HW2:The Signal
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| “ | Spartan Jerome and Red Team investigate the source of a UNSC emergency signal. | ” |
The Signal is the first campaign level in Halo Wars 2.
Transcript[edit]
{Cinematic Cutscene}
Open to the UNSC Spirit of Fire drifting silently in space.
UNSC SPIRIT OF FIRE
Official Status: Lost with all hands
2559 – 28 years since last known contact
A light flashes sporadically in the background as two of the ship's turrets rise up and turn, ready once again.
The bridge's blast shields begin to open, revealing the space outside.
- Serina: "Captain, wake up. Something has happened."
The ship continues to wake various viewscreens come back online. One viewscreen displays the following:
INCOMING COMMS:
SHIPBOARD ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
SNA 1292-4 SERINA
GRAVITY 100%
ATMOS 100%
AI SYNC 0%
- Serina: "The Spirit of Fire is in the situation I... could not anticipate."
The screen moves to the ship's Cryo Room 3, showing Sergeant John Forge's empty cryo chamber. The cryo room starts to light up, machinery returning to life, as well as the human occupants
- Serina: "I'm certain Professor Anders would enjoy that little admission, so let's keep it between us, shall we?"
Pan down the several floors of the cryo room alive with activity as with technicians walking to and fro, assisting crew members exiting their cryo pods.
- Serina: "We've been adrift for just over twenty-eight years. I've made quite a few repairs while you were sleeping, so the ship systems are at one hundred percent. Cryo worked well and medstats on all remaining crew are green. As for me, well...regulations are clear about final dispensation at the end of AI's seven-year lifespan."
Below the cryo room, a tram speeds past.
- Serina: "I took care of my own arrangements rather than wake you. I didn't want to...well...I hope you can forgive this final breach of protocol."
Below the tram line, various Marines and crew members walk along a hallway. Crewmen salute to a figure walking along the middle of the corridor - Captain James Cutter.
As the captain walks past the camera, two Spartans walk past behind him, their footsteps heavy.
- Serina: "It has been a pleasure and an honor to serve with you, sir."
Here, Serina's voice begins to break.
- Serina: "Do look after everyone for me, would you? Goodbye, Captain...Serina out."
Cutter stops before an elevator door. Two Marines guarding the door salute to the captain, who dons his dress cap. The elevator door opens. Cut to game logo:
Halo Wars 2
View outside the ship: the elevator descends down to the observation deck. Inside, Anders is already awake and analyzing the situation when Cutter enters.
- Anders: "I'll need to get down there. Immediately, of course."
- Cutter: "Good morning to you too, Professor."
- Anders: (chuckles) "I'm sorry, Captain. It's good to see you too. But just...look at it."
Anders and Cutter look at Installation 00 below them.
- Cutter: "What is it, and where are we?"
Anders brings up various holographic astronavigation data.
- Anders: "Um, No idea. Our astronavigation can't pinpoint a location. We're not on the map anymore."
Cutter looks at and manipulates another holo-terminal.
- Cutter: "We didn't drift out of the galaxy in twenty-eight years, Professor."
Cutter opens the ship's sensor records.
- Cutter: "Sensor records show we arrived via slipspace less than an hour ago?"
Anders summons a holograph of the ship's removed Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine.
- Anders: "Our Slipspace drive is gone. However we got here, it wasn't us who initiated the trip."
She then opens a holographic data schematic of Installation 00.
- Anders: "Something down there.."
Anders manipulates the holo-display to survey a specific area of the Ark.
- Anders: "...must have opened the portal from this end and pulled us in."
Suddenly, a report comes in from the bridge
- Bridge Crew: "Captain Cutter, sir. We've received a signal from the surface. It's UNSC!"
- Cutter: "Signal to my location, Lieutenant. Let's hear what they have to say."
A holographic representation of the message is brought up.
- Bridge Crew: "I'm sorry, Captain. I can't play it for you, sir. The message has an encryption scheme we haven't seen before."
Cutter presses several buttons on the holotable's touchscreen.
- Cutter: "Security measures would've advanced without us, but it is coming through on a UNSC frequency."
Anders studies the holographic message.
- Cutter: (gestures to the holographic message) "This is good. When we left, the war wasn't going well. This signal means the UNSC is still fighting, or maybe we even won. What's the source of transmission?"
Anders opens the source on the holotable.
- Anders: "We don't have the surface details yet, sir. Something down there is blocking our scans and without Serina..."
Anders pauses. Focus on Captain Cutter's saddened face.
- Anders: "But we... do have a rough location."
Anders triangulates the location, designating it with a yellow mark
- Anders: "Should be simple enough to triangulate once we can pick up the signal from the ground.
Cutter contacts Jerome-092.
- Cutter: "Cutter to Jerome."
- Jerome-092 (COM): "Reporting, Captain."
- Cutter: "Prep Spartan Red Team and a small recon squad. Professor Anders will send you coordinates."
Anders proceeds to send the coordinates to Red Team.
- Cutter: "Find out who's sending that signal. Be on the ground within the hour, travel light."
- Jerome-092: "Roger that, Captain. Recon only."
The holotable closes after the coordinates are given
- Cutter: "Twenty-eight years, Professor...Let's see what kind of galaxy we woke up to."
Cutter observes the Forerunner installation below him; cut to an overall view of the Ark.
UNEXPLORED INSTALLATION / UNSC DROP ZONE
THE SIGNAL
Mission Briefing
- Cutter: "Professor Anders, any update on the source of that signal?"
- Anders: "It wasn't easy, but I've narrowed it down to a small sector and our recon teams are investigation now. I've cleared up the scans a bit and it looks like there is a UNSC outpost or research station, but it's heavily damaged. It doesn't look good, but the Spartans will handle it. They always do. It would be a lot faster if you let me go down with them, Captain."
- Cutter: "Without Serina here I need you on the ship, Professor. Besides, we don't know what is waiting for us down there. Jerome, get Red Team to the Professor's coordinates, ASAP. I want you to make contact with whoever's sending that signal."
- Jerome-092: "Understood, sir. We'll find them.""
Mission Summary
Use Red Team to investigate and find the source of the signal.
Scouting Report
Spirit of Fire recon teams are on the ground to meet Red Team.
{In-game cutscene}
- Pelican Pilot: "Spirit of Fire Actual. I am approaching the drop zone with Red Team."
- Pelican Pilot: "Standby for drop, Red Team."
The Pelican drops Red Team in a Warthog and flies away
- Jerome-092: "Looking forward to shaking off some cobwebs, sir."
- Douglas-042: "Ah, it feels good to have our feet back on real ground again, doesn't it, Alice?"
- Alice-130: "You saw this place on the drop down, Douglas. Nothing real about it."
Two Hornets fly past near the Spartans
- Jerome-092: "Alice is right, we don't know what's waiting for us down there. Keep your eyes out of trouble."
{Gameplay}
Jerome-092 drives the Warthog uphill. The Spartans come across Recon One and some barricades.
- Recon One: "Recon One reporting, sir. We've set up charges to clear a path for you when you're ready. I don't know what they were defending against, but there's some heavy duty barricades here."
- Jerome-092: "Everybody get clear."
The Marines move away from the barricades
- Jerome-092: "Light up those charges, Alice."
Alice fires on the barricade, which is immediately destroyed. Red Team and Recon One quickly advance ahead where they also find some heavy barricades. Recon One quickly sets charges again
- Alice-130: "Jerome, these aren't military defenses."
- Jerome-092: "No, these were made in a hurry. They must have been desperate."
- Douglas-042: "Why wouldn't they have defenses? They must have expected to be a target for the Covenant."
Alice destroys the barricade again. The Warthog comes up on a cliff.
- Jerome-092: "Hold on, jump up ahead."
The Warthog jumps down from the cliff
- Douglas-042: "I've missed this!"
The Spartans come across more structures.
- Alice-130: "These are research buildings. No defenses. The people here weren't soldiers, they were scientists."
Red Team continues on while Hornets and Marines pass nearby. They then encounter a light bridge, which the Spartans activate and cross. Douglas then spots a Nightingale with two Hornets flying past.
- Douglas-042: "What's a Nightingale doing here? Do we have wounded?"
The Spartans continue and pass by more damaged structures, and come across a scene where three Nightingales and two Hornets are in the process of evacuating casualties.
- Squad Leader: "It's one of our recon teams, sir. We found them like this when we arrived. Didn't see what hit them."
- Alice-130: "Looks like we may see some action after all."
One Hornet moves away to a teleporter further ahead. The Spartans follow them to the portal, which is guarded by Marines.
- Cutter: "Jerome, our recon teams have scouted out this portal that will take you down to the signal. I've ordered the rest of our forces to stay back and protect your exit while you investigate."
- Jerome-092: "Yes, sir."
Red Team teleport to the next area below, where more portals are soon found with unknown devices attached.
- Jerome-092: "Professor, we've found some more portals, but there's something strange about them."
- Anders: Odd, they look like they've been modified, and those machines attached to them aren't UNSC tech. Keep an eye out for any more of them."
Red Team eventually arrives at where the signal comes from: a UNSC structure. A sign identifies the building as the Henry Lamb Research Facility.
{In-game cutsc