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Shadows of Archon II (part 1) - The Lady Speaks
Posted By: Wado<wyamauchi@msn.com>
Date: 17 August 2002, 9:34 pm
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Foreword to Shadows of Archon II:
Some of you may have read the Return of the Archons (ROTA) and the Shadows of Archon (SOA1) series. Shadows of Archon II (SOA2) is a continuation of these pieces, taking up pretty much where they left off. This first chapter "The Lady Speaks" is meant to be an introduction for SOA2. Even with this introduction there's a few things that you should know about what has transpired before SOA2.
For one thing, this story takes place three years after the destruction of Halo. During the last three years, the Master Chief and Cortana have been quite busy on a planet called Medusa (see ROTA). After leaving Medusa, the Master Chief's Long Sword fighter is modified by the technology of the Old Ones and the Archons. This makes his ship appear to be forerunner technology to Covenant sensors. It is indeed a mighty ship, in some regards it is better than anything the forerunners ever built.
The Master Chief and Cortana head to Reach to look for Terran survivors. It never is explained why the Master Chief didn't head straight for Earth in his modified Long Sword. Well this was implied in the very beginning of ROTA when the Master Chief finds out that Earth is under an Archonian experiment that could end up saving the universe from a great evil. Archonian technology is not allowed on Earth because it would compromise the experiment; therefore, the Master Chief cannot return to Earth with his ship. At this point the Master Chief believes he can do more good for humankind by keeping the ship rather than returning to Earth without it.
Cortana has been through some interesting realizations too. She has found out that the Queen of the Archons is also named Cortana and guess what, they look alike too. Since Cortana is an AI created several millenniums after Queen Cortana this left a bit of a mystery. This was to be explained in SOA1 but never was. Basically the Master Chief (John) is a Spartan but he finds out that he is also an Archonian sleeper - a sort of guardian of humankind that doesn't know it until awakened. John is a semi-awake sleeper now. So with John an Archonian sleeper and Cortana resembling the Queen of the Archons there must be a common link. As it turns out the link is actually a scientist that worked on both projects (the Spartan II project and the Cortana AI project). This scientist was a semi-awake Archonian sleeper. She used her genes as part of the Spartan II project and helped design Cortana's look and name. Whether other Spartans besides the Master Chief were sleepers is not known though.
Two new alien races are introduced in ROTA: The Archons and the Old Ones. The Old Ones were a race from millions of years ago, pre-dating the forerunners. All that is left of them now is their great wonders and their descendants who resemble man-sized geckos that walk on two legs. The descendants are known as Saurans and also called the Children of the Old Ones. They are pretty much the only ones that understand the technology of the Old Ones. Although they really can't seem to duplicate it themselves, they can modify it. John's Long Sword is an example, the Saurans took an existing engine from an Old One's ship and combined it with the Long Sword's engine.
The Old Ones also built the Portals of the Old Ones. These portals have some rules that govern them (see SOA1). The original intention of the portals was for travel but they also could tap into the hidden powers of nowhere space. One of these powers is to create shadow-selves. Shadow-selves (or simply shadows) were perfect duplicates of someone (the true-self is what that someone is called). Shadows would allow a person to be at more than one place at one time. The shadows were only temporary and when they faded the true-self retained the experiences and memories of the shadow. Shadows could also be sent forwards and backwards in time but the rules governing this are a paradox so it suffices to say that it can be done but there's really no way to do it when you want to.
The Reach system has one Portal of the Old Ones. The discovery of the portal was kept a closely guarded secret by Terran High command. It was no coincidence that Reach was the location where Terrans picked to make a mighty stand against the Covenant. Terran scientists thought they could use the powers of the portal to disrupt jump space and thus it could become a very powerful defensive weapon for the area. The power of the portal, however, proved to be too desirable and greedy Terran and Covenant scientists fought for its ownership creating a war between shadows. John and friends stop the shadow war in SOA1.
The Archons are a more modern race from about the time of the forerunners of Halo. The Archons are still around but are not much of a galactic power any more. They are a beautiful people resembling elves from human lore. They grow everything, including ships. They really don't get along with anyone else though. They tend to be very high strung and keep to themselves. They don't like the technology of the Old Ones, even though their home world is surrounded by it. They have greatly feared the power of the portals ever since the time of the Archonian Flux Wars (tens of thousands of years ago). Since then the portals on Archon (the Archonian home world) have been shut down.
During the Flux Wars the first Dark Archons appeared. They were Archons that used the portals for travel. Because Archons condemned the use of the portals, the Dark Archons became outcasts. One character introduced in SOA1 is Catsandravalahundra. She is a Dark Archon that has been trapped for three years on this side of the portal in the Reach system. Everyone except Cortana just call her Cat (short for catastrophe, because when she is around all hell seems to break lose).
A point of note is that during one of the Flux Wars, the Archons were at war with some of the other forerunner races. At one point the forerunners actually destroyed the master seeds for many of the Archonian ships. This meant that the Archons could no longer grow those ships. At the end of ROTA, however, the Archonian Yon-Akirakon Flagship Battle Cruiser was rescued. If this ship can successfully create seeds, a whole line of lost ship designs could be recovered. This is not important right now, but later it may be crucial because the Archons are trying to defeat a great evil that has yet to come.
This great evil (called the ultimate evil by the Archons) is never really explained except that it makes decisions based on logic without compassion. The flood have something to do with the ultimate evil but what exactly is not explained.
Another thing that was not explained in SOA1 but was alluded to was the motivations behind a group of Covenant that are now traveling with John. What must be understood is that this group of Covenant are not disloyal to the mainstream Covenant but they all have been placed at a disadvantage in Covenant society because each of them have ancestors that displeased the Religious Leaders of the Covenant. So, as a result, they have been assigned military duty on a group of Covenant deep-space sensor stations. Their commanding officer is Commander Thom. He is a mighty Covenant Elite that happens to also be a famous musician (think Elvis). Thom is a great inspiration to his crew and has promoted the ideas of chivalry and adventure. Thom has fallen on hard times recently and dreams of becoming a space pirate that steals from the rich, keeps some of it, and gives some of it to the poor (think Robin Hood). Thom has little problem gathering volunteers (his crew) for a grand adventure.
Originally Thom and crew set off to capture what they think is a forerunner ship called Destiny's Blade. Thom believes that the forerunner ship will allow them to go to worlds unseen by the Covenant where great treasures await them. Along the way they shall bestow good deeds on less fortunate and oppressed Covenant.
The forerunner ship, however, turns out to be John's modified Long Sword fighter (which is later renamed Destiny's Blade by John). After Thom realizes that he can't possibly use the ship because the Archonian technology only works for John, Thom and his crew of Covenants are in quite a dilemma. He and the entire crew are AWAL from duty so the Covenant High Command is after them. They can't return to the Covenant and so Thom decides that they and John must see "the Lady" (an alien soothsayer). The Lady will tell them what they need to do next.
Thom's second in command is Sub-commander Zax Rellius. Zax comes from a long line of heroic Elites, only his mother was a grunt and he ended up with her looks. So in a way he's a mighty Elite himself in a grunt's body. He's got some serious issues with accepting who he is. However, he is loyal to Thom, very honorable, and is probably the most experienced soldier among all of them, including John. He has some hope that by going along with the group, he can get his wife back. She was sucked up into nowhere space by a portal right after the destruction of Halo three years ago. He blames humans for this and particularly hates Spartans. He and John talk but there's always that chance in battle that one of Zax's shots will go astray and hit John between the eyes.
Noc Glyvenhyme is the Covenant science officer. A grunt that seems to be in love with Cortana, or at least he is infatuated with her. He is quite handy to have around, particularly if wounded need healing.
A few other Covenant names while we are at it: Alpha Squad Leader Deetz Darhammer (a battle hardened grunt), Beta Squad Leader Nort Timmins (an aged Elite), Gamma Squad Leader Zito Repo (a narcoleptic Jackal sniper), Navigation Officer Seth Rigger (a young grunt), Communications Officer Tak Musung (a Gundarian - she looks like a grunt but isn't really; she's a cyborg).
The rest of the Covenant crew are notable, but more importantly, they all are good-hearted outcasts. They hope to help others out while getting rich doing it. They all really trust Thom to do the right thing and follow him without question.
I should also mention that their Covenant ship is called Seeker 157. It is a lollipop shaped medium sized scout ship with crew capacity of 100. Like all Covenant seeker class scout ships, Seeker is semi-intelligent, able to make decisions in combat on it's own.
That about covers the foreword, now on to the story.
As we start this story, the group is meeting up with the Lady. John is starting to get a bad feeling about things. He's suspected for a long time that he was never supposed to have gone to Medusa, but Princess Kira of the Archons guided him there to help save the Archonian people. He is about to find out that his suspicions are true, that rather than go to Medusa, he was supposed to have gone to Earth to help defend it against the Covenant. Will he forsake the Archonian great experiment and save Earth now or will he have other options to make things right?
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The Lady Speaks
Darkness yields to the piercing blue eyes of a young woman. Her flowing red hair moves from side to side revealing slightly pointed ears. Her lips slightly part as she blows dust off of the recording device - for a moment her image blurs in a soft warm breeze. She is graceful, natural and Archonian -- a vision of beauty in the eyes of many.
But what eyes are these? Coming into focus are deep purple orbs. They belong to "the Lady", a 2-meter tall statuesque figure cloaked in dark robes and colorful veils. She has green skin with many wrinkles from age. Instead of lips she has long green tentacles that lead to razor-sharp spikes for teeth. Old and with the aura of death she is the ultimate beauty to a Nomdian. She is their Helen of Troy, Aphrodite, perfect 10.
Beauty is relative to the beholder as are circumstances. In ten thousand years a Nomdian and Archon have not been in the same room without first trying to kill each other, but necessity has brought on strange circumstances.
The Lady speaks, "John the Spartan, Thom the Elite, you are enemies by circumstance but friends by choice. These are indeed strange times. In all the years, the spirits have never failed me, but today they are silent. The visions to behold can now only be seen with the help of this Archon. We Nomdians and Archons are enemies by choice, but circumstance has made us friends for the time. Speak now John, what is in your heart?"
John stands up straight, his MJOLNIR battle armor worn from use, through its scratched visor he says, "Long have I drifted and fought for the cause of others, I'm home sick. I yearn to know why I feel betrayed for doing the things that feel right?"
Darkness fills the room. The Lady and Catsandravalahundra the Archon float in the nothingness. The Lady's multi-colored veils and Cat's ornate blue battle armor glow with florescent wonder, illuminating everyone in a black light.
The Lady speaks, "Darkness, darkness, piercing light, show us the emptiness in the right?" (Silence...)
"John, you are not to be here. Earth falls because you are not there to save it. The galactic meddlers, the biggest meddler of them all Princess Kira of the Archons has deceived you. She manipulated your fate to Medusa to save her people, the cost is the doom of humanity."
John, "But how? This makes no sense. Why bring the end to humans when that would mean ultimate failure of the Archonian Great Experiment. The ultimate evil would prevail and it would be the end of all."
Cat's soothing voice speaks, "Archons do not think with logic, they feel from the heart. Darkness looms in the hearts of Archons, our own impending doom drives all to do more. More than is possible. All is lost."
John shouts, "I will save Earth!" and he turns to leave but can't find the way out in the darkness. Again he faces the light.
Cat speaks, "You cannot take your ship Destiny's Blade to Earth. It will kill itself and you before compromising the Great Experiment."
John, "Then I go without it."
The Lady speaks, "There is no easy path, but the path you choose now is impossible. For all actions there are consequences. There are great forces at work to stop you. They wish to make example of the Archons for their meddling in the affairs of humanity. Princess Kira's guardian champion will never be allowed the direct path back to Earth. You will fail. Oh the cost is great for changing fate."
John, "There must be a way, you lie!"
Cat, "There is no way, the heart is dark."
The Lady, "The darkness is the way; to the Heart of Darkness I do say. The spirits speak of other ways, they come, they come. Oh in the darkness they wait, it is the end of the Covenant race. In pride the Covenant expend their forces against humanity, but in the darkness there is another reality. Enemies come from the rear, they bring the end to all that is Covenant dear."
Thom stands beside John. In his pristine Elite battle armor, he stands a full head height above John the Spartan. Thom says, "What do you mean the end of the Covenant race, how is this possible witch."
The Lady, "Only possible in your failure. I do see some vision of hope in a pirate sailor. Yes, an unseen armada, it comes from nowhere space to save the Covenant race."
The Lady and Cat speak in unison, "The spirits go. We grow weary, must rest now."
The light fades. Thom and crew turn on portable light sets revealing the chamber and all the faces of the more than fifty of them.
Thom speaking like a true Covenant Elite, "Riddles, that's all it is. What good are riddles, I'll take cold titanium alloy over riddles any day. Besides the Covenant is not a single race, there's many of us, many home worlds, many ships. What enemy could possibly defeat us before our ships could return from Earth?"
There is no answer to Thom's question. Thom snaps out of it and remembers that because of his actions, he and his crew are no longer welcome in Covenant space. He bows his head and reflects on the old days when the Covenant was not one, but fought amongst each other. Those times do not seem so long ago. The forces could be divided, each race going back to defend their own space. Each piece taken out systematically by an enemy that knew how to do it.
A light projects from the side of John's helmet. Cortana's holographic image appears. "Chief, the God Emperor of Medusa had a record of something it called the Heart of Darkness.
John, "What was this reference Cortana?"
Cortana replies, "It goes... All portals of Old are mere shadows of their master, The Heart of Darkness. Through the heart all is possible."
The Lady, having recovered some, in a weary voice says, "Yes that is it, the Master Portal of the Old Ones. Legend says it exists on the Old One's home world, Mira. The location of Mira if it even still exists is unknown, but it is said that by following portals you can find the heart. If you can reach heart, you can save your people. John, the journey to save Humans and the Covenant will be difficult; you will not be able to do this alone, you will need a guide. I will accompany you."
Cat, "I too will come. After all, it is the Archons that got you in this mess in the first place, Spartan.'
Thom, "I will not speak for all of us, but I too will come. The Lady said it herself, hope in a pirate sailor. I believe that's me. I never could turn away from a great adventure anyway. Sub-commander Zax, you may be able to take Seeker back with some story about how I want insane or something - high command probably won't have much problem believing that story."
Sub-command Zax replies, "No sir. The men and I have been talking and strange as this mission might be to save both the Covenant and Terrans, we are in it to the end. We are with you commander. Honor be with us."
All the Covenant crew repeats, "Honor be with us! Sir."
Thom with a smile on his face, "Yes! Let's do it."
Every looks towards John.
John speaks, "I don't know what to say... thanks all. We are fifty-one strong now on our quest to the Heart of Darkness. If all works out, we will leave tomorrow. Tonight, have some fun."
Thom, "Yes, well said. Sub-commander?"
Zax, "On it sir... Maybe some of you think you can get lucky tonight, but judging from the high standards of the local folks around here, I doubt it very much. You can go into town in teams of 12. No one goes anywhere without backup; you know the routine. Now dismissed!"
"Yes sir!"
-- Next, A Night on the Town --
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