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Shadows of Archon II (part 25) - 101 Slaves
Posted By: Wado<wyamauchi@msn.com>
Date: 29 October 2002, 11:17 pm
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The once paradise planet of Earth is blackened and scarred. Fiery rings of smoke expand over two-thirds of its surface. Above in high orbit the victors drift -- 1500 Covenant ships.
A few of the human-made orbital stations are still intact, but they no longer play a role in this battle, their guns are over-heated and out of ammunition. Inside the stations, exhausted Marines and other survivors rest and gather near windows to catch one last glimpse of Earth.
There is a strange quiet in the battle; the Covenant armada has stopped the brutal bombardment of Earth. Their attention seems to have wavered. Now many of their ships face away from Earth towards something else.
Could it be UNSC reinforcements? No one seems to know but as Earth smolders, another oddity occurs, a bluish energy field surrounds it. Somehow, despite the devastating bombardment, the UNSC has managed to get Earth's secret planetary defense shield up. Instead of cheers, the UNSC survivors sit and watch in silence as the battle continues -- Perhaps too confused by the secret shield or too tired from the long losing battle.
The silence is not without hope, though; on the Earth orbital station GAEA an eager young technician, Ensign Connor Black, peers deep past the lunar orbit and thinks he sees something. Rubbing his eyes he focuses on bluish-energy bubbles - Could it be the hyperspace bubbles of UNSC ships exiting slip space?
As the scanners show a force of over 2000 new ship signatures, throughout the orbital bases, the surviving Earth defenders shout great cheers. Yes, it is a mighty fleet fresh from Mars, and it is lead by the UNSC command ship the Smite of Keyes and the Carrier Excaliber. In every base, technicians, marines, and gunners alike scurry to gather anything that can fired through the mass accelerators. They stack up spare parts, barrels, beams, pipes, and even the kitchen sink. Earth hasn't given up; it has still got a fighting chance.
If hope was a weapon, humanity would survive -- the Covenant, however, are not so easily impressed. The Covenant flag ship, the Bastion of Light, turns to face its enormous plasma mauler weapon at the UNSC carrier Excaliber
The Bastion of Light fires a beam the width of many UNSC cruisers lined end to end. The beam strikes the Excaliber and passes completely through the carrier. The carrier is no more but in her death she leaves an even more sadistic legacy, a legacy of nothing but death to others -- The Excaliber explodes, and the explosion engulfs over one hundred UNSC escorts and supply ships that are caught too close. The ships pop like cherry bombs thrown into an open fire.
Following the Bastion of Light's lead, over twenty Covenant heavy carriers begin to launch fighters to engage the approaching UNSC fleet. The UNSC remaining carriers and ships launch Fighters in turn. It does not look good for the UNSC, the Covenant are still too strong.
Ensign Connor Black adjusts scanners saying, "Return fire from Earth," as a large hole flickers in Earth's planetary shield, a brief hole but long enough for a volley from super-MACs to pass through the shields. The rounds hit a Covenant Carrier and rip it to shreds leaving nothing but a dead hulk that slowly spins out of orbit.
These super-MACs are part of a secondary array on Earth; buried deep underground they waited while the bombardment decimated the surface. Now these super-MACs have come to the surface to prey on the orbiting Covenant.
The long faces of humanity look back up at the stars with new determination.
------------------------------------------------
101 Slaves
Aboard the Covenant flag ship, the Bastion of Light, John and a group of one hundred other human prisoners are escorted down wide corridors. There escort, fifty heavily armed Covenant Elites, look about nervously, occasionally firing plasma bolts into shaded areas and around blind corners. Also, among the Elites are four containers roughly three meters long by two meters wide by one meter tall.
"Move faster slaves!" shouted a white and gold Elite. "It will be more than edge of my blade that you will feel if you don't all hurry faster. What is slowing us down so much?"
"Commander, some of the humans are injured," said a white and blue Elite, "and others are but children. Our lines are stretched too long."
"Alright we rest here to shorten the lines but only for five minutes, not a second more," said the white and gold Elite, "and tell the humans if they don't hurry afterwards, we will terminate all stragglers." The Elite then looked at John as if expecting some snide remark to be made.
John, even out of his armor, stands tall among humans and nearly eye-level with the Elite -- There is no need for words. John stares not back into the Elite's gaze but through the Elite. Utterly unimpressed by this joke of a tyrant want-to-be, John is unmoving with the perfect poker face.
The Elite approaches John saying, "Spartan, I've heard much about you. I am Commander Bartolus, no doubt you have heard of my great feats, call it professional curiosity."
"No doubt," replied John.
"Well then, a drink between professionals," said Bartolus as he takes out a small flask and hands it towards John. "Call it professional courtesy."
John remains unmoving.
"Oh," said Bartolus as he pulls the flask away and takes a drink from it himself before gesturing to John to take a drink.
John remains unmoving.
"I could just have that human over there gunned down right this moment," said Bartolus as he gestures once more.
John takes a drink from the flask. It is a sweet and very strong liquor, strangely familiar tasting, but John cannot place it. It goes down smooth.
"Very good Spartan, I see we do have an understanding," said Bartolus. "Don't get any ideas that I actually believe you care about what happens to these others. I wouldn't, it's just so unbecoming of a killer. However, for some reason, my leader believes you care, made such a big deal about installing devices in you and the others -- If you aren't on your best behavior, they all feel the pain. So now I'm under orders to keep as many of these human slaves alive as possible just so that they can be used as hostages to keep you in line; I'm not fond of this work, it really is not an honorable task."
"If it's so dishonorable, why do you do it?" asked John.
"I have heard humans question orders, I did not expect a question like this from you however, Spartan," said Bartolus. "Tell me Spartan, how does it feel to know that all your beliefs in what is divine are nothing but lies, the true gods will return and all of human kind will be nothing but food?"
"I don't know, why don't you tell me," said John.
Bartolus pauses for a long moment then says, "We are all professionals here and that remark is so beneath us." He turns towards two other Elites. "Sub-commander, pick two of the larger human slaves and dress them in the armor of our fallen comrades. They shall move in front of us down the last stretch."
The Elites open two of the four large containers which it is now revealed carry the dead bodies of two high ranking Elites. Their armor is removed and placed on two of the humans.
"Spartan, I hear human ships have rats," said Bartolus, "and it seems that these humans have come with rats too." Bartolus gestures for the group to move out with the two disguised humans in the lead. "The great Prophet Lextus has foreseen the destruction of this great flag ship, so now we must hurry to our escape vessel."
The lights flicker and dim -- a sign that the ships plasma mauler is readying to fire again. John looks about as the group enters into a large bay containing a Covenant light cruiser, most obviously built for speed and stealth.
Ahead the two disguised humans stop and wait for further instructions from the Elites. As the lights flicker once more, John blinks and like in a dream, the two disguised humans are gone.
"It's back, fire at will," said Bartolus. "Everyone make a break for the Holy Light." Bartolus fires blindly at shadows in the corners. "Spartan, the Holy Light is that ship. Make a run for it, go, go, go!"
John notices a shadow darting across the floor from Elite to Elite, one by one a trail of death is left, first the Elites slide into two pieces and then their insides explode in a bright light until forty Elite halves lie about the flight deck.
As the rest of the group is rushed into and up a gravity lift, other Elites come down from above to join the battle against the invisible foe. It is very chaotic but John's sees no opportunity to escape. He must wait until he can find a way to remove or deactivate the Covenant devices they installed inside of his body and the bodies of all the other humans.
Now aboard the Holy Light, John and the other humans are herded towards two corridors and forced to make a single file line. John is taken to the first corridor and behind him every odd numbered human. The even numbered humans are sent down the second corridor.
John noticed out of the corner of his eye that the two unopened containers were brought down the same corridor as himself. "Commander Bartolus, that invisible enemy was not Covenant nor human was it?" said John as he and the others enter a room off to the side of the main corridor.
"Just a rat Spartan, no concern of yours," replied Bartolus.
They are all instructed to enter a room to the corridor. Bartolus and three Elites go first followed by John and the fifty humans, four more Elites and the two unopened containers.
A dozen more Elites are about to enter the room when the blast doors slam shut. "Huh," said Bartolus as John disarms him and kicks down two other Elites. The fifty humans rush the rest of the Elites and quickly pin them to the ground.
In the blink of an eye the tide has turned but Bartolus just laughs and points to Covenant gun turrets that line the upper corners of the room -- Only the gun turrets don't move. Bartolus snickers, and then stops laughing all together.
From out of nowhere, the unseen assailant appears with energy blades pointed at the Bartolus. The assailant appears in a blackish ornate armor, clearly the figure of a female, but the armor conceals all else. "I don't mind being a kin to a rat, Commander, I've met many rats with more guts and class than you," said the mysterious figure. "By the way John, nice robe."
"Thanks, but I didn't need your help, whoever you are," replied John.
The figure's gaze meets John's and she says, "I've missed you so John, I know you don't remember me and I'm forbidden to tell you more about it. You must wonder how all this can be. Well, times are desperate. Just call me Knight Shade."
The figure then turns to everyone saying, "Alright all scumbags to the corner over there. No funny business or..." she points at the turrets which turn to lock on to the Elites, "you get the idea."
The two containers are opened, the first one contains John's armor and equipment; the second container contains a strange tentacle-faced alien in stasis.
John suits up and over his comm he hears, "Chief, I'm glad you made it."
"Cortana, how did you get away?" said John.
"I hid in the Bastion of Light's subsystems and made my way into this ship, the Holy Light. Along the way I was contacted by Knight Shade and another AI called Cort. Hmm... I don't like other AIs copying my name for some reason," said Cortana.
"Yes this is all very strange, this Knight Shade acts like she knows me," said John, "and I have a gut feeling that she's right. Could she be just another AI like Guilty Spark just mistaking me for someone else?"
"She seems human of all things Chief," said Cortana, "and that armor of hers is way beyond anything we've ever seen except perhaps the XX1. By the way, Cort says that she attached the XX1 to their ship, Destiny's Blade."
In the background, Knight Shade takes the opportunity to revive the strange creature in the last container.
"Who is this?" asked John.
"It's our friend the Lady," said Knight Shade, "but you wouldn't know... Oh, I'm sorry John, I forgot. Hold on, oh no, really -- John, Cort wants to know if you want to see what happened to Earth? It's very sensitive, the others shouldn't see this, Cort will patch it right to you."
"Earth... yes, let me see it," said John.
The last message from Earth... For life and liberty we do this now... God have mercy. Ten seconds 'til launch, nine, eight, seven...
The seen is an aft view from the Holy Light as it darts away from the Bastion of Light. From afar large graviton implosions pull the Bastion of Light uncontrollably towards the surface of Earth.
The result is the destruction of the mighty Covenant vessel as it crashes into Earth and the eminent destruction of Earth as the reactors on the ship explode with a force of several hundred million times the power of a tactical nuke.
There is a crack in Earth, a red line that starts in the middle and moves towards both poles. The line breaks into many smaller jagged tendrils until the entire surface is covered. Earth has become a black pincushion covered with glowing red and orange dots.
"I've seen enough," said John. "The graviton warheads, that was part of Operation Scorched Earth, the last ditch plan to save humanity. Because I failed to stop the Covenant with the nano-machines, Earth has made the ultimate sacrifice to save humanity."
"There's more John, I think you should see it," insisted Knight Shade.
"You always keep people in suspense like this?" said John. "Alright show me more Cort."
"You bet Chief," said Cort.
The seen is of a blue and green Earth.
"What is this about?" asked John.
"Earth is still there John," said Knight Shade. "I'm only beginning to understand the vastness of the Archonian design. John, they wouldn't allow Earth to just be blown-up like that, there is so much more at stake. The people, though, most of them are dead...[sob]...but Earth still lives."
From nearby there are some screams. John turns to see the tentacle-faced alien sit up.
"Oh my Lady, it's been so long, welcome back," said Knight Shade.
The Lady speaks, "A very long time indeed. John I see you have upgraded your armor. Seems to fit you better."
"Pardon, my Lady, but have we met before?" said John.
"Ha, ha. That is right," said the Lady. "To answer you, the answer is yes and no. When I last saw you I was old and now I am ancient. Come closer now and I will remove that Covenant device from you."
As John approaches the Lady, she raises her hands and from he body shoots purple lightning that travels to John and then to all the other humans. A device flies out of the chests of each and every one but it leaves no wounds.
"How did you do that?" asked John.
"Never doubt the power of an ancient Nomdian," said the Lady as she removes an amulet from around her head. "Take this healing crystal, place it over the chests of the other humans elsewhere on this ship to remove their devices."
"Thanks..."
"Knight Shade, are we ready to go?" said the Lady. "I must get to Nomdia as soon as possible."
"Yes, we can leave right now," said Knight Shade. "It is good to see you, when we heard you had been captured by Covenant, I came as soon as I could."
"John, you don't remember us but I do remember you," said the Lady. "In null space there is no time but the trip back took me 500 of my years, but just a blink of the eye in this dimension. Know this, my time is short, before I die I must pass my knowledge to the next generation of Nomdians. I will be gone, but with my knowledge will be my memories of you. As long as the Nomdian race lives, you will be remembered."
The Lady pauses to catch her breath and then speaks saying, "Keep looking at the stars, I am but the first to make it back from null space. The others come; they come for you, they come to fight by your side. I know these words mean little to you now. One day you will once again know. Goodbye sweet John." The Lady nods that she is ready to be teleported away.
Knight Shade nods back and the Lady teleports away; then she turns to John saying, "I guess I forgot to tell you. We have to leave now; we have done all we are allowed to do. The Covenant forces still control this ship; you, Cortana, and the others here will have to fend for yourselves. Oh, one more thing." She then kisses John on the cheek, even through the armor it feels like a real kiss. "It's for luck -- Until later stud muffin... Cort ready on 3... 1, 2, go..."
As Knight Shade fades away, John says, "Take care Val."
"How, how did you know... I love you John 117..." and then she is gone.
"Chief, do you really remember her?" said Cortana.
"Cortana, did you ever get the feeling that we are just insignificant bugs in this Universe?" asked John.
"We are Chief," replied Cortana.
"You know Spartan, I think that creature likes you," interjected Bartolus.
"Well Commander, I almost forgot you were here," said John.
-- Next, Turn this Ship Around, Buster --
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