Every Sangheili, Fallen or otherwise, remember the era when the Evaniptii were part of the Covenant. After being hunted down to near extinction, they had hid themselves for over a millennium. But now, the time has come for them to return, and it is up to the respective decisions of the divided Sangheili to decide whether to repent for their wrongful bloodshed of the Evaniptii as they had for humanity, or to carry on shamelessly, as an eternal enemy of the dwindled species. Story[]Prologue[]
"My headlights aren't working," a second miner said angrily. "Didn't I tell you to run an equipment check before we came in? You could have listened." "I could have. Can't see a damn thing..." "I'm right over here, can't you hear me? I'm waving my flashlight at you. Just drive it over, nice and slow. I've even set up the glowstrips so you know where to put them." "Hey, you wanna be held accountable if I accidentally run you guys over?" "For Christ's sake," the foreman snapped, running over to the digging machines. He climbed into one of them, and started the engine. "This one's fine, just follow me." The two mining vehicles slowly moved between the rows of miners scanning the rocks for ores. Beside each of them was a mobile machine that they dug a short tunnel into the sides so they could search for the metals. At least none of them had to do it manually, but it was clear everyone hated being stuck underground for several hours on end. "Alright," the head miner said. "Easy, easy, okay stop. Turn it right...little more. Okay, now activate the blades and move forward." The second man complied, and the sound of spinning metal and discharging energy slicing at the rocks sounded. The foreman was about to return to his vehicle to dig another tunnel, when the miner shouted, "Hey, there's something glowing in the rock!" "Jesus," the former said, turning back. "Didn't I tell you not to use so much corrosive? The damn machine can cut through it easily—" "No, look!" the miner said, turning off his engine and stepping out of the vehicle. "There's something embedded in the stone..." Another miner nearby heard. "Say, didn't those Spartans find something here a few years ago? They said the Covenant wanted it for something. What if this was something like that?" "Can't be," the foreman said. "Dig it out, boys. Let's see what that thing is." He watched carefully as the miner returned to his machine and chipped away at the rocks surrounding the object. It was obvious now; whatever it was, a clear blue glow was emitting from it and lighting up the tunnels easily. The other workers stopped as well to see, but the foreman didn't say anything. He was too interested in the stone. The machine's blades made a ringing sound as it tried to cut through the glowing object. It tried to continue spinning, but kept glancing off of it without leaving a scratch. "Okay, stop!" the head miner said. The tunnels became silent as the blades whirred to a halt. "Grab your picks and get it out, nice and easy." There were always times where nothing worked as well as manually finding ores, even though the scanners the employees carried as well as the processors on the diggers were more efficient. A few of the men extracted the surrounding cracked rocks carefully, sliding them onto the stone floor. Everyone was watching tense for several minutes, until the glowing stone loosened and fell to the ground beside the rocks, still projecting its light onto the walls and ceiling. The foreman examined the object. It was about the size of his fist, was completely spherical and flawless. It wasn't clear where the light was originating, and it was bright enough to bathe the tunnels with a steady illumination but not enough to hurt to look at. There was no doubt about it though: It was not natural or man-made. Slowly, the foreman reached for the rock. As soon as he touched it, the artefact pulsed with a bright glow that caused some of the miners to jump back with alarm. Something forced him to let go, as an audible rumbling sound was heard. Several large rocks were falling from the ceiling and breaking as they smashed against the floor, some damaging the diggers. Employees dashed around in alarm, trying to avoid being crushed by the stones. The foreman covered his head and didn't move. He learned from experience that in the event of a cave-in, the best way to avoid being hit was staying in one spot. Finally, the rumbling stopped. The foreman looked around at the tunnels. To his amazement, the tunnels were mostly intact, none of the workers harmed, and the exit back to the surface was still wide open. There was a silence as everyone calmed down. "What the hell was that about?" one of the miners asked.
Chapter 1: Revival[]
"Classification?" asked Admiral Andrew Gering. "Unknown, sir," the officer replied coolly. "But they're about the size of a Shortsword fighter each. And they're settling into orbit." "Are they hostile?" "Negative, Admiral. They're slowly entering the atmosphere though." "That can't be good," Gering said. "Send in fighter squads to take them out. It's too much to risk just standing around and watch what they do." "Sir, they're picking up speed. Velocity increasing exponentially. Estimated impact in fifty...belay that, twenty seconds. They'll be landing...in Antarctica, sir." The Admiral was taken aback. Antarctica... "We're going to need to send in some troops from groundside to find them then. Keep an eye out for any movement in space." "Colonel Gauthier's battalion's inside the base, sir," one of the officers reported. "Should we dispatch them?" "Go ahead," Gering said. "Tell them to close off the area. But nothing else. Call in four Shortsword squadrons for air support on standby, just in case. These things...whatever they are, could be dangerous. And I have a strong feeling as to who made them." "Sir. And who's going to see what those things are?" The Admiral thought for a moment. "Call SPARTAN-116 and his team. Tell them they're going back south."
"Colonel, this is SPARTAN-116," he said into his COM. "We're on the ground and approaching the target." "Roger that," said Lieutenant Colonel Max Gauthier. "We've got three platoons in all directions. We're about two klicks from your current position." "Solid copy, sir." The senior Spartan recalled the last time he had fought a battle on Antarctica, against the Forerunners that had nearly wiped out humanity. They must have something to do with the strange objects landing all over the continent, and they were about to find out why. Hopefully it wouldn't lead to another bloody fight... His COM was pinged twice in succession. "SPARTAN-116 here," he said. "I've got a visual, sir," said Hannah-201. "Three of the objects landed in a straight line in the ice. Dug in without effort. Threw snow around a few hundred metres in radius." "Roger that. Approach with caution." He paused for a moment as Jai-006 beckoned to him. The Grey Team leader was gazing at a trio of the same objects not far off. "We've got something too, 201. Looks like they're in the same formation as your sighting. Report in for any anomalies." Hannah was one of Ezekiel's teammates. In 2558, she had returned from somewhere she hadn't specified. Felix wondered if all Class-2s were so secretive, but quickly found he could trust her just as well as he could trust 254. Even for a Spartan, she was quick-minded, efficient, and during missions could often see what he was planning before he lay out the entire plan. The only reason Ezekiel wasn't present was because he was training the new SPARTAN-III Delta Company. They numbered around 3000, so the Lieutenant would have his hands full for a while. Luckily, she wasn't the only Spartan that was added to the team. "Our team's in position, sir," said Rykie-247. "We have this area surrounded. I've got you covered. Oscar's keeping watch on the other side." "Roger, Warrant Officer," Felix replied. "Keep your visual on both teams. We're going in." Warrant Officers Rykie and Oscar had returned from an operation near the Outer Colonies a couple of years ago. Like Ezekiel and Hannah, they had kept just as quiet about what they had been doing. One thing he had caught word of was that Rykie returned to Earth a few years ago with Jun-A266 and Jorge-052, also known as Nobles Three and Five. Apparently the two of them had been the only survivors of their assigned squad, Noble Team. They had recently been reassigned into another system. Felix trusted that he really didn't need to know precisely what happened, and decided not to snoop around for answers. For now, he was just glad to have two more Spartans on the team. It didn't take them long to get to the location. The...things, whatever they were, were buried rather deep, but were impossible to miss. Even from a distance, it wasn't hard to see the dark objects among the almost pure white snow, especially since the ice surrounding the area was cracked for hundreds of metres. The senior Spartan checked that there was a Shortsword squadron circling a few hundred feet above them. "Anything new to tell me, Chief?" he asked the leader. "Negative, sir. Our visuals are clear, but we're getting nothing on our scanners. Your guess is as good as mine." "El-tee's at your ten o'clock, sir," Adriana said. Felix saw them already, but nodded in acknowledgement. "Team, hold your position. I'm going in." "Sir, are you sure about this?" Jai asked warily. The Lieutenant Commander didn't reply, his eyes fixed on the objects. He walked slowly towards it, putting his rifle on his back. He took the Forerunner staff off his hip, and held it in front of him with both hands. Whatever this was couldn't be of human origin, and if he was going to get close to it, he may as well be ready. As he approached it, he unconsciously took in his surroundings, recalling how familiar it was. The hill off to his right was where they had set an ambush 8 years ago, and not far off would be the currently unoccupied emergency firebase. That meant the spot he was approaching had to be... There was a loud cracking about fifty metres to his left. The sound seemed to be moving closer, almost like an echo, but it couldn't be. Suddenly, a huge crack appeared in the ice, stretching towards him. Without hesitation, Felix sprinted towards the objects, getting clear of where he stood just before it gave, collapsing and breaking into even smaller pieces. It took them a long time to hit the bottom, and the sound of the gigantic chunks of ice rumbled to the surface. "This is Second Platoon," said Major Krueger. "We've picked up some kind of disturbance on our sensors. Everything okay?" "Affirmative, Major," said Felix, moving a little farther back in case the cracks spread across the ice. "Stay sharp." "Sir, what was that?" asked Rykie over the COM. The Lieutenant Commander stared at the giant gash, wondering why the ground was so hollow here. Glimpsing at the darkness stretching in from of him, he caught a glimpse of several familiar glyphs glowing from...a diagonal wall? Then it hit him. "We're above an underground facility, created by the Forerunners when they were on Earth." That had to be it. The wall were too perfectly straight to have been naturally made. "Do you think these things that landed here have something to do with them?" Hannah asked. "We'll have to see," Felix replied, forcing himself to look away from the hole in the ground. Walking more carefully along the ice, he approached the objects. They were embedded in the ice very firmly, and the cold had already frozen them partially. Running a seismic scan into the ground, he realized that the ice was a lot thicker here, maybe seven hundred metres. He guessed that it was two hundred at most where the hole was formed. Perhaps the wall he had spotted was diagonal because whatever facility they were above might have a triangular ceiling. The Lieutenant Commander took a deep breath, staff ready. He reached the objects, taking in every detail. They were pod-like shapes, jet-black and approximately 20 metres wide each. Despite the long distance they had no doubt travelled, as well as the rough landing, there were no signs of visible damage, or any kind of opening. The only thing that was different from the otherwise perfectly smooth surface was a dark red glyph embedded on each pod, all of them identical to each other. Must be Forerunner, he thought. Not sure what else to do, Felix touched one of the glyphs. The symbol immediately lit up, the red brightening. The Spartan's visor automatically darkened to compensate, and he had to look away. After a few seconds, it dimmed again, still glowing faintly. But there was now a holographic rectangle floating above it. The Lieutenant Commander watched in fascination as it began to reshape itself before his eyes. When it slowed and finally stopped moving, he examined it again. The holographic board was a mix of blues, reds, and oranges. The lines formed from the colours created various shapes that made up the rectangle, but in the top right, there was a single yellow circle, partially filled in with blue. Without wondering why, he pressed down firmly on the button. It was surprisingly solid. He had no time to think about the phenomen, however, as his gaze returned to the pod. There was not even the slightest hiss as part of its surface split into an oval, moving away from the rest of the pod and sliding up onto its top. And a body fell out onto the ice, causing Felix to step back in surprise. But the body didn't move. Warily, he turned it over, taking in its features. It was undoubtedly alien, but what it was he wasn't sure of. It was an insect-like creature, much larger than any human. Its skin was a sand-like colour with brown spots. Its body seemed to be made up of an exoskeleton, and its jaws reminded him vaguely of the mandible structure Sangheili also had. "Sir, what did you find?" asked Hannah. Felix stood up, now looking at the pod. "Some sort of alien. Unknown species. I'm going to take a look inside the object." He stepped inside carefully, still holding his weapon ready. He knew that the pod was large, but he realized just how spacious it was on the inside. It almost seemed to be bigger. Holograms lined the circumference of the walls, even up to the ceiling. Forerunner glyphs covered the interior under the holograms. Weapons were held by energy on a holder nearby. But that wasn't what was bothering him. The walls were a shade of magenta, and the design was very familiar. Walking over to the weapons, he pulled a gun off its holder and examined it. It was a Plasma Rifle. "Why are these things using Covenant technology?" he muttered. "Say again, sir?" said Hannah. "Spartans, come to my position," Felix said, walking out of the pod. "You might want to see this." He approached a second pod, and activated it in the same way. He was waiting for it to open when the others reached them. Adriana was looking at the alien's body. The pod opened, and another one came out. This one, however, was alive. It was holding a Needle rifle, and leapt out, tackling Mike to the ground. Every gun was was aimed at him immediately, and Adriana pulled her Magnum off her holster, still crouching over the dead alien. But the second one froze, releasing Mike. "Human," it said. A sniper round bounced off the pod, narrowly missing its head. "Rykie, stand down!" Felix ordered, approaching the alien carefully, weapon still raised. "Drop your weapon," he said. It complied, standing up to its full height, which was a little over 8 feet. "My apologies. I did not recognize you with your combat skins." It seemed to be speaking with its antennae, and had a most curious sound. "Who are you?" the Lieutenant Commander asked. "My name is Chak'turr," it said. "I am one of the Evaniptii." Looking around, he saw his dead teammate, making a disappointed sound. "He was injured...I had hoped he would make it, but...well, it is unfortunate." Casting his gaze upward, he looked at the third pod. "Would you mind letting my friend out?" Felix lowered his gun slightly, but kept his eyes on Chak'turr. "Jai, open the pod." Talking once again to the alien, he said, "If you don't have hostile intents towards us, we'll take you somewhere else. I don't think the cold will help your friend very much." Chak'turr made an indifferent click. "We do not mind the cold. We can adapt to any environment, really." Interesting. I wonder how these guys got involved with the Covenant. "We don't plan on sticking around here anyway. We'll ask you questions when we get back to base." Turning on his COM, he said, "Sir, we're clear. We've got two aliens, but they're friendlies. They have Covenant and Forerunner technology, but they have no interest in fighting humans." "Copy, Lieutenant Commander," said Gauthier. "Keep an eye on them in any case. We'll wait for your transport to pick you up before we leave." That'll be quite a while, Felix thought as he watched a second Evaniptus step out of the last pod and communicate silently with Chak'turr. They're going to need an ONI team to examine all this stuff. Until then, I think the UNSC presence will be here for a while. As the Spartans led the two aliens well away from the pods and the opening into the underground facility, he called in for their Pelican and waited. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chapter 3: Parasite[]
Chak'turr wondered if his sense of nervousness was owed to the apprehension the others were experiencing, or the fact that he had joined the military less than a month ago; his previous duties had never involved an insertion, so the fact that this was his first made him rather nervous. The Sangheili that was in charge glanced around the interior of the dropship sternly. He could obviously tell that the Evaniptii team was tense. The muscular aliens themselves, however, were completely composed. For some reason, that made him even more nervous. The was a slight bump as the Spirit exited the hangar it was nestled in. The cruiser quickly shrank and faded from view as the dropship made a steeper plunge towards the planet. The silence inside the vessel became more overbearing by the second. Chak'turr didn't mind the flight itself; he never felt scared about things he could adapt to. And when you were an Evaniptus, it was easy to adapt to any situation. It was just the prospect of going into what felt like a trap that made things so nerve-wracking. The flat plate of exoskeleton that covered his forehead bristled. He realized that another Evaniptus was trying to communicate with him. To take his mind off the upcoming mission, he allowed the fellow soldier to enter his thoughts. You seem troubled. More so than the others. It was Ghid'ea, the leader of the Evaniptus team. She was facing away from him, but judging from the firm resonance he received was undoubtedly her. Feeling slightly more reassured, Chak'turr sent a reply. I am alright. It just doesn't feel right. He could tell that his response was directed rather clumsily; he usually stuck to simple words when using telepathy, and preferred communicating with pheromones, which were clearer and didn't require the formation of one's own thoughts. But no doubt the Sangheili would pick up the scent and become irritated, which was why Evaniptii usually preferred telepathic means when communicating when there were alien species around. I know what you mean. We should take care to be cautious. Stay close to me. Chak'turr looked to the Sangheili; all of them looked grim but determined. He wondered how many dropships were being sent down to the surface of the planet. Out of the corner of his vision, he saw Ghid'ea turn her head slightly. Okay.
The Evaniptii didn't mind, and the Sangheili seemed to completely ignore the change in temperature. Without a word, they advanced across the plateau, carefully watching all directions. The pilot had set them down here because there were a large number of fissures in the rocks, and some of them enemated...something. Almost like a signal. In the distance, Chak'turr saw another dropship set down behind a tall cliff. There was no sound in any direction save the sound of feet moving across rock, and the sound of the Sangheili's breathing, which was not quite noiseless. It looked like it was currently the crack of dawn, but there were no sounds of any native animals out and about. He wasn't sure whether that meant this region was uninhabited or something was wrong. Either way, it was unnerving. "Here," the Sangheili major said, indicating a particularly large opening in the ground. It seemed to be naturally formed, but also looked like it led to something. Cautiously, the team entered the rift, which was somewhat steep and low-ceilinged. Both species were on average rather tall, and had to stoop over to get to the bottom. Chak'turr would have expected it to be colder as they went deeper. Surely the bare rays of sunlight wouldn't penetrate underground? But strangely, the air began to become humid as they went further and further in. It wasn't too long before they reached the bottom, and what was there was most unexpected. The team was standing in a cave-like formation. There were various small plants and fungi growing on the rocks, and across from the slope was an artificially set metal door. It was roughly pentagonal, and was split into three sections. There were two dim red lights on the two bottom sections. The Sangheili seemed to be familiar with the glyphs etched into the rocks around the door. "Those are Forerunner symbols," the major said. He approached the door, trying to open it, but it was locked. Turning to one of his subordinates, he said, "Find a way to open this." The blue-armoured minor pulled out a device and held it in front of what seemed like a glass plate between the door's three sections. It didn't touch the door, but a fluid-like light emanated from the device, probing the portal. The minor slid his fingers over the device in various directions, which caused it to open up and activate a holographic screen. He tapped at the screen for the next few moments. The Sangheili were watching the door intently. However, the Evaniptii were keeping an eye on the rocky opening, listening for noise. No one said a word. The silence broke when the device blinked three times, and the lights on the door changed to green before hissing open. The major looked triumphant, and said, "Onward then, brothers." The team filed inside one by one, with the Sangheili in front. The inside of the facility was as warm as the outside, but for some reason, the air seemed to be thicker there. However, it was completely silent. There were two floors to the room, and four doors on each floor; one on each wall. The Sangheili major led them through the only unlocked door, the one directly across from them. The next few subunits were spent exploring the facilities. When they reached what looked like a large antechamber, with a dozen unlocked doors, he ordered the team to split up. Chak'turr was assigned with three other Evaniptii; Ghid'ea, Fal'ark, and Ma'nar. They were led by two Sangheili. They proceeded through the door immediately to their right. As the team moved through more rooms, Chak'turr noticed how fascinated the Sangheili looked by their surroundings. They paused sometimes to examine the machines, or the glyphs on the walls, but the Evaniptii seemed eager just to complete their task. I wonder if we would take more interest if we knew more about this 'Covenant'... The Evaniptii weren't exactly a recent addition to the Covenant, or even the newest one. But they had never been trusted very much. Maybe it was the fact that they could communicate non-verbally, and that others rarely understood what they were thinking. The Sangheili always seemed wary around them, and seemed more comfortable even around Huragok. The Evaniptii had first been found by the Covenant in the 19th Age of Reconciliation, back when the only species in it were San'Shyuum, Sangheili, Lekgolo, and their semi-artificial engineers, the Huragok. Although Evanipticia's technology was widespread with space-faring ships that were capable of Slipstream travel, the ships were at most lightly armed; the Evaniptii didn't have many weapons either. Their numbers and combat capabilities had been greatly hindered by this, and they quickly surrendered. Once in the Covenant, however, the Evaniptii were put to much greater use. Although they weren't very powerful physically, they could do a number of things the Sangheili warriors or the Lekgolo couldn't. Their ability to communicate telepathically had proven very convenient even from the simplest task to the most urgent, and their adaptability to almost any environment was something that had intrigued the San'Shyuum to this day. When the Covenant later found the Yanme'e homeworld, Palamok, the hive creatures had held the upper hand in space and ground battles alike. No species in the Covenant could fly, and the Yanme'e's population of almost 3 trillion had decimated many of the most strategic battalions. Almost desperately, the Evaniptii were deployed to assassinate the Yanme'e queens and destroy their important hives. The tactic worked, but they still showed no sign of giving up. After both sides had lost many of their number and resources, the San'Shyuum sent the Yanme'e a peace treaty, pointing out that there was no point in slaughtering each other when they were both obviously capable of it, and offered them a place in the Covenant. The Yanme'e had agreed, but even ages after the end of the conflict, there was a constant tension between them and the Evaniptii. Despite the fact that the Evaniptii were the main reason the Yanme'e were subdued, or maybe because of it, the other species continued to treat them with something like suspicion. Even until now, they had never been taught the religions and beliefs of the Covenant, or given particularly high ranks in the military. The Evaniptii were essentially the mercenaries who specialized in tactics and numbers rather than strength. The team moved through yet another doorway and was called to a halt. They were standing on a horizontal platform at one end of a symmetrical room; there was an identical platform and door at the other side, but no visible way of getting up there. Chak'turr watched as the two Sangheili and examined a holographic panel protruding in the middle of the platform. "This looks Forerunner," one of them said. "Then we should know how it works," said the other, his eyes examining the panel more intently. Chak'turr saw him tap a glowing blue circle on the bottom left corner, and move it diagonally to the top right along an orange curved line. The reaction was almost immediate. Two grey pillars slid out slightly from under the platform, along with the two on the other side. Several Evaniptii cried out in astonishment as a glowing translucent blue strip lit up and connected the two platforms. There was not even the slightest hum of energy, but the light didn't even flicker. "Is it a bridge?" asked one of the Sangheili. Cautiously, his companion approached it, and felt it with his foot. "It is solid," he said, sounding amazed. The two Sangheili spent the next few minutes examining it. Finally, the first one said, "We can come back to examine this later. First, we must proceed further into the facility." Chak'turr stepped onto the bridge after Ghid'ea. It was the strangest feeling. If he closed his eyes, he wouldn't have been able to tell that what he was stepping on was energy and not solid metal or rock. He wondered just how much these Forerunners had accomplished in their time. Undoubtedly the Sangheili have knowledge of who they were and what became of them. |
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||