By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.
CHAPTER FIVE: FIGHT AND FLIGHT
It could not be...I would not accept this, the gaunt face stared at me with eyes surprisingly similar to mine. Could this be? A million thoughts were rushing through my head now, each one fighting an endless battle with themselves and yet my fight continued.
“NO!” I shouted. My right hand reached over in a flash and I snatched the sword, using all my anger I wildly flung my energy sword at Sesa. I managed to catch him off balance and as I was still on the floor I kicked him in the stomach, he flew back but the jet-boosters steadied him and he was already flying back at me.
I dived out the way as he spiralled back up into the air and came dashing down at me, both of us now parrying each other’s moves.
I felt cold hatred I had never properly felt before; Mendicant Bias stopped swivelling his eye and was laughing indiscreetly.
“He speaks the truth, son! Break from the Covenant whilst you still can...” Sesa said.
I never really spoke during fights, I was always caught off guard when I did but I denied him being my father.
“You...Can’t be my...Father, I am the child of the ‘Verohmee...Family!” I growled. Putting a great deal of effort into the words.
“That is where you are ignorant! We swordsmen are allowed to carry down our genes with anyone, you are my offspring!” Sesa said with ease.
I still could not accept it, I was never told. This barbarian couldn’t be...I refuse this twist!
Sesa swung round and my blade cut off one of his jet-booster wings, the other one activated and Sesa was flung into the air. He landed on a catwalk and ripped off the spluttering jet, he took a deep breath.
“Indeed you are powerful but accept your heritage! The Covenant is a lie, the Prophets would see us all killed in their delusion. Join with me and you shall forever be known as the person who done the right thing, ask Mendicant Bias...Go on!” Voiced Sesa.
I turned my head to the large A.I construct, his eye moved and focused on me.
“Is it true?”
“Quite, the last time someone came here was when your Prophet interrogated me. I told him and the other about the rings and their function, I laugh at their pathetic attempt to deny it! They cannot face the truth that they are doomed, dwindling as their numbers are. In staying with your Covenant, you doom yourself and everyone you’ve ever known. Could you condemn yourself to that?” Bias said.
I thought, deeply. If I leave now, I abandon Thel and my fellow race. I join...My “father” and will be on the run from the Covenant.
“Of course,” Sesa started up, “you can choose not to join me...And die!” he said valiantly.
“What is the purpose of the rings?” I addressed Bias.
“The seven Installations were built as weapons of last resort to eliminate potential Flood hosts, sending an EMP shockwave with a radius of 1.2 trillion simulated in 1 actual. They possess no holy purpose and the ‘Great Journey’ was the task of firing the rings. Accept this, young one. Your other enemy, the Humans, are not the ones you should be fighting...The Covenant is your enemy and so it shall remain.”
I sighed, it seemed my knowledge stream had come to an end. Everything was wrapped up and I had no choice but to accept it, this Forerunner A.I obviously knew much more than I did.
“Okay...” I said, my blade vanished and I spoke to Sesa.
“You win,” I had to bring myself to say it, “father...I’ll join you.”
Sesa ‘Refumee eyed me cautiously, then nodded and said.
“Come to the Threshold Gas Mine, meet me there and we’ll find something for you...” He grinned after and began to glow a bright blue. He held out his arms, wide to the side and vanished leaving only a small spherical golden Holo-Drone.
“The nerve of him!” I thought. I fought a hologram?
I looked up at Mendicant Bias, “This is what was destined for you! Do not look back.” Bias said in his sing-song voice.
A million thoughts were acting like a traffic jam in my head; I had betrayed the Covenant and my best friend. Looking back wasn’t an option however I was failing to see the line between good and evil.
What am I doing?
I thought of the third EMBER bomb, it had been deactivated. I don’t think that ‘Refumee would have blown it up anyway; it was an easy victory...Too easy.
I was still grappling with him saying he is my father.
Before leaving, it would be stupid not to take a little look around this magnificent marvel. After all this place has quite a history, perhaps there are other Forerunner relics here.
I turned and immediately Mendicant Bias zoomed in on me, he fired a gold beam that hit me square in the chest! There was no pain but I felt a slight burning sensation.
“What did you do?” I shouted.
Bias just laughed, “you’ll find out in time,” he said. His eye began swivelling again.
I was confused, so much had happened now. I decided simply to go off and explore now, I clearly wasn’t going to learn anything from this insane A.I despite the fact it had an infinite depth of knowledge.
An orange gravity lift propelled me up onto the second catwalk; I landed softly on the hard ground and walked through a shield door.
I was taken outside and was able to observe the inner section of the Dreadnaught, It was hundreds of bridges leading downwards and two massive blue rays of gravity beams leading higher and higher.
I was feeling ill from the picture-in-picture esque environment, how the Forerunners managed to build something like this was beyond my comprehension. I set off at a steady jog downwards, there were blue lights moving downwards like a matrix on the walls. Glowing in the dark and the gravity beams were humming loudly.
There was a door to my left now, I hastily stepped through it and emerged into a massive construction site. Millions of Constructers were flying around; they were robotic drones made to repair Forerunner structures and were smaller than a Sangheili’s hand.
Large pistons were inactivated and probably led to the deepest bowels of the Dreadnaught. Suddenly I heard a massive roar, a harsh metallic call to its lesser. Multiple Enforcers were hovering around above the Constructers.
Enforcers are massive robotic automatons with masses of heavy weaponry attached onto them, they are used rarely for the movement of heavy equipment and the two thick and long arms would be able to smash any vehicle in one swift strike. They house a white light which acts as an “eye” and it is protected only at the front by a large blue shield.
It turned in the air, slowly. I activated my active camouflage before it got a chance to see me; I saw it stare at where it thought I was then after a few seconds it retreated back to its duty.
I doubled out the door and ran further down, not wanting to go in there again. I kept my camouflage on so I wouldn’t be discovered by anything else.
There was another door, this one slightly bigger than the last. I walked through it and found myself in some kind of Forerunner laboratory.
My hoof splattered in some kind of organic brown substance on the floor, there was exploded biomass everywhere. Perhaps there was some kind of outbreak in an experiment.
There was gas being shafted out of vents every few seconds and cryogenic tubes housing strange creatures I had never seen before.
They were a brownish green in colour; a distinct feature was that these weren’t naturally formed bodies. It was a heaped mass of skin, turned inside out and coated with a thick outer layer. It was an obvious sign of mutation as in one of the tubes, a humanoid head was visible.
I backed away, not out of the door but into another room. It was rounded, brightly lit and hundreds of stasis pods like in the Mausoleum of the Arbiter. There was a deep bubbling sound from one of the cryogenic pods; the creature suspended in thick orange liquid was tapping on the screen.
I considered letting it free but decided against it, this was obviously some vile parasite and I was every bit as edible as everyone else. I simply ignored it and walked on, there was more organic biomass splattered on the walls with green blood. It had dried to the wall and I dared not touch it, this place was obviously full of secrets that I could never have even imagined.
I believe I have over-stayed my welcome here, there was a definite sense of darkness here and staying here could only mean trouble. Besides, I had a mission to complete.
I was greeted by the Hierarchs in the Council Chambers much later; they told me that ‘Vadamee had already departed to Threshold where the Covenant believed they were making a final stand against the Heretics.
“Your mission went well I see, you have saved the lives of our Covenant and for that you have a secured place on the Great Journey.” Truth said. I was never a true believer in the whole “Great Journey”, it seemed to me to be some weird delusion of the Hierarchs but now I know the truth. Just as Mendicant Bias had said.
“The Journey is a lie, a cover-up to keep the Covenant conglomeration alive!”
His voice rung through my head as I instinctively nodded my head in acknowledgment to the Hierarchs.
“We have a Phantom ready for you, proceed to the docks and end this abomination!” Mercy said, his Hookah Tobacco pipe in his hand.
I departed and was greeted by an Elite Zealot, in shiny gold armour and a look of pride in his reptillian-like face. On board the Phantom was a Lance made up of Grunts and other Sangheili warriors, as the Phantom left for Threshold they began to chant the Covenant Writ of Union.
So full of hate were our eyes that none of us could see
Our war could yield countless deaths but never victory
So let us cast arms aside and like discard our wrath
Thou in faith shall keep us safe whilst we find the path
There was a hint of sadness in the way it was sung, I saw the gas giant getting nearer and the singing became louder.
On and on old war shall go, without respite thy blood shall flow
O’er your eyes ‘till they cannot see
The impossibility of victory