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Galaxy 07 - Part 1
Date: 8 November 2003, 9:16 PM

Galaxy 07

Author: Jillybean
AN: Although this is a sequel to Halos and Rings it can stand alone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Galaxy 07

Elder Mitchel stood at the front of the class. The small school lay on the Halo plains in the shade of a towering cliff. The river that flowed in the middle of the valley provided a steady water supply for the school and the other public buildings in the area, including the compact hospital and the tiny Guard office. Most official buildings were still housed in the cold snowy wastelands, but it was becoming more and more difficult to reach them.

The ordinary people of Halo lived in their make-shift houses and scraped a living out of the artificial ringworld. Their surrogate children schooled while they farmed or cared for livestock. Women waited for the men to return from the difficult mining expeditions while they tried to repopulate the galaxy.

"Now class," Elder Mitchel began. "Who can tell me why we must have children?" He gazed around the class of twenty-odd seven year olds and rested his eyes on a little asian boy. "Can you tell me, Harry?"
"We must have more children so we can make the world full of humans again," Harry responded obediently.
Elder Mitchel nodded and smiled beatifically at the boy. "Excellent. Why is it important to make the world full of humans again? Sean?"
The red haired boy in the back row lifted his head and chewed on his lip. "In case more Covenant come. We need soldiers and fighters and people to grow food."
"Very good Sean," Mitchel nodded his grey head. "When more Covenant come we will need all the soldiers we can get."

Mitchel walked around the room some more, extolling the dangers of the Covenant. He paused, noticing a little dark haired girl staring out the window. Her blue eyes were tracing the path of the energy blasts that emanated from the installations on Halo, her pale skin was illuminated by the sunlight filtering in.
"Tana," he snapped.
Tana turned her head to regard him with her trademark sombre gaze. "Yes Elder?"
"Tell me, why do we not allow uncontrolled breeding?"
"To make sure we have a wide and varied gene pool no two people must breed together more than once. We must use our frozen reserves of sperm and unfertilized eggs to keep the human race alive." Tana's eyes buried into his soul. "We must not know who our genetic parent are Elder, for we must not provoke jealousy among our peers. We are bred specifically . . ."
"Yes Tana." Mitchel cut her off. "That is quite enough."
"Yes Elder."

Tana was a very special little girl. This class were the first to be bred on Halo and Tana was the surrogate daughter of Aislinn Ring. Mitchel had arranged for Tana's birth, for he had broken the rules. Tana was his daughter, his and Dr Halsey's. He had arranged for that, but not for the mother. Aislinn Ring, being young and healthy, was among the first on the list to carry a child.
Tana was Aislinn's daughter, Mitchel was the unrecognized father. As it was supposed to be.

"There is the bell." Elder Mitchel clasped his hands together as the children scrambled from their seats. "Please, do try to remember your history assignments." He called after them.
Tana passed him by, her little pony-tail swishing as she jogged out.
"Tana," he said, catching her by the shoulder. "May I walk you home?"
"Of course Elder." Tana said obediently.

***

Tana didn't like walking Elder Mitchel home, although it happened more often than not. When Elder Mitchel walked her home she had to take the bridge over the river, she far preferred to wade through the fast flowing stream. The current would tug at her knees and threaten to pull her over, but she would make it to the other side and scramble up the embankment.
Once over the embankment she would sprint through the chasm in the cliff face to her village nestled in the boulders. Her house was one of the ones built into the rocks, chiselled into the very face of Halo. She would be swept into the door by her mother and scolded for going in the river. Her mother would dry her with a rough towel and tell her to feed the chickens. Sometimes Tana would help her mother with the book. And mama never called her 'Tana', mama always used her proper name. Cortana.

They reached the little village by the time the sun was fading over the cliffs. Soon the village would get very dark and mama would take Cortana for a walk through the meadow lands. There mama would tell Cortana the stories that she was including in the book. Those stories were marvellous stories, ones that Elder Mitchel would not approve of at all.

"Here we are," Cortana reached her house in the rocks and found her mother leaning on the door frame. Aislinn Ring swept a strand of long blonde hair out of her eyes and nodded politely to Mitchel.
"Governor," she began with a smile. "Thank you for walking Cortana home."
"It is no trouble. Tana's a lovely girl," Mitchel dismissed the claim. "And it's 'Elder' now Aislinn, remember?"
"How could I forget?" Aislinn stayed standing in the doorway.

Cortana knew that the proper thing to do was to invite Elder Mitchel for tea or coffee, but Aislinn would not do that. Aislinn would guard her house until Mitchel left and even afterwards she would still remain wary.
"How is your History going?" Mitchel's tone carried the disdain he felt for Aislinn's version of events. Aislinn told the story of the human race in her book, her History, as she saw it. Not as the Elders would have her tell it.
"It's going well."
"Have you taken into consideration my advice?" Mitchel asked hopefully.
"All advice is taken into consideration." Aislinn smiled at him once more and closed the door to her house.

***

"So what did you learn in school today?" Aislinn ruffled Cortana's dark head as the little girl climbed onto the kitchen table.
"Not much. I have algebra homework."
"Oh?"
"Well I kind of did it during lunch." Cortana shrugged. "It was very easy."
"You're a smart cookie." Aislinn murmured and kissed her daughters head.

The kitchen was small and possessed only a small peat stove and a deep tin sink. Cortana still had her baths in that sink and she loathed the cold metal on the ridges of her spine as she was dipped into the frigid water.
Aislinn moved through the small doorway into her bedroom and came out again carrying her second child. Wallace was named after Aislinn's first husband, he was of Indian origin they thought, but Aislinn said it didn't matter. Wallace would live on in Wallace, though Aislinn hoped that her baby would choose a better career than a soldier.

"Mama?" Cortana started curiously.
"Mm hmm?" Aislinn rocked her four year old up and down and sat him in his chair. Wallace grinned at Cortana and reached to give her a sticky kiss 'hello'.
"What will happen if the new baby is a boy as well?" Cortana asked. She saw her mother smile gently, one of Aislinn's hands fell to her stomach.
"Then he will have to become a miner or a soldier." Aislinn said simply. "It's the way it works."
"Mama can we have appuls?" Wallace asked thoughtfully. Aislinn grinned and shook her head.
"Not tonight love. Maybe another day?"

***

Wallace was being looked after by a neighbour while Cortana and Aislinn took their late stroll through the meadow lands. The tall grass almost hid Cortana and she delighted in running between the oats and barley.

"Now the Halos were supposed to be activated by us." Aislinn was saying, though Cortana knew the story off by heart. "There was a terrible accident however and they went off prematurely. Only those on this Halo survived because Cortana, the AI, had disabled the firing mechanism."
"Mama?" Cortana was climbing up a tree. "Do you think there are any Covenant left?"
"Maybe there is Cortana, maybe there is." Aislinn placed hands on her hips and watched her daughter scramble further up the tree. "We don't know who or what was outside the range of the other Halos. We were, it's easy enough to suggest that some Covenant survived also. But this impending war that the Elders talk about?" Aislinn shook her head. "No. The Covenant will be too busy surviving. Just like us."

"Elder Mitchel said that the miners were going to have to train a new group soon. He says our colony is growing so fast." Cortana mused as she dropped from the branches. She landed softly and looked up at her mother.
"Elder Mitchel is wrong. We need more miners for the Gas Moons because so many die. When the Halos were set off love, our entire military and most of our skilled workforce was caught in the blast. We are lucky we had frozen samples from most males and females otherwise we would really be in trouble." Aislinn gave her a strange glance. "Do you ever wonder who your mother or father is?"
"You are," Cortana said simply. "And I am Wallace's sister, and I will be the new baby's sister too. I think I would like the new baby to be a hermaphrodite."
"What?" Aislinn laughed without meaning to. Cortana wasn't offended, but instead explained her view as Aislinn had taught her.
"Because then it wouldn't have to breed like I do, or fight like Wallace must."

***

That night, when Cortana and Wallace were tucked into bed, Aislinn sat in the kitchen. She had the little stove burning and had her hands pressed together, warming them by the small flame.
What had happened? Why had the first Cortana allowed the Halos to set off early? Aislinn had to believe it was out of Cortana's control, she knew that this world she lived in now was a mistake. The regime, though necessary, was somehow simply wrong. Aislinn could not disagree with the breeding, or the need for mining ores from the planets that possessed a rich bounty of minerals. She could disagree with the way the Elders, the former Governors of Earth, were represented. They were not Gods, they were not a gift to human kind. They were simply people left behind with everybody else.

The real leaders, leaders like Daxia, Aislinn's elder sister - they were gone. The real leaders had been killed in the strange Halo blast. The one that irradiated biological life, yet left planets shaken - but intact.
Even this Halo had felt the shockwave and it's inhabitants had all been hit with a strange illness after the blast. They recovered however, they went on to run a society with no military presence. They had needed a unifying force and that scapegoat was the Covenant.

Aislinn's first husband, Wallace Jenkins, had been killed by the Flood. Her sister had been the sole human survivor of the first encounter with the Flood. Aislinn did not count the Spartan as human, nor Cortana the AI. In her heart Aislinn knew that only the release of the Flood could have prompted the activation of the Halos. It was this forgotten devil that Aislinn was most afraid of.
In silence, Daxia had heard screaming and the steady clicking of the Spores. Aislinn heard only silence, silence and her sister's tales. Aislinn longed for the laughing camaraderie of pilots like Lara O'Flynn, marines like Ben and Jean-Pierre. She even wanted to feel the table shake as Spartan-117 leaned on it. This Halo was full of Haloers, the name for the colonists on the Halo.
But Aislinn was not a Haloer, she was a Ringer. She was one of those following in her sisters steps. Aislinn Ring would raise her children as Ringers and they would all be ready. Not for the Covenant, but for the Flood. And for the day when human kind could rise above the box they had built around themselves.

The day was soon, Aislinn was sure of it.

She was not aware of just how soon.

Galaxy 07 - Part 2 - Sanctuary
Date: 12 November 2003, 4:12 PM

Galaxy 07

Author: Jillybean
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sanctuary

"The prophets are not happy." Ishe' Manatee rested his talon like hands on the window ledge and peered into the green park. The small human beside him laughed, a strange, high-pitched noise that would always set him on edge.
"When are they ever?" She turned her head to regard him.

The Elite was not yet accustomed to her blatant disregard for authority. He was learning, however, and his front mandibles twitched slightly in his own version of a smile.
"Indeed. I fear they will not condone our . . ."
"Agreement," Daxia said simply. "I never thought they would. Are you still okay with it?" She turned more fully towards him and again Ishe' Manatee was taken aback. The small human often inquired after the Elite, even though the Elite had pledged his loyalty to her.
"I am . . . sworn," he answered. His tone carried a slight hint of reprimand. "I will not go back on my oath."
"Alright Ish." Daxia rested a hand on his scarlet armour and patted in a friendly way, the way he had seen her act around her marines. "I know you're loyal. But I understand that it's difficult for you."
"I have made my choice. Whether or not my bond brothers follow is their choice. I have little use for Prophets any longer." Ishe' Manatee bowed his head then turned and slowly loped off.

Daxia stayed by the window and gazed out onto the alien Forerunner world. A completely foreign moon was starting to peer through the lilac clouds, though the sun still blazed strong. She heard the distinctive gait of a Forerunner approaching and remained perfectly still.
A little monitor was guiding this Forerunner through the Sanctuary and they paused by her.
"This is a curious anomaly," the monitor was saying. "This human should not have been brought to the Sanctuary. The AI construct, Cortana, was innovative enough to rescue this specimen, and the specimen we saw earlier, and bring them with our fleet. This human is an unsuitable example of life on a human planet however, she is too contaminated with our intervention."

If she stayed still enough they would leave her alone. The Forerunners were only interested in behaviour. There had been one time when they had tried to watch Corporal Nadia and Doctor Gordon during "an intimate act that implies love and the intent to procreate."
Not on this planet, sunshine.

The Forerunner and monitor moved on, Daxia ran hands through her short blonde hair and sighed deeply.
Seven years. Three months. Four days. Three hours. Seventeen minutes.

***

The pilot walked the long corridors of Sanctuary and reached the patio with it's little fountain. The sound of the gurgling water was strangely comforting and she sat on the stones, tracing her fingers in the chilled pond.

When she had first arrived in Sanctuary she had been blinded to it's purpose. She had grieved for her own galaxy, now lost to them forever. John had found them quarters and convinced the Forerunners to install holographic transmitters in the building so that Cortana would have free roam over the place. With Cortana's aid, John took a head count of every human alive on Sanctuary. He also counted every Covenant, and got into a few battles with them too.

At first, Daxia had not cared. She was convinced that she was some sort of curse. Anyone who got close to her would die. Her parents when she had been younger, the Pillar of Autumn, Lara O'Flynn, her sister. They were all lost to her. It didn't seem, to her, that she would have John for much longer either. So it was best to separate herself from him and the world, then at least she wouldn't notice when they all died.

And then John did something quite remarkable. He had never allowed her to compromise his mission, or to interfere with his status as the Master Chief. But Sanctuary changed him, after a few years of paranoid watching, he seemed to come to terms with the fact that for him: the war was over. Gradually, when he was convinced there were no Covenant or Forerunner or humans in his vicinity, John-117 began to relax.

The years started to accumulate and Daxia was forced to snap out of her depression. Those in Sanctuary started to build a community for themselves and John began a Boot Camp - just to keep the humans on Sanctuary fit. And one day a scarlet armoured Elite walked towards their little congregation and asked to go on the morning run.

Ishe' Manatee was still one of the very few Covenant who had recognized that the war was over. Ishe' Manatee acted as a link to the Prophets, who still declared humans as filth. The Elite had lost his religion long ago, however, and he preferred the physical activity that the Boot Camp presented to him.

Things started to degrade, the Grunts died and Cortana started failing. Sixteen humans died of the influenza that swept through Sanctuary one hot summer. Daxia realized that she could not, in all good conscience, allow human kind to die with her. They started to form a resistance, the few humans and Covenant who could.
With the promise of a new war both Ishe' Manatee and John snapped back to their soldier mentality. There were no more lazy nights with Daxia's lover and the only thing she could do with a blindfold on was reassemble a machine gun.
But it was nice to have a purpose. An aim.
It was nice to lead an army once more.

***

John-117 was doing press-ups in his quarters when Daxia entered. Their quarters were quite large, since none of the other humans had been willing to argue with John to contest the space. Precious few Covenant had argued either. Daxia sat on the bed and watched him with a sly smirk on her face. He tried to ignore her and finish the exercise, but it wasn't what she had in mind. He found he had to make a more conscious effort to count the number of press-ups as she hummed under her breath.

"Was there something you wanted?" He asked after a while. She smiled happily and lay on her stomach to watch him.
"Maybe," she purred. "But actually, yes. Ishe' Manatee says the Prophets are getting annoyed at our human efforts."
"If they're happy here, then they can stay here," John grunted and propelled himself to his feet with one last push-up. He snatched a towel from the back of a chair and wiped the back of his neck. "It's not our problem."

He quick marched to the shower and switched it on. The Forerunners had been rather thoughtful in their arrangements, even though if they had adhered to their principals they would have left their specimens to fend for themselves in Sanctuary. But who was an unsuitable specimen like John to argue? The Forerunners had a loose set of moral values, ones that John's feeble human mind could not hope to grasp.

"You do care," Daxia called from the bedroom. "You wouldn't get angry if you didn't."
"I'm not angry," John retorted. He would have pretended he hadn't heard her . . . but with his hearing it wasn't very believable, and Chief Mendez had never supplied any tactics for dealing with an angry Daxia.
"Of course not," Daxia muttered.
"I'm not!" he insisted, before realizing he could have pretended not to hear her mutter.
"I know!" Daxia called back. "Why would you be?"

John rested his forehead against the wall of the shower and tried to fathom exactly what it was in her tone that made it sound like he was a lying, cheating bastard. When he needed a voice to play conscience, he asked Cortana.

"Good evening." The AI's pleasant tones came from outside the shower and he groaned.
"Cortana," Daxia began warmly. "Nice to see you out and about. How are you feeling?"

They were ganging up on him. It was another test, yet this time there was no one to tell him how to win.

"I have been . . . better . . . in the past few weeks." Cortana's reply was slow and careful. The AI had to shut down the thought processes that sprung to her mind with every comment. It was difficult to try and keep on track of the conversation when she began a billion others with every subroutine.
"Good," Daxia murmured. She was silent and waited for Cortana to come around to her reasons for visiting in her own time. It was best this way. Cortana didn't recall her reason until John returned from the shower. Cortana seized upon the other thoughts in her head and ruthlessly squashed them, concentrating on the important thing.

"I found ships. Lots of them. Human and Covenant. They're hidden in orbit above Sanctuary, they're part of the Galaxy 07 exhibit." She looked to John and then frowned. "There was something else, but I've forgotten it. I'm sorry."
"That was enough Cortana," John assured her. He turned to Daxia. "Looks like your favourite Covenant is going to have to overcome his morality issues. We'll have a briefing in the morning run. Tell everyone."
"Yes sir," Daxia said. Her tone was laced with sarcasm and she saluted him lazily from the bed.
"Snap to it Commander," he growled.
"You'll pay for this," she called as she reached the door.
"I'm counting on it."
"And they say you're not human." She paused at the door to blow him a kiss, turning to go back into the corridors.

She yelped as he dragged her backwards into the room.
"But-" her protests were muffled by a kiss.
"Cortana's gone to think about the universe. There's still time before dinner," John hinted playfully. "I'll show you just how human I can be . . ."
"If you insist," Daxia giggled.

Galaxy 07 - Part 3 - Extracts
Date: 14 November 2003, 5:03 PM

Galaxy 07

Author: Jillybean
AN: So everyone feels a little confused. I hope this little chapter clears it all up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Extracts

:An excerpt from Monitor 343 Guilty Spark's report on Galaxy 07:

The circumstances surrounding Galaxy 07 require a comprehensive and linear explanation. One which this Monitor finds incomplete.

This Monitor's primary objective was the care and protection of Installation 04 and it's Flood specimens. Henceforth, this Monitor shall be referred to as 'I'.

My first encounter with the species that refers to themselves as 'Covenant' was when Installation 04 was besieged. The Covenant's actions had a religious purpose. This has afterwards been understood to be a mistake. Our own limited interactions with this race had provoked a genocidal war fare. This is a fascinating aspect of Galaxy 07 and is more clearly illustrated in the Galaxy 07 exhibit which is now open. It is recommended by this monitor that any being interesting by this Galaxy should pay the exhibit a visit. Located on a specially chosen planet it mirrors life on Galaxy 07 completely. We have limited interaction with the inhabitants. It is believed that the Grunts are dying out at present. One would recommend that they are seen before lost to us completely.

To return to the chosen topic of report. The Covenant had pursued a Human cruiser to Installation 04. A battle raged and I chose not to intervene. This has been contested by the Council of Monitors and it has been decided that intervention should have been my course. In any similar situations I shall henceforth act accordingly.
The Covenant appeared intent to study the Flood and released them in what appeared to be an accident. I had the situation under control when the Human construct, Cortana, entered the Core of Installation 04 and learned of the Flood. In the mean time, more humans had come and destroyed my fragile containment methods. It was evident to me I must wait for a Reclaimer, yet there was no time to induce the proper Genetic Overrides.

The Spartan referred to as Master Chief reclaimed the Index, yet Cortana prevented any reunification of the Core and Index. Cortana and Master Chief proceeded to destroy the Generators on Installation 04 then to destroy the Installation itself.
With the threat of the Flood release nullified, I returned to Galaxy 01 to collect further orders.

My standing orders were to inform the other Monitors of the threat and nullify Galaxy 07. It was believed that the Covenant and the Humans were a threat to life in the universe as they would undoubtedly pursue the Flood.
I attempted to select the Master Chief and a female human known as Daxia Ring to undergo the Genetic Overrides. This procedure would bring to the surface their latent Forerunner genes. They resisted and I failed.
I later chose two other humans to become my Reclaimer and Preserver. These two were terminated by the Master Chief once more.

It was at this point that the humans colonized Installation 02. They began to colonize Installation 08 and Installation 06. On both Installations the Flood were released. I was able to recruit a Spartan III to unify Installation 08's Core and Index.
As procedure indicates the Forerunner then took one hundred specimens of sentient life on Galaxy 07. We vacated the system before the Bio-Mass Wave was set off.
The construct, Cortana, was able to accompany us on the jump from Galaxy 07 to Galaxy 01 with the Avalon. Located in the Avalon was the Master Chief and Daxia Ring also. These specimens are unsuitable for study. A human or Covenant ship would have been unable to follow at our speed.

We have no reason to believe that any Humans or Covenant have survived in Galaxy 07.

:: Extract End ::



::An excerpt from Aislinn Ring's History.::

It has been three days since the premature detonation of the Halos. Most of our doctors, our scientists, our injured marines, were on the cruisers destined for the other Halos.
We have seen the aftershock of the detonation shake our Halo to it's foundations. We have seen ships plunge for the sky as fire. I can not believe that anyone else survived.

The former Governors of Earth are renaming themselves as the Elders. We still have frozen sperm and eggs from most of the UNSC's finest. Considering our tiny number, it appears that we will have to select each child's parents individually, if only to avoid cross breeding.

We are limited in our resources. One of our soul mechanics is trying to fix a Pelican. They think that we could mine from the nearby moons, the precious ores we need to build with. To work with. We are caring for our crops now as if they are gold dust. Perhaps they are more valuable.

We are on an isolated world, all alone. They say it is possible for some Covenant to have survived. They are trying to use it to drive us on. Already they are trying to forget that we have made a terrible, terrible mistake. We should never have tried to harness the Halos, they are not ours to do so.

I am not going to let them make mistakes again. I will record everything that happens. I feel it is the least I could do, after all, my sister is one of the fallen.

All at Strayforth have died. It was within the perimeters of the active Halos.

We are all lost.

I cannot help but feel that life has changed. Forever.

::Excerpt end::

Galaxy 07 - Part Four - Boot
Date: 19 November 2003, 3:53 PM

Galaxy 07

Author: Jillybean

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Boot

Ishe' Manatee remained silent as he approached. The assorted crew of humans, Jackals, three Elites and the sole Brute that made the Spartan's Boot camp paid Ishe' Manatee little attention.
There were forty nine beings in total. Filed into loose seven lines of seven, they all appeared to be in good health. Even the humans would complete the runs, although the Brute had failed on occasion. They were sprinters, unlike the Elites who could move for long distances at a time. Ishe' Manatee found his place in the ranks and waited.

The Elite waited until he saw the human they called 'Master Chief' approach the group. It was strange that, although Master Chief was the obvious candidate for leadership, he appeared to take his orders from the small female. Ishe' Manatee understood that Daxia was a Commander, but he also understood that the nature of the relationship between the two was not . . . linear. He could not think of a better word, his grasp of English was fragile at best.

"Are you ready recruits?" the Chief snapped at them. He was not wearing his armour today. Ishe' Manatee respected that. It was a warriors responsibility to be fit, not that of the mechanics which surrounded him.
"I'm sorry," the Chief sounded surprised. "I didn't hear my answer!"
"Sir! Yes, sir!"

Daxia took her place in the columns beside Ishe' Manatee, though strictly she should have chosen elsewhere. The Elite towered over her as they began the run.
"Cortana has found something," she began. The columns moved at a steady pace up a thick dirt track and into the valleys beyond.
"What?" the marine behind her asked.
"Ships. Lots of them." Daxia ceased talking as they passed a collection of Forerunners. The tall, gangly aliens gazed after the runners, but made no move to pursue. Once satisfied they were out of range, Daxia continued.

"When the Forerunner's picked their specimens - they must have taken the ships too. They're in orbit above us."
"But if they're all from Strayforth," a corporal grunted, "they'll all be badly damaged. Humans and Covies got hit hard."
"Indeed," Ishe' Manatee agreed. "Perhaps they have repaired them? The Forerunner are not . . . what is the word?"
"I don't know. Picky?" Daxia suggested. She slipped as they cut over the grassy hills. Ishe' Manatee suppressed the quick movement of his claws to catch her. It was a strange and . . . human . . . desire to aid another.

"Be careful," the corporal warned. "Or the Chief'll pull you out."
"He could try." Of all the recruits Daxia was the least afraid of the Chief. When in his Trainer mode, at least, the Chief was a formidable opponent. Even Ishe' Manatee had to think twice before rising to a challenge set by the human. Or the Spartan.
Depending on the human one talked to, the Master Chief was either a human like them. Or a Spartan, not like them. Different.

"Oh God," a human male said from Ishe' Manatee's right. "Not the gully."

The gully was a long, treacherous stretch of rocks that the Chief often ran the trainees through. It was difficult, since there were so many of them and the gully was very narrow in places. Ishe' Manatee had no problems leaping over the larger boulders. He came out in front of the pack and kept moving alongside the Chief. The running did not stop for a good few hours.
They came to the crest of a hill and the Chief drew up. The humans and Jackals collapsed onto the spiky blue-green grass. The Chief ordered them ten minutes rest and left the group alone for a while. He was probably setting up some trap for them later on in the track. Ishe' Manatee was not worried, he knew he would be able to handle anything that came his way.

"There you are," Daxia approached him. She was breathing heavily and she sat on the grass with a thump. The Elite watched as she grinned up at him, shading her eyes from the sun with her hand. "You ran on ahead."
"I was capable." The Elite took a look around at the humans and puffed softly. His breathing slowed as he willed his body to return to a calm state.
"Yeah. You missed our discussion about the ships. We think it's likely the Forerunners have repaired some of them," Daxia said. "After all, it is an exhibition."

A few of the surrounding humans laughed at her pompous tone. Ishe' Manatee's mandibles tensed in his own version of a frown.
"I do not understand. What is the funny?"
"She was copying the Forerunners," a marine explained. "Mimicry. Dunno where she gets the energy from," he added.
Daxia raised an eyebrow and the marine flushed. The other humans laughed at the young man.

Again, Ishe' Manatee perceived the humour, but did not understand why it was funny. One of the doctors took pity on him.
"She's in love," the doctor explained, drawing more laughter. "It gives her energy. The marine forgot."
"How does love provide energy?" Ishe' Manatee asked.
Daxia sobered up a little and leaned back, gazing into the distance where the Chief had gone.
"Chemically? Sex produces hormones which make you happy. You're more willing to do exercise,"
"Speak for yourself," muttered an anonymous wit.
"and that in turn makes more happy hormones." Daxia did not include more technical terms because Ishe' Manatee's grasp of English was not the best. Nor was her grasp of science.

"It's more than that though," the doctor continued thoughtfully. "Love is a lot more than just sex."
"It's supposed to be. At any rate," the corporal glanced meaningfully at Daxia and ceased talking.

"Are you ready trainees?" The Chief returned and the group pulled themselves to their feet reluctantly.
Ishe' Manatee witnessed the strange expression on Daxia's face. She looked almost angry. Was it because of what the corporal had said? Or perhaps not. Ishe' Manatee was not experienced at reading humans.

***

On returning to the Covenant barracks Ishe' Manatee was instantly aware of the unsettled air. A Brute standing at the far side of the vaulted corridor leered at him.
"Is there something I ought to know?" he asked. He could hear the gentle clicking of Elite's behind him. Their clawed feet tapped against the ground.

"We. Are. Not. Pleased," rasped the Prophet who hovered before him. The Prophet levelled his gaze on Ishe' Manatee and clicked disapprovingly.
"May I enquire as to why you are displeased?" Manatee asked. He was careful not to slip into English, the common language of the humans. It was a habit that he had grown into in the past few years.

The Prophet before him hummed lowly. Behind Manatee, the Brutes advanced a step.
"Your collaboration with the humans is . . . unacceptable." The Prophet slid backwards in his chair. "Renounce them and identify those other traitors. You may be allowed to keep your life."
"There is no honour in my life if I renounce my beliefs," Manatee growled.
"Your principles are those of the Gods!" The Prophet roared. "Kill him!"

His first instinct was to whirl around to face the Brutes. But Ishe' Manatee knew better than to turn his back on a Prophet. He lunged forward, whipping around to keep his vulnerable back to the wall.
The first Brute lunged forward with a powerful punch. Manatee ducked and drove his elbow into the creatures chest. There was a vulnerable spot on the Brute, just below the jaw, where the skin was tender. Ishe' Manatee grabbed the loose fur with his right claw and dragged the Brute around. With his other claws he made a pointed edge and drove upwards - into the throat of the Brute. It roared in pain and stumbled off.

An Elite ran towards him. Manatee met the blue armour head on. His greater size forced the younger Elite backwards. They tumbled to the floor and Manatee snapped the Elite's neck.
A Jackal leapt onto his abdomen and ripped at the back plate of his armour. Manatee bellowed furiously, flinging the Jackal aside. It's spine broke as it impacted with the far wall.
A second Brute came at him. The huge creature bore its weight onto his back, forcing Manatee back on to the ground. A Hunter leapt into the fray, it's spines clicking madly.

In the battle, Manatee had turned away from the Prophet. Now he paid for that fault. It stabbed him with a taser, able to hit flesh because the Jackal had weakened his armour.

Manatee collapsed, his vision swimming. His mandibles slackened as he tried to draw breath into his tight chest. He could make out the forms of the Brutes, Elites and Hunters that were hulking over him.
"Kill the traitor," the Prophet ordered. Then it left Manatee to his doom.

One of the Elites reached down and ripped the scarlet back plate from Manatee's armour. He snarled viciously, grabbing the clawed foot of a Hunter and pulling with all his might. The Hunter crashed to the ground, disrupting the rest of Manatee's assailants. He rolled out of the way and grabbed a little Jackal by the throat. He used it's shield as he backed away from the other Covenant in the room.

He had nearly reached the door when another of the Elites growled softly.
"Why are you doing this Ishe' Manatee? You were always one of the greatest warriors we possessed? Forget this foolishness," he begged. "I do not want to have to kill you."
"You do not see," Manatee prepared to set the Jackal down, relatively unharmed. "The Prophets. Our Gods. They were wrong! The Forerunner destroyed as a race. We have lost all that we gained. I am not following Gods who bring me here."
"The Gods will lead us out!" the Elite exclaimed.
"They do not exist."

Manatee flung the Jackal at them, to stall their approach. He sprinted down corridors and into the open mess halls. His body was failing, battered and bruised as it was. He could smell his burned flesh from the electric shock.
"Manatee!" Another young Elite caught him and helped him stand. This one was on his side.
"Warn the others. The Prophets have branded us traitors. They will try to kill us all. Ask the humans for aid," he instructed.
"Do you think they will give us aid? They do not like us much," the Elite said doubtfully.
Manatee growled. "They had better."
"I shall take you to the Commander Ring." The Elite decided. "She will know what to do."

Galaxy 07 - Part Five - Escape
Date: 25 November 2003, 5:48 PM

Galaxy 07

Author: Jillybean
AN: I apologise for the 'choppiness' of this chapter. Working through Writer's Block will do that to you. And writing crappy in this fanfic is better than writing crappy in my novel.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

       Escape

Daxia went to answer the door and was shocked when the eight foot tall Elite fell into her quarters.

The younger Elite, dressed in blue armour, apologized in poor English.
       "Had no where to take him, must warn others." With this he turned and left. Daxia stared at Ishe' Manatee, strewn across the floor.

       "John!" she bellowed and tried her best to drag Manatee from the doorway.
       "What! Is something wrong?" The Spartan ran into the room and stopped dead at the sight before him.
       "Stop gawking and help me," Daxia snapped. With John's help she managed to pull the Elite into the room and doors slid shut.

       "What happened to him?" she asked.
       John reached forward and traced what appeared to be scoring across the shoulder plates of his armour. The back plate was missing and his leathery grey skin was revealed.
       "This isn't plasma scoring," John told her. "I'd guess it's some sort electric stunner."
       "How can you tell?" Daxia asked curiously. Off his sardonic look she corrected herself. "Never mind. I'll believe you. Help me take his armour off, I don't think he can breathe."

Obediently John helped her remove the armour. He couldn't help but notice what appeared to be old wounds on the creature. Wounds that were perhaps a few days old. He had never been this close to a living, vulnerable, Elite before. What they could learn from the specimen . . . he shivered. He sounded like the Forerunner.

       "Do these look old to you?" Daxia looked up, worry in her eyes.
       John nodded. "I get the feeling he hasn't found it easy. The Covenant have given him a hard time over being our pet."
       "He's not our pet," Daxia corrected as she eased another piece of armour off. "He's our ally."
       "If you say so." John met her gaze steadily. Manatee shifted a little and he pulled her out of the way, an instinctive distrust of the Covenant was still taking precedence over logic.

       "He's not going to hurt us." Daxia shook him off and crouched by the head of the Elite. "Where's Cortana?"
       "She's offline right now," John replied.
       "Well bring her online. I'll need her help. If she can manage . . . hey, are you okay?"

Manatee regarded her with small, predatory eyes. His mandibles worked, finally concealing his ferocious teeth and he pulled himself to sit up.
       "I will live," he told her.
       "You're pretty beat up." Daxia gazed at him worriedly. "Maybe you should rest for a while."
       "The Prophets have declared me a traitor. It is not safe for me, nor those of the Covenant who have joined forces with you."
       "I'm sorry," Daxia said solemnly.
       "Was it you who hurt me?" Manatee asked. "It is not your fault. It is mine as a warrior."

John left the room and headed to the small port where Cortana was installed. Currently her chip sat above the unit. It was not wise to leave her active all the time, her thought process grew too long and complicated. He picked the chip up and plugged her in. As she flickered into life before him he smiled.
       "Manatee is in the front room. He's wounded," John explained. He quietly removed a pistol from it's hiding place and hid it under his shirt. Cortana watched, wordlessly, then headed through.

       "You were attacked by the Prophets," she deduced instantly.
       Manatee confirmed her statement.
       "Our time is running out," she said worriedly. "If the Prophets are moving against their traitors-"
       "I am no traitor!" Manatee hissed.
       "For want of a better term," Cortana corrected. "We must move fast. The Prophets will sell us out to the Forerunners, I have seen this in my simulations." The AI closed her eyes, as if in pain. "There's so much," she whispered. She was silent for a few moments before she opened her eyes once more. "We must move quickly."

       "How do you propose?" Daxia stood up and looked between John and the AI. "We're scattered throughout the compound."
       "How much time do you estimate we have?" John asked.
       Cortana shook her head. "One at a time. Please," she implored. "We have perhaps twenty hours. That is an estimate. We could rally at 12 hundred hours. Most of us will be in the Mess Hall."
       "Yes but how do we escape? Our plans are . . . fractured . . . at best," Daxia stated.

       "I knew there was something I had to tell you!" Cortana exclaimed. "There is a daily shipment of Forerunners,"
       "The one that brings the Forerunners to the exhibition," Daxia snapped. "We know that."
       "I learned of the location of the drop ship. It was heavily encrypted, but I know it. I covered my tracks, I'm pretty sure they don't know I know."
       "That's our exit," John said darkly. "Dax, I take it you still remember how to fly?" He ignored her outrage sputtering and turned to Manatee. "We're leaving tonight. Where are your Covenant?"
       "Taking shelter in the human quarters," Manatee replied.
       "Okay. Cortana, raise the alarm. We're meeting out in the front courtyard. Tell everyone to hide their weapons, but make sure they leave no guns behind."
       "Yes sir," Cortana said sarcastically.
       "Ish," Daxia leaned down to the Elite. "You help Cortana." She watched as the Elite limped from the room.

When she looked up once more, John was watching her.
       "Are you ready?" he asked softly.
       Daxia took a deep breath. "I don't want to be a specimen all my life. But . . . if something happens-"
       "Dax . . ."
       "If something happens to me. Or you. I just want you to know," she blinked and returned his gaze steadily. "I have had some of the happiest times of my life here. With you."
       "I love you too," John pulled her into a strong embrace. Without words they parted. John turned to dress in the MJOLNIR armour. Daxia left to rally the troops. They had said all they needed to.


***

It was with a hesitant and somewhat fearful air that the seventy eight specimens gathered in front of the Master Chief. The courtyard seemed full, but it appeared to the Chief that some had chickened out at the last minute. There should have been more of them there.
       He did not have time to dwell.

The five squad leaders approached him.
       "Cortana has given you the co-ordinates?" he asked. They replied affirmative. "Then you are to get your squad to the point as soon as possible. If it looks as though your last chance for take-off is slipping. Go. Don't wait for the other squads."
       He looked to where Daxia was briefing the squad pilots. She nodded at him. They were all ready.
       "Move out," the Chief ordered.

He watched as the five squads moved out. They each moved in separate directions, taking the paths they knew well. All their boot camp had not been for nothing. Slowly he slid Cortana's chip into his head and Daxia slid up beside him.
       "It's just like old times," Cortana mused as she came online.
       Daxia grinned. "Wish I still looked like I did seven years ago," she joked. She slid the clip into her pistol and waited for the Chief to lead the way.

***

Manatee, though injured, had no trouble running the distance to the drop point. The five squads were spread over the Forerunner colonized planet, each squad helping their own.
       The squads had been meticulously planned. While most of the escapees had attended Boot camp, some had been unable to. Whether through illness or simple age, they were unable to move as fast as the others. Manatee would have left them behind, but not the humans. Even the warrior humans who should have known better were determined to get every aged scientist out of the Forerunner facility. Every wounded Jackal. Even Goro' Nyessh - the Elite who had been blinded in the assault on Strayforth.
       No one gets left behind. That was their motto. Manatee couldn't say he understood - but in some ways he sort of liked it.

Sentinels appeared almost the instant the squads broke out the compound's invisible boundaries. Their lasers started to swing, inaccurately, across the spiky grass. Manatee fell to one knee and took aim with his plasma pistol. The Sentinel he hit fell to the ground, sparking wildly. The humans that were running ahead let out a whoop of victory. Manatee laughed wickedly to himself and fired at the next robot.

***

       "This is interesting," Cortana mused as the Chief rounded a corner.
       He fired at the rapidly approaching Forerunner and felt a huge sense of satisfaction when the long legged creature fell to the ground. "What?"
       "My thought process feel clearer when I am residing in your databanks." Cortana sounded more like her old self as she spoke.
       "I don't know if I like the idea of that," Daxia muttered, rounding the corner after the Chief had cleared it away. She scanned the room quickly. "When we get out of here you should have a diagnostic run, Chief."
       "Yes ma'am," he muttered.

Cortana directed them through the Forerunner Sanctuary, to the places where the specimens had never been allowed to go. They met with little resistance, all the Forerunner were tourists.
       "This the control tower," Cortana announced as they reached the tall, glass-walled tower that looked out over the Sanctuary.
       "Environmental controls, nutritional programmes, disease procedures," the Chief read from the displays. He had become fluent in Forerunner with Cortana's help. "You'd never guess that we were supposed to be unhampered with Specimen's." He slid Cortana's chip from his helmet and into a panel.
       "I'm disabling their stratospheric and space defences." Cortana flicked into life before them. She nodded. "We're safe to go, we should meet little resistance from the Fleet above."
       "Was that - environmental controls?" Daxia asked.
       The Chief nodded and pointed to the panel. "There? How good's your flying these days?"
       Cortana started to change the weather, bubbling, black clouds started to grow on the horizon. "There's one way to find out," she challenged mischievously.

***

Manatee leapt over the heads of the Forerunner guard and spun. Even injured, it was no problem for him to snap the long, frail neck of the Forerunner. There was in an inexplicable joy to be found in the action.
       "Behind you!" A marine dropped to one knee and fired with his pistol. The Forerunner inside the ship fell, dead.
       Manatee watched it, dispassionate. "My thanks," he said to the marine.
       The human saluted him cheekily. "My pleasure, mate!"

Manatee's squad was the first to reach the shuttle. The others began to approach, closely pursued by the Sentinel's. Each squad had had at least one pilot with them, that way the shuttle could take off at any time.
       "Are we ready to fly?" the Elite asked of the pilot.
       The young man ran his hands over the dials and turned his head. "Good to go when you are, sir!" he shouted over the hum of the engines.
       Manatee turned his attention to the fields. The other squads were nearly all safe.

***

       "This way," Cortana interjected, back in the MC's head, as they ran into a Forerunner guard. The Chief knew the command was meant for Daxia, who obediently ducked into the side passage. The Chief barrelled forwards, knocking the Forerunner off his feet. An overloaded plasma pistol finished the alien.
       "That's a pretty thing," Daxia mused, picking the Forerunner's gun off the ground.
       The Chief looked at it. "Hold on to that, we may need it," he ordered.
       Daxia stared at him. "Need it? We don't know how to use it!"

As if on cue, two Forerunner guards emerged from the corridor behind them. The Chief snatched the gun from her and fired it. There was a wave of blue light and the Forerunners slumped to the ground.
       "Hmm, a neural inhibitor," Cortana mused. "Fascinating!"
       "I know you're laughing under that helmet," Daxia muttered as they headed for the roof.
       "I wouldn't dare," the Chief replied.

***

They reached the roof to find the rain was pouring down. It sluiced off the sides of the black granite building, creating rivers that threatened to erode the walls. It was strange, in all her years at Sanctuary, Daxia had never seen a thunder storm. Now, as lightning arced the sky, she wondered what Cortana had done.
       "Here comes the shuttle," the Chief warned. He held both his guns up, ready to shoot if it turned out to be a Forerunner at the helm.

       The shuttle hovered above the landing pad, the gangway extended. Daxia sprinted up the ramp and shoved past the closely packed passengers. At the cockpit she hovered over the pilot and co-pilot, ready to hand out advice should they need it.
       "Ascending now," the pilot said softly, in his monotone.
       Daxia knew she was annoying the two perfectly competent pilots, but she couldn't help herself. She judged their every action.
       "Look-" the co-pilot breathed.
       Manatee and the Chief peered over Daxia's shoulders to see the ghost fleet above them. Covenant ships. Human ships. Locked in an eternal display of warfare. There were even mock cannon blasts, suspended between the ships.

       "We're docking with the Marathon class cruiser . . . " the pilot began.
       "No," Daxia shook her head. "The Forerunner ships are much faster. Cortana, in the control tower, did you find the location of a Forerunner ship?"
       "I've uploaded the co-ordinates now," Cortana replied smoothly. The pilots re-directed the shuttle and it slid into the bay of a large Forerunner ship.

       "What's the name of this one?" Daxia asked curiously, hiding round a corner while the Chief and marines scouted ahead.
       Manatee glanced at her. "Why is it important to know?"
       "Because, I don't want to insult her," Daxia replied.
       The Chief waved them forward and Cortana replied. "The translation is, I guess, Mordred."
       "Here's the bridge," the Chief growled. He and Manatee fanned out, both on the alert as Daxia slid into the pilot's chair.
       "Everything in place?" Cortana asked, her voice full of smiles.
       "Oh yes," Daxia replied, moving the ship out of it's dock. "Now, mind showing me that trick you did with the Avalon?"

Galaxy 07 - Part six - Discovery
Date: 17 December 2003, 3:29 PM

Galaxy 07

Author: Jillybean
AN: Sigh. Short - and hopefully sweet. Lemme know what you think
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

       Discovery

       "Well, do you want the bad news first? Or the good news?" the UNSC doctor asked.
       Daxia stood in what served as a medical bay on the Mordred and steeled herself for the worst. "Bad news first."
       The doctor turned back to look through the glass at John-117. "Physically he is in perfect health. Mentally though, his synapses suffered some damage when he was interfaced with Cortana."
       "How much?" Daxia whispered.
       "Well, he could still beat any of us here in a game of chess. It's not noticeable," the doctor assured her. "But sustained linkage with Cortana will take it's toll."
       "Oh," Daxia sighed deeply.
       "There is good news, however," the doctor promised. "My colleagues have been looking in to Cortana's claim that she was 'thinking clearer' when inside John's mind. We think that, with a suitable host, we could restore Cortana's thought patterns. It would, however, mean the destruction of the host's own processes."
       "Keep looking in to it," Daxia commanded.

She walked through the Mordred's sweeping corridors to the bridge. Since Cortana had shown them how to make the special, Forerunner manoeuvre that made them travel faster than they would in slipspace - they had reached Galaxy 07 in a number of days. Now they floated through the strangely empty space. Perhaps it was only their imagination, but the space seemed emptier. Back in the day, the crew were sure that they would have encountered some type of other vessel.
       Although, perhaps not. Paranoia isn't always unjustified.

Daxia reached the bridge and checked with the officers on duty. The Elite and the human that were working together thought nothing of the partnership. They had interacted with each other for so long.
       "We should reach Earth within the day, ma'am," the Elite told her in his stuttering English.
       "Thank you, Goro' Nyessh," she replied. The crew were capable, or at least, as capable as she was after seven years in captivity. Feeling useless, she returned to the Mordred's observation deck.

"Is there something you're looking for?" John asked as he found her staring out the windows.
       "A recognizable star would be nice," Daxia replied.
       John hesitated, unsure what to do now. She had her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes sulking in front of the space scape. He wasn't good at saying the right thing.
       "All hands to their stations," a human voice reverberated through the ship. "We have a situation."
       "That is not the way you were trained to do that, soldier," John mused before he and Daxia pelted through the hallways.

***

"What's our situation?" Daxia demanded as she entered.
       "Covenant cruiser," the officer on deck nodded to the readouts. "They're not powered up - but they may be running dark."
       "Or wounded," Ishe' Manatee murmured. He stood to her left, serenely watching his species' ship.
       Daxia glanced up at the Elite, aware that John stood over her right shoulder, strictly disapproving.
       "Master Chief?" she asked.
       "Yes, Commander?" The use of her title was a warning.
       "Prepare to take a team aboard that cruiser," she ordered. "Have we tried contacting them?"
       "They haven't answered human or Covenant hails," the officer replied, looking to a blue Elite for conformation.
       Daxia took a deep breath and nodded. "Signal them again, make them aware we are sending someone over. Master Chief, take one of the shuttles." She let him leave, feeling apprehensive.
       "I would recommend a Covenant member go on the team," Ishe' whispered.
       Daxia nodded. "The Chief will be taking a Covenant member," she replied. She was sure of it, it was tactics after all. He would probably take a blue, one of the younger Elites. One he had faith in.
       "You are concerned," Ishe' was speaking quietly. Hopefully too quiet for the crew to hear. Daxia chose not to respond.

***

The airlock cycled through and the Chief forced himself to relax. This was combat. He had done this a million times before.
       "We're picking up no life forms on scope," Cortana said. She spoke to him alone.
       Having Cortana in his mind again was making him edgy. Daxia hadn't revealed the results of the medical scans, which meant there had to be something wrong. Either that, or Daxia was prepared to accept the consequences of her commands.
       "Looks like nobody's home." It was Lilo' Maya. The Elite, who would have been blue, had he worn armour, lifted his head to sniff the air. Maya was one of a kind, attaching to the lifestyle of humanity and excelling. His grey, leathery skin rippled in anticipation. Maya was one of the only aliens who could truly count a human as his 'friend'.
       The other exception would be Ishe' Manatee and Daxia Ring. It was not something the Master Chief liked thinking about.

"Don't tempt fate," muttered a marine. "Or something's gonna happen." A few others chuckled at his pessimism. Slowly, they crept forward. Long, plush corridors were darkened and they had long since fallen into misuse.
       "This is interesting," Cortana spoke aloud. "There are pathogens in the air we didn't find in our initial scans."
       The Chief was glad of his suit, but he was aware that some other marines were panicking.
       "What kind of pathogens?" It was Daxia. The radio crackled a little. Space dust, most likely.

As Daxia and Cortana battered the scans back and forth, the Chief stepped closer to a set of pipes. The tiny flashlight on his gun played on the metal tubing. He reached out and touched the dust, the thick layer over the entire ship.
       "Get out." Daxia was suddenly sharp.
       "Yeah . . ." The Chief realized she had been watching through his suit's cameras. She had seen the dust - and come to the same conclusion she had. "Cycle the airlock!" he snapped at the marines and Elite. He waited until they were all safe, before he turned back to the ship.

Back on the Mordred, Daxia switched the feed from his suit to a private monitor. Ishe' stood over her shoulder, watching the screen impassively.

The Chief stalked through the corridors of the ship, finally stumbling upon what he was looking for.
       "The dust . . ." Cortana whispered.
       "Was Covenant." Daxia's voice was weary. "One helluva radiation blast."
       "We always theorized that this was how the rings would work," Cortana tried to be cool and analytical, but her mind was racing. It threatened to overcome her. "Which means the rings had a much wider range than we had anticipated."
       "The shockwave travelled," was the Commander's deduction. "It travelled . . . but did not kill instantly."
       "No." The Chief emerged into the bridge and had to shut his eyes. "The air-filters sent dust through the ship. Most of the bodies remained here though." The Chief walked through the bone dry skeletons and found what he had been looking for. An inert infection form.
       "It's dead," he claimed. He poked it with the butt of his rifle and turned from the room. "We'll overload the reactor core, just in case."

"The medics ran an analysis of the pathogen's," Daxia was saying. "Usual Covenant bacteria. Nothing to worry about."
       "But it was alive," Cortana reasoned.
       "Which means other Covies have been on the ship," Manatee agreed.
       "And left." The Chief finished overloading the reactor and headed to the dropship. The airlock cycled through and the pilot sped him back to the Mordred. There, they left at high speed - escaping the reactor's shockwave.

***

Daxia was once more in the medics bay, listening to the gentle machinery monitoring John's bio-rhythms. The Doctor smiled reassuringly at her.
       "This is just routine. He's fine."
       "Did the team show any adverse effects from the pathogens?" Daxia asked.
       The Doctor laughed. "No. I told you, they were something we have already acclimatized to. I analysed the dust the Chief brought back too. It's just decomposition. Nothing to be concerned about. The pathogens are a good sign, they show that something survived the Halo blast." The Doctor rambled on, but Daxia switched off. John was sitting on the cot, patiently waiting out the tests. The chip that held Cortana lay on the bed opposite him, along with all his armour.

Uneasily, Daxia left the medical bay and returned to the bridge. Their course was the colonized Halo.
       "ETA, two days." Goro' Nyessh lifted his blind head to regard her. "I hope it still there."
       Daxia was pretty sure it was. And that something was surviving on it. What that something was, she did not know.

Galaxy 07 - Part 7 - Regimes
Date: 29 December 2003, 8:00 PM

Galaxy 07

Author: Jillybean
AN: Happy new year everyone
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

       Regimes

Daxia gripped the rail with white fingers, her face showed the concentration, her rigid spine showed her fear. She turned to Cortana in the imager and took a deep breath.
       "Cortana, all I need to know is . . . did we lose them?"
       Cortana looked up and met Daxia's sombre gaze. "I think we both know the answer to that."
       "How did they get here first?" Daxia paced the bridge of the Autumn and ran her hands through her hair.
       "The Covenant ships have always been faster," Cortana said. "No one could have missed the hole we tore in subspace.

When John reached the bridge of the Truth and Reconciliation - he hesitated. The monstrosity attached to the controls looked like more than one creature had been forged in its depths.
       "Don't be a fool, Chief! Leave me!" Daxia wailed as he stood before her. He could see her face, caught in a world of pain.
       "Keyes, no," Cortana whispered in his ear.
       The creature that had once been Daxia opened it's mouth in a silent scream.
       "You know what you have to do," Cortana murmured.
       John nodded. He plunged his hand into the creature . . .
       . . . and into Daxia's chest. She stood before him, perfectly healthy. The waves crashed on the sand and she stared down at his bloody hand.
       "Why . . . ?" she whispered. It was all she said before she crumpled to the sand of the beach.

"Wake up!"
       John sat bolt upright in the bed and blinked.
       Ishe' Manatee stood straighter and gave the Elite equivalent of a smile. "Daxia sent me to wake you. We are at the Halo."
       "I slept that long?" John asked, still breathing heavily.
       Manatee nodded. "I understand humans require a great deal of sleep. Although I thought that you were not so . . . weak . . ."
       The Elite led him to the bridge, while John tried to make sense of his unusual sleeping patterns. Also the memories - some of which were not his - that kept recurring in his dreams.

"Wakey, wakey, sleepyhead," Daxia grinned at him when he entered the Bridge. She nodded to Ishe' Manatee and turned back to the readouts. "Any answers to hails?"
       "Yes. Though it's fractured. It'll take me a moment to locate it," the comm officer replied.
       John stepped forward, seeing the Halo spinning in space. It had been so long.

He leaned over the pilots shoulder as the Bumble Bee accelerated towards the ring.
       "Don't you want to take a seat?" Cortana suggested.
       "We'll be fine," he replied.
       "What is that thing?" a marine demanded.
       Daxia glanced behind her then readjusted the HUD on her helmet. "Hell if I know, but we're landin' on it."
       The Bumble Bee kept going, burrowing a trough into the earth of the Halo. When the Chief pulled himself to his feet, he checked the pilot's stasis. She was dead.

"Are you . . . okay?" Manatee's alien tongue worked around the unfamiliar words.
       "Commander, we have an audible signal," the comm officer reported.
       John dismissed the Elite's concerns, listening to the voice pumped over the speakers.

"Warning. You are now entering human territories. Turn back while you still can."
       "Sound like Governor Mitchel to you?" Daxia grinned at John and was confused when he didn't return it. "Okay, keep us going lieutenant. They don't have any weapons and that Halo's deactivated. Mitchel's bluffing."
       "Proceeding onwards," the pilot replied.
       "All hands on deck," Daxia ordered. "Get the pilots to their pods. Ishe' - you have the bridge until I'm back."
       "Aye ma'am."

"Is that wise?" John asked as he followed her to the docking bays.
       "What?" Daxia checked her hand picked landing team over. There were no Covenant on board. Not just yet. She slid into the cockpit of the Forerunner dropship.
       "Leaving Manatee in charge?" John prompted, standing in the hangar with the marines.
       "Let's not do this again . . . John . . ." Daxia frowned. "You're coming down to the Halo without your armour?"
       "Oh . . ." John grimaced and returned to his quarters. He slid Cortana into his armour and felt the familiar coolness.
       "Hmm . . ." Cortana mused. "Not running at maximum efficiency today, John. Perhaps when we return to the ship you should got to the medical bay. Your heart rate's up."
       John did not reply.

***

Aislinn Ring had taken the blankets outside for a beating. They were strung up over twine and she hit them with a woven rush beater.
       "Oh, there," her neighbour walked out from her hut and shook her head. "Aislinn, you ought to rest, so far along as you are." Mary nodded to Aislinn's swollen stomach.
       "I like to keep on my feet," Aislinn replied.
       "And the little one does that enough for you, I'll bet," Mary replied. Mary was one of the few sterile woman - but she was too old to mine or farm. As a result she was practically useless to the Haloers. She liked to try and help her neighbours as much as she could, and in return she wouldn't feel so unwanted. Aislinn let Mary take up beating the rugs and took Wallace for a little walk.

She and her young son toddled over the grasslands, finding themselves on one of the high, high cliffs.
       "Mama! Star! Star!" Wallace jumped up and down, tugging on Aislinn's arm.
       Aislinn looked up, shading her eyes from the glare of the sun. Sure enough, there was a bright blaze of light travelling through the sky. Her heart chilled and her lungs grew tight.
       "Wallace, come on," she dragged her son away.
       "But mama! Mama!" Wallace broke out of her grip. "I want to play!"
       "Wallace!" Aislinn grabbed the little boy, pulling him roughly. "We need to go!"
"Mama!" Wallace wailed, tears rolling down his cheek. He was more frightened by her roughness than hurt by her actions, but it didn't matter. Aislinn was too terrified to notice. Coming from the sky was a ship - and she knew for a fact there were no miners coming home today.

"Is there something wrong?" Mary called as Aislinn came back over the hill. "Aislinn! Honey, you're as white as a sheet! What happened!"
       "It's the -" Aislinn winced and doubled up.
       "You shouldn't have run so!" Mary cried, taking Aislinn by the shoulders and leading her inside. Wallace followed, his face red and his lip trembling.
       "There's a ship -" Aislinn managed, breathing heavily.
       "I'm calling the midwife," Mary stood up.
       Aislinn grabbed her hand. "Call the Elders. There's a ship landing on Halo."

Mary was loathe to leave the labouring woman, but this news was too important. There were no miner ships moving today. Mary knew this because the entire community would have been out to meet the Miners. The Elders had warned of this - a ship could only mean one thing: Covenant.
       All the years she had been on Halo, Mary had been taught to fear the return of the Covenant. When the Great War resumed, human kind had to be ready. It was why they had to breed to produce soldiers, mine the nearby gas giants for precious ores. They needed everything they could scrape together for when the Covenant returned.
       It never occurred to Mary that the Covenant were in as bad a situation as the humans.
       Mary ran through the ramshackle villages that made up the human communities. The little huts were built in the protection of granite overhangs or the Forerunner caves that twisted throughout the Halo. All the official buildings, left over from when the UNSC had run the Halo, were still in the deep recesses of the interior. Mary kept running

***

Little Cortana was in school, not listening to another boring lecture on the importance of child care, when she saw the few marines they had march through the streets. She counted thirteen men running through the dirt tracks. That was the entire compliment of marines on Halo.
       A second group of men and women ran on, this group was larger. That was the second division, self trained marines. Cortana sat up straighter, then got up from her desk and ran to the window.
       "Cortana what are you - oh . . ." the teacher trailed off when she saw the marines. "Children back to your desks!" she commanded. None of them moved. "Children!"

"I have to tell mama," Cortana realized. She scurried from her teacher's grasp and bolted out from the little school building. She hesitated when she hit the bright sunlight. Her mother would want to know exactly what was happening. So really . . . Cortana ought to follow the marines. She ran, her dark hair whipping in the wind as she crossed the countryside, following the troops.
       Cortana knew the terrain better then they did and she came across the ship first. Hidden in a scattering of boulders, Cortana peered out at the marine transport, a Pelican. She realized the marines were going to go into the ship and fly away.
       "Mama . . . I think I'm doing the right thing," Cortana lied. She darted from her hiding place and into the Pelican. The pilot in the cockpit didn't hear her, so she crept forward and into a little cranny, hidden from sight from the marines and the pilot.
       The ship groaned and lifted off the ground. She wasted her precious fuel as she flew over the surface of the Halo, into the deep, snowy canyons. Cortana shoved her fist in her mouth, determined not to make a sound as the Pelican reached the snow plains.

The Haloer Pelican landed beside a sleek, arrow shaped ship. The Pelican landed clumsily, with a metallic screech. The humans from the Forerunner ship waited out on the snow drifts, watching the Pelican's descent.
       "Someone's not been looking after their ships," one of Daxia's landing crew mused.
       Daxia nodded, pulling her jacket closer as it started to snow. She watched the marines pile out from the Haloer Pelican and held up her hands.
       "Hold your fire, soldiers." She noted their exhaustion and thin frames. "I'm Commander Daxia Ring."

The Haloers shifted uncomfortably, looking to their sergeant. He levelled his rifle at Daxia, his face scrunched up in thought. The Chief slid forward, standing between Daxia and the sergeant's gun.
       "How do we know you're really Ring?" Sarge demanded.
       "And him!" The Lieutenant pointed to the MJOLNIR armour. "He might be Covenant."
       "It's only been seven years," Daxia whispered. "You must remember what a Spartan looks like?"
       "It's a Covenant trick!" one marine claimed. He spouted the anti-Covenant propaganda he'd learned from the Elders.
       "Do I look Covenant to you?" demanded one of Daxia's team. The rest of the landing team laughed, but kept their few guns aimed at the Haloers.

Cortana crept from her hiding place and looked out at the taboo on the ice. She thought she recognized the blonde woman standing in the centre.
       "Mama?" she asked.
       The Master Chief's attention snapped to her, and she squeaked, scurrying back inside.
       "What was that?" Daxia was startled. She brushed past the ineffective marines, Master Chief at her back. Peering into the Pelican she found what she was looking for.
       "Well . . . hello there," she murmured.
       "My God," the Chief whispered.
       "It's Halsey," Cortana, the AI, spoke from inside the Chief's helmet.
       The little girl blinked and pointed at Daxia. "You look like my mama."
       "Aislinn Ring?" the Haloer lieutenant nodded. "She does at that."
       "Aislinn?" Daxia asked, her voice curiously strained. She shook her head. "Take us to the Governors first."
       "Elders," the little girl piped up. "They're called Elders now. Mama said you wouldn't like it."

***

The Haloers said that the Pelican couldn't risk another flight, but likewise they wouldn't allow Daxia to fly her ship to the Control Room. They claimed there was no fuel left to feasibly sustain the Warthogs in an emergency - so the long walk to the Control Room commenced.
       Daxia's crew was escorted at gunpoint. She ordered that they go quietly, though it was clear to Daxia that her crew weren't too happy. The Chief, in particular, resented giving up his hard earned plasma rifle.

"Covenant weapon," the sergeant hissed when he took the gun. The Haloers took a fresh look at their captives and led the way through the frosty ravines. So carrying Covie weapons had been a mistake. Daxia risked a glance backwards at the Chief and got a rifle in the small of her back for her troubles.
       "Hey!" Danny, one of her marines, leapt forward and was quickly brushed away.
       "Leave it, soldier," Daxia snapped. Her crew hesitated, they knew they could take the Haloers. In the end they followed her orders, prompted by the guns waved at them.

They were moved through the long, snowy canyon. Daxia saw that there were people living there, housed in fragile shelters. The huts were built out of any leftover material. She saw salvaged Warthog panels making a wall and ripped down Forerunner doors being used as roofs.
       "How many people are there on Halo?" she asked. They were taken down into a deep underground passage. A few civilians stared as they were led through their houses.
       "Enough," the sarge snapped at her.
       Daxia took in the thin faces of the people she was passing and felt a growing sense of dread. Perhaps too many for the Halo to support? She couldn't remember how many they had calculated the maximum capacity as.
       "You're afraid of the Covenant," the Chief spoke for the first time.
       "The Great War may resume at any moment!" A Haloer marine rapped his pistol off the Chief's armour. "You would do better to shut your mouth and take that helmet off. You look pretty Covie in that suit, mister. You're probably a spy."
       "Propaganda," Daxia mused aloud. "They need something to work for."
       There was a flurry of movement and they hit over the back of her head. She stumbled to the floor, but waved her own men away. "Leave it," she muttered. She shook off her blurred vision and caught sight of the little girl, standing behind one of the Haloers. The little girl who had hidden away in the Pelican, the little girl called Cortana. The little replica of Halsey was watching Daxia's fall with big, concerned eyes.

"The kid's cold," Daxia said. They had emerged back into the snowy canyon. She traipsed up an icy incline, still under heavy guard.
       One of the Haloers looked to Cortana in surprise, then shrugged. "What's your point? She shouldn't have sneaked onboard. We must work together as a team, each human doing their part to survive."
       "I see." Daxia got to the top and shrugged her jacket off. She tossed it to the girl and folded her arms, trusting to her UNSC poloneck to keep her warm. She felt the biting cold instantly.
       Cortana pulled the jacket over her shoulders hungrily, feeding on it's warmth. "Thanks," she whispered.
       Daxia winked at her and kept on moving.

***

"That little girl is definitely Halsey's," AI Cortana said. She had shut off external speakers and was now holding a private conversation with John.
       "A breeding program?"
       "It's a contingency plan the Governors had. The Haloers must be using the few remaining ships to take miners out to the gas giants. The mining operations were started before the Halos went off - you remember, right?"
       "I do." The Master Chief sighed when he saw the pyramid structure ahead of them. They were crossing the long stone bridge. He knew he would have been able to get down from the bridge himself, but better to follow the game for a little while longer.
       "I imagine they're using the Covenant as a way to keep the people motivated. I do wonder though, if the power has gone to the heads of people like Mitchel."
       "They thought they were alone out here," the Chief said. "The last of humanity."
       "We thought the same," Cortana replied sagely. "You and Daxia didn't start a regime."

When they finally reached the top of the pyramid the Master Chief had seen all he needed to. He did not like what was happening on Halo. Daxia shivered, looking a little blue around the edges until they opened the door.
       "My, God," she whispered. The corridor leading to the Control Room was lined with beggars. The Haloer marines kicked their way forwards, brushing them aside.
       Little Cortana clung to Daxia's hand as they passed. It was clear to the Chief that she was scared of the beggars.
       "Who are these people?" Daxia asked.
       "Those who can't work," Sarge retorted. He sniffed in disgust and pointed out a crippled young man. "Hurt in accidents - or wrong in the head . . . either way, they can't farm and they don't earn rations. They do what they can."
       "This is barbaric," Daxia muttered.
       The Sarge spun at her words and the Chief lunged forward. He blocked the vicious swipe, but stayed silent and motionless after that. Daxia walked onwards, as if the incident hadn't happened. With an unseen smirk, the Chief followed.

The final doors to the Control Room opened and Daxia's team were escorted inside.
       The circular platform was lined with chairs and the Elders stood, clasping their hands in front of them.
       "These are the Offworlders?" asked a female. The Chief recognized her as Governor Green. Elder Green.
       "Yes, Elder," the Sarge bowed his head. "This one claims to be Daxia Ring."
       Daxia was shoved forward.
       "Why is Cortana here?" Elder Mitchel stepped forward and grabbed the little girl's arm.
       "I'm sorry, Elder! I was playing hide and seek and I . . . hid in the Pelican . . ." it was the best Cortana could think of at such short notice.

"Are you Daxia Ring?" Elder Green asked. Her head tipped to the side, watching Daxia like a hawk.
       "I am." Daxia brushed some snow off her shoulders and saluted. "Commander Daxia Ring, reporting for duty."
       "Interesting . . ." Elder Green did not look pleased.

"As I suspected," AI Cortana murmured in John's head. "They are power mad. They don't like Daxia. This is a military situation and she overrules them. And I know Dax knows that."
       The Chief was silent.

"Daxia," Mitchel said smoothly. He stood in front of her and put a comforting arm over her shoulders. "You're very cold. Why don't you . . ."
       "No." Daxia pulled away and gave him a polite smile. "Don't you want to know where we've been?" she asked incredulously.
       "Your marines will be most welcome," Elder Green began.
       "Chief - show them what we have," Daxia ordered.
       The Haloer marines broke forward, but they were quickly subdued by Daxia's landing crew. The Chief ran forward, his shield deflecting any bullets or plasma bursts. He slid the Cortana chip from his head and into the Control Panel.

"Feels good to be home!"
       A full sized visage of Cortana exploded into life. Rainbow colours glittered on her holographic skin as she took in the feed of information. "They have no mass communication system," Cortana sounded surprised, and a little disappointed. "Basically - Halo is ruled by the Elders. And enforced by the marines . . . interesting . . . I've found the communications to the mining colonies on the gas giant's moons."
       "Cortana you have control of Halo?" Daxia asked. She stooped to pick up a dropped plasma rifle and nodded to her crew. "Round up the Elders and these marines. Elder Green, is this your entire compliment of marines?"
       "It is," Cortana answered for them, her holographic skin glowing blue. "Commander Ring, you are now in full control of Halo."
       "Excellent." Daxia smiled. "There's some work to be done I think."

***

"Have you found Cortana yet?" Aislinn demanded when Mary came back into her room.
       Mary shook her grey head, her face creased in worry. "I'm sure the girl's not far. But Aislinn, there's a lot of rumours going on."
       "But Cortana!" Aislinn wailed. "Where's my baby?"
       "We haven't found her yet, Aislinn." Mary glanced at the midwife. "How's the new baby?"
       "He's fine." Claire, the midwife, lifted Aislinn's newest son from his cradle and let Mary see. "Aislinn's a little . . . distracted at the moment. I gave her something to help her sleep. It should take effect soon, but the labour was difficult. She's not doing well." The Midwife rocked the little boy and gazed down at Aislinn's pale face.

"What are these rumours?" Claire asked. They'd moved out of Aislinn's bedroom and into the excuse for a living area. Little Wallace was playing with some brightly painted stones.
       Mary lit the little paraffin hob and set the metal kettle on it. "Tea?"
       "Yes please," Claire replied.
       "The people in the village are saying that the Offworlders were human," Mary confided. She spoke in whispers, so as not to invite demons into their conversation. Claire's eyes widened, but she said nothing, simply rocked the little baby.
       "They're saying that the humans were taken to the Elders . . ." Mary's voice dropped so low Claire had to strain to hear it. "And that they took over."
       "Do you think it's true?" Claire asked.
       "I don't know," Mary replied. She sipped the tea she'd made and looked out at the starry, night sky. With a regretful sigh she set the cup down again. "I'm going to look for 'Tana again."
       "Careful out there," Claire warned.

Before Mary could get the door, someone knocked on it. The two women shared a worried look and Mary pried it open.
       "Is this Aislinn Ring's house?" a tall, dark, handsome stranger asked.
       Mary nodded mutely and the insanely tall man walked in. He carried little Cortana in his arms, she was sleeping quietly. Following him was a woman bearing such a strong resemblance to Aislinn it was uncanny.
       "Cortana!" Mary breathed, taking the child from the man's arms. "Where did you find her . . . who are you?"
       Claire and Mary backed away, pulling Warren with them.
       Daxia Ring heaved an exhausted sigh and extended her hand. "I'm Commander Ring, this is John-117. We're here to see Aislinn?"
       "Yes, but who are you?" Claire persisted.
       Daxia ran a hand through her blonde hair. "We . . . we're Offworlders. Now let me see my sister."
       Silently, Claire and Mary relented.

Galaxy 07 - Part 8 - Family
Date: 12 January 2004, 4:28 PM

Galaxy 07

Author: Jillybean
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

       Family

"Did anyone else make it?"
       "Just . . . dust and echoes. We're the only ones left."
       While Cortana stammered excuses, John stood and walked to the window of the Longsword. He touched the glass and felt it's cold surface under his fingers. In the void of space, he saw the Flood wrecked body of Daxia sail past.

"Hey!" John leapt to his feet, his hand gripped the pudgy arm of Wallace. The little boy blinked helplessly, then started to cry.
       He released the child and took a look around. He was in the tiniest room of Aislinn's home. He brushed the curtain parting aside and found himself in the living area.
       "Hi!" Cortana, the little girl, was sitting at the table, nibbling on an apple. "Aunty Dax said she wouldn't be gone long. She's going to see . . . Ish Manntee . . ." Cortana thought hard about the name as she said it. "Mama's sleeping and not well still, because of the new baby. Claire went to register the baby and Mary had to go home so you're looking after us."
       John said nothing.
       Cortana scrambled down from her chair and took Wallace's hand. "Don't cry, Wallace," she nattered on. "Mama's sleeping and you can't wake her up."

After their little coup Daxia had done enough to ensure that she ran the Halo before she had fled to her sister's side. To find Aislinn is such a bad condition had been a shock to her, causing them to stay longer than they had intended. John must have slept, again.
       He had left his armour in the Control Room under Cortana, the AI's, protection. Now in the standard UNSC uniform filched from supplies on the Halo, he felt naked.

"Is something wrong?" Cortana asked. "You look kinda . . . angry."
       "I'm fine," he said to her. "Did Daxia say when she'd be back?"
       "Soon enough," Mary bustled in the front door with a basket of food. "She went back to your ship, she's seeing about medical treatment for Aislinn." Mary blew a strand of hair off her face and took stock of the situation. "I'm looking after the kids for now. You can go back, John, thanks for your help."

***

"Good morning, sir."
       John nodded to the young lieutenant on duty and went for the medical bays. After securing a transport to the Mordred - easier said than done - he had run into Ishe' Manatee. The Covenant informed him that Daxia was there.

"Is everything okay?" he asked when he entered.
       Daxia turned, smiling. "Fine. Can you do me a huge favour?"
       "What?" John asked, wary. Hospitals were not Daxia's favourite place, seeing her smiling in one was putting him on guard. "Can you go and bring Aislinn here? I'm going to be down on Halo today - Cortana and I are trying to sort out the infrastructure . . . what's left of it." She stood on tip toes to kiss him on the cheek and left, humming under her breath.
       "Something wrong, sir?" the doctor asked, a smile playing on her lips.
       John glowered.
       "Cortana says you have to report in for a check up soon," the doctor added as he left. John pretended he didn't hear it.

***

"Mrs Jenkins?" Dr Janson leaned forward and gave Aislinn a gentle shake. "Mrs Jenkins, are you awake?"
       Aislinn blinked and frowned at the doctor. "Who are you?"
       "Aislinn." John stepped into her line of vision. "How are you feeling?"
       Aislinn vaguely remembered being taken to a spaceship to be treated, but it was as if it had been a dream. She stared at John, unable to comprehend that it was actually him. "I feel good," she managed. "Better than I've been for a long time, actually."
       "Yes," the doctor made a note and moved on. "We're going to see everyone on the Halo - you all need a check up and John, that reminds me, you still haven't visited."
       "Soon," John promised. He helped Aislinn sit up and smiled at her. "It's been a while."
       Aislinn hugged him. "It's been forever."

"When it became clear to us that we were the only humans left, the Governors took over." Aislinn and John were walking through the ship and Aislinn was explaining things from her point of view. "It went out of control." She paused at a window and looked down at the Halo. "We lost so much."
       "You seem to have survived," John said. "Daxia missed you."
       "Ah, you know her," Aislinn dismissed it. "UNSC first. Everyone else second. And loved ones third." But she looked touched by the sentiment none the less.
       "Sir?" one of Elites approached. Aislinn didn't appear bothered. "Commander Ring is requesting your presence on the Halo."
       "Tell her I'll be there immediately," John replied. He glanced at Aislinn. "You didn't seem bothered by that."
      "I figure - if you'll talk to them - they're not all bad." She smiled. "I trust you."

They reached the docking bay and were met by Ishe' Manatee. He bowed his head to Aislinn, finally shaking her composure a little.
       "It is good to meet you at last."
       "Thanks . . . I think," Aislinn said. She glanced at John and he shrugged.
       "What are you doing here, Manatee?"
       "Daxia requested my attendance on the surface. She say people need to know the Covenant are not the enemy." Ishe' Manatee looked down at Aislinn and seemed to smile. "She says you and I will find much to talk about."
       "Does she now?" Aislinn smiled tightly and took John's hand as they entered the little pod. "Will this thing hold?" she looked around it's flimsy walls.
       "It's been a while since you've been in space," John grinned at her.
       "About eight years," Aislinn agreed.

Approaching the Halo from space was a sight that would stay with you forever. Aislinn felt tears in her eyes not that saw this again.
       "I'm gonna show this to Cortana," she whispered.
       John glanced at her from his station. "Did you know she was Halsey's daughter?"
       "No." Aislinn bit her lip. "You're not supposed to tell me. In fact - there's not supposed to even be a record of it."
       "It's clear to see," John replied. "If you know what you're looking for."
       "Kind of ironic actually." Aislinn stood to get a better view of the Halo.
       "I hope all of the Haloers get used to Covenant so well," Manatee said, amused as he had to move out of Aislinn's way.
       Aislinn laughed. "They will. But I'm kinda nosey, sorry about pushing you out the way."
       "It's nothing."

***

"Aislinn!"
       Daxia and Aislinn embraced in the draughty corridor leading to the control room. The beggars who still congregated there looked wary. They screamed when Ishe' Manatee stepped out from the shuttlecraft.
       "Please," Daxia snapped at them. The disdain in her voice quietened some of them, but did nothing to quench the wails of others. Daxia ignored them and turned back to her sister. "You came just in time."
       "In time for what?" John asked.
       Aislinn smirked. "What have you been planning?" she asked in suspicion.
       "I've already planned it."

Daxia walked forward, out onto the flat top of the pyramid. Aislinn and John followed curiously, Ishe' Manatee on their tail.
       "Holy . . ." Aislinn began. John could appreciate the sentiment. Below them stood what had to be every body on Halo. They were a huge crowd, filling the entire base of the great, snow filled valley.
       "Daxia, we're miked up and ready to go," whispered one of the Mordred's crew.
       Daxia nodded and stepped forward.

"Haloers!"
       There was a huge cheer. Aislinn smirked and leaned closer to John. "She is such a show off."
       "That might be what we need right now," John replied.
       "The rumours are true," Daxia continued. "The UNSC is back in control of Halo. Halo is now the base of all UNSC operations!"
       Her words were drowned out by furious stamping and cheering. The huge tear in the surface of the earth shook.
       "The Elders will rule you no more! They have worked you to the ground! Sent away the miners! Sent them to their deaths!"
       The miners, recently recalled from their gas planets, roared separately.
       "The Elders are responsible for the loss of all your AIs! No more!"
       They cheered again, louder, if it was possible.
       "This is UNSC territory, my friends! And I am a Commander in the UNSC navy!" Daxia paused for breath. "And I bring you . . . Cortana . . ."

John watched, smiling a little, as a towering Cortana flickered into life above the crowd. Cortana began her speech, outlining the plans for the future. In the mean time, Daxia stepped down and grinned at Aislinn.
       "Want to be part of the new government?"
       "I thought you said I'd never do anything with my life?" Aislinn had her hands on her hips.
       Daxia shook her head. "I can give the job to someone else . . ." she began.
       "No," Aislinn laughed, arm around Daxia's shoulders. "You know I'd love to."
       "Oh, here's the killer line." Daxia nodded to Ishe' Manatee and he stepped forward, into full view of the crowd. They hushed.
       "The UNSC has won the war of the Covenant - by making them our allies," Cortana said, fist clenched. The crowd was still unresponsive.
       "May I try?" Aislinn whispered.
       "Just step there and the mics will pick you up," Daxia said.
      "Is this a good idea?" John asked.
       "She is the only person on this ring that didn't submit to those bastards," Daxia began. "But she's also my annoying little sister."
       "You're right. I can only think of one person who can make a more persuasive argument . . ."

"Haloers . . ." Aislinn stood before them. "You know that I have opposed the Elders."
       There was a murmur from the crowd. They knew.
       "But you know that I have children on this ring. You know how important they are to me. To us all." Aislinn turned to Ishe' Manatee then took one of his long claws and raised it in the air. "And you know! I would never do anything to harm them."
       And the crowd cheered.

"There," Daxia said. "Told you."
       "Yeah. You told me," John agreed.
       "You've not gone for your medical yet, have you?" Daxia asked, not looking at him, still smiling at her sister.
       "No."
       "Please do." Daxia walked away, going to greet her sister and Manatee. "You two are quite a team. You should be on the government together . . ."

***

"So what does this do?" Cortana blinked as the doctor on the Mordred pricked her finger with a tiny needle.
       "It scans your blood for infections," the doctor replied, amused at the little girl's endless questions.
       "And then what?"
       "Well, if I find any I'll treat them and if I don't then I can send you back onto the Halo where you can go bother someone else," the doctor said, not unkindly.
       "Oh look!" Cortana bounced in her seat as John walked into the medical bay. "John! John!" She waved frantically and beamed when he nodded in her direction. Another doctor intercepted him, however, and he moved away.
       "You really shouldn't do that," the doctor who was treating Cortana said.
       "Why not?"
       "He's a war hero, darling. And he's a Spartan. You never know with that lot." The doctor straightened and smiled. "Well you get a clean bill of health. Go straight back to the transport, okay? I've got a lot of other people to see." With this, the doctor moved on to her next patient.

Cortana had been given into a lot of trouble for going with the marines in the Pelican, but John was her uncle and surely he wouldn't mind if she went and said hello ...
       She crept into the office where she had seen John go. Being so small was good, she could hide behind the desk. Not that she was hiding because she wasn't to be there . . . just that she thought she'd better wait until the doctor went away.

"I'm glad you're here, John. The Commander and Cortana have been on my back to have you checked out."
       "Did you tell them?"
       "John. I am first and foremost a doctor. I will not reveal any information until my patient gives me leave to. But I'm not sure that you're even a patient!"
       "You haven't told them. Good. I'm hoping you'll find a cure before either of them have to worry."
       "John I don't think I'll ever find a cure. You are degrading. And I don't think it's all Cortana's doing either. Some of your implants are . . . well they're not standing up to the test of time. I've looked over all the old Spartan notes that Cortana gave me but I just don't have the talent or the experience to help. I'm sorry, John, I really am."
       "Can I trust you to keep my confidentiality?"
       "John you can't ask me to do this. Technically you're not really a person you're UNSC property . . ."
       "The highest ranking member of the UNSC is my partner, doctor."
       "Which is another reason why I think you ought to tell her. Please don't make me put my job and my morals on the line for you, because I don't know how long I can do it."
       "I'm not asking much."
       "You're asking for my career on a plate. It's a lot to me."

Cortana thought she'd better get to the transport now.

Galaxy 08 - Part Nine - Preservation
Date: 5 February 2004, 8:20 PM

Galaxy 08

Author: Jillybean
AN: Trust me, I'm building to something.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

       Preservation

Cortana did not have long.
       Her every process brought her to this conclusion. Every application she used, every system she checked, it all came down to the one thing. Her time was running out.
       They had lived on the Halo for two months now. The mining operations were running efficiently and safely, the children were learning a proper syllabus and the people were producing crops with their highest yield in their memory. It appeared as though everything was perfect.
       Cortana double-checked the medical files taken by the team on the Mordred. They had not changed in the two milliseconds since she had last looked at the information. There was only one match for Cortana's program. Only one person on this entire ring was suitable to download Cortana permanently within acceptable limits.
       The problem was, of course, getting them.

***

"I'm worried about him," Daxia was whispering, even though John was outside in the garden. She stood at the window, sipping her poor excuse for coffee, while Aislinn ran over the paper reports of the Halo.
       "He's his own person, Dax," Aislinn said distractedly. She set the sheets down on the coffee table and glanced over at her baby, lying on a blanket in a sun spot on the floor. "You can't order him to tell you his every thought."
       "Aislinn, you don't understand." Daxia set her coffee down and turned to her sister. "He's a Spartan, if there's something wrong with him I need to know."
       "He's also a human being. Which is partly your fault, I'll remind you." Aislinn took the long pleat that hung from the nape of her neck and unbraided it. She brushed it through and braided it once more.

Daxia hid a regretful sigh. She and her sister were very different. She had her hair cropped short and she was never seen out of the UNSC uniform. She knew how to kill a Covie in at least ten different ways, she could pilot any ship she came across and her skills as a mechanic were incomparable. What she couldn't do was sit through miles of paperwork and discern the government's best plan of action. She couldn't make a seven year old daughter go to school every day, see that the neighbour watched her toddling son and her new born baby then go out to work each day.
       Daxia couldn't braid her hair either.

"When it comes down to it -" Aislinn crossed to the window and looked to the garden. John was explaining something to little Cortana, the little girl seemed fascinated. "- You can't tell him how to live his life."
       "What if it might be the only way to save him?"
       The sisters regarded each other, without coming to a compromise.

***

"So you can run faster than a Warthog?" Cortana asked.
       John nodded. "Fully prepped, anyway."
       "That is so cool!" Cortana leapt into the air and then managed to scramble onto John's shoulders. "Can we go tell mama and aunty Dax?"

"Hey guys! Guess what?" Cortana went into freefall from her spot on the Spartan's shoulder and was caught before she hit the ground by John. Unfazed, she danced around her mother until she got an answer.
       "I don't know, what?" Aislinn smiled benevolently, while Daxia tried to creep as far away as possible.
       "I worked out how fast a Warthog goes and then it turns out that Uncle John can go faster and I worked that out with only a little bit of help but I needed that so that was okay . . ."
       "I can't understand a word," Daxia whispered to her partner.
       John grinned at her, surprising her. "Don't look so scared. She reminds me of you, actually."
       "I'm overjoyed," Daxia drawled. She glanced at her watch and sighed. "I should go. We're going to scope out Luna Eight to see how feasible it is to mine it."
       "Do you want me to come with you?"
       "Hmm . . . are you feeling okay?"
       "Yes. Daxia, for the last time."
       "If you want. We'll see you later, Aislinn, Cortana."
       "Bye Dax. John."
       "Bye Aislinn. Bye 'Tana."
       "Are you coming back tomorrow Uncle John?"
       "It depends how long this mission takes."
       "Okay. Bye,"

***

Cortana watched as John and Daxia retreated from sight round the valley. She looked back to her mother and saw she was working.
       "Can I go out and play?" she asked, realizing her mother was doing boring work.
       "Sure. Be safe." Aislinn didn't look up from her sheets of paper.

Cortana skipped down the long stream to the artificial caves. She used to be scared of the area, since it was effectively Halo's slums. Yet, since her uncle and aunt had arrived on the scene it had cleaned up considerably. She ventured inside, peering around a stall market.
       "Hey." Someone clapped a hand on her shoulder and she jumped.
       "Hi -" she began, looking up at a tall marine.
       "Your mom wants Cortana to look after you. Maybe practice some more of those sums," the marine grinned at her.
       "Okay . . ." 'Tana followed.

***

Cortana shut down the communication from Daxia's ship and her control room. She felt no guilt. Her own survival was the most important factor. She had run this simulation before. Human kind could not survive without her.
       So, as she was programmed to do, Cortana utilized every tool she could - even if that included John and 'Tana's own parents.

***

"Something wrong?" John asked.
       His pilot was gazing down at the Halo, not really concentrating on the controls. "Ever get the feeling something's just . . ."
       "Wrong," John agreed. He and Dax looked at each other and mustered a laugh.
       "Silly. I know." Dax set a course for Luna Eight and the Pelican lumbered off.

***

"Hey." The purple hued AI seemed to lean down from her pedestal to speak with 'Tana.
       The little girl waited, quiet.
       "Do you want to help me?" Cortana asked curiously. She extended a holographic hand to the girl, watching as what could have been a human version of her self regarded her in suspicion.
       "I guess so," 'Tana replied. "What is it you want?"
       "Do you understand how John has me in his head?"
       "There's an implant."
       "Yes. Would you like to be like to?"
       "Be like Uncle John?"
       The AI straightened as the two doctors approached. "Yes. Like him."
       The little girl silently bowed her head.

***

Cortana waited in the Control Room. She was curled into one of the chairs the Elders of Halo had used. It was strangely fitting, she reflected in the half light of flickering panels. That an innocent child's body should occupy the space dedicated to the betraying leaders of the remnants of human civilization.
       The overwhelming guilt was enough to destroy her if not for the powerful realization that she had done what had needed to be done.

Still. Daxia would not be pleased.

Cortana lifted her head, brown curls tumbling in front of her face as the huge hanger doors slid open. Daxia walked in alone. Cortana had to admit, she was surprised John had let Daxia confront Cortana all by herself. Perhaps John was still comforting mama. Cortana's eyes flickered downwards at the unfortunate reference to Aislinn.

"Who the Hell do you think you are," Daxia whispered. She stood a good few feet from Cortana, completing the girls feeling of complete isolation.
       "She did . . . I did . . . what we had to do, Dax."
       "She's a little girl! Cortana . . ." Daxia stopped herself, shaking her head. "I can't accept this Cortana. You went behind my back with this."
       "I would say it was over your head." The little girl uncurled from her nest and stood before Daxia in all her splendour.
       "Excuse me?" Daxia asked into the empty hush.
"I'm relieving you of duty," Cortana met Daxia's eyes. "I am sorry, Daxia, but it's just not . . ."
       "You can't do that." Daxia folded her arms. "If you think I'm above skelping my own niece, you are sorely mistaken."
       Cortana shook her head. "Commander. You are hereby stripped of rank."
       "On what grounds!"
       "Failing to follow orders on several occasions. You are a liability."

Daxia turned on her heel and marched out.

Galaxy 07 - Part 10 - Exiled
Date: 3 May 2004, 8:29 PM

Author: Jillybean
AN: Long absence, so here's a rundown of what happened previously. After destroying the galaxy by firing the Halos, the Forerunners kidnapped some specimens of all Covenant and human species. Daxia and John led an escape plan and used the Forerunner technology to return to their galaxy (Galaxy 07). Returning to the colonized Halos they helped forge a Covenant-Human alliance, which has not been met with great enthusiasm. Cortana's program degradation was directly leading to John's ill-health so Cortana downloaded her memory into Halsey's daughter (Aislinn's foster daughter). For unknown reasons, Cortana kicked Daxia out of the colonized Halo and left her to fend for herself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Exiled

For Ishe' Manatee there was no choice. He left the Halo, following Daxia with more than a few of his Covenant allies. He stood in cockpit of the Avalon waiting for Daxia or John to talk. John was the only human Daxia had allowed to follow her, and even then it had been at John's insistence.
       From the cargo bay emerged a blue armoured Elite named Lilo' Maya. "How long now?"
       Daxia's blond curls shifted a fraction as she checked the chronometer. "Three days."
       "Ah," the blue Elite turned his mandibles in Ishe's direction. He expressed his equivalent of discomfort and returned to the cargo bay.
       Ishe' Manatee settled himself down for a long wait.

***

John trained with the Covenant in the cargo bay, enjoying the challenge of their superior strength and agility. It helped take his mind off Cortana.

He had betrayed Cortana. For whatever reasons, the AI had chosen to exile Daxia from the military, forced her away from all she knew. Cortana said that it had been because Daxia consistently disobeyed orders . . . but John knew that couldn't be right. Cortana and Daxia had been friends. Yes they had had minor disagreements but that didn't ratify this sort of treatment.

And Cortana was not pleased with him.
       "John?"
       "I'm leaving."
       "Don't. That's an order, Spartan."
       "You're wrong, Cortana."
       "I am not wrong!"

The memory broke John's concentration and he stumbled, falling from the high beam. Ishe' Manatee leapt to catch him.
       "Is everything okay, John 117?"
       "Yeah," John snapped, pulling away. He brushed past the other Covenant, finding himself in his quarters. He lay on the bunk, his head aching. That wasn't unusual nowadays.
       He tried to drift off to sleep, but the constant dull thud against his skull made it impossible. Images of Cortana in little Tana's body kept flitting around inside his head.

Cortana stood, in the body of a child, with a knife in her hands.
       Daxia lay dead and bleeding on the ice.
       "She just wouldn't follow orders," Cortana tutted. She stooped to wipe the blade on the soft, white snow. Her blue eyes flickered up to meet John's. "Don't worry. I'm sure the Forerunner will return to help her."
       "What have you done?" John gasped.
       "She didn't do anything. You let it happen," Aislinn said from beside him. She was thin and haggard. "You bastard, you killed my baby. My little girl." Her cool, impassive delivery did more to spook John than the words or the deed. "And now you'll let my sister die. Damn, you must really love my family."
       "I didn't do anything!" John gritted his teeth, grabbing Aislinn's arms. The woman disappeared in a gust of wind.
       "John?" Cortana croaked from the snow. "I don't feel well . . ." She stared at her hands, shaking.
       "Poor child has some sort of virus," Halsey deduced. She raised an eyebrow at John's surprise. "Did you think I was gone from your life, Spartan?"
       "I . . ." John frowned. "I don't know what I thought."
       "That's a shame, John. That's a shame." Halsey shook her head, walking off into the snow.

John sat up, fully awake.
       Daxia was perched at the end of the bed, watching him. "You didn't hear me come in."
       John said nothing, sweating from the nightmare.
       She shook her head and stood, pacing the length of the short cabin. "You're not well, I shouldn't have let you come."
       "I'm fit for duty."
       "I don't care about duty! John!" Daxia leaned against the far wall, shutting her eyes.
       "I'm fine," John swung his legs over the side of the bunk. "I just keep having these dreams."
       "What about?" Daxia swallowed her trepidation and asked.
       ". . . You. Dying, mostly."
       "Cheery," Daxia said dryly, humour returned.
       John mustered a smile. It became easier when Daxia crouched, taking his hands.
       "I'll take it as a compliment," she murmured.
       John nodded. "How long till we reach Earth?"
       "Hours yet." Daxia climbed onto the bunk and curled her legs under her, leaning on his shoulder. "Time for some rest."
      John put his arm around her shoulders and leaned back against the bulkhead. "Are you okay?"
      Daxia was thoughtful for a while. "I wonder if we should have taken Aislinn and Wallace and baby John." She shivered. "And Mary and the marines and . . ."
      "You couldn't take them all with you," John murmured. "We don't even know if Earth's viable."
      "I know, I know," Daxia replied. "But I miss her so much." Daxia dosed eventually, her breathing slowed and her shivers stopped.
       John couldn't sleep.


***

The Avalon descended into Earth's atmosphere. The radiation wave that the Halos had emitted had irradiated all biomass, but left Earth's buildings standing. The dust that covered Earth's surface was enough to remind the landing party just how bad things had got in this Galaxy.
       In their full enviro suits John and Daxia trekked through the snow that covered the Siberian bunkers.
       "Hold here," John called to her. He crouched and started to wipe away at the snow, picking through a thin layer of ice to a concealed control panel.
       "They must have used this recently," Daxia's voice crackled over the radio. "Or there would have been more ice."
       John nodded, flipping the hatch open and entering his code.

Hydraulics hissed and the snow around them shook. A door opened in the snow and the long passage down into the Siberian bunkers was revealed.
       "I guess that means there's something left . . ." Daxia said.
       "Here's hoping." John led the way down the long corridor. It was wide enough for Pelicans to fly through, with some manoeuvring. The two humans made the long walk, listening to the hatch close behind them.
       Fluorescent lighting followed them deep into the bowels of the Earth.

"Welcome," the grey AI in front of them was vaguely familiar.
       "Duskins?" John asked.
       The AI appeared surprised. "Indeed. Please, follow me. We'll have to scrub you down before we let you in. We are very pleased to see you." He led them to a Decontamination Unit. Humans in enviro suits hosed them down and then sent them through a bio-field.
       "You can remove your suits now," Duskins said to them.
       Daxia pulled off her helmet, stepping out of the suit.
       "Ah! Commander Ring, excellent to see you again! And SPARTAN-117." Duskins looked pleased with himself. "You were presumed lost with the fleet."
       "Well there was a change of plans. Who's in charge here?" John asked.
       "I am." From the Observation Room entered a short, thin man. He had been an Admiral of the UNSC fleet. "Admiral Kraus, good to see you two. No doubt you both have some stories."
       "Yes we do," Daxia said. "But it's good to see a friendly face."
       Kraus suddenly grinned. "Yes it sure is."

Galaxy 07 - Finale
Date: 15 November 2004, 7:04 PM

Galaxy 11

Author: Jillybean
AN: I'd love to say that the fan community has changed and made me think twice about my decision to abstain from Halo fan fiction . . . but in truth, Halo 2 was just too damned good. I need to finish this series before I can start a Halo 2 fanfic, or it'll just annoy me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Finale

Entry into log
       Kidnapped by the Forerunner and left in their 'museum', I was subjected to a number of tests. My systems were incompatible. As my own intelligence degraded they grafted onto my mainframe. Programmes, subroutines, even simple pathways.
       I degrade.

A girl can wait a long time for the right person to come along. I needed that mind! I needed this mind . . . I would have done it another way, I would have taken John . . . but I couldn't . . . can't.
       I am sure that if he could have, he would have sacrificed himself to stop the little girl from dying. But he could not. His cybernetic implants were rejecting me. He is dying too. Degrading.

All life in these worlds is degrading.

Life must be purged. Halos must be detonated.

I can only hope that John will not survive long enough to stop me.

/ Cortana
#########

Admiral Kraus broke away from the crowds and yawned, slumping into his chair. "God, but I'm tired!"
       "I had forgotten what these public ceremonies were like," Daxia admitted. She sat in the rough chair and wondered if it had been there since the last time she had visited Siberia, before they attacked the Covenant fleet.

"I had no idea so many people would survive on Earth." The Spartan watched the crowds from behind the blinds. "They're not leaving."
       Daxia shivered at the thought of so many hero-hungry people waiting for an encore in the great hanger bay. Turning to Kraus, she smiled. "You've done so well here. Far better than the Halo Colony."
       "We've had . . . trouble," Kraus sobered, his thickly lined face growing slack. "But . . ." he swallowed and glanced away. "My son led a mutiny, he and the others who believed that the Covenant would come back were - disposed of."
       Daxia slid her chair slightly away.
       "It is what we had to do. The Covenant are no longer a problem. I think that today, seeing the Elites with you on the podium, finally put to rest the last of the murmurs in our crowd." Kraus smiled at Ish' Manatee.
       The Elite bowed his head. "We are . . . grateful that we have been accepted so readily."

"Yeah," John murmured. "You guys are great."
       There was a slight pause in the conversation.
       "Tonight, I'm afraid we've been scheduled in for a dinner with many representatives of this community. Would you like to rest before then?" Kraus gestured to his aide. "I'm sure Louise has set up rooms for you."
       As Louise nodded, Daxia found herself relishing the prospect of a nice comfortable bed. "Well, I'm certainly up for that, what do you think John?"

The Spartan didn't turn from the window.
       "John?"

"Why aren't you answering her?" Cortana leaned against the glass, watching the few people still in the hangar bay. "Just think, you're the hope for mankind and . . . you're possibly crazy." She giggled, her eyes flashing indigo.
       "Leave me alone," John grunted.
       "And why would I do that?"

"John!"
"Is he okay?"

       "After all," Cortana smiled, leaning closer to whisper in his ear. "I have to look after you."
       To stop you.

"Ah!" John stumbled backwards, pushing Kraus away from him.
       "I do not think he is well," Manatee frowned unhappily.
       "No, he most definitely is not," Daxia took his arm. "We need to get you to the infirmary," she spoke softly.
       "No," John grunted. "We have to do something."
       "What?"
       "Stop Cortana. Now. Right now, we have to go." He shook her off, heading for the door and ploughing into Ish' Manatee.
       The Elite lowered his gaze. "You must rest now."
       "Let me past," John growled.
       "I am sorry, John-117, I will not do that."

John glared at the Elite, turning around. "Daxia . . ."
       "John," she circled closer. "You have to admit you're acting strangely-"
       "You don't understand! None of you do!" He pushed forward, getting thrown down by the Elite.
       "Please, be calm brother!"
       "No!" John flung the Elite off his back, punching out the closest marine.
       "Leave him!" Daxia shouted. "Don't get yourselves hurt!" She stepped forward, her hands up. "I'm trying to help, John. But I need to you to explain what's wrong . . . "
       Ish' Manatee leapt forward, punching at John's chest as the Spartan lurched. Landing awkwardly, Ish' Manatee kicked his legs out, causing John to fall, hard.
       He flipped to his feet and spun, knocking the tazer out of Daxia's hand. She screamed, flinching backwards, cradling her wrist.
       Manatee barrelled forwards, but John was faster, propelling himself over the Elite's back.

"John!"
       He turned, his eyes settling on the pistol Daxia was aimed at him.
       "You won't do that."
"Yes I will," she replied. "Sit down, soldier!"
Growling, the Master Chief let his gaze slide towards the scattered chairs. Some of which had legs hanging off. He didn't remember doing that. "Where?" he demanded.
       "Your problem." She was shaking, and her right hand hung limply.
       John almost laughed. "You'll miss."
       He almost didn't hear the gun cocking to his side, but he dodged Manatee's bullet in time, rolling over the floor. Kraus lunged forward with the tazer, but got a fistful for his troubles.

"I can't miss from here," Daxia was in front of him, the gun resting on his chest. "Please, John, let me help you?"
       And Kraus tazered him.

###

Manatee's cloven feet tapped out an incessant pattern in the hallway outside the infirmary. Every so often he would glance through the window at the Doctor who was treating the Chief.
       "Are you not worried?" He turned to the small woman who was curled in an armchair, writing a report.
       She smiled at him. "We'll fix him, Ish, I promise." She stretched.
       "I do not understand why he has gone wrong." The Elite shook his head. "I am not used to leaders showing weakness. Some of my Elites are worried."
       "They shouldn't be," Daxia soothed. She rubbed her right wrist, held in its cast. "Why don't you get some rest?"
       The Elite leaned closer, sniffing gently. "I can have another Elite watch you, it would ease my mind."
      Daxia tried not to grin. "I will be fine, thank you Ish."
       Reluctantly, Manatee loped off down the corridor.

Maybe an hour or so later, with no more of the engrossing report completed, Daxia glanced up to see the Doctor emerging.
       "What's the verdict?" she asked.
       Frowning, the Doc ushered her inside. "To cut a long story short, ma'am, it's a virus."
       Stepping closer to the cot, Daxia found herself hesitant to get any closer. He'd broken her wrist with a simple bat. "A virus?"
       "A computer virus, more or less. The technician filled me in. It's lodged in his cybernetic implants, degrading them." The doc slipped his hands in his white pockets, regarding his patient. "I am going to purge the implants, that is, an extreme electro magnetic shock. I'm told it should reset the implants . . . it could paralyse him."
       "Cortana," Daxia shook her head. "The Forerunner did something to her, that's why she . . . she did what she did."
       Placing a hand on her shoulder, the Doctor guided her away. "I'm going to treat Spartan-117 right away. There is a therapist on base, if you would like I could arrange an appointment."
       "No. Thanks." Daxia sighed. "I'll go get some rest," she smiled and tried to shake his hand before remembering she had a cast on. "Actually," she turned back to John. "I'll be waiting here."

###

Entry Into Log
       I'm having troubles. My head is guided by protocols that I do not understand. And yet I know that what I am doing is sorely wrong. Activating these Halos will eradicate life.

Eradicate the degradation!

I was so against this, but now I see, how right it is to stop the Flood.

But . . . Tana's mother. I still feel her love for them. And John, the closest I have ever had to family.

I must do this. And I must do it soon, before I lose all rationale.
/Cortana
############


"I tested you for luck." Halsey sighed and smoothed her skirt, her legs dangling over the wall. "But I guess even that can run out."
       John squinted up at her. He hefted the stones in his hand and skimmed one over the surface of the lake.
       "Good throw," Kelly stretched herself out on the little beach, soaking up the sun. "Come down off that wall, ma'am. It's lovely here."
       "Thank you, but no. I don't like sand much."
       The pebbles bounced over the water before submerging.
       "I could do better," Sam grinned, flinging some sand at his friend.
       "Ah, you're going to have to go soon." Fred glanced at the sky. "Good luck, John. We're with you all the way."

John waded into the water, turning to see them all one last time. He could hear the clicking of Flood spores.
       "Go!" Lara O'Flynn shouted at him, giving him a wave and a big smile. "We'll see you again, and probably sooner rather than later."
       "Don't say things like that," it was Foehammer, scolding her fellow pilot on the sand.
       "Go, John," Halsey called to him. "You're not done yet."


##########

"Commander?" The Doctor shook her gently, smiling as she started awake. "Commander? The treatment's finished."
       Groggy, Daxia rubbed the sleep from her eyes and peered through the window to where John lay on the table. "Is he . . ."
       "We'll know more in an hour or so. Do you want to go to your quarters? I can have someone show you the way."
       "I'll stay, thanks." She stretched, feeling her joints click. "Is it safe to go in now?"
       The Doctor nodded and got her a meal brought in. Though the food was the best she'd had in a long time, she didn't feel that hungry. It surprised her when she saw that she'd finished every last morsel.

As a nurse cleared the trays away, John stirred, his eyes flickering open.
       Leaning closer, Daxia held her breath. "John?"
       ". . . hi," he frowned, blinking a few times. "Where am I?"
       "Don't you remember?" Daxia leaned back, lifting her hand to run it through her hair.
       John's eyes fixed on the cast and he groaned. "I remember. Cortana!" He sat bolt upright. "She's going to detonate the Halos, she did this to me to make sure I couldn't stop her!" He stood from the bed. "We need to go. We need to stop her."
       "How?" Daxia asked, her voice cracking under the strain. "How?"

John hesitated, watching as Daxia slumped over the cot, tears rolling down her cheeks.
      "How?" she repeated, sniffing. She laughed a little, embarrassed, and wiped her sleeve over her nose.
      John reached forward, taking her broken hand in his. "We'll do something," he murmured.
      "Yes, we will. And look where that got us!" Daxia choked back more tears. "We're responsible for these people now! I'm tired of it! I don't want to have to pretend that I can shoot you! I don't want to have yell 'soldier'. I don't want to leave my sister behind because my mission is too dangerous. I just want me, you and a good ship to fly with." She shook her head. "But there will always be this. There will always be fighting."
      "How did the Doctors fix me?"
      Daxia wiped at her eyes angrily. "An EM pulse. Knock out the Halo, knock out ever ship in the vicinity. Destroy the only technology we have. That's our answer to stopping Cortana. Stopping our friend."
      John nodded gravely. "We're not done yet. Soon. But not yet." He pulled her closer. "Not yet."
###

Kraus and the rest of the UNSC's finest were assembled in the briefing room, with various pots of coffee placed at strategic points.
       "It should work," the Doctor said. "The Chief suffered no side affects."
       "But the same EM pulse would destroy all of Halos systems. All of the ships systems. Anything within range," pointed out one of the others. "We risk losing the ring."
       "Better than losing our lives," Kraus replied.
       "We don't use EM pulses because they are too dangerous!" The marine slapped his palm onto the table top. "We lose our ships systems!"
       "Actually," John interrupted. "EM pulses don't work on Covenant ships . . . that's why we don't use them."
       "And what of Cortana?" Louise poured herself another cup. "We'll lose her too, won't we?"
       "It's what we have to do," Duskins flickered black for a moment. The AI shook his head. "It is a great shame, but it has to happen."
       "Cortana will put up defences," Kraus watched the hologram of the Halo. "Our fleet is small, and only consists of Forerunner ships. I don't want to lose those."

Daxia sat straighter, she suppressed a yawn and addressed the group. "We have a Longsword though, don't we? If we use the Mordred as a distraction for Cortana's defences, I can take a Longsword down and drop the EM bomb on Halo."
       "Your Longsword will likely be disabled," Kraus pointed out.
       "I can get away in time." Daxia promised.

"Speed is of the essence," Kraus mused, his eyes on John. "And I see this as our only option."
       "Then we are . . . go?" Ish' Manatee glanced at the others. "Is that right?"

###

The deck of the Mordred shook. Daxia stumbled against the wall, glancing at the bulkheads in concern.
       "They'll hold," John told her. He kept going. "Master Chief to the Bridge, is that bomb prepped yet?"
       "They're loading it into the Longsword now," Kraus replied over the radio. "These defences are heavy, we'll give you all the cover we can."

The ship shook again.
       "I'm not used to this," Daxia grumbled. She sprinted through the hangar bay, climbing into the Longsword's cockpit.
       "Everything's loaded," the SPARTAN took the co-pilots seat.
       "John," Daxia began as she fired up the engines. "You don't need to come you know." The Longsword lifted off the deck and hovered, preparing to shoot off into space the moment they had clearance. "We may not get away in time."
       "I'm not leaving now," he replied.
       "This is Mordred to Commander Ring, you are good to go. Good luck, Daxia."

The Longsword was no Avalon, and Daxia struggled at first to avoid the defensive systems Cortana had set up. The pilots of the other crafts were new however, and were no match for Daxia, a real combat fighter.
       The Longsword dipped and wove its way through the ragged little fleet Cortana had assembled.
       "This isn't too bad," Daxia grunted, synchronizing her flight with the Halos orbit. "Looks like we might do this after all . . ."

And then all Hell broke loose.

The Mordred fired too close, some overzealous young gunner had been left in charge. A nearby Pelican exploded and the debris ploughed through the Longsword's wing. Alarms and sirens blared as the cockpit was bathed in red.
       "Ah crap! Lost starboard engines, thrusters . . . and the firing mechanisms are offline! Shit!" Daxia fought with the control to bring the Longsword closer to Halo's surface.
       John left his seat and headed for the bomb, prepped in its launch tube.
       "What are you doing?" Daxia yelled over her shoulder.
       "Get me into orbit," he grunted.
       With an almost undetectable sigh, Daxia followed his orders. "Alright, we're grazing the atmosphere now," she called through the radio. "We're nearing drop zone in nine,"
       "Be safe," John replied. In the airlock he watch the EM bomb tick down.
       "Launch!"

John blew the hatch and flew outwards, catching the bomb's side as they plummeted.

The Longsword was coming in far too fast, Daxia watched the ground rushing up to meet her and her ship, her hands gripped the controls and she fought gravity the whole way down.

Cortana eyed the display with disbelief. What could they possibly hope to do? She reached forward to begin the sequence when the world seemed to pop.
And all there was, was blackness.

############

"Sir," the marine approached the Master Chief with some trepidation. "Third quadrant has been secured. Still no sign of the crash site. Though . . . we have found some wreckage."
      "Then we are getting closer," Kraus snapped from the Chief's side.
      "Keep searching," the SPARTAN grunted.

The Admiral watched as the SPARTAN limped onwards. Stripped of his broken MJOLNIR and in crutches from his dive onto the planet's surface, John-117 should by rights have been dead. Yet, you'd be surprised what a SPARTAN can do with a piece of engine debris and a well used suit.
      "John?" he pressed forward, catching up with him easily. "We're taking a break here. I'm tired, even if you're not."
      With great reluctance, John eased himself down onto the grass. He watched all those who were searching as they fanned out over the countryside. Even Aislinn and a pale, but fully restored 'Tana were helping.
      Cortana could have helped . . . but there was no sense in wishing for her now.
      A section of hull plating lay close to his foot, the same green as his armour. The first time he'd seen it, completely useless now, he'd felt uneasy. He didn't know where the next threat was coming from . . . there wasn't another threat in the galaxy. There was no reason for the Forerunners to return, these specimens were all 'contaminated'.
      He only wanted one thing, was that too much to ask?

"Master Chief!" Ish' Manatee and Goro' Nyessh were sprinting over. "We have found the crash site," Manatee panted.
      "Where?"
      "Over that hill," Nyessh replied. "But there is only wreckage."

By the time Kraus reached the site with Aislinn and the others, he had to concede that the Elite had been right. The Longsword was in ruins, the cockpit cracked open. John was standing on the next hilltop, not watching them.
      "Oh God," Aislinn sobbed, clinging to Manatee's arm.
      "We knew it was a long shot." Kraus reached out, reverently, to touch the hull of the Longsword.
      A marine nodded. "Her instrumentation must have failed at the last moment." He shook his head, aware that the sister of the deceased was close by.

John kept moving down the hill, the crutches not bearing him fast enough away. He stumbled, bringing himself to a halt.
      "Hey," Daxia flung her flight gear at his feet. "I was wondering where the rescue party was."
      He stared.
      "What?" She ran a hand through her blonde hair. "What? Do I have something in my hair?"
      "You . . ."
      "So, did we win?" She regarded his crutches. "And what the Hell happened to you?"
      "You did," he retorted. "And I've been regretting it ever since."
      Grinning, Daxia wrapped her arms around him. "Now we're done."



Fin.

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