Level 01: PILLAR OF AUTUMN
Part 01 : Pillar of Autumn
(Opening cinematic-flyby of the Pillar of Autumn approaching Halo)
KEYES:
Cortana, all I need to know is, did we lose them?
CORTANA:
I think we both know the answer to that.
(Pause, cut to interior of PoA's bridge)
KEYES:
We made a blind jump.... How did they -
CORTANA:
Get here first? The Covenant ships have always been faster. As for tracking us all the way from Reach, at light speed my maneuvering options were limited.
KEYES:
We were running dark, yes?
CORTANA:
Until we decellerated. No one could have missed the hole we tore in subspace. (pause) They were waiting for us on the far side of the planet.
KEYES:
So, where do we stand?
CORTANA:
Our fighters are mopping up the last of their Recon picket now, nothing serious. But, I've isolated approach signatures from multiple CCS-class battlegroups. Make it three capital ships per group. And in about ninety seconds they'll be all over us.
KEYES:
Well, that's it then. Bring the ship back up to Combat Alert Alpha. I want everyone at their station.
CORTANA:
Everyone sir?
KEYES:
Everyone. And, Cortana...
CORTANA:
Hmm?
KEYES:
Let's give our old friends a warm welcome.
CORTANA:
I've already begun.
(Cut to interior of a hangar bay of some sort. Things flying around, marines walking and running around, jeeps, tanks, dropships. A single Longsword fighter-for a sense of scale, it's easily six or seven times as large as a dropship.)
LOUDSPEAKER:
Attention all combat personnel. Please report to your action stations. (long pause. Jeep drives around. Camera follows it.) Fifth Platoon, secure airlocks on Deck Eleven. Fourteenth Platoon, rendezvous with 22nd Tactical at Bulkhead Charlie 14.
SERGEANT:
You heard the lady. Move like you got a purpose.
(Marines fall in.)
LOUDSPEAKER:
This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill.
SERGEANT (easy):
Men...keep your eyes downrange, fingers on your triggers, and we all go home in one piece. (Pause) (Quickly) AmIrightMarines?!?!
SERGEANT (normal):
Once again, it is our job to finish what the flyboys started. We are leaving this ship platoon, and engaging the Covenant on solid ground. When we meet the enemy, we will rip their skulls from their spine, and toss 'em away, laughin'! (Pause) (Loud) Am I right, Marines?
SERGEANT (heroic):
Men, here is where we show those split-chin squid-head sons of bitches that they could not have picked a worse enemy than the human race. We are going to blow the hell out of those dumb bugs until we don't have anything left to shoot 'em with! And then, we are going to strangle them with their own-living-guts! (Pause) (Loud and precise) Am I right, Marines?
SERGEANT (legendary):
Men, we led those dumb bugs out to the middle of nowhere to keep 'em from gettin' their filthy claws on Earth. But, we stumbled onto somethin' they're so hot for, that they're scramblin' over each other to get it. Well, I don't care if it's God's own personal anti-son-of-a-bitch machine, or a giant hoola hoop, we're not gonna let 'em have it! What we will let 'em have is a belly full of lead, and a pool of their own blood to drown in! (Pause) (Slow and loud) Am I right, Marines?
MARINES:
Sir yes Sir!
SERGEANT:
Mmmmhmmm. Damn right I am. Now move it out! Double time!
(Pause as the marines move out.)
LOUDSPEAKER:
Attention all personnel. We are re-engaging the enemy. External and internal contacts imminent.
SERGEANT:
All you greenhorns who wanted to see Covenant up close...this is gonna be your lucky day.
(Cut to view of screen. Words: Unseal the hushed casket.)
TECH 1:
Whoa...Sir?
TECH 2:
Right. Let's thaw him out.
TECH 1:
Okay. Bringing low-level systems online. Cracking the case in thirty seconds. (Pause) He's hot! Blowing the pins in five!
Part 02: Reveille
TECH 1:
Tube shows green. Cycle complete.
TECH 2:
Sorry for the quick thaw, Master Chief. Things are a little hectic right now. The disorientation should pass quickly.
TECH 1:
Welcome back, Sir. We'll have you battle-ready stat.
TECH 2:
Chief, please look around the room. I need to get a calibration reading for your suit's diagnostics.
TECH 1:
I'm bringing your health monitors online, Sir.
TECH 2:
Vital signs look normal. No freezer burn. Okay, sir, go ahead and climb out of the cryo tube. (Pause as the Chief climbs out) I gave you a double-dose of the wakeup stim. Take a quick walk around the cryo bay and join me at the optical diagnostics station when you're ready. (pause) Stand on the red square please. I know the ordinance techs usually take care of your targeting sensors, but we're short of time, Chief. Just look at each of the flashing panels to target them. When you lock on, it'll target them.
TECH 1:
Sir, I'm getting some calibration errors. I'm going to invert your looking pitch, so you can see if you like it better that way. Try targeting the flashing lights again. Is that better or should I switch it back? Okay. Try looking up and down again please. Do you want me to leave it like that, or switch it again? Okay, I'll leave the pitch normal. But if you want, you can change it yourself, later. I'm ready for the energy shield test now.
TECH 2:
Follow me to the energy shield test station.
LOUDSPEAKER:
Fire teams: sensors show inbound Covenant boarding craft. Stand by to repel boarders.
TECH 2:
Okay, bring his energy shields online please.
TECH 1:
Alright. Shields read as fully charged.
TECH 2:
Okay Sir. Bring them down to test the automatic recharge.
TECH 1:
Recharging normal. It's showing green across the board.
KEYES:
Bridge to Cryo 2, this is Capt. Keyes. Send the Master Chief to the bridge immediately.
TECH 2:
Captain, we'll have to skip the weapons diagnostics and I-
KEYES:
On the double, crewman.
TECH 2:
Aye aye sir. (Pause) The skipper seems jumpy, we'd better get moving. We'll find you weapons later.
TECH 1:
Okay. I'll leave the self-diagnostics running, at least.TECH 2:
ou'd better get to your evac group, Sam!
TECH 1:
Affirmative. I just have to reset the computer and I'm outta here! (banging on the door) Oh god! They're trying to get through the door! Security! Intruders in Cryo 2! No, please don't-AHHHHH!!!
TECH 2:
Sam! Sam! C'mon, we've got to get the hell out of here. This way!
(The door explodes in front of tech 2, killing him)
(After the marines blast the Elite waiting for you at the second door you pass through)
MARINE 1:
Chief, Cortana says, get to the bridge, double quick!
(Run along some more)
MARINE 2 (Aussie):
Sir! The Captain needs you on the bridge, ASAP! You better follow me.
(As you encounter another group of Covenant)
MARINE 2:
Get clear, Chief!
(Once you get to the bridge)
MARINE 2:
Captain Keyes is waiting for us, Sir!
(Cinematic)
MASTER CHIEF:
Captain Keyes...
KEYES:
Good to see you, Master Chief. Things aren't going well. Cortana did her best, but we never really had a chance.
CORTANA:
A dozen Covenant superior battleships against a single Halcyon-class cruiser. Given those odds I'm content with three...make that four kills. (Turns to Chief) Sleep well?
CHIEF:
No thanks to your driving, yes.
CORTANA:
So you did miss me.
(Large explosion)
KEYES:
Report!
CORTANA:
It must have been one of their boarding parties! I'd guess an anti-matter charge!
CREWMAN 1:
Ma'am! Fire control for the main cannon is offline!
CORTANA:
Captain, the cannon was my last offensive option!
KEYES:
Alright, that's enough. I'm initiating Cole Protocol Article 2. We're abandoning the Autumn. That means you too, Cortana.
CORTANA:
While you do what, go down with the ship?
KEYES:
In a manner of speaking. The object we found, I'm going to try and land the Autumn on it.
CORTANA:
With all due respect Sir, this war has enough dead heroes.
KEYES:
I appreciate your concern, Cortana, but it's not up to me. The Protocol is clear. Destruction or capture of a shipboard AI is absolutely unacceptable, and that's means you're leaving the ship. Lock in a selection of landing zones, upload them to my neural lace, and then sort yourself for a hard transfer.
CORTANA:
Aye aye, Sir.
KEYES:
Which is where you come in, Chief. Get Cortana off this ship. Keep her away from the enemy. If they capture her, they'll learn everything: force deployment, weapons research...Earth.
CHIEF:
I understand.
CORTANA:
The Autumn will continue evasive maneuvers until you initiate a landing sequence. Not that you'll listen, but I'd suggest letting my subroutines handle the final approach.
KEYES:
Excellent work, Cortana. Thank you. Are you ready?
(Pause)
CORTANA:
Yank me.
(Keyes pulls Cortana's chip out of the holo display, and hands it to the Master Chief, who plugs it into a slot on the left side of his helmet)
KEYES:
Good luck Master Chief.
(End cinematic)
Part 03: AI Constructs and Cyborgs First!
CORTANA:
Your architecture isn't much different from the Autumn's...
CHIEF:
Don't get any funny ideas.
KEYES:
(Handing you his pistol) I don't keep it loaded, so you'll have to find ammo as you go.
(Upon seeing a group of Marines engaging the Covenant in the mess hall)
CORTANA:
Those Marines could use some help, Chief. Do what you do best.
(If your shields drop)
CORTANA:
Keep your head down, there's two of us in here now, remember?!
(Upon coming across a group of three marines, and hearing a large explosion)
MARINE 4:
What the hell? Did something just hit us?
MARINE 5:
Move it! Back to the airlock!
(Upon first seeing a Covenant boarding vessel)
KEYES (over loudspeakers):Combat teams on decks five through nine, fall back to secondary defensive positions.
CORTANA:
They're using our lifeboat airlocks to attach their boarding craft...we go out and they come in. Clever bastards...
(A few minutes later, during a fight)
KEYES (over loudspeakers):Ops personnel on decks nine through twelve, report to evac stations now.
(As you come into a room where the Covenant are on a ledge above you)
CORTANA:
Covenant! On the landing above us!
(After the battle on the ledges)
KEYES (over loudspeaker):
All hands. This is the Captain. Prepare to abandon ship. Combat teams, repel boarders until Ops personnel are away. Good luck. Keyes out.
(As you see a lifepod launching with lasers bursting all around it)
CORTANA:
The lifepods are launching. We should hurry.
(Pause, while lots of explosions occur)
CORTANA:
The Covenant are destroying the lifepods...they really don't want us on that ring. (Pause) Warning...blast doors closing! We have to use the ship's maintenance access ways. Follow the navpoint, it will lead you to an opening.
(As you move around in the tunnels)
CORTANA:
I'm detecting Covenant movement outside the accessways. Activating motion tracker. Let's find a safe exit.
KEYES (over loudspeaker):
Combat teams Alpha through November, pull out to nearest evac station.
(If you go out the wrong exit)
CORTANA:
We're too close. We need to find another route.
(If you go out the right exit)
CORTANA:
Motion tracker shows all clear.
(Coming to a broken door)
CORTANA:
Wait...we need to get through that door, but it's been damaged by an explosion. Analyzing... The door's control mechanism is offline, but it's taken a lot of damage. You should be able to bash it open with the butt of your weapon.
(A while later, during a fight)
KEYES (over loudspeaker):
Combat teams Sierra through Victor, prepare for evac.
(As you cross through the control room for your cryo bay and see an Elite standing in the bay)
CORTANA:
It looks like the Covenant wanted to catch you napping.
(A while later, during a fight)
KEYES (loudspeaker):
All combat personnel, fall back to tertiary defensive positions.
(Later, while passing through a damaged part of the ship)
CORTANA:
The damage to the superstructure is extensive...I don't know how much more abuse the Autumn can take!
(Later, fight)
KEYES (loudspeaker):
Combat teams, fall back to secondary defensive positions.
(As you pass a lifeboat)
CORTANA:
There's one last lifeboat! Quickly, get aboard before it launches!
(Cinematic)
FRIGHTENED MARINE:
Oh no...oh no!
CORTANA:
Now would be a very good time to leave!
CHIEF (stepping into the lifepod):
Punch it.
PILOT:
Aye aye, Sir.
(Lifepod launches)
PILOT:
We're disengaged. Goin' fer minimum safe distance.
PANICKING MARINE:
We're gonna make it, aren't we Sir? I don't wanna die out here!
(The Chief pats him on the shoulder)
CORTANA:
Look!
(As Halo swings into view and the Bumblebee drops towards it)STRAPPED-IN MARINE:
What is that thing, Lieutenant?
PILOT:
Hell if I know. But we're landin' on it.
CRAZY FREAKIN' OUT FOOL OF A MARINE ( ;p Isi):
The Autumn! She's been hit!
CORTANA:
I knew it! The Autumn's accelerating, Keyes is going in manually!
PILOT:
Heads-up everyone, this is it. We're entering the ring's atmosphere in five...
CORTANA:
Sure you wouldn't rather take a seat?
CHIEF:
We'll be fine.
CORTANA:
If I still had fingers, they'd be crossed.
