April 28th, 2583

LOCATION: UNIDENTIFIED SYSTEM NEAR THE GALACTIC CORE OF THE MILKY WAY GALAXY, APPROXIMATELY 10,000 LIGHT-YEARS FROM SOL SYSTEM.

After ten days of Slip-space traveling, UNSC Breslow, Grafton and Glorificus, two Strident-class heavy frigate and an Autumn-class heavy cruiser tasked with the exploratory missions to scout ahead for new systems or possible new Halo arrays to seize to prevent Covenant Remnants using it. While in transition of FTL travel, UNSC Glorificus being flagship of this exploratory battle-group, there is a grizzled figure sitting in the chair, patiently waiting for his battle-group to exit from the Slip-Space travel since ten days.

Immediately, the light flicked to life in holodeck, revealing a Greek warrior form. "Captain Reynard, Slip space transition is about to finish in exactly less than a minute." Greek warrior chimed in.

"Good, Troy." Captain Reynard affirmed. "Make sure our shields are up, weapons hot and spin the MAC in case if we have any possible hostiles in new system, relay same orders to Breslow and Grafton as well!" He ordered.

"Done." Troy replied.

Prior exiting from the FTL travel, three ships exited from the bluish portal, towards to the void of the space. Glorificus moved farther than two heavy frigates, towards to the ice-covered ball is mysteriously floating near the super-massive black hole (same one as you saw in Interstellar movie)

"Sir, that ice-covered ball is somehow surrounding the artificial object, and according to our scans, it is giving large amount of dark energy for some odd reason." Troy replied. "Also, the distance between that super-massive black hole and artifact is roughly a half light year or so, that artifact is in no danger of being sucked into the event horizon of super-massive black hole."

"I see, move us closer to the artifact and get our eggheads to investigate that artificial object to find out what is it." Captain Reynard ordered. "Also I want UNSC Breslow and Grafton to surround that artifact and be lookout in case if there is Covenant remnants lurking around."

The green holoIDs on holodisplay from the desk blinked twice from two frigates, signaling 'affirmative' to his order. Breslow and Grafton moved around the ice-covered ball, roughly three hundred thousand kilometers away, while Glorificus moved closer, roughly a hundred thousand kilometer to start studying the odd artifact inside. In bridge of Glorificus, a young female scientist named Dr. Addison came in after exiting from the elevator, walked towards to the chair of Captain Reynard.

"What can you depict those object, Doctor?" Captain Reynard asked.

"Hard to tell, as that artificial object is not definitely Forerunner or Covenant, but I can't see it clearly as it is covered by several mile thick ice ball enclosing it. There is other way to melt it or something?" Dr. Adison asked.

"It is a possible to use a nuclear warhead to melt the ice off, to allow them to break off by firing few rounds of pulse lasers." Troy answered. "Also I have attempted to access the object's system but due to that thick ice surrounding it, I cannot do anything much."

Captain Reynard thought for a few minutes then sighed afterwards. "All right, I will have to do it, so I want Breslow and Grafton to bug out, I'm going to authorize a 15 megaton HENYA-class nuclear warhead to detonate on that ice ball. Arm that nuke, weapons officer." He ordered as weapons officer confirmed his order then typed the code to activate the nuclear warhead.

"Troy, get us some safe distance then launch a nuke at it!" He ordered. The ship rumbled in life as it started to propel away from the ice-enclosed ball.

"Fire the nuclear warhead!" He barked as the ship rumbled again, an nuclear missile launched from their pod, then sped rapidly towards to the ice-enclosed ball. As the missile impacted the ball, it engulfed the ball in massive nuclear fireball for several seconds then cooled off. "Report!" Captain Reynard ordered.

"Captain, the nuclear warhead has melt most of icy layers off, there is one layer left, it is slowly breaking off, and you do not need to fire its pulse lasers at it as it will fall off shortly." Troy chimed in. Few minutes later, the final layer of ice has fallen off or floated away, revealing a fifteen kilometer long metallic object in length, while rings itself are five kilometer in diameter, slowly rotating itself then it rotated rapidly, generating bluish energy.

"Captain Reynard, the energy levels are off the charts! It's generating some kind of energy in that artificial object, sir!" An ensign yelled from his console beeping violently.

"I want this ship to be backed away yesterday!" Captain Reynard ordered loudly as the ship rumbled to life again, propelling itself away from the object rapidly. "Troy, can you determine what it is doing? Are this object as weapon?" Captain Reynard asked.

"After the object was stripped out from its icy coverage, I was able to enter in their systems and it is called 'Mass Relays', an object designed to propel star-ships across thousands of light years in seconds, as it actually lightens the ship's mass to nothing to allow mass relay to "sling" the ship at impossibly velocity of speed to propel. Its origins is vague at best but it was built by an ancient civilization, younger than Forerunners, as it is other race known as Protheans. Reasons it was left there is unknown currently, sir." Troy explained. "According to the archives, it was stated that this is only relay in this galaxy, as it leads to other galaxy, as this relay is dubbed as trans-galactic FTL relay. Our best method to find out where it leads is to send a probe, as we have superluminal communications, it should be non-issue for probe to respond to us even in trans-galactic distance."

"All right, send those information to FLEETCOM and HIGHCOM over Reach and Earth, please. Also notify them that I am going to send a probe to find out then await the orders from higher-ups, Troy." Captain Reynard ordered.

"Done, the message sent and a probe is sent as well." Troy chimed in. Glorificus slowly moved closer, firing the probe bay to unleash one probe, to move towards to the relay. The probe moved through the side of the relay, bluish energy immediately enclosed the probe and propelled it, disappeared from the sight from the battle-group.

"Report, please." Captain Reynard ordered.

"Roger… wait, according to probe's latest data transmission, it appears that it arrived at an uncharted system then it used deep space scan, it confirms that probe is in other galaxy. It appears that probe is in Andromeda galaxy, approximately 2.5 million light years away!" Troy answered. "With our fastest FTL speed clocked at 1,000 light year per day, it would take 6.8 years to arrive from here to that galaxy as this relay propelled the probe to other galaxy in about several minutes or so."

"My god… that is big discovery ever! This 'mass relay' propelling the ships across millions of light years in matter of minutes!" Dr. Addison drooled. "This has to be greatest discovery ever in humanity history! Every scientists, you name it, will be flocking over there!" She practically squealed at the discovery. Captain Reynard was speechless at this discovery as well, same for most of crews on Glorificus, Breslow and Grafton.

Immediately, the top secret transmission came through for Captain Reynard, and he opened it then sighed afterwards. "I just received the orders from higher-ups, UNSC are sending Fifth Fleet under Admiral Lasky to accompany this space and investigate this object further and also we received the order to go through relay and find any interesting information to bring it back to FLEETCOM and HIGHCOM. So, Breslow and Grafton form up near my ship in pincer formation, we are going in!" Captain Reynard ordered.

Two UNSC Frigates rapidly moved towards to Glorificus and formed up as pincer tactic via side-to-side. "Make sure our shields are at maximum and give me a hundred percent to the engines!" Captain Reynard ordered. Three ships started to move towards, in high speed, through the side of the relay, bluish energy enclosed three ships and propelled them across the galaxy.

Three ships exited from the FTL via intergalactic relay and moved towards to the probe's location. "Status report, please." Captain Reynard ordered.

"Everything's green, sir. Slight drain on shields, operational at 98%. Seems that when we go through relay, it drains our shield slightly, sir." Diagnostic officer answered.

"Good, where is our location and how far we are from our probe, Troy?" Captain Reynard asked.

"We are in Andromeda Galaxy, as this unidentified cluster, we are approximately 5 billion kilometers from the star classified under F classification, with four planets orbiting them." AI Troy explained. "Basically, we are on edge of unidentified system, and further data from probe shows that two planets are in habitable zone, one are garden world with high percentage of nitrogen and oxygen. Also, another in habitable zone is closely similar to Mars with high amount of carbon dioxide and helium but it can be terraformed in few years to be live-able for us then last two planets are too hot and too cold, as one is too close to star with thin atmosphere of xenon/hydrogen and other is icy rock planet with thin atmosphere of argon and methane."

"Sir! There's three unidentified vessels headed for our location, according to the scans, two are corvette-sized ship, approximately 232 meters long and one some kind of light cruiser sized ship, approximately 707 meters length, their design doesn't match our UNSC database, so it's likely first contact situation, sir!" Sensor Ensign bellowed.

"All battle stations! Charge our MAC, ready our missiles and pulse lasers in case! Meanwhile, approach them slowly and hail them afterwards!" Captain Reynard barked in orders.

Three ships started to move slowly towards to the incoming unknown vessels and they were in for surprise, as it will change the galaxy at large…