Part 01: Under New Management

(Opening cinematic-Camera flies through a canyon filled with pools of reactor coolant, under a covenant cruiser. Flood and Covenant forces are fighting all throughout.)

CORTANA:

The Covenant network is in absolute chaos. From what I've been able to piece together, their leadership ordered all ships to abandon Halo when they found the Flood, but they were too late. The Flood overwhelmed this cruiser and disabled it. The Covenant are terrified the Flood will repair the ship and use it to escape from Halo. They've sent in a strike team to neutralize the Flood and repair the ship for immediate departure. I've got a good lock on captain Keyes' CNI transponder signal! He's alive! And the implants are intact! There's some interference from the cruiser's damaged reactor. I'll bring us in as close as I can.

(Master Chief teleports into the end of a corridor in the cruiser. The camera view flips over, upside down, and MC falls on his head; he was teleported in upside down.)

CORTANA:

Ohh... I see! Coordinate data needs to be-

(Master Chief bangs the side of his head with his fist as he stands up.)

CORTANA:

Right. Sorry.

(After walking down the hallway several meters)

KEYES:

(Radio) Chief... Don't... Be a fool... Leave me...

CORTANA:

Captain? Captain?! I've lost him.

(After getting to a hanger, with a large hole in the floor, just past the door, blocking your progress)

CORTANA:

Analyzing damage. (Pause) This hole was caused by some kind of explosive. Very powerful if it tore through a ship's hull. All I detect down there are pools of coolant. We should continue our search somewhere else.

(After the staying in that corridor for a few moments, flood begin dropping out of a hole in the ceiling behind you, cutting you off.)

CORTANA:

Warning! Threat level increasing!

(After fighting off the increasing hoard of flood for a few more moments)

CORTANA:

That jump into the coolant is looking better all the time, Chief!

(After holding your ground longer)

CORTANA:

Trust me! It's deep enough to cushion our fall!

(After continuing to hold your ground)

CORTANA:

Chief, we need to jump now!

(Flood continue to pour out the hole, and from down the hallway, never ending, forcing you into the hole)

(After falling into the hole.)

(Master Chief falls into a large pool of coolant, which breaks his fall. Camera view begins under-coolant.)

CORTANA:

Lets get out of here, and find another way back aboard the ship.

(While walking down a narrow canyon)

CORTANA:

We should head this way, towards the ship's gravity lift.

(continuing farther down the canyons)

CORTANA:

The crash did more damage than I suspected. Analyzing. Coolant leakage rate is significant. The ship's reactor should already have gone critical.

(farther along in the canyons)

CORTANA:

Power source detected. There's the gravity lift. It's still operational! That's our way back in!

(once you take the gravity lift back inside the ship)

Part 02: Upstairs, Downstairs

CORTANA:

We should be able to get into the ship's control room from here.

(upon finding an unlocked door)

CORTANA:

The Covenant Battlenet is a mess. I can't access the ship's schematics. My records indicate that a shuttle bay should be... Here.

(Cortana marks the spot with a nav point)

(Upon reaching the nav point, it turns out to be a cargo bay)

CORTANA:

Look, in the corners. The Flood are gathering bodies.

(Continuing on, entering a shuttle bay)

CORTANA:

Looks like another shuttle bay. We should be able to reach the control room from the 3rd level.

KEYES:

(Radio) I... gave you an order, soldier! Now pull out!

CORTANA:

He's delirious! In pain! We have to find him!

(reaching the door on the 3rd level)

CORTANA:

The control room should be... This way.

(She assigns another nav point)

(nearing the control room)

Part 03: The Captain

KEYES:

(Radio) Waahhhh... Ahhhh ohhhh gaahhhhh...

CORTANA:

The captain! His vitals are fading! Please, Chief, hurry!

(once in the bridge of the cruiser)

(A huge Flood blob sits on the command center in the bridge. The Captain's head sticks out of it, with his body dangling below, deformed.)

CORTANA:

No human lifesigns detected. The Captain! He's one of *them*. We can't let the Flood get off this ring! You know what he'd expect... What he'd want us to do.

(Master Chief punches into the Captain's head, sticking his hand inside. He pulls out the neural implants, shakes the Flood goo off of them, and puts them into his head.)

CORTANA:

It's done. I have the code. We should go. We need to get back to the Pillar of Autumn. Lets go back to the shuttle bay and find a ride.

(Once you reach the shuttle bay, a Covenant dropship enters the hanger, dropping off more troops, escorted by two Banshees)

CORTANA:

Perfect. Grab one of the escort Banshees, and use it to return to the Pillar of Autumn.

(Once you reach and get in a Banshee, Master Chief flies out of the hanger, being shot at by the covenant.)