Halo: Fifth Canticle
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Halo: Fifth Canticle is an entry in the Halo Waypoint Chronicle series of short stories published by Halo Studios, set to be released online on Halo Waypoint and YouTube for free on October 27, 2025 to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of the release of Halo 5: Guardians.[1] It is set to be included in the 2026 print anthology compilation Halo: Waypoint Chronicles - Volume One.[2]
Official summary[edit]
| “ | 2558. Amid the chaos of the Created uprising, five tales of truth, compromise, betrayal, purpose, and change unfold across the galaxy. Doctor Catherine Halsey and Jul 'Mdama share an honest conversation, Captain Lasky makes arrangements for a vital mission to Sanghelios, Arbiter Thel 'Vadam confronts a traitor, Exuberant Witness makes some new friends, and a strange signal is picked up on Zeta Halo. |
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Plot synopsis[edit]
Canticle I. The Children[edit]
On October 16, 2558 on the Song of Retribution, Jul 'Mdama was caught in a moment of quiet repose by Dr. Catherine Halsey, looking at a picture of his family. Halsey noted that 'Mdama looked haggard and gaunt, his grey-white skin almost sickly and 'Mdama acted as if she had caught him in a private moment, one that he was loathe to share.
Halsey reflected that whoever 'Mdama used to be had been corroded away over the years and that the sad charade of 'Mdama's zealotry was increasingly becoming more real. 'Mdama had tasted the power that being the Didact's Hand had given him and naturally wanted more. Unfortunately, the recent of crushing defeats that 'Mdama had suffered in Operation: ATHENA, Sali 'Nyon's rebellion and the recent betrayal of the Prometheans at the behest of a new commander was driving 'Mdama ever closer to impatience and stoking his rage was making 'Mdama irritable, reactive and weak. Halsey never considered herself a prisoner amongst Jul 'Mdama's Covenant, having been able to wrap the Sangheili cult leader around her finger by expressing her desire for revenge against the UNSC. Halsey saw straight through 'Mdama's act and he knew it. Despite her own recent setbacks and failures, Halsey was certain that when she returned to the UNSC, she would make quite a meal out of how she alone had been more effective at bringing down the Didact’s Hand than hundreds of their so-called Spartans.
At Halsey's request, 'Mdama spoke of how Sangheili children were honed to become warriors, their lives dedicated to duty and service to the Covenant, before being sent to battle Halsey's children, the Spartans. Halsey reminded 'Mdama that the war had been over for five years and when Arbiter Thel 'Vadam sought to make peace, 'Mdama had started a new war, one not just against humanity but against his own people. Halsey suggested that if 'Mdama's children were in danger now, it was due to his own choices. However, 'Mdama believed that the Arbiter was blinded by his need for redemption and would lead the Sangheili to ruin in pursuit of it. 'Mdama began this war to depose Thel 'Vadam because the Office of Naval Intelligence set him on this path, just as they did with Halsey. What 'Mdama did was to save his people and it was in the names of Dural, Asum and Raia that 'Mdama would free Sanghelios from 'Vadam's grasp and burn ONI out of the shadows once there was unity. Only once 'Mdama's vengeance was complete could there be a road to peace.
Halsey could at least sympathize with the rage that drove and sustained 'Mdama. After learning that Jacob Keyes had perished on Installation 04, Halsey had felt a profound shift in her logic. No longer could Halsey bear to sacrifice others for humanity's survival, she instead sought to save as many lives as she could. Even now this philosophy continued to hold true. Halsey had been given the chance to make it happen by an imprint of the Librarian herself. While Halsey did not believe in destiny or divine providence, she had been chosen to uplift humanity with the bountiful gifts of Forerunner technology. However, Halsey's efforts had ended in failure and now someone else was taking her place and awakening the Forerunner legacy from its long slumber. Halsey was unwilling to allow herself to be usurped in such a manner and had decided that her partnership with Jul 'Mdama was imminent as the Covenant leader's usefulness in the pursuit of her goals had run its course. However, savoring the irony that she was the only one that 'Mdama could truly confide in, Halsey found herself wanting to dig deeper into the truth that this Sangheili buried deep within himself -- the things that 'Mdama dared not to reveal to his own followers.
Caught up in her thoughts, Halsey failed to seize upon the opportunity to press 'Mdama further and he questioned her in turn about what Halsey would give to see her own children again and ensure that they were safe. Halsey thought about her daughter Miranda Keyes and the regret that she had over the resentment and distance Miranda had after Halsey gave her up to ensure that Miranda was loved and raised as she deserved to be, compounded by the fact that Miranda's death prevented Halsey from making things right between them. Halsey thought of her Spartans, so many of whom were dead now, and her grief at each of their loss, the only counterargument, the only clue that Halsey had underestimated her capacity to love. In particular, Halsey thought of John-117 and her recent discovery that he was still alive out there somewhere. Halsey admitted to 'Mdama that she would do anything for her children.
Canticle II. The Deal[edit]
On October 26, Captain Thomas Lasky on the UNSC Infinity was connected by Roland to Fleet Admiral Terrence Hood and Admiral Serin Osman. Lasky admitted that he was doing as well as possible given the recent Guardian emergences and Blue Team going AWOL, and informed the two that after the events on Meridian, Roland and Halsey had come up with a plan to follow the Guardian that Blue Team had boarded to its destination and find answers. However, the catch was that the Infinity needed to go to Sanghelios.
While Osman was willing to abandon Thel 'Vadam to his war with Jul 'Mdama's Covenant, Hood diplomatically but unsubtly reminded her of Kilo-Five's role in sparking the Blooding Years. Although the Home Fleet needed Infinity back for Earth's defense against the Guardians, Hood offered the compromise of sending Commander Sarah Palmer and Fireteam Osiris with Halsey instead. Osman reluctantly conceded, but ordered that if anything went wrong, the mission did not exist and if Halsey stepped out of line again, Palmer was ordered to finish the job that she had failed to complete on Requiem, Aktis IV and during Operation: ATHENA. Resigned to having been outmaneuvered, Osman cut the connection without a further word.
Privately, Hood told Lasky that he agreed with Osman that the situation on Sanghelios was currently a mess and there were plenty of people who wanted to keep it that way. However, while Halsey was a wild card, Hood was certain that she would be highly motivated to help Blue Team.
Canticle III. The Traitor[edit]
On October 27, Arbiter Thel 'Vadam continued to be haunted by the voice of the Prophet of Truth whispering in his ear, coming to him in the quiet moments along with the sensation of three spindly, elongated fingers draping over his shoulder as if to provide a sacred blessing and a phantom pain of the Mark of Shame being branded onto 'Vadam anew.
In particular, it came to 'Vadam now as he had to face a traitor within his own ranks: Murok 'Vadam, an elder of Vadam Keep who security officer Mahlo 'Turagg had learned from the interrogation of a Covenant Unggoy had been responsible for the Covenant being able to track the Arbiter's movements. When the gathering at the Elder Council Chamber had convened, a Hekar Taa-pattern blockade runner had arrived and deployed vast numbers of troops from assault carapaces. Covenant forces launched a surprise attack in an attempt to kill 'Vadam and they might've succeeded if not for the timely arrival of Shipmistress Mahkee 'Chava and Fireteam Osiris. 'Vadam had ordered Murok, accompanied only by a lone guard, brought to the cliff's edge as the Swords of Sanghelios set up fortifications in the area. There was no avoiding an audience for the confrontation and 'Vadam needed to make an example of cowardly traitors in this critical moment.
Murok called his failure to kill 'Vadam the gravest dishonor of all. 'Vadam accused the elder of betraying him because Murok refused to see any other way than what he knew, following the Covenant even as it continued to fracture beneath his feet on the cusp of annihilation. Murok wondered what would replace the Covenant and angrily accused 'Vadam of allying with the Sangheili's worst enemies, holding fruitless peace talks with the Jiralhanae and returning their laborers from Sangheili lands to the so-called Ghost Father and allowing humans to set foot on the sacred grounds of their home. Murok was particularly enraged by 'Vadam elevating females and Unggoy to ranks that he saw as unbecoming of their nature and sheltering healers in the camp. All of this was the same argument he had heard from every staunch traditionalist of frustratingly limited vision.
'Vadam admitted that he had felt nothing while killing the Prophet of Truth and reflected on how he had been blinded by desires for long since faded valor and the deliverance of retribution. 'Vadam had once declared to the humans that, upon claiming victory over Truth, all who served the Covenant would be punished. The promise of righteous vengeance had been 'Vadam's fuel and sustenance during that time and it was what had driven him to plunge his blade through the Prophet of Truth's wretched heart. However, that act had not absolved the Arbiter himself of the terrible things that he had done while in service of the Covenant. Even as 'Vadam fought against the empire that he had once served, he feared he was beset by hubris and hypocrisy. Had 'Vadam followed the path of retribution, perhaps the galaxy would be rising up against him instead for leading a new Covenant to enforce his own vision of peace through subjugation. 'Vadam could recall with perfect clarity the moment that he killed the Flood-infected tyrant and how even after, the anger and need for vengeance continuing to linger for some time before dulling to numbness and pain.
Murok made a speech to the Swords of Sanghelios, declaring that without the Covenant, the galaxy would be left locked in perpetual combat while the Sangheili paid tribute to unworthy warlords and all that made them strong faded. While 'Vadam would've once killed Murok for such an act of defiance and the darkness inside of him whispered that Murok was a heretic who needed to be silenced, 'Vadam did not hate Murok and only pitied him. 'Vadam decapitated Murok with the Prophets' Bane as a punishment for his betrayal and Murok's corpse tumbled off of the cliff he was standing on.
Afterwards, 'Turagg reported that the humans were under guard and had provided the Swords with their identities and service records. 'Turagg presented 'Vadam with the profiles on their human visitors and 'Vadam remembered fighting alongside Commander Sarah Palmer before, but he didn't know the others. 'Turagg identified Olympia Vale as a diplomat to their people who spoke their language well. Vale had also spent several cycles among the nomad clans of Khael'mothka and served aboard the Mayhem three annual cycles before. The Arbiter found his attention drawn to the profile of Jameson Locke who had been counselled by Vale to reveal that he was an agent for ONI. 'Vadam ordered Locke escorted to his command tent so that they could find out what this ONI assassin wanted.
Canticle IV. The Redeemer[edit]
On October 28 on Genesis, the imprisoned Dham 'Mashatt reflected on Bibjam and the eulogy that he had recorded for the Unggoy. Having been near the Guardian construct at the Sunaion during the battle when it left Sanghelios through slipstream space for Genesis, 'Mashatt's Lich was caught in the Guardian's wake and pulled to Genesis. 'Mashatt was imprisoned alongside Jabjab by Monitor 031 Exuberant Witness in an attempt to stop the fighting raging across the shield world.
Following the departure of Fireteam Osiris, Exuberant Witness released 'Mashatt and Jabjab and 'Mashatt found himself unexpectedly filled with pity for TDS-009, a Promethean Knight whose human essence was remembering who it used to be. For as long as 'Mashatt could remember, the Covenant -- through the wisdom of the Prophets -- had instilled in him a sense of awe and reverence for the divinity of the Forerunners. However, the Hierarchs had proven to be liars and manipulators and the Covenant had fallen while the sanctity of Forerunner technology had been demystified as various factions sought to claim it to deliver death and destruction. The truth of the gods' benevolence was in doubt when it seemed that all they had to offer was terrifying weapons.
'Mashatt was consumed by a wellspring of pain and regret and considered breaking his programing like Bibjam had, but wondered what that would leave him with. Exuberant Witness suggested that taking TDS-009 through the Gateway into the Domain would be the best chance for TDS-009 and Tilson to find peace, although the monitor was unsure of how successful it would be with the Domain out of commission for so long and currently under Cortana's control. At 'Mashatt's request, Exuberant Witness released the three other Unggoy and the single Mgalekgolo, Naliligaw, imprisoned in the monitor's menagerie. Addressing the Covenant troops, 'Mashatt told them of the fall of 'Mdama's Covenant, how they had all been transported to Genesis by the Guardians, and how Bibjam had sought to protect them from these terrible events before being killed by 'Mashatt for his betrayal. 'Mashatt presented everyone with a choice: return to a location of their choosing with Exuberant Witness' help or stay on Genesis with the monitor helping her to return everyone transported to Genesis to where they belonged. All of the former prisoners agreed to serve Exuberant Witness as the true Guardians of Genesis.
Canticle V. The Music[edit]
On October 29, at 0500 hours, Professor Montgomery Marie begins her structured morning routine aboard the UNSC base on Zeta Halo. Her alarm wakes her to the Helljumpers' Interstellar Orchestra, followed by a jog at 0510 along her usual path, headphones blasting 23rd-century rock anthems.
By 0540, she sits to journal in silence, recording reflections and sketches in her late father's notebook. No matter where in the galaxy she travels, these habits keep her grounded. Yet nothing she has experienced compares to her current posting: The severe, curving horizon of Zeta Halo, its alien flora, and its terrestrial anchor world Ephsu I dominating the sky.
At 0610, she jogs back for breakfast, this time to Reavian throat singing. Inside the mess hall, she overhears tense discussions among researchers and soldiers about worsening galactic crises—colony disasters, Forerunner constructs awakening, and the disappearance of the Master Chief. The name that echoes through every conversation is Cortana, who has declared herself ruler of a new space order, “the Created,” promising peace through submission. Despite the magnitude of these events she feels powerless to affect, Marie focuses on her work. Her research centers on the deployment and study of OQ-45 Honeybee drones for mapping Zeta Halo’s terrain.
By 0800, she reports for duty in her isolated watchtower—Hotel Bravo Three—a small, dimly lit observation post filled with glowing monitors tracking drone telemetry. She performs a comm check with other Honeybee teams; static answers her twice for 20 seconds. She rechecks her equipment, finds nothing wrong, and prepares to contact command. Then, her radio crackles—not with speech, but faint piano music. Confused, she confirms her personal chatter device is off. The melody grows clearer, a soft humming joining it.
Suddenly, a Human voice behind her shatters the eerie calm: Private Rene Gordon bursts in, disheveled and panicked, grabbing Marie's hand and dragging her outside. The Private’s only explanation—“We’re screwed, Monty, we’re so screwed!”—is punctuated by the sight that greets them beyond the base. In the sky above, perhaps 12 kilometers upspin, a vast Forerunner construct hovers—an enormous silver-winged machine of segmented alloy and glowing hardlight, like a metallic phoenix descending upon them.
Then, every comms device around the base erupts in a deafening chime as the piano music swells to fill the air. The piece is unmistakable: Préludes No. 4: Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir by Claude Debussy. It displaces the usual roaring guns as custodian of spreading war. At 0900 hours, the Professor and base personnel scramble to send word to Earth that Cortana's presence has come to Zeta Halo, not knowing the planet's darkening.
Appearances[edit]
Gallery[edit]
Full illustration for the story's cover art; a concept piece for Sanghelios done by Gus Mendonca for Halo 5: Guardians.
External links[edit]
- Halo: Fifth Canticle - The official Waypoint post in which the short story was released for free.
- Halo: Fifth Canticle Official PDF - The PDF of the short story released on Halo Waypoint (Archived copy).
- Halo: Fifth Canticle | Audiobook - The audiobook narrated by Alex Wakeford.
Sources[edit]
- ^ a b Halo Waypoint, Operation: Haloween II Now Undead (Retrieved on Oct 7, 2025) [archive]
- ^ Halo Waypoint, Halo: Waypoint Chronicles – Volume One | Cover Reveal (Retrieved on Jul 3, 2025) [archive]
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