Chapter 338 — A New Mission
Tony stood at the center of the briefing room.
JARVIS stood beside him, projecting a series of transparent displays filled with translated Covenant records, intelligence reports, recovered military data, and fragments of information extracted from the Covenant flagship.
Seated before him were Doctor Catherine Halsey, Admiral Serin Osman, Margaret Parangosky through a holographic transmission, Master Chief John-117, Cortana, and the members of the Multiversal Chat Group.
Naruto.
Mindy.
Tanya.
Diana.
Saeko.
Everyone was listening.
Tony folded his arms.
"All right."
He glanced around the room.
"Now that we've beaten one of their fleets and killed one of their highest-ranking leaders, it's time everyone understands exactly what we're dealing with."
He tapped the display.
Several Covenant symbols appeared.
"Most of this information comes from recovered Covenant records, captured databases, and the interrogation of the high-ranking Covenant leader Gaius captured aboard the enemy flagship."
Halsey, Osman, and Parangosky remained silent.
Tony continued.
"Most of what I'm about to tell you isn't new."
"You already know what the Covenant is."
"You know their major species."
"You know their military structure."
"And you already know they worship the Forerunners."
Halsey gave a slight nod.
Tony tapped the display again.
"What you didn't know was what their leadership actually believes about the Forerunners."
The room became more attentive.
"The Covenant doesn't simply worship them as gods."
"They believe the Forerunners achieved something called the Great Journey."
According to Covenant doctrine, the Forerunners had activated the Halo rings and transcended their physical existence.
Tony brought up another display.
"That's what they've been searching for all these years."
"Artifacts. Installations. Coordinates. Anything connected to the Forerunners."
"They believe finding enough of these relics will eventually lead them to the Great Journey."
Osman's expression tightened.
"So that's what the rings are for."
"Yes."
Tony nodded.
"That's the important part."
"The Covenant has spent thousands of years searching for Forerunner technology because they believe those relics will lead them toward salvation."
John remained silent.
Tony continued.
"But here's where the information we obtained becomes interesting."
He changed the display.
"Their leadership knows far more about the Forerunners than the average Covenant citizen."
"And some of what they know doesn't match what they've been teaching their own people."
Parangosky narrowed her eyes.
"How much?"
"Enough to explain the war."
Tony paused.
"According to the information obtained from the Covenant leader Gaius captured aboard the flagship, the Covenant discovered that humans have a connection to the Forerunners."
The room became still.
Halsey's expression changed immediately.
Tony continued.
"Certain Forerunner systems recognize humans."
"Some technology responds specifically to human presence."
"And the Covenant leadership knows that."
Osman leaned forward.
"So humanity isn't simply another species to them."
"No."
Tony shook his head.
"That's the problem."
"The Covenant leadership discovered that humanity has a place in the Forerunners' legacy."
He let the words settle.
"Not the Covenant."
"Humanity."
John's eyes remained fixed on Tony.
Tony continued.
"And that creates a problem they can't solve."
"If humanity is recognized by the Forerunners, then everything the Covenant has built around its religion becomes questionable."
Tanya spoke quietly.
"So they can't let their own people find out."
"Exactly."
Tony nodded.
"They can't admit that humanity may have been chosen by the civilization they worship."
"Because if the Covenant's population learns that, their entire religious foundation could collapse."
Naruto frowned.
"So they decided humans had to die."
Tony looked toward him.
"Not because they hate us."
"Not primarily."
"They're afraid of what humanity represents."
Silence settled over the room.
Tony continued.
"The Covenant leadership decided the simplest solution was to eliminate humanity before the truth could spread."
"Every colony."
"Every world."
"Every human being they could find."
"They didn't need to conquer humanity."
"They needed to erase it."
John finally spoke.
"That's why they glassed the colonies."
Tony nodded.
"Exactly."
"They weren't trying to rule humanity."
"They were trying to make sure nobody was left alive who could challenge their version of history."
No one spoke.
Tony looked toward the intelligence reports beside him.
"But there's something everyone needs to understand."
The room quieted again.
"Knowing why the Covenant is fighting us doesn't mean we suddenly know how to destroy the Covenant."
Osman nodded slowly.
Tony continued.
"The leader we captured knew a great deal."
"Why humanity was being targeted."
"What the Covenant leadership believes about the Forerunners."
"What they're afraid their own people might discover."
"But he didn't know everything."
Halsey frowned.
"Because even the Covenant leadership is divided."
"Exactly."
Tony nodded.
"The Covenant has existed for thousands of years. It's spread across countless worlds and consists of multiple species."
"One captured leader isn't going to know every military installation, every fleet, every shipyard, and every political secret."
"And even among the leadership, information is compartmentalized."
Parangosky crossed her arms.
"So we know their motive."
"But not their entire structure."
"Right."
Tony tapped the table.
"And there's another problem."
He looked around the room.
"The Covenant's greatest weakness isn't necessarily their military."
Tanya's eyes narrowed.
"Then what is it?"
"Their belief."
Tony answered immediately.
"The Covenant is held together by their religion."
"They believe the Forerunners chose them."
"They believe the Great Journey is their destiny."
"And the Prophets have spent thousands of years reinforcing that belief."
He paused.
"But now we know something they don't want their people to know."
"Humanity has a connection to the Forerunners."
"Their technology recognizes us."
"Their systems respond to us."
"And the Covenant leadership knows it."
Naruto slowly understood.
"So if everyone in the Covenant found out..."
"Their entire religion could be thrown into question."
Tony nodded.
"Exactly."
"The Sangheili might question the Prophets."
"Other species might start questioning them too."
"And once those species stop believing the Prophets have divine authority..."
"The Covenant's unity starts falling apart."
John finally spoke.
"So the Covenant could break from within."
"Potentially."
Tony looked at him.
"But that's not the same as winning."
"The Covenant is still an enormous military power."
"Even if their alliance fractures, we'd still have fleets, armies, worlds, shipyards, and billions of enemy soldiers to deal with."
He straightened.
"So no."
"We don't have a magic button that says 'destroy Covenant.'"
A brief silence followed.
Tony looked toward the intelligence reports.
"But we have something better."
"We finally know where to look."
Halsey studied him.
"The Prophets."
Tony nodded.
"Their leadership."
"Their religion."
"The information they're hiding."
"And the divisions between the species that make up the Covenant."
He glanced toward John.
"If we want to defeat the Covenant, we don't just fight their ships."
"We make them question why they're fighting in the first place."
The room fell silent.
Then—
Ding!
Tony froze.
So did everyone else belonging to the Multiversal Chat Group.
A translucent notification appeared before them.
Only they could see it.
Only they could hear the familiar chime.
The others in the room continued staring at Tony.
Halsey noticed the sudden change in his expression.
Osman looked toward the other Chat Group members.
Parangosky remained silent.
John simply waited.
The notification remained suspended in the air.
Mission Available
Mission: Help Gaius Maximor Thassor
Objective 1: Protect Varrak Prime
Objective 2: Repel the Khorne forces on Varrak Prime
Participants: 0 / 2 Accepted
Mission Details:
The Warp Gods have taken notice of Gaius Maximor Thassor's existence.
Khorne has taken the first action, seeking to claim Gaius as his champion and expand the war into other universes.
Tony's expression hardened.
Naruto was already on his feet.
Mindy pushed her chair back.
Tanya's eyes remained fixed on the mission.
Diana rose without a word.
Saeko followed.
The sudden movement caught the attention of everyone who couldn't see the notification.
Osman frowned.
"What happened?"
Tony didn't answer immediately.
His eyes remained fixed on the mission.
Varrak Prime.
Gaius.
Khorne.
~~~
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