The Signal

The Signal is the first campaign level in Halo Wars 2.

Transcript
{Cinematic Cutscene}

''The cutscene starts with the status of Spirit of Fire while the ship continues to adrift... or maybe not''

UNSC SPIRIT OF FIRE

Official Status: Lost with all contact

2559 - 28 years since last known contact

While drifting, the weapons system are suddenly starts online as the deck gun start to be active

The bridge start to open the hatch, revealing the space sight from the bridge and Serina's audio log plays
 * Serina: "Captain, wake up. Something has happened."

The ship start to goes online and checking the status of the comms

INCOMING COMMS:

SHIPBOARD ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

SNA 1262-4 SERINA
 * Serina: "The Spirit of Fire is in the situation I..."

the screen moves to the Cryo Bay viewing Sergeant John Forge on it
 * Serina: "..could not anticipate."

The Cryo Room start to lights up and the machinery start working again
 * Serina: "I'm certain Professor Anders would enjoy that little admission, so let's keep it between us, shall we?"

Floor by floor, the lights on Cryo Room start to lights up again and the crews start to awake from 28 years Cryo Sleep and gets out from Cryo Pod
 * Serina: "We've been adrift for just over twenty-eight years."
 * Serina: "I've made quite a few repairs while you were sleeping, so the ship systems are at one hundred percent."
 * Serina: "Cryo worked well and medstats on all remaining crew are green."
 * Serina: "As for me, well..."
 * Serina: "...regulations are clear about final dispensation at the end of AI's seven year lifespan."

Below Cryo Room, the tram start operated again
 * Serina: "I took care of my own arrangements rather than wake you."

Below again, the soldiers start back to each of their station and one of the Marine is saluting to Captain
 * Serina: "It has been pleasure and an honor to serve with you, sir. Do look after everyone for me, would you?"
 * Serina: "Goodbye, Captain. Serina out."

The Marines guarding the Elevator are saluting to Cutter and once he wear his cap again, the door opens

The scene shows logo of Halo Wars 2

The screen moves to the elevator that goes down to the Observation Deck where Anders is already awake and analyzing something while Cutter enters the Observation Deck
 * Anders: "I'll need to get down there. Immediately, of course."
 * Cutter: "Good morning to you too, Professor."
 * Anders: "I'm sorry, Captain."
 * Anders: "It's good to see you too."
 * Anders: "But just, look at it."

Anders and Cutter watches Installation 00 from Observation Deck
 * Cutter: "What is it, and where are we?"

Anders quickly start checking astronavigation
 * Anders: "No idea. Out astronavigation can't pinpoint a location. We're not on the map anymore."

Cutter also joins in to find out what's going on
 * Cutter: "We didn't drift out of the galaxy in twenty-eight years, Professor."

Cutter then opens the sensor records
 * Cutter: "Sensor records show we arrived via slipspace less than an hour ago?"

Anders open the FTL Slipspsace drive that has stats removed from the ship
 * Anders: "Our Slipspace drive is gone. However we got here, it wasn't us who initiated the trip."

She then opens the data schematic and reveals the Installation 00 on Hologram
 * Anders: "Something down there.."

She then opens the rough location of where the portal was triggered
 * Anders: "..must have opened the portal from this end and pulled us in."

Suddenly, report coming from the bridge
 * Bridge Crew: "Captain Cutter, sir."
 * Bridge Crew: "We've received a signal from surface."
 * Bridge Crew: "It's UNSC!"
 * Cutter: "Signal to my location, Lieutenant. Let's hear what they have to say."

The Voice Log opens however the Crew are unabel to decrypt it
 * Bridge Crew: "I'm sorry, Captain. I can't play it for you, sir. The message has an enrcyption scheme we haven't seen before."

Cutter then tries to decrypt it
 * Cutter: "Security measures would advance without us."

Anders try to find some log that she can try to decipher it
 * Cutter: "..but it's coming through on a UNSC frequency."
 * Cutter: "This is good. When we left, the war wasn't going well. This signal means UNSC is still fighting. Or maybe we even won.
 * Cutter: "What's the source of transmission?"

Anders then try to locate where the transmission came from and the surface details has not been established yet
 * Anders: "We don't have surface details yet, sir."
 * Anders: "Something down there is blocking our scans and without Serina..."

Anders then opens the details of the surface terrain where she can triangulate the rough location of the source come from
 * Anders: "But we..."
 * Anders: "...do have a rough location"

Anders then triangulate the rough location with yellow mark
 * Anders: "Should be simple enough to triangulate once we can pick up the signal from the ground.''

Cutter then contacts Jerome-092
 * Cutter: "Cutter to Jerome."
 * Jerome-092 (COM): "Reporting, Captain."
 * Cutter: "Prep Spartan Red Team and a small recon squad. Professor Anders will send you coordinates."

Anders then proceed to giving the coordinates to the Red Team
 * Cutter: "Find out who's sending that signal. Be on the ground within the hour, travel light."
 * Jerome-092: "Roger that, Captain. Recon only."

The hologram closes after the coordinates are given
 * Cutter: "Twenty-eight years, Professor..."
 * Cutter: "...Let's see what kidn of galaxy we woke up to."

Cutter looks at the Installation 00 again and the view changes to the full view of Installation 00

Mission Briefing
 * Cutter: "Professor Anders, any update on the source of that signal?"
 * Anders: "It wasn't easy, but I've narrowed it down to a small sector and our recon teams are investigation now."
 * Anders: "I've cleared up the scans a bit and it looks like there is a UNSC outpost or research station, but it's heavily damaged."
 * Anders: "It doesn't look good, but the Spartans will handle it. They always do."
 * Anders: "It would be a lot faster if you let me go down with them, Captain."
 * Cutter: "Without Serina here i need you on the ship Professor. Besides, we don't know what is waiting for us down there."
 * Cutter: "Jerome, get Red Team to the Professor's coordinates, ASAP. I want you to make contact with whoever's sending that signal."
 * Jerome-092: "Understood, sir. We'll find them.""

Mission Summary

Use Red Team to investigate and find the source of the signal.

Scouting Report

Spirit of Fire recon teams are on the ground to meet Red Team.

{In-game cutscene}
 * Pelican Pilot: "Spirit of Fire actual. I am approaching the drop zone with Red Team."
 * Pelican Pilot: "Standby for drop, Red Team."

The Pelican drops the Red Team in Warthog and flies away
 * Jerome-092: "Looking forward to shaking off some cobwebs, sir."
 * Douglas-042: "Ah, it feels good to have our feet back on real ground again, doesn't it, Alice?"
 * Alice-130: "You saw this place on the drop down, Douglas. Nothing real about it."

Two Hornets flying pass through Spartans
 * Jerome-092: "Alice is right, we don't know what's waiting for us down there. Keep your eyes out of trouble."

{Gameplay}