Chapter 6: Battle for Earth pt 1

-M2.552. Sol System.Earth. Cairo Orbital Defense Platform-

The Covenant forces relentlessly assaulted the UNSC forces throughout the Sol System, their superior numbers and advanced technology giving them a distinct advantage in every engagement. However, humanity, determined and resilient, continued to resist. On the Orbital Defense Platform, Cortana tirelessly coordinated counter-attacks against the Covenant fleet, utilizing macro cannons to breach UNSC defenses.

"How's the situation, Cortana?" Admiral Hood asked, concern etched on his face.

"Not good, sir. Covenant fleets have breached our defenses and are launching forces onto the surface of Earth," Cortana informed him, her focus unwavering on the orbital platform's defense.

Hood's gaze shifted toward the imposing Covenant Assault Carrier. "If only we could find a way to destroy one of those ships, the situation could turn."

Then, Cortana detected a reading. "Covenant, they're in sector 18 on this station; they've breached in."

"What are they doing, Cortana?" Hood's tone tightened with tension.

"From the scan I got, they're carrying antimatter bombs. It seems they want to turn us into space dust," Cortana spoke dryly.

"Cortana, send Master Chief to intercept them. I don't want this platform destroyed until we can push back the Covenant forces," Hood commanded with urgency.

"Aye aye, sir," Cortana replied quickly and initiated contact with Master Chief.

Master Chief, fully comprehending his mission, swiftly navigated through the orbital platform, eliminating Covenant forces with his transhuman speed. Thanks to Cortana's coordinates, he efficiently reached the location of the antimatter bomb, taking calculated shortcuts to prevent its detonation. With unparalleled precision, he dispatched the Covenant guarding the bomb.

"It seems the bomb hasn't been activated yet," Chief reported.

"In that case, we're lucky, then," Cortana materialized next to Chief.

Chief inspected the antimatter bomb. "Can you check this object in detail, Cortana?"

"Of course, who do you think I am?" Cortana analyzed the bomb with the scanner in the chamber. Soon, she had her answer. "This is an EMP bomb."

"EMP? Not something I expected from the Covenant," Chief commented.

"Indeed, but this is truly strange. There's no trigger. Wait, Chief!" Cortana shouted, but it was too late. The EMP exploded, disabling all functions in Cairo. Chief's MJOLNIR armor malfunctioned, rendering him immobile.

"I can't move. Cortana, I need your help here!" Chief groaned, attempting to move his body.

"Hang on. I'm rebooting in this chamber." Cortana swiftly worked on restarting the chamber, simultaneously initiating a remote reboot for Chief's MJOLNIR.

After a brief period, Chief regained control of his body.

"Well, this is bad," he said slowly.

A colossal blast shook the platform, causing Chief to turn to the outside, where the Covenant Assault Carrier unleashed plasma cannons relentlessly. The platform's structure began to crack and explode.

"We need to get out," Chief directed his hand toward Cortana, who immediately entered his MJOLNIR system.

A massive explosion hurled the Spartan to the chamber's edge, and fire spread in all directions. Chief hastily grabbed titanium pieces of the Orbital for makeshift shielding. The Covenant Assault Carrier continued its assault, igniting the Cairo Orbital Platform in a blaze of explosions.

Master Chief clung to the piece of the space station as the heat penetrated his armor. A colossal explosion flung him through station debris and fire.

In the vacuum of space, Chief witnessed the destruction of Cairo.

As the destruction of Cairo unfolded, Master Chief observed how the coordination of the UNSC fleet became chaotic, significantly losing its effectiveness. He refocused himself, scanning the surroundings meticulously. Spotting Miranda's ship, Chief immediately activated the distress signal in his armor.

As anticipated, the ship headed towards him. Once near, the hatch opened, allowing Chief to enter. "Forgive me, ma'am. I couldn't defend Cairo."

"It's okay, Chief. We'll kick their asses again after this," Sergeant Johnson reassured him with an optimistic tone, seemingly unaffected by the recent events.

"Well, Chief, I guess we haven't lost everything after all," Cortana said with a smirk.

Chief simply nodded, his hand clenched slightly.

In the bridge, Miranda analyzed the battlefield, realizing the dire situation the UNSC was in. Whatever was running through her mind shattered due to the various disorganizations that occurred when Cairo was destroyed.

"It seems we have no choice but to cut off the serpent's head," Miranda looked towards the Assault Carrier slowly entering Earth's orbit alone. "Where is that ship heading?"

"From the estimated trajectory, they're heading to New Mombasa," one of her staff replied.

"Alright... Let's find out what they want. Activate stealth mode; we'll follow them." She gave a firm command, her gaze still fixed on the Assault Carrier.

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Prophet Regret observed his surroundings, realizing that this place held secrets about what happened hundreds of thousands of years ago. Based on the information he obtained, this location concealed the truth about the events of ancient times. Regret vividly remembered the words he received from the Oracle named Mendicant Bias regarding humanity.

They were a race destined to inherit the galaxy and await the return of They Who Traveled Beyond.

Regret couldn't comprehend the meaning behind these words. However, if the truth was that humanity was the Reclaimer and the Covenant had misinterpreted the Forerunners' intentions, the very faith of the Covenant would shatter, and civil war would be inevitable. Despair momentarily clouded his mind when he heard this story. But when Mendicant Bias spoke about a faction called the Imperium, Regret became astonished.

A nation possibly similar to what Mendicant Bias described. According to the Oracle's account, the Imperium was a country with unimaginable power, equal to or perhaps surpassing the gods themselves. Despite having a much smaller force, they could turn the tide of war against the Flood. Power to conquer space and time, holding abilities that went beyond any form of imagination.

If the Covenant possessed the power of this Imperium, nothing could stop them, and the Covenant could exist forever.

After digging into information from Mendicant Bias, Regret found their biggest clue was on Earth. Moreover, with the coordinates obtained from Harvest, it would only accelerate the Covenant's journey to ascension.

"Hierarch, we have found it. Right beneath this city," said an Elite who served as his guard.

"Good. Let us detonate this place; the Covenant's destiny to become ascended cannot be delayed any longer."

"At once, your holiness." The Elite immediately walked away.

Thus, the Slipspace drive on Regret's ship was activated for consecutive jumps. A Slipspace portal opened, and they entered it immediately, triggering a chain reaction that resulted in a massive explosion spreading across New Mombasa.

_______________________________________

Miranda watched it all carefully, the destruction unfolding before her eyes, a somber realization settling in.

"Now the city's gone," Johnson spoke slowly.

"But why here, and why would Regret willingly come to the dangerous front lines just to detonate this place?" Miranda mumbled, still perplexed.

Then, the explosions ceased, revealing what had been hidden beneath New Mombasa. What they saw was a giant structure resembling Forerunner architecture, but upon closer inspection, various differences in structure raised tensions in Miranda's mind.

"What am I looking at?" she exclaimed sharply, squinting her eyes.

"From the recent scans we conducted, this structure is made of a metal vastly different from anything in our database, including Forerunner alloys," one of the analysts stated.

"What else have you found?" Miranda inquired.

"This structure... impossible. The architecture used in it bears resemblance to Gothic style, approximately 85% match with Gothic style from the 16th century!" the team member shouted, clearly astonished.

"Said what?" Johnson expressed his surprise.

"Is there a possibility that this is man-made, operator?" Miranda pressed.

"We can't confirm yet, but from further scanning, we found that what we see now is just the surface; the total structure extends thousands of meters below ground," the operator said slowly, still incredulous at the obtained data.

"All this time, something like this was under our noses, and we didn't sniff it out," remarked the ship commander with a dry laugh.

"So, what are we going to do, ma'am?" Johnson asked with a pressing tone.

Before Miranda could respond, another Slipspace rupture appeared, disgorging the same Assault Carrier. In theory, an overloaded Slipspace jump could create an energy burst that had military applications, like an aggressive retreat. However, it seemed there were other applications unfolding before them.

The Assault Carrier halted above the structure, releasing a dropship that swiftly headed for the top of the structure.

"Operator, can we follow them with our dropship?" Miranda's urgency cut through the tension on the bridge.

"In theory, yes. But with that Assault Carrier still lingering, our window is tight," the Operator replied, his eyes fixed on the pulsating screens.

"We can't let whatever's hidden there fall into the Covenant's hands. We have to try," Miranda asserted, her gaze unwavering.

The Operator recalibrated, crunching numbers to calculate the narrow variables. Then, a revelation struck him from the Assault Carrier's energy readings – it was in a cooldown phase, drained by the Slipspace explosion.

"This might be our shot. The Covenant flagship is vulnerable right now. The Slipspace explosion probably drained a lot of their power," the Operator explained.

"Good. Johnson, Chief, gather some marines; you're going in," Miranda commanded.

"At once, ma'am." Johnson left the bridge, leaving Miranda to study the detailed schematics of the mysterious structure.

"Let's see what secrets you're hiding," Miranda murmured, a mix of curiosity and determination in her voice.

As the analysis unfolded, it revealed a colossal structure, meticulously designed to sustain billions and self-sufficiency beyond comprehension.

"This is like an arcology," Miranda marveled, captivated by the architectural wonder. "Let's unveil your mysteries."

In the hangar, Master Chief, Johnson, and a squad of marines boarded the Pelican, gearing up for the mission. Cortana's voice resonated in Chief's helmet.

"This is fascinating."

"What's caught your interest?" Chief inquired.

"Miranda's data suggests this structure is an advanced arcology. It can support billions and expand limitlessly. The architecture has a strange resemblance to Earth's Gothic era," Cortana explained, a note of fascination in her virtual tone.

"So, it could be man-made?" Chief speculated.

"Possibly. We'll know soon enough," Cortana replied with a hint of anticipation.

"Loaded and ready, ma'am," Johnson's voice came from the cockpit.

"All green, marine." Miranda's voice crackled through the comms. The ship's ramp opened, and four Pelican dropships took flight, aiming for the unknown structure.

---

Navigating cautiously past the Assault Carrier, the Pelicans landed smoothly at the designated point. The team disembarked, establishing a perimeter with Chief leading the way.

"Let me take point, Sergeant," Chief asserted.

"Be our eyes, Chief," Johnson acknowledged.

With that command, the Spartan moved ahead of the team, briskly entering the enigmatic structure. The second-generation transhuman, Master Chief, studied the imposing metal wall obstructing his path. Before he could ponder its mechanism, the metal metamorphosed into trillions of smaller parts, gracefully dismantling itself and revealing an inviting pathway.

UNSC members trailing behind marveled at the sight. Chief turned back, acknowledging the awestruck gazes with a nod before striding purposefully forward. 

"This place is astonishing." Cortana exclaimed, in awe.

"Astonishing?" Chief queried.

"Yes. Beyond the architecture and its gothic grandeur. I can sense more than trillions of binary signals being sent to every corner of the room simultaneously with impossible precision. And when I piece some of them together, I find that all those signals form one body, akin to a pattern consistent with a protocol set. An apt analogy would be a human body, and every inch of this place is like its cells," Cortana elucidated, her virtual voice tinged with a keen sense of wonder.

"So, it was indeed humans who built this?" Chief asked, trying to confirm something.

"I hope so, Chief," Cortana replied, a touch of amusement in her programmed tone.

With the Spartan and smart AI forging deeper into the structure, they were welcomed by marvels and the exquisite beauty of Gothic architecture adorning the walls with grace and precision. Cortana's data analysis unfolded a panorama of meticulous craftsmanship, each detail etched with molecular precision, creating an impossible level of beauty that captivated Chief.

As Chief delved further into the structure, he stumbled upon a colossal domed chamber adorned with eagle statues spreading their wings, transforming into pillars that embraced the room, with an altar standing at its center. The transhuman moved cautiously towards the heart of the chamber, his senses heightened.

"This place. Every intricacy of this construction seems to tell me that this is their communication hub," Cortana speculated, her uncertainty evident.

"Let's find out, then." Chief proposed, standing near the altar in the middle of the room. The air hung with anticipation as they prepared to unravel the secrets hidden within the structure.

Chief's hands pressed onto the altar, triggering an instant revelation that swept through him with an unstoppable force. Two colossal humanoid figures materialized, dwarfing even a Spartan. The first, a female humanoid with a pale face, adorned in a floating gray gown above a platform. Opposite her, a colossal being in red armor, intricately embellished with gold ornaments that was crafted in an impossible precision, surrounded by blue-rune symbols as a white cloak billowing from its back.

+Librarian. Are you certain?+ The resonant voice of the red giant echoed, sending waves of immense pressure through Chief's augmented body.

"I have made my choice. I will stay here until you cleanse the Flood. It's the only redemption I can offer for my husband's sins," the Librarian replied with deliberate slowness.

+But humanity needs a guide once they realize their place in the cosmos, at least until we return here.+ The giant fell silent momentarily before turning its gaze toward a canyon that Chief recognized as the location of the mysterious structure. +What if I offer you a deal?+

"What deal is that, Lord Ahzek Ahriman?" inquired the Librarian.

+You can still fulfill your redemption. Allow me to take a part of your soul to become the guardian of the beacon for humanity. Meanwhile, I will ensure the ascension of humans in this galaxy, completing the redemption for your people's failure.+ The offer resonated not through spoken words but from soul to soul. Chief felt it, a profound connection touching his very soul, and from the Librarian's expression, he sensed that she experienced the same.

As their ethereal conversation concluded, countless nanomachines coalesced, shaping a colossal structure. Ahzek Ahriman raised one hand, and in an instant, a burst of blinding light enveloped the Spartan. He witnessed the subjugation of space and time, a masterful command that merged with the structure, depicting thousands of glowing runes on the flawless steel surface.

With another jolt, Chief was thrown off the altar.

"Chief!" Cortana's concern heightened. "Chief, what happened?"

The second-generation Spartan remained silent for a moment. "Didn't you see it?"

"See what, Chief?" Cortana asked again, suspicion coloring her tone.

"I'll tell you later. But it seems like I've got the story behind this structure." Chief swiftly stood up, surveying his surroundings.

A new path unfolded before them, beckoning them to delve deeper into the structure.

"Johnson is still receiving signals from me, right?" Chief sought confirmation.

"Steady as ever."

"Good." Chief sprinted towards the newfound path.

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Regret arrived at the coordinates obtained from Mendicant Bias. Each revelation about the architecture filled him with awe. The labyrinthine design continually shifted, creating an ever-changing environment that made the journey inside appear insurmountable without precise directions or coordinates.

After what felt like an eternity of walking, they finally reached the core of the arcology. The core was a room of staggering proportions, leaving Regret in disbelief as he took in the enormity of the chamber. The space seemed to stretch endlessly, with time following suit in its boundless expansion.

At the center of this mind-bending room rested a shining orb, crafted from an unknown steel that defied comprehension. Something indescribable emanated from the enigmatic construct, but the overwhelming sensation of Covenant ascension blinded the High Prophet to the subtleties.

As the group approached, almost directly beneath the orb, Regret's attention was drawn to an altar positioned nearby. He commanded one of his Elites to inspect the mysterious structure. The Elite complied, cautiously making his way toward the enigmatic altar.

Upon touching the altar, an instantaneous and blinding light engulfed the entire room, swallowing Regret and his honor guards. After a moment, the radiance dissipated, prompting Regret to raise his head and witness the transformed orb, sending shockwaves through his very core.

The construct shimmered with an ethereal light, emanating a power that resonated with the High Prophet's soul. The color of the light defied description, as if existing beyond the realms of understanding, yet the unmistakable titanic power it exuded left Regret in awe.

Before the Covenant group, a humanoid woman in a pale dress materialized, and from her anatomical features, Regret immediately recognized her as a Forerunner.

"Ohh... Great one," Regret spoke hesitantly, awe coursing through his entire being.

"San'Shyuum and Sangheili. I detect your presence and the warfare on Earth. I must say I am disappointed," said the Forerunner slowly.

"W-What?!" Regret shouted with anger now peaking.

"This war is a mistake. Your task is to live alongside the Reclaimers under their protection, to shield you from the Flood and other horrors out there that I cannot disclose," the Forerunner expressed deep disappointment, bowing her head.

The Elites guarding Regret exchanged glances, attempting to digest the information they had just received. However, Regret's anger was already beyond containment.

"We are the Covenant. We worship you, and we are a race worthy of receiving your legacy with the Great Journey, where we obtain ultimate power, becoming the guardians of the entire galaxy," Regret spoke with confidence, boasting with emotions that formed the foundation of his beliefs.

The Librarian did not respond, only gazing at Regret neutrally. Then, in an instant, a smile formed on her face. "Now I understand everything. Indeed, the technology of the Imperium always manages to surprise me. Your Great Journey is a mistake. Medicant Bias must have informed you of that, Prophet Regret."

Regret froze in silence, fear beginning to seep into the High Prophet's body.

"Y-You. How dare you insult the Great Journey. You, yes, you must be a fraud, an imposter! A heresy!" High Prophet shouted with burning wrath.

In an instant, the hum of an energy sword resonated, and the Librarian turned her gaze sideways, the smile still on her face. "Finally, you have arrived."

A figure in green armor emerged, drawing the attention of the Covenant who quickly aimed their plasma weapons.

"I guess I'm in for a surprise," said the Spartan, amused.