Talk:Battle of Ealen IV

Covenant remnant's involvement
Issue #3 has the unidentified human mentioning that 'Gajat is moonlighting, and inquired about Jul 'Mdama finding out. Also Scruggs denies being a member of the Insurrection, claiming to be something else. To me this sounds like a contract being taken by Covenant/Human mercenaries, not an official involvement by the remnant. Maybe that faction in the infobox should be changed to reflect that. Col.  Snipes  4  50  12:05, 27 February 2014 (EST)


 * I don't see why not. We may still see the offical covenant remnant show up in a later issue but who knows. Also I'm starting to think this mysterious group is non other than the Servants of Abiding Truth led by Avu Med 'Telcam. Just being hypothetical.-- Killamint  [Comm |Files ] 12:32, 27 February 2014 (EST)


 * I can't actually say with any certainty, since I have so far not read much beyond previews, but I have a vague suspicion that this is going to tie into 343i turning ONI into Cerberus - a renegade, well-funded and anti-alien paramilitary organisation that declares itself humanity's benefactor, while using extreme and unethical means behind the UNSC's back. You have ONI funding the decidedly anti-human Servants of Abiding Truth, without which the Covenant remnant probably wouldn't exist, going behind Hood's back to derail his own objectives; the transition from Parangosky to Osman to maintain a degree of philosophic continuity; Osman's decision to assassinate Halsey; and now a second Spartan going rogue, who this time, unlike Ilsa Zane, made it through the screening and augmentation process - either the people screening the candidates are total incompetents (something I'm not willing to rule out :P) or ONI has been sneaking its own operatives into their ranks, and Scruggs was one of them, activated to derail Hood's peace talks. I can only hope that if they do take that route, taking them down is as satisfying as it was putting the last nail into Cerberus's coffin. --  Qura 'Morhek   The Autocrat     of Morheka   02:27, 28 February 2014 (EST)


 * Scruggs' final words lend credence to the "ONI is becoming Halo ' s Cerberus" angle. Here's a transcript, with italics used as they appear in the issue:


 * Palmer: "Oh, so suddenly you're an Insurrectionist?"


 * Scruggs: "Listen to yourself. You think there's just two sides to the world? Why do you think the UNSC blamed the Covenant remnants for the attack on New Phoenix? Why do you think [the] Arbiter hasn't been able to make peace on his own in the last five years? What about your pal, the Master Chief? Any of you heard from him lately? You don't understand half of what's going on, Commander."


 * I'm afraid Palmer wound up pulling a 'Vadamee, so to speak. Scruggs was trying to convey the truth about ONI - or so I'm guessing - but Palmer's unquestioning loyalty to the UNSC forbade her from hearing him out. I just wonder what this group is trying to accomplish, since destabilizing the peace summit seems to be playing right into ONI's hands. We know there are at least four humans in their camp, including 1) Scruggs, 2) the real mole, 3) a scientist-looking guy on 'Gajat's bridge, and 4) Mr. Beardface, whom I believe is Edvin Sentzke. On the other hand, maybe Scruggs was working for ONI and felt compelled to tell Sarah just what he was up to. Anyway, I look forward to see how this plays out. -- Our vengeance is at hand. Gravemind.svg ( Talk to me. ) 13:01, 28 February 2014 (EST)
 * Some think he might be Phillips. It does say the forces belong to Jul 'Mdama in issue 2. Personally, I wouldn't want ONI to become Cerberus like but a strong necessary helpful organization. Erickyboo (talk) 16:00, 28 February 2014 (EST)


 * Has anybody else caught up on this recurring mystery character who's appeared in most of 343's post-Halo 4 material? Halsey's interrogator in the Halo 4 intro. Ilsa Zane's rescuer at the end of Initiation. A shadowy figure inspecting Palmer's file in the Security Council meeting in Escalation issue one. I believe these three are one and the same, and that they're in fact the high-ranked UNSC mole. As for Scruggs' "most enjoyable edification", there's definitely a callback to that Halo 2 scene, but it's also worth noting that Scruggs wasn't exactly a "good guy" either, having just murdered his own team in cold blood. Regardless, he would've been worth a lot more alive.--Jugus (Talk  | Contribs ) 10:45, 2 March 2014 (EST)


 * Murdering your own team in cold blood seems exactly like the ONI way of doing things. Just like John Smith in "The Mona Lisa". Good guy or not, this all stinks of ONI! --Weeping Angel (talk) 11:37, 2 March 2014 (EST)

Attacking group identified?
I was reading issue 1 and when the covenant first attack the delegates, they identify themselves as the "Guardians of the Righteous". Should this faction be placed in the info-box? Or was it already discussed that this isn't the faction attacking the delegates?-- Killamint  [Comm |Files ] 11:13, 8 March 2014 (EST)


 * We discussed this a while back, and the result was inconclusive - while "Guardians of the Righteous" may indeed be the name of their group, it might as well just be religious rhetoric the Elite uses to refer to himself and his allies. --Jugus (Talk  | Contribs ) 10:06, 9 March 2014 (EDT)


 * Kool. I just wanted to know. Maybe the next few issues will tell us everything we need to know. To many secrets like - who is that unknown human (& scientist) working with Gajat?-- Killamint  [Comm |Files ] 10:59, 9 March 2014 (EDT)