Halo 2: Difference between revisions

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[[File:CouncilsScorn01.jpg|thumb|300px|Thel 'Vadamee before receiving the Mark of Shame and becoming the Arbiter.]]

The story then turns to Earth's [[Orbital defense platform|Orbital Defense Platform]] [[Cairo Station (station)|Cairo Station]], where [[Master Chief Petty Officer]] [[John-117]] receives the new [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark VI|MJOLNIR Mark VI]] armor from the [[Master Gunnery Sergeant (Armory)|Master Gunnery Sergeant]]. [[Avery Junior Johnson]], who recently has been promoted to [[Sergeant Major]], arrives to take the Master Chief to an awards ceremony overseen by [[Fleet Admiral]] [[Terrence Hood]]. At the ceremony, John-117, Johnson, and  [[Miranda Keyes]], [[Jacob Keyes|Captain Keyes]]' daughter, are awarded medals as those in attendance celebrate. The festivities are soon interrupted by [[Cortana]] reporting that "15 Covenant Capital ships holding position just outside the kill zone," signaling the start of the Covenant siege of Earth. UNSC Marine forces, along with John-117, protect the station from the invading Covenant forces while other stations are overwhelmed and destroyed. A bomb is discovered on Cairo station, and John-117 sends it into space. He detonates it, destroying several Covenant ships, before landing on the hull of Keyes' ship, the UNSC frigate ''[[UNSC In Amber Clad|In Amber Clad]]''. The frigate heads to the Earth city of [[New Mombasa]] to fight off the Covenant troops, which are led by the High Prophet of Regret. After the Covenant invasion force is halted by the UNSC defenses, the Prophet of Regret flees Earth with Keyes and her detachment in pursuit on the ''In Amber Clad''. The hasty in-atmosphere jump devastates the city of New Mombasa, destroying the [[Space elevator|Space Elevator]] and scattering its wreckage for miles around.

Returning to SPARTAN-117's story, the ''In Amber Clad'' exits slipspace with the Prophet of Regret unaware that he had been followed. To the surprise of the pursuers, they discover that Regret has led them to another [[Installation 05|Halo Ring]]. Keyes sends John-117 and ODSTs to the surface of Installation 05 to capture Regret while the ''In Amber Clad'' is repaired. In the course of pursuing Regret, John-117 discovers, with the aid of Cortana, that the Prophet intends to personally activate Halo, in the belief that it will propel true believers on the [[Covenant religion|Great Journey]]. To buy time to acquire the [[Activation Index]] before the Covenant are able, Keyes orders John-117 to kill the Prophet of Regret, a mission he successfully achieves. Before making his escape, however, High Charity and its [[High Charity Defense Fleet|escort]] arrive and attempt to kill John-117 by glassing the area. He survives by jumping into the lake surrounding the structure in which he encountered Regret. Incapacitated from the shock of the Covenant bombardment, John-117 is last seen being dragged into the depths of the lake by tentacles belonging to a sentient creature.

Beneath the Library, John-117 finds himself in the clutches of the [[Gravemind]], the creature that acts as the controlling intelligence of the Flood. It is revealed that Thel 'Vadamee has been saved from his fall by the Gravemind as well. It is within the Gravemind's chamber where the Arbiter and John-117 meet. The Gravemind announces to John-117 and 'Vadamee that he has much to tell them. The Prophet of Regret and [[2401 Penitent Tangent]], the Monitor of Installation 05, appear, both now infected and assimilated into the Gravemind's mass. They argue back and forth before the Gravemind reveals that Regret's "Great Journey" and Penitent Tangent's "Containment" are one in the same. Then both the Gravemind and John-117 try to convince 'Vadamee that the Covenant's belief about the Halos is a lie. They reveal that the Halo installations were created not to save life, but to destroy it, causing the Arbiter to question his faith. These new revelations, paired with the imminent genocide of the Elites, lead 'Vadamee to reluctantly join John-117 in the mission to stop the ring from being activated. The Gravemind then sends John-117 to High Charity to retrieve the Index while the Arbiter is sent to the [[Control Room (Installation 05)|Control Room of Installation 05]] to stop the Covenant from activating the ring.

[[File:D-Halo.jpg|thumb|300px|Installation 05 sending a pulse to signal the rest of the Halo Array to be put on standby for a remote activation from the Ark.]]

The Forerunner Dreadnought arrives at Earth with John-117 onboard. He alerts Admiral Hood of his presence, and tells him that he is "[[Halo 3|finishing this fight]]."