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 Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 8:20 am
LEGENDARY
BUT A WHIMPER Chief?! Can you hear me?
The Spartan stirred. He did not feel the tug of gravity, pulling him to the ground and at first he thought he was dead. The dull throb at the back of his head quickly put that theory to rest. He activated his helmet's lights and found himself floating in one of the corridors of Forward Unto Dawn. He found his bearings and glanced about. The passage was filled with floating debris, both mechanical and organic. Cortana caught his attention as she gave an immense sigh of relief.
I thought I'd lost you too.
Spartan 117 looked toward his Assault Rifle and pushed off the bulkhead. He drifted to the weapon and checked the ammunition remaining in the clip. There was a single round left in the weapon. Their escape had been closer than he thought. He attached the weapon to the magnetic lock on the back of his armor and drifted towards what appeared to be a breach in the hull.
"What happened?"
I'm not sure. When Halo fired, it shook itself to pieces. Did a number on the Ark. The Portal couldn't sustain itself. We made it through just as it collapsed.
At first he thought the ship had simply suffered from a hull breach. He soon realised that the forward portion of the Dawn was gone. The entire front end of the ship had been sheared off during the Slipspace transition. He had no idea if the Arbiter had made it back or not. For all he knew, the Arbiter had died.
Well... some of us made it.
The Spartan stared at the open void of space. His mind was adrift in a sea of thoughts. The aft section of the Dawn was lost in regions of space not known to man. He turned his back on the still-glowing metal that had once been the mid-section of a proud vessel and pushed off, drifting deeper into Forward Unto Dawn.
But you did it. Truth and the Covenant... The Flood...
The Chief found a holotank where he could put Cortana. It was conveniently located in the cryo-bay. As he slid Cortana's chip into the receptical, her holographic image appeared in the lifeless room.
"It's finished."
The Spartan sighed to himself and turned off his helmet lights.
"It's finished."
He repeated the statement to himself. Part of him did not believe what had happened. They had won. Cortana was right. It was over. He pushed off the holotank and drifted to one of the still functional Cryotubes. The Chief placed his assault rifle in one of the rackets on the bulkhead wall before climbing inside.
"I'll drop a beacon. But it'll be a while before anyone finds us. Years, even.
The Cryotube hatch began to close and the two beings locked eyes with each other.
"I'll miss you..."
The Spartan smiled in his helmet. He knew that Cortana could read his body language well enough to understand what he meant.
"Wake me... when you need me."
With that statement, the hatch sealed and the freezing process began. Within seconds the Master Chief was in a state of suspended animation. Cortana wore a bittersweet smile. She stared at the man who had protected her for what seemed like centuries, when in reality it had only been a few months. As the Spartan was frozen, she too felt the cold isolation of space. Out of pure human instinct she wrapped an arm around herself in an attempt to stave off both the chill of the void and the indefinite isolation she now faced. The plan she had hatched in Halo's core, all those months ago had finally come to fruition, as she knew it would. She found comfort in the notion that no matter what, the Master Chief had been there. Even in her darkest hour, he had come for her. She smiled at him and silently thanked him. In order to conserve power, she shut down her holographic projection and entered a state of partial hibernation. She kept what remained of the ship's sensor array active, in the event that they were ever found or if they stumbled onto something, she would know about it. And yet, she knew that the chances of crashing into a planet were greater than their chances of being found. After seven years of waiting, she crafted a program that would wake her if something important happened, then entered the lowest power state that she could safely occupy without killing herself, and found peace at long last.
Yet her slumber would not last. When she was awakened, the ship's cronometer had malfunctioned, so she had no accurate way to gauge time. She immersed herself in the ship's sensor array and saw why she had been disturbed. The Dawn was being drawn into orbit around a planet. Spread out across the surface of the planet were glowing lines and symbols. Icons she knew. It was a Forerunner world. Whether this planet held actual Forerunner or was simply a dead world would be revealed in time. It was time to wake her guardian, for there was work to be done.Written by The Hegemon
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Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 8:21 am
LEGENDARY
WHAT ONCE WAS LOST A man with graying hair stood behind a podium before the flag of the UNSC, and the United Earth Government. His face looked weathered, and his eyes too far gone; he wore a somber look of pride, masking his relief.
"And so it does signify the end of our story; we traveled through the vast unknown we call "space" and followed our beacon of hope until the end."
No cameras flashed, because none needed to. The speach was being broadcasted live around the world and not one person wasn't watching.
"We never gave up during a fight. We faught till the end."
Entire cities began to gather in their streets, lining the asphalt and concrete with fresh bodies.
"We were strong when they thought us week."
In London every pre-, elementary, middle, or high school stopped everything and watched in silence.
"We were strong when they thought us broken."
In Chicago the postal office halted all transit and turned to the screens in the streets.
"Yet through the Covenant onslaught our undying ability to Believe kept us strong."
In Tokyo every child, teenager, or adult woke from their slumber to listen with waiting ears.
"And one man showed us that with unshakable conviction we could prevail."
The representative behind the podium stopped for a moment, wiping a tear from his cheek, a gesture uncommon for any politician.
"Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy SPARTAN John-117 lept forward into the darkness in search of an answer."
A picture of the green warrior appeared on the screen to the upper left, standing inside Cairo station just before the First Battle of Earth began. Every person watching the broadcast marveled at the soldier, their savior.
"He found it; we are still alive."
Many marines who were recouperating in hospitals, or at home whether alone or with family watched with smiles upon their faces, and tears in their eyes.
"He is a monument for all the human race believes in, a man who's sacrifice has enobled all of us."
It was the day that the world stood still; nothing happened; nobody breathed. Yet one soldier reached forward in the darkness and grabbed his weapon, cocking back the bolt.
"While we continue to rebuild, we will look for him..."
Commander SPARTAN Michael-E417 had his orders, and was ready. His armor was fully fitted and upgraded, and his weapons were loaded: One W/AV M6 Grindell/Galileian Nonlinear Rifle on his back, one M6D-HE Pistol on one hip, a C7 Caseless SMG on the other hip, and MA7B Pulse Action Assault Rifle in his hands. The Spartan, standing alone in the Cairo armory's spectral light, looked up into the stars and smiled.
"And we will bring him home."
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Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2008 4:23 pm
LEGENDARY
PERCHANCE TO DREAM Qikost, 1st Moon of Sanghelios
Forerunner Excavation Site "Blue Room"
7 years after the battle of the Ark.The snow fell softly in the air as the Sangheili stood watch over their prize. After the war with Truth had ended and peace had been made with the humans, the Sangheili had returned to their homeworld and found peace. While they were not well suited for peaceful pursuits, especially after the long period of time in servitude to their ancient foes, they still kept old traditions alive. One such tradition was the excavation and worship of Forerunner artifacts. Now that the truth behind the "sacred rings" or Halos had been revealed, the Sangheili people, for the most part, did not view the Forerunner themselves as gods, but as a sacrificed culture; one that had to die to preserve life in this galaxy. The gods still existed, and the Forerunner were still an enigma. It was a time of great upheaval for the Sangheili. Their religion had been proven false, though many still believed, the alliance with the humans was not overly popular, and there were many who questioned the Arbiter's right to lead. Was the rank of Arbiter not a symbol of the Covenant? Of the enthrallment of the Sangheili people? There was much debate among those in power. The military was slowly beginning to recover more and more of the fleet was being recalled from across the known galaxy.
Upon the return from Earth, they had found their home battered, but not broken. After Truth and Mercy had ordered the genocide of the Sangheili they had dispatched a fleet of loyalists to destroy the Sangheili home world. Fortunately, the Separatists were able to send a fleet in response. In addition to the ships that were sent, the Sangheili boasted the most powerful navy in existence. Their ships were all Covenant vessels, crewed entirely by Sangheili warriors who had studied for a lifetime in their respective duties. They were all veteran combatants. Unfortunately, the Brutes had fought well. Many proud warriors had fallen in defense of their home, and now both the shattered remains of ships and bodies littered the space around Sanghelios.
In retribution a massive fleet of Sangheili and Separatist vessels had been dispatched to Doisac, the home world of the Brutes. After a crushing victory, the Unified Sangheili forces had completely destroyed the planet. No life could exist on the shattered world. There was no debate, no question about the deed. It was a necessary act. The Brutes were the only remaining enemy of the Sangheili. With their home world destroyed, there were only scattered and disorganized packs to deal with, and there were vessels searching the stars for them.
The Halo ring they knew the location of, the birthplace of the wretched Gravemind, had been destroyed. Purged of the taint it carried. The Flood was no longer a threat on that installation. It had been a fateful moment, and there were many who grieved for the loss of the super-weapon. Those who knew the true purpose of Halo were satisfied with the results.
Anso Duram, one of the many Sangheili veterans of the Covenant war had chosen to remain in the Sangheili military, as it was his life's honor defending not only their home world but the dignity and the name of his people. For months after the end of the war, there had been a good deal of hunting. There were still small pockets of Brutes who fought for vengeance rather than belief. With the Prophets gone, there was nothing to stem the animosity between the two species. Each vied for the complete annihilation of the other. Though the Brute packs were shattered, new leaders were rising to prominence, promising that the Sangheili union would be crushed. Of course, these leaders were now dead. Anso Duram was now the Special Operations Commander in the Sangheili forces. The previous holder of that title, R'tas Vadum, had been promoted by a special tribunal to the rank of Supreme Commander of the Combined Sangheili Military forces. The Arbiter was still a military commander, and still held the highest of ranks, but his position had become more of a political one. It was his task to unify the opposing groups on Sanghelios and the few colonies they held.
The new Special Operations Commander stood in a snow bank outside of a pair of structures that formed the northern-most outpost of the newly revived dig. Technically this post doubled as a secure Command Post and one of the harsh-environment War colleges. It was an interesting experience in walking among these ruins. There was some speculation among the academics that the entire moon was of Forerunner origin. Sadly, they were only able to find the exterior of Forerunner structures, the interiors remained sealed. Though since the destruction of the Ark, there was a great deal of activity in the depths of the northern outpost. As with all Forerunner sites, this one was highly mechanized, and Anso had a hunch that its true purpose would be revealed in time. He allowed his mind to linger on these thoughts of peaceful exploration until a member of the science team called him from one of the large hut-like structures.
"Commander. We are receiving a message from the Capitol. Your presence has been requested."
He turned away from his observation of the perimeter and trusted the automated sentries to do their duty. He turned toward the closest of the huts and entered. It was of the brilliant purple hue that all Covenant technology had, with a large golden solar array covering the roof and a powerful twin antennae array built on top. Combined with the second hut, which was a mirror image of the first, they were the second most powerful relay station in the system. The first being the fleet headquarters which was located in the Capitol.
As the Commander entered, energy shielding in the doorways removed the snow from his armored form. There was a holographic projector mounted into the ceiling, along with a number of other devices and a large spherical chamber used for coordinating space combat. These facilities were common in Sangheili space, as they allowed for enhanced ship to ship communication during a fight. Though there was no battle yet. Before him stood the holographic image of R'tas Vadum, adorned in deep purple armor with the ceremonial robes of his rank. His face was grim, and even though he was missing two of his mandibles, he communicated his moon through the intensity of his gaze. It was strange to see him in such a position, after seeing him for so long in the armor of an Ultra. Regardless, Anso saluted the warrior with all due respect. The newly appointed Supreme Commander returned the salute.
"Commander, I am sending you with our Ambassador to Earth. There are some on Sanghelios who feel that we owe the humans a great deal after what we did to them and their colonies. I share some of these sentiments, but I do not feel that we should overextend ourselves to help them. You are being sent to asses their tactical situation and inform me of any military aide we may be required to give."
Another figure faded into existence. This one was the Arbiter, still wearing the armor of his rank, and still commanding all who were around him. He was a warrior who did not need to ask for respect. He had earned it time and again.
"Commander, the task you have been given is highly important. There are powerful Sangheili who would see humanity crushed. I do not wish that to happen. You must find some way to help the councilors who agree with our alliance to convince those who do not. I ask that you be as swift as possible, though I understand that it will take time."
"I understand my task. Supreme Commander, Arbiter, I shall leave as soon as the Ambassador is ready. If I may ask, what sort of security will we be allowed?"
"You will assemble a small number of warriors and choose only the best. The Ambassador must not come to harm. If he does, there will be cries for war that we cannot ignore."
The Special Operations Commander saluted and bowed his head. The Arbiter and R'tas Vadum returned the salute. The transmission was terminated and Anso heaved a sigh. He had been looking forward to spending time on Qikost doing little more than overseeing the training of his warriors. Instead, he was being sent on a mission that was part baby-sitting and part espionage. He knew that the Ambassador would be competent. Definitely an Aristocrat. Definitely a warrior. Anso would have to prepare for the worst. Then again, the Supreme Commander had only mentioned his security, not the Ambassadors. Perhaps there was more to this than meets the eye. He activated the COM array and prepared his orders.Written by The Hegemon
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