Editing Halo: Helljumper Issue 5

{{Title|''Halo: Helljumper Issue 5''}}
{{Status|RealWorld}}
{{Novel infobox
|image= [[File:Helljumper Five.jpg|250px]]
|author=*Peter David (writer)
*Eric Nguyen (pencils, inks, colors)
*Nate Piekos (letters)
|publisher= Marvel Comics
|length =
|publication= November 25th, 2009
|ISBN= 
}}

'''''Halo: Helljumper Issue 5''''' was released on [[2009|November 25, 2009]] and is the last of five in the ''[[Halo: Helljumper]]'' series of comics.<ref>[http://marvel.com/news/comicstories.9202.FIRST_LOOK~colon~_November_2009_Bonus_Previews Marvel.com - FIRST LOOK: November 2009 Bonus Previews]</ref>

==Official summary==
{{Article quote|Dutch and Romeo have gotten themselves into some pretty crazy situations, but stealing a Covenant ship would definitely get both of them a medal for Most Insane Thing Done In the Line of Duty. If they survive this, they'll still have plenty of questions to answer: what the heck are the Covenant doing here on Planet Ariel, an otherwise harmless colony? And why are they acting so strange-taking the humans hostage instead of glassing the planet, which is their M.O.? Whatever's lurking deep underneath the surface, if the Covenant wants it that bad, it has to be big...and deadly.}}

==Plot synopsis==
The issue begins as [[Michaels]], [[Frost]] and the other ODSTs see the [[Type-52 Troop Carrier|Phantom]] dropship commandeered by [[Taylor Miles|Dutch]] and [[Kojo Agu|Romeo]] in the distance, heavily damaged and heading towards the second archaeological dig site, occupied by the Covenant. Before the craft hits a group of Covenant forces on the ground, the two ODSTs jump out, landing in a building where the Covenant are holding the colony's [[civilian]] inhabitants prisoner. After neutralizing the guards, they learn from a researcher that the Covenant have been forcing the civilians to dig for something under the planet surface and to spring booby traps in [[Ariel Forerunner complex|an underground installation]] they have unearthed.

The ODSTs throw a [[Unidentified Covenant explosive|Covenant explosive]] into the room where they are holding the civilians, and several panicked [[Unggoy|Grunts]] run away, right into one of the booby traps - a set of lasers crisscrossing the lower half of a corridor. Dutch then proceeds to push the sole [[Sangheili|Elite]] in the room into the trap as well. The two ODSTs tell the civilians to leave, but decide to move deeper into the mysterious complex themselves. Back-to-back, they proceed over the beams, and melt a part of the inner door with an overcharged [[type-25 Directed Energy Pistol|plasma pistol]] shot. They jump into the next chamber, to witness a blinding light shining from the ceiling. The source is revealed to be a [[Forerunner]] construct shaped like a [[Monitor]] suspended in the ceiling, which identifies itself as "[[The Knowing]]". It reveals that its function is to collect and archive information, and prompts the humans to ask questions from it. Romeo asks if the data held by the construct would help the Covenant exterminate humanity, to which the Knowing replies that they would be able to wipe humanity down "to their last DNA strand".

Dutch and Romeo realize that they must destroy the AI to prevent it from falling into Covenant hands, despite [[Xeno orders|standing orders]] to record and preserve [[Xenoarchaeology|xenoarchaeological]] findings. They vow never to talk about the incident again, and tell the Knowing to self-destruct, a wish that the AI obeys. Meanwhile, on the surface, the rest of the ODSTs have arrived to the dig site, and Frost questions one of the civilians, who tells her that Romeo and Dutch are actually alive. Just after, Michaels comes in and informs Frost that Covenant reinforcements are inbound. Inside the Forerunner complex, Dutch and Romeo make their escape, but Romeo trips and breaks his ankle. Dutch proceeds to carry him out, just before the timer runs out and the Knowing [[self-destruct]]s, destroying the entire underground complex. This immediately alerts the minor [[San'Shyuum|Prophet]] with the Covenant forces, who proclaims that the "silent oracle" has been taken from them, that the world is "desecrated" and "soiled", and that they must leave immediately to inform the [[High Council]].

The Covenant begin their retreat, much to the surprise of the ODSTs. They gather around a hole in the ground, blown open by the explosion. Detecting movement, they ready their weapons - only to see Dutch and Romeo climb up from the hole. Back on the starship, Romeo is recovering from his broken ankle at the infirmary. Romeo tells that he put in for a transfer planetside, to be with Dutch, to which Dutch replies that he withdrew his earlier transfer request. The two exchange a baffled stare, and then try rock, paper and scissors to decide whose decision will they go with. Romeo wins, with scissors over paper.

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}

{{succession box|before=''[[Halo: Helljumper Issue 4|Issue 4]]''|title=[[Halo: Helljumper]] comic series|years='''''Issue 5'''''|after=''None''}}

{{Comics|HJ}}
==Related links==
===Internal===
*''[[Halo: Helljumper]]''
*''[[Halo: Helljumper Issue 1|Issue 1]]''
*''[[Halo: Helljumper Issue 2|Issue 2]]''
*''[[Halo: Helljumper Issue 3|Issue 3]]''
*''[[Halo: Helljumper Issue 4|Issue 4]]''

[[Category:Comics|Helljumper Issue 5]]
[[Category:Canon]]