Location: Halo Ring Installation, Near Control Room Access
Time: Morning
The Pelican shuddered as it sliced through the biting, cold air. Snowflakes, thick and heavy, splattered against the windshield and were whipped away by the downdraft of the engines. Inside, the hum of the descent reverberated through the hull, but the atmosphere in the troop bay was thick with tension. I braced myself against the bulkhead, my eyes scanning the white-draped landscape below as the cliffs of the ring loomed ominously on the horizon.
Echo 419's engines whined as Foehammer brought us in low, just skimming above the snow-capped ridges. "This is as far as I can take you, Chief," her voice crackled through the comms, calm but laced with a note of concern. "I'll be nearby for extraction. Good luck down there—Foehammer out."
As the bay door opened, a blast of freezing air hit me like a wave. I leaped from the Pelican, landing with a solid crunch on the snow-covered ground. The cold bit at my exposed skin beneath the armor, but the world around me was quiet, almost peaceful—an eerie contrast to the violence I knew was waiting ahead.
The snow stretched out in every direction, a pristine blanket of white interrupted only by the jagged rock formations and Forerunner structures that jutted out like ancient sentinels. Above, the pale sky stretched endlessly, haloed by the ring itself—a constant reminder of the strange, alien world we were now fighting on.
"Let's move," Cortana's voice echoed in my helmet, cutting through the silence. "The Control Room is deeper inside the facility, but be on your guard. Covenant forces here are stronger, more entrenched than we've seen before."
I didn't need the reminder. The sense of impending danger settled deep in my bones. I knew this mission was going to push us to the brink. The Covenant were here for the same reason we were—and they were ready to fight tooth and nail to keep us out.
As I advanced into the Forerunner complex, the snow fell harder, turning the world into a hazy blur of white and gray. Grunts and Jackals, already dug into defensive positions, took notice of my approach. Their plasma fire cut through the snowfall, lighting up the battlefield with streaks of blue and green. I moved quickly, ducking behind cover and returning fire with precision, my rifle rattling off controlled bursts as I closed the distance.
Each shot was measured, calculated. I took out two Grunts and moved forward, the cold biting through my armor as I pressed on. The Elites, more disciplined than their subordinates, barked orders and charged ahead, their shields flaring as I unleashed a barrage of fire at them. Their energy swords crackled to life, gleaming menacingly through the snow.
I ducked low, rolling out of the path of an Elite's sword swipe, my heart racing as I came up behind him. With a quick burst from my rifle, his shields flickered, and I delivered the final blow. The Elite collapsed into the snow with a dull thud.
"More incoming," Cortana warned. "They're setting up ahead—prepare for heavier resistance."
We pressed forward, moving across a bridge that spanned a deep chasm. The wind howled, swirling snow around us as we made our way deeper into the frozen canyon. Below, Covenant patrols moved like ants across the snowy expanse, Ghosts gliding effortlessly across the terrain. The sky overhead was clouding over, casting an even darker shadow on the already bleak landscape.
The whine of engines in the distance snapped me back to reality, and I spotted a Pelican on the horizon, speeding toward the battlefield. The comms came alive with a desperate voice.
"Fire Team Zulu requesting immediate assistance from any UNSC forces in the area!" Static crackled over the transmission, but the urgency was clear. "Does anyone copy? We're under heavy fire—repeat—heavy fire!"
"I didn't know there were any UNSC forces left in this region," Cortana muttered, her voice laced with concern.
"This is Cortana," she quickly responded. "We copy, Fire Team Zulu. Hold your position. We're en route."
"Roger that," the Sergeant replied, his voice strained. "We're holding on by a thread here. Hurry!"
Location: Frozen Canyon, Covenant Assault Site
Time: Mid-Morning
I slid down the snow-covered slope, the sounds of battle growing louder with each step. As I reached the lip of the canyon, the scene below unfolded in chaos. Fire Team Zulu was pinned down, their Warthog overturned, acting as makeshift cover. Plasma fire lit up the air, with Ghosts strafing the Marines and a Wraith thumping mortars at their position, sending columns of snow and debris into the air.
"Glad you could make it!" one of the Marines yelled over the din as I reached their position. "We're getting hammered down here!"
I didn't waste time responding. I leveled the rocket launcher on my shoulder, zeroing in on the Wraith as it rumbled ominously across the battlefield. The rocket streaked out, trailing smoke, and slammed into the Wraith's side, blowing it apart in a fiery explosion. The ground shook, and the wreckage toppled, a plume of smoke billowing into the freezing air.
"One problem down," I muttered, swapping out my rocket launcher for my assault rifle. "Keep the pressure on."
The remaining Covenant forces surged forward, but with the Wraith destroyed, the tide of battle shifted. I cut through them methodically—Ghosts were reduced to scrap under the combined fire of our Scorpion tank, and the Elites fell one after another under the withering fire of the Marines.
The battle was intense, but brief. When the last Covenant soldier fell, the canyon went silent again, save for the distant howl of the wind.
"Thanks, Chief," the Marine Sergeant said, wiping the sweat and snow from his face. "We would've been dead without you."
"Stay sharp," I replied, scanning the horizon. "We're not done yet."
Location: Forerunner Facility, Entrance to the Control Room
Time: Late Morning
The battle had been fierce, but nothing compared to the challenge that lay ahead. The Forerunner structure at the base of the mountain loomed above us, its pyramid-like shape carved into the snow-covered cliffs. This was it—the Control Room. The place that held the secrets to Halo.
But the Covenant had fortified every inch of the climb. Elites armed with energy swords, Jackals with plasma shields, and Grunts wielding fuel rod guns stood ready to repel any assault. The climb up the pyramid would be a battle of attrition—one step at a time.
"We're going in," I muttered, my grip tightening on my rifle. "Let's move."
We pushed up the icy slope, the biting cold doing little to slow the adrenaline pumping through my veins. Plasma bolts streaked through the air as we advanced, but the Marines and I kept pace, taking out the Covenant forces one by one. I dispatched an Elite with a few well-placed shots, and another fell to a blast from the Scorpion's cannon.
Each step up the pyramid felt harder, the enemy resistance growing stronger as we neared the top. The Elites fought fiercely, their energy swords humming through the air as they charged. I dodged a swipe and brought my shotgun up, firing point-blank into the Elite's chest. It crumpled, its shields failing as it hit the ground with a thud.
Finally, after what felt like hours of climbing and fighting, we reached the summit. The doors to the Control Room slid open with a hiss, revealing the massive chamber beyond.
"This is it," Cortana said, her voice tinged with awe. "The Control Room."
I stepped inside, the weight of the mission pressing down harder than ever. This was the heart of Halo—the place that held the answers to everything.
I took Cortana's chip from my helmet and slotted it into the console. Her hologram flickered to life, her form shifting and glowing as streams of data flowed into the Forerunner systems. She stood there for a moment, absorbing the knowledge with an intensity I hadn't seen before.
"Are you okay?" I asked, my voice low.
Cortana's gaze remained fixed on the data. "I'm... fine," she said, though her voice held a note of something—fear, maybe, or something worse. "But this isn't a weapon, Chief. It's something else. Something the Covenant doesn't understand."
A cold feeling settled in my chest. "What do you mean?"
Her voice dropped. "The Captain... Keyes. He's in danger. The Covenant... they've found something. Something... terrible."
"What did they find?" I demanded, stepping closer, urgency creeping into my voice.
She turned to me, her expression dark and urgent. "You need to stop him. Now."
Without another word, I turned and sprinted for the exit. Time was running out. Keyes was in trouble, and whatever he had stumbled upon, I needed to stop it before it was too late.