Fighting Retreat

Fighting Retreat is the sixteenth campaign level in Halo Wars 2, and the second of the Awakening the Nightmare expansion.

Transcript
HIGH CHARITY SALVAGE OPERATION

FIGHTING RETREAT

Mission Briefing
 * Brute: "Pavium, our troops are en route to perform salvage extraction from the nearby ships."
 * Pavium: "Good. If Voridus has listened to me, he'll be doing the same from outside of High Charity. Have you had word from him?"
 * Brute: "No, no further communications since he and his Brutes approached High Charity."
 * Pavium: "Unsurprising. No doubt he's picked a fight with some Sentinels there, but he should have reported in. No matter."

Mission Summary

Clear a path for the salvage operation

Scouting Report

Valuable resources can be found amongst the wreckage from the crash site.

Cutscene

Two Infantry squads approach wreckage that blocks their way.
 * Pavium: "Keep moving, I want us to be ready for extraction as soon as possible. Let's get to work. We need those barriers down so I can clear a path for the salvage route."

Pavium tries to contact Voridus.
 * Pavium: "Voridus, this is Pavium. Have you found anything outside the shell?"
 * Voridus: "...Pavium! Fall back, I warn you! We have been assaulted..."

The comms from Voridus break up.
 * Pavium: "Voridus? Respond! Engineers, get his comms feed back, now!"


 * Brute: "Pavium! Movement! From High Charity!"

Hordes of Pod Infectors approach the salvage operation.
 * Pavium: "The rumors were true! What has that fool done?"

''Three Grunt Infantry Squad are scanning the supplies, and Pod Infectors reach them. One squad rusns away while the other two are infected.''
 * Grunt 1: "Run, run!"
 * Pavium: "Coward! We will hold the line until I hear from Voridus and his troops. I will not abandon them!"
 * Brute: "Don't let them touch you!"

Gameplay

As the Flood approaches them, Pavium and his units eliminate them before they get a chance to infect his troops.
 * Pavium: "Destroy those who turn, they are no longer your allies!"

Some Garrisons are empty, and Pavium orders his forces to man them.
 * Pavium: "Into garrisons! Defend yourselves!"

''They hear the Flood screaming, and more Pod Infectors come from the west. They quickly clear them out, and once clear, the Flood start attacking from the east.''
 * Pavium: "Flood incoming from the east!"

Pavium reminds his forces to not touch the Pod Infectors.
 * Pavium: "Do not let them touch you, it is said they will consume your body and mind!"

While defending the east, the Banished retreat from the west to Pavium once the Flood starts coming from the west.
 * Pavium: "Keep them back, do not let them overrun this area!"

After defending for a time, the Banished regroup near lightbridge.
 * Grunt 1: "They're coming from everywhere!"
 * Pavium: "We must retreat, the area is lost to the Flood. All units, fall back to the first position!"

The Banished retreat through the lightbridge and it shuts down, cutting off the route so the Flood can't pursue them.
 * Pavium: "Get off that bridge! We need to shut it down and get it secured!"

Reaching the first outpost, Pavium try to contact Voridus.
 * Pavium: "Voridus? Are you there? I'm holding the line as long as I can, but I won't be able to wait forever!"

Voridus does respond.
 * Pavium: "Still nothing? Damn him! See to the wounded and prepare the defenses for the next attack! They are not finished with us yet!"

The timer countdown start from 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
 * Pavium: "Break open those cases! Use everything we have to strengthen our defenses!"

The Banished open all the cases to further aid the defenses.
 * Pavium: "We must hold the line here to give Voridus and his troops time to join in! Dig in!"

If the defense turret and barricade have not yet established.
 * Pavium: "Get the defenses up! We need to stagger the Flood assault with barricades!"

When the timer reaches 30 seconds.
 * Pavium: "My Orbital Designator shows a massive waves of Flood coming soon, gather supplies and build defenses to be ready for them!"

When the timer reaches 0, the Flood recommence the assault again.
 * Pavium: "The Flood are as inexorable as the stories said."

Pavium requests reinforcements from Colony to open a path for retreat.
 * Pavium: "Bring in the Goliaths to clear a path back to our base! We must hold the line for Voridus there, it's our best chance!"

A Spirit drops a team of Goliaths, and they immediately go to work.
 * Pavium: "Defend the Goliaths, they must clear both routes or we'll have nowhere to fall back to!"

The countdown start from five minutes while an infantry squad is attacked and overrun from the west.
 * Pavium: "We must have a staggered retreat. If Voridus is still alive he will need us!"

The Banished hold their line while the Flood come from the east, defeating all Grunt Infantry Squads that are patrolling and infecting the Jiralhanae.
 * Pavium: "Flood coming from the east! Watch out!"

They continue to hold the line at the all sides.
 * Pavium: "Fight back! The Banished have not come so far to be devoured by monstrosities!"
 * Pavium: "Kill the infected where they fall, we cannot risk an acceleration in their numbers!"

When a Goliath is low on health
 * Pavium: "One of our Goliaths is about to be destroyed! Protect it!"

The Flood start coming in from three directions.
 * Pavium: "Keep fighting, we shall not lose this place to these aberrations!"

When the timer is at one minute.
 * Pavium: "Hold the line!"

The timer reaches 0 and the wreckage is destroyed.
 * Pavium: "We have little time to prepare before they return! Fall back to the next line and ready the defenses!"

The Goliaths stay behind to cover the retreat.
 * Pavium: "Goliaths! Cover us as we fall back!"

Leader Power

 * Atriox's Bulwark I, II and III
 * Rain of Fire I, II and III
 * Stasis I and II
 * Burnout I and II

Unit Deployment

 * Pavium's Unit
 * Pavium
 * 10 Grunt Infantry Squads
 * 2-slot Minibase


 * Salvage Team
 * 7 Grunt Infantry Squad (2 Infected, 1 joins Pavium)

Miscellaneous

 * In this mission you have to keep Pavium alive by any means necessary, unlike a common hero unit, which can be revived once downed.

Strategy

 * Do not let Pavium die, no matter what. If he dies, then you will fail the mission.