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The Shepherd's Diary: Genesis: Part 1 of 5
Posted By: Reign_of_Fire90<Chrispy451@Carolina.rr.com>
Date: 11 July 2006, 3:13 pm
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I have been waiting for the gate to open
I was at the beginning; I will stand at the end
I have fought the Angles and Demons
I hold the key to life and death
I walk the silent tomb and the waiting
I see the souls of the forgotten, I know their place
I see the dead, but not know the living.
Pg. 45
GENESIS
CHAPTER 1
As the lift fell through the dark passage Tricost brooded over the current situation, the parasite now named "The Flood" had grown rapidly and progressed with dangerous pace. Even considering their powerful technology every attempt to stop them seemed futile. He remembered how they fought planet over planet and that the flood continued to make its way through the galaxy hungry for food and ceasing at nothing to get it. He remembered after the outbreak the battles fought over contaminated planets and how he saw his comrades overcome with the mutation and became something worse than death itself.
Originally the project known as RESTLESS was to create a biological agent that could conquer other worlds and then be recalled into withdrawal. It was the perfect weapon, it didn't sleep, speak, disobey orders or even think. All we would have to do is drop three or four specimens on a certain part of the planet and then they would flourish, at the end of the mission they would be recalled back to the ship.
The failsafe program was a small chip implanted in the parasite that would replicate when the organism infected another being. It would then be activated which would "shut down" all infected organisms so they could be collected and while some were destroyed because they were unnecessary, others were kept in hibernation.
However there was a fluke in the genetics table, which resulted in severe mutation. The parasite became more violent and aggressive than before and was hungrier. Their genetic makeup changed and they started to think and understand, something obviously that wasn't supposed to happen. Eventually they overrode the chip and it became powerless to stop them.
There was one parasite changed however more than all the others, he seemed to have some sort of power over them and controlled them. It however was killed, but then it came back. When this was discovered even the top scientists were baffled, the organism defied death itself so scientists named it Gravemind. While the scientists wanted to try and study it the Council absolutely forbid such actions and "Gravemind" was moved, killed, then stored in one of the eight containment rings, surrounded by steel and rock it was encased to never get out, even if it did come back to life.
The eight ring stations named "Halo" were created long before the project held containment structures in case something like this happened. They were created to contain anything necessary and hide it among the surface from anything that would come along seeking it. However once it became aware how dangerous the parasite was the structures were augmented with a special weapon that would be the ultimate failsafe protocol to stop them.
Originally other Forerunners were stationed on the structures but when the Forerunners started to lose the war, and the call to arms came, they were replaced with machines designed to do their job. The machines named Sentinels were governed by another, yet smaller, machine named Moniters. Still, Tricost thought that there was something being kept hidden among the machines that their leaders would not share with the rest of their people. But then again such things are not for thinking in his position, better left to the Spiritual Hierarchy.
His assignment however was not to think on such things but was a different mission instead. He was instructed to build a structure where all the weapons could be activated and a safe haven would be ensured from them. It was named "The Ark" and would remote detonate all the Halos but at the same time shield those in its presence. The project was hidden underground to prevent later species from discovering it. Although the present species on the current planet posed no threat, and were extremely primitive.
Biometric scans and genetic predictions proposed the later evolution of the species could discover it unless hidden. The striking thing however was that if predictions proved to be correct the evolved species would look quite similar to his own race. But it wouldn't matter, by the time it was activated and its purpose used it wouldn't matter if the species discovered it or not.
The lift came to an end and white lights spilled onto the platform in unrecognizable symbols indicating the lift had stopped. Tricost stepped off the lift and proceeded toward the doorway. As he walked through the double doors a large image of a planet covered in blue, brown, green, and white filled the enormous deck window. Tricost thought that throughout his travels this was possibly the most beautiful planet he had ever seen. Around the control room lights from solid holo-computers lit the area. In the center a hologram was projected where it showed the project on the planet's surface being built.
Tricost walked over to the hologram and touched a highlighted yellow section, an area indicating where the main construction was. Instantly a voice appeared in his ear, which just so happened to belong to Shepherd,
"Commander?" he asked
"Status report" Tricost demanded. "The project is going exceedingly well commander, we should be ready before schedule" he replied,
"Very well continue to keep me posted" Shepherd said
And the link went dead. Immediately strange symbols appeared in midair and started to scroll down, as Tricost read the full progress report everything seemed to be going as Shepherd said. He closed the report with a wave of his hand, forwarding it to the Spiritual Hierarchy.
CHAPTER 2
As Shepherd surveyed the area, there were long beaches where the water churned and broke onto shore spilling white foam and then spread out flat and thin and rushed up the coast then back down leaving a print that would then disappear.
Further from that there was solid ground and trees surrounding it. The trees swayed in the breeze and played a softening melody for their guests A few birds flew across the sky and were swallowed up in a cloud of white and then vanished. While the sun in this solar system was smaller than the one in theirs it still shone brighter and bigger than it did back on their home planet.
As Shepherd looked around again he wondered what would happen to this world if it came under Flood control. He'd seen what happened to the other planets, their surface scarred and blackened from the devoid amount of life. On a Flood world, or Death Sphere as he called them, there was nothing, no color, no structures, no nothing.
All that would be left were ships taken from the enemy so they could fly to another world. The Flood, however mechanical they were, grew with knowledge quickly and rapidly soon they were able to fire weapons and pilot ships.
The Flood consumed everything and left nothing, he once saw a Flood so hungry it was trying to suck the energy out of a rock but then he quickly ended it's troubles with a swift death from his weapon. Indeed while he much rather preferred to be here in this paradise, he felt that something was wrong and something...just wasn't right....
But the land before him however was neither charred nor barren but bristled with activity as metals were constructed to erect a second tower, a third was being built diagonally across from it while the first pillar was already standing reflecting the blazing sunshine.
The twelve structures formed to raise an energy shield spouting from it's tips that would cover the entire planet in a protective shield. The towers also collapsed upon the inner part of the structure but would set up a perimeter that would deflect seismic waves to conceal it's presence. However in order for the machine to work it needed to have seven Keys that would activate the Ark and would then send up a cut-light beam that would clear an entrance for the Ark.
The seven Keys however were scattered though the galaxy, or were soon to be anyway, they had to all be placed on the planet's surface which would send the signal to activate the facility. The Keys themselves were seven ancient relics that contained amazing powers, powers that even their own race had yet to comprehend.
Thinking of the crystals he looked around him to see if he was alone. When he was satisfied that he was he reached into his uniform and took out a small crystal about an inch long on a string and held it in his hand. The crystal was warm and pulsed in his hand as if it was happy to be held again, the fragmented crystal was in fact part of one of the Keys that broke off when they were transporting it out of the cave they found it in.
He knew he shouldn't have taken it but he couldn't resist and it seemed to almost beckon to him. Even though it was rather small he knew that if he was caught with it then he would face death for his treason. They would accuse him of keeping one of the most scared holy artifacts to, and for, himself.
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