13 The Maw

Ken swallowed, his throat dry as he eyed the massive form in his gunship's bay "I know that this being here means we'll need it for the battle to come, but I can't help but think it's an unlucky charm."

"I am sure we will be glad of it when the time comes," Echo said, completely unbothered by Ken's superstitious words.

Ken gave the monstrosity one more glance and turned to the Covenant Phantom teaming with Huragok. They had been tinkering with it off and on since they came on board, but this time, Ken could tell there was some urgency in their work.

"They must have realised," Ken thought to Echo. As pure as they were, they were no fools.

He walked up to Spark Ignite, her tendrils dimming as she turned to face him.

"Hey, Spark Ignite. I'm really sorry about this. If only…"

Echo translated for Ken what she communicated. "They understand, Ken 17. They trust you, but as you will be taking on more human survivors, they know we will likely return to human controlled space. Accompanying us won't turn out well for them."

"Yeah," Ken grunted. "They'll either be pressed into servitude, experimented on or eliminated as Covenant spies by the UNSC or ONI. I can't even guarantee the same won't happen to me, let alone protect them. It sucks to say, but it's better for them this way."

A chorus of clicks and hisses erupted as the engineers stopped their work to look at him. "They are telling you not to worry," Echo interpreted.

"They have modified their Phantom for extended slipspace travel and will be returning to the Forerunner station they were captured from. The Covenant abandoned it after they looted it dry so they will be safe once they get it running again, free to go explore other installations with their brethren"

Ken smiled, thankful to have met these quirky alien friends of his. Spark Ignite let out a melodic whistle and all but one of the Huragok returned to work. The one Huragok seemingly went to retrieve something, returning before Ken with a crystal data chip.

"A gift. The coordinates to their assigned sector" Echo explained.

As Ken retrieved it, Spark Ignite continued, "They will likely be gone when we get there, but she thinks we will find the remnants there interesting," Echo said.

Ken cocked his head questioningly as Spark Ignite made a symbol with her tendrils. Sensing Echo's shock beneath the silence, Ken asked, "What is it?"

Echo took a moment before replying "Ancient Humanity…"

___

Later, on the bridge of the Nyota as Captain Keyes and Ken watched the Huragok Phantom jump away, Cortana's face flickered onto the main screen.

"Captain, the last of the phased pulse generators is down. Time to start the evacuation."

Keyes, a bit tense, instinctively reached for his pipe in his pocket, only to realise it was long since lost. "Acknowledged, Cortana. Ellen and I will oversee the evac. Meanwhile, Ken will form up with you en route and escort you to the Autumn. We can't do much once you're on the ground, but Ellen's got a… surprise planned for your welcoming party."

"Roger that," John's voice rumbled over the comms. "We'll keep an eye out."

Ken gave Keyes a comforting slap on the back. "It's showtime, Captain. Keep my baby safe while I'm gone."

___

On Nyota's hull, 4 pods and just over 100 cells burst with roiling fire, momentarily outlining her edges. 

Ken, now well in-atmosphere, looked out his canopy as he tracked the maelstrom of Archer and Medusa missiles tore across the sky above him and ripped through the Flood biomass around the Autumn, carving a bloody swathe through the pulsating mass. The missiles weren't exactly meant for ship-to-ground bombardment, but they did a great job against the unprotected hoard swarming the downed Pillar of Autumn.

"There, on your right," Echo said. Ken looked, spotting a flash of green in the distance.

Ken nodded as he radioed Foe Hammer, "On your 7 o'clock, 419"

Ken was already forming up on the Pelican as she sent an acknowledgement. "Ok Echo, it's time I got dressed. I'll leave the rest to you."

Ken Felt Echo's acknowledgement as the gunship peeled off of 419's wing to intercept three banshees coming their way. Echo made short work of them, blasting two out of the sky with a well-placed burst from the autocannons and the last one with a missile from the fully loaded hard points.

Echo rejoined Foe Hammer, flying cover for her as they arrived at an exposed bay nearest to the bridge. "Master Chief is on the ground. Echo 419 heading out," she announced as she flew off to join the evacuation efforts. "Call me when you need me."

Echo gave Foe Hammer a quick escort before turning back towards the tide of Flood heading towards. "Are you ready, Ken 17?" Echo asked, coming in low and opening fire.

"Yeah! Just buttoning up my suit," came the dry reply. "Do your best to grab their attention and then we can get this party started!"

Echo was already dipping the Pelican lower, firing highly incendiary missiles into the surging masses, drawing the Flood's ire. Their grotesque forms, a tide of gnashing teeth and grasping limbs, turned towards the gunship even as it was out of reach.

Suddenly, as if acting on a single thought, the flood turned away, once more surging to fill the space created by Ellen's salvo, no longer interested in the Pelican.

"Alright, Echo," Ken muttered. "Let's do this!"

___

A distant thud undercut the normal sounds of the battle outside but it did not break his focus as Master Chief waded deeper into the Autumn, embroiled in his own fight. John was locked in a pitched firefight with a squad of Covenant Elites. His assault rifle spat crimson death into the battle-hardened aliens, their energy shields flickering under the onslaught.

Cortana, a disembodied voice in his helmet, cut through the din. "Chief, did you feel that? Something large just fell from Ken's gunship."

Chief momentarily diverted his attention. "Were they hit?" he grunted, blasting an Elite attempting to flank him. "Doesn't look like it. The optical feed from the Nyota can't cut through all the smoke and thermal interference, but he seems fine. He's now moving on and intercept course for some sentinels. Wait a sec… detecting a massive EM1 signature buildup! The Flood are turning back towards that object!"

Chief simply grunted, not opting to activate a more verbose tactical data stream to get a peek at the situation. All he needed to know was Ken was doing his job so he could do his.

Suddenly, the air shimmered with heat as a trio of Sentinels materialised from around a bulkhead, their forms cramped into the spaces designed for human traffic, their energy beams buzzing ominously in their attempt to slice Chief into pieces. Cortana swore under her breath. "Guilty Spark's little helpers. Looks like Ken's been busy intercepting most of them, but these slipped through."

Chief wasted no time. Dropping into a crouch, he took cover behind some debris, peppering the Sentinels with precise bursts from his pistol. Their metallic forms danced under the hail of fire, returning fire with deadly precision. One caught a lucky shot, its central core erupting in a shower of sparks and molten metal. The remaining two doubled their efforts, forcing Chief back behind cover.

"Cortana, can you disable those things?" Chief inquired as he switched to his shotgun.

"Negative, Chief," she replied, a hint of frustration in her voice. "I can't affect them without being on the same network, and Guilty Spark locked that down after the thing of me stealing the Index from him. You'll have to take them down the old-fashioned way."

Chief gritted his teeth. More blips appeared on his HUD. Elites! They were taking advantage of the Sentinel distraction to sneak up on him from behind. He tossed a fragmentation grenade into their midst, the explosion sending them scattering as he simultaneously surged forward in an all out sprint, closing the distance on one of the remaining Sentinels.

He slammed into it with the force of a hurricane, knocking it off balance. Before it could react, Chief brought his titanium knuckles to bear, smashing the Sentinel's central core with a satisfying crunch. The second Sentinel, realizing its companion's demise, unleashed a charged beam. Chief dove to the side, the beam searing past him, forcing the Elites into cover as the air crackled and popped.

He countered with a hail of shotgun blasts, the massive slugs tearing through the Sentinel's shield. It sputtered, its propulsion finally failing. Then, with a final spark, it deactivated, joining its fallen comrade.

The air hung heavy with smoke and metal vapour. The remaining Elites, their morale shaken, let out shrill war cries and charged. It was one thing to hear tales of the Demons and another to face one in combat. Chief met them head-on, the ship echoing with the thunderclap of his shotgun and the screams of dying aliens.

With each fallen enemy, Chief inched closer to the bridge, the fate of the galaxy resting on his shoulders. He blasted through a bulkhead, entering a corridor littered with the bodies of both Flood and Covenant personnel. The stench of death was no doubt heavy in the air.

Suddenly, a plasma grenade sailed through the doorway, exploding in a blinding flash. The shockwave sent Chief sprawling, his shield flickering as it dissipated most of the damage. He recovered instantly, rolling into cover as if it were muscle memory, and brought up his weapon.

Through the smoke and haze, he spotted a cloaked Elite Zealot, its hulking form radiating with predatory intent. John wasted no time, his face grim beneath his helmet. Getting to the bridge was going to be one heck of a fight.

___

Flood crowded around a deep pit obscured by thick dust. They lacked true independent thought, but each of them realised on an instinctive level that whatever was down there was a major threat. As the dust billowed outwards, it revealed a hulking silhouette in a cocoon of solid energy. Before the Flood forms got the order to attack, a circle of fire erupted from the shadowed figure, ripping apart the surrounding Flood in a crimson torrent of death.

The shadowy figure stood to its full height, revealing itself to be a HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL ADS. It would be an exaggeration to say the Flood forms felt fear in that moment, but of the ones with a direct line of sight into the pit, many stepped back. It did not help though, for once the ADS began moving in earnest, scores upon scores of Flood were felled without a hint of resistance.

___

Previously aboard the Nyota…

"Absolutely not, sir," Ellen's projection declared, arms crossed, radiating stubbornness. "There's no way you're going down there without me. Splitting Echo's attention between the gunship and the exo suit's systems is tactically unwise. Besides, it will be easier for them to assume the gunship is under my control if I'm physically with you. I can leave a dumb copy of myself to run things here. You need me!" 

Ken was slightly exasperated, but he saw the sense in what the combative Ellen was saying. Echo was unknown to Keyes and especially Cortana. As for the suit, it was designed to be operated by ordinary marines, with targeting and fire control for some of the weapon systems being autonomous. Handing those off to her would turn the HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL ADS into a two-pilot vector with unparalleled awareness and strategic potential.

He sighed as Ellen made a knowing smirk. She had won her case. "Alright, you win. Do some housekeeping in case you get a roommate and prepare for a hard transfer. I'll be on the bridge to yank you momentarily"

As the victorious Ellen blinked off, Ken once again regarded the ADS. In the only media he had seen it in, its pilot had detonated the 300-megaton self-destruct device in a scenario very similar to the one he was headed into.

"Ghost, I hope you give me a break here. Don't let this mission turn into a suicide run like yours did. I promise, I haven't forgotten what it is to be human!"

___

The Flood shrieked in a cacophony of rage and despair. Their pulsating forms swarmed the HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL ADS, clawing at the energy shield that shimmered around Ken. The Lucifer Gatling Gun spun to life, a wall of lead carving through the Flood ranks. Ellen, taking full advantage of the suit's independent targeting systems, rained hell from the shoulder mounted weapons, creating a near 360° field of carnage.

Grenades detonated in mid-air, the overpressure crushing the less robust forms into the dirt, never to rise again.

Echo's voice rang out over Ken's comms. "Guilty Spark really wants in on the Pillar of Autumn's systems. The sentinels should not bother you but keep an eye out for sneak attacks. Remember, even if it is limited in the number of units it can move, the teleportation grid operated by him could drop a few sentinels on your head in an instant."

The whine of plasma fire filled the air. Several Elite combat forms, their bodies ravaged by the infection, trained their weapons on the HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL ADS. One of them roared before launching a suicidal charge. Ken met him head-on, the M149 Magellan Recoilless Rifle barking once. The Flood form disintegrated in a fiery explosion.

More Flood combat forms surged into the fray except this time, they weren't unarmed. These twisted mockeries of Elites and Marines charged in wielding plasma rifles and assault rifles ripped from the fallen. Their coordinated fire forced Ken to take cover behind a massive chunk of debris to recharge the bubble shield.

"The Flood consciousness seems to be pulling some of the armed units heading to the Autumn towards us, sir!" Ellen barked. "It's the desired effect, but we need to change tactics!"

Ken's eyes rapidly scanned over the tactical readouts in his HUD. "Alright. It will mean even more of them will get a direct line of sight on us, but let's go mobile and lure even more of them away."

Ellen said grimly. "Roger that. I'll manually regulate the shields while we are exposed, only using full power for the heavy stuff."

Nodding in agreement, Ken activated the HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL ADS's jetpack. He launched himself skyward, drawing even more of the Flood's attention as he put himself between the flood and the Autumn. Ellen sniped a couple of rocket launcher wielding forms that had been taking aim at them. They were beginning to pop up more and more.

The Flood, a ravenous tide, followed in hot pursuit. The battle escalated into a desperate game of cat and mouse. Ken used the suit's agility to his advantage, dodging plasma fire and unleashing bursts of his Gatling gun to thin out the pursuing horde.

One particularly tenacious combat form, a twisted parody of an ODST, managed to close the distance while Ken was on the ground. It lunged at him with a stolen energy sword, sparks and molten refractive coating flying as Ken's armoured manipulator arm punched back, vaporising the Flood form's head. Multitudes of Flood were once again swamping him.

Thinking fast, Ken activated one of the Claymore mines strapped to his leg and dropped it as he rocketed up into the sky. The resulting explosion ripped the Flood forms apart, a shower of gore and superheated shrapnel spraying out in a cone of death.

Alerts kept popping up on his HUD. Having near-infinite ammo thanks to Echo was an incredible boon, but the constant firing was taking its toll on the suit amongst other issues.

"Warning! Lucifer Gattling Barrel overheat!"

"Warning! Shield capacitors overheat!"

"Warning! Missile tube 1 obstruction!"

"Warning! Fusion Reactor resonance detected!"

"Warning! Left knee actuator overheat!"

"Warning!…"

"Warning!…"

"Warning!…"

"We're pushing it, sir!" Ellen yelled. "These numbers are overwhelming!"

Ken gritted his teeth as he glanced back at the Autumn. At some point, new smoke and fire had started billowing out from the ship, but it seemed to be holding together. He could almost imagine the scene of the Chief fighting his way through Flood, Covenant and Forerunner to get to the bridge.

"We hold until the Chief gets it done!" Ken growled, but inside, he couldn't help but hope that would be soon!

___

Cortana's voice rang out in John's helmet. "There seems to be heavy Elite and Sentinel activity on the upper decks, Chief! Looks like Guilty Spark doesn't mind sharing the grief!"

Chief grunted, his assault rifle spitting fire. He dispatched a pair of Elites with well-placed headshots, their shimmering shields a momentary annoyance before collapsing. A grotesque Flood combat form lurched out from behind a shattered bulkhead, its coiled arm tentacles ready to lash out. He sidestepped its clumsy lunge, shotgun blasting it into a spray of gore and bone.

"Aaaand speak of the devil," Cortana added. "Seems Guilty Spark is already on the bridge trying to bypass my protections. That's not going to go well for him. Still, it's best we get there ASAP before he finds another way."

Suddenly, a familiar voice blared over the comms, a robotic, almost sing-song tone cast ship wide. "Why do you continue to fight us, Reclaimer? You cannot win! Give us the construct and the Activation Index, and I will endeavour to make your death relatively painless, and -"

"At least I still have control over the comm channels." Cortana huffed.

John grunted as he moved forward "Where is he?"

Cortana took a split second to respond. "The Monitor is still on the bridge trying to access critical systems, but I'm detecting taps throughout the ship - Sentinels, most likely. A lot of activity in Engineering. He must be trying to take the core offline! If he succeeds, even if I could get the countdown started... I don't know what we could do."

Chief was starting to consider more direct alternatives when Cortana called out in surprise, "Wait! I'm picking up another entity in the system… No, they're gone again, but this…"

Cortana went silent for a few moments, unsettling Master Chief enough to make him stop. "Talk to me Cortana. What's going on?"

"Chief! The Sentinels trying to access our systems… they've all been taken offline! Every last one, deactivated! How?!"

Chief discarded any larger implications and asked, "So we're still a go for the bridge?"

"Yes! With the monitor limited to only one access point, I can hold him off long enough for you to get there."

That was all he needed to hear, once again on the move with more urgency. Meanwhile, Cortana ran multiple scans in an attempt to find a trace of the second intruder but found nothing. It was another mystery added to the list since Ken had come onto the scene. She delegated the task to a low priority process once John was engaged again.

"Spark's re-tasking his remaining Sentinels to come at us directly!" Cortana announced as John dodged a volley of energy beams. Sentinels that had been searching for access points all over the ship were converging on them, their mechanical fervour almost coming off as desperation.

"He's back in the low-level systems again," Cortana announced.

Almost immediately, Guilty Spark was on comms. "Your construct is unexpectedly capable, Reclaimer. Disabling so many sentinels is quite the unexpected feat. But why would you destroy this installation, Reclaimer? Your behaviour is not in accordance with established protocols. Please. Surrender the construct and I will endeavour to make the necessary repairs as quickly as possible."

Receiving no answer, he continued, "The Flood continue to multiply! Not acceptable, Reclaimer. You must surrender the construct, so that we may return to our appointed task. Please. Surrender the construct to me, or I will be forced to take you offline permanently."

The Chief pressed forward, his movements a deadly dance honed on many a battlefield. He was a dervish of evasive manoeuvres and precise bursts of gunfire. He fought his way through corridors choked with Flood, Covenant and Sentinels, relentlessly pushing through to the bridge.

"Almost there Chief!" Cortana almost yelled! With a mighty kick, he had finally breached the bridge!

Before the door had even hit the ground, Chief had locked on to the object floating by the command console. Guilty Spark.

An ominous glint shone on Guilty Spark's casing as he turned to face Chief. "I had hoped to preserve this data trove, this artefact of your civilisation, but you leave me no choice. Protect your construct well, Reclaimer, for when I destroy your ship, I will retrieve her and the Index from your corpse."

Chief pulled the trigger, but not before Guilty Spark was enveloped by rings of yellow energy, bullets finding nothing but air.

Cortana was Jubilant. "We have the bridge! Now let's get to work." Chief silently uploaded her into the ship via an intact terminal. In a moment, her hologram popped up, hands on hips and shaking her head as she looks around.

"I leave home for a few days and look what happens. This won't take long." She concentrated for a moment, and the main screen flickered to life.

//// SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE INITIATED

//// Security protocols met. Begin evac procedures. All secondary and redundant systems shut down effective immediately.

//// 00:10:00

//// 00:09:50

//// 00:09:45

//// 00:09:40

//// 00:09:35…

"There. I've started the sequence and re-encrypted the command console. That should give us enough time to make it to the Nyota and put some distance between ourselves and Halo before the detonation."

"Alright, put out the call and let's get out of here," the Master Chief said he as unplugged Cortana from the terminal. He had a bad feeling about the Monitor's last words and wanted to get out of there ASAP.

"Uhm, what are you doing Chief? We should be heading up to our exfil point, not sightseeing!" Seeing Chief stride towards the windows, Cortana couldn't help but ask nervously. They were on a short fuse!

Chief just pulled back his fist and said, "Making a shortcut." Using all the power his suit could muster, he punched out the armour rated transparent alloy window with a single blow!

___

As Ken deployed yet more mines, Cortana's voice cut through the comms chatter. "Ken! This is Cortana. Detonation sequence set! Sending you our new evac point. We NEED to be out of here within 5 minutes if we are to make minimum safe distance. Foe Hammer, you copy?"

"Roger, Cortana. I read you, 5 by 5," came Foe Hammer's voice, calm and professional. "Echo 419 going on station."

Ken keyed his mic. "Understood, Cortana. We'll secure the, uhh, LZ? Just… give us a few moments to clean up here." He had almost stopped to ask what they were thinking, but then realised this was the duo that would, in the near future, launch themselves into the middle of a space battle, piggybacking on a Covenant bomb.

Ken's whirlwind of destruction in the HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL ADS paused for a moment, allowing the relentless Flood horde to pile on them. Through Ellen's real time manipulation, the bubble shield had been energised beyond its limit, becoming an impenetrable wall. Her merciless voice rang out, "Ready when you are!"

"Do it!" Ken did not hesitate, bracing for what was coming. In a split second, hundreds of red warnings scrolled up as layers of interlocking armoured hatches on the back of the ADS opened, revealing four identical miniature reactor pods. One of them quickly ejected itself, falling to the ground.

"Hatches secure. Reactor pod armed. I advise we leave now before we kiss all this goodbye!" Ellen said, the urgency inter voice unmistakeable! "Overloading shield on your mark!"

Ken wasted no time, shouting "MARK!" From a distance, it looked as if a bubble had popped, dispersing dust molecules with a gentle puff of air. From right in the middle of it, it was anything but!

The overloaded shield violently expanded to over 6 times its size in a fraction of a second, creating a powerful concussive pressure wave by the time it burst! The Flood closest to it were vaporised while hundreds more were launched into the air and other Flood!

At the same time, Ken blasted off at maximum thrust, taking a curved trajectory to try and put a gigantic thruster nacelle at the rear of the Autumn between him and the discarded reactor pod. "Any second now!" yelled Ellen. "Brace! Brace! Brace!"

Ken did not hear the last warning. The blinding detonation of the pod thoroughly rattled the HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL ADS, drowning out all auditory alerts and voices! The pod was low yield compared to purpose built strategic nuclear weapons, but it was enough to destroy over 1000 Flood forms within a tight radius.

"Was that not a little over the top, Ken 17?" Echo asked, even though Ken could feel Echo had enjoyed the show.

"We had to nuke them. It was the only way to be sure." Ellen was the one to answer, her tone flat and certain. Ken wondered if AI's counted towards group therapy discounts.

"Join up with us at the head of the ship. I am already on station and Foe Hammer will be here momentarily. We are all that is holding the Nyota back now. The evacuation is complete" Echo said, getting back on topic.

"Got it!" Internally, Ken jokingly hoped his homage to Ghost's sacrificial play would satisfy his spirit, however, he was still on guard. A lot could go wrong in 8 minutes, and he'd rather be out of here when the clock ran down.

He was soon at the front of the ship, taking in the sight of the bridge hanging over a colossal precipice. Echo 419 soon pulled up, Foe Hammer skilfully lining up her craft with the improvised exit. Chief casually leapt the 2-meter distance to the ramp. It was finally done!

Ken began to manoeuvre himself toward his gunship, intent on following Chief out of this place. "Detecting multiple teleportation signals, right by engineering. It's Sentinels" Ken cursed under his breath as Ellen's voice came through, broadcasting to Chief as well.

"Any idea what they hope to achieve?" Ken asked. Cortana quickly gave her assessment.

"The Guilty Spark must have been forced to teleport the sentinels outside the Autumn due to the massive EM emissions after the reactor shielding was lifted in the engine room. Still, if he manages to destroy the containment coils… he can prematurely detonate the reactors, cutting the potential yield to less than 15%!"

'Damnit Ghost!'

Ken took a look at the readouts. The sentinels were massing at one point, trying to cut their way in with concentrated fire, right where the containment coils would be. More of them were teleporting in by the second and Nyota's sensors reported a massive phalanx of Sentinels flying in under their own power.

A gruff voice came over the comms. "We are heading back. Ken, get to the Nyota and get away from here. Cortana and I will figure something out."

Ken tilted his head up in exasperation, imagining a peaceful, blue sky overhead instantly turning stormy. Had Ghost really cursed him? He sighed and keyed his comms. "I'm afraid that won't work Chief. Ellen and I will be the ones staying. Before you argue, tell him Cortana,"

Seemingly at the speed of light, Cortana considered the situation. After her creation, she had been read in on many projects, including the UNSC's many inhouse and commissioned powered armour projects. By all rights, the HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL ADS Ken was piloting should not have been so formidable and inexhaustible. Yet here it was, like an avatar of its mythical namesakes. Both it and the gunship variant were beyond normal.

"He's right Chief. I've run the numbers. The HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL ADS and the gunship have enough firepower to force a positive attrition rate, assuming this is Guilty Spark's maximum teleportation cadence. By the time the reinforcements arrive, the reactors will be well on the way to wildcat destabilisation."

Ken and Echo had already turned back halfway through the explanation. "Live to fight another day, John. Humanity needs you more than you know."

Chief was quiet for a moment. He had been up against crazy odds before, but he knew this was one fight where no amount of luck could overturn the numbers. In a voice that brooked no argument, he finally said, "We'll come back for you."

"You'd better. Just don't wreck my ship" Ken was already focused on the next play.

"Alright Echo, Ellen. Tell me the real score"

Ellen chimed in. "We are down one reactor pod, the shield capacitors are at 80% after the shield burst manoeuvre, there is some warping in the gatling barrels, we are down one missile tube, actuations all over the suit are at sub optimal levels, sensor systems are dam…"

Ken cut her off, "Ok, ok! Echo, any good news?"

"Your self-destruct nuclear charge is in excellent condition."

Ken couldn't help but laugh at that one. "Of course it is!"

Echo interjected once again. "You know, Ken 17, your mission was complete the moment all the other survivors made it onto the Nyota. You could leave right now and probably survive."

Ken didn't even consider it. "My life's not worth the galaxy, and any life I'd have after letting it all end wouldn't be worth living. I'm doing this. Ellen, give me a countdown to wildcat reactor destabilisation."

//// 05:59

"Alright then. Let's do this"

The HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL ADS roared to maximum output, following in the G77S's trail. Echo was already engaged by the time Ken caught up, activating the ADS's arsenal. The Lucifer Gatling Gun spat a stream of fire, tearing into the Sentinel ranks. Missiles streaked towards their targets, detonating in blinding flashes. Yet, the teleportation lights seemed to be unending, the tide of machines constant.

Not a single one turned to engage Ken and Echo. Guilty Spark was well aware of the urgency of the situation.

"Ellen, clear the board a bit. Fire the missiles till failure if you have to!"

She immediately obliged, firing the 4 missile tubes available to her, with Echo instantly replenishing the ammo. Dozens of sentinels crashed and burned, finally thinning out the crowd at an observable level. 

//// 04:18

The ADS shields flickered alarmingly as an energy beam raked across it from behind. The first group of sentinels that flew in had arrived. Alarms blared, warning of critical shield capacitor damage. "We're pushing it too hard sir!" Ellen warned "I'm switching to manual modulation to share the load with the armour plating!"

As that was happening, Echo peeled off to engage another group to keep them off of Ken, all guns and missiles blazing!

//// 03:25

The gatling gun on Ken's right arm seized up, the twisted barrels glowing yellow from the heat. "Gatling is in safety lock sir. Anymore and it will take our arm off when it goes," Ellen warned. There was only so far human alloys could take them. After all, the barrels were considered semi consumables. They had never been designed for such sustained rates of continuous fire.

//// 01:17

Echo was forced back to the initial position, Ellen providing support by dedicating the shoulder mounted rifle to the gunship's defence. "Missile tubes 3 and 5 fouled and now inoperable. Teleported Sentinel numbers are rising again! They are halfway through the final armour layer."

Ken checked the status of the Pelican. It was an engine down and had several hull breaches. Manoeuvrability could only carry it so far against so many.

//// 00:33

The HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL ADS suddenly dipped in altitude; the jetpack output drastically reduced. "Ellen?" the rest of the question went unspoken, Ken preserving precious seconds of focus.

"We are over thermal safety limits! I'll try and keep us within range as we descend, but full power will force a cutoff."

Ken's face was grim. Any lower and the armed Flood forms on the ground would start taking pot shots at him. As if the universe was listening

Fwoom! Booom!

A rocket launcher struck true. With the shield output balancing a fine line between the damage the suit could soak up and capacitor output, Ken felt the hit in his bones.

//// -00:12

Suddenly, the Autumn seemed to lurch as it was rocked by a powerful explosion! The very hole the sentinels were burning went from glowing red to a blinding white, rupturing outwardly, venting super-heated gasses with wisps of bright plasma mixed in right into the closest Sentinels.

Ken was starting to think all hope was lost, but there it was, burning in all its fury. The Sentinels abruptly halted their assault. A moment of stillness in the midst of the Autumns death throes, then they whirred off into the distance, their departure as abrupt as their arrival.

"What the…" Ken breathed, his hands trembling on the controls.

"Guilty Spark must have realised it is too late," Echo's voice was tinged with a hint of relief. "The detonation cannot be stopped."

With a triumphant grin, Ken throttled up the HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL ADS's jetpack. "Then what are we waiting for! Time to get out of here!"

He soared towards the G77S. He was within a Pelican length of the ramp, no longer concerned about overheating the jetpack but Echo's voice cut in again, a sharp urgency underlying the word. "Wait!"

Before Ken could react, the now familiar light rings of teleportation flashed in the open passenger compartment, followed by a blinding energy beam erupted from the G77S. The sleek Pelican shuddered, then dissolved in a fiery explosion.

"Echo?" Ken roared, his mind reeling as his shields flared. "What happened?"

"Guilty Spark," Echo said. "He must have teleported a Sentinel onboard. We need to back off! That beam cut right through the reactor housi..."

A monstrous fireball engulfed the area where the Pelican had been. The shockwave slammed into the HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL ADS, throwing it towards the ground in a wild tumble. With a sickening crunch of metal, Ken slammed into the ground several kilometres away from the Autumn.

The shield had taken the brunt of it, but alarms blared inside the suit. Ken groaned, pushing himself upright. He looked around, taking in the desolate landscape, his mind numb. Debris were still raining down on the exo suit, sounding like hail falling on his grandparents corrugated metal roof. "Echo, what's our status!"

"Shields overloaded," Echo said. "Emergency activation saved your life, but they need time to recharge to a max of only 23%. Suit integrity compromised. Propulsion compromised. We will not be getting to safe distance. The excess pelicans we salvaged are in deep orbit. They will never make it on time."

Ken gritted his teeth. He could feel the Autumns tremors from here! "C'mon Echo! You must have a plan, right?"

Echo paused for a moment and said, quite uncharacteristically, "Hold on to your butts?"

Suddenly, Ken laughed out loud! This was an inside joke that came from another hairy mission they'd been on. He let go of all his tensions and just took in the view.

___

The Nyota held its position at a pre-determined safe distance from the colossal ringworld known as Halo. Aboard the bridge, Master Chief, Captain Keyes, Cortana, and Sergeant Johnson stood transfixed, witnessing the apocalyptic spectacle unfolding before them.

The Pillar of Autumn was gone, a blinding white flash erupting in its place. With terrifying slowness, massive chunks of Halo's superstructure began to crumble or float away into space. The visual effect was horrifyingly beautiful, a testament to the sheer scale of construction involved in creating Halo and the unimaginable power unleashed by the detonation.

The silence that followed was deafening. It was broken only by the ragged breaths of the humans onboard the Nyota.

"My God," Captain Keyes finally muttered, his voice heavy with awe and a hint of terror. "They did it."

A long, tense moment passed. The debris cloud emanating from the destroyed section of Halo slowly dissipated, revealing a jagged, gaping wound in the ringworld's surface.

"Cortana," Keyes said, his voice tinged with concern, "any sign of Ken?"

Cortana's voice emanated from the bridge comms, subdued. "No sir. His transponder signal… it dropped off about a minute before the detonation. He was still on the surface."

A grim silence descended upon the bridge once more. The Chief, ever stoic, stared at the ravaged Halo with an unreadable expression. Sergeant Johnson, his face grim, muttered a silent prayer.

Cortana, however, wasn't ready to give up hope. "Master Chief," she interjected, "plug me in. I may be able to resolve more detail once I interface directly with the Nyota's systems."

The Chief, after a moment's hesitation, nodded curtly, yanking the chip and plugging it in.

A surge of data coursed through Cortana as she integrated with the Nyota's advanced AI core. It felt… different. The Nyota's AI architecture was vast, sprawling like a meticulously designed city, making even a Spartan neural interface feel like cramped quarters. Suddenly, she felt like her capabilities had multiplied tenfold. She had so much room to breathe, unrestricted by the limitations of standard UNSC technology.

With newfound processing power, Cortana dove into the Nyota's systems, finding her privileges had been pre-emptively elevated to primary AI. She could not help but note the multiple holes in the ship's log and the exotic and unbreakable encryption scheme of the partition Ellen's shadow now occupied.

Getting on task, she accessed the full sensor arrays, scanning the debris field where Halo had been breached and cross referencing it with hers and the Nyota's available logs. "Captain," she reported, her voice crisp and clear, "I'm detecting no signs of Ken. Transponder contact dropped a minute before detonation, after the gunship was apparently shot down. Last ping placed him on the surface, way too close to the Autumn. Optical data corroborates it, right up until the filters failed to compensate. Full surface scans reveal no traces. All the Pelicans we couldn't carry are accounted for. He's… gone."

Keyes nodded grimly as the last still frame of Ken standing there floated above a stream of various read outs and event logs. "He deserves a proper burial, but the best I can do is treat him like a Spartan."

Johnson, with a glint of regret in his eye, slowly removed his cap, clutching it to his chest. His unlit Sweet Willams cigar remained clamped firmly in his teeth as he muttered, "MIA. Spartans never die." The captain, a more personal grief on his face, simply nodded.

The Chief silent and unmoving, compartmentalised as he had done countless times before, and then asked, "What now Captain"

Captain Keyes considered for a moment before speaking. "We head for Earth and join up with UNSC's main force. But first, there's a slight detour I need to make." A grim glint sparkled in his eyes as he pulled up an image of Reach, from before the fall. No one spoke as Cortana spun up the slipspace drive, sending the Nyota into the depths of space.

___

Deep in the bowels of Halo, on the opposite side of the devastation that had rocked it, a strange scene played out. Rings of light shone, depositing a smouldering wreckage seemingly devoid of life.

Upon closer inspection, something else revealed itself to be at the core, momentarily wrapped in form-fitting light. It was matte black, unmoving yet unmarred by markings of any sort. It could be said to be in the shape of a man, if its sheer size and mechanical nature had not set it apart.

On either side of its head, lights flickered on, struggling to illuminate the near-infinite darkness. The light, however, illuminated something much closer that had been missed on first inspection. On the left side of its chest, bold characters in white stood out in stark contrast.

K17.