Halo: Escalation Issue 2

Halo: Escalation Issue 2 was released on January 8, 2014 and is the second of twelve in the Halo: Escalation series of comics.

Plot synopsis
Issue #2 opens with the delegation attempting to re-establish communication with the orbiting fleet. The Arbiter informs Lord Hood of the planet's fortifications as a means for an escape route. Captain Lasky orders Commander Palmer to get the ambassadors to the redoubt. Palmer tasks Spartan Naiya Ray to escort Lasky and utilize her SIGINT background to re-establish communications. Shipmaster Vata 'Gajat and his forces arrive and is informed by Tek that the envoy has retreated into the repair depot. However, a human associate of 'Gajat tells him that they should move quickly before the capital ships respond. In orbit, while Infinity tries to re-establish contact with the delegation, the Jiralhanae contact the ship and demand to know why communication has been blocked. 'Gajat and his forces storm the depot, only to find the delegation missing. The Shipmaster orders his forces to prepare for deployment, noting that his agent would provide the whereabouts of the envoy.

The company make their way through service conduits leading from the depot. Suddenly, a Type-56 Lich appears and drops off several troops. Palmer takes her helmet filled with grenades and sends it up the Lich's gravity lift, destroying the Lich. Lasky and Ray head down the administrative wing of the facility taking out an Elite Warrior along the way. They find a network console and Ray discovers multiple signals being broadcast blocking out incoming transmissions. The destroyed Lich crashes down onto the service bridge while an Elite Storm unit is taken out by Spartan Scruggs. Palmer orders Fireteam Jackknife to move ahead to the redoubt while Hood searches the downed Elite. Hood discovers a UNSC data pad containing information on the Spartans and believes someone is leaking information about the negotiations. Lasky and Ray secure two Banshees and make their way to the power source of the jammer but observe Covenant forces heading for the redoubt. Palmer is informed by Scruggs that the facility is secure. Unbeknownst to the rest of the group, Scruggs has instead taken out his team and the security detail.

Trivia
The War Master-clad Spartan has an orange visor in Issue 1, yet in Issue 2 it is blue.