Conservatory

Conservatory is the seventh campaign main mission in Halo Infinite, under the third campaign section "Connections".

Overview
Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 and the Weapon entered the Conservatory, fighting through Banished troops inside. They met 117649 Despondent Pyre, the monitor of Installation 07 through a window looking into the Conservatory's main chamber, but the conversation was cut short when the monitor was attacked and captured by Skimmers. They followed in pursuit, overhearing Despondent Pyre pleading with an unknown entity. Arriving at bottom floor of the central chamber, they found Despondent Pyre's chassis broken apart. The two also found out Cortana was talking to Despondent Pyre when arrived six months ago in December 2559; Cortana made mention of something that the ring contained something worse than the Flood. The Skimmers returned, attacking the Chief. The Spartan fought his way out of the Conservatory, finally meeting the unknown entity, who introduced herself as "The Harbinger", at the surface. During the brief confrontation, the Harbinger locked John-117's armor, and used the monitor's encephalon to initiate the Reformation. She then fled to the Reformation Spire in the distance, with John-117 in pursuit.

Transcript
{Gameplay}

''The tunnel takes the Chief underneath the mountain ridge. He comes across a corridor on the right and enters it. The corridor leads to a small room where the Banished have stored various equipment and supplies. The door here is locked but there's a Forerunner control terminal nearby. The Chief accesses the terminal which unlocks the door.''


 * Weapon: "Welcome to the Conservatory."

The Chief heads through the door and up a ramp.


 * Weapon: "I wonder what the Banished are looking for down here."


 * John-117: "Let's go find out."

''The Chief arrives at a set of doors which have been physically forced apart. He sees a body on the other side.''


 * Weapon: "Another Spartan. Get me close."

''The Chief enters the room and kneels down to examine the fallen Spartan. He picks up a piece of equipment next to the body.''


 * Weapon: "A Drop wall module. Deployable cover. Resilient but temporary."

The Drop wall module is integrated into the Chief's armor.

John places a hand on the fallen Spartan's shoulder.


 * Weapon: "Scan complete. This is Spartan Vedrana Makovich. Armor's been offline for thirteen days. Cause of death is..."


 * John-117: "What?"


 * Weapon: "An enhanced energy blade. Same as Spartan Stone. There's a pattern emerging. Chief, who's doing this?"


 * John-117: "We're going to find out."

He stands back up and continues his journey through the Conservatory.

''The Chief heads through the Conservatory, killing any Banished troops he comes across. At one point, he comes across a disabled door.''


 * Weapon: "Hmmm. It looks like the Banished are trying to stop us moving forward."


 * John-117: "Can you open it?"


 * Weapon: "Of course... If you can magic up a terminal of some kind. Or find an alternative power source to get this door open."

If the Chief stalls:


 * Weapon: "We're stuck here until you find a power source to open that door."

''The Chief finds a power seed and inserts it into a nearby Crucible. The door opens.''


 * Weapon: "There we go. Simple."

The Chief continues his way through the Conservatory, eventually coming across another disabled door.


 * Weapon: "Another disabled door. I'll say one thing for the Banished. When they have an idea... they stick with it."

''After clearing out the Banished in the room, the Chief finds a power seed and inserts it into a Crucible. The door remains shut.''


 * Weapon: "Hmmm. It needs more power. Find another one."

''Banished reinforcements storm the room. After the Chief deals with them, he locates another power seed and inserts it into a second Crucible. This time, the door opens.''


 * Weapon: "And it's open. C'mon. Let's go before they get really creative."

The Chief proceeds through the door and enters the next room, which is seemingly empty.


 * Weapon: "Wait... Do you hear that? It's coming from up ahead."

''The Chief hears a muffled pounding noise coming from somewhere nearby. Spotting a terminal at the end of the room, the Chief approaches it and quickly becomes aware whatever is making the noise is on the other side of the wall directly in front of him. He deploys the Weapon onto the terminal.''

{Cutscene}


 * John-117: "Open it."

''The Weapon complies and raises a hand. The wall, which turns out to be a blast shield covering a glass window, retracts upward. Light pours in from the enormous chamber on the other side of the glass. Although much of the chamber is obscured by a yellowish haze, the Chief and the Weapon still immediately spot the source of the noise: A green-eyed Monitor frantically flying around, desperate to get their attention.''


 * 117649 Despondent Pyre: (urgent) "Help! Help me! This installation... The Harbinger... exile was absolute. How did she return? It's impossible. This cannot be... I need to go back. Find out what happened."


 * Weapon: "We should help her!"


 * John-117: "Maybe."


 * Despondent Pyre: "No! She is correct. I request your assistance."

Wary of the unpredictability of Forerunner constructs, the Chief raises his weapon, ready to open fire in case the Monitor turns hostile.


 * Weapon: "Who are you? What's your name?"


 * Despondent Pyre: "I am Despondent Pyre, Monitor of this installation and this is my Conservatory. My Conservatory. This is not right. Perhaps you would- Oh no!"

''Her eye turns red as four winged creatures suddenly descend on the Monitor from above and surround her. Two of the creatures are armed with Banished Sicatt Workshop shock rifles. Despondent Pyre tries to escape, but the creatures are too fast.''

''One of the unarmed creatures grabs the Monitor by her right side and starts pulling down on her. The other unarmed creature grabs her from the left side and pulls up on her. The first unarmed creature rips the side plating off of Despondent Pyre, causing her to burst into flames. At the same time, the armed creature in front of Despondent Pyre fires its shock rifle at her, but misses and hits the other armed creature instead, setting it on fire, and causing it to flee. The damaged Monitor manages to return fire with an energy beam from her eye, destroying the remaining armed creature. The creature still grappling her drags her down into the yellowish haze and out of sight. The other unarmed creature flies after them as pieces of the destroyed creature rain down.''

The Chief turns from the window.


 * John-117: "Let's go."


 * Weapon: "Where?"


 * John-117: "Down there."

He uploads the Weapon back into his armor.

{Gameplay}

The Chiefs heads towards a now accessible door on the left.


 * Weapon: "What were those flying things?"


 * John-117: "New. Dangerous."


 * Weapon: "And Despondent Pyre?"


 * John-117: "New. Potentially dangerous."


 * Weapon: "See. You can be optimistic."

''The Chief heads deeper into the Conservatory in search of Despondent Pyre, with resistance from the Banished growing increasingly stubborn. After defeating a large group of enemies, including a Sangheili Warlord, the Chief enters an enclosed room containing a terminal. Accessing the terminal opens a hatch in the floor and the Chief drops down into a larger chamber. Two cloaked Special Operations Sangheili enter through a door, which locks behind them. The two Spec Ops Elites attempt to ambush the Chief, but the Spartan manages to kill both would-be assassins.''

''The door unlocks and opens again. A pair of Unggoy enter.''


 * Unggoy: "Alright, did you guys kill him yet? I got dibs on the helmet! Guys?"

The Master Chief quickly kills both Unggoy and heads through the door.


 * Weapon: "We're getting close to the bottom. Wait! Listen..."

They hear the panicked voice of Despondent Pyre.


 * Despondent Pyre: (off-screen) "Please. Do not do this! It cannot happen. It is wrong!"

A few seconds later, they hear a tortured scream from Despondent Pyre.

''The Chief fights his way through another room filled with Banished, including a Jiralhanae wielding a UNSC M41 SPNKR. As he exits he hears Despondent Pyre again.''


 * Despondent Pyre: (off-screen) "This Ring must not be compromised!"

A new voice is heard.


 * The Harbinger: (off-screen) "You do not understand what you're hiding. What you are. What compromise means."

Despondent Pyre screams in pain again.


 * Despondent Pyre: (off-screen) "I will not relinquish to you the location. The Endless can never return!"


 * Harbinger: (off-screen) "We are blameless. The Forerunners set this in motion. I am ending it."

They hear one final tortured scream from Despondent Pyre.

''The Chief eventually reaches the bottom floor and enters the massive chamber. There's less haze down here, and the Chief quickly spots a terminal on a raised platform at the center of the chamber. Just behind the terminal lies the disassembled shell of Despondent Pyre.''


 * Weapon: "Oh no! We're too late! Something awful happened here. Plug me in! We'll figure this out."

''The Chief crosses a light bridge and reaches the central platform. The remnants of Despondent Pyre are hovering above some sort of containment device, each piece of shattered shell engulfed by a mysterious golden energy. What's left of her data has manifested as blue wisps that linger in the air.''

If the Chief stalls, ancient Forerunner voices being echoing through the chamber:


 * "It must be done. We have no choice."
 * "Is there agreement? Consensus?"
 * "There is."
 * "If they cannot be purged. They must be contained."
 * "Balance restored."
 * "Balance restored."
 * "No being will ever learn the truth of what we have done today.
 * "This is our darkest moment."
 * "Our eternal shame."
 * "Forever hidden."
 * "Buried with these rings."

The Chief deploys the Weapon onto the terminal.

{Cutscene}

''Zoom in on the Monitor's remains, which start emitting a purple light. A memory begins playing out:''


 * Cortana (memory): "You know what I want."

Despondent Pyre circles around Cortana.


 * Despondent Pyre (memory): "Alas, I do, Cortana, and my mind has not been changed. This installation's weapons may be yours, but its secrets are not. It... protected. The containment facility in particular."


 * Cortana (memory): "Containment? The Flood? Why would I... you and I both know that there are worse things than the Flood within this Ring."

The Infinity emerges from slipspace behind her.


 * Despondent Pyre (memory): "No. There is no way you could know..."

Cortana looks over her shoulder at the Infinity''. She turns around, her back to the Monitor.''


 * Cortana (memory): "So, you've come for me at last. Why are you doing this, John? Why don't you understand?"

The Monitor floats over and gets directly in her face.


 * Despondent Pyre (memory): "The seal must not be broken. The punished cannot be freed. This can never be negotiated. There is no other choice."

Cortana turns away.


 * Cortana (memory): "Reconsider."


 * Despondent Pyre (memory): "The consequences of your request-"

''Annoyed, Cortana snaps her fingers. Despondent Pyre vanishes.''


 * Cortana (memory): "Back to your Conservatory, Monitor."

She walks away and the memory ends.

''The Chief and the Weapon take in what they've witnessed. The Weapon turns to the Chief.''


 * Weapon: "What does that mean? What could be worse than the Flood?"


 * John-117: "Nothing good."

''The Weapon looks up and sees three of the flying creatures descending on them. Each creature is carrying a shock rifle.''


 * John-117: (seeing the creatures too) "Find us a way out."


 * Weapon: "On it."

''The creatures take up position in front of the Chief. The Weapon disappears into the terminal.''

{Gameplay}

The Chief quickly dispatches the three creatures, but almost immediately, more of them enter the chamber.
 * Weapon: "Remember when you said new and dangerous?"


 * John-117: "Uh huh."


 * Weapon: "You were right!"

The fighting continues as Banished troops now enter the fray, fighting alongside the creatures.


 * Weapon: "Hostile reinforcements inbound!"


 * Weapon: "This is taking longer than I thought. Something is taking control of local systems."

More creatures attack.


 * Weapon: "Where are all these Skimmers coming from?"


 * John-117: "Is that what we're calling them?"


 * Weapon: "Well, I was also considering "Flying Octopus Monkeys"."


 * John-117: "Skimmers it is then."

Another wave of enemies arrives.


 * Weapon: "Hostile reinforcements inbound!"


 * John-117: "The door?"


 * Weapon: "I know. The code is being rewritten. Altered using a Forerunner routine."

''Yet another group of enemies appears. This one is commanded by a Warlord Captain.''


 * Weapon: "Enemy reinforcements!"

The Chief defeats the last of the attackers.


 * Weapon: "I'm done! Come get me!"

''The Chief returns to the terminal where the Weapon is waiting for him. He uploads her back into his armor. He leaves through the door she just opened, determined to find whoever destroyed the Monitor.''


 * John-117: "What happened back there?"


 * Weapon: "When I interfaced with the cradle, it unlocked something. Something important. Cortana was here. Six months ago. I could feel what she felt when you arrived. It was joy. Fear. And pain."

The Chief enters a room littered with bodies.


 * Weapon: "Chief, is that another...? Something big went down in here."


 * John-117: "Spartans don't go quietly."


 * Weapon: "I've noticed."

''The Chief steps over the bodies of the dead Banished and kneels down beside the latest fallen Spartan he's come across. As with the others, there's a piece of equipment next to the body, which the Chief picks up.''


 * Weapon: "A Thruster module. Evasive maneuvers on demand."

The Thruster module is integrated into the Chief's suit.


 * Weapon: "Now then... who are you?"

The Chief places a hand on the fallen Spartan's shoulder as the Weapon conducts her scan.


 * Weapon: "Scan complete. Spartan Theodore Sorel. Special weapons expert. Died thirteen days ago, like Makovich."


 * John-117: "The assassin?"


 * Weapon: "Brutes. More than one. Whoever they are... they're proficient. Well trained."


 * John-117: "We've got a score to settle."

''He stands back up and resumes his pursuit of Despondent Pyre's killer. Eventually he enters a room with an elevator. However, the elevator is already on its way up. Furthermore, two Warlord Chieftains armed with Scrap Cannons are guarding the ground floor.''


 * Weapon: "Chief! That platform! We're too late!"


 * John-117: "Not yet."

After a tough fight, the Master Chief manages to eliminate both Warlord Chieftains.


 * Weapon: "They were... persistent."


 * John-117: "Did they kill Spartan Sorel?"


 * Weapon: "Negative. His killers are still active."

''The elevator has returned to the ground floor. The Chief gets on it and activates the controls. The platform begins rising again.''


 * Weapon: "This elevator... it's taking us back to the surface. It doesn't make sense. Why come all the way down here... just to kill the Monitor?"


 * John-117: "The Monitor's purpose is to protect the Ring."


 * Weapon: "So why kill her?"


 * John-117: "No idea."

The elevator reaches the top level and the Chief steps off.

{Cutscene}

Scene slowly zooms in on a cluster of floating pillars rotating around a golden light.


 * Harbinger: "Show yourself. I know you have been following me."

''The Master Chief moves in close enough to see who is addressing him: A tall, slender female humanoid hovering above the ground. She wears a regal-looking crimson headdress and a matching set of armor. She is held aloft by a pair of thrusters on her back. Golden light shines out of a cavity in her armored chestplate. The scene pans up and circles around her as she stares down at the Master Chief.''


 * Harbinger: "We are not enemies."

The Chief stares up at her silently for a few seconds before responding.


 * John-117: "Despondent Pyre?"

He moves to avoid one of the pillars.


 * Harbinger: "She had something I required."

''Despondent Pyre's encephalon materializes in the palm of her right hand. Scene shifts to the Master Chief's POV as the same hand the Harbinger is using to hold the Monitor's encephalon charges up with bright blue energy. She slams the energy into the ground, unleashing a pulse that causes the pillars to instantly sink into the floor. The blast also knocks the Master Chief onto his back. The energy shield bar on his HUD flickers, indicating a malfunction.''


 * Harbinger: "I know of you, Reclaimer..."

In a flash of light she vanishes and instantaneously reappears mere feet from the Master Chief, who can't seem to move.


 * Harbinger: (staring the Master Chief directly in the face) "But hear this: You are not the future."

She looks over her shoulder at something outside the Conservatory.


 * Weapon: "You okay, Chief? I'm trying to get the armor unlocked."


 * John-117: "Try harder."

''In another flash of light, the Harbinger vanishes and reappears, now hovering high above the floor. The pillars are rising all around her. At the same time, outside in the distance, a giant structure rises from beneath the Ring's surface.''


 * Harbinger: "The Forerunners' lies are at an end. I am the Harbinger of the truth."

She teleports directly in front of him again.


 * Harbinger: "The Endless will be found. They will ascend."


 * John-117: "Now would be good."


 * Weapon: "I know! I know! Three..."

The Harbinger looks over at the rising structure again.


 * Harbinger: "The Reformation begins."


 * Weapon: "Two... One! Go!"

''The Harbinger teleports away just as the Chief breaks free of the armor lock. He jumps to his feet and charges at the Harbinger, but she continues to teleport away from him, moving closer and closer to the Conservatory's exit each time. The Chief climbs onto a rising pillar and leaps down at her, but again, she teleports out of range. Before he can make another move, she vanishes from sight.''

''Scene shifts back to third-person. The Chief rushes to the exit. He aims his weapon as he searches for the Harbinger. She suddenly appears on his right and swipes at him with her right hand, which is now charged with energy again. He ducks just in time. She vanishes, only to reappear directly in front of him, both hands now energized. Before he can react, she strikes him in the chest with her left fist. The resulting blast sends the Chief flying through the air and out of the Conservatory.''

''The Chief crashes through a burnt-out tree and lands in a field. He immediately gets back to his feet and aims his weapon, but the Harbinger is nowhere to be seen. The scene rotates to reveal he is on the other side of the mountain ridge, standing in front of the Conservatory's true entrance.''

''As he slowly starts to lower his weapon, behind him in the distance, the newly risen Forerunner structure starts throbbing with energy. A trio of fins emerge from its sides and slide up towards the top before clamping themselves around the structure's upper half. Scene focuses on the Chief as he turns to stare at this mysterious structure.''


 * Weapon: (apologetically) "I took too long. You could have been killed."


 * John-117: "It's okay, you saved us both."

Level ends

Achievements
The following achievements can be unlocked on Conservatory across the all editions of Halo Infinite.