Halo: The Crimson Arc, Meanwhile on Sanghelios

Evelyn LaCoste typed the commands as the Abyssal Finn hurtled through the vastness that is Slip-space. “Ok, everything seems to be functional. Engines running normal, the cloaking tech is at optimum efficiency, Green lights all around.”

“How long until we’re at Sanghelios?” Raimundo asked as he was at the unmanned apparatus, removing his Mjolnir armor. Since they weren’t at any immediate combat, Crimson all agreed to have it off at the moment.

“Well, based on where the Infinity got out of slip-space, and the fact that Abysmal Finn’s Slip-space engine isn’t as big as Infinity’s but is the latest model, our estimate window of arrival is…” Evelyn drew as she typed in the calculations “….50 hours…give or take 30 minutes.”

“You’re telling us that we’re stuck in this bird for just over two days?” Anastasia asked, then sighed, “I knew I should have convinced the Captain not to give us the ok.”

“Hey, you knew what you were signing up for” Dylan joked, knowing that Ana made her choice to come, “Besides, two days will fly by like that.” He simplified, snapping his fingers for emphasis.

“How?” Raimundo asked, “There’s no cryo chambers, no shooting range, and I didn’t bring my guitar.” That's when his eyes widened a little, as if he just realized something, "Oh, I do have this," He reaches into his Tech Suit's storage unit and pulls out a Harmonica. Without another word he starts blowing into it, playing a light tune.

"Ok, there is no way I'm gonna tolerate this for two days," Ana groaned as Rai continued.

"Yeah, Rai is good and all, but even this could wear out," Evelyn added.

Rai stopped as he looked at the two, "You know, I'm trying to play something nice here and your talking is running it."

“Ladies, relax," Dylan began, "We do have other means to make the time go by faster,” he holds up his data pad as he said this.

“Oh Lord.” Ana groaned, "Go back to the Harmonica."

“Yeah, I'm not marathoning another one of your cartoons, Dragon.” Raimundo stated defiantly, “Last time we did that, it took an entire bottle of bourbon just to get the theme songs out of my head.”    

“Fine…You big babies.” Dylan murmured, “How about a movie marathon instead.”

“…That I don’t mind. But which one should we watch first?” Anastasia asked.

The four Spartans looked at one another, no doubt each had their own choice in mind. That’s when Evelyn cleared her throat “Well, I know one way we can decide.” She reached into her suit’s storage compartment and took out a deck of playing cards, “I had a feeling it might take a while, and I also had a feeling Dil would bring his vids. The Ship’s on Auto-pilot, so let’s play a game. Texas Hold ‘em, the winner gets to pick.”

The three looked at one another before Anastasia said, “Alright fine.”

“I’m down with that,” Raimundo added.

“Sounds like a good time,” Dylan commented.

Evelyn moves towards the Holo-table, she types in a few commands, changing its function from a map to a poker table. she inserts the deck of cards into a slot. Dil, Rai, and Ana took seats at the table before the computers each gave them chips, 20,000 credits worth, the chips were just a placeholder as no actual credits were being wagered. “Well, we’re in it for the long haul, might as well make the most of it,” Evelyn stated, the table dispenses two cards for each of the Spartans, giving them their starting hands.

“Heh, I wonder how they’re doing on Sanghelios?” Dylan asked.

“Hopefully they are alright, otherwise this mission would be for nothing,” Ana said as she is first to bet.

Rai adds his chips to the table, "The commander won't go down that easily. I'm sure she and her team are ok."

"They're with the Arbiter too." Evelyn added as she called, "so they have allies they can fall back on."

"Yeah, I feel confident that they are ok," Dylan replied as he gave a check. The table dispenses three cards: a queen of hearts, an ace of clubs and a 5 of hearts, Evelyn just gave a check. "...I'll raise." He added before waging 1000 credits.

“…I’ll call.” Ana voiced adding her chips.

“…Screw that.” Rai commented as he folded.

“I’m not chickening out,” Evelyn said as she called.

The table sets a card on the discard pile before adding to flop, making it a turn. The card was another Ace, Ace of Hearts. Dylan raised the bet with 2000 credits, making Ana glare at him “Oh fuck you,” she said before folding.

Evelyn looked at him, “I’ll call your bluff.” She said adding 2000 credits.

The table makes a river with a 7 of Hearts, Dylan just smirked as he bet with another 2000 credits.

Evelyn tried to see if he was bluffing, she looked at her cards again, “…damnit.” She said as she folded.

“Good call, Boss” Dil said as he revealed he had a 5 of hearts and a 10 of hearts, a Flush. The table gives him the pot, it takes all the cards back, reshuffles and starts a new round.

“You think Blue Team ever played poker?” Raimundo asked as he made his call.

“If they did, the Master Chief would have won every hand.” Dylan answered, “they do say he’s the Luckiest.”

“With all the shit he’s been through, he has to be.” Rai agreed as his teammates made their bets, “I mean going through the original Spartan Program like that, the Augmentations, The Missions, the Covenant, the Halos the F-“ He stops himself as he looks over Ana, who was looking at her cards then at him, “…my point is, he’s been through shit and came out smelling like roses.”

“It’s not just the Master Chief, you know.” Evelyn pointed out as the cards were being played, “Remember, he had a team throughout his service. A team that has been with him since the beginning.”

“Blue team” Dylan stated, “You said you met Blue Team, at a party once.”

“Not all of them” Evelyn corrected, “It was just the Master Chief and Kelly-087. Oh, and another Spartan, Jorge-052.”

Ana raised an eyebrow at that, Jorge-052 was a name she saw listed in Noble Team with Rory. “What was he like?” she ventured, trying not to sound interested.

Evelyn looked surprised that Ana asked that, “Well, he was big, Bigger than the Chief or Kelly. I think the term ‘Gentle Giant’ fits him best. He was a nice guy.” Thinking about the Spartan made her frown slightly, “They say he died on Reach when it fell.”

“He did” Ana commented sharply, “Along with a lot of other good men and women on the Planet.”

The three were quiet for a moment, they remembered that Anastasia was on Reach when the Covenant came, leading to its inevitable Destruction.

“You know, I was actually at a Space Station around Mars when the News hit.” Dylan recalled, “After I lost my legs, I was downgraded from ODST to the regular marines. We were just refueling our ship when our CO told us. We were redirected to Earth to help any way we can. You can imagine that there was a bit of panic back home, some were already evacuated to one of the other planets in our system.”

“Of course they would. Reach was Earth’s last line of defense” Evelyn commented, “I was a Junior Officer on board the One-Two Punch. I didn’t hear about it until early October, by then the Planet was already glassed. My ship was far out in the Outer Colonies, performing recon when we were ordered to return to Earth. Our Slip-space engine wasn’t that advanced so it took us weeks. By the time we got there, the Covenant just arrived.” She paused for a moment at the memory, “I’ve never seen Covenant ships until that moment. And it wasn’t until November when they came at full force I saw combat”

“I keep forgetting you were a little late to the party.” Rai replied, “I was on Reach when it was first attacked. My unit was in charge of secreting any and all ONI facilities, recovering research data and wipe clean everything that might lead the covies to earth. and by wipe clean, I mean blowing the crap out of them. And after that, we assisted with any evacuation we could. I heard reports that there were Spartans on the ground but we didn’t really see any.”  

“So both you and Ana were on Reach.” Evelyn realized, “Did you run into each other?”

“I think I would have remembered an Anti-social Hell-Jumper during my missions,” Rai joked, earning a smack upside the head from Ana, forcing an “Ow!” from him.

“Shut-up and fill the pot, it’s your call,” Ana ordered in annoyance.

Rai looked at his cards, then the turn, “Screw you, I fold.” He said pushing his cards away.

“You think Blue Team ever argued with one another?” Dylan asked Evelyn as he checked.

“I’d think it’d be humanly impossible if they didn’t,” Evelyn answered with a chuckle.

“Yeah, they’ve probably had their disagreements, but they make up in the end. They’re as close as family.” Dylan stated.

“Yeah. Kinda like what we have.” Evelyn realized.

“Excuse me?” Anastasia asked.

“Well, think about it,” Evelyn elaborated, “ever since we were assigned together we’ve been close, even though you’re not always with us when we’re not on missions, the times when we are together are pretty great.”

“Yeah. We argue a lot, and I mean a LOT,” Dylan emphasized, “but we make-up, even though not immediately, and not as vocally as some of us might like.”

Anastasia looked at them for a moment before saying “…Your cartoons have made you loopy, Dragon, and you’re spreading it to the Hot Pocket.”

“My great-grandfather had a saying: a person who didn’t grow up watching cartoons is a person who spends their life not seeing any wonder,” Dylan retorted, “And don’t tell me you haven’t seen any as a kid because I know you recognized some of my collections.”

Anastasia said nothing but checked at her turn, adding a card to the flop, she looked at her hand, “I raise 3000 credits.”

Dylan smirked at that before folding, “Nope.”

“I’ll see your call and raise another 3000” Evelyn challenged as she added 6000 credits into the pot.

Ana glared at her before she grumbled, “Just take it” and folded.

“Nice.” Evelyn cheered as she took the pot, “and for the record: That was a bluff.”

///////////////
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Sanghelios, a Planet in the Urs solar system, at the moment, the planet was in a suspended scene of worry. It had been months since the Guardian on their planet was transported away, and since then, the Swords of Sanghelios had been keeping the peace by finding the rest of the Covenant remnants that still occupied the planet, but they have hidden themselves well, some managed to escape the planet, no doubt some will pledge their allegiance to Cortana, at least that’s what Thel ‘Vadam, the Arbiter, and leader of the Swords, believed. He and his Elites have given sanctuary to the humans of the UNSC: Commander Palmer and Dr. Halsey, Fireteams Osiris and Blue Team, they were living with Thel in ‘Vadam Keep as his guest.

Thel ‘Vadam had arrived at the courtyard, it was morning and he was looking for the human commander. He spots her, out of her armor, only in her tech suit, and she was performing what appeared to be morning exercises. With her were the members of Fireteam Osiris: Jameson Locke, Holly Tanaka, Olympia Vale and Eddie Buck, they were following their Commander’s movements as they too were just in their tech suits. Sarah noticed Thel’s presents when she turned and saw him, “Ok, Osiris, that’s enough, take 5.”

The Spartans stopped that this and got to their feet, though Buck groaned a little, “I think I’m getting too old for this.” He said and his team left to rest up.

“Good Morning, Spartans. Commander Palmer” Thel greeted in the human language.

“Arbiter, good morning.” Sarah greeted, “So what’s on the agenda today?”

“My scouts have reported Covenant activity, they say that they might plan an assault on Vadam Keep.”  

“Then it’d be their deaths.” the Commander smiled.

“It’s appeared so, but it’s best we stand our ground. Resources are running low for us, I fear that these remnants are biding their time, waiting until our guard is down.” Thel predicted.

“Well, they better be patient, ‘cause we’re still at the top of our game.” Sarah boasted.

“your confidence is impressive.” Thel commented, “But do not underestimate our opponents. We still haven’t heard from the AI Cortana since the battle of Sunaion. And if many former members of the Covenant side with her-“

“I know, it could be trouble for us all.” Sarah interrupted, looking worried herself.

“Have you heard from your masters back on Earth, or from your Star Ship, Infinity?” Thel asked.

“No, and I’ve been having Dr. Halsey try to reach out in a way that Cortana won’t detect. But even with Exuberant Witness helping her, They’re getting no results.” Commander Palmer answered, looking away as the thought of Tom entered her mind.

“If I may be so bold, Commander,” Thel began, “I do not believe the Captain has been in any danger yet. I’ve met Thomas Lasky several times these few years since the great war ended, and he strikes me as the type of warrior who never gives up.”  

Sarah chuckled lightly at that, “Yeah, Tom is a stubborn one. He’ll get through this…I hope.”

“I know he will.” Jameson Locke voiced, as he and his team approached the two, “The Captain earned his rank.”

“Yeah, don’t sweat it, Commander. We’ll be back on Infinity before you know it.” Buck reassured, “And then after we save the Galaxy, we can catch up on what we missed…or maybe even before” he added with a wink to Sarah, who rolled her eyes but still had a smirk.

“Got the message Spartan,” She replied.

“Well, if you and your Spartans are finished out here, my men have prepared the morning meal.” Thel offered, “We managed to find traders who were offering earth-grown food.”  

“Breakfast does sound good,” Sarah commented.

“Seriously? That’s great, no more of that Irukan stuff.” Eddie said in relief, the Sangheili-grown grain had a slight negative reaction to some of their stomachs, even with the augmentations.

“It’s not that bad once you get used to it,” Vale argued, “Though human food sounds good.”

“It’s still limited, so don’t expect a grand feast.” Thel cautioned as they walked.

“As long as there’s Bacon, it’ll be a feast to me.” Eddie half-joked.

////////

In another area of Vadam Keep, high above in the towering home, Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 looks out into the rising sun. It was another day…another day of surviving for himself, his team, Dr. Halsey, and the Spartan IVs. Most of his armor was removed, all he had was the tech suit, He tried to sleep in his armor but after a time of rest, he found himself unable to, at least not unless the Sangheili have Cryo-chambers. But the day was starting and it was soon time to be ready.

“Chief?” John turned to the voice and saw his teammate, Petty Officer Second Class Kelly-087, approach him. She too was in just her tech suit as she walked over.

“I’m alright Kelly. Good morning.” he greeted.

“Same to you.” Kelly replied, “It’s been months since we arrived. You'd think there’d be word from Infinity.”

“They're keeping their distance from Cortana, She’s gaining control, little by little,” John commented.

“It’s scary, isn’t it? First Cortana was made to help us with the Covenant, then the Halos were discovered. Then the Didact shows up, Cortana dies, then she comes back and is now becoming queen of the universe. Everything changed for us since we started this adventure.” Kelly elaborated.

“Are you talking about since Argent Moon?” John asked.

“I’m more talking about using being Spartans.” Kelly explained, “That was the beginning of everything.” She chuckled as a memory came, “You know, I first thought those soldiers trying to catch me were sent by my parents, a little game for my birthday. It was fun seeing their faces when they thought they had me.”

“…I’m surprised you remembered that,” John said.

“I wanted to break free you know.” Kelly told him, “I first teamed up with Adriana-111 to escape.”

“Of Grey team?” John asked in surprise.

“Yeah, she didn’t take too kindly to me bolting when the guards caught us. That’s when she started working with Jai.” Kelly explained, "But you know, is wasn’t until we started working together with Sam that…well…I didn’t want to leave.”

John looked curious at that, “Why was that?”

“You and Sam, you were the first real friends I made, and I liked hanging out with you guy, I liked running drills with you two, even though the drills were insane.” She added with a light chuckle. “I guess, in a way, you became my reason to fight.”

John looked at her when she said that, “I wish you and the rest of Blue Team were with me during the Halo events.”

"You really missed us huh?” Kelly teased.

“With your skills, we probably would have gotten out sooner.” John replied, “I’m thankful that I was able to work with you all again.”

Kelly smiled at that, her hand gently reached for his, “I feel the same way. And I know that together, we’ll stop Cortana.”

“I wish I was able to get to her,” John said a bit mournfully, “but it’s clear that there is no hope for her, she has to be stopped.”

“We’ll stop her, all of us," Kelly said squeezing John's hand to reassure him. John looked at her again, his hand reached for Kelly’s cheek, Kelly blushed as let Josh pull her closer and kiss his lips. It was short, but enough for the two of them to reassure their feelings for one another. “We should head down, I think our host has breakfast ready.”

“…Yes, let’s” John said, before giving Kelly another kiss, on the cheek this time, as they walked back into their room.

////////

in another room of Vadam keep, Linda-058 sat in a lotus position, wearing her tech suit, her hands close to her abdomen as she began her meditations. Her mind wandered as she disconnected from the world and everything around her. She took calming breaths and tried to focus, as she did every time she meditated, it was this that allowed her to enter her “Zen-no thought” state, allowing her to fire with more efficiently, earning her reputation as being the best sniper in the UNSC. She had her Argus-armor, but she knew that it was the Spartan who controlled the armor, not the reverse, she still trained and practiced her skills, so she can be ready when the time comes.

In her mind, she sees herself in emptiness, her surroundings changed, she now sees an alleyway in a small city. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, that’s when she heard a faint sound of a rifle cocking in the distance. She checked herself: Her armor was on, along with two pistols and her Sniper Rifle, Nornfang. A less than audible sound is heard, something fired a sniper rifle, Linda turned fast, drew one of her pistols and show into the air, the sound of metal colliding was heard and she sees that her shot, shot the sniper bullet away. She began running as the enemy firing at her continued trying to land a shot on her, but she either dodged the shot or show the bullet away with her own skills. Spotting a fire escape in the alleyway, Linda behind climbing up, her armor’s thrusters helping her reach higher altitude. She gets to the rooftop and spots her shooter, who was in shadows. The shooter runs and Linda gets in pursuit, drawing Nornfang, she zooms in close, her scope allowing her to see her radar, her armor allowing her to see other aspects of her surroundings before she gets the shooter in her crosshairs.

As Linda continued her meditation, another figure entered the room. They quickly sneaked up on Linda, a lone hand slowly pulls out, revealing a knife. The figure paused for a moment before the knife came speeding towards the Spartan. However, she opened her eyes and jumped out of the way before kicking the blade away, “Trying to catch me off guard, Fred?” She asked

The figure, which was now revealed to be Fred-104 in his tech suit, chuckled, “Trying to keep you on your toes, Linda. you never know when Assassins could break in.”

“I’m aware of the danger, just as I was aware of you.” Linda countered, “But thanks for your concern Fred, love it when you try to keep me at my game.”

“Not that I need much to help you keep it,” Fred argued, “Been on this planet for months, I’m getting a little sir-crazy.”

“As am I, but I try not to let it get to me.” Linda agreed, “So, care for a quick spar before breakfast?”

“Always willing to help you with your close-quarters skills,” Fred answered as he drew another knife from his back.

Linda picked up the knife she kicked out of Fred’s hand and held it, “You may be the expert but don’t get too cocky.”

“I figure that’s what you liked about me.” Fred teased with a smile as he twirled the knife in his hand.

////////////////////

In another part of ‘Vadam Keep, Dr. Catherine Halsey worked on a set of UNSC computers, She tripped in server commands, which were difficult given the circumstances of her missing her left arm. She was thankful she was right handed, but it still didn't make thing easier. If she wasn’t still considered a criminal, she probably would have gotten a permeant prosthetic at this point, but they don’t willingly arm criminals, not even when they alone have the answers to everything.

“How goes the frequency Dr. Halsey?” another voice asked. When Fireteam Osiris and Blue team returned to Sanghelios, they brought a friend, a Forerunner monitor of the insulation Genesis; 031 Exuberant Witness.

The Monitor was getting on Halsey’s nerves, she wasn’t sure whether it was the fact she was forerunner or that her voice and cheerful demeanor was irritating to her, either way, Halsey tried not to sound annoyed as she replied to her, “I believe that this time, we’ll reach a breakthrough, despite the lack of equipment.”

“And the fact that you only have one arm.” Exuberant stated casually.

“Yes, thank you Exuberant.” Halsey stated dryly, “I wasn’t aware. Anyway, let’s begin.” She flips a few switches and types in several commands on the screen. “We’ll start with a control test, you try an intercept my communication.”  

“Understood,” Exuberant said with an enthusiastic tone.

Halsey presses a command and the message is sent. She looks at the monitors adjacent to the other side of the room, she watches as the screen was blank. Then after a moment, Halsey sees her message being displayed on the other screen.

At the end of the game, the Pawn and King go into the same box

“Exuberant?” Halsey asked.

“Your firewalls and protective code have improved during our last attempt.” Exuberant explained, “However, I was able to read the communication after breaking the code, but if it’s any consolation it took me longer than last time.” Halsey slammed her head on the table at this, “I’m sorry, was that not helpful?”

“No…” She groaned, “If you’re able to read it, then Cortana would be able to as well, she was built for infiltration.” She looks at her notes, “I fear that unless I can get better equipment, our chances of reestablishing a clear connection with Infinity will be all but hopeless.”

“Perhaps you should try some renourishment, you haven’t rested well these past few days.” Exuberant stated.

“I sleep and eat enough, Exuberant, I can work on this a little while longer,” Halsey argued.

“Maybe, but we’re not taking any chances.” Halsey turned and saw Commander Palmer enter the room.

“Hello Commander Palmer,” Halsey replied.

“And to you as well, Doctor. As much as I’d love to see you pull your own hair trying to drive yourself into the ground, we need that mind of yours fresh and reenergized, so I’m ordering you to stop and have some breakfast.” Sarah stated.

“Well, since I have no choice in the matter, very well. I shall follow you.” Halsey said as she got up. “I don’t suppose the Sangheili managed to get some coffee in their trades.”

Sarah chuckled at this, “Come on, Doc, let’s get you fed.”

/////////

The Spartans and Dr. Halsey all arrived at the hall around the same time for breakfast. True to his word, Thel ‘Vadam managed to get some earth fruits and other human foodstuffs from the trades he mentioned, even found a box of Coffee pods. Needless to say, Dr. Halsey was more than ready to enjoy the beverage.

“So, you say that the remaining Covenant remnant might be planning an attack” Master Chief discussed with the Arbiter.

“That is what my scouts have theorized, yes” Thel answered, “Though it is still unclear.”

“Perhaps another scouting trip is in order” Kelly voiced, “I’d be happy to join your men for that.”

“Thank you for the offer Spartan-087, but I think Usze ‘Taham and his team can achieve what is needed,” Thel argued.

“Maybe it’s not a bad idea, Arbiter” Olympia Vale voice, “Kelly here is the UNSC’s best scout, I’m sure with our extra eyes, we can spot something.

“Our?” Kelly asked with a raised eyebrow.

“No Offense, but you don’t know the lay of Sanghelios as I do.” Vale responded, “You’ll need my help as well.”

“Then you’ll probably need my eyes too,” Linda volunteered, “I can observe from a greater distance, and I can do it alone, so in case you guys run into trouble, I’m your backup.”

“Hmm…I suppose your skills would be most useful. Spartan Lock and Master Chief, what do you say?” Thel asked, wanting to know the opinions of the Spartan’s respective leaders.

“Kelly and Linda are good additions, they won’t let you down,” John said

“And I can say the same for Olympia, she helped us out when we first got here,” Locke added with a smile.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, you guys,” Vale said smiling.

“Sounds like a good team-up if you ask me,” Sarah added.

“Then it’s decided. But for now, let us eat heartily, and thank the gods for our good fortune” Thel announced, “May it last in this endeavors.”

“Cheers.” Buck added, “Now, can someone pass the OJ?” He asked with a smirk.

///////////////
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Evelyn and Raimundo watched as the Poker Game had grown in intensity within the last two hours. After the two were busted out, it came to just Anastasia and Dylan. The two were in a tie as Anastasia and Dylan miraculously had 40,000 credits reach. they started a new hand as the table shot out their cards.

After looking at them, it was Anastasia who’d make the first move. She didn’t give any sign of a tell, at least not that Dil noticed, but still, she looked ready to kill. “…All in,” She said pushing her chips in.

“Seriously? That’s how you’re gonna play?” Dil asked in light annoyance.

“I’m getting a little tired of this game so I want to end it ready and distract myself with something else. Now you can either call or fold, either way, just move.”

Dylan looked at her for a moment, trying to read any tells. Ana was good, but looking at his cards, now way he could fail, “I’ll call your bluff.” After putting his chips in the center, the two revealed their cards: Anastasia had a pair of Kings, diamond, and club, while Dil had a pair of Aces, heart, and diamond “Yes! Ricki-Tiki-Tavy, Be-otch!” Dil called out.

“Settle down, Dragon” Ana voiced as the table produced the turn, It gave them an Ace of clubs, a 10 of hearts and a king of hearts. Raimundo and Evelyn watched with baited breath as the machine paused before creating the flop, another 10, this one a club, “Goddamnit.” Ana groaned, with the two 10’s, they both had a full house, but Dylan’s Ace kicker was enough for dil to win.

“Looks like we’ll be watching the Back to the Future trilogy on the way to Sanghelios.” Dylan boasted.

Anastasia looked at the table as it played the final card, making the river, she smiled, “You might want to look again, Cripple.”

Dil looked down and his eyes widened, “WHAT!?” The final card that played was the King of Spades, giving Ana 4 of a kind, which beat Dylan’s full house.

“Holy shit!” Rai laughed, “I mean what are the odds, am I right?”

“Damn…I mean, seriously.” Evelyn said, laughing as well at the sudden twist.

Anastasia took all the chips, busting Dylan out, “Looks like I pick the first movie.”

After a moment, Dylan chuckled, “Good game, Anastasia. Seriously, that could have gone either way. Guess luck was on your side.”

“I don’t really believe in luck, but thanks,” Anastasia said. Before anyone could say anything else, an alarm was set off on the bridge, “The hell?”

“I’m on it,” Evelyn said as she turned to the controls.

“We can’t be near Sanghelios already, can we?” Rai asked.

“No, this is something else.” Evelyn answered as she typed in commands, “It’s a distress call, it’s broadcasting on an old UNSC frequency.”

“What’s it saying?” Dylan asked.

“…it’s not saying anything, it’s just some kind of tone,” Evelyn asked as she played the transmission. it was a six-tone beeping, almost musical in its tone.

“That doesn’t sound like Morse Code,” Rai asked.

“Should we investigate?” Dylan asked.

“No way, for all we know, this could be a trap.” Ana argued, “whether Cortana, the Covenant or even the Innies.”

“Can’t argue with that, but what if it’s not?” Rai asked.

“The Prowler has cloaking tech that’ll stay once we’re out of Slip-space, so even if it IS a trap, we won’t be detected to spring it.” Evelyn offered.

The four looked at one another, silently arguing on what should be done. after a moment, Dylan said, “I’ll get my software up and ready in case they find us.” Dil said as he sat by a console.

“I guess we’re doing this then.” Ana voiced in annoyance.

“Ok, I’ve got a lock on the signal, we’re approaching its location.” Evelyn announced, “I’m getting us out of slip space. Rai, get on weapons. Worst case scenario, we may have to shoot our way out.”

“I do like to mix things up a little.” Rai joked as he got into position.

“Exiting slip-space in three…two…one…” Evelin enters commands and the Abyssal Finn exits out of slips space. Once the blackness of space and stars were visible, the Spartans of Crimsons got into their positions. “Ok, the cloak is active, we are virtually undetectable.”

“Guys…you might want to see this,” Dylan drew in shock.

The rest of the Spartans looked out on the Ship’s windows where Dylan was pointing, their eyes widened to a sight they were hoping not to see: a Forerunner Guardian, in all its glory, it’s bird-like wings spread out, its back was facing them.

“I Fucking knew it, Cortana sent that signal, it’s a trap!” Ana cursed.

“No, Ana, the signal isn’t coming from the Guardian,” Dylan said, “It’s coming from there.”

He pointed at another, more larger object that was right near the Guardian, it practically dwarfed the Forerunner mech. To the shock of the four Spartans, it was a ring…a Halo.