Chapter 5: Requiem
December 21, 3241, 0220 hours
Gorges 86-2 System, Forerunner Designate "Epoloch"
Suspected Location of Forerunner Shield World "Requiem"

/Begin Log/

Daily report filed, tagged Lieutenant John-117; status is as follows:

System insertion has been completed at approximately 0157 hours Universal Standard Time, December Twenty First, 3241. Status of team is green. The expedition group assigned to locate the target the UNSC has designated 'Requiem' also reports nominal status. Dilation effect is minimal; all ships arrived within twenty minutes of each other, though astrogation suggests that the group emerged beyond the orbit of the target planet, located in second position around B2V-class star. Requiem is believed to be an artificial construct of Builder rate origin, and if intel is correct, it is the resting place of the Forerunner Warrior-Servant known as the Didact.

In addition to myself, Spartans Kim and Armand have been assigned as support. The UNSC presence is more for our security rather than the other way around.

ONI believes it possible that Forerunner elements may still be active within the Shield World given interactions with two additional Shield fortifications. We are unsure if Requiem has defensive capabilities. We are prepared to respond if necessary.

/End Log/

---

John-117 strode into the bridge of the ONI Prowler. The already small quarters felt almost claustrophobic to the Spartan. He was wrapped in the MJOLNIR armor he had worn since his discovery in EUS-39 several years ago. The suit had been given a new olive paint job and the addition of a bright red Greek letter: Omega. It was painted on his right shoulder, signifying that not only he was a part of it, but that he was the commanding officer of the Special Operations team known by the same name: OMEGA.

Its origins pre-dated his arrival; a ragtag clash of Mobians and Humans that stuck together to fight Julian Kintobor, known also to the UNSC as Robotnik. Since then, Mobians integrated themselves into the Human military nicely. Kim was an example of this. She was a border collie, though from a distance, she appeared as Human as John was, which was not something that could be said lightly either. She was svelte, but was muscled as any Spartan would be. She was out of her armor, dressed in crew fatigues and sitting at Ops. Whatever hair she allowed herself to grow was short, barely a half inch. It was the same color as her black fur. Armand was bulkier. His body was covered in knotted muscles. Scars covered large swaths of his exposed skin, which included his bald head. His skin was the color of olive, showing Mediterranean heritage. He was standing behind the helmsman of the Prowler as she clicked several controls to keep their roll stable.

"Status." John commanded.

"We're in parking orbit now. Mean velocity is seven kilometers per second. The rest of the group is finishing final maneuvers." The helmsman tapped several panels to adjust the finer positioning of the ship. Though the Spartan couldn't feel it, small RCS thrusters fired all over the hull. The Prowler slowly flipped so that the planet appeared to orient with the sun being 'above' it.

"Lieutenant." The COM officer with the rank of Commander on her shoulder said. "Stand by for Admiral Weston!"

John nodded at the officer and stepped towards the center of the cramped bridge. A holotable was placed near the lift, which was beginning to pulse as a call from the command vessel was coming in. John tapped the 'ACCEPT' key. The image of Admiral Benjamin Weston took form. Even in holographic form, the admiral's distinctive scar spanning from left temple to jaw was unmistakable. The eye on the left side of his face gave the impression of being artificial as a result."

"Admiral Weston, sir."

"At ease, son." Weston said. "No need for any of us to get tensed up. What's the status of your Prowler?"

"We've achieved orbit and are beginning scans on Requiem."

"Good. No doubt when the rest of the fleet coordinates in the process we can get some better idea of just what the hell it is. Is there anything you've been able to determine?"

John huffed silently. "It isn't natural."

"No shit." Weston said. A gurgling laugh came from his throat. "Guess the Spartan IIs did have a sense of humor after all."

"Aside from the obvious, initial scanning hasn't been able to penetrate the outer shell. We'll need to wait until we can breach the Shield World until we can get any additional information."

At that exact moment, Cortana shimmered into view. "I can continue running handshake protocols with the Forerunner constructs. Maybe I can sweet-talk my way past their lockouts."

"Excellent work, Cortana. How soon can we expect a result?"

"Anywhere between twenty and fifty hours."

Weston rubbed his nose. "Fifty hours, tops?"

"I can work faster if you'd like."

"No, Cortana. Take your time. It will allows us to secure the area. Though once you establish a connection, I want to be notified immediately."

"Of course, Admiral."

"Carry on, Spartan." Weston said before killing the connection.

John looked at the hologram of his long-time friend. "Fifty hours?"

"I can probably do it in ten."

"Are they saying anything interesting?"

"The usual stuff. Forerunner systems tend to sound the same after a while; asking for verification. I'm trying to give them codewords and phrases we've picked up on Installations 04, 05, and 00, but they don't seem to be working so far. I have a theory though that we need to use phrases that were common to whoever controlled this sort of installation. In this case, it would be Warrior-Servants.

"Do you know any of those?"

"Not much. Not enough to get a response. They spoke an entirely different dialect of the Forerunner language."

"We have to try anyway."

Cortana crossed her arms. "Alright. Get me closer and I'll see if I can convince the ancillas to let me in."

John crossed the bridge back to the helmsmen.

"Sir." One of them said. He twisted around in his seat. "Orders?"

"Take us in closer. We're going to see if we can gain access."

"We're going to have to clear it with the command vessel."

"I think they'll understand." Cortana said. "If you would be so kind as to take us to a two hundred kilometer orbit?"

The helmsman nodded. "Yes ma'am." He turned to his partner. "Spin up engines to full. Take us in.

"Aye, engines answering all ahead full." the other helmsman acknowledged.

The Prowler's twin engines glowed blue as it rocketed away from the group. The relatively small craft appeared even tinier against the alien shell of Requiem. As soon as the Prowler was clear of the other UNSC ship, it turned and fired its engines retrograde. At once, the distant lights of the UNSC ships seemed to launch into the distance as the stealth vessel slowed down. When it the Prowler had bled off enough speed, it drifted closer to the planet. Coasting on pure inertia, it fells towards periapse. Though it took some time, Requiem appeared to fling over the ship. In a few hours, they were a scant couple hundred kilometers above the surface. Even at this altitude it was possible to see intricate designs etched into the surface. Overlapping lattices and interwoven metallic patterns went along the globe. Massive lights pulsed from within and lines of energy lit up every now and again. Construction of such a thing must have taken centuries, if not millennia. The crew sat in awe of the planet, even if it was just an outer shell.

"Hell of a DIY project." Kim said, looking up through the viewport. "Do you think the Forerunners had money?"

"I'm sure they had some method of exchange." Cortana said.

"I'm sure this would have bankrupted several planets worth."

"Remember, Spartan," Cortana reminded, "the reach of the Forerunners was incredibly great. Even today we can only grasp an inkling of it. Even something as complex as Requiem would have only been a drop in the bucket to the Ecumene."

"Blows my mind." Kim said. She shook her head in amazement and her ear twitched. "What about you, Armand? Any profound thoughts?"

"Think I can get a beer on this Forerunner rock?"

Some of the crew smiled.

Cortana chimed in. "I'm going to try running what I know on the Warrior-Servants. It may not be enough to trigger a response, but… wait. I'm picking something up…" her eyes darted around. Her systems were assaulted by new data that she couldn't process. It overwhelmed her instantly. "John! I think something's noticed us!"

Just then, a burst of energy flashed through the bridge. Orange light flooded the compartment, sliding through every square inch. A screaming noise deafened everyone. Kim in particular grabbed both her ears and doubled over on the console. She stamped her feet in pain and gritted her teeth.

John's pulse spiked. "What's that?!"

"Jesus Christ!" the COM officer shouted. "What the hell just hit us?! My console's overloaded! What… what is this?" Characters scrolled across the screen. It looked like static at first but then it resolved itself. Dialogue certainly not of any Human culture flowed like water. Among it all, a symbol.

"Cortana?" the COM officer asked. "Please advise?"

"This… this is Forerunner language… this could be Warrior-Servant script! Yes, I know some of these words! It's a protocol to… scan us. It's pierced our systems! I didn't even see it coming. Wait. Wait, wait, wait."

John made his way to the COM station. "I've seen this before." He couldn't place where though.

Before he could complete his thought, the panel flashed a message from the command vessel. It was Admiral Weston. John tapped the button to accept the call.

"Spartan, I don't know what you just did down there, but something just scanned our ships! That planet just cut into our systems and we're locked out! All ships are reporting loss of all critical systems except for Life Support and Communications. Artificial Gravity is down on all ships and we're dead in the water!"

"We still have propulsion, sir. We have been scanned though."

"Whatever's in that planet obviously thinks your special. Any theories?"

"None, sir." John said. It was a half-lie. He wasn't sure if he wanted to spew off theories right now.

"If you've got propulsion, pull back now! That planet's opening up!"

Cortana was surprised by the order. "Opening up? No, Admiral! That's our chance to get inside!"

"Not without the fleet! A Prowler isn't a combat ship!"

"We're probably not going to get another shot at this!" Cortana urged.

Up ahead, a massive shaft of light appeared poking through the artificial crust of the planet. At the speed the Prowler was orbiting, it would cross it in a matter of minutes.

"We need to make a decision." Kim said. "That opening's coming up pretty fast. Either we're in or not."

"Admiral, I urge you, let us take the chance! There's a reason we weren't shut down. I think whatever's inside Requiem wants us inside. Frankly, I think it has the power to take us whether we want it or not! Advise the rest of the fleet to form a perimeter around the opening in geosynch once you regain power!"

"Goddamit!" Weston groaned. "Alright, I'm trusting you on this one! Get in there and establish a surface presence! As soon as you clear an area and report back in, we're coming after you!"

"Just lost attitude controls!" the starboard helmsman shouted. "RCS systems are offline! Main engines are offline!"

Kim tapped a control panel. "Engineering, somebody tell me what the hell is going on! I want those engines back now!"

"It's no use!" Cortana said. "Power's being forcibly rerouted! That scan must have inserted some malignant code into the Prowler's computer! We're still moving towards the opening! We're not under our own power tough!"

"Armand! I want you to secure the other compartments!" John barked. "Tell the ONI personnel to buckle down and prepare for hard landing!"

"Aye aye, sir!" Armand nodded, moving at once to the lift.

"Hard landing?" Cortana questioned. "Expecting the worst?"

"We do have a reputation." The Spartan answered back.

"Alright, we're losing altitude now! That thing's pulling us in!" the port helmsman said. "Advise sounding collision alarm."

"Agreed." The Lieutetant said.

A shrill tone filled the ship. Everyone started to brace for what they were sure would be an emergency landing.

"We protect the ship and the crew." John said, "Cortana, do we still have shields?"

"Yes." She said at once. "They're still operational. I can boost them. I mean, I do have the spare power."

"Do it." John said quickly.

The opening was now directly below them. The shaft of light the crew saw before was in fact blue sky. Clouds coalesced below the ship, and the barest hints of snow-capped mountains waited on what was the true surface of Requiem.

The COM crackled to life. Weston was sending them a transmission. "Sierra one-one-seven, respond! We're tracking your beacon towards the opening! Is everything alright, son?"

"Negative, Admiral!" Cortana shouted. "The Prowler is not responding to input! I think Requiem has a hold of us! We're going in whether we like it or not!"

"Try to fight it!"

"We're completely locked out!" Cortana reported. "We're crossing the barrier in ten seconds!"

The hull stressed from being tugged in space forcibly. Numerous alarms went off. The helmsmen slammed blast shields down over the viewports and activated backup monitors that projected the landscape beyond. The displays screamed red and urged the crew to give more power to the engines, but by then it was far too late. The Prowler coasted a few more kilometers before sharply angling down through the opening in the Shield World's shell.

"Hang on!" Kim advised. "This is gonna be gnarly!"

The Prowler hit a cushion of air waiting for them, buffeting the craft and pressing the ONI personnel into their seats. John kept his grip iron tight on the COM station, though he could clearly feel the blood rushing to the back of his head. His vision became a vignette. Darkness tugged at the corners of his sight.

Kim barely fared better. The Mobian Spartan was feeling the same effects. The corners of her mouth were tugged by the G-forces, revealing her pointed teeth.

"Tell me we can pull up!" She managed to speak.

"I… I've got atmospheric flight!" The port helmsman said. "I think I can get fly by wire working…"

"Do it fast! I think I'm gonna hurl!" Kim groaned.

"Aim for the COMs station!" Armand said. "He owes me ten bucks!"

"Let me handle it!" Cortana said. "Everyone sit tight!"

The altitude reader started to blare. Outside, the peaks of mountains began to pass the Prowler. Cortana pulled back hard on the stick. The flaps on the sides of the ship's body as well as on the wing angled sharply to bleed off speed. Metal stressed and groaned as the wings caught the air.

"Come on! Come on!" Cortana urged. The vertical speed was lowering, but would it be enough before the Prowler hit the ground? The monitor then started to scream an alarm. They were still heading down fast.

The Prowler's nose angled upwards. The engines were pointed nearly directly at the ground firing at full throttle as much as she could force them. It wasn't enough, so she slapped the afterburners on. Raw fuel was dumped into the ignition source to create more thrust. She hoped as well, the lower weight would work with them.

The bridge crew had passed out a minute before. Their arms hung in the air as the vessel was fighting free-fall. Their blanks faces and dull eyes were unaware of their current situation. Armand and Kim were still conscious but were fighting the G-forces hard. Only John seemed to be unaffected completely.

"Twelve seconds to impact!" Kim said. "I'm not dying like this!"

"I know! Shut up!" Cortana said. "We're going to make it!"

She had run the calculations, but the real world rarely worked according to plan.

Regardless, Kim did the sign of the cross.

But the altimeter's screaming stopped. The readings were showing that the vertical speed had fallen enough. They were no longer going down, but rather up.

"Got it!" Cortana said. "We're safe!"

"Not too soon." Armand said.

"Good work, Cortana." John nodded. "Put us on the ground. Kim, Armand, wake the crew. Go check the other compartments. Make sure we didn't lose anybody." John made his way over to the viewport of the now-stabilized bridge, raised the blast shields, and glanced out.

He wasn't expecting to see a sunny day.

What looked very much like the sun greeted his eyes. A mess of bright green trees, rock formations, and a rolling plain stretched out into the distance. The silvery structures of Forerunner make dotted the landscape, and massive structures that had to be several miles tall hovered in the air. They were like spears, reaching to something far beyond the cloud tops. And above that, barely visible through breaks in the fluff was the tell-tale sign of the artificial lattice and the shell that the Prowler had passed through to get in.

To use a term he didn't think often: it was beautiful.

John had to admit there was some appeal to the forest. I reminded him of Reach and his childhood. However, he couldn't let that get in the way of things now.

Cortana banked the Prowler and found a location to land. The ONI ship soon found a clearing in the trees that was about twice the wingspan of their craft. The landing gear extended and the belly jets held the spacecraft in the air for a few seconds as the system deployed. When they were perhaps a few feet from the grass, Cortana cut the jets and let the Prowler's mass bounce on the gear.

"Jets clear." She said. "Systems reporting no damage aside from a little stress on that entry. Aside from that, we are A-OK."

The bridge crew had begun to come around by the moment the ship touched down. Armand and Kim had gone through the rest of the ship. A few injuries had been reported, but no fatalities were found. It was a good result to an unexpected start to the operation.

John walked back to the Ops table. He looked Cortana in the face. "What was that, exactly?"

"Couldn't tell you. That beam came from the opening of the shell. My guess it's meant to help guide ships into the opening like a tractor beam, but I didn't overhear any orders on who started it up."

"Are there perhaps living Forerunners here?" John asked.

"Possibly. I can't be certain. Judging on our previous encounters, the greater possibility is sentinels or a monitor." She placed her hand to her chin. "Except for the Didact of course, though I doubt he's personally controlling this."

"Do you have an idea where he could be?"

"No, not without getting a better understanding of the surrounding area."

The bridge opened again. Kim and Armand re-entered the bridge.

"Spartans: I have a job for you." She said.

"Sure, what's up?" Armand asked. His tone was hopeful that he would be getting off the ship. He wanted to get some dirt between his toes after that stunt.

"I'm having a bit of a hard time tapping into the systems of this planet. I'm probably being locked out. Warrior-Servants are likely far more conservative with their systems access than Lifeworkers. Until I can get a location of a Cartographer locked down, I need you two to scout the area. Find some clues as to important structures. You find anything that can give us access to a map or a transportation net, let me know immediately."

"Of course." Kim nodded. "You want us armed?"

"Definitely." Cortana said. "Though if you see a threat, you let it act first."

"Don't turn this whole planet hostile." John urged.

"We won't." Kim reassured. "Come on, Armand. I'm tired of flying for a while."

The pair turned and re-entered the elevator. It slid shut behind them. The sound of the bridge crew communicating with the other departments filled John's ears.

"In the meantime, I'm going to try and get a message to Admiral Weston."

"Sorry, Cortana." One of the bridge officers said. He appeared at the table. "I just tried that. My signal was bounced back to me."

"You're kidding." The AI said. "Try it again."

"I tried three times. It was a clear loop. It's like it can't even get past the shell."

Cortana herself tried, but saw the officer was correct. Not a peep was making it through the shell. "Well, that's a complication."

"Someone really wants to keep us quiet." John said. "You think it could be the Didact?"

"First of all, we find the Cartographer." Cortana said. "Once we do that and secure a communications channel, then we can worry about the Didact. Right now I want to let Weston know his two hundred million credit Prowler and Spartans haven't gone down in a ball of fire."