Halo: Escalation Issue 9

Halo: Escalation Issue 9 will be released on August 27, 2014 and is to be the ninth of twelve in the Halo: Escalation series of comics. It is the second part of the three-issue story arc "The Next 72 Hours" and features Blue Team tracking down the Didact immediately following the events of the Halo 4 campaign.

Plot synopsis
On Installation 03, a day before the events of Issue 8, SPARTAN-II Black Team observes multiple inbound slipspace signatures. One of the objects crash-lands nearby and the Spartans move to examine it. Lying on the bottom of the impact crater is a giant, unconscious armored figure — unknown to Black, this is the Ur-Didact, who awakens shortly after and kills the Spartans, declaring their presence "unacceptable". Meanwhile, a monitor appears from the Composer's Abyss, expressing its confusion over why Promethean constructs are present, and wishes to see the Halo's monitor. The monitor approaches the Didact — the latter's armor stained in Black Team's blood — and identifies itself as 859 Static Carillon, the caretaker of an installation called the Composer's Forge and the keeper of the Composers. Static Carillon explains that it came to Gamma Halo to investigate the reactivation of a service portal. The Didact then asks the monitor to take him to the Composer's Forge.

Continuing from the conclusion of the previous issue, Blue Team arrive in a seemingly empty Forerunner city, having made their way through the portal within the Composer's Abyss. They move further into the city and soon discover six Composers, just before the Didact appears behind the Spartans. Holding an activation index, the Promethean leader tells Blue Team that they have arrived at the Composer's Forge. Blue Team open fire, to no avail; the Didact stomps the ground, generating a shockwave that causes the Spartans to stumble. The Didact summons more of his Promethean minions and a frantic firefight breaks out.

859 Static Carillon arrives in the scene and begins to complain about the Didact violating their agreement in having created more of the Promethean constructs, which it deems abominations. In retort, the Didact asks the monitor to fulfill its part of their bargain. The monitor obliges, and a Halo installation appears in the sky from slipspace. Satisfied, the Didact states that he will repair the ring; Static Carillon tells the Spartans that the Didact is planning to use the Halo against humanity and Earth. Furthermore, while it is indifferent to mankind's fate, the monitor takes issue at the Didact's creation of new Prometheans from the humans of New Phoenix, viewing the Prometheans as instruments of terror and chaos and deeming their presence on its installation unacceptable. Static Carillon helps the Spartans retreat back to the Gamma Halo portal in pursuit of the Didact, holding off the hordes of Promethean machines.

Blue Team return to the surface of Gamma Halo from the Composer's Abyss, making it just in time as a Composer rises from the pit. John falls behind while the Didact attacks and prepares to finish off the others. As the Didact is about to execute Kelly-087, the Master Chief sneaks behind the Forerunner and stabs him in the eye with a combat knife. Intending to correct his mistake of not having killed the Spartan when he had the chance, the Didact grabs John by the helmet, lifts him in the air and seemingly crushes his head.

External link

 * Comic Book Resources: Halo: Escalation Issue 9 Preview