Escape (Halo Wars level)

Escape is the fifteenth and final level of the real-time strategy game, Halo Wars.

Overview
The remaining UNSC Spirit of Fire survivors have to open 6 interlocks to open the portal that the Spirit of Fire needs to go through to escape the Shield World before Sergeant Forge activates the FTL drive. There are forerunner symbols on each door. Serina discovers that doors marked with the same symbols must be opened after each other. Otherwise the door that is opened first will close. The forces, however only have 30 minutes to open the portal and yet have to deal with Covenant and Flood forces. With the help of the Spartan IIs from Red Team, the Spirit of Fire successfully escapes the Shield World.

Primary

 * Clear out all enemies near the Interlock Tower.
 * Activate the Interlock.
 * Open the Portal.

Note that the interlocks which guard the portal must be released together in pairs, as indicated by the Forerunner glyphs near each interlock (when viewed from the same perspective relative to the center of the map, the glyphs of each interlock of the same pair will be identical). If the interlocks are released in any other order, it will be impossible to have all interlocks released at the same time.

Optional

 * Kill 3 Scarabs (This will unlock the level's skull).

The skull is located near the Flood base on the northeast of the map. The Black box is on the north part of the map between the Flood base and the Covenant base.

Plot
Sergeant Forge and Red Team are setting up the reactor to set into the Shield World's internal sun to destroy the planet, when they are attacked by a large force of Elites and the Arbiter Ripa 'Moramee. Red Team easily defeats the massive Sangheili force, and Sergeant Forge eventually kills the Arbiter by stabbing his neck with extreme force and stabbing him with his own Energy Sword. The reactor, by then, is already overheated and will have to be set off manually. Jerome, the leader of Red Team, offers to set it off manually at the expense of his life, but Sergeant Forge takes the responsibility, quoting that the humans will need every Spartan II possible.

Meanwhile, the Spirit of Fire is trapped inside the Shield World. The ground forces eventually defeat massive forces of the Covenant, Flood, and Sentinels to open up a passage that will allow the Spirit to fly out. When the reactor is set off inside the sun, the gravitational forces pull the Spirit into it, but due to some careful maneuvering by Serina, the Spirit slingshots around the sun and out of the planet. The planet, the internal sun, and countless waves of Covenant, Flood, and Sentinels are destroyed from the resulting explosion.

After two weeks of no Covenant or Flood, the majority of the Spirit's crew is put into cryo-pods, along with a protesting Professor Anders. When Captain Cutter walks by an open pod, revealed to be that of the late Sergeant Forge he closes it, sighs, then walks off, presumably into his own pod.

After the credits, on Legendary, Serina's voice can be heard telling Cutter that "something has happened."

Transcript
Cinematic starts with Sergeant Forge, Red Team and a Marine Officer standing at the The Apex site next to the Spirit of Fire's FTL drive.

Forge: Gentlemen we're burning sunshine here!

''Forge and the Spartans start to get the FTL drive ready, while the Officer goes to open the site's main door up. The Marine Lieutenant presses a panel on the Forerunner door.''

Marine: It's active.

Simultaneously, a camouflaged figure behind him activates his Energy Sword.

Jerome-092: Sergeant!

Forge stops working on the reactor and turns his head towards the Spartans: Elites deactivating their camouflage are advancing towards them, holding energy staves.

Marine: Aaah!

Forge: Lieutenant!?

Forge turns around and sees the Arbiter killing the marine.

Forge: (To the Spartans) Take care of those Elites! He's mine!

Forge releases the safety locks on the reactor to crush the Arbiter; Red Team gets in position to engage the incoming Elites.

Jerome-092: Let's go!

''Jerome kills the first Elite with a shot from his shotgun; Douglas-042 and Alice-130 pitch into other two Elites and kill them with their SMGs. Alice manages to grab a spear from another attacker as Douglas shoots him and she then finishes him off. An Elite attempts to impale Douglas but is quickly dispatched while another's spear is stopped by him and cut in half by Alice's; Jerome quickly reloads his shotgun and kills the unarmed Elite, while Douglas and Alice throw two spears and impale two Elites from the distance. Meanwhile, Forge finds out he's failed his attempt to crush Moramee with the reactor and realizes the latter's behind him camouflaged. Forge barely dodges an Energy Sword's lunge, but manages to hit the Arbiter, evade and face him. As Moramee advances, Forge starts shooting him with his MA5B but to no effect; the Arbiter tries to hit him again with a sword's slash which Forge avoids, but manages to destroy his Assault Rifle with a second hit. Forge charges the Arbiter and makes him fall supine; Moramee tries to raise his right arm to kill Forge with his sword, but the Sergeant blocks it by using his body mass, then hits Moramee's head with his elbow and manages to disarm him of his sword by shooting the Arbiter's hand with his M6C. Moramee immediately grabs Forge with his left hand, strikes him to the ground and punches him in the stomach.''

Arbiter: Like the rest of your race.. weak and undisciplined.

The Arbiter throws Forge against the reactor; in the meantime, Red Team kills the last remaining Elites.

Arbiter: (As he throws Forge away and picks up his Energy Sword) There will be no female to save you this time.

Forge: (Slowly sitting up) Look me in the eye and say that.

Arbiter: (Closing from behind) As you wish.

The Arbiter grabs Forge's head and brings his face close to his.

Arbiter: My face will be the last thing your pathetic eyes ever see.

 Just as 'Moramee raises his sword for the kill, Forge drives his combat knife into his opponent's neck, who drops his sword; Forge picks it up and uses it to impale the wounded Elite, who dies.

Forge: And for the record, I would have kicked your ass the first time if the lady hadn't stopped me!

The Arbiter's body is rolled off the platform by Alice, while Douglas places the reactor inside the elevator; thereafter, Jerome realizes the reactor has been damaged during the fight.

Jerome-092: Sir, it's already overheating. I'll have to separate the core and align them manually when they need to blow.

Forge: Son, I've a feeling before this over we'll need every last Spartan in the fight. I can do this. Report back to the ship.

Jerome-092: Good luck sir. It's been an honor.

The Spartan and Forge stare at each other as the elevator's door close and salute with a nod; then Forge begins his ascent while looking at the artificial sun.

Post-Level Cutscene
''Cinematic starts with Spirit of Fire seen facing toward the artificial sun which is beginning to degenerate. Camera gradually pans to the bridge where Cutter and Anders are gazing out the window.''

Serina: Hangar bay reports all crews checked in.

Cutter: Then let's not outstay our welcome. Best speed away.

Serina: Captain, the gravity field from the sun is expanding. We're not going anywhere.

''Cutter and Anders look at each other, Anders with a disgruntled look on her face. Cutter turns back towards the sun.''

Cutter: Let's see if we can't turn that to our advantage. Serina, plot a course that takes us into the sun. We're going to slingshot around it.

Serina: Threading a needle, while accelerating around an exploding star, inside a planet that's falling apart. Sure, why not?

Cutter: Serina?! Can you do it?

Serina: It's done. You might want to hold onto something.

Cutter and Anders move away from the window and sit down.

Serina: Closing your eyes might help too.

''Spirit of Fire accelerates toward the artificial sun as a several pieces of the planet are pulled into it. The ship circles perilously close to the sun, burning it's edges as blinding light floods into the bridge. Spirit of Fire successfully slingshots around the sun and accelerates through the exit passage. It bursts out of the planet just as it begins to collapse. As the ship speeds away the planet begins to implode, then suddenly explodes outward along its horizontal axis.''

Spirit of Fire; Cryo Room 3; 'March 11, 2531

The camera pans over Marines and Navy personnel in cryo-chambers.

Anders: Captain I would much rather stay awake to monitor this area.

Cutter: Professor, there's been no sign of the Covenant for almost two weeks. There's nothing to do.

Anders: But Captain--

Cutter: But nothing, Professor. You got us all out of there alive. Get some rest.

Cutter guides Anders into her cryo-chamber and taps its key pad.

Anders: Not all of us, Captain. Not all of us.

''Her chamber's cover closes and she immediately falls asleep. Frost forms on her face. Cutter walks to the chamber beside Anders' and closes it, empty. The camera fades to black as it centers on the name on the chamber's cover: SGT. J. FORGE''

Credits roll.

If completed on Legendary extra dialogue plays after the credits.

Serina: Captain, wake up. Something has happened.

Trivia

 * During the cutscene, if the player looks at Sergeant Forge as he stabs the Arbiter, it is seen that the sword is flipped the opposite direction when Arbiter falls to the ground. This was most likely an oversight by the CGI creators.
 * Like Halo: CE and Halo 3, the final mission in Halo Wars involves escaping an explosion designed to destroy a Forerunner structure and to stop the antagonists.
 * There is a Mega Turret that seems to have been abandoned (much like the Scarab in Beachhead) near one of the Covenant Bases. It can help destroy the base if garrisoned.
 * This is the only level in campaign where you can have access to all the UNSC leader powers.
 * This is the only occasion in which you can have more than an army population of 40 playing as the UNSC, not counting Deathmatch or playing in Beasley's Plateau owning the Forerunner Life Support Pod.
 * If you were to purposely self-destruct your own base, or lose it due to being destroyed, the same thing would happen as if you ran out of time: no matter how much time you would have left, Sergeant Forge would detonate the reactor and you would fail the level.
 * The music in the final cinematic of the level is the only track not featured in the Halo Wars: Original Soundtrack.
 * This level has some objective references to Halo: Combat Evolved, for destroying a planet sized Forerunner installation to prevent the end of humanity and Marathon: Durandal of putting a sun into an early supernova.
 * In the center of the level, there is a structure similar to a Sentinel Shop or Protector Plant, it is clearly unknown what it is named. It produces Protectors in groups of 3 most of the time, the Covenant will battle with the Sentinels if contact between the two is made. While the Flood will be on the outer edges of the map.
 * The Forerunner symbols on the projected blue floors are the numbers 1-5 from the Iris campaign. Though after 5, the symbol for 3 is repeated.
 * Deactivate the locks at strategic moments. You could kill a Scarab if the shield deactivates while it is on the blue shield like structure. On the contrary, you could lose your own Marines if you are not careful.