11 Judgement Call
Before the mission to rescue Keyes…
With the armour shielding retracted, Ken walked up to the viewport on the Nyota's command deck and looked out at the familiar black hull that used to almost melt into the darkness of space. To his new eyes, the edges of her hull were clear against the void. Had it been at any other time, Ken would have marvelled at this. Instead, he stood there, deep in thought as a cut scene from the game played out in his head.
Up and Away and Spark Ignite watched on as the knot of unease tightened in Ken's stomach. He knew the most efficient way to achieve both goals of preventing the flood from capturing the location of Earth and securing the Autumn's command codes – the answer was playing out in his memory. Eliminate Keyes, and extract his neural implant. But that wasn't an option. Not if there was another way.
"Echo, there must be another way, right? If we act now, surely we can get him out alive," he spoke out, his reluctance creeping into his voice.
"Unfortunately, no. Full assimilation will render Captain Keyes irrecoverable. Even partial conversion will leave him in a state of uncontrollable metastasis and breakdown. Even if you did not kill him yourself, I project he would die on his own within the day."
Echo's words blended into a silence that stretched for a moment. No matter what, Keyes would die. Ken's impotent frustration was threatening to bubble to the surface as he slumped into his chair. "Damn it"
Suddenly, he felt an excited energy in the air. Huragok were nonverbal, or so it seemed to human ears, however, they had their means of communication with each other. Up and Away and Spark Ignite bobbed excitedly, the cilia at the ends of their appendages glowing brightly. Their beady eyes burned with what looked like inspiration. Echo intercepted their frantic communication.
"It would seem the Huragok believe there may be a solution," Echo's voice interjected over the comms. Ken straightened up at this, a curious hope welling up inside.
As Up and Away eagerly bobbed towards him, Echo translated, telling Ken of their peculiar reproduction method - repurposing any form of biomass to build new Huragok. Not quite cloning, it created distinct individuals, but it opened a unique possibility.
"Using adapted cryo chambers, they could build a new body for Keyes," Echo concluded, translating Up and Away's excited chirps. "Replicate him from the remnant human DNA within him, transferring his consciousness in a similar manner they transfer knowledge to new Huragok."
Ken's mood ticked up, a flicker of hope ignited within him. "That's actually kind of amazing! What kind of materials would they need? There must be more than enough flora on the ring to make a thousand bodies!"
"Normally, just about any kind of biomass would work for birthing new Huragok," Echo responded, "however, as they are dealing with an alien physiology, about three close analogues will be required for the process to work, especially as most of the Huragok onboard are engineers and not lifeworkers." Echo interpreted.
Close analogs? Ken's blood turned to ice, his mind quickly coming to a macabre conclusion.
"I see you have caught the crux of it, Ken 17. For efficient DNA coding and higher probability of success, editing similar existing material is more likely to succeed than constructing new strands from scratch."
"Human bodies…" Ken said. Echo remained silent, giving him time to grapple with the revelation. Ken's enhanced intellect ran over his very short list of options, quickly processing the grim scenario. If Keyes was to live, this was the only way.
Ken released a deep breath as he stood up, accepting the weight of the decision settling on his shoulders. "Ellen, use your plotted troop logs to find three recently deceased Marine donors," he instructed the Nyota's AI. "They should be isolated and preferably out of active combat zones. We don't have the time to fight it out." Shame gnawed at him. Surely Keyes, a man of honour, would be mortified to know what he was planning to do.
"Leave it to me, Sir," Ellen's voice said through the comms, laced with her usual professionalism.
Ken turned back to his Huragok friends, forcing a smile. "Start prepping the chambers," he instructed. "Just do me a favour and make sure the source of biomass won't be obvious. Keyes… can't ever know."
The Huragok moved excitedly, flitting towards the designated area. Ken watched them go, his heart filled with a grim determination. Any Marine, he thought, would willingly offer their body for humanity's survival, right? Even if it meant Captain Keyes never knowing the sacrifice made in his name.
"Sir? I've found donors matching our criteria, clustered in one area. The Pelican is loaded with the coordinates prepped for immediate dust off"
With a final resolute nod, Ken headed to the hangar bay, his gaze focused on the abbreviated personnel files now on the edge of his HUD.
Lieutenant Junior Grade Evelyn Thorne - SN: 98341-00278-GH
Lieutenant Commander Michael Ibañez - SN: 54893-21009-GH
Gunnery Sergeant Marcus Banks - SN: 12843-78954-KL
He swore to always remember these names.
___
The G77S Pelican touched down perfectly under Ellen's control, the rear ramp opening up as magnetic clamps locked it down. Ken disembarked first with his helmet in one hand, the other offered to help the imposing Captain Keyes down. Despite his Flood form being outwardly healed, Keyes moved with subtle difficulty, his body racked with micro tremors.
His gaze locked onto the docked Phantom, eyes squinting slightly. "Interesting little runabout you have there, Ken. You know how to fly that thing?" Ken knew what Keyes really wanted to know.
"It's a little something my friends and I picked up during our escape from Reach. There are no Covenant here." Ken caught the flicker of recollection, understanding and then reluctant hope on Keyes' face. "I'm, sorry Captain. Reach was beyond hope by the time we made it out. There was nothing we could do"
Keyes suppressed a wince. From his fragmented recollections, he understood Reach could not be saved, yet for a moment, he had let himself hope. Changing the subject, Keyes turned to the cramped hangar, taking in all the unfamiliar design cues.
"I know my brain is Swiss cheese right now, but this vessel is completely unfamiliar to me. Is it an off-book ONI project of some kind? Are you?"
Ken smiled ruefully. From the moment he had chosen to display his capabilities in front of Keyes, this had been inevitable. "Not quite, sir," he replied, leading Keyes deeper into the hangar. "The Nyota is in a sense a black book project. You won't find records of her in any human database. Just think of her as an advanced, highly automated corvette prototype. All her systems and functions can be run solo by a single AI if needed."
Ken turned his gaze towards the captain's face, "As for me, I'm just a free agent who, through certain circumstances, found himself caught in the middle of this war with the means to help out. I have no credentials the UNSC would recognise, no records to show who I am but rest assured, I am on humanity's side."
Keyes grunted in acknowledgement. The answer had been more than vague, but it tracked with what they'd seen since the 'Dark Knight' had appeared here on the ring. The intel and direct-actions Ken and his friends had provided had saved so many lives already. If he'd been against them, they would never have made it to this point.
A powerful convulsion of pain racked Keyes making him stumble, his distorted hand slamming against the wall for support. Ken caught him effortlessly, steadying the Captain.
"Thank you, Ken," Keyes said with a sweaty grimace. "For all of it. My crew, my Marines, we all owe you a tremendous debt. I even appreciate you rescuing me. It's given me the chance to be myself once again, well, in the ways that count. But I fear it's a bit too late. I can feel… myself… disintegrating. I'm just a walking corpse at this point, in no position to ask even more of you yet…"
Despite his actions till now, Ken had kept the option to kill Keyes open in a small recess in his mind. It was what the man wanted. Yet, looking at him now, still thinking of those under his command, he knew for certain Keyes would never consent to what he had planned, but at that moment, all of Ken's misgivings evaporated.
Perhaps one day, if they all made it out of this war, he'd ask Keyes for his forgiveness. "No need for that Captain," he said, his voice firm. "You will see to the safety of your crew on your own. I wasn't lying before. My friends really have been working on a way to… reverse the effects of the Flood infection."
Keyes raised an eyebrow, a flicker of scepticism crossing his features. They emerged into a cleared section of the cargo bay, the cavernous space bathed in artificial sunlight. Keyes' eyes widened in shock.
Dozens of Huragok, their bulbous forms shimmering like multicoloured balloons, bobbed excitedly in the centre of the bay. Four modified Cryo chambers, their surfaces emblazoned with strange, pulsating symbols, were arranged in a cross formation, thick, translucent pipes connecting them and the usually clear glass opaque.
Instantly on alert, Keyes' panicked grip tightened on Ken's arm. "What… what is this?!" he demanded, his voice laced with suspicion. "Are you really… with them?"
Before Ken could respond, a disembodied voice filled the room. "Captain Keyes, welcome aboard the Nyota," Ellen announced, her voice calm and professional. "I am Ellen, the artificial intelligence in charge of this vessel. These… unique beings are Huragok. Non-combatant, synthetic biological lifeforms. They specialise in the upkeep of Forerunner technology and pose no direct threat to you or your men."
Keyes stared at the Huragok, a bewildered frown creasing his brow. A flicker of recognition, a forgotten echo from the depths of his Flood-tainted mind, seemed to resonate with Ellen's words, even Forerunner.
Ken placed a reassuring hand on Keyes' shoulder. "We wouldn't have gone through all this trouble if we meant you harm, Captain," he said, his voice sincere. "Believe me."
Keyes, his expression still guarded, looked back at the pulsating chambers. "Alright, what do I have to do."
One of the chambers hummed open with an otherworldly thrum, a low vibration that resonated through the metal floor of the cargo bay. Keyes, with Ken's help, laid down in a viscous fluid, his large form almost displacing it over the edge. Keyes eyed the other three chambers, unable to see through the opaque glass.
"What's in those?" he asked, his nerves showing a little. Hope had poisoned his resolve.
Ken replied without missing a beat, "Precursor fluid. It contains a mixture of biomaterials the Huragok will use as a raw material to reconstruct your tissues. It's nothing to worry about."
Up and Away floated forward and placed his glowing cilia on Keye's forehead. "You'll be under for the bulk of the procedure, but when you wake up, you'll be back to your old self," Ken said in a comforting voice. The now drowsy Keyes weakly nodded, drifting off into a dreamless sleep.
Stepping back, he grimly nodded to Up and Away. The chamber closed, filling up the rest of the way, Up and Away and the other two lifeworkers taking position at its head. The other Huragok took similar positions around the other chambers, reaching out to touch the alien symbols.
For a few moments, nothing happened until Up and Away's cilia pulsed in blue light, causing the others to do the same in sequence every thirty seconds. The translucent pipes soon filled with a slightly red tinted fluid, flowing into Keyes' chamber.
His rebirth had begun in earnest
___
"It should take about twelve hours for the process to complete, Ken 17. Until we get the command codes to Cortana, the mission remains open. Your awards and next briefing will have to wait untill then. What shall you do in the meantime?" Echo asked over the bridge comms.
Ken looked down at the Halo. Twelve hours stretched before them, a seemingly endless wait while the Huragok worked their intricate magic on Captain Keyes.
"We can't be certain if we can avoid the destruction of the Ring. Especially after one of our objectives had been to secure the command codes. To be safe, let's proceed with the assumption Chief will detonate the Autumn's reactor and prepare accordingly"
Ken turned to the projection Ellen. "Ellen, please identify the ten most salvageable Pelicans on the surface. If Spark Ignite can get her hands on them, we might just be able to pull off a near-instant evacuation should we need it."
Ellen's figure answered, "Collating… several confirmed Pelican crash sites. Unfortunately, only seven seem viable. The rest would require significant time and resources we don't have."
As she marked a projection of the Halo with the locations of the downed craft, she continued, "Four Pelicans are currently in service on the surface. There may be more in the Pillar of Autumn's bays, however, since the destruction of Truth and Reconciliation, the Flood is now converging on the Autumn, with a significant advance force already on scene being harassed by the Covenant."
Ken considered it for a moment and thought it made sense. "Without the Truth and Reconciliation, the next best choice for a ride out of here would be the Autumn. With her reactors online and several systems still functional, they could build her up again. All they need is time."
Ken's gaze turned to the Huragok engineer, Spark Ignite, who hovered expectantly nearby, her beady black eyes gleaming with enthusiasm. With her expertise and her twenty Huragok compatriots buzzing with excitement, Ellen's seven would likely be enough.
"Alright, Spark Ignite," Ken said, his voice carrying a touch of enthusiasm. "Looks like we have some work to do!"
Spark Ignite chirped excitedly, translating her intent to the other Huragok. In a flurry of excited clicks and whistles, the engineers swarmed out of the cargo bay, leaving behind a faint trail of bioluminescent energy.
Ken activated his comm unit. "Ellen, any updates on survivors?"
"Currently 173 are confirmed alive," Ellen replied. "Most have reached defensible installations using on my nav data. Others are avoiding danger zones thanks to our anonymous intel dumps."
Ken let himself feel optimistic. Thanks to their work here, up to 173 souls could be saved from this mess.
He grabbed his own Pelican, the sleek G77S humming as he activated its systems. Twenty Huragok, excited and chirping, piled into the cramped passenger compartment.
"Alright, team," Ken announced, his voice projecting confidence. "First Pelican. Let's see what Spark Ignite can work with."
The designated crash site was a desolate crater, the twisted wreckage of a Pelican half-buried in the sand. As Ken descended, the unmistakable silhouette of a Covenant patrol Ghost shimmered into view, flanked by two Grunts wielding Plasma Pistols.
Ken didn't think twice. He unleashed a burst of fire from the G77S' nose cannon, vaporising the Ghost in a fiery explosion.
The Grunts, startled, let loose a volley of Plasma. Ken weaved his Pelican through the green bolts, the unavoidable bolts registering as harmless thumps against the hull. In the back, Spark Ignite simply couldn't wait to get to work. She had a complete grasp of Kens Pelican and couldn't wait to apply some of those improvements along with her own touch.
On the ground, the Grunts tried to run for it, but they were quickly eviscerated, their bodies dissolving into purple goo.
Now under Echo's control, the Pelican set down and disgorged her passengers. By the time the smoke cleared, the Huragok were already buzzing around the wreckage, with practised efficiency, upgrading, melding and patching under Ken's watchful eye on the ground as Echo guarded them from the sky.
Hours melted away like this, as one human watched the Huragok apply their magical ingenuity. Each Pelican, as it came online, was pressed into service. Ellen diligently coordinated their deployment, collecting survivors and ferrying them to the nearest human-controlled installations as the salvage team went from wreck to wreck.
Once the final repaired Pelican lifted off to its designated evac zone, Ken and his team returned to the Nyota. Ken had been avoiding the issue, deliberately not asking for updates, but it was almost time. Captain Keyes was about to emerge.
