Halo: Rise of Atriox Issue 4

Halo: Rise of Atriox Issue 4 was released on December 13, 2017 and is the fourth of five in the Halo: Rise of Atriox series of comics.

Plot synopsis
Issue 4 begins with Atriox overlooking a Sangheili occupied citadel from a nearby cliffside. On his command, the Banished launch their assault on the unsuspecting base. Before the Sangheili forces inside are overwhelmed by the Banished, they hail the Enduring Conviction and alert Shipmaster Let 'Volir to Atriox's attack. Deciding not to wait for a reinforcing fleet, Shipmaster 'Volir personally leads a landing force down to surface to quell the raiding faction and capture Atriox. Arriving at the base, 'Volir and his troops spot members of the Banished looting the citadel's armory and pursue them further into the complex. While 'Volir is preoccupied fighting enemy ground forces inside, other Banished troops depart from the citadel in Phantoms and infiltrate the Enduring Conviction. After his warriors mop up the Banished combatants inside the citadel, Let 'Volir comes face to face with a seemingly forsaken Atriox, who drops his weapon after killing two of 'Volir's men and surrenders himself to the Sangheili shipmaster.

Upon returning back to Enduring Conviction's hangar, Let 'Volir unexpectedly finds himself surrounded at gun point and realizes he has been ensnared by the Banished. Atriox then instructs 'Volir to relay the news of his supposed capture to the nearby Sangheili fleet, so that the two may talk and discuss the possibility of sparring the Enduring Conviction's remaining crew. Once Let 'Volir complies, Atriox reveals that his raid and capture at the citadel was purposely done just to gain an audience with him. Having gathered insightful intelligence on the shipmaster, Atriox tells 'Volir that he knows about his mounting disillusionment in the prolonged Great Schism conflict, pointing out that Let himself has witnessed first hand how his Sangheili brethren have descended into barbarism in their ongoing feud against the Jiralhanae. Aware that 'Volir is still devoted to maintaining his ship and crew, Atriox presents him with the same choice he had once faced in the Covenant: To die fighting in senseless battle or seize control of his fate and join the Banished.

Twelve hours later, the reinforcing fleet led by Fleetmaster Arkad Nar 'Kulul arrives and orders the Enduring Conviction to report in, but to no avail. Standing beside Atriox on the bridge, Shipmaster Let 'Volir makes his choice and informs his crew that their allegiance now lies with Atriox. He then orders that the Enduring Conviction take defensive measures and prepare for evasive maneuvers. As the assault carrier begins to pull up and away, Fleetmaster 'Kulul commands his ships to attack the Enduring Conviction. While the fleet deploys several Banshees and Type-31 Seraphs, Let 'Volir orders his crew to move the Enduring Conviction at the edge of the nearby planet's atmosphere and initiate a minuscule slipspace jump. Shipmaster 'Volir's short in-atmosphere jump is successful and in a brief instant the pursuing enemy starfighters are blown down from the resulting slipspace rupture. Now out of immediate danger and running low fuel, Let 'Volir asks Atriox to make good on his end of the bargain. Atriox agrees and tells 'Volir to set a course to the Ansket system. Down below, Fleetmaster 'Kulul presumes 'Volir must have fell to the Banished and watches as the Enduring Conviction escapes into slipstream space with Atriox onboard. The Enduring Conviction later arrives at the planet Ansket IV, where an abandoned Covenant Hydro-Processing facility is now serving as the site of a UNSC operating base. Atriox tells Let 'Volir that he chose the right decision and provides his crew with the fuel and sport present on the planet.

Trivia
Originally, the issue's artist would be Tristan Jones, but because of "scheduling conflicts", Dark Horse and 343 Industries ended up doing an slight adjustment in Issue 4's creative lineup, replacing Tristan with Hayden Sherman. The announcement of the change was made in October 26, 2017, more than one and a half month before the releasing of Issue 4.

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 * Halo: Rise of Atriox