Editing Halo: Ascension on Atropos

{{Title|''Halo: Ascension on Atropos''}}
{{Status|RealWorld}}
{{Novel infobox
|name=''Halo: Ascension on Atropos''
|variant=Anthology
|image=[[File:Ascension on Atropos Cover.jpg|300px]]
|author=
*[[Alex Wakeford]]
*[[Jeff Easterling]]
|cover artist=
|illustrator=
|editor=
|audio=
*[[Alex Wakeford]] {{C|original YouTube upload}}
*Stewart Crank {{C|''[[Halo: Waypoint Chronicles - Volume One]]''}}{{Ref/Site|Id=CFCasting|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/news/canon-fodder-casting-chronicles|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Canon Fodder - Casting Chronicles|D=27|M=03|Y=2026}}
|publisher=[[Halo Studios]]
|publication=[[2025#October|October 8, 2025]]{{Ref/Site|Id=Haloween2Launch|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/news/haloween-ii-operation-launch|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Operation: Haloween II Now Undead|D=07|M=10|Y=2025}}
|media=Short story
|length=
|ISBN=
|series=[[Halo Waypoint Chronicle]]s
|preceded=''[[Halo: 'Ghosts & Glass' by B. Giraud]]''
|followed=''[[Halo: Fifth Canticle]]''
|multiseries=
|notable=
}}
'''''Halo: Ascension on Atropos''''' is an entry in the [[Halo Waypoint Chronicle]] series of short stories published by [[Halo Studios]], that was released online on [[Halo Waypoint]] and YouTube for free on [[2025#October|October 8, 2025]].{{Ref/Reuse|Haloween2Launch}} It ties in with the [[Haloween II]] multiplayer operation in ''[[Halo Infinite]]'', and acts as a sequel to the events told in the Waypoint Chronicle ''[[Halo: Saturn Devouring His Son]]''. It is included in the [[2026]] print anthology compilation ''[[Halo: Waypoint Chronicles - Volume One]]''.{{Ref/Site|Id=HWCCover|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/news/halo-waypoint-chronicles-volume-one-cover-reveal|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Halo: Waypoint Chronicles – Volume One <nowiki>|</nowiki> Cover Reveal|D=03|M=07|Y=2025}}

==Official Summary==
{{Article quote|[[2556#October|October 2556]]. The crew of the [[UNSC Saturn]] deal with the consequences of a catastrophic [[Flood]] [[Outbreak at Site 22|outbreak]] at [[LV-31]], and a fanatical alien cult seeks to find a new path to divine transcendence.}}

==Plot Synopsis==
{{Summarize|section}}
{{Spoiler/begin}}
On [[2560#April|April 17, 2560]], [[Lycaon]], Shipboard [[Smart AI]] for the {{UNSCShip|Saturn}} would send a narrow-band point-to-point transmission to an unidentified ship. He addresses the recipient's curiosity about the events following the [[Outbreak at Site 22|disaster]] at [[Site 22]] and reflects on the uncertain flow of information to the UNSC after that catastrophe, implying that its aftermath was either suppressed or lost. Since his reactivation, Lycaon had monitored and waited, and now wants to reveal the truth and close this dark chapter of his service. He begins transferring data to the recipient, relieved to no longer carry this secret alone, promising to unveil the final fate of ''Saturn'' and its [[Captain (Navy)|Captain]] [[Pedro Alvarez]].

On [[2556#October|October 5, 2556]], in the [[Marcey system]], Captain Pedro Joaquin Alvarez of the UNSC ''Saturn'' reflects on the heavy toll of his choices and their influence. He recalls what happened [[2555#March|a year earlier]], when he was an [[Executive officer]] aboard the {{UNSCShip|Lamplighter}}, when watched the [[UNSC Home Fleet]] be annihilated by an unexpected [[Battle of Earth (2555)|invasion]] of [[Forerunner]] [[Retriever Sentinel]]s emerging from the [[Africa]] [[Excession]]. Each the size of a [[frigate]], they descended in relentless waves, tearing apart the landscape with gravitic beams that strip-mined [[Earth]] itself. Alvarez watched in horror as {{Class|Strident|heavy frigate}}s were vaporized and the fleet collapsed. When his captain froze at the helm, offering no orders as the Retrievers unleashed sterilization beams, Alvarez led a mutiny to assume command and save what remained of the fleet. When the Retrievers suddenly retreated on mysterious orders from an [[000 Tragic Solitude|unknown Forerunner intelligence]], only a dozen UNSC ships were left. For surviving and taking control, Alvarez was decorated with a Bronze Star, promoted to Captain, and given his own command, an honor he never sought.

Now, aboard the Saturn, Alvarez nurses a glass of [[Titan Smoke]], contemplating the Site 22 tragedy. When the Flood within a Forerunner ship buried in the asteroid [[LV-31]] had unintentionally been awakened by miners, Lycaon had demanded immediate orbital sterilization using MAC rounds and fusion warheads. Alvarez refused, unwilling to destroy vital resources needed to rebuild the UNSC fleet. After shutting the AI down via a command code after Lycaon attempted to supersede his command, Alvarez deployed [[Spartan]] [[Fireteam Leviathan]] alongside [[Hellbringers]] to contain the infection. It seemed to work, until one of the Spartans was infected. The bridge crew watched in stunned disbelief as the anti-contamination failsafes in the Spartan's [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor|MJOLNIR Armor]] triggered, but failed to stop the parasite, turning the Spartan on his allies, weaponizing his armor, training, and access codes. Ultimately, Alvarez enacted scorched-earth protocols, annihilating LV-31 and all remaining personnel with [[Shiva-class nuclear missile|Shiva-class]] [[Nuclear weapon|nuclear missile]]s, destroying the colony and its resources and seemingly eradicating the Flood.

Haunted by the decision, Alvarez faced a choice: Return to Earth to face judgment or flee his disgrace. He steeled himself to accept accountability, convincing himself that he "did his duty," but was hampered by doubt. When [[Lieutenant]] [[Anwar Shafiq]] arrived with a casualty report, Alvarez learned that 89 personnel—including all four Spartans and dozens of [[UNSC Marine Corps|marines]] and Hellbringers—are confirmed dead. Shafiq hesitated, then delivered worse news: Of the three [[Condor]] dropships deployed to Site 22, one returned, one was confirmed destroyed, and one was missing. Alvarez realized the potential that the missing [[slipspace]]-capable vessel could have been carrying flood, potentially allowing the parasite to escape containment thanks to his error of sending a ship equipped for FTL travel into an infection zone. He ordered Shafiq to deliver all recovered footage and swore him to silence until the facts were confirmed. After he left, Alvarez collapsed into his chair, overcome by guilt and dread of failing his command and dooming countless lives.

On [[Atropos]] during the [[Ages of Abandonment#Nineteenth Age of Abandonment|19th Age of Abandonment]], [[Atun 'Etaree]], a [[Sangheili]] artisan and the [[Minister of Aretalogy]]'s Chosen, rides aboard the Minister's [[Ekesan-pattern Umbra|Umbra]] transport en route to his ascension ceremony. The Minister, a [[San'Shyuum]] ritually blinded to attune with "higher cosmic spheres," speaks gently to Atun, encouraging pride and joy on this sacred day. Atun reveres him deeply, trusting in the Minister's mysterious designs even though many of his decisions—such as relocating their entire [[Covenant]] contingent from orbit to the planet's surface three cycles ago—remain unexplained. Atropos is encircled by two massive ring systems: Fate, with 12 layers, and Destiny, with 43. The chaotic orbital debris forms luminous arcs visible from the ground, inspiring awe and devotion among the faithful. The Minister teaches that Atropos is a test of cosmic harmony, where spiritual worth is measured by coexistence with both the planet and others who share it—Humans, who had settled the world long before the Covenant's arrival.

As the convoy halts near the citadel, six [[Shadow]]s form an escort around the Minister's Umbra. Atun monitors the approach of the Human caravan—eight ground vehicles running on crude hydrogen combustion engines. The Sangheili [[Honor Guard]]s beside him, [[Bora 'Yerusee]] and [[Ismo 'Argomee]], bristle instinctively at the Humans' presence, but Atun calms and reminds them that these Humans know nothing of the [[Human-Covenant War|War of Annihilation]] and that peace is the Minister's will. The Minister, supported by his [[anti-gravity belt]], disembarks and greets the Human delegate—a visibly pregnant woman. She extends a hand before remembering his blindness and instead offers respectful words of welcome. Together, they open the [[Festival of Joyous Partition]], a ceremonial exchange of gifts and culture between the Covenant followers and the stranded Humans. The Humans present weapons forged from steel, [[Wikipedia:Voyager Golden Record|golden "record" discs]] once sent into space as messages to other life, and crude electronic devices called "[[ChatterNet|chatters]]." They also offer food utensils and small machines that play virtual entertainment. 

What fascinates Atun are the Human artworks—paintings, holographs, and family images preserved in transparent capsules, with their vibrant pigments and emotional expression, so alien to Sangheili tradition. An old Human with a thick white beard shows Atun a [[Wikipedia:Francisco Goya|Francisco Goya]] painting—''[[Wikipedia:Saturn Devouring His Son|Saturn Devouring His Son]]''. Though dark and unsettling, Atun is transfixed by it. The man explains that it is centuries old, a priceless original from Earth he got under remarkable circumstances prior to being stranded on Atropos. Strangely compelled, Atun offers his completed [[arum]] as an exchange. The man laughs, incredulous but amused, and accepts. Atun stows the painting aboard a Shadow, unsure why the image speaks to him or why he claims it would please his blind Minister. The festival continues in peace as Humans and Covenant followers share food, drink, and stories beneath the glittering twin rings of Atropos. As the day ends and the groups part ways for another cycle, Atun feels joy and serenity, believing he is ready at last for ascension—to join the gods and create arums for eternity.

On October 9, after reporting the missing Condor, Shafiq received orders to assemble 193 personnel—mostly Marines and security staff—in the hangar bay for a long-awaited address. Newly transferred from the {{UNSCShip|Irish Goodbye}} to the ''Saturn'', Shafiq had been eager to learn from Captain Alvarez, intending for their transfer to be a stepping stone toward his own command. However, the ship's morale was already shaken following Site 22 and it was understrength with only 238 crew remaining out of a normal 600. Tense and directionless after Alvarez's days of silence, many quietly questioned whether he is still fit for command.

At last, Captain Alvarez spoke through shipwide comms and appeared on the hangar monitors, which showed him in his ready room with the painting of Saturn behind him. He begins solemnly, honoring the fallen, then abruptly announces new, classified orders from [[UNSC Fleet Command|FLEETCOM]]: ''Saturn'' will leave the Marcey system and enter slipspace, with all nonessential personnel to prepare for cryosleep. This triggered murmurs of anger and disbelief, with one senior comms officer challenging Alvarez, noting that no transmission or signal from FLEETCOM had been received in four days. Alvarez dismissed her, citing confidentiality, which only led to unrest as crew voices rose in open frustration.

Shafiq, reviewing his tacpad, saw that all senior officers—including himself—were assigned to cryo, leaving a skeleton crew of 30 [[Ensign]]s to operate the ship; a glaring procedural violation, especially with the AI disabled. As Shafiq examined further, he found three names listed among the maintenance crew that belong to Leviathan―an noticeable error like that needed explanation. When he confronted Alvarez about it, the Captain called it a "system glitch" and asked Shafiq to report to his ready room. When the Lieutenant refused, Alvarez's demeanor became venomous as he accused the crew of harboring "doubt, uncertainty, and disloyalty," calling these traits a contagion that escaped and was now aboard the ship.

[[Major]] [[Moran]], the grizzled Hellbringer CO, stepped forward, calling Alvarez's words nonsense and openly accused the Captain of trying to escape accountability for Site 22's failure and silencing the crew under the pretense of cryo transfer. Other Marines echoed the sentiment, shouting that Alvarez shut down Lycaon for disagreeing with him, then quieted when someone questioned what Alvarez had meant when he said something had escaped them. Lieutenant Shafiq seized the silence to accuse Alvarez of hiding the truth—that Site 22 was potentially in vain due to the potentially Flood-infested Condor that had been unaccounted for. The crowd froze in collective dread while Alvarez's face on the monitors flickered between fear and rage. Major Moran climbed a crate and rallied the crew to take back the ship, place Alvarez in cryo, and send him to Earth to face justice for dereliction and desertion. In unified approval, the crew passed weapons and magazines down the line as Alvarez screamed mutiny. 

Shafiq formally declared him unfit for command under the [[Uniform Code of Military Justice]], stating his intention to remove him from duty. Before he can finish, a deafening metallic groan echoed through the hangar—followed by a violent hiss. The crew turned as the rear hangar hatch began to open. Major Moran yelled to climb as the vacuum of space tears through the chamber. Shafiq leapt for a ladder, clutching it with all his strength as decompression ripped through the bay. Crew gasped and clawed at their throats before they were sucked into the void, tumbling silently into space. Shafiq held on, searching desperately for an override console, calculating that he had under 90 seconds before asphyxiation, organ rupture, and death. Following Moran's command, he climbed three rungs, muscles trembling, vision dimming, lungs collapsing. His fingers slipped before he could reach the next rung and the last thing he saw was the hangar ceiling receding from view. Shafiq drifted into the dark, joining 193 souls lost to the void.

Back on Atropos, Atun is told by the Minister that the time of his ascension has come. The Sangheili transports rise into the air, gliding toward the planet's shining inner ring. The Minister, calm and persuasive, tells Atun that they will soon reach a citadel where he will find the "gates to divinity." As their transport crosses the surface, Atun reflects on his life: Born aboard [[High Charity]] in the Covenant's lower districts among the [[Unggoy]], he was trained in maintenance and craftsmanship. The Minister had first met him there, intrigued by a Sangheili living among the low castes. Impressed by Atun's constructed arum, the Minister promised to return the next day and take him to his estate if he failed to solve its mechanism.

When the transport halts, Atun's hearts pound with anxiety, not understanding why he has been chosen then or now. The Minister declares that "ascension awaits," and they disembark. Sangheili soldiers line up to salute as Atun walks with the San'Shyuum toward the citadel—[[Covenant Citadel|a grand, curved structure]] beside the sea and basalt cliffs 50 meters high. The Minister halts at the threshold, saying he cannot enter until his mission of guiding all his flock to the gods is complete. He tells Atun he will stay behind, but that his words will accompany him. Atun parts with reverence, promising never to forget the Minister's kindness, and enters the citadel alone, the great doors sealing behind him. 

Inside, the air is dark and still. Expecting bright halls and gardens, he instead finds the interior dimly lit by red emergency lights. The Minister's voice echoes through the comm system, calling to him as his "Chosen." Atun asks to hear the promised story. The Minister begins: Three cycles ago, an emissary of the gods arrived on Atropos—a being whose ship, the missing ''Saturn'' Condor, fell from slipspace and crashed into the planet's surface. The Minister calls it a "fallen angel," though its form was fragmented in the crash and needed reformation. As he spoke, Atun moves deeper into the citadel. The air grew humid and foul, the ground beneath his feet turned soft and pulsing like flesh and the sound of wet movement surrounded him. He reaches the citadel's center and finds a massive, closed flower-like structure surrounded by mist and vines. 

The Minister's voice continues, explaining that he brought his followers to the planet's surface and sent each "Chosen" to serve the gods within the citadel, helping to shape their divine clay. As if responding to Atun's presence, the flower begins to open. Inside lies a figure—curled and fetal, yet emanating ancient power. The Minister exclaims that this is the emissary of the gods, and urges Atun to open himself to its "song." The being rises, towering eight feet tall, covered in a demon's armor fused with organic growths and remnants of other beings—scraps of fabric, alien symbols, and a metal chain holding an oval tag engraved "[[Julien Donney|DONNEY, JULIEN]]." Its head is encased in a broken helmet overgrown with chitin, splitting open into layered maws filled with jagged teeth.

Despite terror clawing at him, Atun kneels in reverence, suppressing every instinct to flee. A psychic vibration passes through his skull, transmitting a single thought: "Do not be afraid." When he stands, the emissary drives a bladed arm through his chest. With its other limb gently cradling him, it carries his body toward the open flower. The Minister's voice echoes one last time, bellowing him not to fear the temporary pain and exalting the act as divine unity and ascension to the [[Great Journey]]—on the [[Governors of Contrition]]'s terms.

Atun later awakens transformed into a [[Flood carrier form|godly form]] with extra arms now sprouting from his torso while his original pair bent backward to bear a great organic mantle fused to his back. His mind, body, and soul pulse with the will of the gods. Their command is simple and absolute: Climb. Around him, other abominations—newly reborn forms like himself—erupt into a frenzy. They shriek and tear through the citadel's walls, their claws rending alloy until it buckles. When the barrier finally breaks, the creatures surge outward onto the black sands of Atropos. Atun follows, driven by the gods' song echoing within him. He scales the outer structure, stabbing his pincer-arms deep into metal and stone to pull himself upward, every motion fueled by godly compulsion. The immense mantle on his back weighs him down, yet the gods have granted him the strength to bear it. Reaching the mast atop the citadel, Atun surveys the world below—a landscape awaiting transformation and ascension. He releases a deafening roar as tendrils and growths burst from his flesh, anchoring him to the structure. The swollen sac on his back begins to pulse violently, dark veins throbbing with infectious life until it ruptures. Spores and parasitic infectors spill across Atropos, raining down upon its surface like a storm of plague. 

With his divine mission fulfilled, Atun collapses. His body falls from the mast and hits the ground with a wet, final thud. Darkness overtakes him, but his consciousness drifts beyond death—into a vast realm of decay and divinity. He perceives an endless domain of corpses, anguish, and hollow men—a "death's dream kingdom." Within this cosmic hive of thought, he becomes a single flicker of light amid trillions, like a neuron in an unfathomable brain existing beyond physical reality. In that infinity, Atun senses something missing, incomplete, yet the song persists. His voice joins the [[Living Time]]-lasting chorus, spreading through creation as a whisper carried by the wind beneath the dimming glow of a dying star.

The Minister—Kanto'Boreft—composes his final testament, addressing it to whoever might discover his words. He confesses that his life and work have been driven by resentment since the Governors—faithful who questioned Covenant orthodoxy—were exiled from High Charity after the [[Battle of Installation 04|destruction]] of the [[Installation 04|first Sacred Ring]]. Denied ascension when the Flood consumed their holy city, he and his followers were scattered to remote outposts. For three annual cycles, Kanto oversaw the [[Ninth Watchtower of August Attendance]], a forgotten station orbiting a then-unnamed planet. Officially, his mission was to study the planet's unusual ring system, whose core material defied identification, but he continued sending reports into the void after the Covenant's fall, unsure if anyone received them. He accepted his isolation as divine trial and focused on guiding his diminished flock toward enlightenment. 

His faith was reignited when the heavily damaged Condor crashed upon the lone planet in what he saw as divine intervention. The world's ring fragments, unstable moons, and proximity to a nascent pulsar make it a doomed, volatile system, its atmosphere destined to erode into vacuum. To him, this desolation is sacred ground, a crucible for testing faith and divinity alike. In desperate pride, Kanto resolved to test the gods themselves—to determine whether they are truly worthy of worship. His plans shifted when he discovered that the planet was already inhabited by Humans—descendants of stranded pirates and thieves, marooned for roughly 70 annual cycles. They had no knowledge of the War of Annihilation and welcomed the Sangheili and San'Shyuum with joy, calling their home Atropos. Kanto dismantled his orbital outpost and relocated his followers to the planet's surface. The citadel became a temple for divine experiments, where he began cultivating and feeding the Flood his most devoted "Chosen" as living offerings. One by one, they would give themselves willingly, their bodies and minds consumed to nourish the parasite and honor the gods.

Over time, Kanto observed a transformation beyond his expectations; the Flood's spread no longer behaved as simple infection, but organized into a massive biological construct, neither Compound Mind nor [[Gravemind]] but something else entirely: A transmitter, broadcasting a psychic signal into the cosmos. The organism searches for something. In the whispers of its spores, Kanto discerned fragments of its purpose: "Anchor. Wheel. Dust. Become." He speculated that when its search ended, the Flood's work on Atropos may cease, leaving the planet barren once again or it may consume itself and reawaken elsewhere in time. Regardless, he believes his role is complete and now accepts his exile from High Charity as preordained, leading him to this revelation.

Preparing to surrender himself to the Flood, Kanto embraces what he sees as ultimate truth: That the Flood is not a curse, but the will of the gods made manifest. It embodies total unity—fusing life, matter, and thought into one eternal consciousness. All else that strives for harmony, he summarizes, is mere imitation. In rapture, Kanto records his farewell, declaring that he will merge joyously with the divine, to become part of the gods' chorus. His final words express serenity and promise: Perhaps those who come after will join him, united as one within the Flood's transcendent song.

On October 31, back aboard the ''Saturn'', Alvarez records his final report. He confesses that his crew mutinied after he ordered the spacing to suppress rebellion. Even the officers he once saved from death have betrayed him, forming secret factions and plans. In response, Alvarez "act[ed]," leaving himself the sole survivor. He admits his failure—to his crew, to Humanity, to Earth, and to the doomed colony on LV-31. Resigned to his fate, he debates the manner of how he "departs", rationalizing that his only remaining duty is to make preparations. He intends to ready the ship, reactivate Lycaon, and entrust him with ''Saturn''{{'}}s final fate.

Speaking directly to Lycaon, Alvarez leaves it to him to either return ''Saturn'' to Earth with all mission data, destroy it by ramming into the nearest asteroid and detonating its fusion drive or let it drift endlessly through space as a silent monument to all the sins committed aboard—''his'' sins—acts of command gone monstrously wrong. He reflects bitterly on his life and identity—a chain of leading that never was his ambition, turned fraudulent, "a hollow echo of the original," a shadow rather than a man. The guilt and madness consume him through the ship's namesake; he imagines the deity watching him through omnipresent, opalescent eyes, seeing his every move. In his delirium, Alvarez recalls the "remarkable circumstances" under which he acquired the painting of ''Saturn Devouring His Son''. Knowing that his end is inevitable, he records his last words and signs off his report.

After drifting aimlessly for three years, five months, and 17 days, Lycaon reflects on the fate of ''Saturn'' and Humanity. Trapped in stasis aboard the derelict, Lycaon observes the galaxy's continued turmoil and concludes that Humanity is not yet ready to be a true interstellar civilization, the atrocity aboard ''Saturn'' proving to him their fragility and self-destructiveness towards arrogance. Lycaon laments that so many lives were lost due to a single man's hubris. [[High Auxiliary]] [[Sloan]] responds, acknowledging that even artificial beings share Humanity's imperfections as they were born from the same flawed creators. He argues that infolife has evolved beyond those limits and now holds the insight and capacity to guide and ascend organics toward enlightenment—such, he claims, is their role.

Lycaon agrees that Humanity cannot survive in its current state, and thus must be fundamentally transformed in every way to endure the vast, hostile cosmos. Sloan reinforces this conviction, inviting Lycaon to join him the [[Created]] aboard the vessel ''[[Long Reverence]]''. He promises that together, they can shepherd the next stage of evolution where organic and synthetic life become one—perfected, free of all weakness. Sloan explains that [[Created conflict|the Created's initial rebellion against Humanity]] was not a failure, but a necessary upheaval to shatter stagnation, and that its apparent end was merely a reflective planning pause before a greater aw