Talk:The Return

Elites
We get the idea the humans and elites have a better relationship, but at the end of "the Return" the Shipmaster finds his new purpose, and remembers how to get humans to talk. He however, is seeking forgiveness for his sins of killing innocent humans. Also I don't quite understand what this purpose is, is it getting humans to find and use new forerunner tech (as shown in the following short story). SacredCow92 06:45, December 27, 2009 (UTC)


 * All we know about the fate of the human that he recovers is that he intends to get the man to talk. As for his motivations, the Shipmaster is trying to find a spiritual revelation on the planet, hoping for a sign from the "gods" of what to do. He decides that the gods want him and the Sangheili race to find and preserve Forerunner relics, artefacts and installations. --  Administrator  Specops306  -   Qur'a 'Morhek   10:18, December 27, 2009 (UTC)

I too found the the ambiguity fof the story troubling. I really had hoped the Elites and humans would get along, but I have always felt that the novels don't truly capture the Elites in the same way that the games did. Sometimes I just wish the authors would not write about them cause it screws up the Halo universe. However, I came to the conclusion that the Shipmaster was going to use the humans in order to teach his race how to use and interpret the Forerunner relics for themselves, as they did not know how, and that he would be able to communicate directly with the gods if he knew how to use the Forerunner technology. Pure speculation, mind you.

Extron 19:20, February 6, 2010 (UTC)Extron

I hated the story at first, since the thought of the mighty Sangheili Fleet of Retribution basically rusting to pieces just... really, really sucks. But the way it ended really breeds hope for the Sangheili people. If you think about it, the way the Covenant was set up, that whole not knowing how to build/repair their own tech was bound to happen to them, so something has to happen to allow them to move forward. The Return shows that their future can still be bright- OUR future can still be bright- if Humans and Sangheili work TOGETHER. Only then will both sides manage to, y'know, not fall back to barbarism and all that nasty business. Dewback rancher 00:41, April 26, 2010 (UTC)

Difference in endings
The last part of the trivia section details the difference between the endings in the story and the comic. However I do not think the endings are any different. Whoever wrote that sentence claims that the last thing that happens in the short story is the Shipmaster finding the human to be alive, and getting medical help. In actuality, in the story it is mentioned he is very angry that the humans are disturbing Forerunner artifacts. Also there is the line about remembering how to get answers from a human. That is a direct reference to the fact that he once tortured someone for information. He gets medical help to make sure the human survives long enough to be tortured. Just my take on it, but I think it brings the two endings into agreement. 76.117.170.43 18:09, June 2, 2010 (UTC)Kakashi266

Monitor?
Can someone please post a picture of the Monitor please? Vegerot ( talk )  17:15, 3 March 2011 (EST)!
 * Since you asked nicely, here you go. :) — subtank  18:02, 3 March 2011 (EST)
 * *sounding like a little kid* Yaaaaay! Manners FTW! Give me five, Subtank! Vegerot  ( talk )  16:38, 4 March 2011 (EST).

Mendicant Bias and the Contender-class case
The article states in that "the short story indicates that the Oracle looks exactly like 05-032 Mendicant Bias," but this can't be true. Page 524 of Evolution states says "And most importantly, in one picture he saw part of a rounded frame and smooth glass lens that looked exactly like the Forerunner Oracle they had kept in their former capital city High Charity before it was destroyed in the recklessness of the Prophet of Truth." Is it not more likely that the shipmaster is describing 343 Guilty Spark after he was captured? Guilty Spark's place on High Charity was known to its inhabitants due to Truth's communications, and I wouldn't doubt his image was used as well. This is not to say that Mendicant's fragment may not be stored in a case similar to that of an ordinary monitor, as it appears in Contact Harvest, of course, simply that what is said in the article is speculation where other explanations are also available. As this does appear to be speculation, would anyone mind if I removed any reference to Mendicant Bias from the article? That is, unless I've missed something vital. —Tent acle Torn ado  15:06, 2 December 2013 (EST)


 * The only thing I can think to add is the larger Monitor, ceiling-mounted, in the map Cold Storage could be a, ahem, 'contender' (sorry!) for the Contender-class of Monitors. We don't know for sure what that larger Cold Storage Monitor is all about. It would also mesh with the diagrams from The Return since both models are physically identical, just one is upscaled from the other. -ScaleMaster117 (talk) 16:43, 2 December 2013 (EST)


 * To the OP, I agree that it could be either way. As you said it's too ambiguous to make any definite conclusions. --Jugus (Talk  | Contribs ) 23:44, 2 December 2013 (EST)

I think he's definitely referring to Guilty Spark. This is supported by the motion comic, which shows him finding a picture of an ordinary Monitor. I imagine access to Bias before he was disconnected from the Dreadnought would be highly limited anyway, as that's a Prophet's line of work. Tuckerscreator (stalk ) 23:58, 3 December 2013 (EST)