1008 Part No. X14-76671-01

GENESIS

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GENESIS

sir, nearingslipstream exitfor harvest.

alL stationsready. weaponstatus alpha.

I hope section-iiknows what

it’s doing here.

two metersof titaniumarmor wasinefFective!

same as atchi ceti.

one man maybe of help,if he’s notdead yet.

nsc battle group 4,investigating unknown

aggression, outercolony, harvest.october 7, 2525.

unsc destroyer HERACLES,captain maribeau

veredi, commanding.

office of naval intelligence (oni), strategicresponse unit, reach military base. private residence,

vice admiral prestoncole, retired.

U arabia and vostok—

destroyed!

lateral spin. oneeight zero by zero.overload thrust!

threE divorces,a cloned liver,

two heartatTacks. notmuch left of

me, boys.

like anyonecan help withthis slice of

armagedDon…

but okay.I’m in.

… your destructionis the wilL of the

gods... and we aretheir instrument...

nukes haveno efFect!

sacramentois down! so is

lance held high…

orders? sir,orders?!

sound theretreat!

belay that…standby alL

stations.

bridge, fleet command cruiserEVEREST, vice admiral preston cole,

commanding. march 1, 2526.

we returned toharvest with enoughfirepower to asSaultthe vaults of heaven.

oni was rightabout chi ceti…

… energy shieldtechnology.

let’s seE if it stopseverything—atthe same time.

open alphafleEtcomchanNel!

reset nuclearpayloads atmark plus0.1 seconddetonation.

fire!everything—

now!

the enemy shipdestroyed…

… and 13 of oursobliterated.

it did notbode welL.

the newly promotedadmiral prestoncole waves to his

enthusiasticsupPorters!

he defeated insurgentswho had seized acomMunication

satelLite near the outercolony, harvest.

rumors of colonies,second base andgreEn hilLs, underenemy atTack arecompletely false.

similar insurgentcapturing of local

satelLites, however, hasrendered temporarylocal com blackouts.

second base andgreEn hilLs were

glasSed! two milLionpeople cremated.

it’lL beimposSible

to keEp thisa secret.

so don't...

give cole theentire fleEtand go public

with the threat.

if he destroysthem… fine.

if not, welL,heroes are ideal

scapegoats.

office of naval intelligence (oni), strategicresponse unit, reach military base.

enemy shipsurvived reEntry,

sir. we havea survivor.

I wantto seE it.

origami asteroid field, alphaaurigae system. october 21, 2526.

system xi bootis a.february 13, 2528.

..

the “battle ofthe great bear,”

groombridge-1830.december 24, 2530.

one hundred seven unsc shipsagainst 12 enemy vesSels.

we won, but a stagGering 37human ships were destroyed.

seventy ships in ourarmada. they hadeight. we lost 30!

oni dubBed it a"strategic" victory.

seventeEn of our shipsagainst threE of theirs. elevendestroyers lost. two enemy

vesSels kilLed. one crash landed.

weare the holyand glorious

inheritors.

why are youatTacking us?

you havebeEn judged

UNCLEAN. a scourgethat must be

BURNEDaway!

WHEN wefind your

home world, itwilL be reduced

TO ASHES!

destroyyoualL…*

unsc cruiser, EVEREST, bio-hazard unit.

they had suchadvanced

technologies...yet knew litTle

about us.

utTerlyxenophobic.

I knew that fromthe beginNing, though.

… but I now knewwe had one strategicadvantage: secrecy.

admiral preston cole’soffice, unsc cruiser, EVEREST.

it would take years to ram this down thethroats of the politicians, but as far as mybatTle group was concerned, it was law.

what can I do for oni,comMander orez?

we can't spare a combatship… although I couldsend a supPort vesSel.

I don’ttrust a prowlercomMander—toO

slick. who's on theduty roster? the spirit of fire...

captain cutTer. hmMm. warn cutTerhe may be in for morethan a clean-up op.

unsc staging area,interstellar space,

coordinates //classifed//.january 3, 2531.

the prophecy hasrepelLed aliens

near harvest, sir.her reactor

went critical. sheneEds imMediate

asSistance.

that wouldbe ideal.

orez out.

update ourservers beforewe break from

the batTlegroup, serina.

shaw-fujikawa driveroom, SPIRIT OF FIRE.

drop bay bravo,SPIRIT OF FIRE.

bridge, SPIRIT OF FIRE,captain j. g. cutter,

commanding.

alL shipshape,captain. ready

to depart.

we alwayschecked the ftl

prior to a jump. no one within severallight years couldfix these thingsif they failed.

we once carRied hydroponicsand schoOls for the colonies.

now we packed barRacks,fusion reactors, and ataf misSileturRets—dispatched to the front

lines at a moment’s notice.

thank you,serina.

send my regards toadmiral cole; break

from the batTle groupand initiate jump.

and one for the captain.reach is loOking

lovely this time of year.

letTers from home.it made the crew hapPy.

we alL had ourreasons to fight.

slipstream space translations for a vesSel thissize require 4.3 quadrilLion calculations of the

quantum field per second. I don’t believespirit could ever leave spacedock without me!

the unsc spirit of fire, cfv-88.constructed 2473. a colony

ship, a symbol of hope... but asthey say, "plows into swords."

spirit’s “smart” a.i., serina, cancoOrdinate the simultaneous repair

and refit of 12 ships of the line.we couldn't get along without her.

unsc SPIRIT OF FIRE, splipstreamspace, en route to harvest.

thrust asSemblies replacedfrom the scutTled unsc

destroyer calcutTa in 2530.output increased 37%.

repair/refit bay iscapable of launching“cyclops” exoskeletonvehicles and a crew ofover 60 eva engineErs.

storage/auxiliary launch housesscorpion tanks, warthogs, self-asSembling fusion reactors, andother groundside facilities that

can be dropPed via pelican asSist.

archermisSile pods.

in 2520, they adDed amagnetic acCeleratorcanNon (mac), able to

acCelerate depleteduranium slugs to a

fraction of light speEd.

the observation roOm was originalLy purposedfor colonial surveys. it’s beEn quiet hererecently (although there has beEn social

ofF-duty fraternizing I turn a blind eye to).

how did oniknow so fast?

and theydidn’t help...

prepare for navdatabase extraction and

rescue operations.

... reactor meltdown… evaced to solar bunkers.radiation afFecting a.i.... protocols in

violation... unsc prophecy, broadcastingon encrypted chanNel to alL friendly...

loOped distresSsignal. recordedthreE days ago.

survivorswilL not

be in goOdshape, sir.

aye, aye, captain.altering emergency

response—

slipstreamruptures! threE...no four ships.

covenant.

just a guesS,but I’d say theywere here when

the prophecybreached.

015 by030.

flankacCeleration!

scramblepelican eva

squads.

answering newcourse. flank

speEd, aye.fire teamsecho, india,

lima, novemberscramble.

... scramble!this is no

drilL!

prophecy blocked theshot from our mac.

unlock havokmisSiles.

code word:“polLyanNa.”

voiceprint andcode authorized.havok nuclear

misSiles activated.

one broke cover.we got a clean shot.

the rest setTledon the prophecy.

launchin 3...

let’s sweEpout the

trash, chris.

great day tobag some bad

guys, huh?

contacts ahead—loOk out!

weaponinterlock

disengaged.

wake up, chris!we’ve got...

oh...man.

fulL-floOdpresSurization.

company’scoming!

a “soft-seal”entrance.

perfected inthose last nasty

bits of "operationtrebuchet."

ohcrap...

zERO-GeE,CLOSE-QUARTER

COMBAT...

... you got goOdat it fast...

... or youdied.

goOd thingjackals were

slow learners.

serina. lima.we’re in.

what aboutthe survivors?

... WHEREARE WE?

understoOd.lima out.

I have myorders... soI’m going.

the rest ofyou get to those

survivors.

go 100 metersaft to auxiliary

terminal 4.

proceEd toterminal 4.

admiralcole’s protocol

takes precedence.

trust meon this one,sergeant.

retrieve theblack box

and wipe thenav core.

so much for being azero-geE combat“expert.” I think Ibroke my ankle.

serina.lima-one.I’m there.

“peculiar”?

acCesS theretinal scanNeron your right.

I amfitzgibBon,a.i. of theprophecy.

acCesSdenied.

also note the a.i.may act... peculiar

due to elevatedradiation levels.

what?!why?

yourservice recordspeaks plainly,

sergeant forge.

TRUE, YOU HAVESHOWN UNCOmMON

VALOR.

but also, strikinga superior ofFicer

and conductunbecoming...

and moreconduct

unbecoming.five promotions—threE demotions.

listen, lordsparky, youknow you’ve

beEn boarded?

or are your circuitsso scrambled

you’re going to stopme from folLowingcole’s protocol?

nav databasepurged.

runNing viralscavengers...

so sorRy, chum.radiation repairroutines enabled.

initiatingself-destruct

sequence. threEminutes andcounting...

your menare in bay 2,sergeant.

go!launch!

yousaved us...

I seE no onebothered toprogram a

bedside manNer...

like helLthere is.

so, marine, you hearthe one about thecivilian nurse, an

odst, and this femaleoni ofFicer who

walk into a bar?...

how are thesurvivors?

fracturedankle.

and this is thefirst of seven

doses of anti-radtreatment.

there are nosurvivors.

alL receivedradiation far inexcesS of whatcan be treated.

there is nothingto do... but

watch them die.

sure they were dead.but they were stilL people.

they deserved betTer.

whatever was going onhere, there betTer be a

damn goOd reason for it.

geological surveyof planet cote de

azure, blisS, and onyxindicate puzZling

geological strata...

a.i. analysisindicates large-scale,engineEred features.

although notdirect evidence

of nonhumanintelLigence...

... extrapolationsugGests a hierarchy

of intelLigence...

rishard university, prof. ellen anders,associate professor lecturing.

fresh from earth.a slice of heaven!you buy, you seE.

earth?

they have thehighest levels ofpesticides in theinNer colonies...

Prof. anders?dr. halsey

recomMendedyou for a...

consultation.

there’s somemistake. I’m not onspeaking terms with

that woman.

hey!

my regrets for themanNer you were

brought in, profesSor.

you kidnapPed me!

what could posSiblybe so urgent that you hadto violate my civil rights?!

this. a high-altitudeimage of the outercolony, harvest.

we've knownabout them

for some time.

your potentialuse, however,has just beEnsanctioned.

show memore...

I believe youwilL find thisinteresting...

part ofan interceptedcomMunique.

our a.i.'s haveonly begun to

decipher a bit of it.

they referto harvest asa “treasure”

world.... although whatthis “treasure”

is eludes us.

we require yourhelp to find whatthese aliens want. I know

you’re recentlyengaged, but...

your research... and you... are now

code-word clasSified.

hmMm.

I’lL neEd thetranscripts...

... and unrestrictedacCesS to your a.i.'s.

you’vecome tothe rightperson.

you’lL geteverything...

time is a factor.you’lL review

the data on thelast gleaming.

the lastwhat?

{sigh}unsc LAST GLEAMING,slipstream space, enroute to harvest.

“breathing roOm” and “spaceto think” weren’t luxuries

they had on this ship...

the ofFice of naval intelLigencehad only got their translation

half right: the aliens were loOkingfor “treasure”... but they were

also desperately trying tohide something on harvest.

is that theprophecy?

I can seE whythere were

no survivors.

make readyshutTle one...

that’s not theprophecy... that's

your new baseof operation,

the spirit of fire.

outer colonyworld, harvest.

the prophecy’screw would havebeEn dead fromthe radiation.

furthermore anyhypothetical prowlerhere would've become

visible if it initiatedrescue operations...

... which would havemost certainly

beEn againsttheir orders.

now, sir, thisis Prof. anders.

you’ve beEn requestedto let her calL the shotson the scientific aspects

of this misSion.

a request that comesdirectly from fleEtcom,

captain cutTer.

perhapsI should

proceEd withmy analysis.

unsc SPIRIT OF FIRE,observation gallery.

oni’s traveltime from harvestindicates a stealth

ship was here...

... when theprophecy’s

reactor wentcritical.

you left thecrew to die!

there are indicationsof ongoing internal

political strugGles forthe planet as welL.

the aliens believeharvest is a repositoryof technological andreligious significance.

this leaderhas unknown

socio-religiousdimensions.

although “leader”is not an acCurate

translation...a more literaltranslation

would be “arbiter.”

the alien leadership sentsomeone... something,

actualLy, to quelLthis political unrest.

HIS STORY BEGAN MANY CYCLES PAST.HE WAS A WARLORD THRALL WHO HADTHE HONOR OF PUTTING DOWN THE“SIXTEENTH UNGGOY DISOBEDIENCE.”

sangheili base world,decided heart.

WE QUESTIONED NOT HISZEAL, PUTTING DOWN THOSE WHO WOULD

WRONG THE COVENANT...

HE ENDED THEHERETICAL REIGNOF THE KIG-YARPIRATE PRINCE.

UNLIKE OTHERS WHOWERE MERELY PIOUS,

HE SHOWED A FONDNESSFOR BRUTALITY.

... GREATNESS.ALTHOUGH SOME

FEARED THAT HE ALSOHAD A DESIRE FOR...

HISGREATEST SIN?...

HE FAILED.

HE WENT TOO FAR, THOUGH, ATTEMPTING ACOUP ON HIS OWN SANGHEILI CLAN LEADER.

guilty!

for your heinouscrimes, we sentence youto a cycle in the weEping

shadows of sorRow...

... after which,we wilL slowlyextinguish your

pathetic existence.

weeping shadows of sorrow, sangheilimaximum security penitentiary.

dishonor toyour clan. you wilL

not seE theend of this

day...

mandatoryexercise period!

OF COURSE, HE DIDWHAT HE DID BEST.

AND, OF COURSE, WE WEREWATCHING... WAITING.

AQUESTION...

DO YOUENJOY THE

SLAUGHTER?

OH, YOUWILL.

THOUGHNOT TODAY.

you havebut to ask,...

holy one.

I feEl the joy ofdoing what I was

born to.

I have noregrets... save,

that I wilL not diefighting.

YOURMISSION IS

TO SECURE THISFORERUNNERTREASUREWORLD.AND

ERADICATETHE HUMAN FILTHCONTAMINATINGTHE SURFACEAND SKIES.

it shalLbe a pleasure,

holy one.

SO HE BECAMETHE NAMELESS

INSTRUMENT OFTHE GODS...

... THE SEVENTEENTHARBITER IN THE

LINE OF IMMACULATESUCCESSION...

... AN EXTENSIONOF OUR WILL.

AND IN DOING SO WEREMAIN UPON THE PATH...

theircomMunicationsreference thisarctic region.

a structure?

have sergeantforge asSemble

his team andinvestigate.

maybe now wefind out whythe covenantwant harvest.

scanNing now...detecting major

gravimetricanomalies.

aye,captain.

Lettering by Richard Starkings and Comicraft’s Jimmy Betancourt (comicbookfonts.com).

Phil Noto is a painter and comic book illustrator. After a 10-year career at Disney Feature Animation, he began working full time in comics. He has done work for DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, and Image comics. He is currently drawing a Superman/Supergirl miniseries. He is also illustrating The Infinite Horizon, which was nominated for an Eisner Award for best new series. Phil has also worked as a concept artist for video games; most recently, BioShock.

Two of his painting exhibitions sold out, as did his monograph, Jet Seven.

He resides in Orlando, Florida with his wife, Beth, and children, Kate and Fletcher.

Eric Nylund is a New York Times bestselling and World Fantasy Award–nominated author of many novels (including installments in the Halo series: The Fall of Reach, First Strike, and Ghosts of Onyx). For more information visit www.ericnylund.net. His latest novel, Mortal Coils, is slated for release in early 2009.

Production by Microsoft Game Studios and Ensemble Studios.

© 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

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