Chapter 248: Rules Are Dead, People Are Alive!
The Domain was a vast knowledge repository inherited by the Forerunners from their precursors. It contained records of the entire Halo universe—its origins, vast information archives, genetic species data, and more.
What Li Ang desired most—Neurophysics—was most likely hidden within the Domain.
To access and read data from the Domain, one had to connect through an access point and utilize specialized tool platforms. Without them, the massive data streams could easily overwhelm and kill the user.
Fortunately, the Shield World itself served as an enormous Domain access point. With it, humanity could connect and retrieve information from the Domain using this colossal reading platform.
Without the Shield World, it would be akin to losing that tool—meaning that the Universal Megacorp would be unable to access the Domain to search for Neurophysics.
Therefore, the Megacorp's fleet had a mission beyond exploring Forerunner ruins: they had to protect this colossal celestial construct. It could not be allowed to suffer damage.
Without the Shield World's connection capability, they could forget about extracting anything from the Domain.
"Excellent."
Halsey tried her best to contain her excitement. She knew this mission had just become her crowning achievement.
If she truly managed to obtain Neurophysics, she would almost certainly be promoted to an executive position within the Megacorp.
With that in mind, Halsey turned off the holographic screen and instructed Reed beside her:
"Notify Captain Morgan. Tell him we've found the ruins of the Shield World. The ships, the World Seed, the Domain access point, and Neurophysics—everything the boss wanted is here."
"These items were specifically ordered by the top. Make sure he relays the message to the boss immediately."
Halsey, ever meticulous, prioritized Li Ang in her report. When faced with conflicting orders from Li Ang and Morgan, it was clear—report to the highest authority first.
"Yes, ma'am." Reed nodded.
Then Halsey continued, instructing Reed to relay another message to Morgan Blackhand:
"Also, inform Captain Morgan that the Shield World's near-orbit region has been fully cleared. Have him lead his team to occupy the favorable positions immediately, and request reinforcements to take over operations here."
Frankly, this last instruction didn't even need to be said. Morgan Blackhand had already learned through recon drones that the Covenant fleet had been dragged into the gravity well.
As a competent commander, he knew exactly what to do next.
"Yes, ma'am."
Without a word of complaint, Reed quickly uploaded the situation to the Endless Night, stationed in low orbit.
To ensure absolute safety, he also used the FTL communications system to personally email Li Ang a detailed report.
Meanwhile, Halsey turned back to the Forerunner AI before her, 031 Admonitor of Zeal, and issued a command:
"I need your assistance in taking control of the Covenant fleet inside the Shield World. Make them submit to us. Can you do that?"
Halsey had already deduced that the entire Shield World was essentially a massive gravity weapon. The Forerunners had mastered gravitational technology to an extraordinary degree.
From the skyborne marine creatures capable of generating gravity distortions, to the gravity wells emitted by the Shield World itself, every detail spoke of the Forerunners' expertise in gravitational science.
[I'm sorry, but I cannot comply with that command.]
The Forerunner AI rejected Halsey's request and explained further:
[My creators embedded protocols in my core programming: I may not initiate attacks against any sentient civilization. This rule exists to prevent harm to visiting Reclaimers.]
[Unless a party causes significant damage to the Shield World, I cannot initiate a counter-offensive.]
The AI's reasoning was entirely sound. Rogue AI uprisings were a universal concern among intelligent species—there was always a risk that 031 Admonitor of Zeal could betray its creators and use Forerunner tech to establish a mechanical civilization of its own.
These restrictions were put in place to prevent such outcomes. Clearly, the Forerunners had gone to great lengths to set up safeguards so that humanity could safely carry out their reclamation efforts.
Halsey quickly grasped the true reason behind the restriction, but just as she prepared to issue a different order, the AI added:
[However, I can mobilize all resident Sojourner-class dreadnoughts within the Shield World. You only need ten of them to form a powerful gravitational array.]
[These ships are more than sufficient to "persuade" the Covenant species. All you need to do is assign a dozen personnel to pilot them.]
The AI's intent was crystal clear: a classic case of using someone else's hands to do the dirty work. Since humans would be in control of the ships, it technically wasn't the AI initiating the attack—it was simply offering "helpful advice."
Halsey chuckled and shook her head. She hadn't expected the AI to be so cunning. Rules may be rigid, but people—and machines—can be flexible.
This workaround was practically the AI's way of helping humanity strike the Covenant without violating its own protocol.
But before Halsey could even compliment the AI's cleverness, it made a request of its own:
It wanted the Megacorp's troops to eliminate the Flood infestation on the Shield World's surface.
It had detected that the number of Flood was growing steadily. Due to the Covenant fanatics' sacrificial rituals using their own bodies, the Flood were rapidly approaching uncontrollable levels.
To avoid repeating the tragic history of a full-blown Flood outbreak, the infestation had to be eradicated before it reached critical mass.
But the AI, bound by protocol, couldn't organize a large-scale deployment of Promethean defenders. It could only respond passively—and lacked the authority for a full-scale purge.
Now that humanity had arrived, however, the AI finally had hope of completely eradicating this deadly parasite.
Halsey didn't hesitate in the slightest. She nodded and agreed on the spot:
"Don't worry. Once we deal with the Covenant heretics, I'll have the main force descend and wipe out the Flood."
The Scorpiontail virus, tailored to target the Flood, was nearly ready. At any time, Halsey could dispatch a team to release viral spores and destroy the bug-like plague once and for all.
"Now bring those Sojourner dreadnoughts over. Ten ships will be more than enough."
She continued issuing orders to the Forerunner AI, planning to have David and his team surround the Covenant fleet.
[As you wish.]
031 Admonitor of Zeal acknowledged the command and used its authority to summon the dormant Sojourner dreadnoughts parked near the ruin site.
Turning to David and Reed, Halsey instructed: "You two, lead the Astartes over there and round up every last one of those Covenant heretics."
"But avoid all-out combat if you can. We need live captives for interrogation—and ideally, someone on the inside."
Since working with the Megacorp, Catherine Halsey had completely adapted to its work environment. The company's emphasis on efficiency and clarity suited her perfectly.
Even when giving direct orders to veteran employees like David and Reed, she did so without the slightest hesitation.
David raised a valid concern: "We didn't bring any translators. Even if a smart AI started learning the Covenant's language now, it'd still take time."
And he wasn't wrong. Communication was a nightmare when dealing with alien species.
Normally, the Megacorp would deploy AI tools and linguistic experts to build a working translation system before contact. That process alone took at least a month.
But this time, the team had come armed for battle—not diplomacy. Aside from a few smart AIs, there were no decent real-time translation tools.
Halsey patted David's armored leg with a smile.
"David, this is where your brilliance comes in."
"When gods communicate with mortals, they don't need words. One gesture is enough to make your meaning clear."
"If they still don't get it, express your anger. Make them cooperate."
At first glance, her words were cryptic, but David Martinez quickly caught on.
In essence: act it out with body language. Bring them in by force if needed. Once they're subdued, then they could develop a translation system.
And if anyone resisted—make an example.
"Alright. I'll do my best."
David nodded. He looked at the young, ruthless Halsey, barely in her twenties—and yet already operating at a level rivaling Megacorp executives.
"Then I'll leave it to you. Let Rita's team take over here. I'll wait for your good news."
Halsey smiled, and just then, 031 Admonitor of Zeal summoned the massive Sojourner-class dreadnoughts.
Unlike conventional warships, these dreadnoughts didn't hover horizontally—they stood upright like giant swords plunged into the earth.
At first glance, no one would mistake them for warships—they looked more like towering tombstones!
"This… this is a Forerunner warship?!"
David was stunned. He had never seen a vessel that flew vertically. What shocked him even more was that what looked like a tombstone was only part of the ship!
The central obelisk was actually the dreadnought's combat station—for docking and energy discharge. The blade-like structures on either side were the actual Sojourner-class dreadnoughts.
These ships could form gravitational arrays to unleash massive distortions, or combine into an octagonal formation to fire devastating energy beams.
It felt like watching the Calabash Brothers fuse together for a final attack.
The sheer novelty of the ship design and attack style left David and the rest—unaccustomed to such technological marvels—utterly amazed.
[Reclaimers, please board the ships!]
…
Meanwhile, inside the Shield World—
The Covenant's cruiser fleet had come to a stable halt over an open plain. Eight cruisers hovered steadily in midair, using anti-gravity drives to maintain a 200-meter distance from the ground.
As everyone knows, under normal circumstances, the armed forces accompanying a scientific expedition team should, in theory, rival the strength of a formal main battleship fleet.
However, the Covenant clearly plays it straight. If they say it's a scientific expedition, then it's a scientific expedition—they only sent fewer than ten cruisers, without even a proper carrier flagship.
For a corporate giant like the LA Megacorp, it would only take one Endless-class carrier and a few small destroyers to utterly crush this Covenant vanguard fleet.
Not to mention the ten Forerunner capital ships—present here!
On the Covenant's side, the hangar doors on the bellies of the ships had already opened, unleashing brilliant beams of light: gravity elevators reverse-engineered from Forerunner technology.
The Forerunners had gone deep into the gravity-tech tree, and the Covenant—avid looters of Forerunner ruins—had naturally gotten their hands on these tech relics for free.
At that moment, a large number of Covenant armored units were rapidly descending to the surface via the gravity lifts. Once deployed, they began conducting a series of defensive and reconnaissance operations according to higher orders.
Among these troops, the most conspicuous were, without a doubt, the Sangheili—also known as the Elites—renowned for their physical prowess and combat aptitude.
Thanks to their fighting skills and booming voices, they had naturally taken up command positions across nearly every combat unit in this vanguard force.
A standard Covenant fireteam was typically led by an Elite clad in powered armor, with around ten troops under their command—mainly Kig-Yar and Unggoy.
The Kig-Yar resembled Earth's jackals in appearance, bearing a striking similarity to the werewolf Garurumon from Digimon, which is why they were commonly referred to as Jackals.
Although they looked a bit scrawny, they were all muscle underneath. Standing nearly two meters tall and blessed with keen senses of smell, they often served as scouts and snipers in Covenant units.
With their natural gifts, the Jackals took on roles equivalent to ranged attackers or fragile assassins within the Covenant combat structure.
Accordingly, their standard arsenal included plasma pistols, needler rifles, and energy sniper rifles—mostly long-range weapons.
Even their weapon preferences made it obvious: this was a species with a sneak-attack mentality, the textbook backstabbers.
Morally questionable and prone to banditry, they were essentially a race of space raiders.
Within the Covenant hierarchy, the Jackals had no strong factional loyalties. They weren't beholden to any particular side.
Their mindset could be summed up in one phrase: live for the moment—steal, plunder, and seduce!
Before being beaten into submission and recruited by the Elites, the Jackals spent their days bullying civilizations weaker than themselves, fully embodying the "bully the weak, fear the strong" ethos.
After joining the Covenant and enjoying the protection of a powerful backer, they put their tech to use in developing a side business—space piracy!
One day they'd sneak off to the east to steal some chickens; the next, they'd head west to commit arson and murder. In short—totally lawless.
As for their misdeeds, the Covenant Prophets simply turned a blind eye. After all, their own wealth came from grave robbing, so it's not like they had a moral leg to stand on.
Following the logic of "when you've got enough lice, you stop noticing the itching," the Prophets let the Jackals do as they pleased, so long as they pulled their weight in battle.
And so, within the Covenant ranks, the Jackals were the quintessential opportunistic mercenaries—loyal to whoever had the biggest guns and the fattest wallet. Whoever could make them rich was their "god"!
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