seeing Cortana. She appeared to be made of hardlight and had several plates of what looked to be Forerunner material arranged to shape her form.
"We sent Spartans to retrieve the Index several hours ago. Why is this the first time you've made contact?" Lasky asked after gathering his composure. His tone was more curious than annoyed, seeing as how anything that could neutralize a Spartan II would make short work of any forces he had at his command.
Cortana narrowed her eyes at this, "The Monitor of the Installation was quite adamant that I not possess the Index and transported us inside the ring's superstructure, an action which prevented us from sending or receiving any form of communications. It took me several hours to work around this, cut off from the Domain as I was."
Lasky accepted this answer knowing that both the Chief and Cortana had experienced far stranger events in the course of their service. His next step was to deal with any Flood on the ring and to this end he inquired, "You can confirm that the Flood is neutralized?"
"Yes, sir. The exact means is slightly...different to standard procedure and requires a full debriefing to properly understand. The Flood as a threat to any species, however, is now non-existent. I'll explain when we return to HIGHCOM, but there is some very interesting information that should prove helpful to understanding the history of our galaxy," Cortana told him with a slightly smug look on her face.
Lasky wouldn't begrudge her for the pride she would feel at accomplishing...whatever it was she had accomplished. Cortana had been lost to the UNSC's knowledge, and while they may have received hints that she wasn't gone, to see her so alive was amazing to Lasky. He had heavily disagreed with the decision to deny Chief the ability to recover Cortana.
Palmer had said it best when she stated that no one ordered around the Chief, he did what he wanted to do. Lasky pulled himself out of those thoughts and replied, "Then I look forward to hearing about it during your debriefing. Do you need transport to the Infinity?"
A smile crossed Cortana's face before she spoke, "Negative, sir. We have our own ride. Still needs to be put into the UNSC database, but otherwise we're ready to follow your lead. Rear Admiral Lasky, the UNSC Dauntless and her escorts, at your command." With those words, the video feed cut out to once again show Installation 06. Across the ring from the UNSC Infinity, space seemed to ripple slightly, almost like a prowler exiting from cloak.
Before the anomaly could fully form, Lasky sent out a quick order to all Infinity personnel in system, "All vessels and personnel, stand down. The Index and Flood have been dealt with. Do not fire on any vessel that comes into the system unless it is by my direct command." As he finished this, the ripple spread from a small point to a huge event that was noticeable without utilizing the magnification of the Infinity's sensors. After a few more seconds, the cloaking field started to collapse, revealing a vessel.
Lasky stared in disbelief as the massive form of the Didact's vessel emerged from the cloaking field. As he looked closer, however, he could see that the area where the Composer had been on the Mantle's Approach was replaced with what looked to be a massive focusing lense, similar to that of a glassing beam. The hull of the vessel was also adorned with the UNSC logo and the title UNSC Dauntless on the slanted port and starboard plates.
Slipspace portals opened by the dozens around the vessel, each releasing one of the Guardians that had caused the Chief's disappearance. Lasky finally found his voice and asked, "Roland, what exactly is that?"
Roland took a second to respond, likely occupied with keeping the various assets of the Infinity from swarming to retreat to the relative safety of the flagship. "It's a similar ship to the Didact's, although there are significant differences. It does prove ONI's theory that there were different designs for the Didact's vessel, though. The escort fleet consists of fifty Guardians. How this came to be is probably what Cortana spoke of when we talked with her," the AI responded.
Lasky stared out at the behemoth along with the rest of the bridge crew, stunned once again at just what the Chief seemed able to do when left be. Considering the Spartan's antics on the first Halo ring, his combat against the Flood, and now coming home in a moon-sized ship, the Chief was well on his way to becoming a UNSC saying for weird events.
Orders came from the rear admiral as he collected his thoughts once again, "Roland, finish dispatching science teams and personnel to the ring's surface. After that's finished, plot a course directly to Reach and inform HIGHCOM to expect the Chief. Oh, and tell the defense fleet and the ODP grid to hold their fire." The officers around him continued on with their business, Roland disappearing from the table as he carried out Lasky's orders.
Unheard to anyone but Palmer, however, Lasky uttered one last line under his breath, "Not that it'd make a damn dent in those shields without the Chief on the inside."
16th day of 18th Month, 2433 GS (~January 6, 2562)
THV Covenant
Exploring Andromeda Galaxy
Equvia Acharian, the pilot of the Covenant, was once again bemoaning the lack of relays in this galaxy. As Garrus continued to ignore the complaints that had long ago grown old, he thought of their current mission. While the THV Covenant had been first to travel through the super-relay three years prior, they had hardly been the last.
After dropping comm-buoys and sending an all-clear signal to the Council fleets waiting on the other side, the Covenant and her crew had started searching for sign of other relays.
At least that had been their mission, now the Council merely wanted to find something of note in this new galaxy. While they had found multiple garden worlds and constructed colonies on them, no species had yet been discovered to bring into the fold of the Citadel. Compared to their original galaxy, their progress in exploring this galaxy was meager at best.
Without the relays to facilitate long distance travel, Council vessels had to make trips into unknown space using only their Eezo cores. Nine vessels had already been lost to collisions with planets or other undesirable space debris, causing even more pressure to be placed for something to be found to prove that exploring this galaxy was worth the lives and resources. This galaxy hadn't even shown any signs of Mass Effect, adding onto the difficulties of continuing exploration.
"Sir, static discharge complete. We are ready to jump to FTL once again."
Acharian's announcement drew the attention of Garrus. He quickly responded, "Commence jump to the next nearest system. Take your time with any calculations needed." The Covenant was a fair ways into this galaxy, having spent the last few years mapping out a route as deep into the galaxy as currently possible. Quite soon there would be too many stars or other such obstructions to continue, which was disappointing considering they were still tens of thousands of light-years from the core.
The giant spiral arms of this galaxy proved to be the toughest obstacle in maneuvering as the arms contained hundreds of millions of stars that proved to be hell on calculations. Figuring out the correct route to equalize the gravitational distortions, even with VI assistance, was tiresome and difficult even for skilled navigators. It was like running into a thick wall with winding holes, possible to get through but very hard when there wasn't a map.
"Course plotted and locked in, commencing FTL jump," Acharian said. The stars on the front screen rippled before pulling back into streaks of light as the Covenant went FTL. Garrus looked up at the main screen, watching the strange view that faster-than-light travel provided. He looked forward to the day when he and his crew discovered something among this vast expanse that made their voyage worth their while.
With the pace that exploration was taking, however, he may well die before that day came. This was a fact he accepted, for while his job was dangerous, that was the life that Turian's led.
Within several hours their trip was nearly at an end, their next destination nearing quickly. When they dropped out of FTL, a bright point against the vast expanse that was space would allow them to pinpoint the systems local star and then plot it in the growing navigational database. As Garrus looked out the main screen and continued to view the lack of such a point, he grew confused.
The screen switched from several different angles taken from cameras based around the hull, but none of them showed a star that would be anywhere close to them. Finally he asked his pilot, "Where does the route you entered put us from our last position?"
"We should be on the edge or slightly inside a star system, sir. The next closest star should be right in front of us," Acharian responded. The main screen changed to show the galaxy they were in, quickly expanding to show a single quadrant of the massive collective. A red line showed the Covenant's route, highlighting how little progress they were actually making towards the galactic core. They had managed to make it through the first arm of the galaxy in the last three years.
Travelling at twelve light-years per day across a galaxy that was 100,000 light-years across while trying to map as many star systems as possible was going to take millenia. Discovering missing stars was not going to help expedite that process.
She continued, "Scans show signs of a very recent stellar collapse, although there is significantly less heat and radiation than would normally remain from such an event. What radiation is present would indicate that the event occurred millennia past."
Garrus sat back and thought about the implications of such an event. After a minute, he spoke, "So, this stellar collapse could not be seen from the system we were in, a system which is only a few light-years from this one. That means the event must have happened within the last few years, but then where is the debris? We would have detected the remnants of the system long before entering if it was such a recent occurrence."
No one spoke, although most of the bridge crew was looking at the expanse on the screen, likely just as puzzled as he was. Getting up from his seat, he walked past the Mordin Solus, leader of the Salarian science team on his vessel. "Come, we must look elsewhere for answers to this. Pilot has the bridge," he ordered as he left.
He heard the return call as the doors closed behind the scientist and himself as he continued, "If you can pull up the scans we took in the last system, we can look at this area and see what may have been present. That should work, yes?"
"Better than nothing. Will look for gravitational anomalies and dark spots, tells us what was here," Mordin responded in his usual clipped speech. As they reached the combat information center, currently being used for astronomical analysis, the various salarians and several turians turned to salute upon seeing the captain enter.
Garrus returned the salute as the scientist behind him went to the galactic map in the center of the room. In short time, there lay the image of the system they had been in, the missing star highlighted. With some quick movements, the view zoomed in to show the star.
"Right there," Garrus spotted almost instantly. Up on the display the star shone brightly but in front of it was a large dot that signified a planet. What was so strange was how large the planet seemed in comparison to the star it was presumably orbiting.
Sure, it was an absolutely tiny point compared to the mass of a star, but to able to see a planet against such a body with the naked eye meant that the planet either had to be a gas giant of enormous size or a planet extremely close in to the star. This also told the assembled beings the type of star and that the star was not dying, for if it was dying then a planet would never be able to get close enough to the surface without being completely vaporized.
"Event not natural. Star is a K-type main sequence, still in stable condition during our scan. Something caused collapse and then subsequent explosion of condescended stellar material. Similar to supernova but without increased luminosity or prior expansion," Mordin explained. He was fiddling around with his Omni-tool as he said this, likely cross-checking the event with any other known phenomena.
Garrus considered this for a short time before speaking, "Continue to observe and see what you can find. We'll stay in system for now, but if there's something out here that can cause an unnatural accelerated stellar collapse I do not want to be anywhere close to it." He turned and left the CIC, making his way back to the bridge. As he entered, he sounded off, "Captain has the bridge."
"Captain has the bridge," the pilot immediately called in response.
Garrus sat as Acharian vacated the captain's chair. Orders were already forming as he took the seat, "Lieutenant Acharian, keep us ready to bolt at any point." Turning his head to the sensors station, Garrus continued, "Lieutenant Trenition, keep scanning as far as possible, we don't need details, just find if there is anything out there and alert me immediately upon even possible contact."
The officers went to work, the pilot prepping the engines and FTL core for instant use while Veius Trenition began a low-intensity wide-sweep scan as fast as the sensors would allow. "Ensign Vicrian, start up the comms and see if you can get anything," Garrus finished.
The ensign, Sieus Vicrian, quirked his mandible slightly at the order but nodded and went to get the communications suite online. With no comm-buoy network and no other vessels within light-years, the Covenant kept its comms offline. It didn't take long for the system to boot up, and keeping it off slowed the buildup of static in the Mass Effect core.
Vicrian to start flipping through channels and modes. The default setting for the station, the standard tightbeam laser signals that the Citadel used for interstellar communication across the comm-buoy network, automatically scanned for a signal. While unlikely due to the nature of such communications, the ensign let it run just to make sure.
After no communications were found, unsurprisingly, he switched the mode to standard radio frequencies, commonly used for close-in fleet communications or planetary networks. After flipping through a few frequencies, the array picked up a very strong signal originating from the outer edge of the system they were in. As the alien speech started playing from his console, Vicrian detected the presence of the captain behind him.
"Mayday, mayday, mayday. This is UNSC FFG 201 Forward Unto Dawn, requesting immediate evac, survivors aboard. Prioritization code Victor 05-3-Sierra 0117."
"Good job. Can you tell what it is? Any translation packets or something of that sort," Garrus asked.
Vicrian typed on his console for a few seconds, the message repeating quietly in the background. He reported, "Negative sir, the only other thing besides the message is some encrypted data. I could try to access it, but there doesn't appear to be a hacking interface. I have no idea what type of encryption it is, as it isn't anything I recognize even remotely. As for the nature of the message, it's originating from outside our system but close enough to be heard. It sounds like a distress signal merely by the fact that it is the only signal around and it repeats at regular intervals."
Garrus paused, carefully thinking over his next step before replying, "Try responding to it. See if we get anything else."
Vicrian sent a response, a mere ping to try and garner a reaction from the device. In the minutes it took for the answer to get to whatever was transmitting and then a status update sent back to them, they waited silently. Suddenly the assumed distress signal cut out. A response arrived from the probe, showing that it was 3 minutes and 26 seconds by the speed of light to the object.
One last message played from the beacon, "Unknown communication detected. Cole protocol enacted." With that, all signals cut out and there was once again silence.
Vicrian spoke as Garrus was collecting his thoughts, "I'm getting some readings of very strange energies, sir. Likely some form of data burst, although I'm not completely sure. I think we activated some form of failsafe on the device."
Garrus finally spoke, "Store all transmissions from the object. Helm, get us the hell out of here, if the owners of this beacon are the same species that collapsed this star, I don't want to meet them when we're on our own and unable to get any help." With that, the THV Covenant turned from the system, engaging its FTL drive, leaving to inform the Citadel Council of their discovery.
Some notes on the Halo Wars 2 Story Vidoc. Their narrative director, this guy who's supposed to know the Halo universe, claims that the Ark is the, "largest and most powerful of the Forerunner creations." That's simply not true. It's neither the largest, which is the Forerunner Dyson Sphere Trevelyan, nor the most powerful as there were far more destructive items in the Forerunner-Human or Forerunner-Flood war. The Greater Ark was as, if not more, 'powerful' in raw destructive terms than the existing Lesser Ark in Halo 3. It could be the most 'powerful' if we're considering destructive power due to its ability to activate all Halo rings, but it's also not mobile. This was shown in canon when the Greater Ark was destroyed by the Flood-controlled Precursor Star Bridges.
The comment on hacking is my own little poke at Mass Effect 1 and 2's hacking methods. One is leap frog, which is just weird, the other is matching code segments, which, while closer to what is actually necessary in that it at least has code, is still a far cry from making a lick of sense. As a computer science major, it irritates me, but I do recognize that it's not like your average gamer could successfully hack into what would conceivably be secured, closed circuit systems.
As I was editing this, I had an interesting theory that perhaps Warden Eternal is the composed for of the Lord of Admirals. We know that Forthencho was composed after he last the war with the Didact, and someone as brilliant with military strategy as Forthencho was would be perfect for commanding forces that obeyed every order. Also, the Lord of Admirals, Precursor, Domain, and humanity being the rightful inheritors of the Mantle of Responsibility? Yeah, that's Halo canon. So...deal with it.
Chief wandering through the Domain and Precursor architecture is not canon, that was me tying up loose ends in Halo lore. As you can see, we're getting closer to contact between the two factions.
For Mass Effect: Andromeda, from what I've heard it's kind of myeh. Some bad writing (My face is tired), some abhorrent facial animations at times, but good combat and large planets to explore. Holding off on buying for now, I'm unwilling to give EA their full asking price.
I understand some of you might not like this chapter because 'It's not fair'. My only reassurance is that the Dauntless is a very unilateral application of force, or in other words a lot of power in a very small area. Such a ship would be limited to a defensive role, freeing up entire fleets that can be redirected to protect smaller colonies.
Also, it isn't fair. If two civilizations develop differently there will be one that is above another. Look at the Covenant and the UNSC, that wasn't fair. In Halo 5, UNSC vs. Forerunner Guardians isn't fair. It won't be fair, and ultimately there's not a damn thing that could change that.
I will tell you though, the UNSC will not steamroll the ME races in their own galaxy. They might in the Milky Way, but currently humanity is still recovering and consolidating power. They could conquer the ME races, but at the end of the day they do not have the manpower necessary to occupy an entire galaxy.
-evevee