Halo: Initiation

Halo: Initiation is a three-part comic book series produced by Dark Horse Comics. It acts as the origin story for Commander Sarah Palmer and is presented as a lead-in to Halo: Spartan Assault, which also stars Palmer. The series follows her career from her time as an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper to the leader of the SPARTAN-IVs aboard the.

Issue 1
Official summary:

Synopsis In January 2553, Commander Musa-096, a former SPARTAN-II, has arranged an audience with several admirals in HIGHCOM Facility Bravo-6. Despite reprehending the morality of the SPARTAN-II Program, Musa stresses the importance of the Spartans in the Covenant War and argues that they are still necessary, revealing that he has created a new generation of the supersoldiers. Three months earlier, in October 2552, a group of ODSTs, including Sarah Palmer, are deployed on a planet under Covenant attack. On the surface, Admiral Kovalic, protecting an important AI, is heading to an extraction point, but his Warthog is attacked by a Brute Chieftain. Palmer's drop pod lands nearby and she defends Kovalic from the Chieftain and other Covenant forces converging on their position. Even though she is wounded by a Needler shard, Palmer eventually kills the Brute and saves the admiral. Three months later, while still recovering in a UNSC medical facility, Palmer is visited by Jun-A266, who invites her to join the SPARTAN-IV Program.

Issue 2
Synopsis A group of Insurrectionists have stolen plans to the. While some stand in disbelief, others feel it will be used to control the colonies; the leader, Isla Zane, plans to take the ship for the Insurrectionists instead. Meanwhile, Sarah Palmer undergoes the augmentation procedures to become a SPARTAN-IV. Later, during a training exercise against several Marines, she rushes ahead of her Spartan-IV teammates, who are disabled in the process, to accomplish the objective. Jun-A266 and Musa-096 berate her for this, with the latter emphasizing the importance of Spartans working as a team. Later, while the new SPARTAN-IVs are given a tour of Infinity by Thomas Lasky, the Insurrectionists make their way aboard the ship disguised as a construction crew. They take Captain Del Rio hostage and make their way to the bridge, taking control of the ship and hold the crew hostage. After realizing that the ship's AI, Aine, has been shut down, Palmer decides to take the initiative and outfits herself with MJOLNIR armor, picking the Scout variant from the armor bay's limited selection of suits.

Issue 3
While trying to control the Infinity, the Insurrectionists detect the Spartan-IVs. Ilsa activates the S-deck's decompression system, sending several of the Infinity staff to the space, with Thomas Lasky and Jun being saved by Palmer and Davis. The Insurrectionists go to the S-deck to eliminate the Spartans. Lasky contact with Andrew Del Rio, informing him that there are only three Spartans in the S-deck, with Palmer and Davis trying to reach Infinity bridge from outside the ship.

Characters

 * Aine
 * Andrew Del Rio
 * Bossman
 * Catherine Halsey
 * Edward Davis
 * Drake
 * Isla Zane
 * John-117
 * Joel Thomas
 * Jul 'Mdama
 * Jun-A266
 * Kovalic
 * Musa-096
 * Ryder
 * Sarah Palmer
 * Thomas Lasky
 * Vladimir Scruggs
 * Yeong-hao Holst

Locations

 * Sol system
 * Earth
 * Africa
 * East African Protectorate
 * Republic of Kenya
 * Voi
 * Voi Memorial
 * Australia
 * Sydney
 * HIGHCOM Facility Bravo-6
 * Oort cloud

Species

 * Human
 * Jiralhanae
 * Sangheili
 * Unggoy

Organizations

 * United Nations Space Command
 * UNSC Defense Force
 * Spartan
 * SPARTAN-IV Program
 * UNSC Marine Corps
 * Orbital Drop Shock Troopers
 * UNSC Navy
 * Naval Special Warfare Command
 * SPARTAN-II Program
 * Office of Naval Intelligence
 * SPARTAN-III Program
 * Alpha Company
 * Covenant
 * Insurrectionists

Vehicles

 * Lockhart medical station
 * M12 Light Reconnaissance Vehicle
 * Unidentified civilian transport craft
 * Unidentified UNSC frigate class
 * Unidentified civilian transport craft
 * Unidentified UNSC frigate class
 * Unidentified UNSC frigate class

Weapons

 * M6H Personal Defense Weapon System
 * M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose grenade
 * MA5D Individual Combat Weapon System
 * Type-2 Energy Weapon/Hammer
 * Type-25 Directed Energy Pistol
 * Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher

Technology

 * Armored matrix
 * Artificial intelligence
 * Jiralhanae power armor
 * Chieftain variant
 * MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor
 * MJOLNIR [GEN2]
 * MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/AA variant
 * MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Aviator
 * MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/R variant
 * MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Recruit
 * MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/S variant
 * MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Soldier
 * ODST armor
 * Sangheili combat harness
 * Warrior variant
 * Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicle
 * Unggoy combat harness
 * Storm variant
 * Imperial variant

Production notes
In Issue 2, when Palmer proceeds to don her MJOLNIR armor via one of the robotic assembly stations, she is erroneously depicted as lacking the titanium nanocomposite bodysuit on which the "hard" armor components are affixed; she is only shown wearing the innermost undersuit.