Chapter 25 The End of an Era

Fire and explosions rocked the control room of the Halo ring but yet the Master Chief and Arbiter stood still their energy swords at the read. As if on cue the two of them charged forward. The Arbiter tried a simple slash only to get blocked by the Chief's only sword. The Chief tried to elbow the Arbiter in the face only to miss by inches. The Arbiter jumped back separating from the Chief.

"Very good Master Chief." said the Arbiter

"I have to ask why now?" asked the Chief "Why fight me as the world ends?"

"It is traditional for duels like these have to take place on a battlefield." said the Arbiter

"I see." said the Chief as they charged toward each other again. This time the Arbiter blocked his sword attack, the Chief followed up the sword attack with a kick to the face, the kick found its mark as the Arbiter went flying backwards. The Chief charged forward across the platform to deliver another attack however an explosion caused part of the walkway to give away leaving a gap between him and the arbiter, a gap he couldn't jump without being wide open to an attack from the Arbiter.

"This will take longer than you think Spartan." said the Arbiter as he rolled toward a single bridge that held the Chief's and the Arbiter's side together. Seeing this the Chief

"Lieutenant Ian we are 2/3 the through the Colonial refugee camp." Reported a sergeant

"How many killed?" asked Ian

"Estimates are 15 dead on our side, most were killed in the opening moments of the riot and we have recovered their bodies, 32 rioters dead, 100 plus wounded on both sides." Reported the sergeant

"Alright keep moving forward." stated Ian as he stood on top of a command elephant, a line of arrested colonials moving past him.

Down below him Alec, Blake and Tom moved down on of the tunnel until they reached another corner.

"Get the Godsless bitch!" yelled a voice as Alec looked around the corner to see a large group of colonials armed with pipes and other homemade weapons trying to break down a side door to what he guessed to be a computer server room. There were some bullet holes in the door.

"Laura beacon is coming from within that room." stated Blake

"They get one warning." said Tom

"We shouldn't even give them that." stated Alec as he quickly moved to the other wall. "Three…two…one."

On one Alec, Blake and Tom turned the corner with their SMG raised, Tom got down on one knee to let Black shot over him. The Colonials instantly turned toward the lights of the ODST flashlights.

"Colonials drop your weapons!" ordered Tom as the Colonials started to come toward them with their weapons raised.

"Open Fire!" yelled Alec as they opened up on the group. It took only a few seconds for all three of them to empty their guns, they quickly reloaded but there was no need, the SMG in a confine space meant there was no cover from the bullets. All the colonials where down, most of them with more than one bullet hole in them.

Blake bolted over the dead bodies toward the door. With one massive charge he broke down the door. At once he had a gun on him.

"Blake?" asked Laura as she lowered her gun.

"It's me, I came to get you would of here." said Blake

"I hope you brought a lot of people." said Laura as Blake noticed six people all in UNSC uniform or cloths marking them as aid givers lying on the floor most had wounds. "Because most of these people can't walk without risking death."

"Crap." said Alec

Back on Caprica the Arbiter and the Master Chief swords clashed as both of them tried to kill each other. The Arbiters moved to the side as much as possible to avoid a stab from the Chief but with so little room to move on the platform he couldn't move all the way. The edge of the Chief's sword graved his arm as blood flowed out. However the Chief had extended himself giving the arbiter a clear shot at the Chief's body, he took it as he aimed for the Chief's heart. Honor demanded that he went full go into the chief.

"Sadly It appears that I am better warrior, Spartan." said the Arbiter as his sword was an inch away from the Chief's chest plate. But it wasn't meant to be, the Chief moved faster than he had ever seen, the Chief dropped his sword and with both hands grabbed the arbiter's hand before the sword could touch him.

"Arbiter….this is the hardest thing I have ever done." said the Chief as he deactivated his visor letting the arbiter see the Chief's real face for the first and only time. The old enemies turned brother in arms looked at each other for a second before the chief broke the Arbiter's sword grab. Before the sword could even drop a foot the Chief grabbed it and stuck it deep in the Arbiter's chest. The Arbiter smiled as the Chief pulled the sword out as the Arbiter fell to the ground.

On Kobol things where not looking good.

"Ok how are we going to do this?" asked Tom

"There is no way we can carry these people to a safe location and if the colonials followed them down here it is only a matter of time before they come down to escape the police above or to find out why these people haven't come back." said Alec "Plus it seems the tunnels are now flooding."

"We could try and send a message out?" said Tom

"How, these tunnels are lined with so much computer equipment that interferes with our communication system, so we can't call out." said Alec as he heard some noises come from the distance. "Tom stay here I am going to go take a look."

"Alright." said Tom as Alec took off down the tunnel making sure to make as little noise as possible. Finally he reached a cross point, just in time to see a line of ODST with some prisoners in tow turn the corner. The lead ODST stopped as he looked right to Alec.

"You can come out soldier." Said the leader as Alec walked out.

"Always so series Commander Hale?" asked Alec as he stepped into the light "You haven't changed since you where my first team leader back when I was a rookie."

"Alec, dairy farmer Alec?" asked the Commander as he lowered his gun "I had no idea your Irish ass was on this rock."

"Ya, I have been assigned under Lieutenant Ian Talyor." said Alec

"Good commander, I had one of his younger brothers until he died." Said Commander Hale

"Nate I need some help." said Alec

"You never ask for help." said Commander Nathan Hale

"It's more of help for my squad and by helping them they don't drive me up the wall." said Alec

"Sir we are a time critical mission." said another as Alec noticed the OIN mark on their armor.

"So you're black ops ODST now." said Alec

"I can't confirm that." said Commander Hale

"I don't care, what I care about is the wounded soldiers and civilians I have down this corridor that will be sitting ducks if the colonials come in mass." said Alec

"How many wounded?"

"Six, and I have three ODST with me." said Alec

"Alright." said Hale as he looked at the three members of his team. "Go help with the wounded we will take them with us to the Land Zone."

"Yes, sir."

Back on Caprica the Master Chief knelt beside the dying body of the Arbiter.

"Spartan." said the Arbiter as he lifted his hand into the air, which the chief took. "Thank you Spartan, it…was an honor to die at your hands. To die an honorable death."

"It was an honor to fight by your side." said the Chief as placed the Arbiter's sword on his chest

"You need to go Spartan." said the Arbiter just then series of explosions rocked the area as the walkway started to give way.

"Let me at least take you back to the Pelican you can be buried at home." said the Chief as the arbiter shook his head.

"My home is one the battlefield." said the Arbiter as blood poured out onto the floor as his blood . "Spartan it is time to go…or else this will your tomb as well."

"Goodbye Arbiter." said the Chief as he stood up and saluted the Arbiter.

"Goodbye….Spartan." said the Arbiter as he breathed his last.

Outside the control tower near the crash scarab a lone Pelican hovered.

"Lieutenant we need to get out of here!" yelled the pilot as he looked down to see the flood was now crawling up the base of the tower as explosions rocked the area.

"Hold your position." ordered Rose as she and the Arbiter's son stood in the back of the Pelican waiting.

"That is we are getting out of here before the entire planet blows to kingdom come." said the Pelican pilot as he began to pull away.

"Stop!" yelled Rose as she spotted the Chief bolting out of the flames that surrounded the tower "Here he comes."

Slowly the Pelican backed up as the Chief made a leap of faith into the air trying to reach the pelican, but it was too far out and he began to fall. Suddenly Rose's hand shot down grabbing the Chief's hand.

"Hold on Chief." ordered Rose as she struggled to pull the Chief up. Suddenly another hand, the hand of the Arbiter's son joined Rose in pulling the Chief into the Pelican.

"Welcome back onboard Chief." said Cortana using Rose's speakers

"Hate to break it to you all but this planet is breaking apart and there is no way we can get into space in time." Stated the Pilot as lava broke through the spots on the surface of Caprica. Suddenly a the thick clouds above them broke apart as the Onto Glory appeared.

"Thank you God." said the Pilot as he made a v line toward the open hanger doors.

"General this ship was never designed to enter the atmosphere." reported Joseph as alarms filled the air.

"That doesn't matter now." ordered General Stose as the ship rocked and rolled. "Just them onboard before the entire planet goes."

"Sir if the planet goes our shields will not hold." stated Joseph

"How long until they are onboard?" demanded General Stose

"Sir, 35 seconds they are on board." reported an Aid

"The moment they are board enter slip space." ordered General Stose

"General the odds of them getting on board and us entering slip space before the planet implodes is 1 in a trillion." stated Joseph

"Joseph….shut up." ordered General Stose as the planet went up in a giant explosion.

Back on Kobol the ONI ODST team with the members of the other ODST team emerged from the tunnels to a small park near a now burning synagogue. After lighting the building on fire the rioters had left but it was only a matter of time.

"We have maybe a minute before the rioters are pushed to our location." Said a member

"Where is your ride?" asked Alec as the Commander light a blue flare.

"It's coming." Said Hale as a Pelican and two Falcon came out of the early morning sky. The Pelican landed as the prisoners and the wounded were loaded up.

"What is up with the extra people?" asked the Pilot

"Wounded we came across so make a quick stop at the hospital." ordered Hale

"Alright, but you have to explain it to the higher ups." stated the Pilot as a large crowed of colonials arrived, they were running away from the approaching UNSC police force."Time to go."

With that the Pelican took off into the sky leaving Ian and the remaining UNSC forces to finish mopping up the Colonial riot.

Meanwhile in the Colonial system the Onto Glory emerged from slip space with rocks from the remains of Caprica around it.

"Report." ordered General Stose

"Shields down to 7% and we have taken damaged on the port side from lava but all in all we are ok." Reported Joseph

"Was the Chief onboard?" asked General Stose

"yes, we have recovered them." said Joseph

"So it is finally over." said General Stose

"Not so." said Joseph "We are getting reports from all over the system, different groups are moving to claim their own independence from the colonial government. Whole planets have rebelled against the colonial government, namely Sagittaron."

"So the colonial government has fallen?" asked General Stose

"Well no one seems to be doing anything to carry out their presidents orders to attack us." Said Joseph "Looks like we will have to take over the running these planets."

"Something we would have done no matter what." said General Stose as he looked at the new problem in front of him.

"Sir, may I recommend transferring the fleet command flag to the Art of War, this ship needs to head back for repairs." stated Joseph.

"And the higher ups will want the Master Chief back as soon as possible." said General Stose

Earth Capital Building Washington DC Six Months After The Fall of Caprica and the Destruction of the Cylons.

After the parades and welcome home parties, the greatest since the celebration of the end of the first human covenant war, a meeting of the highest government leaders gathered in the halls of the old American Capital Building. The capital building which hadn't been changed in hundreds of years looked odd compared to the giant skyscrapers that made the new Washington DC. While it was still technically the capital building for Earth's local government it was hardly used, instead the new UN building in New York which had become the home of the UNSC intergalactic council was used.

"So the war is over with the covenant?" asked one of the man in business suits

"Mostly there are still a few ships running about but they are off little worry to us." said another man as he walked up.

"What of these Cylons that are still alive?" asked one of the woman in the group.

"Most of them are sleepers and will not activate without the right code so why bother with them, let them live the rest of their lives in peace." said the first man

"Agreed and the few who do have agreed to be constantly monitored, only a few refused and had to be taken care of." said another

"What of the other 11 planets?" asked one of the gathered

"They will be brought into the fold, their population is so small compared to us and already we are moving some of our over population into the system that within a generation or two they will think of themselves not as the 12 tribes of Kobol but as members of the UNSC."

"Sounds good, what of Cortana and the Master Chief." added another

"Cortana is working on the Cylon technology, she believes that she can find a way to solve rampancy issues and maybe transfer our AI's into humanoid Cylon like bodies."

"Is that a good idea letting AIs look like humans?" asked one of the group gathered.

"From what I can understand, they don't take all their brain power with them, they would just like us, but with memoires of being an AI."

"Then may I make a proposal." said the woman as the men looked at her "Why don't we offer it like we do a retirement package? The AI works for a certain amount of time and if he or she wants we transfer them to a new human body to live out the rest of their lives like normal human."

"A very smart idea, make sure to write it down in a memo for evaluation." Said a man

"What of the Chief?" asked another

"That is up to him." said the first man

Thousands of miles away night had fallen over the old battlefield but to the Chief the stillness of the night would always be filled with the screams of that battle. He stood on a glassed surface just outside the newly rebuilt New Mombasa. There stood the master Chief in his new armor before the monument to the Battle of Earth. His armor was the most advanced ever created however he had insisted on keeping the same mark 5 helmet system. His old armor was now a part of the museum.

"They are offering you any position you could dream off." Said a voice as the chief looked to see Lieutenant Rose and her Spartans walking up. Each with their helmets off. Rose walked up and stood beside him as the rest of the Spartans stood back.

"I like orders better." Said the Chief

"Sometimes you have to pick for yourself." Said Rose as she turned and held out her hand "Well wherever you decide to go way it was an honor to fight by your side."

"The honor was mine." said the Chief as he shook her hand. Slowly Rose turned away. "Lieutenant."

"Yes, Master Chief?" asked Rose as she turned around to see the Chief standing there without his helmet on.

"Do you guys need another member?" asked the Chief

"We could always use another hand." said Rose "Welcome to the team Master Chief."

As the sun started to rise over the old battle field each Spartan stood at attention saluting the monument as the newly risen sun hit it. Early morning visitors arriving at the monument stood back and watched as seven Spartans stood in perfect formation silhouetted by the rising sun. After the morning bugle sounded TAPS each Spartan placed their helmet back on and turned toward waiting warthogs, a new team of undying warriors had been born, a new team that would shape the future of the UNSC and the Human race, among this team where new faces along with the legend himself. The one who had defied Gods and Demons, the one who had saved the human race from curtain death, the Master Chief John 117.

Well this is the last chapter, I hope you enjoyed the story. You will be able to find me along with my friends, most of them are in this story on Halo Reach when it comes out on the 14th. So see you all on Halo Reach. Thanks Wilkins75.