HW:Anders' Signal

Prev:	Scarab
Next:	The Flood
Anders' Signal
Game:	Halo Wars
Player:	UNSC Spirit of Fire
Date:	February 23, 2531
Location:	Trove
Objective(s):	Get to Base Drop Beacon Investigate Echo Team Find and Recover Lost Elephants (2) Bring All Three Elephants Back to Base Optional: Train Squads out of Elephant Kill 750 Infection Forms Find Lost ODST Squads (4)
	Halopedia has a walkthrough guide for this level; see HW:Anders' Signal/Walkthrough.

“

Forge and Recon Groups ECHO and INDIA start the search for Anders.

”

Anders' Signal is the eighth campaign level of Halo Wars.

It is the first level in the Halo Wars campaign to feature the Flood. After the UNSC Spirit of Fire finishes its slipspace travel to pursue a Covenant ship holding Professor Anders, they enter into orbit around an unknown planet, and as Captain Cutter orders Sergeant John Forge to the surface, they encounter units of new Covenant species, the Brutes. As Sergeant Forge's Elephant crew kills all of the Jiralhanae, they are assisted by Spartan Red Team. Two other Elephant crews on the surface, Echo and India, however, reported attacks from unknown hostiles, before all contact from them was lost.

As Sergeant Forge's units and Spartan Red Team investigate, they eventually encounter the Flood, and are forced to destroy and clear any Flood forms surrounding the two other Elephants. Then they are ordered to bring all the three deployed Elephants back to a nearby firebase.

Summary

On Arcadia, Professor Ellen Anders records the Arcadia Forerunner ruins and destroyed Super Scarab with a handheld camera while Sergeant John Forge horses around. Suddenly, the two are attacked by the cloaked Arbiter who bests Forge in a fight and wounds him. Anders stops the Arbiter from killing Forge, promising to go quietly in exchange. As the two depart in a Covenant dropship, Red Team arrives in a Warthog in a failed attempt to stop the Arbiter's departure with Anders. Retreating to the UNSC Spirit of Fire, Forge reports Anders' capture while Serina tracks her transponder signal which quickly goes to lightspeed. With little time to make a decision and at the urging of Forge and Jerome-092, Captain James Cutter orders the Spirit of Fire to pursue.

On February 23, the Covenant vessel emerges from slipspace followed by the Spirit of Fire in uncharted space above a planet. Forge, Red Team and Marines are sent down with Elephants to secure a base, coming into contact with Covenant forces, including Brutes. As the teams clear the area, Recon Teams Echo and India come under attack by the Flood. Forge and Red Team must attempt to rescue Echo and India and retrieve their Elephants to bring them and Forge's Elephant to the newly constructed base.

Transcript

She Is Not My Girlfriend

{She Is Not My Girlfriend}

Fades into Professor Anders and Sergeant John Forge, who are at the remains of the destroyed R'awuw-pattern Scarab. Anders holds a small hand-held camera, documenting the Scarab's remains. Forge grabs a piece of debris and poses with it.

• Sergeant John Forge: "Hey, how 'bout one for the scrapbook, Professor?"

• Professor Ellen Anders: "If you don't mind, Sergeant, I'm trying to document this area for study."

Forge drops the piece and turns his back at Anders. Anders steps forward and continues observing, but finds a camouflaged entity in front of her. Almost immediately, the invisible entity grabs Anders by her throat and uncloaks.

• Arbiter Ripa 'Moramee: "You will come with me."

Forge draws his M6C and takes aim.

Forge draws his M6C magnum and points it at the Arbiter.

• Forge: "Why don't we put the lady down and talk about this, man to freak?"

• Ripa 'Moramee: "As you wish."

Arbiter drops Anders and moves towards Forge. He shoots the Arbiter with his pistol but it has no effect. The Arbiter activates his camouflage, moves behind Forge and cuts his Pistol in half with a swing of his Energy Sword. Forge falls down and the Arbiter moves to finish him with a stab. Anders runs in between them.

• Anders: "Stop!"

• Forge: "Anders, get out of here!"

• Anders: "I'll come quietly if you let him live."

The Arbiter grabs Anders by her throat and walks into the Gravity lift of a Spirit dropship hovering above. The ship flies away as the Spartan Red Team arrives with a Warthog firing at it. After the ship goes away, the Spartans get off the Warthog and secure the area. One of them approaches Forge, who is still lying on the ground from the attack.

• Jerome-092: "Sir?"

• Forge: "I'm okay. Spirit of Fire, this is Forge. I lost Anders."

Cuts to the bridge of the Spirit of Fire, where Captain Cutter is facing a monitor, which shows data of Anders and Forge.

• Captain James Gregory Cutter: "What happened?"

• Forge (COM): "Some massive Elite came out of nowhere."

• Serina: "Captain, I'm tracking her transponder. It's heading away from the planet."

• Cutter: "Damn it! Sergeant, get up here on the double."

A Pelican flies towards the Spirit of Fire.

• Forge (COM): "Already en route, sir."

Forge enters the bridge with Jerome-092 behind him. Captain Cutter leans over the holographic display of Arcadia. The two stands beside him.

• Forge: "We're all accounted for; why haven't we left yet?"

• Cutter: "Why aren't you in the med-bay, Sergeant?"

Forge and Jerome-092 joins Cutter at the bridge.

The holo-table shows a red dot, a representation of Anders' signal, heading away from Arcadia's hologram and a green hologram of the Spirit of Fire. It is leaving Spirit of Fire's Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) limit and approaching the Long Range Weapon System (LRWS) limit.

• Serina: "The professor's signal has gone to lightspeed, headed for the border."

• Jerome-092: "That puts it outside weapon range."

• Forge: (angrily) "What? We have to go after her!"

• Serina: "Sir, I can only track that transponder a few more seconds."

• Sgt. Forge: "Captain!"

• Jerome-092: "Sir, Anders represents a significant security breach."

Cutter pauses momentarily, then finally makes a decision.

• Cutter: "Serina, get us underway immediately. Follow that signal."

• Serina: "Aye aye, sir."

Forge and Jerome leave while Cutter approaches the front of the bridge. Hatches begin to seal around all the windows as the ship prepares for slipspace travel.

• Serina: "So...we left a note saying we're leaving, right?"

Cuts to black.

Fades in to two ships coming out of slipspace in orbit, as seen in the atmosphere of an unknown planet. A piece of the landscape twitches, then turns around towards the camera as three small tentacles twitch around its chest, revealing an unknown lifeform that resembles a Sangheili.

UNKNOWN LOCATION

FEBRUARY 23RD 2531

Cutter and Serina on the bridge as the UNSC Spirit of Fire arrives at Trove.

Cuts to Spirit of Fire's bridge, Cutter is looking from the front windows as hatches unseal around the windows, revealing a red planet.

• Cutter: "Where the hell are we, Serina?"

• Serina: "We're in orbit around a planet in the middle of... Actually, I'm still working on that, sir.

• Cutter: "Anders?"

• Serina: "The Covenant vessel we pursued appears to have taken cover on the planet's surface. I have rough coordinates."

• Cutter: "Any sign of other Covenant activity?"

• Serina: "Not that I can detect, although this world is giving off some pretty crazy readings."

Cutter pauses, sighs and turns around, walking towards the bridge's door.

• Cutter: "Get Forge down there."

• Serina: "I believe he is already aboard a Pelican, awaiting your word."

Captain Cutter exits the bridge.

Gameplay

{In-Game Cutscene}

Two M312 Elephants with two squads of marines each move though the terrain.

• Recon Team ECHO/INDIA (COM): "Spirit of Fire, Elephant recon teams ECHO and INDIA are clear of hostiles and moving to potential base sites. Over."

The teams are revealed to be very close to a heavily fortified Covenant position, where two Spirit dropships just flew away from.

• Cutter: "Roger that. Sergeant Forge, you will need to clear that fire line just ahead of your location and get to your beacon. We'll follow up at that time."

{Gameplay}

• Cutter: "Sergeant, logistics are preventing reinforcements. Train squads out of that Elephant."

After enough Marine squads are trained, Forge and the Marines move towards the beacon, running into Covenant forces.

• Forge (COM): "Serina, I thought you said there weren't any signs of the Covenant down here. What do you call all this?"

• Serina: "Designation "Jiralhanae", a.k.a. "Brutes". Responsible for the attack on Harvest."

If an Elephant takes some damage from the Covenant attack:

• Cutter: "Keep an eye on that Elephant, Sergeant. You lose that, we lose our foothold."

If an Elephant takes heavy damage:

• Cutter: "We can't lose any of our Elephants. We need all of them intact."

After a bit of heavy fighting, a Pelican drops off Spartan Red Team behind Covenant positions.