- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
“Aren’t you at least slightly curious as to why Dr. Halsey wants to get one of you into that armor?” Cortana asked him quickly.
“If it makes me a better soldier, then that’s reason enough for me,” John replied. He looked to Dr. Halsey and Kelly, holding him arms aside to show his need for assistance.
“You’re too trusting for your own good,” Cortana replied, a moment before she slipped free of his suit and into the small data tablet that Dr. Halsey had extended over the Spartan’s hand.
“If you would like, John, I will explain to you some of the history that led to the activation of the Halo’s,” Fasul said. “The preparations are long, and I sense that time is of the essence.”
“All right,” John replied as Dr. Halsey and Kelly set to work removing the MJOLNIR battle suit.
“There is one thing I’ve been wondering,” Halsey said as she slowly eased some of the locks off of John’s chest piece. “When exactly did the Forerunner first exist? Do you have a time frame or something I could use?”
“Time was of little importance to our race,” Fasul replied. “We measured by life and death, known merely as the time of when our ancestors were born of this existence. The scientists amongst our race deigned time periods to be existing in concordance with the supposed ‘creation’ of our people, but this was never accepted by many.”
“You said that ‘Forerunner’ was a term derived from the race that eventually led to the activation of the Halo’s,” John said as his helmet was lifted away from under the crook of his arm. “What was the real name for your people?”
Fasul hesitated momentarily, a look of indecision upon him.
“Majal,” Fasul said, and a smile formed on his lips. “It has been so very long since I last said that name.”
“When I say that time was not important, this did not mean we didn’t attribute a sense of reverence and honor to the life of the planets we existed upon, nor the life cycle of our own race. Merely we felt that time as a whole could not be measured based upon our race, and to do so is arrogant and trivial. However, creatures of science are not concerned with such things, and that is how the first act of time precedence appeared in our history.”
The lower sections of the MJOLNIR armor came away and John stood, naked as Fasul motioned for him to move towards the medical table he stood beside. Once John was in place, lying horizontal along the table, the A.I continued his speech.
“Some thousands of years after our ‘creation’ according to our scientific community, a fleet of vessels intending to observe a fledgling planet in a distant star system discovered a form of life we had yet to encounter in our many years of existence. It was found in a hollow chasm beneath a tidal embankment, and as such it was when the life form was first given the name, ‘Flood’. For shortly after we discovered it, the chasm collapsed and the river above filled the once empty crypt.”
“It was theorized at one time,” Fasul continued. “That the Flood were locked away in that chasm by the remnants of the society that once dwelled on the planet we discovered them on. Indeed there were signs of a civilization, but there were no other living creatures aside from the Flood. Whether this civilization fled the planet at one point, perhaps migrating to another world, or even if they were consumed and destroyed by the Flood, we could not know at the time.”
Fasul activated a hidden set of commands and the room darkened slightly. John lost sight of Dr. Halsey and Kelly, who had been staring somewhat unabashedly at him as he was prepped for the augmentation process. The table came to life, and John felt himself become strapped to the table.
“A necessity,” Fasul said. “The augmentation process can be painful, and your body is powerful enough to do serious harm to itself when the changes begin.”
John nodded wordlessly as the table seemed to come to life. A long mechanical arm appeared, a small syringe near the highest point of the limb. His eyes followed it until the syringe stopped, poised a few inches from his neck. Fasul cleared his throat to gather John’s attention once more.
“As is tradition when discovering a new life form, the Flood were studied intently, and it was at this time we discovered they were nearly invulnerable to all forms of heat and cold. Even physical damages were of little effect on the small entities. It had a regenerative ability that we had never witnessed before. This discovery would eventually entail the destruction of our society, and spell the doom of the universe.”
“Then,” John began uncertainly, “the creatures that the Forerunner fought against weren’t the Flood, but another race entirely?”
Fasul shook his head remorsefully.
“No, it was not another race. The creatures with whom we fought were our brothers…our sisters…our families.”
Another bitter, humorless smile filtered onto Fasul’s face. His next words came at the same moment the syringe plunged downward into John’s neck, his consciousness almost instantly dimming.
“It was the Forerunner.”
---------------------------------
Aonlum felt his body beginning to show signs of fatigue as he watched the activity on the bridge. It had been countless hours since they last entered Slip Space, and he had not taken any time to rest, fearing that something may go wrong and he would not be in a position to respond immediately.
“How much longer until we reach our destination?” Aonlum asked the navigation officer, a Sangheili that was operating the station with two Unggoy.
“Not much longer, Arbiter. I will get a definitive answer in a few moments,” the Sangheili responded.
“Good,” Aonlum said, he raised his voice so that the others on the bridge would hear him. “Open up a visual connection with the other ships, I wish to address our forces before we enter this battle.”
“At once, Arbiter!” many of the bridge hands shouted in response.
Addressing the troops before battle, Aonlum mused. I have done this countless times in the past, but now I just may finally do it for the last time. Will my life be claimed in this battle? Shall the Covenant steal the honor from the humans and send me into the afterlife?
“The visual connection has been established Arbiter,” an officer announced. “You may begin at any time.”
Aonlum quickly got to his feet and stared ahead, aware that his stature had very much to do with whatever impact this speech would have on his forces. His hands settled behind his back, and he pursed his mandibles slightly, looking as if he could see the faces of the thousands of soldiers he was now addressing.
“Our enemy is one we fought alongside for eons. They were at one time our brothers, but now they are our most hated foe, creatures with whom we shall devote our existence to destroying.
“This battle we are about to partake in will not be the last fight of this war. No, there will be more bloodshed after this day. We are creatures of habit, and as our enemy still exists, even on the furthest plane of existence, it will be our duty to hunt them down and destroy them. Mercy and thoughtfulness have no place on this battlefield, and should you believe it wrong, take to heart the fact that were your positions reversed, your enemy would give you no quarter.
“For many years I did stand with you all, while we served as the vanguard of the Covenant. Now as I stand here, I am made to be your leader. The one that all eyes will go to in our moment of need. There is apprehension within me, for I know that this task given to me is one that will take all of my power to uphold in the face of a superior army.
“I weep for those of you that will not live through this day. You will have made the ultimate sacrifice for your people, and for honor. We have a great burden upon our shoulders, for we must repent for our crimes of the past, and by eliminating this heathenness army we shall come one step closer to redeeming ourselves.
“Those that perish I ask of you, as you are lying upon the ground, feeling the remnants of your life slip away, please do a service and pray for your loved ones back home, and for your brothers that still battle our enemy. With your death the enemy comes one step closer to our home world. Do not let this follow you into the dark however, know that your passing will be marked by our voices, crying out into this endless void of space. For your sacrifice will give us the courage to meet our foe with unyielding fury. We shall weep for you once this battle is over. We will hang our heads as your families do mourn your passing, but our hearts will be proud…proud to have served with a warrior that was willing to trade his life for the safety of his planet.
“I know not what awaits you on the other side, but as you pass through the gates of the dead, I shall ask one more thing of you. Raise your head high, and meet the gaze of whomever you encounter. Let no one denounce your sacrifice, and no matter how much time passes, know that there shall always be one who remembers each and every name of those that died in this battle.
“Now go, my brothers. Go and fight. Fight for the planet we have left, fight for those that we protect. Shake this very universe to its core with our fury, and never let the enemy see you stumble.”
The Arbiter kept his pose stoic, even as the transmission faded, signaling that the troops inside the ships could no longer see him.
My words were full of hope, but what hope is there for us? Perhaps death is all that awaits me on the other side.
I suppose an incompetent death is all that I deserve.