54Hello again!
This is chapter 2!
Something I forgot to say before: when the Covenant races are talking amongst other members of their race, assume they are using their native language. If they are talking to other races, assume they are using common (english).
And now, we return to our feature presentation...
A fragment of a ship lies nestled in the brush of an immense jungle. Birds caw in the distance, and the rustling of strange, unknown things moving through the foliage could be easily heard. Suddenly, a loud crash sounded from within the ship. A green-armored fist smashed through the hull, punching a jagged hole in the metal. The hand opened, grasped the lip, and pulled the metal apart. A green boot slid out from the rift, and slowly the man within emerged. He was unnaturally tall, around 7 or 8 feet, and was clad completely in jade armor. On his head, he wore a helmet with a glistening orange visor. The man looked up, examining his surroundings: John-117 had returned.
R'vek stared down at the Kig-Yar before him, eyes narrow. Zek was an assassin, nothing more. It didn't matter if he was government sanctioned; he was a hired killer, and nothing else. Still, he and his mate Jyn did always get the job done, and R'vek did have to admit that he had witnessed their effectiveness during the Covenant/Human war.
"Well?"asked Zek, tapping his foot impatiently. R'vek noticed the bandages and sling on Zek's arm, and smirked.
"Have a little trouble, Zek?" he asked cockily, smirking. Zek scowled.
"Five Jiralhanae, R'vek," he said coldly, "all armed with hammers. Let's see you do better." R'vek's eyes narrowed.
"Was that a challenge, Kig-Yar?" he said menacingly, fingering the rifle at his belt. Zek stared back at R'vek, and his hand slowly moved towards the needler at his hip. The two stood there for what seemed like an eternity, each staring the other in the eye. Eventually, Zek ended the tension by pulling the data card from his pocket.
"I do believe this is what this meeting concerns?" he said, a smile tugging slightly at his lips. R'vek scowled, rolled his eyes, and began to reach for the card. Zek pulled it away quickly, clutching the fragile card in such a way that he could snap it in two at any second.
"Ah, not so fast, Sangheili," he said, grinning. "Money first." R'vek scowled, and tossed a briefcase onto the table. Zek opened the case, and began inspecting the Alliance bills that were bound in stacks, each stack worth a full 10000 credits. Zek only accepted solid money: digital money was too easy to lie about. Once he verified that all 50 stacks were present, he snapped the case shut, and slid the data card across the glass table to an impatient R'vek. "All data from the downed Jiralhanae ship, as promised." R'vek scowled, took the card, and turned.
"Very well, Zek, you may go." Zek turned to leave, but hesitated for a moment.
"R'vek? Remember the war? We were friends then. Tell me; what's changed?" Zek asked, once again wondering just how their solid friendship forged in the heat of war had been broken. R'vek sighed.
"We took different paths," was all R'vek said, and he walked out the door.
R'vek slammed the car door as he pulled into his drive; it had been a long day. Hiking his jacket up around his shoulders, he heavily walked to his front door, gloomily turning the handle and walking into his house. He slipped off his footwear, and jogged up the stairs to the living room, hanging his jacket on the coat rack on the stairs. As he reached the living room, he saw Tira at the table reading a news pamphlet. She was wearing a snug blue sweater, and loose fitting denim pants. She set down the digital pamphlet, looking up at R'vek from the couch, her eyes bright.
"Well, how'd it go?" she asked excitedly, referring to the test. R'vek had been preparing himself for that test since he had taken it a month before. R'vek sighed, rolling his head on his neck.
"Ugh, not good," he replied, tired after what truly was a bad day. "99% accuracy, highest firing speed… but a bad reaction to the Spartan target." He sighed, and Tira knew that that wasn't the only thing that had happened during R'vek's day. R'vek sat down next to her, and she draped her arm over his shoulder, leaning her head on it.
"I'm sorry. I'm sure you'll get it eventually; after all, even the Commander says that you are his best student. Anything else happen today?" she asked, trying to make it sound casual. R'vek sighed, rolling his eyes.
"Yeah," he said, exasperated, "my talk with the Commander after my failed test made me late to a meeting."
"With who?" asked Tira, prying. R'vek replied in one word.
"Zek." Tira sighed, remembering when she had first met the rather unique Kig-Yar. She had been a nurse for the Covenant military at the time, and Zek was her patient around the time R'vek was. Apparently, the strange Kig-Yar had used plasma grenades to trigger an avalanche near a human encampment. After the avalanche was triggered, he had used his shield as a sled and had tried to ride the crushing tide of snow. While he had survived, he had managed to break both his legs. R'vek had met him in combat, and at the time, the two were fast friends. However, after the war, the two had taken different paths, R'vek staying in what he considered an honorable military position, while Zek became a government sanctioned assassin with his mate Jyn. Since then, R'vek had hated his former friend.
"What happened with you two?" she asked, sighing as she snuggled into R'vek's shoulder. "I thought you were friends." R'vek's eyes narrowed.
"Some things are better left unsaid," was all R'vek said. Suddenly, the communicator in his pocket began to buzz. R'vek took it out, and his eyes widened as he saw that the call was from the Arbiter himself. R'vek excitedly showed Tira who the call was from before answering. "Grand Arbiter!" he said excitedly as he answered the call. "To what do I owe this great honor?"
"R'vek Kehrim, based on your recorded accuracy and speed, you are far more competent than most of our gold armored majors that remain alive. I have a mission for you." R'vek's eyes widened, and he beamed with pride: a mission from the Grand Arbiter himself!
"Yes, sir! I will do all in my power to ensure success. What is it you require?" R'vek replied, eager to impress the Arbiter.
"I want you to lead a team of Major and Minor Sangheili to investigate a fragment of a large craft that has landed on our planet. We fear that it may be a fragment of the recently destroyed Halo, or if not, some other Forerunner artifact. As such, it may contain traces of the Flood." At this, R'vek's hearts nearly stopped. The Flood had claimed the lives of thousands of Covenant soldiers, twisting them into hideous monstrosities that fought to the death in service of the tyrannical entity known as the Gravemind. The Arbiter paused, and continued with his instructions. "Anything and anyone aboard that vessel is to be considered hostile; we don't want to risk an outbreak on our home-world. If possible, you are to salvage anything of use on the vessel. After all combat threats and useful items are removed, you are to incinerate the wreckage. While you are not yet of sufficient rank to wield a sword, these are not normal circumstances. For the purpose of this mission, you will be equipped with two plasma swords, three plasma grenades, and a plasma rifle." The Arbiter paused, allowing R'vek time to absorb the information before continuing. "If you are successful in this mission, you will be promoted to the rank of Guardian, effective immediately." R'vek's eyes widened: Guardian was one of the most honored positions a Sangheili could hold. The Guardians numbered in the mere thousands, and each had their own custom suit of armor and set of weaponry. The Guardians were not a part of the official military, but were of an elevated status, and formed nearly their own private government, led directly by the Arbiter. As such, the Guardians could serve as any rank in the military, including taking the position of Shipmaster when necessary. "Do you accept this mission?" R'vek almost laughed at the question.
"Yes, sir!" he responded crisply.
"Good," replied the Arbiter. "A Phantom will arrive at your home tomorrow morning. I will brief you and your troops on board." Though R'vek could not see the Arbiter, he could tell by his voice that he was smiling. "I've heard good things about you, R'vek. I'm looking forward to meeting you face to face." With that, the Arbiter hung up. R'vek lowered the communicator from his face, dumbfounded.
"Well?" asked Tira impatiently. "What was it about?" R'vek turned to face her, his face bright.
"I'm going to be away tomorrow… leading a mission for the Arbiter!" he said, his voice ecstatic. Tira's eyes widened at the news. "What's more is that if I succeed, I will be made a Guardian!" At that, Tira leapt from the couch and into her mate's arms, and the two hugged affectionately. Finally, things were looking up for them.
Jyn looked up from her computer as Zek walked through the door. He was scowling, and had one hand shoved into the pocket of his leather jacket while the other clutched a steel briefcase. Jyn laughed. "It was that bad, was it?" Zek rolled his eyes, and tossed the case onto the table, popping it open to reveal the 500,000 credits that lay inside.
"Yeah, R'vek hasn't changed since last we talked, that's for sure. At least he keeps his word and actually gives us real money," Zek said, scowling. Suddenly, his communicator began to buzz in his pocket. He pulled it out and answered it, not bothering to check who the caller was first. "Hello?" he asked in an annoyed tone.
"Zek?" replied a voice from the other end of the line. "This is the Arbiter." Zek's eyes widened: if he was getting a call from the Arbiter, it meant he had either done something terribly wrong or incredibly right, and knowing his line of work, it was probably the former.
"Mr. Arbiter!" he exclaimed in surprise, his eyes wide, his spines starting to glow slightly, standing on edge. "I assure, whatever it was, I didn't do it!" Zek heard laughing on the other end of the line, and was slightly relieved; after all, laughing probably meant that the call wasn't a court summons.
"That's not what this is about, Zek," laughed the Arbiter, "although you do have quite the interesting record!" The Arbiter cleared his throat, regaining his composure. "I have a mission in which you and your mate's… unorthodox fighting methods would prove most useful." Zek's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Excuse me, sir, but what so you mean by 'unorthodox'?" he asked, wondering if the Arbiter was insulting him.
"I do believe that attempting to engage five Jiralhanae in single combat and then being bailed out by your mate, Jyn, only after she watched you get beaten to a pulp for amusement could be considered unorthodox, Zek, if not downright insane," replied the Arbiter flatly.
"Touché," said Zek. The Arbiter remained quiet for a moment, and then continued.
"I want you and Jyn to lead a group of Kig-Yar in an investigation of a fragment of a downed vessel. We have reason to believe that this may be either from the recently destroyed Halo or another Forerunner vessel, and therefore it may contain traces of the Flood. While I already have a team of Sangheili for the job, the relative immunity of the Kig-Yar to the Flood could come in quite handy if any Flood forms are discovered." The Arbiter paused, and Zek spoke.
"What's in it for me if I accept?" he asked, thinking.
"If you succeed, your standard rate of 500,000 credits will be paid to you, and you will each receive a bonus of a custom set of weaponry and shield for each of you, plus a specially designed shield generator similar to the ones installed in Sangheili armor." The Arbiter paused, allowing Zek to absorb the considerable reward. "In addition, if either of you should be killed, you—" Zek interrupted the Arbiter, his voice stern.
"Neither of us is going to die, sir," he said firmly, denying the possibility that he could lose Jyn in combat. The Arbiter chuckled from the other end of the line.
"Zek, I admire your dedication to your mate, but no one is immortal. As I was saying, if either of you should die in combat, the living partner will receive a doubled reward and be given the standard grievance period, while the deceased will be remembered as a planetary hero and have an official military funeral befitting a shipmaster. If Jyn is the survivor and she later produces your offspring, the government of Sanghelios will provide her with money to raise the child." Zek scowled.
"I will repeat myself sir: neither of us will die." The Arbiter paused at Zek's comment.
"Very well. Do you accept the mission?" Zek looked down, considering, before smiling mischievously.
"Arbiter, I can't wait to smash some bugs!"
R'vek stood outside his front door, clad in his old armor. The scratched blue plates glistened in the early morning sun, and a tattered cloak whipped around his body in the wind. The armor still bore small holes in the right leg, and three holes at the loft collarbone; this was the same suit he had worn when he had survived an encounter with the Mater Chief. Since then, R'vek had had many chances to replace his battered equipment, but this armor had saved his life so many times, he just couldn't bear to part with it, and during the war, this scarred suit of armor and his many scars from that first battle had earned him the nickname "scarhide". R'vek heard the door open and close behind him, and smiled. He turned his armored body, and saw Tira standing in the door, her body wrapped in a white, floor length robe. She shivered slightly in the crisp morning air, but she continued outside anyway, walking down the cold stone steps barefoot. R'vek extended a hand to her, allowing his cape to fly behind him in the morning breeze. Tira took his hand, and R'vek saw the worried look in her eyes. As she took his hand, R'vek drew her into an embrace, holding her slender body close against his. He felt her body shaking, and saw a single, glistening tear rolling down her face. "Shh, don't worry," he whispered in her ear soothingly. "I'll be alright." Tira sniffed.
"R'vek… I… I tapped your call with the Arbiter," Tira said softly. R'vek chuckled; he should have known. During the war, Tira had been the nurse who tended to his wounds after his first battle, but she had also held other positions. One of them had been intercepting and decoding enemy messages. She was good at her job. "I know about… about the Flood. R'vek… don't do this! It's not worth your life!" R'vek held his mate close to him, and he began to breathe heavily, taking in her scent as much as he could before he left, knowing that if the Flood was there, this could very well be the last time he saw her.
"Tira, if I don't do this, I will never attain any rank higher than a lesser Major, not even allowed to use a sword in combat. This mission could make me a guardian: the highest level of honor available to our people. If I do this, I may run the risk of death, but if I refuse, I may as well have never lived at all." He smiled, and rested his head on Tira's. "Besides, I survived an encounter with the De—" R'vek stopped himself, then realized that he had no reason to: to him, the Spartan would always be a Demon. "The Demon; I hardly think a few parasitic insects will be any trouble!" A loud whirring noise faded into the crisp air, and a sleek Phantom landed behind him, its purple plated doors sliding open with a loud whoosh. R'vek pulled out of the hug, Tira's delicate hand still clasped in his. He looked her in the eyes, and almost changed his mind. "I will return," he said, and turned, reluctantly leaving his mate. R'vek climbed into the Phantom, and looked over his men: they were a group of Majors and Minors, all of them ready and well equipped. Some of the higher ranking Majors looked at him with disdain, obviously not liking that they were to be led by someone of such a low rank as him. One, however, one Major clad in red armor, slouching in his seat, looked up at him with a sly look of recognition.
"Hello, Scarhide," said the older major, grinning. "Looks like you made it out alive." R'vek's eyes widened: it was R'tak, the major who had saved him from the Spartan during his first battle!
"R'tak?" R'vek whispered in surprise; he had thought that John – 117 had killed him! R'tak smiled, nodding.
"Yes, Kehrim, it's me. Somehow, I managed to survive tackling the Chief; now that was a story to tell the little ones!" R'tak chuckled, and looked around R'vek, to see Tira, still standing out in the morning air, her hands clasped at her robe's neckline. R'tak whistled, grinning. "R'vek, I see you've got quite the little flower waiting for your safe return!" he laughed, and R'vek shifted uneasily on his feet. R'tak pulled R'vek into a seat next to him, and looked at Tira. "Don't worry!" he shouted, waving. "I'll make sure he doesn't get too banged up!" With that, the doors on the Phantom slid closed, and the aircraft lifted off the ground, speeding away from the hillside where R'vek lived. Once they reached cruising altitude, R'vek got up out of his seat, walking towards the pilot seat. The Pilot was a young Sangheili in aqua armor, and R'vek could tell by his size and youth that he was a Minor. R'vek was surprised to see one so young in this position: sure, R'vek himself was only 23, but he had gained experience through fighting in the Covenant/Human war. This kid looked to be no older now than R'vek was when he had first entered the war: 17!
"Excuse me, brother, but would you tell me exactly where we're headed?" "R'vek asked, and the young pilot flicked the autopilot switch, swiveling around in his chair to face R'vek. As their eyes met, the young Sangheili's eyes widened.
"R'vek Kehrim?" he said, bewildered. "Scarhide?! I knew that we were having an impressive soldier as our leader in this mission, but I didn't think it would actually be you!" R'vek blinked slowly: how had the Minor known not only his full name, but his wartime nickname as well?!
"Do… do I know you?" asked R'vek, surprised. The youth smiled, beaming.
"Of course I do! Do you have any idea what happened back here after you faced the Master Chief? Yours and R'tak's pictures were all over! My friends and I used to pretend to reenact the scene where you survived your encounter; I can't believe I'm actually talking to you!" R'vek's eyes narrowed; this kid didn't know what he was talking about.
"What's your name, brother?" asked R'vek, his voice stern
"Ir'kas Vallum, sir!" the youth replied with a salute. R'vek rested his hands on the pilot seat's armrests, and stared Ir'kas in the eyes.
"Let me tell you something, Ir'kas. See my leg?" said R'vek, pointing to his right leg. Ir'kas nodded uneasily, beginning to regret his enthusiasm. "This leg was crushed by a fragment of Scarab armor flying through the air with faster than a Ghost. It had to be amputated; I've got metal there now. See these holes?" R'vek said, pointing to the holes in his armor at his left collarbone. "These are the holes the Spartan's bullets left when he shot me. He wasn't aiming for my shoulder; he was aiming for my head. R'tak tackled him, and threw off his aim before he could kill me." R'vek scowled, moving closer to Ir'kas' face until the Sangheili Minor had to lean his long neck back to put his eyes an inch away from R'vek's. "I stared down the barrel of his gun, Ir'kas. He walked up to me as I was desperately crawling away, kicked me over, and put his gun in my face, looking me in the eyes the entire time. Trust me; you do not want to be me." With that, R'vek stood up straight, his arms hanging loosely by his sides. Ir'kas' eyes were wide, and his face looked shocked.
"Yes sir," he whispered, trying to absorb what his childhood hero had just told him. "We're headed to an area in the jungles to the south; not much population there, so if there is Flood at the crash site, it should be relatively easy to contain." R'vek nodded, and returned to his seat. Soon, he would finally achieve his full potential. Soon.
Zek helped Jyn into the Phantom, hoisting her up onto the high platform inside the ship. A group of about twelve other Kig-Yar sat casually in the drop-ship, many leaning their elbows on their knees. They were all carrying a few grenades and a shield generator, and they each had their own personal choice of weapons, some with beam rifles, while others carried pistols or needlers. A couple of them even wore a crystalline dagger at their belts. Zek stumbled as the ship took off, and cursed loudly at the pilot in his native tongue. The response he got was the pilot's extended third finger sticking out from the cockpit. Zek rolled his eyes: he just loved working with others. He and Jyn walked over to a pair of seats and sat down, both of them fingering their weapons. Even though the Kig-Yar around them were allies, that didn't make Zek any more comfortable around them. In fact, it made him more worried: when the people around you were enemies, at least you knew that they were going to try and shoot you. Jyn sighed, wrapping her hand around the hilt of her blade. The Kig-Yar next to Jyn was a tall, lanky male, with surprisingly long and sharp spines. He wore a beam rifle across his back, and at his belt hung not a crystalline dagger, but a full-fledged cutlass. He looked down at Jyn, and smiled lightly, looking down the front of her shirt.
"Hey," he whispered, leaning over next to her, "nice set you got there." Jyn's eyes snapped wide, one eyebrow quirked.
"Excuse me?" she said, slowly beginning to pull her knife out of its sheath. The male grinned, his eyes flicking from Jyn's eyes to her chest every few moments.
"Yeah, that's what I said," he replied, a hungry grin on his face. His right hand idly moved to his belt buckle, toying with the metal latch. "How 'bout we go to the back of the ship, and I show you what a real man is!" The male laughed. Jyn breathed heavily, trying to control her anger. Unfortunately, this only attracted the male's attention more as her chest heaved.
"I'm sorry, but I'm taken," she said, her voice strained. The male didn't seem to like that too much.
"That wasn't a request, little flower!" he shouted, grabbing Jyn by the shoulder and twisting her around. Jyn whipped her blade out of its sheath and stabbed him in the shoulder, elbow, and wrist in quick succession before shoving his hand off of her and slicing one of his fingers off. The tall male howled in pain as blood spurted from his wounds, grasping his cut wrist tightly with his other hand. Jyn slid out of her seat and onto the floor, kicking high and catching the male under the chin. He flew out of his chair and landed with a loud crash on the metal floor, and some of his ribs snapped loudly with the impact. Jyn walked over to him and kicked him over so she could see his face. His eyes were wide in rage, and his mouth was in a snarl.
"Why you little – " Jyn pulled out a pistol and shot him in both legs and the left arm before he finished his sentence. He howled in agony, tears of pain and rage flowing from his eyes. Jyn stood tall above him, looking down at him coldly.
"Some flowers have thorns," she said coldly. Jyn stomped her foot into his crotch, and his eyes went wide before she kicked him across the temple, knocking him out. Jyn rolled her eyes, and walked back to her seat, shaking her head. The other Kig-Yar who had been watching the fight went back to whatever it was they had been doing before, some picking their teeth, others reading, and others cleaning their guns. Jyn looked angrily at Zek. "Why didn't you do anything?!" she demanded, furious with him. Zek laughed.
"Because I didn't want to get in the way and wind up like that guy!" he said, pointing to the unconscious Kig-Yar in the middle of the floor whose blood was already beginning to pool around him. Jyn smirked, realizing that that was probably a possibility if Zek had decided to help.
"Yeah, that or you'd try to reason with him and he'd chop your head off," replied Jyn, chuckling. "I just hope I stomped him hard enough: wouldn't want him to try to pull something like that again." Zek laughed, rubbing his brow.
"If he's dumb enough to try that on you again, Jyn, he already would have gotten killed trying it on a Sangheili!" Jyn smiled, but her smile died away quickly when another Kig-Yar male took a seat next to her. This one was small and thin, his limbs and body extremely spindly. A leather trench coat was wrapped around his shoulders, concealing his body, and his eyes were shifty looking. The spines on his head were thin and unhealthy, and Jyn could just barely see the hilt of a spiker poking out from his coat. Jyn rubbed her forehead, annoyed. "Please don't tell me I'm going to have to do that again," she said, her hand grasping the hilt of her knife. The male next to her laughed in a raspy voice, his strange laughter dissolving into a coughing fit towards the end.
"No, no, I'm not here for that," he said in a raspy voice, indicating what "that" was by pointing to his belt. "That was some pretty impressive fighting there; I didn't think anyone could take down Byk so quickly." The odd Kig-Yar coughed, and proffered his gloved hand. "I'm Mek, that dumb clod on the floor's twin brother." Jyn shook his hand, still holding the hilt of her knife.
"No offense, but you two don't exactly look alike," she said. Jyn was right; while Byk had been approaching the height of a short Sangheili, Mek was about half a foot shorter than she was, and while his brother was a muscle-bound idiot, Mek had a withered frame while his eyes belied some kind of cunning intelligence. Mek laughed again, this time his raspy, withered laugh drawing Zek's attention.
"I know," laughed Mek, grinning eerily. "When we were hatched, I was barely alive, while my brother was stronger than most infants. However, as we grew, I was always the more clever of the two, and often had to get him out of tight spots." Mek laughed. "He was such a bully that eventually I stopped caring!" Jyn glanced nervously at Zek; this withered Kig-Yar seemed thoroughly insane!
"If you don't mind my asking," said Zek, cautiously, "exactly why did you come over here?" Mek's response was to pull open his jacket. From the inside of the leather coat hung rows of small weapons, ranging from odd looking grenades to long, slender blades.
"Well, when I saw your mate here fight, I thought she might be interested in one of these," said Mek, grinning, as he pulled out one of the blades. It was about two feet long, slender, and curved slightly along its length. The edge was far finer than that of Jyn's dagger, and looked like it could slice through even Sangheili armor. Jyn whistled, staring at the sword. "Well?" asked Mek, grinning. "What do you think?" Jyn smiled.
"How much?" she asked, and Mek grinned.
"I'd normally go higher for my handcrafted blades, but after seeing your fighting… I'd say around 100,000 credits." Jyn's eyes widened. 100,000 credits! That was insane!
"You've got to be kidding me!" she yelled. Mek just grinned.
"Maybe this will change your mind," he said, activating his defense gauntlet. Mek took the sword and plunged it toward the shimmering shield. The two met… and the sword passed straight through. Jyn's eyes widened: the shield didn't break, and the sword wasn't repelled. It just slid through the shield as though it were water! Jyn thought for a moment.
"50,000?" she said. Mek thought before replying.
"75, no less."
"50 now, and 25 after testing. Final offer," said Jyn. Mek thought for a moment, and proffered his hand.
"Deal." Mek and Jyn shook hands, and Jyn handed Mek the 50,000 credits as he handed her her new sword. The ship jolted, and began to descend. The pilot came on the intercom.
"All personnel prepare for landing," said a feminine voice over the intercom. "And would the moron who cussed me out earlier please report to the cockpit to receive his parachute, he will be dropping from this altitude." A chorus of snickers arose from the cabin, and Zek rolled his eyes and walked toward the cockpit. A few minutes later he returned with a card.
"What's that?" Jyn asked. Zek showed her the card. It had a phone number and the words "call me" written on it. Zek snickered.
"Obviously the pilot didn't know that I was one of the people leading this mission. She tried to get on my good side by inviting me over to her place for some 'fun'." Zek paused, as Jyn was scowling. "I told her that I already had a mate." That's when Zek broke out laughing. "Apparently, so did she!" Jyn and Zek laughed as the ship descended into the foliage. Neither of them could have known what was about to come.
John-117 ran through the foliage, smacking his way through branches and brush, trampling plants underfoot. Finally, he began to see the dense jungle ending, and he burst out into a wide open plain. He looked up, and his eyes widened beneath his visor. "Oh… crap." he muttered. A voice piped up in his ear, and the Chief was relieved to hear it.
"What is it, Chief?" asked Cortana, wondering what could elicit such a response from the John-117. That's when she looked for herself. The terrain in front of them gradually sloped upwards in a large ring, eventually curving so far away that they could no longer see where it went. Small planets were suspended in the center, and the sun was contained within the ring. They were on an immense Halo.
Okay then! Zek and R'vek are on the same mission (though neither know it :P), and the chief is on a Halo that encircles a solar system!
It's going to be interesting to see how this turns out...
Until next time,
- Baeowulf