Halo: Escalation Issue 16

Halo: Escalation Issue 16 was released on March 25, 2015 and is the sixteenth comic in the Halo: Escalation series. It is the fourth and last part of the four-issue story arc "The Janus Key".

Plot synopsis
After waiting for an opportune moment to ambush Dr. Halsey for some time, Commander Palmer and Spartans Thorne and Ray observe a group of Jul 'Mdama's Phantoms arrive to claim the red Janus Key half from the Sangheili who defected from Sali 'Nyon's rebel faction. Meanwhile, Jul 'Mdama continues to eliminate 'Nyon's followers. With the rebellion in its death throes, Jul is confident that Halsey and her escort will not be ambushed and diverts most of the Phantoms to deal with the UNSC forces elsewhere on the island. While Infinity and its sub-vessels continue to engage 'Mdama's fleet, Captain Lasky queries Roland about Palmer's whereabouts. The AI informs him that he can only contact Spartan Grant's team, while Palmer has gone off on a mission of her own and taken two of the Spartans with her.

Back on Aktis IV, Dr. Halsey and her Zealot escort meet with the Sangheili defector. The Minor expresses surprise that a human has been sent to retrieve the Key, but a Zealot forces him to give her the artifact. One of the Zealots then promptly executes the Minor with a plasma rifle. Another Zealot, indignant, asks him why he killed the Minor before he could give them the location of 'Nyon's hideout. The Zealot states that they already know the location of the hideout. Before a conflict between the two arises Halsey tells them they need to return to the Song of Retribution, but they are ambushed by Palmer, Thorne and Ray. With their Phantom surrounded by the Spartans, Halsey and a Zealot flee to the forest. Palmer gives chase while leaving Thorne and Ray to deal with the Covenant forces, kills the Zealot guarding Halsey, and captures the doctor. Elsewhere on the island, Jul's forces destroy the last of Sali 'Nyon's outposts. A wounded and restrained 'Nyon is brought before 'Mdama, who intends to keep the traitor alive for his punishment.

As Palmer is leading Halsey through the jungle the doctor begins to argue with Palmer, calling her out for her blind faith in ONI. Palmer continues to decry Halsey as a war criminal and a traitor, but Halsey points out that she merely sided with the party that was not actively trying to kill her. Palmer declares that the Spartan name and armor are soiled because of Halsey's work, only for the doctor to retort that the armor would not exist without her. Halsey goes on stating that ONI turned her into a convenient scapegoat for projects that had the full backing of the UNSC. With Palmer's judgment momentarily clouded, Halsey escapes. Palmer gives chase, only to come face to face with a Harvester. Halsey gets away while Palmer is blasted by the Harvester's main beam and she falls into a crevice, wounded, while Halsey contacts Jul 'Mdama and is picked up by a Phantom.

Three days later, Lasky meets with a humbled Palmer in an interrogation room on Infinity. Lasky informs her that two ONI agents demanding to speak with her and that Ray and Thorne were furious about her behavior on the planet. While Roland stalls the ONI agents Lasky asks Palmer to tell him what happened. Palmer explains that she could not bring herself to kill Halsey and that the doctor was able to distract her and get away with the Janus Key, thus giving Jul 'Mdama access to both halves of the artifact. Meanwhile, Jul and Halsey use the combined Janus Key to project a holographic map pinpointing the location of the Absolute Record.