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Halo Script, Part 1
Posted By: Sean Mortensen<spartan-257@hotmail.com>
Date: 17 May 2007, 5:59 am
Read/Post Comments
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Since the Halo film has been put on hiatus due to cooporation between Microsoft/Bungie and the film studios (I forget which ones) I have began a script of my own...
So please, please email me or comment on this for any additions/suggestions/etc...
Here it is, enjoy!!!!
H A L O
Screenplay by Sean Mortensen
5/16/07
FADE FROM WHITE
EXT. OUTER SPACE, THE DISTANT FUTURE
Here in the cold, unyielding vacuum of deep space lies a small ring of planets that have been deserted for sometime.
FLASH.
Suddenly, the planets are engulfed in a bright blue-white burst of energy, as the sounds of horrific screams accompany the blast of raw power.
FADE TO WHITE
MAIN TITLE:
"H A L O"
FADE FROM WHITE
EXT. DESERT, MIDDAY
Crouching behind a small outcropping of rocks is a squadron in dark green combat armor.
They are Spartans.
It is obvious that they are not on Earth, but on another similar planet far across the galaxy.
Suddenly, one of them waves his fist in a circle and his comrades nod, and break off to their duties.
The leader looks up, and we can see from his stance that he is the leader.
He is the MASTER CHIEF.
He looks up and grabs the MA5B assault rifle that was slung on his back, and pushes the activator button.
A massive blue-white bomb of plasma strikes the ground near him, making the shields on his armor flare, while spraying up a cloud of dust around him.
He looks up, and shrugs his shoulders as his shields reboot, towards the battle raging far beyond in the distance.
EXT. BATTLEFIELD
Across an entire plain of grass and scrub plain is an intense battle, where Marines and Spartans trade fire, spraying assault rifles across the field as blue-white and green bursts of plasma fire reach them.
This is the planet REACH.
It has fallen to the Covenant, a merciless collective of alien species whose sole purpose is to annihilate all of humanity in the entire galaxy.
The war continues as the Master Chief runs past a pair of Marines crouching behind a fallen Warthog. The two soldiers return fire as a blue-white orb of plasma races over the sky, towards them.
The Chief looks up, and the reflection of the plasma bomb is reflected in his gold-plated visor. He spins around on his foot, and runs towards the soldiers.
The two men continue to fire as the mortar reaches it's apex above them, just as the Master Chief runs in-between them and drops to one knee.
The two Marines look at him as he pulls a grenade-type device from his waist and sets it on the dirt in front of them.
It is a SHIELD GRENADE.
The mortar continues it's way down towards them, as a transparent hemisphere appears over them, emitting a low humming noise.
The plasma mortar slams into the dome shaped device.
INT. SHIELD DOME
The Marines look up at the energy bleeding off of the shield, amazed.
MARINE #1
Whoa.
EXT. BATTLEFIELD
The dome vanishes, and the Master Chief looks up.
MASTER CHIEF, POINT-OF-VIEW
He looks around the sky, and spots what he was looking for: a Covenant battleship.
RETURN
He looks around and spots several more, and in the distance, the Covenant fleet's flagship.
EXT. REACH, COVENANT FLAGSHIP
The leading edges of the battleship glow white-hot as the ship begins to rain lines of plasma down to the planet's surface.
EXT. BATTLEFIELD
The Master Chief runs into the distance, as more plasma bombs rain down behind him.
He continues to run, past a blur of aliens that continue to fight the Marines as he stops at the crest of a hill, where he spots one of his comrades fighting a pair of tall, angular aliens clad in silver armor.
These aliens are called Elites.
The Spartan grabs the lead Elite's wrist, and twists it with a bone crunching snap as the second one rushes the Spartan, as the Chief snaps up his assault rifle and pulls the trigger.
The rounds impact into the Elite's back, sixty rounds in five seconds. After a moment the alien staggers onto it's back, and dies with a horrible guttural roar.
The Spartan looks at him just as the plasma rains down from above, and begins to strike the ground, turning the dirt and sand into glowing, molten glass.
The Master Chief walks up over to his comrade and stands beside him as the remaining hundreds of Spartans are seen fighting as the raining plasma begins to engulf them.
Some of the Spartans in the distance seem to burst into flame as the massive wave of boiling hot energy begins to rush towards the others like an ocean wave.
EXT. HILL
Several hundred more of them, seem to materialize behind the Master Chief, like phantoms.
These are the Spartans of Delta Company, and they are clad in armor different from the Master Chief's.
They are armed with cut-down versions of the MA5B and are armed with M19 missile launchers. One of them approaches the Master Chief, shouldering a massive weapon different from the others.
The weapon is a GALILEAN LASER.
The Chief looks at the Spartan wielding it, who depolarizes their faceplate. Their face is still obscured by the reflection of the sun on the visor as the Master Chief looks at the sky, as hundreds of beams of plasma continue to rain down to the surface.
The other Spartan hands the Master Chief the laser, who accepts it as he hefts it onto his right shoulder.
The Chief drops to one knee, and tracks a Covenant Phantom transport with the weapon as the device begins to whine as a red ball of energy begins to glow at the end of the barrel.
The Phantom begins a strafing run as a piercing blood red laser beam targets the ship, and strikes one of the turrets mounted under the vessel's belly.
After a moment the turret detonates, and sends the Phantom into a roll until it slams into the ground, spraying dirt and sand all around.
Suddenly, the Master Chief looks up and sees another wave of plasma raining down from the ships above the planet.
He looks up as the bolts of superheated energy begin to rain down.
FADE TO WHITE
FADE FROM WHITE
INT. RECOVERY ROOM, SOMETIME LATER
Laying on a bed, obscured by a thin white cloth divider is the Master Chief. We do not see him, but we can tell from the shadow cast by him that he is a muscular being and he is unconscious.
Several screens on the far wall are monitoring him as a pair of technicians in white lab coats enter the room. One of them is a woman. Tall, slender and she appears concerned as the other technician checks one of the several screens on the wall.
The woman is DOCTOR CATHERINE HALSEY.
She pulls back the screen, but she obscures the Master Chief's head. We only see one of his arms, which has white and bears hundreds of scars.
Halsey looks down at him, as she looks at the technician.
HALSEY
How's he doing?
The technician turns around.
TECHNICIAN
He'll live. Plasma burns have done a number on his armor though.
The man nods to a table that is sagging under the weight of a lump of metal.
The pile was his MJOLNIR Mark-V battle armor, now it is a smoking pile of semi-melted metal and plastic.
Halsey nods and looks back at him.
She turns around, and pulls the sheet back around the Chief's bed, again obscuring him from being seen.
EXT. CORRIDOR
Halsey and the technician walk down the long corridor as a tall, black man approaches her, holding a cigar in his mouth.
He is Sergeant AVERY JOHNSON.
Johnson looks at her and nods to the door behind her, where the Master Chief is laying.
JOHNSON
How's the Chief?
Halsey looks at him as a two men approaches Johnson from behind, followed by two women.
HALSEY
He'll live. In the meantime, we'd better get as far away from this system while we still can.
Johnson nods as Halsey looks at the four men and women standing behind him.
HALSEY
It's good to see you all again.
The first man is FRED, the Master Chief's second-in-command and the other man is WILLIAM.
Fred and William salute Johnson as the two women, LINDA and KELLY also salute.
Linda looks at Halsey who is obviously concerned.
HALSEY
Where's Sam?
Fred and William bow their heads as Kelly folds her arms and Linda speaks to her.
LINDA
He never made it past the first wave.
Halsey nods and pinches the bridge of her nose as a Marine approaches her. He then stares at the four Spartans, eyes wide with amazement.
He is Private MANUEL MENDOZA. Then he snaps of a report.
MENDOZA
Doctor Halsey, Chief Mendez would like a word with you, regarding Spartan-051.
Halsey nods and walks down the corridor as Mendoza and Johnson follow her.
Fred looks at the door and opens it.
INT. RECOVERY ROOM
Fred, Linda, Kelly and William enter the Master Chief's room and William pulls back the cloth divider, as Fred looks at the smoking pile of armor on the table.
Linda walks around to the other side of the bed and she looks down at him and she grabs his enormous hand and clasps it.
William smiles as Kelly sits down on the end of the bed, staring out the far view port, to the cold loneliness of space beyond.
EXT. BATTLESHIP, RECOVERY ROOM WINDOW
PULL BACK from the window until the enormous battleship cruises past. A towering bulk of scarred steel and plastic, with long smears of black scorches marring the surface.
The enormous vessel seems to vanish into the blackness of space.
INT. QUARTERS
Halsey, Johnson and Mendoza enter the private quarters of FRANKLIN MENDEZ, the famous trainer of the Master Chief and the Spartans.
He is sitting behind a wide mahogany desk, smoking a cigar.
Mendez looks at them and smiles.
MENDEZ
Doctor. Sergeant.
Halsey nods as Johnson smiles.
JOHNSON
Good to see you again, Chief.
Mendoza salutes Mendez who stands up and motions to a chair.
MENDEZ
Doctor Halsey, if you please.
She sits down and looks at him, her eyes full of attention.
HALSEY
You have something regarding Spartan-051?
Mendez nods and sets his cigar in the small metal ashtray.
MENDEZ
I think you might find this interesting, Doctor.
He sets a small disc-shaped device on the desktop and a holograph appears.
It shows an officer in his late forties approaching a man wearing the Spartan uniform who salutes the officer.
Halsey looks at Mendez, and the holograph pauses in mid-play.
HALSEY
I'm confused, Chief. What does this have to do with 051?
Mendez looks at her.
MENDEZ
Just keep watching, Doctor.
The holograph resumes playing as the officer and the Spartan shake hands as a rotating schematic of some new armor type:
SEMI-POWERED INFILTRATION ARMOR
Then the schematic is replaced with a headshot of Spartan-051 with a new description:
SPARTAN-051/KURT: CURRENT STATUS: MIA (For after-action report see below)
[REASSIGNMENT//:NEW CLASSIFICATION]
LIEUTENANT COMMANDER KURT AMBROSE
Halsey looks at Mendez.
HALSEY
So, Spartan-051 never died in combat?
Mendez nods and looks at her.
MENDEZ
That's right. He was recruited by Colonel Ackerson.
She looks at him, her eyes wide with frustration.
HALSEY
Ackerson?
Mendez nods and looks at Johnson.
MENDEZ
I've been reassigned to assist him in the deployment of Delta Company in the Zeta Doradus system.
Halsey looks at him, as another holograph appears, showing a system of planets orbiting a enormous blue-white sun.
HALSEY
Zeta Doradus? Isn't that Onyx?
Mendez nods and the holograph vanishes.
MENDEZ
Yes.
HALSEY
There isn't a conflict on Onyx though.
Mendez clasps his hands together, and sits back in his chair and sighs.
MENDEZ
Catherine, I am reluctant to tell you this but I've been authorized by Admiral Hood: the Covenant have located Earth.
Halsey looks at him.
HALSEY
How? They destroyed Reach and all the Outer Colonies.
Mendez looks at her, saddened and worried.
MENDEZ
There is a situation on Onyx.
FLASHBACK SEQUENCE
INT. QUARTERS, WEEKS EARLIER
Kurt is sitting down at a small desk, in front of a holographic pad and laptop.
MENDEZ
(Voiceover)
When Kurt was on Reach, training this new generation of Spartans, he received a urgent transmission from the top-secret excavation site on Onyx.
The pad comes to life and a military commander appears, his eyes wide with fear.
MENDEZ
(Cont'd)
The message was that the Covenant were over Onyx, and that Zone 67 was in danger of being invaded. But, before Kurt could organize a rapid-response, a fleet appeared over Reach.
EXT. REACH
The fleet of battle cruisers, destroyers and their flagship are orbiting around the blue-green planet.
MENDEZ
(Cont'd)
And that the Spartans were already here was pure luck. Until a Covenant force landed on Onyx.
EXT. ZONE 67, MIDDAY
A fleet of battleships hover over the planet, with purple gravity lifts reaching down to the surface.
Marines and Covenant Elites exchange fire, in an intense battle.
MENDEZ
(Cont'd)
The Marines on station there put up a fight, until the base ship over Onyx intervened.
The main vessel in orbit sends a quick burst of plasma to the surface.
FADE TO WHITE
FADE FROM WHITE
INT. QUARTERS
Mendez, is now looking out his small view port. Then he turns around to look at her.
MENDEZ
There was no contact from Zone 67 ever since. So Kurt and the new Spartans were supposed to head to Onyx to stop the Covenant once and for all, until we received this.
He hands her a small 2D photograph which shows a mushroom-shaped ship attached to what looks like a massive ring.
HALSEY
What is this, Mendez?
He looks at her, and shrugs. Johnson takes the picture and scrutinizes it.
JOHNSON
It looks like some kind of halo.
Mendez looks at him and nods.
MENDEZ
This was discovered by the prowler Dusk, with it's long range radar.
Halsey looks at him, confused.
HALSEY
What do you mean, Chief?
MENDEZ
The ring is ten-thousand kilometers in diameter and we believe that the object at the apex of the ring is the something the Covenant believe is important.
HALSEY
Explain.
The holographic pad lights up and the enormous ring shrinks as thousands of Covenant battleships and cruisers appear, surrounding the ring and the mushroom-shaped ship.
MENDEZ
We believe that this 'ship' is being heavily guarded by the Covenant for someone of most importance.
HALSEY
How do you know?
The holograph changes to show Onyx, and the other fleet of battleships above it.
MENDEZ
We received a fragment of a transmission from one of the ships based over Onyx and we've managed to translate part of it.
Suddenly, a Elite in silver armor appears on the holograph pad and it's deep, distorted voice speaks through the holographic pad's speakers.
ELITE
(Voiceover)
Together we will please the Prophets and begin the Great Journey, for our reward for eternity is to ascend to the great beyond.
The holograph fades and Mendez looks at her.
Halsey seems to understand.
HALSEY
So, you believe that these 'Prophets' are on that ship.
Mendez nods.
MENDEZ
Exactly. We need the Spartans to be armed and ready for action in two days.
Halsey looks at him.
The expression says it all: Are you nuts?
MENDEZ
Their mission is to board that Covenant vessel, find these 'Prophets' and bring them back to human-controlled space to negotiate a peace treaty to end this war.
Halsey nods and then clasps her hands, and sets them on her lap.
HALSEY
Who's leading the attack?
Mendez looks at her and smiles.
MENDEZ
I was hoping that John would lead the assault.
She looks at him.
HALSEY
I must protest. He's starting to recover from his injuries from the fight on Reach. He's in no condition for combat.
Mendez nods and looks at Johnson.
MENDEZ
That is why I was planning on taking a battalion of Marines Earthside to strengthen their forces before the Covenant attack. They could use the help.
HALSEY
What about the rest of the fleet?
MENDEZ
The Brass are going to split it into three.
He begins ticking off the explanation on three of his fingers.
MENDEZ
The first fleet is going to take the Spartans into the Covenant-controlled space, hopefully catching those bastards off-guard. The second fleet is taking the majority of the Marines to get Onyx back. Meanwhile the last fleet is going to Sol to bolster their forces.
Halsey nods and looks at Johnson.
HALSEY
So what are you doing, Sergeant?
Johnson smiles and looks at him.
JOHNSON
I'm going with the Master Chief and the Spartans. They can use my help.
She nods and then looks out the window as the stars outside begin to slow.
HALSEY
We're slowing down.
Mendez nods.
MENDEZ
The fleet's starting to reform.
He stands up and looks at Johnson.
MENDEZ
Well, we'd better get going.
Halsey stands up and looks at Johnson.
HALSEY
Be sure to take care of them.
Johnson nods and takes her hand.
JOHNSON
Don't worry, doc. They're in good hands.
As Halsey follows Mendez out of his quarters she stops.
HALSEY
Oh. I almost forgot.
She hands Johnson a small data chip. He looks at it.
JOHNSON
What is this? A million bytes of BS?
She shakes her head.
HALSEY
This is Cortana.
Johnson looks at the chip.
JOHNSON
I don't see anybody.
He cocks his head and folds his arms.
JOHNSON
Doc, are you sure you're alright?
She takes the chip from him and slides it into a slot on the holograph pad on the desk.
A woman blinks into existence on the pad, with millions of numbers and data streaming across her 'body.'
This is CORTANA.
She looks around and then up at Johnson and Halsey.
CORTANA
It's cramped in here.
She looks around the room.
CORTANA
We there already?
Halsey shakes her head as Johnson looks at her.
JOHNSON
Allow me to introduce myself. I am…
CORTANA
Sergeant Johnson. I know who you are, Sergeant.
She looks around, not seeing someone here.
CORTANA
Where is the Master Chief?
Halsey looks at the holograph and folds her arms.
HALSEY
He's recovering from plasma burns received in combat.
A man's deep, graveling voice startles everybody
MASTER CHIEF
No he isn't.
Johnson, Halsey and Cortana all look at the Master Chief, standing there.
Cortana looks up and down at his figure and crosses his arms.
CORTANA
You look nice. Handsome, in a primitive sort of way.
The Master Chief looks at Halsey and at Johnson.
MASTER CHIEF
Doctor Halsey, Sergeant.
JOHNSON
Chief.
Johnson nods as Halsey nods at Cortana.
HALSEY
You'll have to excuse her, Chief. She's, more outspoken than most AI's.
The Chief nods and looks at Johnson.
MASTER CHIEF
What are our orders?
Johnson looks at him, as Halsey pulls the chip out of the holograph pad, and hands it to the Master Chief.
HALSEY
This is one of the assets for your mission, Chief. She'll be an important addition to your original interface.
The Chief nods and takes the chip in his hand as Halsey walks out of the quarters.
Johnson looks at the Chief.
JOHNSON
Follow me, Chief.
INT. CORRIDOR
Johnson and the Master Chief walk down the long corridor, past technicians and Marines as Johnson tells the Chief about their mission.
JOHNSON
Our mission is to infiltrate a Covenant ship that is docked to some kind of ring world. We believe that the Covenant leadership is on that base ship and that if we can extract them to human-controlled space we can somehow get a treaty signed to end this war.
The Chief nods and stops to stare out of a wall-sized view port to the stars beyond.
MASTER CHIEF
When do we leave?
FADE TO BLACK
FADE IN:
EXT. DEEP SPACE, TWO DAYS LATER
A small purple nebulae masks most of the stars in this sector as an enormous battle cruiser SLICES ACROSS.
This is PILLAR OF AUTUMN.
The enormous ship cruises into the nebulae and vanishes, as the residue of it's engines casts eerie glows through the mist, as if the nebulae itself is the remnants of long lost spirits.
EXT. PLANET
The Autumn emerges through the nebulae, and into the orbit of an enormous blue-gray gas giant. The enormous ring world hovers in a La Grange point in-between the planet's moon and the planet itself.
The planet is SUBSTANCE.
The battleship manages to slip beneath an Covenant patrol ship and beneath the bottom portion of the ring.
INT. BRIDGE
Standing at the head of the bridge, looking out at the planet and ring beyond, is a captain.
He is CAPTAIN JACOB KEYES.
Sitting in the pilot's chair in front of him is ENSIGN WILLIAM LOVELL.
Lovell turns around and looks at Keyes.
LOVELL
Where would you like me to park this thing, Sir?
Keyes pulls out a old-fashioned pipe and lights it. He places it in-between his lips and takes in a breath.
KEYES
Anywhere we can hide her will do.
Lovell nods and begins typing in commands as LIEUTENANT DOMINIQUE approaches Keyes from behind and salutes him.
DOMINIQUE
Sir, we've got a transmission. Priority Alpha.
Keyes nods, and places his thumb on a small fingerprint reader mounted beside the command chair.
After a moment, the information is broadcast onto the wall sized screen:
BURST TRANSMISSION: ENCRYPTION SCHEME THETA-7
SUBJECT: PRIORITY ALPHA
TO: CAPTAIN JACOB KEYES [IDENTIFICATION #: (CLASSIFIED)]
FROM: COMMANDER MIRANDA KEYES
Dad,
In short, In Amber Clad has just deployed Marine forces Earthside to bolster the already weakened contingent based here.
Only one thing left to say: be careful.
We all know how vicious these bastards are.
Love,
Miranda.
Keyes sighed. He was never happy about Miranda following in his footsteps.
His only dream was for her to find someone to settle down with, not go gallivanting off through the Outer Colonies to join the Naval fleet.
Keyes looked at the screen as the internal processor wiped all the unnecessary data clean from the ship's internal memory as Cortana appeared on the holographic pad near the front of the bridge.
She shrugs her arms and looks at Keyes.
CORTANA
Why did we get this piece of junk?
Keyes looks at her, thoughtfully, and then takes another puff from his pipe.
KEYES
Because this 'piece of junk' is what is going to get us past the Covenant blockade.
Cortana nods and then points out the view port to the hundreds of Covenant ships orbiting around the mushroom-shaped vessel docked at the upper portion of the ring.
CORTANA
But how are we supposed to get there?
Keyes looks where she's pointing.
KEYES
Were sending in the Spartans first.
Cortana nods.
CORTANA
Do you know the Master Chief?
Keyes looks at her, eyebrow raised.
KEYES
Why's that so important?
She shrugs and looks at him, hands on her 'hips.'
He sighs and looks at her.
KEYES
All right. I knew him before all of his training. I went with their teacher…
CORTANA
Doctor Halsey?
He nods and turns to look out the side view port, to the stars beyond.
KEYES
Yes, I went with her during the 'selection' process, and I met him then.
CORTANA
How long ago was that?
KEYES
A long time ago…
FLASHBACK SEQUENCE
FADE TO WHITE
KEYES
(Voiceover)
He was six when I met him.
FADE FROM WHITE…
EXT. PLANET, THIRTY-FIVE YEARS AGO
…As the engine glows of a small corvette roars towards a sandy yellow planet beyond, as two suns shine in the distance.
KEYES
(Cont'd)
We arrived in the Eridanus system, on a unmarked corvette loaned to Doctor Halsey for her mission.
EXT. SCHOOLYARD, MIDDAY
Standing under a tree, are Captain Keyes, back when he was a Lieutenant Junior Grade and Doctor Halsey. They are watching a group of boys run up and down a hill, most prominent is a boy who was a head taller that everybody else, and twice as strong too.
KEYES
(Cont'd)
We were under orders to observe him, and prepare the information for the flash-cloning facilities on the Hopeful.
Halsey approaches the boy and looks at him.
FADE TO WHITE
FADE FROM WHITE
INT. CONFERENCE CHAMBER, PLANET REACH
Sitting around on the risers are three-hundred boys and girls who are looking at Halsey and Mendez.
KEYES
(Cont'd)
Later that day he was indoctrinated into the Spartan program, and training began immediately after.
EXT. TRAINING GROUNDS, PREDAWN
The boy and the other girls are doing pushups, pull-ups and sit ups as Mendez and the trainee's instructors watch them.
FADE TO WHITE
FADE FROM WHITE
INT. OFFICE
Standing at attention, in his early teens, is the Master Chief, as Mendez and Halsey look at him.
KEYES
(Cont'd)
After a training mission, he was given command of the Spartans for his demonstration of leadership. Then they got their first mission: an insertion into a hidden rebel base in the Eridanus asteroid belt.
FADE TO WHITE
FADE FROM WHITE
EXT. ASTEROID FIELD
A enormous freighter cruises into the asteroid field, and towards one of several moon-sized rocks in the distance.
INT. OFFICE BUILDING, TOP FLOOR
The Chief, and several more Spartans are engaged in a firefight between several armed men.
KEYES
(Cont'd)
They had orders to capture the rebel leader and bring him back to Reach for questioning.
The Spartans stick the unconscious leader into a black vacuum crate and exit the building.
EXT. REBEL ASTEROID
A Pelican roars out of the docking bay, as air begins to escape from a massive hole in the blast doors.
KEYES
(Cont'd)
That was their first mission as a squad of Spartans, before their augmentation.
FADE TO WHITE
FADE FROM WHITE
INT. SURGICAL CHAMBER 117
Laying on a bed in his own room is the Master Chief, only fourteen years old as Mendez and Halsey enter.
The Chief has surgical incision vectors marked all over his body and on his shaved head.
KEYES
(Cont'd)
This is when the day changed the Spartans for all humanity.
Mendez stares through emotionless eyes as the Chief groggily sits up and salutes him.
FADE TO WHITE
FADE FROM WHITE
INT. FIRING DECK, SOMETIME LATER
Standing at attention are the remaining forty-nine Spartans.
KEYES
(Cont'd)
After the augmentation process was over, only a quarter of the Spartans remained, and the Chief, saddened for the loss of members of his squad, learned to keep his emotions to himself.
Mendez approaches the Chief, standing alone and quiet and grabs his shoulder in a consoling gesture.
KEYES
(Cont'd)
Afterwards, the Spartans were split up into seven squads and spread throughout the Outer Colonies to end the rebellion.
FADE TO WHITE
FADE FROM WHITE
EXT. REACH, EARLIER
The Covenant vessels arrive around the blue-green planet.
KEYES
(Cont'd)
Then the Covenant invaded Reach, and the Spartans were recalled to defend the surface, until the Covenant began to bombard the planet and killed most of the Spartans in one sudden attack.
EXT. BATTLEFIELD
We see the same image as the Master Chief and his comrades are standing on the hill as the Covenant ships begin to bombard the planet with bolts of white-hot plasma that surround the Spartans.
FADE TO WHITE
FADE FROM WHITE
INT. BRIDGE
Keyes closes his eyes and looks at Cortana, his eyes sad.
CORTANA
I understand why he seems to be important to you.
Keyes turns around and looks at her.
KEYES
Do you?
CORTANA
I am programmed with every human impulse recorded, so I can understand to a point, what you are feeling.
KEYES
But you do not truly understand, because you're not human.
He turns back to the main view port and looks at the gas planet's surface.
EXT. PILLAR OF AUTUMN
The Autumn cruises past the ring world and around the terminus of the gas planet, and into the distance.
KEYES
(Voiceover)
And you never will be.
FADE TO BLACK
FADE IN:
INT. CRYOGENIC CHAMBER
Lined up in rows of seven are cryogenic capsules, and in five of the first row are the Spartans: Fred, Linda, William, Kelly and the Master Chief.
The last two capsules are holding Johnson and Mendoza as the freezing capsules begin to hiss and cold white clouds of steam puff out onto the floor as the lids of the capsules start to raise upwards.
Johnson looks around and climbs out, and places a cigar into his mouth as two more Marines come around to look at him.
These two soldiers are JENKINS and FITZGERALD.
Jenkins looks at Johnson and begins rubbing his shoulders.
Mendoza looks at him and then spots Fitzgerald, who's hands are rubbing his eyes.
MENDOZA
Hey Fits, you look just like I feel.
The Spartans climb out of their pods as Johnson walks over to them, and looks them over. He turns around and looks at the rest of the soldiers who are freezing and complaining about it.
JOHNSON
Welcome back to the land of the living!
Mendoza looks at him as Jenkins hops around from one foot to another.
JENKINS
Man this floor's freezing!
MENDOZA
What do you want me to do, fetch your slippers?
Jenkins looks at him and smiles.
JENKINS
Gee would you? I'd like that.
The Master Chief and the other Spartans brush past Mendoza and the others and Jenkins looks at the Chief.
JENKINS
Hey, Mendoza. What's with the Chief?
Mendoza shrugs as Johnson walks over to them and slaps Jenkins on the shoulder.
JOHNSON
After the Covenant bombed Reach, he's been a changed man.
Jenkins and Mendoza understand, as Fitzgerald walks past them and follows the Spartans into the showers.
INT. SHOWERS
The soldiers are immersed in a hot spray of soapy water, which they wash off the stench of the cryogenic capsules and then they dry in an icy cold blast of air.
INT. LOCKERS
The Master Chief and the others walk over to their lockers and begin pulling on fatigues and boots. Johnson eyes them, already dressed and smiles.
JOHNSON
I never saw a bunch of old women.
He sees that the Spartans are already dressed and waiting for the others.
JOHNSON
Come on, ladies. Move it!
The Marines look at him and the Spartans, who look at them with disdain at their slowness and begin to hustle.
Johnson leans over to the Chief and crosses his arms.
JOHNSON
How're you doing, Chief?
The Master Chief shrugs and looks at him. Two of the Marines are whipping each other with wet towels as Fred and William look at each other.
WILLIAM
Why are they coming with us?
Fred shrugs as Linda turns around, her eyes hard and cold.
LINDA
Because they're the best.
Johnson nods.
JOHNSON
Orbital Drop Shock Troopers. ODSTs. Tough-as-nails and green to the core.
William leans over to Fred, as the Chief watches the Marines through dead, sunken in eyes.
WILLIAM
They call themselves Helljumpers.
The Chief turns around, tired of waiting and the other Spartans follow him out of the locker room.
INT. GYMNASIUM
The Chief and Fred are doing hand-to-hand combat as Kelly, Linda and William working on close combat wrestling moves.
Fred gets the Chief in a headlock, but the Master Chief twists around and grabs Fred's arm, and flips him over onto his back, and pins him.
William and Linda charge Kelly, the fastest Spartan, who back steps to one side and trips William, as Linda steps behind her, to catch an uppercut to the chin, as William leaps up from his back and thrusts out a left-cross but Kelly catches his fist and throws him onto the floor as Linda looks at her, rubbing her bruised chin.
The Marines enter as Johnson walks over to the Spartans and smiles.
JOHNSON
That's one hell of a fight, Chief.
One of the Marines, a muscular man in his early twenties, stands up and looks at the Spartans, and he motions towards the Master Chief.
This Marine is SCOTT.
He sucks in a deep breath and smiles.
SCOTT
I'd like some.
Johnson looks at him, then the Chief. The Master Chief nods and steps over to the center of the gym, where a boxing ring is.
They slip through the ropes as the Marines congregate around the ring as the Spartans look at the Chief and Fred looks at him.
FRED
Take it easy on him.
The Chief looks at him and grins.
Scott looks at the Chief and grins.
SLOW-MOTION SEQUENCE
He rushes the Chief, thrusting out with a right hook, striking the Chief on the lower chin, before the Chief grabs his wrist, and twists it.
Scott gives ground and drops to his knees, then he thrusts out with a uppercut, impacting the Chief's chin. The Chief steps back and then grabs Scott's collar and spins him around, stepping on the backside of Scott's knee, blowing it out.
The Marine cries out and collapses onto his good knee as the Chief steps back and delivers a pile driver punch to Scott's right cheek with so much force that blood and teeth are spit out onto the mat.
He steps back and looks at his bloody fist.
RETURN
Johnson hands him a towel. He wipes the sweat off of his forehead and face as a tall, muscular man walks in, in black fatigues, eyes wide with anger and disturbance.
He is MAJOR ANTONIO SILVA.
Silva surveys the Chief and one of his dead soldiers and then turns to Johnson.
SILVA
He's one of them isn't he?
Johnson shrugs as the Chief climbs out of the boxing ring and walks past them and out of the gymnasium.
EXT. PILLAR OF AUTUMN, SUBSTANCE
The Autumn cruises around the edge of the gas planet and around the dark side of the ring world as a pair of Covenant battleships seem to take notice of the vessel.
Another vessel a destroyer emerges from the shadow of the planet and begins to follow behind the Pillar of Autumn, to a elliptical orbit around the ring world.
The destroyer is GOLIATH.
The two Covenant vessels begin following the Autumn and Goliath around the ring world and the lead battleship fires a warning shot at them.
INT. AUTUMN, BRIDGE
The first warning shot detonated just beyond the cruiser and sent a ripple through the entire hull as Keyes looked at his crew and grimaced as the second shot struck the rear of the Autumn, making it list to one side.
KEYES
Report!
Lovell turns around in his chair and shouts over the creaking of the hull.
LOVELL
We've lost all power to the main engines, Captain!
Keyes nods and looks at Dominique.
KEYES
Lieutenant, weapons status?
Dominique turns around and looks at him, with a grim look on his face.
DOMINIQUE
Sir, we've lost firing control for the MAC gun.
Keyes nods and looks at the ring world beyond as Lovell turns around and begins cursing at his monitor.
LOVELL
Damn!
He turns around and looks at Keyes.
KEYES
What is it?
LOVELL
Sir, scopes show we've got boarding craft inbound!
Keyes nods and looks at his crew members who are waiting for their orders.
KEYES
Sound the general alarm. Contact the Goliath tell them we've got boarding craft inbound, see if they can run the boarders off.
Lovell begins pushing buttons, and then turns around and looks at Keyes.
LOVELL
Sir, there is no response from the Goliath on any frequency.
Keyes looks at him.
KEYES
Try the E-Band.
Lovell shakes his head.
LOVELL
I did, Captain.
Keyes closes his eyes and then looks at his crew.
KEYES
Sound the warning alarm and inform the Marines to prepare to fight against enemy boarders.
Lovell nods and turns around as Keyes stands straighter.
KEYES
Tell the Master Chief and the Spartans to report to the bridge ASAP.
Lovell nods and swivels around in his chair and begins issuing orders.
Keyes sighs and looks at the planet beyond and then the ring world and the mushroom-shaped vessel attached.
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