Location: Halo Ring Installation, Truth and Reconciliation, Canyon Time: Morning
As I stepped out of the teleportation stream and onto the deck of the Truth and Reconciliation, the chaos hit me like a hammer. The ship was in disarray, a violent mixture of screeches from the Flood and the sounds of Covenant plasma fire. Cortana's voice cut through the noise as I took in the sight before me.
"The Covenant network is in absolute chaos! From what I've pieced together, they ordered all ships to abandon Halo when they discovered the Flood. But it was too late—the Flood overwhelmed this cruiser and disabled it. The Covenant are terrified the Flood will repair the ship and use it to escape from Halo."
That was a chilling thought: the Flood using this ship to spread across the galaxy. Somewhere on this vessel was Captain Keyes, and I had to get to him before it was too late. The Truth and Reconciliation was infested, and there was no turning back.
Cortana interrupted my thoughts. "I've got a lock on Captain Keyes' CNI transponder signal. He's alive, Chief—but we need to move fast."
I nodded silently, gripping my rifle tighter as I pushed down the narrow corridor. The battle between the Flood and the remaining Covenant forces raged around me, a brutal clash of monsters and soldiers who had been fighting for their survival long before I arrived.
Location: Truth and Reconciliation, Interior Time: Mid-Morning
The halls of the ship were nothing short of a nightmare. Sections of the cruiser had been torn apart by the Flood, its once-gleaming surfaces now littered with corpses—Covenant, human, and Flood alike. The air was thick with the stench of decay, and every step forward was a reminder of just how close everything was to falling apart.
"Chief, I've detected transmissions from what's left of Alpha Base. There are survivors," Cortana said. "They're trying to commandeer the Truth and Reconciliation to get off Halo. There aren't many of them left, but they're fighting for their lives."
Silva's survivors. I hadn't expected them to still be alive, much less trying to hijack this ship. But that meant there were more lives at stake. If I could help them escape while completing the mission, it was a chance I had to take.
"I'll see what I can do," I muttered. "But Keyes comes first."
Location: Truth and Reconciliation, Hangar Bay Time: Late Morning
I pushed through the ship's wrecked halls, the sound of Flood screeches growing closer with every step. When I entered the hangar, I found myself staring into a gaping hole in the floor—something powerful had torn through the ship's hull, leaving nothing but a drop into the coolant pools below. Covenant bodies lay scattered across the ground, their last stand against the Flood reduced to lifeless husks.
Cortana scanned the area. "We won't get through this way. But I'm detecting significant movement from above. The Flood are coming, Chief."
Her words were a warning, but I could already hear them—Flood Combat Forms, crawling through the ceiling, dropping down like a plague. The sound of their grotesque movement sent a chill through me. They were coming in force, faster than expected.
"They're closing in. We need to move!" Cortana shouted.
I glanced down at the coolant below. It was a long drop, but I didn't have many options. Flood Combat Forms continued to swarm, cutting off any chance of retreat. With a quick decision, I leaped into the void.
The world became a blur for a moment, and when I resurfaced in the coolant below, the screeches of the Flood were muffled by the liquid around me. Covenant and Flood forces were still engaged in a brutal firefight, their battle playing out all around the canyon floor.
"We should head toward the gravity lift," Cortana urged. "That's our way back into the ship."
Location: Truth and Reconciliation, Gravity Lift Time: Noon
The gravity lift hummed to life as I stepped into its glowing field, pulling me back into the belly of the beast. The Covenant and the Flood were still tearing each other apart inside the ship, but my mind was focused on the Captain. His signal was fading, and I knew whatever had happened to him, it wasn't good.
Bodies—Covenant, human, and Flood—were piled up in the corners of rooms as I moved forward, each step taking me deeper into the nightmare that had unfolded aboard the Truth and Reconciliation. I pressed on, following the weakening signal.
"His vitals are fading, Chief," Cortana said, her voice tinged with urgency. "We're running out of time."
Location: Truth and Reconciliation, Control Room Time: Afternoon
When I reached the control room, my stomach twisted at the sight in front of me. Captain Keyes—or what was left of him—was fused into the grotesque form of a Proto-Gravemind. His face barely poked out from the monstrous mass, twisted and deformed beyond recognition.
"No human life signs detected," Cortana whispered, her voice soft but horrified. "The Captain… he's one of them."
For a moment, all I could do was stare. This was Keyes—my commanding officer, a man I had trusted with my life—and now he was consumed by the very thing we had been fighting to stop. There was no coming back from this.
"We can't let the Flood escape this ring," Cortana said, quieter now. "You know what he'd expect of you."
The weight of the moment pressed down on me, but there was no hesitation in my movements as I stepped forward. With grim determination, I reached into the biomass that had once been Captain Keyes and ripped free his neural implants, shaking the Flood residue from them before inserting them into my helmet.
"It's done," Cortana said. "We have the codes. We should go."
Location: Truth and Reconciliation, Shuttle Bay Time: Late Afternoon
As I made my way to the shuttle bay, the sound of Covenant dropships caught my attention. I spotted a Phantom hovering nearby, its engines whining as it deployed a strike team to hold the bay. But they weren't the only ones trying to make a move.
Marines—Alpha Base's last survivors—were scrambling to get to the Phantom, using the chaos to slip through the lines. There weren't many left. Less than a dozen. But among them, one figure stood out. Sergeant Major Avery Johnson.
"We're commandeering this ship," Johnson shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos. "Covenant or Flood, I don't care. We're getting off this rock!"
I moved quickly, laying down suppressive fire to cover the Marines as they made their way to the Phantom. Johnson caught my eye, a look of grim determination on his face.
"You get the Captain?" he asked as we fought side by side.
I nodded. "It's done."
He grunted, firing a shot into a nearby Combat Form. "We're taking this Phantom. Rendezvous with us in orbit when you finish the job, Chief. Don't keep me waiting."
The surviving Marines piled into the Phantom, and I provided cover until they were clear. Johnson gave me a quick salute as the dropship lifted off, disappearing into the sky. I was glad they'd made it out. The war would take too many lives as it was.
"Grab one of those Banshees," Cortana urged. "We need to get back to the Pillar of Autumn."
I sprinted across the shuttle bay, dodging plasma fire and Flood attacks. One of the escort Banshees was still docked, its engines primed and ready. I leaped into the cockpit and pulled the controls tight. The Truth and Reconciliation faded behind me as I soared into the sky, the battle below nothing but a distant memory.
But there was no time for reflection. The mission wasn't over yet.