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Answers (Halo2: Chapter 10)
Posted By: Shadowrunner<mortenthenerd@hotmail.com>
Date: 14 August 2003, 10:38 PM


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Yo, guys. I haven't been writing for several weeks, but that was because I didn't feel like writing. And when I don't feel like writing, and try to do it, the result sucks. But here it is. And I promise it'll put a little spin on things ;p



Cortana was hard at work. Over 90 trillion terabytes was processed a second, as she searched through the covenant databanks she could now hack effortlessly. Every human, Gridi'n and covenant computer was working for her cause, as she planned the future of the galaxy. She only needed this small piece of the puzzle: What were the Gridi'n? Certainly they were not of covenant origin, yet some distinct signatures in their technology was shared with them. But why?

She had the covenant mostly figured out, though. They were renagede troops, originally captured by the forerunners and brought to the prophets for religious supressing. All the races of the covenant were not particularly smart, except for elites, so they quickly started believing in what the prophets told them. What the forerunners did not see, however, was that eventually even the prophets started believing in what they said. And the foreunner religion, the largest and most epic of all scamps ever made, collapsed into a state where each prophet told different truths. The higher prophets started calling themselves The Chosen, and believed they where sent to the galaxy by higher orders to make the prophet race rule the galaxy. The following battles were rough and deathtolls were high. Eventually the covenant won, The Great Council was founded, and for millenias the covenant built up their armies. By causing dispair among the participants of The Great Council, they disbanded it and the prophets started a crusade against every species not under covenant control.

Deathtolls on all opposing sides were catastrphic, and the covenant seemed unstoppable. But then they encountered humanity. The prophets were eager to wage war upon us, and hence the colony Harvest was attacked. But then, something happened: This race actually retaliated and destroyed a covenant warship. The last destruction of a covenant warship happened during the forerunner wars over 10.000 years ago. The prophets sent bigger and bigger armies against this mysterious race that stood against the tide. They penetrated deeper and deeper into human territory, but more and more warships were destroyed. The human deathtolls were of course much greater. But they were the first race since the forerunner that had stood such admirably and held their ground, if only for a short time.

In the Earth year 1120, when vikings roamed the seas, The Great Council was disbanded, and all involved lifeforms targeted for extermination. Among these were the Gridi'n. But that was about everything Cortana could find about them. During The Incident of The Great Council 7 lower prophets defected from the covenant saying they "had seen the truth". They claimed that, at some point, the unstoppable covenant army would be crushed by a creature in the silver armors of Korrhrania. That his spiecies alone would be able to stand against the covenant. Most people laughed at them, some because the covenant "couldn't be stopped" and some because the legend of Korrhrania was considered utter nonsense and bed-time stories.

However, a few races believed in this, though they hid it to the outside. The Gridi'n were one of these. Most races from the council were destroyed in few weeks following the incident. The 7 prophecy sayers were tortured to death by the most painfull methods known. As other races began to flee when the covenant ships showed up in a stellar sysem, the covenant easily bonded many races to it's web. This went on for 1400 years exactly and then humanity was encountered. Though the impressive propaganda machines in the covenant network worked at full capacity, they could not hide that this single race had stood against The Chosen's crusade. Many of the nearly extinct races headed towards human controlled space, but most were intercepted and crushed. The covenant still had extensive search parties scouring the galaxy when Earth was attacked, leaving only the tip of the iceberg to be able to attack humanity's homeworld. Unexpectedly, the Gridi'n got through the blockades of the covenant, damaging, but not destroying, one of their torpedo cruisers.

There were still several races under way to Earth, it's coordinates widely known because of the immense subspace activity in the area, when the covenant attacked. Cortana estimated that of all the 340 civilizations only 20 or so would make it to Earth, if the covenant kept up their searchings. But why keep up searchings, when the searchers could be used to hammer every ounce of strength out of the defenders of Earth? Why?

Humans were a legendary race, destined to lead the counteroffensive against the prophets. Destined to win the war. Destined to breed the ultimate warrior, in form of a half-diety, wearing green armor at first. But when the prophecy was known to be true he would change into his real form and have armor shining with the lights of all the deads of this horrible war. It was not his coming; but his return. Korrhrania was, according to the legend wich was considered a bed-time story, indeed a humanoid wearing green first, like the sword-crabs of Jehyyna', in green armor until they grow adult, and change to silver, becoming the most feared predator in the entire galaxy, though only 86-89 centimeters long.

But then Cortana passed over a slump of data dated to the equalivant of the Earth year 14.056.343 BC:

[Start] I have now grown to my full purpose and I know it. I will only need to find the legendary sword of ghosts: Cortana. With this blade, as I believe it is, I will be unstoppable and can finally fullfill my part of the prophecy. Though I am binded with a great grief: Many of the prophecy's told happenings have not taken place, as they were supposed to be. Among wich is the destruction of the "Pillar Of Spring" and my age-long friend, the captian, Jacob Keyes.

After our construction of the Halos my mind has given me disturbing dreams of things to come. Though these Halos are supposed to protect us, I feel they are the opposite; a means to vipe all out, should we be on the verge of defeat. The Flood is threatening to invade our inner systems as well. And I feel an urge to go to specific places... "before I die" says my mind. Among these, my strongest longing was to a facility in the middle of the desert on Halo 01. I do not know why exactly this facility was such an urge to my mind, but I must obey my feelings, or else the prophecy cannot be true. If I die, the prophecy may yet come true if I follow my heart and feelings. Though I doubt it.

-John "Korrhrania" Spartan[end]

As she read this, she felt yet another brick of the puzzle fall into place: The solution. The solution was her. Cortana. If she hadn't randomly directed the "Pillar Of Autumn" where they met Halo 04... It wouldn't have been destroyed. If she had been there she could act as a "sword of ghosts" invisible, but destructive in the means of hacking.

So it came down to this... All humanity was ever about... Was to evolve into Cortana and John Spartan. But... Why? And when.

—To be continued



By: Shadowrunner
"My name may be shadow... But I'm far deadlier than such a thing"





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