The lab lights burned cold against the dark as the footage bled across three holo-screens. Milo, Anders, Isabel and a looming Finch sat beside the holo-screens, eyes glued to the frozen frames of Recon team 4's helmet cams.
"That is.... c-crazy..."
Milo broke the silence, hesitantly reaching forward and tapping the mouse a few times, it's clicking echoing off the laboratory walls. Several frames passed, revealing the vehicle.
Milo paused, shyly returning his hands to his lap. Isabel took a breath.
"There it is, the 'alien' that definitely doesn't look like an alien."
She began, hands on her holographic hips, eyes bouncing around on the alien vehicle infront of them before speaking again.
"I can definitely see how the soldiers at Omikron base reported a heavily modified banished Ghost..."
Anders leaned forward.
"Maybe at a distance, Isabel."
She paused, reaching the mouse and clicking it, the frames passed revealing the vehicle more clearly..
It was long, easily past 4 meters, aquamarine in color with black and white veins across it's spine and 6 fins, each ending with 4 needle-like tips.
Anders spoke again, watching the passing frames, the strange vehicle appearing to 'swim'.
"Look at how it moves, each fin has a subtle glow before it moves."
Milo tilted his head, lips pursing softly.
"Then it pushes off the ground, L-look here, y-you can see a soft light pulse coming from it's b-back two fins."
Isabel nodded in agreement.
"Interesting propulsion system, if what you say is correct then, that vehicle may actually be highly manuverable.."
Anders clicked the mouse again, more frames passed, revealing that Milo was correct, it's back two fins had pulsed, pushing the vehicle forward while it's front two fins tilted to the side for sharp turns.
"Hmmm..."
Came Finch's voice, Milo turned around, hands tightening together.
"S-something on your m-mind, m-m i mean a-agent finch."
A soft quirk of her lips followed by a amused raise of a brow.
"Perhaps... other than it's interesting propulsion, I am more... invested in it's weapons."
She leaned forward, gesturing to the vehicle's front, it's sides holding strange 'gill-like lines', and within, reflective light.
"Play the video."
Isabel hummed, letting the video play. Once it resumed, the vehicle flowed to the side, it's body oriented up before firing off a spread of crystalline fragments.
The video paused just as those fragments denoted behind the camera.
Anders slowly inhaled, eyes narrowing.
"Hmm... as seen with the spartans... skirmish with these beings, their means of weaponry are naturally further advanced than ours."
Milo agreed.
"Y-yes, th-they're of similar or l-less technology to the Prometheans and their h-hardlight, b-but far more advanced than the covenant a-and the banished with their plasma weaponry."
Milo took a breath, hands shaking before turning to Anders.
"U-um.. i-if i may, w-we don't have much information.. p-perhaps we should get to the site and investigate the structure ourselves?"
Finch raises both brows, as did Anders, Isabel however disagreed.
"I don't think that's a wise idea, you are under quarantine by captain cutters orders."
Milo interjected
"Th-thats d-due to ONI's attempt at overreach... s-sorry mom. I-i mean Finch."
Finch rolled her eyes, seeing a rising hue of pink on Milo's cheeks.
"None offense taken, but... I agree with Milo, we won't learn much with camera footage, or testimony. We need on site samples."
Anders brought a hand to her chin.
"It's dangerous, mostly due to these aliens being intelligent, they're different, they're not like the covenant, the banished, or the Prometheans. They are... alien..."
Anders sighed, glancing toward the monitor then back to Milo and Finch.
"But yes. I agree... nothing ventured... nothing gained... with us being on locked down due to Cutter's safeguards we're going to be needing his express permission before we do anything."
Finch responded, looking at her son moments before her expression sharpened, eyes darker than before.
"Chances are, we'll be under escort, odst's likely, maybe even Spartan escort.."
Silence befell the room, the only remaining sound was the idle whirring of the console and laboratory instruments around them.
Seconds passed by.
"I-i think th-the risk i-is worth the reward."
Anders leaned back, folding her arms.
"I agree, I guess it's settled then. Let's contact Cutter."
--------
Several minutes pass and the scene changes to the bridge of the Spirit of Fire. The sounds of beeping of consoles and the hushed voices of the bridge crew keeping Cutter awake for the most part, a hot cup of coffee in hand.
He was going through the report from Recon 4, the images of their helmet cams as well as the documents of Milo's discoveries.
A low hum escaped him, brows furrowing as a beep from the console behind him cracked his focus.
He rose to his feet and walked over to the console, answering whomever was calling.
"Captain."
Answered Anders, a holographic image of her face appearing, behind the professor was Doctor Milo and Agent Finch.
"Professor, what is it?"
Anders took a breath and answered.
"Captain, I'd like to request permission to investigate the structure Recon 4 encountered."
Almost immediately Cutter's lips pursed, followed by a sharpening glare.
"Anders, you should know that it's going to be dangerous. We can't afford to lose you or Doctor Finch. (Milo)... the nature of these 'being' is still unknown."
Isabel's form materialized on the holographic table.
"Captain, while i strongly disagree with the idea of on site investigation due to so many unknown variables, I can agree with the professor.. we won't learn much without proactive action."
Cutter let out a low hum, a hand stroking his chin.
"Alright, however, as mentioned by Isabel, there are too many unknowns, you will be under Spartan and ODST escort. Should I deem your lives to be in danger, you are to leave immediately... understood?"
Anders nodded.
"Sir, yes sir."
The call ended without another word, Anders' image disappeared with a quick whine down. Cutter sighed, a slow sounding exhale as he glanced to the bridge's window, the sight of the occasional hull's ATC lights blinking every so often indicating the departure of odst's.
"Stay safe, Anders."
He whispered.
------------
The scene changes to Theta base on the Ark's surface, minutes after the call with captain Cutter. The sound of heavy footsteps echoed off the walls of the prefabricated base, researchers and scientists split apart, making way for a squad of ODST's and Spartan Jerome-092.
He had just been given the order to escort Doctor Milo Finch, Anders and Agent Finch to the site of the strange structure Recon 4 team had encountered.
Jerome didn't ask questions, he had a mission, and he saw it to succeed.
He and the odst's would arrive at the laboratory moments prior to their VIP's left it, packed and ready go.
From sample satchels to backpacks and kits.
"Ma'am, the site is 10 klicks out, we'll take the Mastodon, it'll provide additional protection while being quick."
Anders nodded, looking up at Jerome.
"Thank you Spartan, lead the way."
Jerome gave a slight tilt of the head as a response, turning immediately before slinging his assault rifle into his hands.
"Let's move out."
Upon saying those words the groups exited Theta Base and into the outside, the Ark's ever present arms in the distance and the large celestial body in the center, the distant sun rising over the Ark's horizon.
The doors to the Mastodon opened, enabling Anders, Milo, Finch and the odst's onboard.
Before the two scientists knew it the Mastodon engines ignited, letting out a low rumbling growl, the overhead lights turned on followed by it's highbeams, illuminating the early morning darkness.
Jerome-092 stepped inside, taking a seat beside Finch, a second later the driver turned around, glancing to the odst's, researchers and spartan.
"10 Klicks out ladies, 25 minutes maximum.... assuming the route holds"
Milo fidgeted, a soft sway side to side followed by a gentle grip of his fists.
"W-with this being an investigation, w-what do you think we'll discover, professor?"
Milo asked, his quiet voice catching Anders attention. She'd pull out a datapad and pull some up images of the strange structure Recon 4 encountered... it's relatively spherical pearlescent coloring seemed to glow even through the datapd.
"I'm not sure Milo, it's spherical, slightly symmetrical, similar to the covenant, but that's where the similarities end. If I had to guess, it looks grown, rather than constructed."
She said, eyes narrowing.
Finch leaned forward, scanning the image on Anders' datapad.
"Even with the limited information we have, from the skirmish the Spartans had followed by the recon 4 encounter and the Omikron/ Theta sightings... and... my own encounter... it would be a wise assumption, as Milo mentioned some time ago, these beings are on par to the Forerunners."
Milo looked to his mother, nodding in agreement, the soft bounce of his bangs followed.
"O-or at the very least the Promethean w-warrior servants."
Jerome said nothing, but the way his head tilted caught Milo's attention.
"D-do you have something to say? I-it's alright to say something... y-you were apart of th-that skirmish... a-any input w-would be helpful."
Jerome turned to Milo, his voice low and sharp, serious.
"I agree with Agent Finch's assessment These being's weaponry, are on par if not slightly weaker than forerunner, by extension Promethean."
The eyes of the scientists and agent turned to Jerome.
"I-if you could, when you were being shot at, wh-what was the n-nature of the munitions?"
Jerome answered Immediately.
"I believe the nature of these being's munitions are an imperfect version or variation of Forerunner and Promethean weaponry... they're soft, unlike hardlight proper, but they punch and splatter on surfaces.. I think they're weaponry is variable."
Silence befell the cabin despite the rumbling of the Mastodon's engines and the hum of it's instruments, the odst's looked at the Spartan, their helmets reflecting the light on their visors.
"Interesting."
Finch said, leaning back before lifting a hand to her chin and continued.
"Variable weaponry, similar to the covenant plasma pistol.."
She would fall silent, a subtle quirk of her lips tilting upwards while everyone else began preparing for the investigation, odst's clicking the safeties of their weapons and the Spartan readying his assault rifle.
After a few minutes something floral returned.