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  • Subject: The Halo 3 Epilogue (The Finale-Part 4) BRAND NEW - PAGE 6
Subject: The Halo 3 Epilogue (The Finale-Part 4) BRAND NEW - PAGE 6

Should be out today. Just remember I'm on Central European Time. Basically GMT+1

  • 05.08.2009 12:43 AM PDT

Part 26

Cairo Station, Earth orbit

Hood looked on as his crew prepped the station for the coming fight. The station now had a full complement of MAC rounds in the hold and the Covenant shields were operating at a reassuring 99.89%.
The fleet was almost ready after the initial battle with the Scourge cruisers and they had even managed to complete the refit of another two battle cruisers with shielding technology, but, despite all of this, Hood remained worried and equally uncertain of what the next few hours might bring.
The Scourge super ship had simply sat beyond the range of the MAC stations since it had arrived, and that was over twelve hours ago. Several probes had been launched towards the immense vessel by both the Elites and an orbiting UNSC science and survey ship, but all had returned intact, and with their valuable scans. The scourge vessel had almost ignored them.

Hood activated his personal display. A magnified image of the Scourge behemoth flashed upon the screen.
The ship was vast in sizeover twenty-two kilometres in length, and had the unusual appearance of a gigantic beetle with a large armoured carapace and a sweeping prow similar to the Covenant ships. It had a series of wing-like structures, all equipped with a multitude of weapons that could no doubt destroy every ship in the fleet with a single shot, but despite the overwhelming firepower at its disposal, it remained beyond the reach of the defending ships.
"Cortana, anything new?" he asked hesitantly.
Cortana appeared on a holo-plinth on the other side of the small and dimly lit operations cell. Her hologram immediately gave the room a ghostly glow.
"Nothing yet sir," she answered. "The Osiris, the Valiant and the Elite cruiser Dark Foreboding have all completed their close range runs with no reaction from the enemy ship. It appears we are both busy studying the otherlooking for an advantage to conclude this fight."
Hood frowned. "That ship must have more firepower than the entire fleet put together,"
"Most likely, but we managed to destroy twelve of their ships and there's the Forerunner presence to consider. They want us to make the next move."
Hood's frown deepened into criss-cross of scar-like lines at the mention of the Forerunners. He gritted his teeth and then tightened his grip on the edge of the desk. "Why haven't the Forerunners intervened? All they've done, so far, is sit in that damned cave whilst Humans and Elites lay down their lives!"
"I know," Cortana sympathised. "But I'm sure that they have something in mind."

Hood turned around to one of the other display screens. It was listed with all of the recent casualties.
There were too many to count.
He sighed. Rubbed his eyes and then focussed on the current situation.
"How's the Chief doing?"
Cortana shot him a quick smile at the mention of John. "He and other Spartans have almost finished their task. All of the defending Marines have been briefed on the use of the HHAG rifles and the remaining ammunition boxes have been issued to the fire support teams on the Ontario MAC Station."
"Good," Hood said. "Have them report back to my office when they're finished, Cortana."
"Yes, sir," she beamed.

Hood walked out of the operations cell and along the corridor to his personal office. Inside was a comfortable black leather chair behind a solid oak table.
It was the same chair that he had pondered his next move as the Covenant swept through a tentative and fragile human empire. And it was the same chair where he had issued orders for the men and women of the UNSC to fight to the last, to die with little hope in sight.
After years of death and destruction being thrown in his direction, Hood was now in the same situation as those he had ordered into battle. But he was glad, in a way, that he would now face the same danger as those who had died. The only problem was that this battle would ultimately decide the fate of both Humanity and the Elites.

Hood sat in his chair, opened a drawer and pulled out a bottle of 78-year old Talisker Scotch Whiskey.
He poured himself a small measure of the pale brown liquid and leaned back in his chair. He creaked into the soft leather, took a sip of the whiskey and stared up at the office ceiling.
He closed his eyes and thought of anything that could help the fleet.

Hood knew that the only weapons that could damage the scourge ships and soldiers were ballistic based weapons, or anything that utilised kinetic energy. The majority of the Covenant weapons were energy based which meant they had to use enormous amounts of firepower to even match the effectiveness of a single human weapon.
He took another sip of the warm liquid.
The scourge soldiers were also as troublesome as their ships. They moved in a slow, deliberate mannerpreferring to study and learn about their enemy before attacking. This presented a small window of opportunity for an initial attack, but once the Scourge had decided on how to deal with their enemy things would become very difficult, very quickly.
There was a knock at the door.
Hood put away his drink and sat upright in his chair, straightening his uniform.
"Enter."
The door slid open, revealing the familiar sight of the Spartans.
Hood stood up. "Chief, please come in. I'm afraid there's not much room in here but make yourselves as comfortable as possible."
John and the others stepped forward into the office. The door closed behind them.
"The marine training and deployment around the station went without a hitch, sir. But it'll only really prove useful if the Scourge decide to board us."
Hood nodded in agreement and then sat back down in his chair. He stared off into the opposing wall and then looked up at the towering Spartans. Despite the offer of comfort they all remained standing. "What do you all make of our new enemy?" he asked.
"Sir?" John queried.
"Speak freely, Spartans. What are your thoughts on the Scourge?"
The Spartans relaxed slightly.
"They're tough but not invincible," John replied.
"And for once our weapons are more effective than the Covenant," Fred continued.
Hood looked at the younger, newer Spartan III's. "What about you?" he said looking at Ash.
"The HHAG's have given us a much needed advantage in any close quarter battle situation, but we're lacking on the protective front," stated Ash confidently.
"Unfortunately our ships are in the same predicament," Hood agreed. "Even with the Covenant shielding in place we can only really fight them using hit and run tactics. Fighting them face to face is a dangerous game."

There was a faint knock at the door.
Before Hood could say anything, the door opened and in rushed a withdrawn looking Catherine Halsey with an armful of data pads and a coffee cup.
"Please, come in," grumbled Hood.
Catherine glanced at everyone in the room over the rim of her glasses. "Ah, just the people I need to see." She quickly dumped the pads on the desk and took a sip of the now cold coffee. She pulled a disgusted face but then continued drinking, ignoring the lack of heat in favour of a burst of caffeine.
Hood grabbed the discarded data pads and set them all in a neat pile. "What can I do for you, doctor?"
"I've been thinking," she started.
Hood raised an eyebrow.
"The Spartans are still at a disadvantage because of the immense energy produced by the Scourge weaponry. But I think I have found a way to lessen the vulnerability of their power armour."
John and the others stepped forward. They were interested.
"Go on," prompted Hood.
"The Arbiter was generous enough to provide me with samples of the hunter shield and Brute armour, and one of their engineers. We were able to fuse Covenant armour directly onto a suit of Mjolnir armour that we had down in the lab." Catherine's tone began to change as did her body language. She began to display a more positive attitude.
Hood looked over at the Spartans and then back at the doctor. "Are you suggesting that we can give them new armour?"
"Yes," Catherine smiled.
"Do we have time? It'll take weeks to calibrate each suit to the wearer will it not?" Hood gasped.
Catherine pushed her glasses up. "I already had all of their specifications on file. The new suits are ready, sir. I just need the Spartans to give them a test run."
Hood stood up. "Well, Chief. Are you up for a new toy?"
"If it'll give us an edge, yes sir," John replied.

  • 05.08.2009 4:47 AM PDT

All of the Spartans followed Dr. Halsey out of the small office before heading for the monorail-mounted transit car.
After a short ride they reached a room filled with computers and technical equipment. The room itself was roughly twenty metres in diameter with a tall ceiling and a single large viewing area one floor up. Stood in the glass fronted viewing area was the familiar sight of General Moorethe R&D officer. Stood next to him were Admiral Cole and a high ranking female officer with grey hair that John was not familiar with.
Dr. Halsey cast them a quick glance as she made her way to the far side of the room. Stood there were seven large containers.
"Cortana, open the HAZMAT containers," ordered Catherine.
Cortana appeared next to the line of containers. "Yes ma'am."
One by one each of the containers was lifted up to reveal a highly modified version of the 6th variant of the power armour. It was covered in additional plates of armour and a thin exoskeletal frame of some sort.
All of the Spartans walked forward.
"HAZMAT?" John queried.
Catherine smiled. "Stops people from touching my work."

John walked up to one of the suits, inspecting its armour. There were unusual plates of armour added to the standard issue of power armour which made it look bigger, in fact, almost Brute sized.
Catherine flipped open her laptop and keyed in a few commands. There was a thin whistle of air before all of the suits opened remotely. "The suits have been drastically redesigned," she started. "They are all capable of operating in a complete vacuum for an extended period of time and the onboard oxygen scrubbers are 77% more efficient. The armour is a composite of Brute and Hunter armour, all fitted as an additional layer to the standard Mjolnir frame."
Ash looked a little nervous, almost reluctant to accept the new armour in favour of his SPI variant. "What about the Photo Reactive technology?"
"Don't worry, Ash. This armour has a more effective camouflage system, with an updated software package. They also have increased speed, manoeuvrability, strength, reaction times and extreme combat durability."

John turned around to look at Dr. Halsey. She had a large grin spread across her face. "How did you manage this in such a short space of time?" he asked.
"Actually this has always been a working project. Ever since your first encounter with the Hunters on Côte d'Azur I have been thinking of a more effective armour system. The Hunter shield armour gave me that idea, but what I lacked was a sample. Now I have it, and the Covenant Engineers are able to work at an alarming rate."
"Can it take a direct hit from one of their weapons?" Fred probed.
Catherine placed her hand on one of the armoured plates. "This material is an extremely dense composite that can actually regenerate over time. It utilises an organic compound to achieve that. It should be able to take several direct hits. The exoskeletal frame acts as a Faraday cage to dissipate the energy from your armour plating. That, combined with the new shield technology and other enhancements should make you a far more dangerous opponent"
"An organic compound" Kelly muttered. "You mean those worm things?"
"Yes, but this armour uses a bio-neural circuit layer that not only increases reaction time but acts as a surrogate system for the armour plating as well."
John gave the armour a light tap with his knuckle, as if testing it in his mind. "Let's get these suits on, Spartans."

Everyone quickly donned their new armour.
John pulled himself into his suit and the neural link connected immediately. At first he was a little uncomfortable, but then his suit quickly moulded to the contour of his body and skeletal frame.
He slowly moved his arm, testing the reaction times of the suit on a small scale. The suit almost predicted the movement.
All of them started jumping around the large room, punching bulkheads and kicking out at the remaining boxes that were piled in the far corner.
Kelly was testing her speed with a few laps of a centrally mounted technical area, one that was used for testing the strength and recharge rate of the Mjolnir shields. To John and the others, she was just a blur.

Suddenly, a wall mounted alarm started to sound and several revolving red lights covered the room in a blood-red glow.
John looked up at the observation booth, only to see it empty. "Obviously they're not sticking around," he whispered to himself.
Hood rushed to a nearby intercom and keyed in the command cell access code. ". "Status report lieutenant."
John didn't need to use his imagination or the suits monitoring system to tell what the problem was. The look on Hood's face said it all. The Scourge ship was approaching.

John and his team made their way to several pre-arranged areas where they would help defend the station.
It was hoped that the Scourge would attempt a boarding like before on the Shadow of Intent, but in truth there was no way to be sure.
Hood and Dr. Halsey, however, rushed along the corridor to the command cell. There they would co-ordinate the pattern of fire from the remaining orbital MAC platforms as well as the fleet. As a last resort they would use nuclear mines and thousands of interceptor craft and Pelicans. After that they would be using sticks and stones.

Hood rushed into the command cell and immediately activated the holographic tactical console. The small table illuminated and the ghostly image of the Scourge ship appeared, floating, just above the flat surface.
As usual there was little detail that he could make out, even with the additional scans that had been run. The Scourge, apparently, had a need to keep their enemies in the dark whilst they would asses the situation before attacking.
Hood had a feeling that the first attack with twelve of their ships had been either an error on their part or a simple act of overconfidence, but he doubted the Scourge, after all of this time, were that stupid.
"Cortana, what are we looking at?"
The question was more rhetorical than anything, but Cortana appeared behind the tactical console.
"The Scourge ship is moving on a direct course for Earth and us. They'll be within weapons range in just under two minutes."

Hood stared at the hologram of the ship. Then he had an idea. "Cortana, divide the fleet equally into two separate task forces. Give the Arbiter command of one and leave the other to me."
"Yes sir."
Cortana's skin flashed briefly as she disseminated the order to the fleet. On the holographic display she panned the image to give a plan view of the entire system.
Hood looked on as the two fleet dividedeach force with an equal compliment of Elite and Human vessels. In the very middle was the stationwith its MAC at the ready.
"Push the fleets further apart, Cortana."
"But sirthat will leave the station vulnerable and unprotected."
Hood repeated himself and Cortana reluctantly complied.
On the display both of the fleets pushed away from each other, leaving the station wide open for an attack.
Dr. Halsey displayed a concerned look as Hood widened the gap, but she remained silent, hoping that he knew what he was doing.
Everyone in the command cell watched the image as the holographic ship sped through the system.
Then the Scourge ship slowed to a halt.
Dr. Halsey peered at the hologram. "What are they doing?" then she looked at Hood. "More importantly, though, how did you know they would stop?"
"I didn't, Doctor," he replied. "It was just a feeling. Our previous encounter was a simple face-off with them. And at all times they controlled the environment; they held all the cards and ran the game according to their rules. All I did was change the rules a little."
"They need to re-evaluate the situation," Catherine concluded, "before they can adapt and attack according to what they know."
"We have to take the initiative before they're ready. We need to be the one's attacking, not them. Cortana, order the fleet to attack. Get them to do as much damage as possible."
Cortana acknowledged the order and reassured the Arbiter of the plan on the COM. Elites were not one's for complaining and he was no different. The Shadow of Intent sped forwards along with the rest of the fleet, weapons at the ready.

Hood panned the image manually to show both of the fleets, Cairo station and the Scourge ship. "Cortana, how long till intercept?"
"Twenty eight seconds, sir,"
Hood rubbed the stubble on his chin as his mind tumbled through a range of scenarios. Then he decided on one. "How long will it take the station MAC rounds to reach the scourge ship?"
Cortana quickly realised what he was thinking. "Nine seconds. I can fire two volleys from all twenty-four planet side stations before the fleet reaches the enemy vessel."
"Do it," Hood grinned.
Cortana became a brief blur of lines and symbols as she rapidly calibrated the twenty-four nearest stations. A second later the station shook as the MAC released a slug the size of a Warthog at the Scourge ship.
Hood continued to watch as the display changed again to show the MAC rounds speeding through the vacuum of space. They all hit their targets, piercing holes in the mammoth-sized ship.
A second volley erupted from the stations, again, hitting the ship with pin-point accuracy. Small plumes of fire were ejected from the hull, throwing debris into space.
The fleet arrived and moved into their attack formations before peppering the Scourge colossus with MAC and plasma fire. They were damaging the enemy vessel, just not enough to kill it.

  • 05.08.2009 4:48 AM PDT

As Hood and Dr. Halsey watched the battle unfold, there was a rush of air in the command cell and the blond haired Forerunner, which John had previously talked to, appeared at the end of the room.
Cortana's eyes widened. "Sir, we have a visitor."
Hood turned around and then took a step back.
Several of the guarding marines aimed their weapons at the Forerunner, but Hood motioned them to lower their rifles. He gritted his teeth. "You must be a Forerunner."
"Yes. My name is Gethavron. I must apologise for a lack of action on our part, but we needed to prepare for this attack without letting the Scourge know our current condition."
"Really?" Hood responded.
"We have a ship on the way. It will arrive shortly. When it does you will need to order your vessels to withdraw. Otherwise they may be caught in the crossfire."
Hood looked once more at the holographic battle raging on the tactical console. "Very well," he agreed.
The Forerunner vanished without a sound.




The Shadow of Intent


"Prepare another plasma volley, Rtas!" Thel barked.
The ship hummed from deep within.
"Fire!"
The Shadow of Intent shuddered. Energy projectors and plasma torpedoes struck out at the Scourge ship, all fell harmlessly on the hull of the alien vessel.
Thel double check his personal console. No exhaust gas was being vented this time, but was most likely because of the sheer size of the enemy ship. They would need far more firepower to inflict a critical level of damage.
"The Human vessels are firing again, Arbiter," Rtas reported.

In all there were thirty-seven human ships capable of combat and all of them fired their Magnetic Accelerator Cannons at the same time. Thel watched them punch into the Scourge behemoth. Some hit thicker, tougher armour and were somehow stopped in their tracks. Other shots, however, penetrated the skin of the ship. But despite the success of the barrage the Scourge just sat there, taking it all.
Thel had to admit that his previous concerns with the twelve scourge cruisers had now been completely overshadowed by this monstrous ship.
"Arbiter, the enemy ship is powering weapons," Rtas warned.
Thel cursed under his breath. They needed more time and more firepower to stop them. "Order the fleet to fire one more volley, then drop us back to the planetary defences so the Human station will have a clear line of sight."
Rtas nodded and keyed in the commands.
The two fleets hammered the scourge vessel again and then turned and sped towards the defensive line of orbital stations.
The enemy ship simply ignored the weapons fire and continued to charge its weapons.

Thel knew that the Scourge now had some perverse fascination with his Spartan friend. Their next target would undoubtedly be the orbital command station named 'Cairo'.
He opened the ships' communications array and raised the station that the Spartans were on. "Lord Hood, this is the Arbiter. Our attack has proved unsuccessful. I recommend that you use your orbital stations to inflict further damage."
Hood's voice crackled over the hybrid link between human and Covenant technology. "Understood, Arbiter you did your best. Our guests may have an old friend arriving shortly." Hood was wary of using the word Forerunner over the COM channel. It may give the Scourge an idea of what they would be facing if they were listening. "Until then we'll be on our own."
Thel was pleased to hear the news. But trying to fight an enemy like the Scourge until a more effective vessel arrived would be a one-way fight. But then he had an idea.
"Fear not, my friend. I have something in mind." Thel cut the link and approached Rtas at his station.
His loyal friend gave him a crooked half-jawed smile.
"We need to protect the human station at all costs, Rtas. Order all Sangheili craft to create a protective cage around the orbital station. Tell the Humans to move off to a flank and continue firing."
Rtas nodded. He knew what Thel had in mind. At times of extreme desperation and when the only option was the survival of one particular ship, all other fleet ships would overlap their shields around a given target.
Rtas ordered the Sangheili ships to the station and sent his extended shield plan to the remainder of the fleet.

The larger capital ships moved into a defensive wall around the station and overlapped their shields. The only area left open was a small gap for the MAC weapon to fire.
The smaller cruisers and battleships also extended their shields, giving the Cairo station the same defensive properties as ten Covenant super-carriers.
The Scourge ship began to move and immediately opened fire on the congregation of Covenant ships. In the initial barrage three cruisers were destroyed and a capital ship was severely damaged.
The commander of the capital ship made the ultimate sacrifice and headed under his remaining power towards the Scourge super ship. The Scourge opened fire again, destroying the broken vessel before it could collide.
The Human stations opened fire as did the other ships. More direct hits were scored but the scourge carried on, firing as they approached.
Another four cruisers and two battleships fell to the storm of fire followed by two of the hulking capital ships.
The Human and Elite forces, again, returned fire.
The enemy continued their assault.
Bright green bolts of fire and scything beam weapons cut through the defensive wall.
Thel was sure they were doomed.
"Arbiter, another ship is emerging from Slipspace," Rtas announced.
Thel hoped the additional vessel was anything but Scourge. "Identify," he ordered.
Rtas smiled. "The ship characteristics match those used by the Forerunners, Arbiter."
"At last. Order the cruisers and battleships to join the Human ships. Keep the capital ships here, around the station."
Rtas keyed in the order.
The cruisers and battle ships moved away from the station and formed a small barrier in front of the Human vessels, which used their manoeuvring thrusters to pop up from behind the makeshift wall to fire on the Scourge ship.

By now the Scourge vessel had turned to meet its age old enemy in combat. Both were similar in size and were no doubt capable of destroying the other. Thel only hoped that the small amount of damage they had inflicted would give the Forerunner vessel the upper hand.
Both ships began to circle each other. The dark and deadly Scourge vessel was the first to fire. Thel surmised that the years of war between the two cultures had reduced the amount of time that the Scourge needed to asses their opponent.
The alien vessel cut out with its deadly beams, damaging a small section of the forerunner goliath.
The Forerunner ship was similar in appearance to the dreadnaught that had powered High Charity for centuries. But it was much larger with bulbous section of angled fins and section of pods that were all aligned towards the Scourge ship.
A large cradle like structure, at the centre of the ship, which looked as though it was designed for repair began to emit a bright light. Suddenly there inside the cradle was a smaller version of a working sun. The golden fireball, the size of a Covenant cruiser, shot from the Forerunner vessel and sped towards the other ship.
The Scourge vessel appeared helpless, but instead of being destroyed, the alien ship emitted a strange flail of energy which formed into a vast swirling maelstrom of darknessa black hole.
"It is like watching gods play with their toys," cried Thel.

The rest of the bridge crew looked on as the two ships sought victory. The Forerunner vessel repeatedly fired cruiser-sized suns at the scourge all of which were swallowed whole by the black hole. All, that is, except one.
A single sun evaded the defensive measure and smashed into the scourge super-ship. The hull, which was capable of deflecting or absorbing the combined might of the Covenant fleet, now shattered under the forces at work. The hull rippled and boiled as the glowing orb cut through the vessel like paper.
The Forerunner vessel fired again and again and again.
The scourge ship exploded in a shower of flame and debris.
"Enemy ship destroyed, Arbiter." Rtas' grin was short lived as he stared at the console. "There is an object moving towards the station at high speed."
"Destroy it!" Thel barked.
The fleet opened up on the small object, no bigger than a Longsword fighter, but it evaded their attempts to destroy it.

  • 05.08.2009 4:49 AM PDT

Cairo Station

"Is it a weapon or a ship?" Hood asked.
Cortana stared off into the distance. "I'm not reading any power spikes or any life signs, but the object could be shielded to conceal any energy readings."
"I'll bet my ridiculous military salary that object is some kind of boarding craft
Hood proved himself right as the object careered through the defensive shield-wall of Covenant capital ships. Their shield fluttered and shimmered.
The object slammed into the station and delivered its cargo.

John moved forward to the next section of the corridor. The remaining Spartans followed. They had all met at the previous intersecting corridor as they each headed down to the impact area.
John knew that the Scourge would react quicker than before. They were learning more and more by the minute and all of that would be put into practice in the next few minutes.
He heard screams and gunfire from the next corridor.
They rushed forward with their HHAG rifles at the ready.
What they saw changed their opinion of the Scourge forever.
In the next room, a large cargo bay, was the forward section of the boarding craft. But this one was bigger than the previous craft used on the Shadow of Intent. John looked on as several large figures swept through the defending marines.
The creatures were large - twice the size of a Hunter and they were tearing the marines apart, literally.
They were stood on two large legs with a body covered in armour and a pair of hulking, spike covered, arms. The head of the creatures were only partially covered. They had sweeping helmets with thin slits for eyes and an exposed mouth section that revealed a gaping maw of razor sharp teeth. Their skin almost looked reptilian in appearance.
John turned back towards his Spartans. "Big boys, in the next room. No ranged weapons but highly dangerous. Twice the size of a Hunter," he informed.
They all nodded in their modified armour.
"Let's see what these suits are capable of," offered Kelly.
They all agreed, and ran into the next room.

Kelly was the first to reach one of the aliens. She unloaded a full HHAG clip into the side of the alien. It stumbled. Found its footing again and then charged.
She dived out of the way as the monster slammed into the wall.
John jumped up and shot the alien in the face before pushing off with his feet from its chest. Fred followed up with a magazine in the leg.
The alien fell to the floor.
Ash levelled his HHAG at the exposed face and fired.
The creature stopped moving.
The remaining four creatures quickly realised what was happening and ceased their assault on the few surviving marines. They all charged straight for John.
He rolled to one side. Fired and then jumped back wards onto a pile of logistical containers and then jumped again.
The monsters reeled from the attack and struck out at the boxes, knocking them over like dominoes.
Olivia and Mark joined the fire fight and each used a full magazine to kill another creature before they had to dodge another charge.
Fred and Linda fired at the remaining monsters. One fell and then the other.
The last creature continued to hound John. He leapt from box to box kicking out at the large creature.
Fred jumped forward and fired a clip at the monster at point blank range. The creature reeled and then staggered forward to attack.
John leapt.
The creature struck out hitting John in the chest. He was thrown back wards against the wall, winded but alive.
The monster walked forward.
All the remaining Spartans fired their weapons at the Scourge hulk. It reeled again. Then John attacked.
He dived on the creature punched it in the jaw several times and then delivered a hammer blow to the top of its head.
The creature cried out and tried to grab John.
He shoved a grenade in its mouth, jumped onto its back and then kicked off; firing as he he did so.
The creature gave a muffled roar before its head exploded.
John and the others gave a collective sigh of relief.


Cairo Command Cell

John and the other Spartans stood in line as Lord Hood gave them each a commemorative medal and a friendly handshake. It was the least he could do.
"Well, Spartans the immediate threat is over. But from what I have seen we will need to prepare for the next time we meet."
The Spartans Nodded.
The Arbiter, now aboard to personally thank the Spartans, stepped forward and greeted each of them.
They all smiled.
Then John's vision tunnelled and darkened. His head spun and filled with stars.
He tried to clear his mind and regain his balance. But he fell.
Then silence came.

A deep roar echoed in his broken mind. He tried to protest, but he couldn't.
Then the roar settled into a voice-- A deep resounding voice that, somehow, seemed familiar.

"I have watched you from across the stars. You have become a true hero and saviour of all mankind. You were the key part in a puzzle, an enigma to which we were all a part of. But unfortunately that must come to an end..."

"...I must destroy you."


John recognised the voice.
"But you're dead. You can't be here," he protested.

The voice spoke again.

"The past no longer matters, Reclaimer. All that matters is the future. A future where every trace of your existence is but a distant whisper."


John regained his vision and slowly rose to his feet.
"Chief, what happened," asked a concerned Hood.
The other Spartans crowded round him and helped him up.
"What is it, John?" Kelly asked.
John shook his head. "Something spoke to me, something alien, something familiar and deadly. I thought it was the Gravemind at first, but then I recognised the voice. It was Keyes, sir"
"But he's dead, Chief."
"I know sir, but I think we may have more than one fight on our hands."
"The odds are even," Thel sounded.
They all agreed.
Then we need to prepare for whatever may come in the future.

The End...



[Edited on 05.08.2009 4:52 AM PDT]

  • 05.08.2009 4:50 AM PDT

H3ITWP

Great job Max. Outstanding. This has really given me a lot of joy in reading.

  • 05.08.2009 5:50 AM PDT

Its Only Natural.

captain keyes...as in the great ship commander to ever exist in the halo universe. awesomesauce....pure awesomesauce. epic spartan combat as always

  • 05.08.2009 6:13 AM PDT

Want to train your mad skillz? want to pass on your skillz to others?
Then join the Penguinators! an academy of greatness!
find out more here!

whoot! no words. only awesomeness. My only regret, is that I remember at some point you said you would explain how halsey and the other spartans escaped the shield world. maybe i missed a part...ill go look...

anyway, I love this story, but not in a g.y way...

  • 05.08.2009 6:55 AM PDT

By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.

I was literally at the edge of my seat reading this, brilliant job.

Only thing I'd criticise is that there could be a bit more spacing, it seemed a bit piled up is all. But other than that, I look forwards to the impending sequel.

  • 05.08.2009 8:29 AM PDT

If my purpose in life is to be hated, then I'll make a great boss

It's the proto-type-gravemind-thing from Halo 1. It turned into a grave mind didnt it....
O dear....

this story has moar win sause that a chinease win-sause factory

  • 05.08.2009 8:37 AM PDT
Subject: The Halo 3 Epilogue (THE FINAL PART)

this story was great. throwing keyes in there was a bit of a stretch but other than that i am very pleased with everything you've written. and i look forward to reading more of your stuff in the future.

some grammatical notes:

there are a few instances where you use the word "stood" when the proper tense would be "standing"

you say: STOOD in the glass fronted viewing area was the familiar sight of General Moorethe R&D officer. STOOD next to him were Admiral Cole and a high ranking female officer with grey hair that John was not familiar with.

the proper grammar in both cases would be STANDING

and you also say "dived," which is not a word. the proper tense is "dove."

you say: She dived out of the way as the monster slammed into the wall.
the proper grammar would be She DOVE out of the way...

[Edited on 05.08.2009 8:57 AM PDT]

  • 05.08.2009 8:55 AM PDT

That was incredible when are you going to make your new book that was incredible.

  • 05.08.2009 6:37 PM PDT

Posted by: Dropship dude
No, acnboy. Spartain Ken 15 is a lesser being. Much like the bacteria that lives in your shi­t.
Posted by: mike120593
My shi­t bacteria takes offense to that comparison.

Don't make me lel. You won't like me when I lel.

At a loss for words man... what's next?

  • 05.08.2009 11:45 PM PDT
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MOST EPIC STORY OF ALL TIME!!!!!!
Man this story deserves to get attention to the bungie employees

  • 05.09.2009 7:47 AM PDT

I really cannot wait for your next story. If it is anywhere near as good as this one, i will be very happy.

  • 05.09.2009 4:19 PM PDT

*Puts on announcer voice*

In the meantime, why not check out both Halo 3: Insurrection and Memoirs of an ODST? I heard th guy who writes them is amazing.

:D

Anyway, great part Max, I loved it. I was actually thinking about having Keyes as the Gravemind in Insurrection, so you should be glad I didn't!



[Edited on 05.09.2009 4:23 PM PDT]

  • 05.09.2009 4:23 PM PDT

By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.

I'll read this story again, then hopefully write a review.

  • 05.10.2009 9:52 AM PDT

The Epilogue, as you have already realised, has now finished. There will be more to come in time, but for now just enjoy what has been written.

As for the mistakes, thanks for the pointers. I must admit that i got a bit carried away and rushed the end part a little cos I wanted to get it on the forum, but I was still pleased by what I put out.

With regards to my current real story (novel), I will now be finishing that. The Epilogue, as enjoyable as it was to write, was a pain in the backside. It constantly got in the way of my own attempts to write a novel. Cheers Bungie.

More news to come at a later date. But I'd like to thank everyone that contributed to the thread. Cheers everyone!

  • 05.11.2009 3:56 AM PDT

28, Architect ll Deviantart ll TWP(Formerly Halo 3 in the WorkPLace) - Assistant Director ll SIP ll OTK ll DMH

Wow, great plot twist with Keyes. Are you going to continue the new story arc with Keyes?

  • 05.11.2009 8:24 AM PDT

please let us know when your novel is done!

  • 05.11.2009 8:31 AM PDT

Want to train your mad skillz? want to pass on your skillz to others?
Then join the Penguinators! an academy of greatness!
find out more here!

YEs max thanks for all the laughs and (tears? when we found the ETA was a few days off). Anyway its been a great time, do us a favor and someday somewhere either post in this thread (ill keep it saved) or in the group i made when ur ready to start on it again.

  • 05.11.2009 7:22 PM PDT
Subject: The Halo 3 Epilogue (The Finale-Part 4) BRAND NEW - PAGE 6

Taylor Gang! 420

i bet keyes is anew gravemind

  • 05.23.2009 10:13 AM PDT

By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.

i bet keyes is anew gravemind

That is what is implied at the end, as I said before Max, great job!

  • 05.23.2009 1:50 PM PDT
Subject: The Halo 3 Epilogue Parts 1-21

Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.


read the forgotten spartan by rainman89

Wow this is pretty good.

  • 05.23.2009 2:17 PM PDT
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"If something is easy, broken, cheap or can be abused, majority of the population will support it as a legit and or skilled concept/idea. Whatever people like and or love, they will thrive on it because no matter how broken it maybe, they do not like change."

I'm almost convinced our boy Max here has either talked to Eric Nylund the esteemed author of many Halo Books or Nylund himself knocked Max out and wrote part 26 himself LOL. In any case great work Max you should really get a job working for Microsoft writing books or something they need a talented writer like you. I don't think anyone can match your skills as far as determination, creativity, and dedication to the Halo universe and I can only say probably Bungie is watching this story with ever so watchful eyes. I would totally pay to watch this as a movie haha.

  • 05.26.2009 9:01 AM PDT