Chapter 245 – Ambush in the Making! Phase-Two Flood! The Reclaimer Arrives!
An hour later, the hull hangar doors of the Endless Night groaned open. A Wasp-class transport and three Stormhawk gunships launched from within, roaring out into the void.
This advance team sped straight toward the shield world's atmosphere, heading for the site of ancient Forerunner ruins.
Inside the Wasp's troop bay, the members of the Celestial Vanguard's advance unit were already suited up in newly issued heavy power armor, preparing for their investigation mission.
Rita and Cage, both standard human-sized soldiers, were outfitted in polymer-battery-powered, corporate-manufactured suits modeled after the Mark X power armor.
These imitation suits were noticeably smaller and lacked the full functionality of genuine Mark X armor. However, with ceramite-steel plating and excellent sealing, they still provided solid protection.
At the very least, Rita no longer had to worry about the Flood spores on the ground—she could simply focus on the task at hand.
The corporation's R&D division had designed these suits precisely so that non-Astartes soldiers could also benefit from the Mark X's advantages.
Though technically a "stripped-down" version, the suit was still far superior to a standard exoskeleton. It was tough, well-sealed, and packed with more integrated functions than regular power armor. It could even sync up with authentic Mark X units for communications and coordination. Aside from being smaller, there were barely any differences.
Suppressing her racing thoughts, Rita refocused her attention on her tactical helmet and scanned the contents on the HUD display.
[Distance to Shield World 0459 Surface: 30 kilometers!]
The number on-screen ticked downward, indicating their rapid descent toward the surface.
At that moment, the advance team heard their commander, David Martinez, issue an order:
[Everyone, listen up. As soon as we land, immediately establish a defensive perimeter at the designated location. Cover our researchers while they enter the ruins.]
[Stay alert. Don't let the Flood pierce your armor. If you get infected, you're as good as dead. Understood?]
Although the ceramite-plated armor offered excellent protection against airborne spores and direct Flood contact, even the toughest materials could suffer from fatigue.
If the team got caught in a large-scale Flood assault, there was still a risk of armor breach and infection.
"Yes, sir!"
The soldiers responded in unison.
Hearing their firm reply, David temporarily cut the comms link and turned his attention to the latest intelligence on the Flood.
According to HQ's data, the Flood operated like a hive mind. Each unit's genetic programming had one objective: assimilation.
They would relentlessly attack any viable target, regardless of risk. Even under withering fire, they showed no fear or hesitation.
While the Flood on this shield world hadn't fully erupted or gone out of control, the feral strains still posed a significant threat.
Naturally, if the Flood population turned out to be too overwhelming for the team to proceed, David would call an immediate retreat.
They'd wait for Niccolo to finish engineering the Scorpid-Manticore virus, use it to purge the infected zones, and only then resume exploration of the Forerunner site.
But given current intel—and the capabilities of their power armor—David was confident this mission would proceed without major setbacks.
Before long, the flight group closed in on the surface.
"All personnel, prepare for groundfall. We're landing on the shield world now!"
The AI assistant's voice rang out through the comms. The soldiers rose to their feet in unison. As the rear hatch opened, a wave of thick, murky air rushed into the bay.
"Eyes sharp—check your surroundings!"
David, first out of the hatch, barked his order to the team.
Their landing zone was a barren wasteland. In the distance, towering city ruins tangled with overgrown jungle—once a civilization brought to ruin, now slowly reclaimed by nature.
Despite the greenery, the air was thick with swirling black dust, and the sky above was choked in a yellow haze.
These visible particulates were microscopic spores emitted by the Flood. Simply drifting through the air, they could infect and assimilate any living creature they touched.
BOOM—!
After deploying their troops, the gunships and transport launched a swarm of AI-controlled drones, which immediately began circling above.
These would provide both reconnaissance and air-to-ground fire support as needed.
Once the dynamic scanners and pulse readers confirmed no immediate threats, David issued further orders:
"Team One and Team Four, you're with me. Teams Two and Three, hold position and secure the landing zone."
Team One consisted of elite Astartes from the Celestial Vanguard—the operation's core fighting force.
Team Four, under Rita's command, comprised elite human soldiers.
"Yes, sir!"
Everyone moved into action without hesitation.
While Rita remained with the forward force, Reed lead Teams Two and Three—also Astartes—to secure the rear.
"Reed, the zone's yours."
"Understood."
Then David raised his bolt rifle and led the vanguard toward their objective.
Moving quickly, they soon reached the outskirts of the ancient Forerunner city. Scanning their surroundings, Cage couldn't help but feel a twinge of anxiety.
This was his first time operating in such a deadly environment, squaring off against the Flood and Covenant soldiers alike.
Heavy metallic footsteps echoed through the crumbling streets, now overrun with wild grass and the scars of past destruction.
"It's… a little too quiet. Could be an ambush," Rita said cautiously. Ever-vigilant, she couldn't shake the sense that something was wrong—some hidden threat lingering in the silence.
Hearing her concern, David checked the readings on his tactical HUD. Seeing nothing abnormal, he replied:
"Danger or not, stay alert. The Flood on this world has existed for tens of thousands of years—there could be signs of a Gravemind."
The Gravemind was the final evolutionary stage of the Flood. Any star system where one took root was essentially lost—uninhabitable.
That said, according to available intelligence, even if this world did harbor a Gravemind, it was likely still in a primitive stage and not yet a serious threat.
"Let's keep moving."
With that, David led the group along a pre-marked route, picking up speed.
As they charged forward, the rhythmic clanking of their heavy armor filled the ruins.
Just as they were nearing the next intersection, red warning markers suddenly flashed across all their tactical HUDs—accompanied by clusters of red dots.
That could only mean one thing: a massive number of unknown lifeforms lay directly ahead!
David reacted instantly, signaling his team to fire on the buildings up ahead.
A thunderous barrage erupted as bolt rounds tore through the air, their orange-yellow trails slicing toward the suspected ambush point—striking the crumbling facades of the ruined structures.
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In an instant, the structure was destroyed, collapsing with a thunderous rumble, shattering into fragments.
Amidst the chaos, Flood creatures that had been lurking behind the debris suddenly burst forth from the ruins, accompanied by piercing howls.
Clearly, these creatures—resembling slimy octopi with writhing arthropod tentacles—were the very Flood forms that David and his fellow warriors needed to watch out for.
No wonder these things are called the Flood—they really do look like a deluge crashing down, Rita thought to herself in awe, standing toward the rear flank of the squad.
Seeing this scene unfold, David Martinez couldn't help but frown. These Flood had actually set up an ambush to attack passing lifeforms.
This alone proved that the Flood on the surface of the Shield World had evolved past their initial, mindless growth phase. They'd entered a second stage—developing strategies to assault and infect hosts to propagate further.
If these Flood succeeded in ambushing and infecting a new batch of lifeforms, the situation could escalate into the third stage: the emergence of Graveminds!
"Open fire!!"
Without hesitation, David gave the order to concentrate firepower on the approaching Flood. In an instant, countless explosive bolts shot from their rifles.
High-explosive rounds filled with steel pellets, iron sand, and gunpowder rained down among the Flood.
Amid the deafening blasts, Flood forms hit by the explosive rounds burst like overripe balloons, one after another disintegrating into dust.
Given their large numbers, David quickly decided to split the squad into two groups. The Astartes warriors would engage in close combat, taking the offensive against the Flood.
Rita would lead the second team on the flank, providing suppressive fire and disrupting the main force of the Flood from the side.
"Squad One, with me! Squad Four, cover us!"
Following David's command, the well-trained soldiers split up immediately. Rita's team formed a crossfire net on the flank, while David charged forward with chainsword and bolt rifle in hand.
The elite vanguard of Squad One was equipped with the highest-grade personal gear from the Megacorp: top-tier weapons, enhanced physical capabilities, and—most importantly—power armor that provided superior protection. They didn't have to worry about Flood attacks in the short term.
Leading the charge, David and his vanguard plunged straight into the swarm. In the blink of an eye, they were completely surrounded by Flood forms.
BOOM!
Squelch!!
David slashed with his chainsword in one hand, fired his bolt rifle with the other, weaving and darting through the Flood like Lü Bu unleashing his ultimate attack in Dynasty Warriors, ruthlessly cutting down everything in his path.
With Rita and her soldiers picking off the Flood from the flank using plasma rifles, high-caliber electromagnetic cannons, and precision-guided laser sniper fire, the enemy ranks erupted with explosions and energy discharges.
In no time, the Astartes warriors under David's command had carved a bloody path through the charging Flood, pushing forward in an orderly sweep to purge the alien infestation ahead.
These Flood, however, were stubborn to the core. Though clearly no match for the heavily armed soldiers, they continued to charge forward without hesitation.
The result? Complete annihilation. They saved David the trouble of ordering a sweep to root out survivors.
Soon, every last Flood in the area had been exterminated. Once the battlefield stabilized, David issued his next commands:
"Everyone, run a self-check on your physical condition and power armor systems—look for any damage or leaks. Squad One, continue the forward search and eliminate any stragglers."
"Squad Four, maintain formation. Stay alert for attacks from the flanks and rear—don't let any Flood slip through."
Since these Flood had evolved to the second stage, David had to take extra precautions. There was a real risk they might feign death and launch a surprise attack.
"Yes, sir!"
With the order given, the team resumed their advance. And sure enough, they soon discovered remnants of the Flood hiding in cover, lying in wait for an ambush.
Ratatat!
Ratatatat!
Gunfire echoed sharply through the desolate streets of the ruined city. In less than fifteen minutes, David's team had cleared out the remaining Flood.
Even if a few scattered forms remained, they posed no threat—not to a force of Megacorp soldiers.
As they looked at the ground littered with broken Flood corpses, black spores began to seep from the bodies. David, Rita, and the others instinctively stepped back.
"Who the hell made these freaks? They don't even settle down when they're dead!" William Cage cursed.
It was clear they'd need to undergo a strict decontamination and sterilization process before returning to the flagship.
Meanwhile, Reed had successfully escorted the Smart AI Loki, shiver, and Dr. Halsey into the city.
Originally, Dr. Halsey hadn't needed to risk herself by personally participating in the ruins exploration. But considering the need to prove her value and establish authority, she had decided to come in person.
Halsey trusted in the professional capabilities of the Megacorp soldiers.
Surveying the chaos and destruction around her, she turned to David and said:
"Since the surface of the Shield World is guarded by Sentinel Defenders, that battle just now likely drew them in. Once they arrive, we can identify ourselves and have them lead the way."
So far, Megacorp's intelligence had only allowed them to approximate the location of the Shield World's ruins. The precise entry point still required guidance from the Sentinels.
"Will those AI really help us? What if they see us as enemies instead?" Rita asked, unfamiliar with Shield World protocols.
"They won't. If humanity truly is the designated Reclaimer of the Forerunners, then the Sentinels have no reason to harm us," Halsey replied.
She had confidence in the accuracy of Megacorp intelligence. If they could reach the ruins, they'd gain a wealth of scientific data—and potentially activate a powerful gravity well device that could forcibly drag the Covenant fleet in low orbit into the planet's core.
Once trapped, Megacorp forces could wipe out the Covenant's vanguard in one decisive strike.
Where they stood now was merely the outer shell of the Shield World. The real prize lay deep within—its core.
Soon enough, David and the others spotted a swarm of white, bee-like drones swiftly approaching—Sentinel Defenders of the Shield World.
Controlled by lesser-tier AI, these multifunctional robots patrolled, maintained, and fought throughout the structure. Their purpose: destroy the Flood, repair the Shield World, and await the arrival of the Reclaimers.
Halsey carefully examined the Sentinels. They used anti-gravity drives and pulse engines, and the high-energy beams from their heads could incinerate enemy units—or heal themselves and buildings.
The Shield World had lasted tens of thousands of years thanks to these machines.
These robots are master builders, Halsey thought. With them, Megacorp's construction speed for surface facilities and starships would skyrocket.
Megacorp's most renowned construction bot was the six-legged HEX, a spider-like drone limited to building duties. It couldn't repair structures or defend them like the Sentinels could.
A Sentinel that could fight and repair—now that's the kind of bot Megacorp really needed.
At that moment, the Sentinels reached David's team. Ignoring the Astartes soldiers, they went straight to the Flood corpses, purging the area with lasers to destroy the spewing spores.
A foul, scorched stench rose from the Flood bodies. Thankfully, their power armor's air filtration systems shielded them from the overwhelming reek.
Then, a few Sentinels approached David and Dr. Halsey, emitting scanning beams in an attempt to identify the organisms before them.
Seeing this ambiguous beam, David and Reed instinctively pulled Halsey behind them, wary the machines might open fire.
Rita and the others reloaded, pulled back their rifle bolts, and leveled their weapons at the advancing Sentinels.
Sensing the rising tension, Dr. Catherine Halsey calmly stepped forward and declared:
"We are humans—Reclaimers chosen by the Forerunner civilization. We seek to enter the core of the Shield World and reactivate all Forerunner systems and weaponry. Everything here must be restored."
Without hesitation, Halsey clearly stated her identity and intent.
Sure enough, once the Sentinels confirmed Halsey as a human from the Halo universe's 004 system, they withdrew.
They rejoined the others in cleansing the Flood corpses to prevent secondary contamination.
Relieved, Halsey finally exhaled. Had David or the others attempted to negotiate, the Sentinels might have misidentified them as hostiles.
That could have led to a catastrophic skirmish.
After all, Halsey was a native "local human" of the 004 universe, making her far easier to authenticate via Sentinel scans.
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