Chapter 9: TBD

=She exhaled and coughed harshly=

Alright...

=Four of the soldiers got their hands under one side of the beam, getting as much leverage as they could. When they were ready, they shouted the all clear=

*Doctor*
Alright....
=He got his arms under Alpha's shoulders=

3..2...1, NOW!!
=The soldiers lifted the beam, but it was little more than inches higher than where it was before, and the weight was too much strain. But it was enough for the doctor to pull Alpha out from under its weight, and once clear the soldiers dropped the beam, a loud thump sounding as it hit the ground=

=She coughed violently a few times once out from under the beam=

Thank you, Doctor...

=Her cuirass has been badly dented whilst under the beam, and was now so caved it in was almost as tight as being under the beam. She reached over to the four locks on the left and right of the chest and on each shoulder, undid them, and cast off the back half of the misshapen armor piece. The underarmor skin beneath it would not offer nearly as much protection, but it was better than nothing, and certainly better that enduring the pressure of the armor=

So... Where are we going?

*Doctor*
We're going to load you up on the dropship and take you back up to our ship. The others are staying here for a sweep of survivors.
=A soldier brought a stretcher from the dropship, and they loaded Alpha onto it, lifting it up and carrying her back to the dropship=

=She looked at the Doctor=

Dont bother looking... *Cough* There's no one left...

=walks into the lab and one of the lead crew hands him a note and he heads out quickly to deliver the list of parts to the location tech crew needs them from=

would be so much easier if we had even a few dumb a.i's

*Doctor*
Hey, we found you didn't we?
=Still, the prospect of finding others was grim, but that didn't mean they wouldn't try. Loading her into the dropship, the doctor got on board. Once the doors had closed and sealed themselves, the ship took off=

(Jason)
=Sitting aboard that bridge, watching.....was one of the more agonizing moments of my life. Below me was Hell, and I wanted to help, but I knew there wasn't a thing I could do down there. Up here, it was just giving orders. Still though, finding Alpha, alive, was enough to give me some hope that others might be down there. I wanted to question her on the way up, find out who did this, but she needed medical attention, not an interrogation=

=She looked around the dropship. Forerunner technology was alien to her, even when fused with that of Humans. Though it was nonetheless interesting. She looked back at the Doctor=

I'm surprised you Humans even *Cough* showed up... Who'd have thought...

*Doctor*
Believe me, not all of us were really for saving you guys.....but I think we've finally managed to put that behind us now.
=He scanned her with one of the medical tools in his kit, checking her status=

Okay, nearly all of your bones are broken. Crap, we'll get you patched up on the ship and bring you back to Haven for some better support.

=She shook her head at the comment=

I'm all for *Cough* going back to Haven, but you may have *Cough cough* noticed that we are different species... Your medicine will kill me...

*Doctor*
Well, we can still try something. Besides, the medicine on Haven is not just for humans, Alpha. And if we can't help you, we can at least make sure you're comfortable.
=The dropship finally landed in the Hyperion's hangar=

(Caesar)

I disembarked the transport ship to the surface of Haven. I was just another refugee, a civillian to the security here. I didn't have my armour or any weapons, but I didn't need them.

----

(UNSC/ONI MP)

(To Parangosky) "Ma'am, suspect is dead. Suicide. But if your suspision is right, we have a spartan ready to destroy the deal with Haven. Shall we head there?"

=She smirked a bit=

Well, that's at least-

=A blaring sound came through all speakers on all ships above the planet. A great electronic siren loud enough to temporarily deafen an unprotected ear. Alpha grabbed her head and tried to block the sound out. When it was over, she looked at the doctor=

We have to go! *Cough* NOW!




Skip ot 0:08

*Parangosky*
No, absolutely not. If we head there, we risk ruining the deal ourselves. I'll send a message to Jason about what happened, and hopefully he'll be able to deal with it. For now, we let Haven be.
=Dismissing the MP, Parangosky went back to her desk, ready to prepare the warning=


--In Orbit Over Xenos--

(Jason)
=A noise sounded over the intercoms, a loud blaring siren of sorts=
What the hell is that? All ships, regroup! Ground forces fall back to the fleet!

=gets the letter to it's destination and they promptly start loading up the needed parts before hauling it to the tech lab=

well better get to the bridge

=starts heading to the bridge taking his time as he does=

=She looked towards the pilot of the dropship=

Send a *Cough* comm to Jason! We need to *Cough cough* Get out of here, NOW! You can't *Cough* fight them!

*Lt. Lake*
Sir, we're getting a message from the dropship transporting Alpha. She wants us to run, says we can't fight whatever this is.

(Jason)
Like Hell we're going to run. I want to see what this thing is. All ships, ready weapons!

=had taken an hour to get to the bridge when and he finally got there was told the tech crew found something so he commed the squad before heading there=

they found something no sure what but may be helpful sending directions

=sends the cords before sprinting there=

I change direction from the cafeteria to the bridge in hopes of finding Zeru. The man in charge.

=Alpha collapsed back on the stretcher in pain=

They're coming...

=A ship, black in color with many long arms protruding forwards from a large body, easily 200 meters in length, emerged from what looked to be a Slipspace portal. The balring siren came through the speakers again, followed by a deep, metallic voice=

There is no life... In the void...


https://i.servimg.com/u/f37/16/47/24/52/squida11.png

(Jason)
Okay, we've seen em. What's the status on our ground forces?

*Lt. Lake*
They've been loaded up, and they're on their way up now.

(Jason)
Not enough time. Have them dock with the Sentinel carrier, and have them stay put. Everyone else, standard formation until we know what this thing does.

=The ship sat silently for a moment before opening fire with it's two smaller cannons. The energy shots tore effortlessly through ship and shield, leaving only twisted metal and empty space in their wake. After three shots, it stopped before broadcasting another signal=


Khjeknou kournok mahltaonuk lokharr...

You are weak... You will fall before... us...

(Punikav)
=i got the comm and headed there, the others replying that they were on their way as well. It was fairly boring, nothing really to see along the way. I was curious of what the information could be, though. So that was interesting=

(Jason)
What the fuck is that thing?
=It just took out two destroyers and one of the Sentinel carriers, like nothing=

All ships, fall back to Haven. Do not engage the tentacle ship.
=It hurt, having to run from an enemy we knew nothing about. But this thing was way too powerful for us alone. Better to fall back and work up a defense. The fleet jumped to slip-space, leaving the ship behind us=

=Alpha coughed again=

You can't.. Fight them...


=The ship that attacked also jumped to slipspace, and would arrive at its destination in less than five minutes=

(Jason)
=When I plugged into the dropships comm system, I all but screamed=
WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT ALPHA? WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DRAG ME INTO?

*Doctor*
Please Admiral, she needs medi--

(Jason)
TO HELL WITH HER NEEDS. WHO DID YOU PISS OFF THIS TIME ALPHA? MY PEOPLE ARE DEAD BECAUSE OF YOUR ENEMIES!

We dont *cough* know, Jason... *Cough Cough* They came out of nowhere three days ago... *cough* and now everyone's dead...

(Jason)
Well how poetic. You're people went on a genocidal campaign against the humans, and months later you're all wiped out.
=I didn't mean to say it. God, I didn't. But I was just so angry, over the deaths of my people, over being drawn into this conflict when I already had my own war to fight, that I couldn't keep the venom out of my words=

=She coughed violently, a glob of blood coming up=

The Humans made war with us, Jason! I don't *Cough* condone what Delta did, but *cough* I couldnt stop him! These... Things... *cough* we don't even know what they are, much *cough* less what they have against us!

(Jason)
I won't waste time arguing over history, Alpha. Right now, I've got bigger things to worry about, and now that includes Squidzilla. We'll arrive back at Haven soon enough, and the planet will be placed in full alert.
=I ended the call, and slumped down in my chair. It was only then that I saw the looks of the bridge. They were all staring at me, and they all looked afraid. Of the ship, or my anger, I could not tell=

=Alpha fell back onto the stretcher in extreme pain from all her broken bones, fighting back thinking about being the only surviving member of her race...=


=The black ship exited slipspace over Haven. It did not attack, only observed. Lights flashed and faded on its hull, assumingly as some sort of means for communicating visually=

=When the new ship appeared over Haven, the fleet in orbit moved to intercept, the Forerunner vessels in the front. They tried to contact the ship, but nothing happened. After several minutes, they were cleared to attack, and all ships opened fire with their weapons. Plasma beams shot across space and impacted on the ship=

=The shots were absorbed by the black ship's shields, seeming to do next to nothing. The ship opened communications=

Kourlak m'nuukjkhaan iilur...

You... are not the Destroyers... What do you call yourselves..?

(Silver Light)
=Through the fleet above Haven, I heard the transmission of the ship. It was a curious thing, the question it asked, so I felt it was only polite to respond=
We are Haven. We are Human. We are Forerunner. Leave now, or the full might of this world will be brought to bear down on you.

(Jason)
=We exited slip-space and wound up at the scene of a battle. The same ship was in orbit over Haven, and the fleet was firing on it, though to little effect=
Dammit, what do they want with us?

=The ship responded=

Guur... Humans.. The heirs to the Progenetors, destroyed by the Parasite... The Destroyers had records of you... Humans...

=gets to the tech lab and enters it waiting for the others to show up=

(Jason)
=I decided to risk it. I opened a channel with the new ship=
This is Admiral Shepard of Haven. Who, or what are you? And why are you here over our home? What have we done to you or your kind, to warrant the deaths of our people at your hands?

=The ship responded to Jason's comm=

We have mistaken you... for the Destroyers... But you... are different... You are... Worthy...

(Jason)
=I sent a message to the fleet for them to hold fire, then addressed the ship again=
Worthy of what? We know nothing of you, and yet you seem to know a lot about us, about our past.

Worthy of... Life...

=The ship lit up again, the four giant circles on it's main body glowing a pale corpselight. It's weapons visibly powered down=

We know of you... from the Destroyers... We have... taken their knowledge... and made it our own...

(Jason)
Worthy of Life? What's that supposed to mean? And are you telling me that you were the ones that wiped out Xenos, and all it's people?

The ones you call... X N N O's... found our Planets... on the fringes of this Galaxy... We attempted... to share our knowledge with them... But they attacked... and we were forced... to defend...

=The ship made a deep bellowing sound, almost like a whale in the deepest depths of the ocean=

When they were... destroyed... we took their knowledge and made it... our own... Their history was comprised... of war... and Hatred... They took the lived... of innumerable... of your species... They were not worthy... And they were destroyed...

(Jason)
=Its words, sounded familiar. I once heard of something much like this=
Do you know of the Mantle? The Mantle of the Forerunners?

Our knowledge of your kind... is what we have taken.. from the Destroyers... They did not know... We do not know...

=It made the same bellowing noise=

Explain to us...

(Jason)
The Mantle was a philosophy the Forerunners upheld, to preserve biological diversity. To protect all forms of life, and punish those that went on genocidal rampages.
=Granted, that was a loose way of interpreting it, if not accurate=

Our records... do not indicate... that the Progenitors... knew of us... It is possible... that what you call... Halo... did not reach our... planets... Outside your Galaxy...

(Jason)
Or it could be possible that you did die the first time they fired, and rose up again after.
=As I spoke, I typed out orders to send to the fleet. My battlegroup rejoined the fleet in orbit over Haven, placing ourselves between the new ship and our home. While no one charged their weapons, I sent out firing solutions for a target on the front of the ship, maybe a few meters in diameter. Plasma beams only, for a pinpoint, combined shot with the whole fleets combined strength behind it. It was only a last resort=

Unlikely... Our system of Planets... exists beyond the reaches... of your Galaxy... From what we know... from the Destroyers... the weapons you call... Halo... did not reach us...

(Jason)
In the end, it matters little where you came from. What I want to know is what business do you have here? What do you want with us?

I came... to Exterminate you... but you are not... the ones we thought... You are... different... Your history... details war over... petty rivalries... and ideals... but... in recent time... your fight has become... one for Survival... and you have rallied... as a species... You fought... and you overcame... You are worthy... of Life...

=It made another noise, similar to the last but with a higher frequency=

We... would take great pleasure... in learning what we can... from you...