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Justification Pt. IV: Retrogress
Posted By: Rixor<rixor87@hotmail.com>
Date: 28 February 2003, 4:38 am
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A field of stars glimmers peacefully and silently, then disappears as the view of the galaxy overruns the twinkle of the stars. A strange object appears and moves into view. The spinning object is dwarfed as the rest of the wreck reveals the scene. Several large objects drift in and out of collisions with each other. Ice crystals light up the area for a split second. The planet near the scene burns bright as a large section of the original object burns in its atmosphere. One revolving section’s surface is revealed as it rotates into the sun.
The entire object is brown, in contrast to the metallic gray of the side opposite it. The view finally makes sense of the entire scene as the once chaotic sense of the disorganized fragments is realized into a partial ring. What remains resembles nothing of what it once was, it is now fragmented and decaying. Some parts looking like an unfinished skyscraper.
A vague silhouette surveys the damage through the transparent metal hull of the observation deck. Its form is indistinguishable in the darkened room. It turns and walks towards the center of the room. Random light dances in the middle of the cavern-like room. The dancing light materializes into a perfect ring, Halo.
The hologram of the ring gets smaller and moves to the side to make room for the updated version. A grotesque arrangement of curves appears next to Halo, accompanied by several smaller curved fragments and clouds of metallic shards. The computer identifies each large fragment to its original location in Halo.
The shrouded creature turns quickly and walks out of the room as the hologram dims and dies. An opening forms in the solid wall that the alien walks through. In another room several more of these creatures are seated on top of a plateau-like structure in the center of the room. Our alien enters through another formed opening in the wall and strides towards the pedestal. When it reaches the edge, a section of floor separates and lifts it up to the top of the plateau, where it takes a seat.
Once seated, its chair shakes as if it floats in mid-air. The same hologram as earlier appears in the center area inside the circle of aliens. The first one’s chair replaces the hologram in the center. Its seat disappears beneath it as an unknown force lifts it above the collective of creatures. The hooded creature lifts an arm and the air in front of him explodes in light, finally calming into the previous vision of Halo. It’s then replaced with the carnage of what remains of the habitat.
The wrecked Halo dims and fades and is replaced with familiar forms. First, a small orange form is shown standing in the air, it then bursts to life as the hologram depicts it as firing a small weapon. Next, another creature of about the same height fires the same weapon from behind a large translucent yellow disc. The beast is pushed aside as a monster morphs into shape in the air. It carries a large metallic shield, and fires a large charged weapon. Another creature is shown, smaller than the last but larger than the first two, firing a new weapon, appearing to be of the same kind as the other weapons. Then a strange being appears, clad in metal, and yelling to others like it, this creature is shown in several forms. Some without the metal, some with the metal around their heads, some without metal around their heads.
Finally a last race is shown, all resembling the others, all the same color, some large and round, some very small and fast. Holo-screens form in front of aliens watching the display of races. The aliens in the hologram show themselves in front of the observers, via their holo-screens. A battle ensues on their screens, all the creatures present. Then a last race appears, fully clad in green metal, no eyes or mouth. It decimates everything in its path except for the creatures clad in metal.
The scene of the battle disappears, the green one is singled out and stands erect in the holograms. Light once again flutters next to it, a similar form is next to the green one now, much thinner than its neighbor, and no longer green, instead it’s somewhat transparent. Symbols appear and flash on both of the forms, as if to designate a match.
A series of objects appear. All very similar to each other, and somewhat familiar. Out of all the symmetrical and perfect ships, an ugly duckling appears. It’s attacked with beams and formations of light and is shown entering the atmosphere of Halo. The scene changes to show the passing of a few days. The ring’s shadow is now in a slightly different position. The same view as before, nothing is moving, Halo looks peaceful and serene despite what is happening on its war torn surface.
The tranquility is broken as a blinding light floods the hologram. It dims to show a shockwave move across the center and strike the other side. The ring deforms and bends, then finally snaps and sends large pieces of the circle crashing into other parts of it. The hologram disappears to reveal the dead ring. No longer able to be called a ring.
The once tranquil habitat is now scarred with craters and canyon like scratches from impacts with debris.
The room is emptied as the collective is dismissed and the aliens leave the room. Only our alien remains, it walks towards the 'window’. It peers out into the junkyard that once was Halo. The shroud shadowing its face is partly disrupted by a beam of light. The bottom section of its head appears, revealing a mouth, also revealing a smile.
Curved tubes carpet the Halo system. Some larger than others, together they begin moving. Motes of light dance around the fleet of ships, and the ships disappear.
In another star system familiar forms drift in the shadows. Hundreds of Covenant ships are navigating the organized chaos that is the Covenant homeworld. Familiar spots of light appear and drift around, signifying the arrival of justice. The tube ships warp into view. They sit motionless, as if dead.
Their images begin to fade, almost transparent. A small tube ship, lacking the tube, begins to move away from the rest of the tube fleet, toward the Covenant ships and homeworld. It’s image, along with the rest of its fleets’, fades until it is no longer visible.
The Covenant ships go on as if they have seen nothing, and maybe they didn’t. Several minutes go by until the small ship reappears on the verge of the planet’s atmosphere. Looking closely at it, holes begin to form in its hull. Rounded tubes launch from the holes, and race towards the surface, heating up in the atmosphere.
Planetside, inhabitants of a Covenant city stare up to see shooting stars in the middle of the day. The false stars fall until striking towers and crashing into alleys. Craters are formed from the extremely high-speed impacts. Some are buried, some are underwater, but none are damaged.
At once all the pods open and hundreds of objects pour out of the opened vessels. The Covenant who were observing the descent of the pods are now covered, devoured, but worst of all being infected by the flood forms. A dull roar engulfs the city as its inhabitants scramble and scream for salvation from the hideous things. Hundreds of grunts drop their workload and run on all fours away from the sea of flood, most being trampled by elites. They run for the edge of city only to find more pods opened and pouring with flood. Some elites jump on the sides of the buildings, grabbing onto the handles and running up the side, most fall off because they haven’t climbed a wall since infancy.
Two hours later the city is quiet except for the occasional roar of an elite that is being torn apart. Mounds of flesh cover the flat areas. A giant column of flesh is in the center, several long limbs extend to the ground and nearby building for support. Infected elites drag around looking for dead bodies not yet utilized.
The Covenant ships in orbit and in the system suddenly stop, unsure of what to do. Go to the surface and rescue their leaders and risk allowing the pest to spread even further, or stay away, letting their leaders die but keeping the flood isolated. After several minutes, movement once again engulfs the ships as the military ships race towards the planet. Thousands of dropships light up as the atmosphere catches and slows them down, flames licking at their hulls. Large explosions pepper the surface, vaporizing larger hives of the flood. The Covenant warships are launching attacks on the biggest hives.
Dozens of ships enter the system and race towards the planet.
A giant structure stands serenely in a green field, despite the chaos that its planet has plummeted into. It’s the general shaped of a pyramid, with several layers carved out to create "shelves" where defensive emplacements are placed. At the top is a protruding column with rings of plasma weapons attached. Specks in the air grow until it they take the shape of thousands of dropships descending and landing, dumping their cargo of Covenant soldiers. Within minutes, the green of the field is no longer there. Now only the darkened mosaic of Covenant armor can be seen, the spots where the ground can be seen are worn down to dirt by the constant abuse the Covenant’s hooves subject the delicate plants to.
The carpet of Covenant soldiers and vehicles flows as they orient themselves to defend against a possible and probable flood attack. They wait in anticipation of an massive attack on their leaders. Some begin to wonder where their air support is.
Seraphs and banshees darken the skies the larger groups eclipsing the sun. Covenant troops cheer for their comrades who’ve finally come to defend the holy ones against the plague that is the flood...
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