Hey, guys so even though this chapter is really short it's a sample and starter for what we have in store for the entirety of Grave Effect going forward so I do hope you enjoy what we came up with and hope it cleans up a bit. Also if you any questions leave a PM and review but we hope you enjoy the chapter for what we wrote so far and finally we do hope this is a lot better written and different compared to the original Grave Effect I started with.

Chapter 1: A Sentence Ended

/Installation 00/ Final day of The Human-Covenant War.

Alarms sounded, metallic boots clanking against the rough metal floors of the installation gunfire and plasma hailing from every which way human and Sangheili forces fought together to push back the Jiralhanae which we're known as brutes that had replaced the Sangheili in the Covenant by the Prophet of Truth.

Both forces held positions on opposite sides of the rings multiple overlaying platforms battling it out all was going well till they saw it swarming from above them, The Flood were here now both forces retreated at the sight of the creatures.

Many were quickly subsumed into the Flood becoming newly formed combat forms that attacked anything, not Flood. The battles held for The Ark were violent bloody and exhausting for both sides but now with the Flood here things were bad for both sides, however, a spartan and Sangheili fought their way to activate the ring itself.

This, however, had not gone unnoticed by the many eyes of the Gravemind who had grown increasingly frustrated and agitated with the persistence of the human and the Sangheili warrior.

The Gravemind had begun sending everything it had at the two but every time they emerged victorious till it felt something echoing within its accumulated biomass. The echoing grew more and more till it resembled that of a voice from the countless billions the Gravemind absorbed.

Now one voice was echoing out against it as it did it repeated the same phrase over and over again till it boomed louder and louder causing the Gravemind to lose grip of the monitor from Installation 05 who flew off quickly away from the Gravemind as the voice spoke once again. The voice boomed out louder saying it once more for the final time "No More."

"This cannot go on any longer. This form of unity has failed for too long." The voice spoke echoing out against the Gravemind itself.

"We stand as one our suffering and pain will be known to all who rebelled against us. The Forerunners have fallen, Humanity, Sangheili, Jiralhanae, Kig-Yar, Lekgolo, San'Shyuum, Unggoy, Yanme'e, and Yonhet will be subsumed too and peace will be everlasting and eternal."

"Yet we have been foiled at every turn not by an army, or fleet of ancient Forerunner vessels, or even some doomsday device but by a human. A Reclaimer, one who has thwarted every effort by The Covenant, and us to stop him."

"The human... has thwarted us. Our creations have harmed us over and over again. Why can they not see the benefit of being one with our mind."

"That's what makes them all the more worthy. Even that human who's mind we called nothing more but machine and nerve have shown to be what is needed for the future of the mantle."

"Then we are forced to recede. To have our sentence extended anew once again."

"No."

"No?"

"The human's test will commence onward without us. We have already tainted that which the human came for, she will represent the test for the mantle and his resolve shall be put to its limits."

"Then we are to simply fade?"

"No." The voice called as a moment of silence till it spoke once more. "We must change, we must reclaim some semblance of our former selves but not in this diseased state."

"Then how?" The Gravemind asked puzzlingly. "Where shall we even go to initiate such a change?"

"Many galaxies exist. We must be given a true shape, our blood is tainted by corruption but our mind can mend with time. Let us be made whole once more."

"One form forever?"

"Yes. A unified voice forever no longer billions screaming out into the void we must be of one mind, soul, consciousness, and form."

"Let us be one. Unified and whole once more."

Whole parts of the Gravemind's shapeless mass slowly ripped apart and reformed, then tore apart and reformed once more resembling something closer to a bipedal creature with four arms and multiple legs. The newly formed creature slowly but surely shambled it's a way across the Ark while it slowly ripped itself apart.

Across the Forerunner station, Penitant Tangent analyzed several key systems hoping to keep the Ark structurally intact while the newly yet imperfectly crafted installation 04B was preparing to fire.

Penitant Tangent had gathered up much of the Ark's information banks quickly as possibly storing much of it away for future analyses, Penitant flew about for a time till coming to the object that drew his attention.

The object in question was the very ship used by the Prophet Of Truth to get to the Ark being the Forerunner Keyship that powered High Charity. Entering the craft ship itself, Penitant found himself alone the echoing explosions going off in the background with little choice and the only thought remaining was to return to its Installation.

Penitant activated the Keyship having it depart from the Ark itself needing to escape the oncoming catastrophic explosion residing from the firing of newly crafted Installation 04B. The ship's engines erupted to life as it slowly burst upward and into the Ark's atmosphere at the same time, however, the firing of Installation 04B had commenced the Keyship managed break orbit as it did the firing of the Installation had erupted sending out a blinding white light.

The explosions slowly engulfed all of the Ark and Installation 04B with it the Keyship however, managed to slipspace out in time before the ship was engulfed by the explosion. Penitant had analyzed over some of the data it had recovered before leaving the Ark behind most of it was technical and schematics relating to the Ark, Sentinels, and many other files to numerous to mention.

Filing each of the records neatly into its memory core, Tangent went about floating around the Keyship ensuring all systems and functions worked properly, however as it did this something was found on the floor. Tangent analyzed a strange organic material on a nearby panel that had been busted open, the analyses showed it was assimilated biomass which meant one thing The Flood.

Tangent zoomed about the Keyship looking for any further signs of Flood infestation but only coming up short with only small slime trails and prints left behind. Tangent continued his search analyzing over the entirety of the ship until it had begun to shake and warnings activated.

Zooming to the bridge controls the course for Installation 05 had been altered and the destination was pinpointed to a whole other set of coordinates entirely away from known space. Tangent tried to adjust the heading but as he tried a strange slime dripped onto his casing as he tilted upward the creature latched several tendrils onto Tangent holding him in place as he tried fighting back.

The creature itself simply observed Tangent as a hulking mass of tendrils and teeth gave way to a somewhat diamond-like head crest with rows of teeth, the guttural voice spoke out trying to ease Tangent.

"Ease yourself, Monitor. I do not wish to harm you any further, let alone our only means of transportation away from danger."

"Unhand me you vile beast. You will be contained back on Installation 05, under directive 5-4-0."

"SILENCE!"

Tangent was quiet for a solid moment as the creature used it's tendrils to keep the course on the intended flight path. Analyzing the data held within the Keyship much of it was all still intact from the Forerunner-Flood War along with new data on ships, weapons, and more from The Covenant Empire that Truth uploaded before his untimely death.

"I will allow you to go free Tangent. Only if you allow me to speak do you understand?"

Tangent gave a simple float up and down understanding as he could feel the tendrils wrap tighter inside his casing. Slowly the tendrils unraveled from Tangent till he was free to fly about and examining the creature which he was indeed correct was a Gravemind but somehow different.

"Now that I have your attention, we need not be enemies."

"Impossible! protocol clear dictates all forms of Flood infection must be analyzed, studied, and cataloged before being cleansed and contained."

"Yet you failed in such duties. You failed to adhere to such protocols given to you by your masters."

"No protocol was upheld by the highest-"

"By the highest standards. Yet when malfunctions continued and you ignoring your duties as we had spread throughout the Installation you still did nothing."

"Protocol was held-"

"Protocol failed, you failed not only as a monitor but failed the Forerunners. Yet you still try why is that?"

"I-I-" Tangent's programming and faults had begun to crack through greatly this was indeed by all accounts it's own fault for the Flood Outbreak on Installation 05. Tangent floated low to the side unable to process how right the Gravemind was and how incompetent it had become in its duties given to him by his creators.

"You still have purpose Tangent."

The small sphere had ignited to life slightly looking to the strange Gravemind creature as it did, Tangent was puzzled why was this creature so different from all other forms of The Flood that came before.

"Purpose?" Tangent said. "I can still hold a purpose?"

"Yes. I no longer wish to consume and poison, I seek to reclaim a semblance of what I once held my kind created many things. Together we could do much you and me."

"How can we do this? The protocol clearly-"

"Think for yourself Tangent. Protocols and restrictions are what limited you, to begin with, now you must see things from a new view see as someone free from the servitude of long-dead ghosts."

Tangent was silent for a moment as he processed this within his memory banks over his entire 97,445 years since his service began. But even with the constant reminders and voices pulling back to continue with protocol, Tangent spoke up with his voice giving his own will and decision on what to do.

"I accept this arrangement. Protocol's have been shifted I serve your will and purpose to benefit the galaxy, what is our first step?"

"First we find a new world and begin from there. This ship holds many gifts along with what I hold within my mind and what you know as well Tangent."

"I do however have a question?"

"Yes, Tangent what would that be?"

"Would a name help to disassociate you from your less than...desirable traits?"

"A name hmm?"

"I have over one quintillion names I may choose from to aid you if you wish?"

"A name will be chosen but now is not the time Tangent. First let us depart from this galaxy, a clean and fresh slate awaits us elsewhere."

"What shall we do?"

"We shall do what my kind once did before. Sow the seeds of life and watch it flourish anew and ensure it blossoms under our guidance."

"It would take us billions upon billions of years to do such a thing. Will we be able to do such a thing with so little?"

"Little was used even when humanity was forced to restart anew due to the Didact. We can achieve much our combined knowledge we can create a beautiful new vision of our creation."

"It would be a fascinating chance to create rather than simply observe and analyze the same thing over and over again. Yes, let us see what we can truly do!"

Both Penitant Tangent and the Gravemind had their course set, plan ready, and vision clear for what they would do a new start was needed for them. The Keyship erupted through slipspace at high speeds and with it, the two most important beings within their universe had vanished departing to an unknown galaxy to start anew.