Chapter 43

Above Arcadia, Battlegroup tango had exited Warp near the planet. Orbiting the planet was the Deep Space Research Array which is a research station that had finished construction on January 16th, 2498.

It was built to research large space-based objects such as black holes, heavy gravity events, or objects where vessels could not normally go to.

The station only had a Hanger for smaller vessels such as Pelicans and a few smaller transport ships. The Research station wasn't why he came here so he didn't pay it no mind and just prepared to head down to the surface.

In the hangar of the UNSC Leviathan, three Pelicans lifted off and started their descent towards the planet's surface.

Their location was on the far side of the planet from Pirth city within the jungles. Axel had remembered that there was an ONI facility located near the Forerunner ruins, but orbital scans couldn't detect it nor was it listed in any official ONI records. Seeing this he knew that ONI must be keeping the facility a secret.

As the Pelicans sliced through the planet's misty atmosphere, Axel scrolled through his tablet reviewing the information about the planet's history. Arcadia was established in the year 2429, where the planet was established as an outer colony. The planet didn't require any terraforming because it was already suitable for human habitation, as the planet had a plentiful supply of resources needed to support human settlement.

It quickly became exploited for agricultural and recreational reasons, becoming both a farming world and a tourist destination. The surface was barely explored by the colonists since its establishment, leaving much of the world to be unexplored.

The Pelicans flew over the top of the massive jungle with their ramps down giving the marines and Axel a nice view of the jungle below. He had decided not to wear his armor since he didn't expect to go into battle anytime soon.

The three Pelicans flew side by side as they approached their designated target. But as they got closer the comm link for the Pelican had gone off.

"Unidentified Pelicans, you are in restricted airspace turn around immediately" Ordered the voice on the other line. A second later, 4 Falcon gunships had appeared surrounding the three Pelicans with ONI soldiers aiming their guns at the Pelicans.

Seeing this Axel activated his comm link "This is Admiral Woods, tell your men to stand down now we are on a classified mission" Stated Axel.

The voice on the other end was silent for moment until another voice came on the line "This is Lieutenant Commander Bradley; we have orders from ONI to allow no unauthorized personnel near the base. We would have to get permission from ONI to allow you any further."

Meanwhile Axel checked his tablet and a red dot had popped up revealing the location of the ONI base. Axel transmitted the coordinates to the pilots "Start heading to this location now" Ordered Axel as he switched his comm link between the Pilot and Lieutenant Commander Bradley.

The three Pelicans had changed their heading causing the 4 Falcons to follow them "We are landing at the facility anyway Lieutenant Commander."

Meanwhile on the other end Lieutenant Commander Bradley had turned his head to look at the holoprojection of Admiral Parangosky.

"Admiral, he keeps ignoring our warnings, what should we do" Asked Bradley. Because he can't just blow them out of the sky or else he could be severely punished for blowing up an Admiral, especially Admiral Woods who was popular.

"Allow him to conduct his so-called top-secret mission, I have a feeling that he has discovered something, and I am interested in what he has discovered, so allow him to do whatever it is that he needs to do," said Admiral Parangosky. She had read the recent report about Axel's engagement with the UNSC, and she felt that not everything was in the report. Now that she was informed about this, she wanted to know what exactly he had discovered.

"Copy that Admiral" said Bradley as the hologram vanished.

Within the next moments the Falcons had simply followed Axel and his Pelicans towards the location of the ONI facility.

The Pelicans, trailed by the Falcons, continued their journey, weaving over the dense jungle canopy. Axel could make out shapes in the distance that confirmed they were nearing their destination. Massive structures peeked out of the greenery, their metal surfaces reflecting the planet's bright sun.

Within the next moments the Pelicans had landed within the facilities hanger where Lieutenant Commander Bradley was waiting on them.

"Lieutenant Commander, there's no need for pleasantries just lead me to the Forerunner ruins so I can complete my mission stated Axel, the Marines and MCUs had stepped out of the Pelicans.

Bradley nodded, his face losing its initial sternness, and a hint of respect flashing in his eyes. His orders echoed in the sterile hangar. "Alpha Squad, escort Admiral Woods to the ruins."

The soldiers moved with disciplined precision and began escorting Axel and his group to the ruins. As they guided him out of the hangar, through the maze-like structure of the facility. The corridor lights cast long shadows, emphasizing the cold, clinical atmosphere of the ONI facility.

As they journeyed deeper within the facility, Axel examined their surroundings with an analytical gaze. The halls were pristine and soulless, reflecting the gleaming and calculated vision of ONI's secrecy.

Finally, they reached a large steel door guarded by two additional soldiers. They stood to attention when they saw Axel and opened the gateway with a nod of acknowledgment.

Beyond was a massive cavern that contained Forerunner-like architecture. Alpha Squad had remained at the entrance, while Axel and his group went deeper into the ruins to search for anything that looked to be valuable.

A few minutes into the search, one of the MCUs discovered a door which was connected to what appeared to be a main structure. Axel had walked over to check it out and once he did, the doors had mysteriously opened once similar to what happened on Harvest.

Behind the doors was a path which led down towards an underground complex. Axel followed this path leaving 4 MCUs and all the marines to guard the entrance and prevent anybody else from entering behind him.

Inside the complex, Axel found himself in an expansive hall that was eerily familiar. The metallic walls shone with an unearthly glow, and the floor was made of the same strange, luminescent material. Faint hieroglyphics, almost invisible to the eye, crawled across every surface. As he traveled deeper into the structure, a sense of quiet anticipation filled the air.

Walking at a cautious pace, they ventured deeper into the alien structure. The halls were a maze of intersecting corridors and pathways while each turn they took revealed breathtaking scenery: vast chambers filled with glowing artefacts and pieces of mysterious technology that hummed with dormant power.

Axel paused momentarily to study a massive Forerunner console displaying holographic symbols that jumbled and reformed like an endless anagram. He reached out his gloved hand to touch it.

As soon as his hand made contact, the console glowed and displayed a set of coordinates. Axel copied these coordinates down and touched the console again to see if there was something more that he could get, but instead something else happened.

A holographic projection of an alien, unlike any he had ever encountered, materialized in front of him. "Reclaimer," the being said urgently, "I don't have long, but I commend your efforts and determination to advance humanity. I believe you will accomplish even greater things in the future, and perhaps we can meet face-to-face one day. But for now, I implore you to aid the humans in claiming the Ma--" The transmission abruptly ended.

Axel was left staring at the spot where the hologram once stood, its final words echoing in his mind. He turned his gaze back towards the console but found it lifeless and unresponsive. The entity that had communicated with him was gone.

'What was she going to say' thought Axel as he was interested in hearing what she was going to say. He knew she was a Forerunner, but he didn't recognize who it was.

As he was lost in thought one of the MCUs had reported something "Admiral, Lieutenant Commander Bradley and his men are at the entrance demanding entry into the structure."

Axel snapped out of his daze "Let's go we got what we need from here" he said as they started to run towards the entrance.

A few minutes later when they got their it was a standoff between Lieutenant Commander Bradley's forces and Axel's marines and MCUs.

"Admiral, what are you hiding from us" Demanded Lieutenant Commander Bradley.

But instead of a response Axel looked at the men with a serious face as this was the last time that he was going to allow him to speak that way.

"Lieutenant Commander, I have been quite calm with you since you were just doing your job, but if you continue to disrespect me, then I will have you punished and thrown out the military" Stated Axel.

Bradley bristled at Axel's words, staring defiantly into his eyes. The tension in the air was palpable. "I am just doing my job, Admiral. As you said so yourself," he retorted icily.

There was a momentary silence as the two men squared off against each other, their respective forces on the brink of aggression. Then Axel broke the silence, his voice disconcertingly calm.

"And as I said, Lieutenant Commander," Axel began, "Your job does not involve trying to undermine my authority or intervene in affairs that are beyond your comprehension."

The atmosphere between them grew even colder, the standoff more unnerving. Bradley's forces seemed a hair's breadth away from opening fire.

"I don't have time for this" said Axel as he began walking forward through the group of soldiers. In front of him his two MCUs maintained a defensive position clearing a path while behind him the remaining MCUs and marines followed behind him while keeping their weapons aimed at their fellow UNSC brothers and sisters.

Lieutenant Commander Bradley didn't try and stop them but had instead let them go. Once they had walked past the doors, Lieutenant Commander Bradley turned towards his men "Go and see what's inside and have the researchers come and explore the inside" Ordered Lieutenant Commander Bradley.

Meanwhile Axel had returned to his Pelicans and departed the ONI base. He knew they were under orders from Admiral Parangosky but Lieutenant Commander Bradley constantly ignored rank and just tried to carry out his orders. If he wanted to, he could have continued to argue with him, but he didn't want the situation to turn into something else, because if he did have a gunfight with the Lieutenant Commander Bradley, then he would have probably been called for treason and hunted down.

Luckily, he simply ignored the Lieutenant Commander and knew that he wouldn't open fire first, which is why he just walked past them and left.

But ignoring that matter, he now had some coordinates to investigate, and if he was correct then they should lead him to a Forerunner shield world where he would find some powerful new technology, and possibly something else that would help him in the future.