"Okay, here's how we do this..." Rex says to the group. "Me, Leo, and Wade will travel to the Carrier and take down the ship. B1, you and Kal'roq will go and retrieve the Index." 

"And what of me, Rex?" Rellia asks. 

"Rellia, your staying here with Abject to watch the controls." Rex then hands Rellia his pistol. 

"Okay, this all good and everything but how are we gonna get there?" Leo asks. "Cause we can't take the Shadow, they'd spot us for sure." 

"If I may," Abject says. "I can transport you all to the designated locations. Though I should warn you I have never done with this outside of my standard safety protocols." 

"Why do I suddenly feel uneasy about that?" Wade mutters sarcastically. 

"Look guys, you wanna see the universe try to be destroyed again?" Rex asks. "We've already lost Earth. Let's not lose what remains of our galaxy." 

<I don't feel good about this.> Kal'roq breathes. 

"That's a first." B1 scoffs. 

<YOU WANT TO FIGHT ME SCRAPHEAD?!> 

"BRING IT YOU OVERGROWN PAIN IN THE MOTHERBOARD!" 

"Enough! Abject transport us." Rex orders. 

"Please use caution, Reclaimers." Abject advises. Suddenly the group, minus Rellia, are then covered in yellow light and then get transported. 

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Outside the Citadel, B1 and Kal'roq appear in beams of yellow and then drop to the ground. Kal'roq pulls out his energy swords as B1 aims his blaster. 

<It appears we are alone.> Kal'roq says deactivating his swords. 

"For now, let's get inside and find that Index." B1 states. The duo then walks inside the Citadel, keeping their weapons on hand. B1 then hears a noise and looks up, seeing a Sentinel fly down and look at them. 

Kal'roq aims his carbine at it, but B1 makes him put it down. The Sentinel whirs and B1 understands. 

"It says that the Index is several floors below us. Abject sent him to assist us as a guide." B1 tells Kal'roq. 

<You can understand it?> Kal'roq says confused. 

B1 shrugs. "Guess so. He also says there are many Covenant down below." 

The Sentinel turns and leads them down the hall where they encounter an elevator. B1 and Kal'roq step on as the Sentinel shoots the panel, activating it. 

The droid and Elite then load their weapons as the elevator descends downward. Once it reaches ground level, B1 and Kal'roq step off and follow the Sentinel. The three then reach a corridor where B1 and Kal'roq crouch and look to see several Brutes and Jackals guarding the next hallway. 

"Any ideas?" B1 asks to Kal'roq, only for him to have disappeared. "Why me?" 

B1's photoreceptors widen when he hears painful cries and screeches. He rolls out of cover and aims his blaster rifle...only to see Kal'roq standing over the dead bodies of the Brutes and Jackals. 

<Come.> Kal'roq says simply. B1 gets to his feet and he and the Sentinel share a glance. They make their way down the hall and stop at what awaits them. 

Two Hunters growl and roar at them, charging. The Sentinel flys off as B1 and Kal'roq open fire. The first Hunter smacks Kal'roq against the wall with its shield as B1 fires at the other Hunter's stomach. B1 then holsters his blaster before running and showing off his impressive fighting skills. 

Meanwhile, Kal'roq rolls over his Hunter's swing and takes out his sword, slashing it in the back. The Hunter roars in pain and tries to shoot him with its cannon. Kal'roq dodges the oncoming fire and uppercuts the Hunter before plunging his sword straight at its stomach and through its back. The Hunter freezes and then collapses, dead. 

B1 grabs onto the other Hunter's spikes and takes out his blaster, shooting it multiple times in the head. B1 then takes out a grenade and plunges it in the Hunter's neck before backflipping off its back and watching its head explode. The Hunter then collapses to the ground at Kal'roq's feet. The Elite chuckles in satisfaction as B1 stands. 

"Whoo! Think I chipped some paint back there!" B1 says looking at his nimble fingers. 

<You fight well, for a droid.> Kal'roq admits. 

"Not too bad yourself there." B1 chuckles. The Sentinel then returns and whirs at B1, in urgency. 

<What's it saying?> Kal'roq asks. 

"He says they've found the Index! Come on!" B1 and Kal'roq run off after the Sentinel until they come to an open room where they see a large Brute with a gravity hammer and two others with Brute Shots. 

"At last, the Icon." The Brute with the hammer says. He takes the Index from its resting place before B1 shoots it out of his hand. The Sentinel then shoots out a laser beam that grabs the Index and hides. 

"WHO DARES?!" The Brute roars. B1 and Kal'roq run up and takes care of his Brutes. B1 karate yells and kicks the first in the face, making it fall to the ground and shooting it in the head. 

Kal'roq takes out his swords and cuts away the grenades that the other Brute fires at him and then scissors at his neck, severing the Brute's head from its shoulders. The Brute with the hammer watches the body fall and growls at B1 and Kal'roq who aim their weapons at him. 

"I will eviscerate you both!" The Brute stomps forward and jumps in the air swinging its hammer down and blowing them both back. B1 shakes his head and shoots at the Brute, but the shots just bounce off his armor. B1 keeps firing until his blaster clicks empty. He tosses it aside and yells as he leaps at the Brute. 

The Brute grabs B1 midair, chuckling and smashing him to the ground. Kal'roq snarls and jumps on the Brute's back, activating his wrist-blade and stabbing the Brute in the neck. The Brute roars as it reaches behind him and grabs Kal'roq throwing him down on top of B1 and kicking them both back. 

B1 and Kal'roq grunt as they both hit the wall. The Brute chuckles as it spins its hammer in its fingers. "You thought you could beat me?! I am Atriox! And I will-AGH!" 

Atriox gets interrupted as blasts of orange energy hit him. B1 and Kal'roq look and see more drones from before except they were different. 

One of the drones takes its arm-blade and smacks Atriox back, making him growl in frustration. B1 reaches for his sniper rifle and shoots a couple of rounds, making Atriox lose his grip on his hammer. He then taps something on his arm and a Phantom appears above them. 

Atriox grabs his hammer and runs as a beam of light shoots downward and grabs him, bringing him into the Phantom. B1, Kal'roq, and the drones shoot at the Phantom as it flies off. 

<What, in the name Sangheilios was that? I've fought those vile apes before, but none of them were ever that powerful.> Kal'roq coughs. 

B1 helps him to his feet. "I don't know. At least we have the Index." The Sentinel then flies down and hands B1 the Index. "Let's get back to the control room. We need to warn the others." 

Kal'roq nods. <Agreed.> 

Two drones come over and embrace B1 and Kal'roq, tightly.

"What in the-?" B1 gets cut off by the Sentinel and the drones getting enveloped in the same yellow light that transported B1 and Kal'roq to the Citadel. They all then transport. 

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Inside the control room, Rellia paces back and forth in worry. Abject floats above her watching her move across the room. 

"Is something wrong?" He asks. Rellia doesn't respond and continues to pace. Abject floats down next to her. "While I do not have a vivid understanding of emotions, I believe that from the way you are acting, you seem to be distraught." 

Rellia stops pacing and huffs. "I'm just nervous." 

They both turn and see B1, Kal'roq, the Sentinel, and the drones appear in front of them. 

"Ah, you've returned. Splendid!" Abject says happily. 

"We need to warn Master Rex!" B1 says urgently. "There's a Brute that has unthinkable power that's returning to the Carrier. Me and Kal'roq barely escaped, Master Rex, Leo, and Wade could be in danger!" 

Rellia gasps and looks at Abject. "Can we contact them?" 

Abject looks at Halo's controls and tries something. "Oh my." 

<What?> Kal'roq groans. 

"It appears the meddlers have set a up their shields around their ship." Abject explains. "I cannot penetrate it enough to send a transmission." 

"Then teleport is over!" Rellia cries. 

Abject shakes his head. "Unfortunately, that is not possible either. That shield is too well reinforced."  

"We have to do something!" B1 persists. "That Brute could be capable of even more damage than what me and Kal'roq went through. We'd be dead if it wasn't for the drones! There's gotta be a way to warn them." 

"I am sorry." Abject apologizes. "But protocol dictates that I am not allowed to interfere with anything other than my safety boundaries. My most sincere apologies." 

Rellia grabs her head. ~Rex, please be careful...~