Mission #1
Within Black Waters, A Shadow
"Wake up. There's work to do."
{CUTSCENE}
It is a night sky populated endlessly with stars. All is peaceful and silent. Then, slowly, one of the stars in the centre of the screen begins to flicker as if a glitch in space-time itself. It grows, expanding, until space cracks open and the blue-indigo portal of a slipspace rupture opens up. From the portal, shark-like, emerges the Sahara-class heavy prowler Tempest. The ship slinks silently out of the portal and, as the camera follows it, we see it is approaching an unknown rust-coloured planet which hangs like a marble in distant space.
We are now aboard the barebones, cramped bridge of the Tempest. The vast viewscreen at the front gives a perfect view of the approaching planet. Crewmen walk about or operate terminals. In the centre of the bridge, looking out towards the planet, is Captain Tajender Sanda. An Indian Sikh in his mid-fifties, he has a black beard and a UNSC Navy-issue turban. He stands holding a mug of tea, which he sips from.
Sanda: Are we clear?
Sailor #1: Aye, sir – cloak is engaged and holding steady. Covenant probably can't see us coming.
Sanda: I don't like that "probably."
Sailor #1: It's a major Sangheili colony, captain, it's a miracle we made it this far at all.
Sanda stares down the planet, as if daring it to do something.
Sanda: Do we still have a track on the supercarrier?
Sailor #2: We've got a bead on Extraordinary Dream; she's entering Qaepan's orbit now, sir. It's gotta be a refuelling stop.
Sanda takes a sip of tea.
Sanda: Then our long wait is finally over. Bring the ship up to Condition Red, if you please; and let our passengers know it's time to earn their legend.
Sailor #3: Aye, sir.
We cut to inside the sleeping quarters of the ship; it is cramped, made up of triple-decker bunk beds like a submarine. Sat on the foot of one bed is Jade-088, a SPARTAN-II. She is dressed from neck to toe in a skintight black exosuit normally worn beneath MJOLNIR armour and hunched down looking at something; we see that she is holding an old family photo, featuring a toddler being held by a smiling older mother.
Sailor #4: Excuse me, ma'am?
Jade looks up at the sailor, and we see her face for the first time. She is a young Kenyan woman, no older than nineteen, with heterochromia; one eye is bright green and the other bright blue. A consequence of problems during her augmentation which we will learn more about eventually. The sailor is momentarily flustered by the fact that a real-life Spartan is looking at them.
Sailor #4: Uh… sorry, uh, it's time. You need to go to Engineering. Ma'am.
Jade: Thank you.
Jade takes one last look at the photograph, and then folds it up and puts it away with her personal items in a small Navy-issue bag. She stands; there's a strange heaviness to her as she exits and walks down the corridor, sailors parting like the Red Sea to let this seven-foot tall musclegirl supersoldier past. A couple look at her with awe.
Sailor #5: Damn…
Sailor #6: Think she hits her head a lot?
We follow Jade from behind as she enters Engineering; the room is dominated by a ring-shaped machine which will equip the Spartan's MJOLNIR armour for them. A group of engineers in protective suits, to shield them from any chemical mishaps during the process, stand around tinkering with the equipment.
Intercom: Attention. All hands to battle stations. All hands to battle stations.
One of the engineers approaches Jade.
Engineer #1: Lieutenant. Good to see you. We're on the clock, so if you could hop aboard and then we'll-
Sheldon-130, the other SPARTAN-II on the team, suddenly enters and interrupts. He is already wearing his silver armour, with his Scout helmet in his hands.
Sheldon: And then we'll make you into the Covenant killer of everyone's dreams.
Sheldon slaps Jade's shoulder in a friendly manner. Jade is unphased – the two couldn't be closer if they tried, and they know each other inside and out.
Jade: You are already equipped…
Sheldon: We were doing a dummy run when the call came. Lucky, huh? Doctor, are we ready to dance?
Engineer #1: Yes, sir, the lieutenant's MJOLNIR is primed and ready. Just need to turn on the music.
Sheldon: Well then, show us your moves.
Sheldon beckons for Jade to step up to the machine; she does so without a word. There is a strange vulnerability for someone so big.
Engineer #2: Please assume the position, lieutenant.
Sheldon: I think she knows by now, fellas. Ready to suit-up?
Jade: Yes.
Jade forms a star with her legs and arms. The arms of the machine begin to move around her.
Engineer #1: We have positive calibration. All meters green. Initiating Prom Dress.
Sheldon watches as the arms of the machine begin to dress Jade in her grey armour, piece by piece; the chest piece, the gauntlets, the greaves, all are attached to her exosuit and mould onto it as if becoming one. Finally, her Recon helmet is lowered and fits onto her head, completing the suit-up.
{GAMEPLAY}
We are now, if briefly, seeing things through Jade's eyes (the purpose of this is to let the player decide if they want inverted controls or not) as her Heads Up Display switches on and the robot arms which assembled her armour begin to withdraw. An engineer with a tablet stands before Jade, while Sheldon watches on.
Engineer #1: Lieutenant, if you don't mind; we just need to triple-check your suit's calibration.
Sheldon: I thought you said "primed and ready"?
Engineer #1: Abundance of caution, sir.
The engineer produces a red light on his tablet and holds it up to Jade.
Engineer #1: Look at the light please, ma'am.
The player does so. The light turns green and the engineer moves the light downwards.
Engineer #1: Great. Now down here.
The player does so and the light turns green.
Engineer #1: Excellent. Many thanks – everything looks good.
Sheldon: Course it does. She's a Spartan, after all.
{CUTSCENE}
We are back on the bridge with Captain Sanda. The room is a hive of activity.
Sanda: Any disturbances in the Covenant fleet, yet?
Sailor: Negative, sir. We're ghosts.
Behind Sanda, the two Spartans appear.
Jade: Captain Sanda, sir.
Sanda turns to face them and they exchange salutes.
Sanda: Lieutenant; good to see you. Are the two of you ready?
Sheldon: Born ready, sir.
Sanda nods.
Sanda: Then Operation Merryweather can begin. Get to your stations and await the word.
The two Spartans turn to leave.
Sanda: And Spartans?
Both turn back.
Sanda: Make it back. If there's any hope left for humanity, it's in soldiers like you.
Jade: Mission first, sir.
Sanda nods, a hint of sadness about him, and the two Spartans leave. Sanda turns back to view the Covenant planet.
Sanda: (to himself) What glorious revenge this will be. And how pointless.
We are now in the hangar of the Tempest, where a pair of Booster Frames have been readied. The Spartans climb aboard and the hangar opens from below, with the two Booster Frames being lowered into open space from hooks. The two Spartans have a moment of silence.
Sheldon: Feeling alright, Jade?
Jade: Yes.
Sheldon: I know now's not the best time to talk, but…
He looks at her – she doesn't look back. He looks away.
Sheldon: Never mind. You know.
IntercomCOM: Launch in five… four… three…
Sheldon: Good luck, Jade.
Jade glances at him.
IntercomCOM: …two… one… launch.
The two Booster Frames are released; their engines activate and they rocket towards Qaepan.
Sheldon: Good launch.
TempestCOM: Strike team, this is Tempest; we are withdrawing to the rendezvous point. Meet you there. Radio silence until then.
Sheldon: Copy, Tempest. Out.
Jade: I have a visual on Covenant vessels.
Sheldon: Mow through. We'll blast by them before they know what to do.
Jade: Copy.
We see the Covenant fleet assembled just outside the planet's orbit. It's huge – countless capital ships surrounded by smaller destroyers and corvettes. The two Booster Frames begin to weave between the various ships on their way to the planet's surface. From a distance, we see the pinprick of the two Booster Frames passing through the fleet.
Sheldon: We're through.
The Booster Frames enter the atmosphere, glowing red-hot as they do.
Jade: Shields are holding for atmospheric entry.
Sheldon: They better.
From behind, we see as the Booster Frames pass through the initial atmospheric layer and the fiery re-entry fades. Now all that is below is scorching red and orange desert.
Sheldon: Nearly there, Jade. Level out and bear north. Then, we'll-
Sheldon is interrupted as a trio of Banshees dive between the two Booster Frames.
Sheldon: Shit!
The two Booster Frames break off.
Jade: Bandits! Bandits!
Sheldon: We can't outrun them – dive and evade!
The two Booster Frames dive for the ground with the three Banshees in pursuit, pulling up at the last second and whipping up dust as they go. The landscape is like the Arizona desert with its geological features – but more dramatic. One of the Banshees doesn't pull up in time and smashes into the ground.
Jade: Scratch one.
The pair continue to speed just inches from the ground, weaving between rock formations as they go. The Banshees keep on top of them; they dive into a deep canyon and the chase continues. Jade's Booster Frame takes a plasma round to an engine.
Jade: I'm hit!
Sheldon: Bail! Bail!
Jade: I have an idea.
Sheldon: Is it a good one?
Jade: I'm not certain.
Without another word, Jade leaps from her Booster Frame and backflips through the air in a fun slow-motion moment. As the Booster Frame crashes to the ground in a fiery inferno, Jade makes contact with one of the Banshees and grabs onto it. She kicks the cockpit open, plunges a combat knife into the Sangheili pilot, and replaces him at the controls.
Jade: Keep going. I'll deal with the last one.
Sheldon: No words, Jade.
Jade spins the Banshee behind the last enemy Banshee and hits its wing, causing it to spiral and crash.
Jade: He's down.
Sheldon: Nice work. Follow me; objective's just up ahead.
They turn a corner in the canyon and come across another Banshee heading straight for them.
Jade: Look out!
Jade boosts her Banshee and, as the enemy one fires, gets between it and Sheldon. She takes the blast and her crippled Banshee spirals towards the ground, just arresting its spin at the last second before crashing into the ground and skidding along in flames, finally coming to a halt.
Sheldon: Jade? Jade?! Jade, do you hear me?
Fade to black.
{GAMEPLAY}
We are now fully in the mission as Jade. She awakens from unconsciousness on the hard desert ground, the burning wreckage of the Banshee near her, as a Phantom slowly passes by overhead. Looking to her side, she finds that she is laying on the very edge of the canyon; it's surely deeper than the Grand Canyon down there. Jade is on one of the many little mesa-islands which dot the middle of the canyon, linked only by thin sheets of ground. Jade gets to her feet; she is armed only with an M6G Magnum pistol.
Jade: Sheldon? Do you read?
SheldonCOM: I copy, Jade. What's your status?
Jade: I'm okay.
SheldonCOM: Thank God. I'm at the landing site. Come to me and we'll move on the objective.
Jade: Waiting for me will slow us down.
SheldonCOM: I can't do this without you, Jade. I'll lay low and wait. Just keep your wits about you; Covenant are swarming already. If you die, I'll go on alone.
Jade: Spartans never die.
SheldonCOM: If you say so, Jade. Sheldon out.
The player moves along the edge of the canyon, before hopping down and slowly descending one of the vertigo-inducing ridges.
SheldonCOM: There's a natural bridge across the canyon further ahead. I'm on the other side. You just need to find a way across.
In the distance, across the barren landscape, comes the ominous howl of a Sangheili. Continuing, the first enemies appear in the form of a couple squads of Grunts led by an Elite Major, patrolling in search of Jade.
Jade: Here we go…
Jade engages and defeats the first Covenant enemies, and is now able to pick up new weapons; the Plasma Rifle dropped by the Elite is the only one really worth having. She continues, getting strafed by a Phantom passing by, before engaging additional Grunts as well as a mix of Elite Minors and Majors, with a couple shield-wielding Jackals thrown in. She continues.
Here, the landscape becomes less barren in the sense that an old Sangheili village populates the mesa. Additional Elites, leading squadrons of Grunts and Jackals, pose a threat. Jade then goes through a winding tunnel, fighting another squadron as she does, before the tunnel ends in a sheer drop into the canyon. She has to jump from platform to platform, made up of free-standing rock towers, while a Jackal sniper toys with her. Eventually she makes it back to the mesa and fights through more enemies including Brute Minors led by an Elite Major to approach the bridge, which is made of a thin rock archway which has formed to connect the two sides of the canyon.
Jade finds the bridge blocked by a pair of Spirit turrets manned by Grunts, as well as more enemy infantry including a Brute Chieftain with a Gravity Hammer. Look closely while approaching these enemy positions and the player can see the Chieftain being bullied by the Elite Ultra on scene. The Gravity Hammer, of course, is a bit of an extra danger when there's a very deep canyon either side. Jade defeats the enemies and crosses the bridge to the other side of the canyon.
{CUTSCENE}
Jade walks carefully through the field of Covenant corpses, keeping a wary eye out. At her feet, we see the eyes of a Sangheili Ultra open. Behind her, it slowly gets to its feet and approaches her, raising a fist. And then its head it blown away by a sniper shot. Jade whips around and stares at the dead Sangheili.
SheldonCOM: Surprise.
Jade turns and looks up the nearby rock clifftops to see Sheldon wave. She holds up a hand in greeting.
SheldonCOM: Find your way up and join me. It's just a quick romp through the caves.
Jade: Got it.
{GAMEPLAY}
Back in Jade's shoes, the player has to make their way up a network of pathways to get up the hillside. Two Phantoms arrive to begin dispensing troops onto the rocky hillside; four squads comprising Grunts, Elites of both Minor and Major rank, and two Elite Ultras armed with Energy Swords. Two of the squads move downhill to confront Jade while the other two move on Sheldon. One Grunt in each section is armed with a Fuel Rod Cannon.
SheldonCOM: Looks like we've kicked a hell of a nest.
Jade: We can handle it.
Jade engages and defeats the two squads sent to fight her as she moves uphill.
SheldonCOM: I'm kinda pinned down here, Jade. Little help?
Jade: On my way.
Jade moves on the two squads attacking Sheldon, causing the Covenant forces to be pinned between the two Spartans. Once complete, Jade links up with Sheldon at the entrance to a cave in the face of the mountain. The player can re-equip with UNSC weapons via the parked Booster Frame if they want; the Assault Rifle, Battle Rifle, and Sniper Rifle are all available.
Sheldon: I don't think they like us on their planet. You sure you're not hurt? That crash looked nasty.
Jade: I said I'm fine.
Sheldon: Alright. Come on; through these caves. We're closer than you'd think.
They move into the dark cave, navigating it slowly; it's tight and almost pitch-black, requiring the player to use Jade's helmet-mounted flashlight. Further down, light begins to emit; the Spartans turn a corner to find that the caves are now lit up with countless bright-blue glow-worms on the ceiling. Plants, also bioluminescent, begin to populate the caves to turn them multicoloured.
Sheldon: Pretty.
The cave starts to open up into a cavern the size of a football field, populated by huge stalagmites and stalactites. Another cave is on the opposite side. This too glows multicoloured with bioluminescent plants. It's quiet… too quiet.
Jade: Something's wrong.
Sheldon: Keep your wits about you.
The pair move into the cavern and towards the next cave; they then come under fire from Special Operations Elites which are using cloaks to remain hidden in the cavern.
Sheldon: Contacts!
Fighting the Elites is tricky given their shields and the relative darkness of the cavern. One of them is stood atop a stalagmite and acting as a sniper. The two Spartans clear the cavern and then move on towards the next cave. They continue to the end of the cave which opens up into the outside world again. Now on the other side of the mountain, the player is treated to the sight of the docked supercarrier Extraordinary Dream. 28 kilometres long and 11 kilometres wide, it dominates the skybox; the ship has settled close to the ground and a Covenant dockyard is receiving it. A number of skyscrapers hold the ship aloft as her engine core is removed and replaced. Between them and it is open desert plains, populated by rocks and ravines, which the player will have to get through. There are high walls either side into which are carved Sangheili villages which will slowly meld into more modern Covenant architecture as you get closer to the supercarrier.
Sheldon: There she is. Extraordinary Dream. We'll never get another shot at this, Jade; they only refuel once a century.
Jade: We won't need another shot.
Sheldon: That's the spirit.
Jade: Speaking of spirits…
Jade refers to the Grunt-piloted Ghosts which are now approaching across the desert, accompanied by a single Brute-piloted Revenant. Two Prowlers loaded with Brutes also arrive, with the Brute infantry dismounting and engaging the Spartans. One Brute is armed with a Brute Shot. The Spartans engage them with a view towards getting control of a vehicle; once they both take control of whichever vehicles they end up with, they can continue through the desert path towards the supercarrier. Additional Ghosts, as well as enemy infantry in the form of Grunts, Jackals, and Brutes commanded by an Elite Ultra, act as barriers to progress and there is one point where a ravine has to be jumped over using the boost of the vehicle the player is controlling. The player is also strafed by a passing Phantom at one point.
SheldonCOM: I'm tapped into the Covenant battlenet; they're freaking out.
Jade: That's got to be a good sign.
The Spartans finally come across a Wraith which, along with additional Elite and Grunt infantry, forms the final barrier for getting into the dockyard. They punch through the enemies, then have to activate a gate to get in. The entrance is too small to allow vehicles in, so they have to continue on foot. The next area is a factory complex with medium sightlines and multiple levels, which house Jackal snipers as well as some Elite/Grunt infantry. The Spartans press on through the complex, entering a number of winding corridors which further tighten the action into close-quarters, until they enter a larger two-level room and come across a "final boss" of sorts in the form of a number of Brute and Grunt infantry led by an Elite General with an Energy Sword and carrying a portable Bubble Shield. They defeat these enemies and then a cutscene begins.
{CUTSCENE}
The two Spartans move carefully through the empty Covenant foundry, with clanking machines all around, weapons drawn. Jade presses a button to open a door – when it opens, we are treated to the sight of the cavernous room inside with the supercarrier's new fusion core at its centre. It is the size of a building, connected to countless cables and humming with purple energy.
Sheldon: Bingo.
Sheldon approaches the core eagerly, as Jade covers him. He examines a control panel.
Jade: Do you think it'll work?
Sheldon: It better. Otherwise we've got a really awkward conversation with NAVCOM to look forward to. Let's see…
Jade turns away, examining the walls of the room.
Jade: Sheldon – I'm picking up movement outside this room.
Sheldon: They never make it easy for us.
Sheldon pulls open a panel in the core and climbs in.
Sheldon: Jade – this is gonna be a tough nut to crack. Can you buy me some time?
Jade: Whatever you need.
Sheldon: Attagirl.
Sheldon vanishes into the core, leaving Jade alone.
{GAMEPLAY}
Jade must now fend off three waves of Covenant attackers. The first wave consists of Grunts and Brute Minors led by a gold-armoured Brute Captain with a Brute Shot. The second wave consists of Jackals and Brute Minors led by an Elite Ultra with a Plasma Launcher. The final wave consists of Elite Majors led by an Elite Ultra with an Energy Shield. Once these are defeated, the next cutscene begins.
{CUTSCENE}
We view the fusion core for a moment, still pulsating, before Sheldon's fist breaks out of it. Jade watches passively as Sheldon climbs out of the mechanism and stands before it, deep in thought.
Jade: Is it good news?
Sheldon's reply is to punch the fusion core in frustration,
Jade: Bad news.
She stares at Sheldon.
Jade: How bad?
Sheldon: Bad. They figured out our fiendish plan; the core's been sabotaged. I thought we could set the pace of the fission cascade and give ourselves time to leave, but now we can't. It's either instantaneous or not at all.
Jade: So the mission's scrubbed.
Sheldon looks at her.
Jade: Isn't it?
Sheldon: Mission first, Jade.
Jade: If this is what it takes, then-
Sheldon: It only takes one of us to set off the reactor. And I'm the only one who knows how to do it.
Jade: Sheldon?
Sheldon: Come on. You didn't really think Spartans never die, did you? That's adorable. Do you still believe in the Tooth Fairy, too?
Jade: You can't.
Jade grabs his arm and yanks him away from the core.
Jade: I won't let you. We'll tell them it didn't work. We can just go.
Sheldon: No. This operation will save so many lives. More than you can comprehend. I mean nothing compared to all of them.
Sheldon turns back to the core and takes off his helmet, dropping it to the ground.
Jade: But it's not fair.
Sheldon: Life's not fair. I never expected death to be different.
He looks over his shoulder at Jade.
Sheldon: But Jade, before I die-
Jade: Don't say that.
Sheldon: Jade. Before I die, you need to know something. Your life is up to you. Always has been. Don't be a Spartan because you have to be. Be one because you want to be.
Jade: Isn't there anything I can say?
Sheldon reaches for his collar, detaches his dog tags, and hands them to Jade.
Sheldon: Just don't thank me for my service.
Sheldon says it with bitter humour.
Jade: Okay. Thank you for everything else.
Sheldon: Good enough. Now get out of here.
Jade steps back, then turns away and leaves the room. Sheldon watches her go.
Sheldon: See you starside.
{GAMEPLAY}
Jade now moves through the factory in search of something to get off-world in a hurry. There is additional Covenant resistance in the form of Grunts and Elites but it is disorganised, as the Grunts are starting to panic and the Elites are struggling to wrangle them back together.
Elite: Form ranks, you fools!
Jade gets through a couple of foundry rooms, having to fight while navigating around pits of molten steel, before entering a hangar bay. It is built around a deep circular pit around which are many docked Spirit dropships. Another group of Elites and a handful of Grunts need to be dealt with before the mission concludes.
{CUTSCENE}
Jade approaches one of the suspended Spirit dropships and interacts with the control panel before it. The clamps holding the ship in place give way and the ship, its engines activating, lowers down and hovers before Jade. Jade takes a deep breath, steeling herself for the turmoil of leaving Sheldon behind. Then, behind her, a Special Operations Elite deactivates its cloak and raises an Energy Sword…
As the Elite brings its Energy Sword down, Jade catches it by the wrist and throws the Elite over her shoulder. It lands with a crash on its back, as Jade whips out her combat knife and plunges it into the Elite's throat. She spins round and throws the knife across the room – nailing another cloaked Special Operations Elite and killing it.
Jade: Not now.
She looks back at the Spirit.
Jade: Sheldon, are you there?
SheldonCOM: I'm here, Jade. Covvies think we've both run – they don't know I'm hiding in their core. They're in for one hell of a surprise.
Jade: It's not too late to come with me.
SheldonCOM: Yes it is, Jade.
Jade: I could stay. Refuse to leave without you.
SheldonCOM: Do you think I wouldn't do this if it killed you, too? Because you're wrong.
There's a pause.
SheldonCOM: Please just let me do my job, Jade. This is why I exist.
Jade: Is it?
SheldonCOM: I wouldn't have missed it for the world.
Jade: Goodbye, Sheldon.
SheldonCOM: See you later, Sangheili agitator.
Jade looks back towards the doorway and we view her through it as she looks, almost longingly, willing Sheldon to appear there anyway.
We cut to a pair of patrolling Grunts outside the Covenant port facilities – one turns to look as the Spirit now presumably piloted by Jade bursts out almost vertically. The Grunt stares, knowing something is off, as the Spirit rockets into the sky. As we watch it, we hear the voice of Captain Sanda.
Sanda (voice-over): Lieutenant Sheldon One Three Zero, Naval Special Warfare Command, is now officially declared Missing In Action.
We cut to Sanda's office aboard the Tempest. Sanda is sat at his desk while Jade, now dressed in casual UNSC Navy gear (track pants and a black UNSC vest), stands at attention.
Sanda: ONI C-in-C has acknowledged the initial report – though you'll be expected to provide a comprehensive account on our return to Earth.
Jade: Yes, sir.
Sanda: It's a shame…
Sanda stands and goes to the viewing window of his office – we do not, yet, see what he sees.
Sanda: All that sacrifice… for nothing.
Now we see what he sees; the planet is still there. Clearly, Sheldon failed.
Sanda: You're sure you located the correct target?
Jade: I am, sir. Sheldon provided a positive ID and confirmed he could execute the mission. My helmet camera can corroborate.
Sanda: I believe you. And so will ONI. It's just disappointing. He must have been mistaken as to his skills.
Jade's face tenses a little. Sanda turns away from the window.
Sanda: Now all that Operation Merryweather has to show for itself is an unofficially dead Spartan. A billion Covenant and two fleets at anchor and we could have turned them all to dust.
Jade: We'll get them next time, captain.
Sanda: Mankind is running out of time, soldier.
He looks to Jade.
Sanda: I know what you're thinking. And the answer is no, Lieutenant. A rescue mission is impossible. I can't risk my crew for one man.
Jade: I know, sir.
Sanda: Good. We'll ensure he receives a proper send-off to thank him for his service. You're dismissed, Lieutenant. Try to look after yourself.
Jade: Sir.
Looking at stoic as she can, Jade salutes, Sanda returns it, and Jade leaves. Sanda looks back at the planet still happily spinning in space.
Sanda: Damn it.
We cut to Jade as she sits on her bunk, before bringing her hand up. She is holding Sheldon's dog tags, and she examines them for a moment before lowering her hand and closing her eyes in silent grief.
End of Mission