Black Boxes

In aviation, the term "black box" refers to both flight recorders on commercial and other aircraft. The flight data recorder is responsible for recording flight parameters and the cockpit voice recorder is responsible for recording all communications in the cockpit of an aircraft in flight. The phrase has become popularized by modern media reporting on aircraft crashes.

In Halo Wars, Black Boxes are collectibles in the campaign that when collected, add new events in the Halo Wars Timeline. They look like black boxes with yellow stripes on them, and can be picked up by any unit. When you collect one, you can just resign straight away and you will still have it. Aerial units are the easiest and most direct way to collect them.

Achievements Linked

 * Halo Academic is an achievement that is unlocked when you unlock 20 timeline events.
 * Halo Historian is an achievement that is unlocked when you unlock all timeline events.

Mission 1: Alpha Base
Head back to the last bridge you crossed before reaching Alpha Base's gate and peek underneath. The crate is below the arch, next to an overturned Warthog. You can drive down the small ramp to the left to reach it.

Content
4th February 2531


 * The UNSC support ship Spirit of Fire enters orbit
 * around Harvest. While Admiral Cole's fleet is
 * engaged elsewhere, Spirit is sent to Harvest to
 * investigate ongoing Covenant activity in the
 * system and look for survivors from the missing
 * UNSC Destroyer The Prophesy [previously
 * dispatched to Harvest to investigate the same
 * activity]. Commanded by Captain Cutter, Spirit has
 * been reassigned by FLEETCOM. ONI has placed
 * Professor Anders onboard to lead the investigation.

Mission 2: Relic Approach
This black box is located northwest of the second base. There is an area blocked off by an energy shield. Destroy the power source with some infantry, and both the crate and a good chunk of supplies are yours for the taking.

Content
7 February 2531
 * Spirit of Fire holds service for the crew of the
 * Prophecy. The crew roster is read despite
 * objections from ONI personnel. The Prophecy was
 * lost with all hands on a first expedition to Harvest
 * to investigate the Covenant interest in the artifact
 * found near the polar region.

Mission 3: Relic Interior
This black box is located right from the beginning of the mission. Simply turn your Grizzly tanks around and head in the opposite direction of the objective arrow. You'll discover a separate pathway, winding to the northwest. At the very end, near a crashed Pelican, is the crate, with an Elite.

Content

 * From the Office of the High Prophet of Regret


 * Return at fastest possible speed to the world they
 * know as Harvest. We must learn the secrets inside
 * the holy relic before the Great Journey can
 * continue. The humans must not be allowed to enter
 * the artifact, we will do whatever we must to deny
 * them access. All must be resolute in this task, or
 * face punishment.

Mission 4: Arcadia City
Scroll to the western most base. Directly north of it is a column supporting a skyway. At the base of this column, on top of a few stairs, is the crate you seek.

Content

 * 20 July 2520


 * Captain Alexander, the last civilian captain of Spirit 
 * of Fire, retires from active duty at the conclusion of
 * the Verent mission. The ship is requisitioned by the
 * UNSC and scheduled for refit.

Mission 5: Arcadia Outskirts
In the middle of the map, almost halfway between your original base and the northern Covenant base, is an abandoned reactor that you can take over for an extra tech level. The crate is on the grass immediately to the west of this platform, near some ferns and an infantry cover spot.

Content

 * 1 September 2520


 * Spirit of Fire completes an extensive refit at the
 * Reach orbital shipyards before entering active
 * military duty as a ground support vessel, initially
 * detailed with providing ground support for
 * Operation: TREBUCHET.

Mission 6: Dome of Light
Wait until you place the third Rhino across the broken bridge using the "transport" power. Before leaving the area to concentrate on other tasks, check the western shadows for a short separate path. The crate is there.

Content

 * From the Office of the High Prophet of Regret


 * Arbiter, you are the Hand of the Covenant - my
 * hand. You know what must be done. Return to the
 * surface and capture the human female - the one
 * who managed to make fools of us on Harvest. She
 * is the key to unlocking the secrets of the Ancients.

Mission 7: Scarab
At the very top of the map, and as far east from the Scarab as possible, is a small area surrounded by cliffs. Look for the bountiful gathering of shiny blue supplies and you'll find the crate among them.

Content

 * 9 February 2531


 * After engaging Covenant forces on the surface of
 * Harvest, the UNSC vessel Spirit of Fire arrives at
 * Arcadia - only to find that the Covenant are already
 * there and attacking the colony. Spirit's ground
 * forces assist the excavation, and help fight the
 * Covenant to a standstill on the surface of the
 * planet.

Mission 8: Anders' Signal
Directly southeast of the base, on a tree-ringed plateau, is the crate.

Content

 * 10 February 2531


 * The capture of Professor Anders forces Captain
 * Cutter's hand, Spirit of Fire pursues the enemy into
 * Covenant space. The ship's AI projects an arrival at
 * their destination in 312 hours. The ship remains on
 * high alert for the duration, though nonessential
 * crewmembers are briefly placed in cryo sleep.

Mission 9: The Flood
On the western side of the map, near one of the Flood structures you have to put down. Nothing else really distinguishes this location, so check the minimap in the screen below.

Content

 * 6 February 2531


 * Professor Anders writes her father what appears to
 * be a detailed analysis of Homer's Odyssey. In fact
 * it is a coded message detailing her mission to
 * Harvest and the result of the find there. ONI
 * censors miss the cipher completely and the
 * message passes unaltered to her father

Mission 10: Shield World
Team Bravo is blocking the path to the black box. Rescue them, and any unit can collect it or fly a Hornet over, drop down for the crate.

Content

 * 14 February 2531


 * Serina, knowing that the crew may be on a one way
 * trip, manufactures and delivers fake emails from
 * family members to the crew celebrating Valentine's
 * Day. She uses previous correspondence as a basis
 * for the letters. No one ever suspects her of this
 * deception.

Mission 11: Cleansing
A Hornet is also required to get the mission's black box. It is resting on the northwestern flank of the ship, at the opposite end you found the skull. Note that by "flank," it means the very edges of the Spirit of Fire; beyond the fences, where the ship slopes downward.

Content

 * Edict of the Office of the High Prophet of Tolerance


 * Hear now that five hundred teams are to be formed
 * to study the language of the Unclean. Each team to
 * consist of the most clever and most educated
 * Unggoy and Sangheili. These teams to speak only
 * the Unclean language among themselves. The
 * Unclean language to be taught to all military strike
 * team, that the foe shall be vulnerable.

Mission 12: Repairs
Like the last crate, this is on the outer edge of the ship (northern flank, southern tip), but tucked closer to the outer fences. Again, you'll need an air unit.

Content

 * Excerpt from The Punished Deeds, Vol. III


 * The shield world that Regret intended to activate
 * was one of just a few that the Covenant had
 * uncovered in the quest for the Halos. These
 * treasure chests of technology enabled the
 * Covenant to quickly gain access to advanced
 * weaponry and space propulsion systems allowing
 * them to dominate the galaxy.

Mission 13: Beachhead
Head to the north-east edge of the map. Go to the middle of that edge. On a very high and flower-covered cliff is the crate. You can reach this via a ground unit, but as usual, an air unit is a lot easier and quicker.

Content

 * 23 February 2531


 * Spirit of Fire arrives at an uncharted planet
 * swarming with strange alien lifeforms. Within a
 * day, the ship is drawn into the planet's interior,
 * where the crew confronts the Covenant and
 * eventually rescues Professor Anders.

Mission 14: Reactor
This crate is hidden southwest of the first Covenant base and the possible location of your second UNSC base. It's in a raised grass rectangle, bordered by metal, and you'll need an air unit to get there.

Content

 * 1 March 2531


 * Chief Engineer Prescott finishes his assessment of
 * damage to Spirit of Fire and repairs continue to the
 * hull, the FTL core reactor cannot be replaced and
 * plans to manufacture a spare from base reactor
 * units considered impossible. The decision is
 * made to run the ship on a skeleton crew and place
 * the rest in suspended animation.

Mission 15: Escape
Compared to the skull, this is very easy. Just take a Warthog from your original base, drive north across the blue ring structure and you'll see the crate in a very obvious location.

Content

 * 25th February 2531


 * Thanks to Sergeant Forge's sacrifice, Spirit of Fire
 * escapes from the Forerunner shield world. Spirit of 
 * Fire sets a course for home as the majority of the
 * crew prepare to enter cryo sleep for a journey that
 * will take years, if not decades.