[Gift from beyond the veil, 1x Random Gold Ticket] (Shadow_solder7)
Of all the things I expected to see when released once more, that was not it. Regardless, I rolled the ticket as I stretched my limbs.
[Spinning, spinning, spinning, done!]
[Artoria Fumo]
|Epic Item|
Fate - A Fumo of the true king of Britain, shake this plushie violently to temporarily enact the effect of Avalon, shielding whoever shook it in a nigh-absolute barrier, but the user cannot move or use abilities while the barrier is active.
I didn't say a word as my ancilla filled me in on the situation.
After being in a Cryptum for the last dozen millennia, something had happened that required my attention. The Etran Harborage had stopped responding. I remember clearing out that Flood-infested world not long after the Cleansing.
Though the interior was clean, thanks to the few Warrior Servants who'd helped the local Monitor escape, the surface was crawling with parasites. We'd taken a long time, almost a year, to fully scour the surface of the Shield World before moving on.
Now, it had stopped responding to queries. 000 Tragic Solitude was not only the monitor of the Lesser Ark, but it was also the caretaker of the other monitors still active. I had given clear instructions to check in on the monitors of the various installations still active so we could make sure no Flood survived.
Though many on the New Council were puzzled, I was proven right when a small outbreak of Flood on Installation 05 spiraled out of control. A pity the monitor of that ring had been destroyed, but we'd been able to cleanse the Flood from the ring before a full Gravemind could form.
After that incident, Tragic Solitude had been given standing orders to check in on every other monitor and installation whenever it could. Shield Worlds were also included, just not as often. Etran hadn't responded, and its history demanded we investigate.
With my fleet being the only remaining one, after Bornstellar led his group out of the galaxy, it was up to me to investigate.
Although I knew all the ships were ready to go, I insisted the Navarchs and Princeps check everything one final time. I would rather be overprepared than underprepared if the Flood were involved.
As they did, I mentally contacted each of my familiars to make sure they were still alive. Ridley and the other humanoids had emerged from their shared Cryptum already, and were getting situated.
As for the Snowmen and other more feral monsters, they were having fun living on the Ark itself. Other than the whimsy they brought to the crew, they weren't really useful to have on the ships, so I gave them their own habitats to reside in.
After making sure they were all well, I ordered the fleet to be brought into orbit and prepared for slipspace. Once that was finished, I sent a data packet explaining the situation to the various Princeps before we jumped into slipspace.
I trusted them to give their crew the relevant instructions they'd need as we jumped randomly into the galaxy. Despite the Lesser Ark having never been attacked, I would risk nothing and made sure we always jumped randomly in case we were being followed.
What followed was more of the same. Jumping through slipspace towards Etran as we made sure everything was running as it should, if not better. Over the years, the ships have accrued quite the reputation and visage, and it was nice to see this generation of Navarchs adjusting well to their stations.
Most of the Princeps were still the same ones that had been assigned to me so long ago, all except the Princeps of the Vengeful. She'd been one of many deaths to arise when the Flood tried to board my ship; I gladly tore that Gravemind in half before glassing the planet.
I still had a small trinket made from the remains of her armor. I kept it in my quarters for the most part since I'd rather not lose something so important to myself and the ship. A few others had their own little trinkets that they kept by their consoles, things from their ancestors.
The journey to Etran didn't take very long. Even with the multiple random jumps, it only took us a few days to reach it. What we found, however, was now very pleasant. Where there had once been a Forerunner Shield World, there was now a massive debris field.
"Commander, scans are conclusive. This is what remains of Etran." The Princeps said grimly as a Navarch spoke up. "A ship has been found! Not very advanced, but still active and moving at sub-light speed."
I ordered the fleet to follow the ship as the comms officer sent out a line, and I spoke once connected.
"Attention, trespasser. You are in Ecumene space; state your identity and race. Failure to comply will result in boarding action."
I told the Princeps to give them a full ten minutes as I studied the ship. As we got closer, the scans showed a bulky-looking ship that was nearly half the size of one of our frigates. As we git within visual distance and our frigates surrounded the now-stopped vessel, I noticed the words painted along her hull.
UNSC Spirit of Fire
Like clockwork, the Spirit responded. "This is the UNSC Spirit ofFire; we are humans. Who are you?"
"Establish a video link," I ordered. The Navarch nodded, and a moment later I laid eyes upon the ship's captain. He was a middle-aged man. Probably nearly fifty if I had to guess. Interesting how he looked more like he did in Halo Wars 2 than in the first game.
I imagine it was a bit strange for Cutter. Blowing up a ship full of Covenant and some ancient world, then the owners of said world arrived to demand what happened.
Mendicant alerted me to it having full control of their ship and reported the location of several Flood specimens.
"Greetings, Captain. I am sure you have many questions, but first I must insist you hand over the Flood specimens within your ship; they must be destroyed before they can escape."
He looked surprised as a faint voice opposed this from behind him, but he nodded. I had several dozen Sentinels go and collect the specimens as I began heading towards the docking tube between the Vengeful and Spirit of Fire.
Once there, I watched as each Flood spore and the two infection forms were reduced to atoms. There would be no chances taken today, or ever. The Flood would be eradicated, just as they'd been from the rings. I'd personally seen to that.
"Do you have any idea how much I could have learned from those?!" A voice snapped as I looked up to see a small Asian woman glaring at me with her hands on her hips. With her were the Captain himself, as well as Red Team.
"Do you know what I just destroyed?" I asked, and I cut her off. "No, you don't. If you did, you would have killed everyone who has come into contact with them, sealed suit or not; these things are dangerous."
Seeing one of the Spartans grip their weapon tighter, I sent a command to Mendicant Bias, and the three Spartans froze. Cutter looked back, surprised, as their ship's ancilla, Serina, burst into being.
"What did you do!" She shouted in shock as my own ancilla isolated her and trapped her. "I'm making sure first contact doesn't end in your ship becoming space debris. I'm sure you'd also prefer your crew doesn't become Flood forms."
Serina looked furious, no doubt realizing she was locked in place as Cutter raised a calming hand. "It's ok, Serina. Maybe we just have a misunderstanding here." Cutter then turned to me. "Why are the Flood so dangerous?"
After a good hour of explaining who we were and why the Flood couldn't be left with even a spore, I finally released Red Team as Professor Anders calmed down and Serina returned to her data-core.
"Truthfully, I must thank you for your destruction of the Etran Harborage. We had no idea the Flood had survived enough to take the surface once more. Unfortunately, we cannot allow you to return to your war."
"Why not?" Douglas, one of the Spartans, snapped as the other two tried to calm him. I pulled up various videos of the current state of Humanity, as well as their war with the Covenant.
"You are currently at war with the Covenant. As I'm sure you've figured out by now, they regard us as gods. We are not, and we have failed like many before and after us. To let you go now would spark a rise of violence I'd rather not deal with yet.
Besides, you are without a slipspace drive, and I alone am more than enough to turn your ship to dust. So, for now, you will come with us and be given a chance to recover before your people find you again."
"Find us?" Cutter asked, "You? Yeah, right!" That was Douglas. "Where are we going?" Serina asked sensibly.
"We are going to the Ark. You are going inside of that frigate over there." I pointed towards one of the approaching ships, the Star Chaser. "I don't think we'll fit," Douglas said. "HA, that's what she said!" Ridley cackled as Red Team nearly jumped out of their armor.