[b] INFINITY OPENING CUTSCENE: [/b] Cortana: Stay low; recon support heading this way. The ship looks intact. Master Chief: Something tells me that's only because the Didact wanted it that way. Lasky: This is Lasky to UNSC Infinity. We're up to our necks in bad guys down here. Does anyone read? Master Chief: This is Sierra 117 of the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn. We're on station, ready to assist. Lasky: Negative copy, sounded like you said 'Forward Unto Dawn'? Come again- Cortana: Signal's bouncing in and out; I can't clean it up. Master Chief: Light up their friend-or-foe tags; we're gonna need something to zero in on. [b] INFINITY MID-GAME CUTSCENE: [/b] Lasky: Afraid we're gonna have to give you an IOU on that welcome home party. Tom Lasky, First Officer of the Infinity. Never thought I'd see you again. Palmer: Seal 'er up. Thought you'd be taller. Del Rio: ground forces are ordered to return to Infinity immediately! Marine: Commander! Radio's hot! Del Rio: respond to comm On what frequency? What frequency, damnit? Lasky: Infinity, this is Cmdr. Lasky. Pelican recon teams are down. Repeat. All birds are down. We've got numerous casualties and require immediate assistance. Over. Del Rio: Finally Did you get the coordinates to that gravity well? Lasky: Affirmative, Sir. But we're going to need a bus out of here- Del Rio: Make it happen- Cortana: You were put on a scouting run in the middle of an attack on the ship. Lasky: The Captain thought Infinity could provide us cover and hold off the attack at the same time. Palmer: Sir, we'll never get the wounded back to the ship on foot. Lasky: I don't know if it's too soon to ask you for a favor but we're going to run out of breathing room here real quick. I don't suppose you're any good at clearing LZs? Master Chief: On occasion. I'll send out an all-clear once the area's secured. [b] INFINITY ENDING CUTSCENE: [/b] Del Rio: What I want to know, people, is: Where the hell did those things come from? Cortana: It's possible that they're native to Requiem or whatever counts as native for a Forerunner AI. Del Rio: We've never seen this type of offensive reaction from any of the other installations. Master Chief: Other installations? Del Rio: Mr. Lasky. Lasky: Infinity's mission has been to locate the remaining Halo rings, and establish permanent bases to study them for decommission. We've got locations up-and-running around installations 5 and 3, but lately they've run into some setbacks. Del Rio: A science team got zapped excavating a Forerunner artifact. This sensor data is all that was left. Cortana: Interesting These symbols are a derivation of the Forerunner glyph system. Del Rio: And our geeks managed to pull some coordinates. I'll give you three guesses where it led. Palmer: Sir, Gypsy Company is prepped and ready to roll, on your orders. Del Rio: Thank you Palmer. Mr. Lasky, you take point. I want boots on the ground in sixty. Master Chief: Captain? Del Rio: This is a first contact scenario, Master Chief. Priority is to free Infinity from Requiem's gravity well and file a treat assessment back at Fleetcom. Cortana: You mean we're leaving? Master Chief: Sir, Infinity drove the Didact back. He's vulnerable. Del Rio: He isn't the only one. You know. I'd think you of all people would appreciate the benefit of living to fight another day. [b] RECLAIMER OPENING CUTSCENE: [/b] Del Rio: Infinity to Gypsy Company The air corridor to the gravity well is blocked by a network of particle cannons. Infinity's shields are still down. Open the lane for us to move up and provide air support. Master Chief: Captain, what's Force Recon's assessment of the terrain? Del Rio: I know you've been off the field for awhile, Master Chief, but this is a blowthrough op. Sending in recon would just slow us down. Telemetry indicates that the particle cannons are being controlled from a command post southwest of our position. Roll on the target and neutralize those guns. We'll meet on the other side and take the gravity well. Infinity out. Cortana: I don't know about you, but I usually like a little more 'intel' with my intel Master Chief: We'll make it work. [b] RECLAIMER MID-GAME CUTSCENE: [/b] Master Chief: Who are you? Librarian: I am what remains of the Forerunner once known as the Librarian. My memories were retained to assist humanity on their path to the Mantle. Though sadly, that plan is now at risk. The Didact is leaving Requiem. Soon. You must not allow it. Master Chief: Leaving? Librarian: He seeks this- the Composer. A device which will allow him to finally contain the greatest enemy ever faced by the Forerunners. You. Mankind spread into the stars with an unexpected, desperate violence. Entire systems fell before the Didact's warrior servants rose to halt the aggression. When the Didact finally exhausted the humans after a millennia, his sentence was severe. We had no way of knowing that the Forerunners were not your only enemy. Humanity hadn't been expanding. They were running. Weakened from out conflict, we were no match for the parasite which pursued you. The Forerunners made plans for a final great journey. But the Didact refused to yield our Mantle of Responsibility. He would save all life in the galaxy at a cost. In the Forerunners' quest for transcendence, the Composer had been intended to bridge the organic and digital realms. It would have made us immortal. But the results soured. The stored personalities fragmented, and out attempts to return them to biological state created only abominations. Such moral concerns faded from the Didact's attention. The Flood only assimilated living tissue. The Composer would provide the Didact his solution and his revenge. Master Chief: The Prometheans they're human- Librarian: They were only the beginning. He would have encrypted your entire race if we had not removed the Composer from his care and imprisoned him here. Reclaimer, when I indexed mankind for repopulation. I hid seeds from the Didact. Seeds which would lead to an eventuality. Your physical evolution. Your combat skin. Even your ancilla, Cortana. You are the culmination of a thousand lifetimes of planning. Master Chief: Planning for what? Librarian: He has found us. Didact: Even in death, her meddling continues! Librarian: Reclaimer! The genesong I placed within you contains many gifts, including an immunity to the Composer. But it must be unlocked! Master Chief: How? Didact: Relinquish your contact essence. Librarian: Your evolutionary journey must be accelerated! Master Chief: Can I defeat the Didact without it? Librarian: No. Master Chief: Then do it. Librarian: Prepare. [b] RECLAIMER ENDING CUTSCENE: [/b] Del Rio: Infinity cannot handle that kind of punishment, not again! Cortana: This isn't about us or this ship anymore. Master Chief: Sir, we've seen what the Didact is capable of. If we let him leave this world, humanity will be at risk. Del Rio: Look, I understand what you think you saw- Cortana: Think? Master Chief: With all due respect Sir, I know what I saw. Del Rio: And with all due respect to you, Soldier, I'm not willing to jeopardize my ship because of the hallucinations of an aging Spartan and his malfunctioning AI. Lasky: Sir - What if he's right? Del Rio: Nav as soon as we know we're alright. I want a course laid in the Carinae Station. Comm, prepare a warning beacon. Cortana: I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO LEAVE THIS PLANET. Master Chief: Cortana Cortana: I didn't mean to I didn't mean to do that Del Rio: Commander Lasky, Pursuant to Article 55 of UNSC Regulation 12-145-72. I am ordering you to remove that AI's data chip and retire it for final dispensation. Cortana: Don't Please please, I don't want to You don't want me to please Del Rio: REMOVE THAT CHIP NOW, COMMANDER. Cortana: Please I don't want to Del Rio: Give. Me. That. Chip. Master Chief: The Didact has to be stopped. If you won't do that I will. Del Rio: I am ordering you TO SURRENDER THAT AI!!! Master Chief: No, Sir. Del Rio: Lieutenant! Arrest that man! Lasky: Captain Del Rio: ARREST HIM!!! Lasky: CAPTAIN! Master Chief: Get word to Earth that trouble is coming. Cortana and I will do what we can back here. [Edited on 11.24.2012 4:02 PM PST]