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Ring Of The Forerunners Part IV
Posted By: Locke<Locke1588@aol.com>
Date: 25 January 2003, 8:23 pm
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Author's note: Whoops I forgot to put TO BE CONTINUED on that last part. I hope nobody was dumb enough to think that was the end of the series. Also if you're wondering how long this series will be, I think I've settled on 6 parts. I want to give more of a background for the Forerunner and Covenant, and make people see things from the Covenant point of view as well. If you too see the Covenant as fellow sentient life, and not just mindless murders, read Gasmask's From The Enemy's Eyes. It is very inspiring, and reflects the Covenant as good and the Humans as evil. It's funny however; that it seems to give a completely different view of the Covenant than the Covenant interviews, also written by Gasmask.
Halo
The landed vessel NOA
The sentinels searched the ship and found nothing. Whoever had landed this thing had moved on. One thing was for sure; this had been flown by a very primitive race. Each floor was about 10 feet wide and lined with hibernation equipment, all empty. Most of it covered with mold. There were 5 floors in all, the vessel was very tall, but obviously last minute even for a primitive race. The vessel must have been a last minute attempt to evacuate some primitive planet, and they had come to Halo, being that the nearest habitable planets were light-years away. The Forerunner had noticed a recent spreading of an un-identified race however. Some primitive species that had, for a while, lived only on one planet, had begun to spread to other planets in the sector. The species still had not discovered any other sentient races though, and they did clearly not build this vessel. It was far too old.
The monitor had taken memories from the main ANIM computer, and remembered when the Forerunner first discovered this nomadic race. They had not studied them though, had not even found out what they looked like. They were too busy concentrating on their creations, the many underlings that had come fourth from the Forerunner. This primitive race that has landed on Halo must be destroyed, the monitor thought, for the Forerunner could not control 2 lesser species on Halo at once, even the Food had gotten out of hand. 343guiltyspark quickly sent a virus to a Forerunner cruiser orbiting the planet Threshold. The ship was taken under his control, and he quickly took command of the all the empty fighters onboard the ship and deployed all of them, setting them on a direct course for Halo. He told all the sentinels to track down the new race, and follow them silently until the fleet arrived to take the newcomers captive and kill the rest. The monitor laughed as the massive cloud of sentinels swarmed over the horizon. It was time to take matters into his own hands.
Still on Halo
Forerunner held (?) fortress/lab ANIM
Anar stared in horror at the screen before him, frozen. Forerunner technicians that had been running around franticly because of the loud sirens had just begun to realize the answer to their confusion was revealed on this screen. An enormous, sleek, purple spacecraft the size of large city had emerged swiftly from relativity into orbit around the planet Threshold and was on a direct slingshot course toward Halo. An ongoing stream of escape pods, cargo modules, and drop ships were swarming out of the sides of the spacecraft and flocking in large attack formation toward Halo. Landing vessels were deploying homing beacons and Corvettes were preparing their fighters and super weapons. This unidentified fleet was huge, and the invaders were making no efforts to conceal their attack. To make matters worse, a final flood wave had collected once again in the interior of Halo and was moving toward the ANIM power core. Prefab turrets and troops had now been set up around the power core, but this flood wave extended beyond range on every side of the screen. Plus, they had lost contact with all Forerunner cruisers and a huge fleet of their own star fighters, apparently empty, was moving towards Halo. It was the beginning of huge 4-way war, the Unidentified Invaders, the Forerunner, the Flood, and the Mysterious "empty" Threshold fleet that was already being referred to as the "Ghost Fleet".
<Anar, bad news> Came his commander's voice in his helmet. <The grunt you captured died in interrogation. All we could get out of him was that he is part of an alliance called the 'covenant' and that the force that wiped out that Flood hive was only a small army, and they landed in a single corvette, a kind of ship>.
Without responding, Anar sent the image on the screen to his commander.
<By the gods, what terrible curse has come upon us?>
<We can't live through a war this big. If that attack force was only a single corvette, imagine what this fleet could do>.
<We have to leave>.
<Alert all the troops. We have to secure ANIM, contain the Flood, and leave>.
The alarm blared louder. Drop ships and Cargo modules had landed on either side of the rim around the ANIM valley. The Cargo Module crews were setting up prefab buildings, and Drop Ships and some Corvettes had deployed a plethora of tanks, shock troops, and a vast array of artillery. Wraith Tanks and Pigs were gathering in large numbers all around the valley. The mother ship, now identified as the deliverer, was moving into the center of Halo to enjoy the show.
<Commander> said Anar <Rally what troops we have left. I have a plan>.
2 minutes later in the ANIM control room.
<All right Soldiers! > Anar barked to his men. He had advanced in rank slightly after explaining his plan to the Commander. < As you know, in addition to the Covenant force, a huge flood wave bigger than we can calculate is moving underground toward ANIM, and they're right under the Covenant force. We need someone to get in those tunnels, and rig the tops with explosives. When the covenant force moves over the tunnels as they come down the valley and surround ANIM, we'll set off the explosives. The Flood will be drawn toward the light, and will engage the Covenant Force in combat, eradicating them. While they're busy fighting the flood, we'll get on top of ANIM and set up cutter turrets on top of ANIM. Cutters are the weapons we put on the sentinels. When the Covs are dead, the Flood will begin to advance on ANIM from above ground. We'll use the cutter turrets to rip through what's left of the Flood wave and get everyone to the evac fleet we have waiting in the GARDUM sector. The Ghost Fleet might interfere, but their intentions still are not obvious, unlike the Covenant>.
He turned to the demolitions officer, a young Forerunner named Azaiki-Agron. He used the half name Azaiki just like Anar used Anar instead of Anar-Xarnin.
<I'll provide you with explosives, but how will we rig the tunnels with all those floodies down there? >
<You have new armor with climbing equipment and cloaking devices. The chosen soldiers will climb across the tunnels ceilings with a single particle duplicator bomb that can stick to the ceiling. When everyone gets back we'll set them off>.
The soldiers cheered at the sight of there armor. Only Anar, Azaiki, and a specialist trooper named Zaf however were chosen to take the three separate tunnels above the Flood and below the Covenant, and set the bombs. Anar's commander, Gazital, was given the pleasure of remote-detonating the bombs. Seconds later they were all dispatched swiftly into there tunnels to make the last minute strike both upon their creation, and their invaders. But that was not what they feared as they clung to the surface of the massive tunnels, it was the ghost fleet. And it was this fear alone that drove the will of 343guiltyspark. He could do whatever he wanted with the ghost fleet and Shang-Zaer would never suspect it was him pulling the strings.
Later
In the Interior of Halo
Above the Creation, Below the Invaders
That was what this last minute operation had been named. Above the Creation, below the Invaders. Azaiki though about the name as he crawled silently across the ceiling, thinking about it to keep his mind off the fact that a bomb was strapped to his back, controlled by his reckless commander Gazital in another building, and the disturbing fact that the floor below him was made of live flood, marching across the floor. What if he fell? What if they saw him? Suddenly, the sticking system on his right hand shut off and he lost grip. Fumbling, realized only his legs were stuck he whacked at the buttons on the sides of his armor with no control, shutting down the cloaking system. Quickly, he got his hands stuck on the wall again and began to crawl forward quietly. Any noise, and the Flood would look up and see Azaiki. Suddenly, there was a loud rumbling from above, and the tunnel shook. It was the Covenant force coming down the side of the valley. Naturally, hearing the noise, the Flood looked up. Some of the Infested Elites and Forerunner looked up at him and began firing both plasma pistols and cutter rifles. <Oh Crap!> Azaiki yelled and darted forward as a plasma beam hit the bomb on his back. He ripped it off. He was doomed now. The Flood Wave was like a moving floor, and soon they would all see him. He held the bomb in his hands, and prepared to detach from the ceiling and dive into the Flood. Swimming in a Flood he thought funny. They were all firing at him now. One hit and shattered his helmet. Quickly he shouted his last words. < DIE ALL YOU FREAKING INSECTS>! He detached from the ceiling.
Metal cracked around him as the bomb went off, and the tunnel around him began to collapse squashing all the Flood below. A huge Wraith tank fell through the ceiling and landed on several flood corpses, exploding in billion shards of steel and plasma. The tunnel collapse began to extend both ways, spreading through the covenant force. Grunts fell screaming into the wave of flood, and spores crawled into the light, jumping all over Covenant. Most of the flood that still had a ceiling above them were firing into the light, running up into the battle to help their brethren.
Anar heard the explosion and the tunnel shook. The Flood below him looked around the tunnel, but did not see him. When the shaking was over, he switched on his com-link. The Flood stopped wondering and moved on like nothing had happened. <Gazital, Zaf, what was that?> <Azaiki activated his bomb early!> Zaf yelled in surprise. < I though he was supposed to arm it and leave, not commit suicide! > <Azaiki come in! This is commander Anar!> There was no reply. <This is not good! > Said Anar. <We were supposed to set off all the bombs at the same time! Now the Covs will be more prepared when we open the other 2 tunnels! > <Zaf, Anar, it's not too late! > Came commander Gazital's voice in their com-links. <Stick and arm your bombs now, regardless of where you are then get out of there, NOW! > <Aye commander> came Zaf's voice. <We'll have the cutter turrets set up when you get back! >
Later
The top of ANIM
Anar, Zaf, Gazital, Shang-Zaer, and several other Forerunners were standing on top of ANIM. With the press of a button, the ground collapsed and ripped open in perfect lines below a large group of Wraiths, Pigs, and Ghosts. Forerunner soldiers were standing at all the turrets, ready to rip through the flood on command. Flood were now flocking out of all the trenches, infesting and slaughtering all the Covenant. The Covenant force was now so obviously doomed, and some of the Flood were leaving the valley to attack the Covenant prefab bases. Gazital looked at the carnage below with pride. <Well done, men. Well done>.
Meanwhile
Covenant cruiser: The Deliverer
Every large Covenant cruiser has 3 onboard citadels. Mourning, Worship, and War. Mourning was the citadel where Salivar's Urn was kept. Worship was where Covenant priests mediated and asked Dannook and the other gods for help in battle and living by the word of the Gods. War was where the 3 scrolls of Dannook were kept. Every major cruiser had a copy of each of the 3 scrolls. The scrolls said the words of Dannook, and the Covenant believed that the scrolls would guide them in combat. A copy of the scrolls had been given to the grunt tribes the Covenant had made a treaty with, and since the Grunt soldiers could not memorize the oath of the scrolls, they had to go through a "self-purifying meditation" in which they all had to stare at the scrolls for 10 hours. The Grunts would do anything for Dannook, as they looked up to and trusted the Covenant. Grunts looked up to the Elites the way a young child looks up to and trusts in their parents.
Having asked Dannook for help in the Halo attack, Garsh moved on to the Citadel of War. The Covenant did not think of the Halo attack as "Invading Halo", they thought of it as freeing Halo from the evil Forerunners that are a threat to Dannook, and must be destroyed. They think they are so powerful, those Forerunners. Creating their own races like Dannook had created the Covenant races. But the Forerunner races were different; they were monstrous, terrible, and evil. And possessed no respect for the sanctity of life, just like their Forerunner creators.
Garsh looked at the first scroll, the words given to the Covenant a million years ago when they had first united the Jackals, Elites, and Hunters under one elder species: The Prophets. It was the Prophets who had given them these words. Awaken my children,
And behold the glory that is in your birthright
For you have found the race
That I have given to you to unite you and show you the truth and the way
So that you may go fourth, and behold your greater purpose
You shall go forth, and unite my creations in peace
And crush my enemies in violence
Then you shall rule the land I have given you in peace and order
And this race, my prophets, my eyes and ears and hands and arms in the universe,
They will show you the way
There lies a structure, a ring of life, near the planet Threshold
It is meant for you and only you
Go fourth, my children, for your light of existence shines upon this place
Take it forcibly from the monstrosity that holds it from me
And with it you shall unite all creation
But yet, besides the demons who hold it now,
Another race has arrived there
You will find them
And they alone are the greatest threat to me
For I am peace, and they are the anti-peace
The warlike
The monsters
The Demons
They are all that is evil
And they stand in the way of your purpose
Their destruction is my will
And you are my tool This ended the first scroll. This scroll alone was Salivar's dream, and Garsh would do everything it said in his name. The scroll was really a purple tablet, written in the Prophet language, which highly resembles Ancient Sumerian Cuneiform. Putting the tablet down, Garsh walked out of the citadel and saw a Jackal running towards him. "Commodore Garsh!" the Jackal yelled. "The Forerunners have eradicated the first invasion Force! They captured and interrogated one our Grunts, and they may know about the missile silos!"
Garsh yawned. "Send down a Regiment of Hunters and give them some banshee escorts". Another quick attack in response to this will make them think we are concentrating on capturing ANIM and they won't wonder why we have stalled. That will decrease the chance that they will find out about the missile silos". Garsh pressed some buttons on a wall panel and a hologram of Halo appeared. "I need to see which silos are ready for launch" he said to the grunt. "Begin simulation" he spoke to the computer. A missile flew across the hologram of Halo and hit another part of it. More of them flew across Halo, hitting opposite sides, like the ring was blowing up from the inside. The Jackal seemed shocked. "Won't that damage the ring?" "No way!" Garsh replied as if the Jackal was the stupidest person in the universe. "They're biological missiles! They'll only hurt the Forerunner and their Flood children".
TO BE CONTINUED
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