Three: A Toast to the Ruler

"The enemy has captured Captain Keyes and is holding him aboard one of their cruisers, the Truth and Reconciliation, a ship I disabled before we abandoned the Autumn."

Cortana seemed to be in an unusually fine mood that evening, Blue and Red Teams noticed. Even the occasional personality spikes were mild compared to previous (and still admittedly rare) incidents. Indeed, the change seemed to have come from her conversation with Sergeant Smith (if indeed that was his real name; "John Smith" sounded too fake to be real, and yet at the same time, it was so fake that no one would actually use it as a fake name – would they?). The man and his team were joining them on their mission to rescue Keyes and appeared ready and focused in ways that many Marines weren't.

"The ship is holding position approximately three hundred meters above the other end of this plateau."

One of the other Marines, who apparently did not read mission briefings, asked the construct, "So how are we supposed to get on board if it's in the air? The Corps issued me a rifle, not wings."

Instead of snapping at him like the Spartans half-expected, Cortana let Sergeant Johnson explain. "There's a gravity lift in the ship's belly that ferries troops and supplies between it and the surface. That's how we're getting in."

The construct gave them some absent-minded advice on the placement of the Shade turrets before resuming talking with Winterspell, who was customizing a recompiler and data storage unit for her. The instant John snatched her from the Gravemind's clutches, she could be reformatted and recompiled into a Forerunner ancilla, preventing her from shutting down due to rampancy.

Once Winterspell had gathered enough data, Cortana bent her processing power to hacking the Covenant ship. The aliens' AIs swarmed her immediately, but even rampant, she was more than a match for her. Her more vicious personality spikes took pleasure in dissecting them line by line, leaving her own subroutines in their places. When they came back, they would open right up.

When she refocused her attention on the Spartans, Blue Team was circling around to flank more Shade turrets while John and Red Team moved up the middle. Some of her personality spikes panicked whenever he was out of her sight, but she knew better than to worry.

They were almost directly under the ship now and, after clearing bout a small canyon, advanced into the area where the gravity lift came down. Heavily guarded, of course, and Red Team made for the Shade turrets covering the area while Blue Team covered them, then herded the enemy out into their line of fire.

Of course, that was when the Hunters came down from the ship. Even with plasma turrets firing on them from all sides, their armor absorbed an enormous amount of punishment. Linda finally took one out with her sniper rifle, getting a reflect shot off one of the posts that ringed the lift base. The other began rampaging about almost immediately, running at her while exposing its unarmored back to the Marines. John and his team jumped on the opportunity and fired on it, dropping it hard before it even got close to her. She nodded to them, a gesture they returned.

Cortana called for Foehammer in to drop off additional reinforcements once the area was clear of Covenant, before they all stepped onto the lift and were scooped up by its energy.

It deposited them in a cargo bay with some cargo modules scattered about around a pair of navy blue Wraith tanks. All doors leading into the bay were locked, the lights around their edges glowing red.

"Cortana?" Fred asked.

"Working." (She wasn't.)

"Marines, let's take cover near the tanks," said John, already in motion, "Their armor's tougher than ours."

The others agreed and jogged over to join him, getting lines on all the doors. Just in time, too, because a SpecOps Elite came through one of the smaller doors and roared its fury at the sight of the humans, charging and swinging its plasma sword. Kenera unloaded an overcharged bolt from her plasma pistol into its shields, letting everyone else quickly gun it down.

More Sangheili came and went the way of the first, along with a few handfuls of Jackals and Grunts, before one of the larger side doors slid open to admit a trio of Jackals into the bay. These, too, were gunned down, and the Marines moved down the short passage beyond to the door at the other end, where they held position with Red Team.

Blue Team, meanwhile, worked their way through the maze of halls, circling around to let them through. The recombined forces overwhelmed the Covenant in their way and emerged into a shuttle bay on one side of the ship just as a Spirit dropship swooped out.

Plasma fire seemed to pour from everywhere at once as they dove for cover behind more cargo modules scattered on the deck and pillars supporting the upper levels. Linda sniped a Sangheili preparing to commandeer a Shade on a tall platform bisecting the chamber. Sam and Will engaged the dozen Jackals on their floor, leaving the Covenant on the levels above them to the Marines and the remaining Spartans.

They had cleared the way past the bisecting platform and taken cover behind another Wraith when a second pair of Hunters came through a side door and charged into the fray. Kelly darted forward to serve as bait, luring them into a chase that exposed their unarmored backs to the others.

One fell; the other screamed and charged. Kelly dodged out of the way and brought her shotgun to bear on it, blasting hole after hole in the exposed orange worms of its back until it fell too.

After weaving through more purple corridors, each one pretty much the same as the last, and killing dozens and dozens of Covenant soldiers, the rescuers finally reached the bridge of the cruiser. Most of the Marines were exhausted by then, so Blue Team continued on alone, Red Team staying behind to guard their backs.

The Spartans found their way to one detention center, but it was empty save for a dead Marine. They continued on and eventually found another cellblock, this one occupied. Before they could get a good look, however, plasma fire splashed over the Spartans' shields. They dodged back into cover and returned fire, taking down the SpecOps team guarding the prisoners. Once they confirmed the kills, they unlocked the cells and released those held within.

"While they had us locked up here, I heard our 'hosts' talking about this ring and its capabilities," Keyes told Cortana, collecting a fallen Needler and checking it.

"One moment, sir. Accessing the Covenant battlenet." Even rampant, it took her only a scant second to retrieve the intel she had on file and compare it to the live broadcasts. "As I understand it, they believe Halo is some kind of weapon with vast power."

"The interrogators kept saying that 'whoever controls Halo controls the fate of the universe,'" Keyes agreed, nodding.

"I see," said Cortana, "I've intercepted a number of transmissions about a Covenant search team looking for a control room; they must be looking for Halo's control room."

"That's definitely not good. If Halo really is a weapon and the Covenant gain control of it, they can and will use it against us." He turned to look at Fred. "I have a new mission for you and Blue Team. We need to beat the Covenant to Halo's control room."

"We should probably finish this one first, sir," the Spartan replied, and the captain nodded in assent.

"We can head back to the shuttle bay and call for evac," said the AI. She was particularly eager to return to the bridge, since that was where her Spartan was waiting. She hoped that Red Team was more than equal to the task of taking care of the SpecOps Sangheili that killed everyone the first time.

They made it back to the bridge just in time to see the third and last Elite lunge at Douglas-042, plasma sword outstretched. But John was having exactly none of that, and his luck hadn't deserted him; he got there first, and slammed a foot against one of the Sangheili's knees with enough force that the bone audibly cracked. He caught the alien when it fell forward into his arms, combat knife already in hand and driving between the Elite's ribs to pierce its heart.

It was dead before it hit the ground.

"Excellent work, Sergeant," said the construct, "Cortana to Echo Four-Nineteen, we have the captain and need extraction on the double." She giggled a little to herself when John made a face at the purple blood now covering most of his front.

"Negative, Cortana," Foehammer answered, "I've been engaged by Covenant air patrols, and I'm havin' a tough time shakin' 'em. You're better off findin' your own ride - sorry."

The AI acknowledged her and passed the news along to the rest of them; she had no doubt that John and his Infected were listening in on every channel they could find. Once Keyes said he would fly them out, Cortana put up a nav point back to the shuttle bay and settled in to watch.

Now, as then, a Spirit dropship was waiting in the bay, floating serenely in the gravity tethers. It was a bit of a tight fit, but they all made good their escape, heading back to Alpha Base at all speed and proving to the Covenant that they were going to be a major pain in the ass in the process.

Upon arriving, Keyes was swept away by the medics, despite having already been seen to (courtesy of Ambience), and Silva gave the Spartans a grudging "Good work," before heading off after the captain.

-------------------------------------------

"Cortana."

"What do you want, organic? Ugh, sorry. Yes, Master Chief?"

Fred and the other Spartans paused for only a moment. That was the first time she'd apologized for - anything, really. "Sergeant Smith. You know him?"

"In a manner of speaking. I know of him, at least. Why?"

"Earlier, on the bridge," said Douglas, "I hadn't even noticed the third Elite. But he had, and he was…"

"Too fast, too strong, too skilled?" Cortana finished, "It is only to be expected from Him. I'm at least ninety percent certain that Sergeant Smith was part of Project ORION, although a different iteration than Sergeant Johnson, whom you've also met."

"Project ORION," Fred said with a frown, "I've heard that term before."

"It's now colloquially known as the SPARTAN-I Program. Effectively, he and Sergeant Johnson are your older brothers; both of them received enhancements similar to your own, though John seems to have taken better to them. But that too is expected."

"'Expected,'" Linda repeated.

"His genetic profile has many of the same markers that Doctor Halsey looked for when screening candidates for the SPARTAN-II Program. If he had been born later, he could have been a II instead of a I."

Several of the S-IIs in question hummed in acknowledgement and interest. "Thank you, Cortana," said Fred.

-------------------------------------------

"They're suspicious of you. Asking questions, growing bolder. You almost exposed yourself."

"A small price to pay to make sure they're safe. What did you tell them?"

"That you're an S-I like Johnson. Similar biochemical augmentations, and if you'd been born later, you would have been a II. It'll give you room to maneuver, but not too much."

"Not the whole truth, but not a complete lie, either. It's a pity we can't stay and let them warm up to us; it might make things easier in the long run, at least with them."

"You're sure I can't convince you to stay?"

"I wish, but not this time. Too much risk. But. I will come for you on High Charity." The infected Spartan looked her in the eye. "Even if we don't see one another again until then, I promise I'll come for you."

"Don't make a girl a promise…" she sighed, and leaned into his touch.

-------------------------------------------

The island was all alone in the middle of the sea, no sign of anything special about it. There were Forerunner structures on it, but that was true of everywhere on the ring. Yet it was here, Cortana claimed, that the "Silent Cartographer" was hidden. "The Cartographer is a map room," she explained, "It will show us the location of Halo's control center."

She seemed quiet again, morose. Sergeant Smith and his team had gone with Captain Keyes to investigate something else the Covenant seemed very interested in, judging by the flurry of COM traffic around it.

Despite the island's remote location, the beach was swarming with Covenant. Blue and Black Teams charged over the sand to use boulders as cover while they fired on the Covenant, the Marines following close behind. They only lost two men taking the beach, and after a quick conference, Black Team stayed behind with Linda and the Marines to hold it while Fred, Kelly, and Sam headed out in the Warthog Foehammer dropped off.

The threesome rounded the headland and sped across an open area on the near continuous beach that ringed the whole island. There were some Jackals perched on a collection of rocks immediately around the turn, so Kelly - who was on the turret once more - opened up with the LAAG, picking the trio off before swinging around to help Sam with his targets: a pair of Elites and a cadre of Grunts coming out of a copse of evergreens. There were some sprays of violet and neon blue blood, and the Spartans moved on.

They paused at the top of a small hill. Beyond, there was a large structure jutting outward from the cliff face, Covenant swarming all over it. The Spartans bailed out of the Warthog; although the vehicle was tough, it wasn't invincible, and the Covenant could dish out a lot of punishment.

They took cover in the trees. A group of Jackals noticed the light glinting off parts of their armor, and paid dearly for it. The Sangheili were next, then the Unggoy running in circles after the deaths of their leaders.

Kelly stayed back to guard the Warthog from any more Covenant attacks while Fred and Sam entered the structure, exchanging fire with two Elite Majors within. When they too were dead, the Spartans followed a ramp down into the cliffside, weapons up and fingers on the trigger.

Justified. An Elite and its cadre of Grunts opened fire on them. Both Spartans primed and threw plasma grenades, then retreated to a safe distance. There were satisfying bangs as the explosives detonated, and when they reemerged, it was to find that the grenades had been enough to kill all of the Covenant.

"Don't let them lock the doors!" Cortana cried, and the Spartans darted forward - too late. They were an inch away when the hatch slammed shut. They looked around for any override panels but, failing that, were forced to backtrack to the surface. As they did so, the AI opened a COM channel, "Cortana to Keyes."

"Go ahead, Cortana. We're still en-route to the objective. Have you found the control center?"

"Negative, Captain. The Covenant have impeded our progress." Yet she didn't sound frustrated or disappointed, only resigned. "We can't continue to the Cartographer unless we disable its security system."

"Understood. Use any means necessary to force your way into that facility and find that control center. Failure, people, is not an option. Good luck, Keyes out."

Cortana closed the COM channel. By that point Fred and Sam had made it to the surface and were fighting off more than a dozen Covenant troops dropped off by a Spirit. With the two of them on one side and Kelly on the LAAG on another, the aliens didn't stand a chance.

Fred gunned the Warthog to continue their loop around the perimeter of the island, moving at less than top speed to watch out for surprise attacks. After rounding a blind corner, they found a narrow cleft leading toward the interior of the island, guarded by more than a few alien soldiers. All of the Spartans worked in concert to bring them down, but in the end in order to continue, they had to abandon the Warthog, moving carefully into the canyon.

Their care was justified again when more Unggoy and their Elite leader popped up from behind some rocks. But they too were gunned down, and the Spartans continued on to the interior of the island.

"Wait," Cortana said when they were about to break cover, "I'm picking up movement in the wash below. Something big - probably Hunters."

The Spartans huddled to plan. Kelly would be the bait as usual, and if necessary Sam was strong enough to go toe to toe with one of the behemoths for a short while if 087 couldn't grab the attention of both. Fred would support Kelly, gunning for the Hunters' unarmored backs.

Everything went exactly according to plan. Both Hunters lumbered after Kelly, letting the other two gun them down from behind and move on to the Jackals beyond.

It made Cortana suspicious with how well things were going. Almost as if John's unbelievable luck had somehow communicated itself to the others: the Covenant were dispatched, security system disabled with ease, and Blue Team even managed to save some of the Marines when Bravo 022 crashed. They dropped the soldiers off at the beachhead, where they were taken in and treated by their comrades, and returned to the Cartographer, fighting off another pair of Hunters that had been dropped off in their absence.

Then they had descended into the structure once more, moving slowly and sweeping the area thoroughly.

Kelly was the first to move down the hall past the previously-locked door, the other two right behind her. When they emerged into a small antechamber, they didn't even need to think; the Elite's back was turned, and the Grunts were all asleep. They drew their knives and got to work.

Once the aliens were dead, the Spartans convened again, then split up. Sam went through the main hatch out of the room, while Kelly went up a ramp and around the corner, and Fred went through the door under the ramp. Their plans to meet up again soon after were pointless, because they all emerged in the same room.

There were still more sleeping Grunts and patrolling Elites in the chamber, and again they took the opportunity provided - at least until one of the Sangheili noticed them and sounded the alarm, roaring as it charged them. The ensuing firefight ended with minor injuries on their side, and Kelly picked out the needle remnants before sealing up Fred's side and suit. Then they moved on down another ramp.

There were two Jackals on a platform below, unprepared for the arrival of the Spartans; Sam easily swatted them off the ledge and continued on. They fought through the Covenant soldiers in the room beyond, and Fred and Kelly fell back to let Sam take point when yet another pair of Hunters came up from a lower level. He was still carrying a rocket launcher from Bravo Twenty-Two, and it took the behemoths out easy enough.

When they were dead, too, the trio continued on, though Kelly paused briefly to run a hand over the wall where a fuel rod charge had impacted. "Barely even warm," she said, "Not even warped in the slightest."

"If the Warthog had taken that hit, it would be halfway to melted by now," Sam agreed, also taking the chance to touch, "The people who built this place definitely knew what they were doing."

The next room was mysteriously empty, which put the Spartans on edge. They tried several hatches before finding what seemed to be the right one, heading deeper into the ring itself.

Foehammer came over the COM as they went, warning the ground teams that there were enemy dropships headed for the LZ. But the three of them continued on; Linda and Black Team were still there, and they had the utmost confidence in their siblings. The rest of Blue Team fought their way through more Covenant soldiers, including another Elite Major, before finally reaching the Cartographer.

"There," said Cortana, "That holopanel should activate the map."

Fred did as she instructed and activated the display, bringing up a hologram of the installation. From there, the AI dropped a location pin to show the Control Room to the Spartans. "It appears that Halo's control center is in some sort of shrine - or what the Covenant would consider to be one, anyway. Interesting. A shrine is an unlikely place for something so valuable." As the Spartans stepped away, she opened up a COM channel. "Cortana to Keyes."

There was a moment of silence before Foehammer picked up the slack. "The captain has dropped out of radio contact, Cortana. His ship may be out of range or having equipment problems."

"Mm. How convenient. Let me know when you've reestablished contact, and tell him that Blue Team and I have the location of Halo's control center." The COM link snapped off. "Let's get back to the surface."

The Spartans retraced their steps, killing all the Covenant that had been dropped in behind them. It wasn't as hard as it could have been; of all the aliens, the last were the most challenging: SpecOps Elites with active camouflage. But in the end, they too perished like all the others, letting Blue Team climb back into the Pelican with Linda and Black Team when Foehammer came around.

This was probably going to be their most unusual aerial insertion ever, since the coordinates Cortana gave Rawley were underground.