Editing Halo: Escalation Issue 21

{{Title|''Halo: Escalation Issue 21''}}
{{Status|RealWorld}}
{{Comics infobox
|prev=Halo: Escalation Issue 20
|next=Halo: Escalation Issue 22
|name=''Halo: Escalation Issue 21''
|image=[[File:HaloEscalation21.jpg|300px]]
|writer=[[Duffy Boudreau]]
|artist=*Ian Richardson (penciller)<br>
*Denis Freitas (inker)
*Michael Atiyeh (colorist)
*[[Isaac Hannaford]] (cover artist)
|publisher= [[Dark Horse Comics]]
|publication= [[2015#August|August 26, 2015]]
|length=32 pages
|ISBN= 
}}

'''''Halo: Escalation Issue 21''''' was released on [[2015#August|August 26, 2015]] and is the twenty-first comic in the ''[[Halo: Escalation]]'' series.{{Ref/Reuse|HE21}}

==Official summary==
{{Article quote|“The Absolute Record” part 3 — As Commander Palmer's Spartan team battles toward the core of the Absolute Record, a powerful new combatant enters the fray! The next chapter of the Halo saga continues here in this epic six-part sequel to Spartan Ops and The Janus Key.<ref name="HE21">[http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/mind-mgmt-ends-buffyangel-crossover-continues-more-in-dark-horse-comics-august-2015-solicitations '''Comic Book Solicitations''': ''Dark Horse Comics August 2015 Solicitations'']</ref>}}

==Plot summary==
On [[2558#September|September 18, 2558]] at 0007 [[Military Standard Time|MST]], ''[[Song of Retribution]]'' is circling the main receiver of the [[Absolute Record]]'s tracking station. Aboard the [[CAS-class assault carrier|assault carrier]], [[Jul 'Mdama]] and Doctor [[Catherine Halsey]] attempt to enter the installation. However, a [[slipspace portal]] opens nearby and the ship's helmsman loses control. ''Retribution'' is forced through the portal and it arrives inside a large chamber, where the carrier is held in place by a gravitational anchor. 'Mdama and Halsey decide to travel down to a platform below, where a [[Contender-class artificial intelligence]] awaits their arrival.

In one of ''Song of Retribution''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s [[hangar bay]]s, [[Spartan Operations|Spartans]] [[Sarah Palmer]] and [[Holly Tanaka]] and Doctor [[Henry Glassman]] await their chance to leave the damaged [[Covenant drop pod|drop pod]] they are hiding aboard. Glassman decides that they need to leave the carrier and find a local terminal, while Tanaka spots two nearby {{Pattern|Ru'swum|Phantom}}s that they can steal. Nearby, a [[Sangheili]] orders several [[Kig-Yar]] crew members to break down the drop pod the [[human]]s are hiding in for parts to repair the carrier's hull. Meanwhile, several {{Pattern|Mjern|agricultural support ship}}s are repairing the hull of the damaged ''[[Breath of Annihilation]]'' on a [[moon]]. Within a hangar bay of the carrier, several [[Sangheili Storm]] are arguing whether or not their ship and its crew were attacked by Spartans. Mercenary [[Ayit 'Sevi]] listens to the heated debate before entering a nearby Phantom that Spartan [[Gabriel Thorne]] is hiding in. 'Sevi decides to use use the ongoing argument as a way to instill chaos aboard the ship and initiate a mutiny. The mercenary wishes to have Thorne attack the Sangheili to create panic throughout the ship, though Thorne is reluctant to trust 'Sevi due to their [[Mission to Ven III|previous encounter]] on [[Ven III]]. 'Sevi asserts that Thorne will never be able to find a way off the carrier if he does not trust him.

Meanwhile, 'Mdama, Halsey, and numerous [[Sangheili Zealot]]s arrive at the platform and meet with the AI. Halsey addresses the [[ancilla]] and claims to be chosen by the [[Librarian]] to unlock the Absolute Record. Halsey requests to be escorted to the proper area to begin their work, but the AI expresses its doubts, especially pondering why the other humans feel the need to conceal themselves. The AI uses [[Sentinel]]s to transport the drop pod the other humans are hiding in to the platform, where they are dropped down beside Halsey and 'Mdama. Both groups begin to argue, with Glassman questioning Halsey's decision to defect to 'Mdama's [[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant faction|Covenant]]. Halsey tells Glassman to shut up, but the AI tells her that she has no authority to silence him. It decides to let each human have a chance to account for its presence at the installation, though Halsey asserts that there is nothing to discuss as she has the [[Janus Key]]. The AI intends take as much time as it needs to question each human, as it wishes to operate with total caution after [[Mendicant Bias|one]] of its fellow Contender-class AIs made the mistake of not taking the same precautions during the [[Forerunner-Flood war]].

Aboard ''Breath of Annihilation'', Thorne has decided to follow 'Sevi's plan and he begins attacking the Sangheili, with 'Sevi directing Thorne around the ship. 'Sevi has Thorne go into hiding again, as numerous Sangheili and Kig-Yar soldiers begin searching for him. Meanwhile, Glassman states that he shares the same views as the AI, as he does not want the Absolute Record to be exploited. Halsey scoffs at this claim, but the AI orders her to remain silent. Glassman insists that the [[United Nations Space Command]] intends to use the Absolute Record in a way that is consistent with the [[Forerunner]]s' intentions and claims that conflict will only get worse if 'Mdama's Covenant gains access to the installation. As Halsey and Glassman begin to argue, an impatient Zealot attacks a Sentinel, leading to all the constructs attacking the humans and Sangheili. The AI removes the platform from under the feet of the Sangheili with Tanaka, Palmer, and Glassman remaining on one platform and Halsey standing on another, while 'Mdama manages to grab onto Halsey's platform while his soldiers plummet to their deaths. The AI claims that a more direct examination is in order to decide who is the legitimate steward of the Absolute Record.

==Gallery==
===Cover art===
<gallery>
File:HE Issue21CoverPoses.jpg|Pose brainstorming for the issue's cover art, using a figure of [[SPARTAN-B312]].{{Ref/Site|Id=IsaacTweet|URL=https://twitter.com/Isaac_Hannaford/status/1404917141111930885|Site=Twitter|Page=Isaac Hannaford - "Using my 3A noble 6 figure to kick things off."|D=16|M=06|Y=2021}}
File:HE Issue21Cover1.jpg|More work-in-progress cover art featuring SPARTAN-B312.
File:HE Issue21Cover2.jpg|More work-in-progress cover art.
File:HE Issue21Cover3.jpg|More work-in-progress cover art.
File:HE Issue21Cover4.jpg|More work-in-progress cover art, now featuring [[Holly Tanaka]].
File:Halo Escalation 21.jpg|Full finalized cover art. 
</gallery>

===Comic panels===
<gallery>
File:HE21 Retribution.jpg|''Song of Retribution'' arrives at the installation.
File:HE21 Absolute Record Ancilla.jpg|The record's custodian emerges.
File:HE21 Observation.jpg|Tanaka scouts their surroundings.
File:HE21 Trust.jpg|'Sevi urges Thorne to put aside their past history.
File:HE21 Greetings.jpg|Dr. Halsey addresses the Contender-class AI.
File:HE21 Sentinels.jpg|
File:HE21 Thorne.jpg|
File:HE21 Big Mistake.jpg|
File:HE21 Brawl.jpg|
File:HE21 Begone.jpg|
File:HE21 The Absolute Record.jpg|
</gallery>

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}

==See also==
*''[[Halo: Escalation]]''

{{succession box|before=''[[Halo: Escalation Issue 20|Issue 20]]''|title=''[[Halo: Escalation]]'' comic series|years='''''Issue 21'''''|after=''[[Halo: Escalation Issue 22|Issue 22]]''}}

{{Comics|HE}}

[[Category:Canon]]
[[Category:Halo: Escalation]]