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| Halo [R]Evolved - The Maw | |
| Posted By: SonGoharotto <SonGoharotto@gmail.com> | Date: 5/30/11 8:31 p.m. |
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The Maw "Destroy Halo before Halo destroys all life in the galaxy." {Cutscene} Camera pans over a blasted heath; great tracts of arid and jagged land. The charred hulk of the Pillar of Autumn enters frame. This is where the UNSC cruiser came to its final resting place, having torn across the landscape of Halo, and now leans over a rocky shoreline. A fireball streaks through the iron gray sky and we cut in closer. The Covenant heavy orbital insertion pod is coming down at a near-flat trajectory. Thrusters meant to slow its descent were used to steer it down-spin from Halo's upper atmosphere. • Cortana: "I've kept us in the air as long as I can, Chief. These things are meant to fall, not fly!" The insertion pod enters a canyon. • Cortana: "I highly recommend you lock your armor's joints and over-pressurize the hydrostatic gel layer. But this is still going to hurt..." The pod scrapes a cliff and enters an uncontrolled spin, then slams into the unyielding stone. {Gameplay} Although his vitals are in the red zone and he's low on ammo, but Master Chief made it in one piece. • Cortana: "Am I the only one getting déjà vu?" (Pause) "Popping the seal. Jump down, Chief." The pod has stuck in the cliff a ways off the ground. Only one of the three hatches opens and the energy shield is offline. The Chief leaps down from the pod to a ledge. He starts picking his way through the canyon. [This is a purely scenic experience. I figured the player deserves a break to just look at some pretty rocks and listen to Marty's brilliance. It's about to get nasty again...] • Lt. McKay (COM): (Through static) "Master Chief, is that you? You sure know how to make an entrance."
Master Chief continues on his path, passing through a cave and sliding down a slope, but encountering no resistance. He eventually finds McKay's team, hiding in the mouth of a cave that looks out over the Autumn's crash site. All that remains of the human presence on Halo are less than two dozen men and women, gathered around a pitiably small number of Warthogs, Mongooses, and a pair of captured Ghosts. Though desperate, they greet the Chief with clear resolve. McKay meets his approach. • Lt. McKay: (Dryly) "Glad you could join us. I was starting to worry."
Off to the side are DMRs, ARs, and a Grenade Launcher, as well as a much-needed Health Pack. When you're ready, a waypoint indicates you should get on the turret of the lead Warthog, which is equipped with the formidable M79 Multiple Launch Rocket System. [This was Major Silva's personal 'Hog.] As soon as Master Chief climbs into the Warthog, Lieutenant McKay honks the horn and everyone else loads up. • Lt. McKay (COM): "Let's show these alien scum that the UNSC doesn't do anything halfway!" Final Run McKay's Warthog leads the charge out of the cave and down a rough slope to the wasteland beyond. The Pillar of Autumn seems so far off with hordes of Flood standing in the way, but the firepower of the Rocket Hog turns Combat forms into confetti. This is essentially an on-rails sequence. The player cannot exit the Warthog and McKay follows a mostly predetermined path, although she will react dynamically to the movements of the enemy and ally AI. Luckily, McKay is a skilled driver and the 'Hog will never flip over. A Marine in the passenger seat is a crack shot with the Sniper Rifle. Take care aiming with the rockets, as your allies may be subjected to friendly fire. But regardless of the player's vigilance, they will get picked off as you go along. After breaking through the first couple lines of Flood forms: • Foehammer (COM): "This is Echo 419 to all UNSC forces. I'm picking up a contact on long-range sensors... and it's big. You've got incoming!" The placid gray sky begins to roil and part. A purple and blue, squid-shaped craft breaks through the clouds, settling over the battlefield. • Cortana (COM): "It's a Covenant corvette! Detecting atmospheric ionization... The corvette is charging pulse lasers. Evasive maneuvers!" The small convoy of vehicles break formation as a cascade of shimmering lasers rake the dusty plain, striking a few of the Chief's allies, but mostly burning away the Flood in their path. This was merely done to make way for a wave of heavy orbital drop insertion pods. Some can be shot out of the sky, but the ones out of range are able to disgorge their plasma-firing occupants into the Rocket Hog's path. After getting clear of the last pod: • Cortana: "Bogeys at twelve-o'clock, Chief. Banshees and Phantoms!" A flying-V of Banshees scatter the convoy once more with a round of fire from their Fuel Rod Cannons. They then loop around and give chase. Fortunately, the M79 Rocket System is capable of locking on to aerial targets and can strike down these harassers. The Phantoms, however, prefer to stay ahead and can take more of a beating, so require coordinated fire from what remains of the convoy. The Pillar of Autumn now looms tantalizingly close. • Lt. McKay (COM): "We're almost there! Hold tight!" {Cutscene} McKay's 'Hog jumps a crag and looks like it will touch down safely, but an errant plasma bolt from one of the Phantoms knocks it out of the air. The world spins; smash cut to black. • Cortana: (Indistinct) "Chief? Chief, can you hear me?" (Clearer) "John!" Looking up at sky, the world comes back into focus. Banshees and plasma fire streak overhead. The world seems to rotate lazily, centering on the Chief as he climbs to his knees. Things steady. • Cortana: "Thought I lost you there for a sec."
Master Chief reclaims his weapon from the ground and stands. [Yes, this is shamelessly ripped off from the "Starry Night" advertisement. Seeing as how nothing remotely like that actually happens in Halo 3, I feel no shame.] {Gameplay} • Cortana: "We're so close! We have to keep moving, but we'll never make it on foot. Try to disable one of those Banshees and hijack it." The Warthog behind you is totaled. McKay and the Marine passenger are sprawled out beneath it, likely dead. The passenger dropped his Sniper Rifle. If the player didn't bother to grab the Grenade Launcher from back in the cave, a weapon suitable for disabling Banshees will soon be made available. The area you are in is wide and open, with no real cover beyond the Warthog debris and a few rocks. If the player chooses to explore, a soft kill barrier will eventually be encountered, just as in the final stage of Halo: Reach, "Lone Wolf." A heavy orbital insertion drop pod lands nearby, releasing an Elite Major with a Concussion Rifle and a trio of Plasma Pistol-wielding Grunts. After they are neutralized, Master Chief must contend with a wave of Flood Combat forms, some of whom also have Plasma Pistols. At last, he can focus on trying to bring down a Banshee, which will now start making passes at the SPARTAN. These will spawn endlessly, but only one at a time. Once a Banshee is successfully EMPed and the Chief boards it: {Cutscene} The Elite pilot is kicked to the ground and lands in a heap, while Master Chief closes up the Banshee's canopy and flies away. He zigzags around plasma fire, but a large detonation from behind mangles a wing and the Chief struggles to keep his craft in the air. A Phantom closes the distance. The Banshee barely dodges a stream of fire from the Phantom's forward auto-cannon. Just when the Chief's luck seems to be running out, a flickering laser sights on the drop ship from the ground. There is a sudden roar and a brilliant red pulse, which pierces the Phantom's infantry grav lift. Interior explosions chain through the craft and it loses altitude, spinning out of frame. Down on the ground, Lieutenant McKay has picked herself up and shouldered a Spartan Laser, managing to operate it with only one arm, the other dangling uselessly. Flood forms surround the Warthog wreckage. McKay drops the Spartan Laser and primes a grenade, smiling grimly. Master Chief's Banshee is now clear of the fighting and swoops towards the Pillar of Autumn. ...And the Horse You Rode In On Our view switches to inside the UNSC cruiser, looking out from the open launch chamber of the very Bumblebee lifepod that Master Chief first escaped on. His Banshee sparks and falters. • Cortana: (Panicked) "This thing is falling apart!"
The Banshee dips and crashes into the Autumn's hull... then Master Chief's hand appears and he climbs into the launch chamber. • Cortana: (Sardonic) "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" {Gameplay} • Cortana: "We need to get to the bridge. From there, we can use the Captain's command codes to initiate an overload of the ship's fusion engines. The explosion should damage enough systems below it to destroy the ring." Master Chief makes his way back through the Autumn. Despite the abundance of support structure, these corridors are now twisted, covered in soot and plasma scoring. He bashes through bent doors and takes shortcuts through service tunnels as necessary. Flood have already begun exploring the human-made star ship, but they are not alone. There are also Sentinels, still attempting to reign in the infection, as well as Covenant strike teams looking to foil 'The Demon's plan. Around the officer's mess hall, a pair of Hunters flatten all Flood who dare oppose and are quick to give Master Chief the same treatment. At the opposite end of the hall, SpecOps Grunts are used as decoys for cloaked Elites to attack from the shadows. • Cortana: "The bridge. We made it. Let's get to work." There is one Elite Ultra commanding a phalanx of Jackals who attempt to use their shields to blockade the Chief against entering the bridge. • Cortana: "I need you to upload me into the control systems. The terminal is located next to the main view screen." {Cutscene} Master Chief removes Cortana's data chip from his helmet and plugs it into the cylindrical terminal at the bridge's helm. Her avatar appears from the holotank. • Cortana: "I leave home for a few days, and look what happens. This won't take long." She concentrates for a moment and the cracked main screen flickers on, displaying a countdown and the clear warning: "Self-Destruct Sequence Initiated." • Cortana: "There. That should give us enough time to call in for evac and put some distance between us and Halo before the detonation." The Chief moves to unplug Cortana from the terminal, but stops abruptly as a familiar voice pipes through the Autumn's bridge speakers. • 343 Guilty Spark (COM): "I'm afraid that's out of the question, really."
Cut to Guilty Spark in the engine room, scanning a terminal. He flies up through the three open levels of Engineering, analyzing other terminals, while Sentinels patrol the area. • 343 Guilty Spark: "You can't imagine how exciting this is! To have a record of all of our lost time! Human history, is it? Fascinating. Oh, how I will enjoy every moment of its categorization! And to think that you would destroy this installation, as well as this record. I am shocked. Almost too shocked for words." Cut to the bridge. Master Chief sweeps the room, but can find no contacts. A tone sounds over the speakers. The countdown timer freezes. Cortana is agape, at once frustrated and awed by the Monitor's expert hacking. • Cortana "He stopped the self-destruct sequence..."
Cortana snaps her fingers and the Monitor's voice squelches out. • Cortana: "At least I still have control over the comm channels."
She turns to address the Chief, but stops when she sees him weighing an M9 Fragmentation Grenade in his hand. A beat. • Cortana: "Okay, I'm coming with you." The Chief reaches for Cortana just as a squad of Sentinels close in on the bridge from outside and line up like a firing squad. They open fire, shattering the main display, and Master Chief's shields flare. He takes cover and returns Cortana's data chip to his helmet. {Gameplay} Master Chief dispatches the Sentinels. • Cortana: "The ship was heavily damaged when it crashed. Head to Cryonics. We should be able to get to the engine room through there." More Flood, Covenant, and Sentinels are encountered in the halls beyond. All three factions clash with each other, creating deadly choke points in these close quarters, but also providing distractions so the SPARTAN can sometimes slip through unnoticed. The Chief enters Cryonics, where the fighting is particularly fierce. Tanks of coolant can be ruptured to freeze hostiles in his path. He climbs the deck to the observation chamber that overlooks Cryo Bay 2, where he first woke up. It's empty; all banks of cryo-chambers had been jettisoned before the Autumn made landfall, as per standard procedure. In the halls outside Engineering, there is a three-way battle between the Covenant, Flood, and Sentinels. On the way to the engine room, Master Chief makes a detour to an armory that is still well-stocked with every manner of UNSC infantry weapon, including a Flamethrower and a mounted Heavy Machine Gun. He remains wary, however, as the room is 'haunted' by infected SpecOps Elites who became cloaked Combat forms. Light Fuse, Run Away • Cortana: "Engine room located. We're here." Engineering seems strangely empty, at first. Ramps and decks around the perimeter lead up to the three levels. But as soon as Master Chief starts ascending to the access terminals, Flood and Sentinels come out of the woodwork, so to speak. Guilty Spark himself is also present, who will alternatively criticize the Chief and try convincing him to spare the installation. • Cortana: "Alert! The Monitor has disabled remote access to engineering terminals. Don't worry; I have still have records of all the reactor schematics and procedures. I'll walk you through it. First, we need to pull back the exhaust manifold. That will expose a vent leading to the primary fusion drive core." [In the original line here, Cortana starts off by restating things we already know. I don't think it's been so long that we need a recap, so I've simplified this bit.] When Master Chief opens the first exhaust manifold: • Cortana: "Good! Step one complete! We have a straight shot into the fusion reactor! We need a catalyst explosion to destabilize the magnetic containment field surrounding the fusion cells. An explosive, such as a grenade or ordinance weapon will suffice. If you run out of explosives, there's an armory station down the hall from Engineering." The Chief knocks out the first reactor. • Cortana: "Analyzing. Fusion reactor number one destabilizing. Do that to the other three reactors and that will cause a wildcat explosion of the engines." After destroying two more reactors, the Sentinels will form up into 'Major' pairings. Power conduits start overloading, spewing geysers of fire throughout the engine room. • Cortana: "Keep it up! Only one more fusion reactor to go!" The Chief takes out the final reactor. • Cortana: "That did it! The engine's gone critical! Based on the current rate of decay, we should have fifteen minutes to get off the ship; we don't have much time! We should move outside and signal for evac. Accessing schematics... there's a service lift at the top of the engine room. It leads to a Class-7 service corridor that runs along the ship's dorsal structure. Hurry!" A warning alarm sounds. Master Chief heads up to the top level of Engineering and calls down the service lift. When the doors open, the SPARTAN is greeted by a strike team of SpecOps Covenant, led by Zuka 'Zamamee in the seat of a Shade turret. This is his final chance at killing 'The Demon' and there is no escape, for either of them. If the Shade is disabled before Zuka dies, he will jump out and charge with an Energy Sword. Once the last hostile is down, Master Chief engages the lift. Fire and debris rain down on the elevator, but it climbs up to the service corridor unimpeded. • Cortana (COM): "Cortana to Echo 419, come in Echo 419!"
A few moments later, still on the elevator. • Foehammer (COM): "Echo 419 to Cortana. Things are gettin' noisy down there! I've lost touch with Echo 206 and there's no word from Lieutenant McKay. Everything okay?"
The elevator reaches the top and Master Chief disembarks. Warning: Hitchhikers May Be Escaped Convicts • Cortana: "Activating final countdown timer. When it reaches zero, the engines will detonate. The explosion will generate a temperature of almost one-hundred million degrees. Don't be here when it blows." There is a vehicle bay here, where the player is prompted to take a Warthog. One has a choice of 'Hogs equipped with standard chain gun or Gauss cannon turrets. There are also two Mongooses. Master Chief hops into a Warthog. He drives down the winding service corridor, dodging explosions and Sentinel swarms, as well as plowing through crowds of still-fighting Flood and Covenant. Passing through one open area, his Warthog is dogged by a Phantom drop ship, which peels off when he drives back into the ship's internal structure. • Cortana (COM): "Cortana to Echo 419! Request extraction now, on the double!"
Master Chief pulls up to a wide open platform spanning a gap in the hull. • Cortana: "Wait, stop! This is where Foehammer is coming to pick us up. Hold position here." Echo 419 appears around the hull of the Autumn, listing badly and flaming at the engines. A pair of Banshees close in on the Pelican. • Cortana (COM): "Cortana to Echo 419! Two Covenant Banshees are approaching on your six! Evade! Say again, evade!" An explosion causes the Pelican to lurch starboard, wings ablaze, and Foehammer yells into the com as she passes under the platform. • Foehammer (COM): (Panicked) "I'm hit! Mayday, mayday! Airfoil structures have been shot to hell! I can't hold her! I can't hold her!" Even if Master Chief mounts the turret and destroys the Banshees, there is nothing he can do to save Foehammer. Foehammer continues to scream, her words becoming inaudible as the roar of the damaged engines are heard in the background. The Pelican flies into the distance, still ablaze, collides into the Pillar of Autumn's hull and explodes, debris flying everywhere. • Cortana (COM): "Echo 419!..." (Off COM) "She's gone. Calculating alternate escape route." (Pause) "The ship's inventory shows one Longsword fighter still docked in Launch Bay 7. If we move now, we can make it!" Punching the Warthog's accelerator, Master Chief ignores all distractions. Explosions rock the Autumn from every side. • Cortana: "Up ahead, there's a gap in the trench! At top speed, we should be able to clear it!" The Warthog clears the gap and pulls in to Launch Bay 7. Inside, the air is thick with plasma fire traded between the Covenant and Flood. The Longsword is docked at the other end of the bay. Barricades force the Chief to get out of his 'Hog and hoof it the rest of the way. • Cortana: "That's the ship! Move! We need to get aboard now!" {Cutscene} Master Chief sprints up the ramp and into the Longsword, Combat forms hot on his heels. He punches the hatch controls and it closes, but he doesn't wait. • Cortana: "We're cutting it close!" Entering the cockpit, the Chief's steps falter when an explosion rocks the Longsword. He hops into the pilot's seat and fires it up. • Master Chief: "Here we go." The Longsword rises above the platform, VTOL-style, then turns to face the open end of the launch bay. Thrusters light up and it rockets out of the cruiser, into the sky. Cut to an exterior view of the Pillar of Autumn, from the ground. Flood keep marching towards the cruiser, despite its impending detonation. There is no sign of any living UNSC forces. We're back to following the Longsword exiting Halo's atmosphere. Inside, Master Chief is intent on piloting, veering past far larger ships in the Fleet of Particular Justice, who are themselves approaching the ring as if in hopes of intervening. The Longsword sweeps out of frame and we watch as a bright point on Halo's inner surface flares up. The destruction of the Pillar of Autumn sends a shockwave through the ring world. The great Forerunner installation shatters into pieces. In the cockpit, the pilot display reads: "Engine Temp Critical." • Cortana: "Shut them down, we'll need them later." Master Chief flicks a few switches and the Longsword goes dark, to conserve power. It continues to drift in space while debris hurtles past, still glowing hot. • Cortana: "Fancy a look?" The Chief rises from his seat and moves to look out the starboard window. Halo has broken into a dozen large fragments, which now spin and collide into each other. Any Covenant ships unfortunate enough to be too near are crushed instantly, their energy shields winking out like extinguished candles. Silent explosions spread throughout Halo's remains. The ring has been destroyed. Bracing himself against the frame of the cockpit, Master Chief has to ask: • Master Chief: (Quietly) "Did anyone else make it?"
The Chief was expecting this and shakes his head. Once more, he is the last; alone. He returns to the pilot's seat. • Cortana: (Hesitant) "We did what we had to do... for Earth. An entire Covenant armada obliterated, and the Flood... we had no choice. Halo... it's finished."
Master Chief settles back and removes his helmet, but we can no longer see as our view pulls out of the Longsword and pans up. Basis looms large in the background, in front of a spiral galaxy hanging across the heavens Fade to black. {Credits} Fade up from black, to the star field again. A single point of light twinkles, then grows larger. 343 Guilty Spark, the Monitor of Installation 04, has survived its destruction and disappears into the cosmos. {Legendary Ending Only} The camera pans back down, looking into the debris field. A curious bit of flotsam enters frame; four cylinders arranged in an almost-pyramid. We cut in closer. It is now clearly a bank of cryo-chambers that were ejected by the Pillar of Autumn. Behind the debris, a triangular section of black space seems to shift slightly. The Longsword rotates out of the shadow of Basis, matte black surface barely giving it away. We are looking at the fighter craft from below. A rectangle of light expands as the boarding hatch begins to open. We cut in closer to the cyro-chambers. It rotates on its Y-axis, showing an empty chamber... another empty chamber... then an occupied one. It contains SPARTAN-058, Linda. Master Chief's own gauntleted hand enters frame and he grabs hold of the cryo-bank. Light flares off the chamber's window, washing out our view. Fade to black one last time. Game ends.
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| Replies: |
| Halo [R]Evolved - The Maw | SonGoharotto | 5/30/11 8:31 p.m. |
| Re: Halo [R]Evolved - The Maw | ZackDark | 5/30/11 9:00 p.m. |
| Re: Halo [R]Evolved - The Maw | SonGoharotto | 5/31/11 1:05 p.m. |
| Re: Halo [R]Evolved - The Maw | Arithmomaniac | 6/2/11 11:12 a.m. |
| Re: Halo [R]Evolved - The Maw | SonGoharotto | 6/2/11 6:57 p.m. |
| Good work! | Arithmomaniac | 5/30/11 9:16 p.m. |
| Re: Good work! | SonGoharotto | 5/31/11 1:08 p.m. |
| Re: Halo [R]Evolved - The Maw | Jaydee | 5/30/11 11:12 p.m. |
| Re: Halo [R]Evolved - The Maw | SonGoharotto | 5/31/11 1:39 p.m. |
| Re: Miss TaR | davidfuchs | 5/31/11 11:57 a.m. |
| Re: Miss TaR | SonGoharotto | 5/31/11 1:43 p.m. |
| Re: Miss TaR | davidfuchs | 5/31/11 2:08 p.m. |
| Re: Halo [R]Evolved - The Maw | Cody Miller | 5/31/11 2:08 p.m. |
| Re: Halo [R]Evolved - The Maw | SonGoharotto | 5/31/11 4:04 p.m. |
| Re: Halo [R]Evolved - The Maw | Cody Miller | 5/31/11 5:10 p.m. |
| Re: Halo [R]Evolved - The Maw | sithhead | 6/2/11 1:59 a.m. |
| Re: Halo [R]Evolved - The Maw | SonGoharotto | 6/3/11 5:22 a.m. |
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