Halo 2

Halo 2 is a 2004 video game released for the Microsoft Xbox and is the second game in the Halo franchise.

Prophet of Truth

 * There are those that said this day would never come...What are they to say now?
 * No enemy has ever withstood our might. The Flood too shall fail.
 * [Abandoning the Prophet of Mercy to the infection form attacking him] The Great Journey waits for no one, brother...not even you.

Sesa 'Refumee

 * [from a recorded message] Our Prophets are false! Open your eyes, my brothers! They would use the faith of our forefathers to bring ruin to us all! The Great Journey is a -- [the message is paused]
 * Ask the Oracle about Halo. How they would sacrifice us all for nothing.
 * The Elites are blind, Arbiter! But I will make them see.

Sergeant Major Avery Johnson

 * [The Master Chief lands on the In Amber Clad with a thud] For a brick, he flew pretty good!
 * Don't they teach you kids how to swear in basic anymore?
 * Dear humanity, we regret bein' alien bastards, we regret comin' to Earth. And we most definitely regret that the Corps just blew up our raggedy-ass fleet! Ooh-rah!

Marines

 * I need a nurse! No...no! A female nurse.
 * [If the Chief stares at a Marine for a while] Hey, maybe we should hold hands.
 * Hey, if I get shot, be sure to give me lots of drugs.
 * Yeah, I crapped myself. So what?
 * [Random line] This one time, I threw my lunch instead of a grenade. True story.
 * [Upon spotting some Grunts] Hey, hey, let's catch one and ride it!

Others

 * Elite: The parasite controls our vehicles? No matter. They will die just the same! (Quarantine Zone)
 * Elite: They have shed our brother's blood, and for that they must die! (Uprising)
 * Elite: We hold the field of battle!

Dialogue

 * [Anniversary edition opening cinematic: Spartan Locke encounters Thel 'Vadam.]
 * Sword of Sanghelios: I do not trust you. He may... but I do not.
 * Locke: Noted.
 * Thel 'Vadam: My friend's trust is not the issue today, Spartan Locke. It is my trust you must earn.
 * Locke: Arbiter.
 * Thel 'Vadam: You are a hunter, yes? A seeker of things.
 * Locke: That's not the official job title. But it's close enough.
 * Thel 'Vadam: And now you hunt other Spartans?
 * Locke: I'm not so much hunting a Spartan as I am hunting the Spartan. [shows a hologram of the Master Chief]
 * Thel 'Vadam: You seek...
 * Locke: One-one-seven.
 * Thel 'Vadam: I was not told the identity of your prey.
 * Locke: That is why I'm sharing it with you now. We are talking about trust, after all. May I ask you something? Your people used to call him "Demon". Was that an insult or a compliment?
 * Thel 'Vadam: An insult, to be sure. But one with a modicum of respect. He was indeed my enemy. But in time, I named him ally, even friend. The events which forged this bond were... complicated.


 * [Original opening cinematic: The Covenant holy city High Charity in orbit around the planet Threshold, near the destroyed remnants of the first Halo ring (Installation 04). Inside, Thel 'Vadamee, Supreme Commander of the Fleet of Particular Justice, is on trial before the Hierarchs - the Prophets of Truth, Mercy, and Regret, the latter in hologram form - and the High Council of the Covenant.]
 * Thel 'Vadamee: There was only one ship.
 * Prophet of Truth: One? Are you sure?
 * Thel 'Vadamee: Yes. They called it the Pillar of Autumn.
 * [The Council clamors at this news.]
 * Prophet of Mercy: Why was it not destroyed with the rest of their fleet?
 * Thel 'Vadamee: It fled as we set fire to their planet, but I followed with all the ships at my command. [flashback of the Autumn escaping Reach, the Covenant in pursuit, until arriving at Halo]
 * Prophet of Regret: When you first saw Halo, were you blinded by its majesty?
 * Thel 'Vadamee: Blinded?
 * Prophet of Regret: Paralyzed? Dumbstruck?
 * Thel 'Vadamee: No!
 * Prophet of Regret: Yet the humans were able to evade your ships, land on the sacred ring, and desecrate it with their filthy footsteps!
 * Thel 'Vadamee: Noble Hierarchs, surely you understand that once the parasite attacked... [he is interrupted by resounding jeers from the members of the Council]
 * Prophet of Mercy: There will be order in this Council! [the Council quiets]
 * Prophet of Truth: You were right to focus your attention on the Flood. But this Demon, this "Master Chief"...
 * Thel 'Vadamee: By the time I learned the Demon's intent, there was nothing I could do. [flashback to the detonation of the Autumn, which destroyed Halo]
 * [The Council continues to clamor, some calling Thel 'Vadamee a traitor. Tartarus, the Chieftain of the Brutes, looks satisfied with the popular mood.]
 * Prophet of Regret: [aside, to Truth] Noble Prophet of Truth, this has gone on long enough. Make an example of this bungler! The Council demands it!
 * Prophet of Truth: You are one of our most treasured instruments. Long have you led your fleet with honor and distinction. But your inability to safeguard Halo was a colossal failure.
 * Prophet of Objection: Nay! It was heresy! [the Council clamors in agreement]
 * Thel 'Vadamee: I will continue my campaign against the humans!
 * Prophet of Truth: No! You will not. [gestures to Tartarus, who signals his Brutes to take Thel 'Vadamee into custody] Soon the Great Journey shall begin, but when it does, the weight of your heresy will stay your feet, and you shall be left behind.


 * [At the beginning of the level Cairo Station, at a ceremony wherein several UNSC personnel are to be decorated. Robot cameras are hovering around, and while Johnson is in white dress uniform, the Master Chief is still wearing his armor]
 * Master Chief: You told me there wouldn't be any cameras.
 * Sergeant Johnson: And you told me you were going to wear something nice! Folks need heroes, Chief. To give 'em hope. So smile, wouldja? While we still got somethin' to smile about!


 * Cortana: You look nice.
 * Master Chief: Thanks.
 * Sergeant Johnson (simultaneously): Thank you.
 * [The Chief and Johnson stare at each other.]


 * [Thel 'Vadamee is about to receive the Mark of Shame]
 * Tartarus: You've drawn quite a crowd.
 * Thel 'Vadamee: If they came to hear me beg, they will be disappointed.
 * Tartarus: Are you sure?


 * Lord Hood: Master Chief, defend this station!
 * Master Chief: Yes, sir. (to Johnson) I need a weapon.
 * Sergeant Johnson: Right this way.


 * Cortana: Bet you can't stick it.
 * Master Chief: You're on.


 * Master Chief: Sir, permission to leave the station?
 * Lord Hood: For what purpose, Master Chief?
 * Master Chief: To give the Covenant back their bomb.
 * Lord Hood: [pause] Permission granted.


 * [The Master Chief prepares to blow up a Covenant ship with their own bomb]
 * Cortana: I know what you're thinking, and it's crazy.
 * Master Chief: So, stay here.
 * Cortana: Unfortunately for us both…I like crazy.


 * Cortana: Just one question: what if you miss?
 * Master Chief: I won't.


 * [Opening of the level Outskirts]
 * Cortana: The message just repeats: Regret, Regret, Regret.
 * Commander Miranda Keyes: Catchy. Any idea what it means?
 * Sergeant Johnson: "Dear humanity. We regret being alien bastards. We regret coming to Earth. And we most definitely regret the Corps just blew up our raggedy-ass fleet!"
 * Marines: OO-RAH!
 * Cortana: Regret is a name, Sergeant. The name of one of the Covenant's religious leaders; a Prophet. He's on that carrier, and he's calling for help.
 * Marine Scout: Immediate, grid kilo-two three is hot. Recommend mission abort.
 * Pilot: Roger, recon. It's your call, Sarge.
 * Sergeant Johnson: We're going in! Get tactical, Marines!
 * Lord Hood: Master Chief, get aboard that carrier, secure the Prophet of Regret. This is the only place on Earth the Covenant decided to land. That prophet is going to tell us why.
 * Pilot: Thirty seconds out. Standby to - whoa!
 * [A Scarab appears, then blows up a Pelican and forces another one to crash.]


 * Sergeant Johnson: Where's the rest of your platoon?
 * Female Marine: Wasted, Sarge.
 * Marine #1: And we will be, too, sir, if we don't get the hell outta here!
 * Sergeant Johnson:[Puts a hand on Marine's shoulder] You hit, Marine?
 * Marine #1: N-no, Sir.
 * Sergeant Johnson: Then listen up!
 * Sergeant Johnson: [Easy] You had your chance to be afraid before you joined my beloved Corps. But to guide you back to the true path, I brought this motivational device. Our big green style cannot be defeated!
 * Sergeant Johnson: [Normal] The Chief is gonna jump in this tank, roll across the bridge, and blow up any inhuman-son-of-a-bitch dumb enough to get between him and the Prophet of Regret! Pull yourself together, because you're going with him!
 * Sergeant Johnson: [Heroic] When I joined the Corps, we didn't have any fancy-shmancy tanks. We had sticks! Two sticks, and a rock for the whole platoon - and we had to share the rock! Buck up, boy, you're one very lucky Marine!
 * Sergeant Johnson: [Legendary] Usually the good Lord works in mysterious ways, but not today. This here is 66 tons of straight-up, HE-spewing, dee-vine intervention. If God is love, then you can call me Cupid!
 * Marine: What about that Scarab?
 * Sergeant Johnson: We've all run the simulations. They're tough but they ain’t invincible. Stick with the Master Chief, he’ll know what to do.
 * Marine: Yes sir, Sergeant!
 * Cortana: Thanks for the tank. He [Master Chief] never gets me anything.
 * [Sergeant Johnson boards the Pelican and pulls charging lever on gun turret]
 * Sergeant Johnson: Oh, I know what the ladies like!
 * [Following this cut scene is the next level, called "Metropolis" the first section is entitled Ladies Like Superior Firepower, in reference to Sergeant Johnson's comment. At lesser difficulty settings, the section is called Ladies Like Armor Plating" or "Ladies Like Grinding Treads]


 * Marine: See this look? It's terror!
 * Staff Sergeant Banks: Marine, did I give you permission to bitch?


 * Staff Sergeant Banks: [after a Covenant Scarab has smashed through part of the city] This thing's really starting to piss me off!


 * [The disgraced Thel 'Vadamee, branded with the Mark of Shame, is being dragged by two Brutes through the halls of High Charity, with Tartarus in the lead.]
 * Brute #1: How much further must we heft this baggage? Any cell will do!
 * Brute #2: Why not toss him in with this lot? [indicates a cell with a pack of ravenous Jackals] They could use the meat.
 * Brute #1: Them? What about us? My belly aches... and his flesh is seared, just the way I like it!
 * Tartarus: Quiet! You two whimper like Grunts fresh off the teat! He's not meant for the jails. The Hierarchs have something special in mind.
 * [Tartarus opens the door to a gravity lift, which takes them down into the city; the Brutes carry their prisoner past a line of Elite Honor Guards to a grand chamber where Truth and Mercy await, and goes on one knee.]
 * Tartarus: Noble Prophets of Truth and Mercy, I have brought the incompetent.
 * Prophet of Truth: You may leave, Tartarus.
 * Tartarus: [confused] But... I thought...
 * Prophet of Truth: And take your Brutes with you.
 * Tartarus: [to his Brutes] Release the prisoner. [the Brutes release Thel 'Vadamee, then leave]
 * Prophet of Truth: The Council decided to have you hung by your entrails, and your corpse paraded through the city. But ultimately, the terms of your execution are up to me.
 * Thel 'Vadamee: I am already dead.
 * Prophet of Truth: Indeed. Do you know where we are?
 * Thel 'Vadamee: The Mausoleum of the Arbiter.
 * Prophet of Truth: Quite so. Here rests the vanguard of the Great Journey. Every Arbiter from first to last, each one created and consumed in times of extraordinary crisis.
 * Prophet of Mercy: The Taming of the Hunters, the Grunt Rebellion - were it not for the Arbiters, the Covenant would have broken long ago!
 * Thel 'Vadamee: Even on my knees, I do not belong in their presence.
 * Prophet of Truth: Halo's destruction was your error, and you rightly bear the blame. But the Council was... overzealous. We know you are no heretic. This is the true face of heresy. [activates a holoprojection of the renegade Elite, Sesa 'Refumee] One who would subvert our faith, and incite rebellion against the High Council. [plays the recorded message]
 * Sesa 'Refumee: Our Prophets are false! Open your eyes, my brothers! They would use the faith of our forefathers to bring ruin to us all! The Great Journey is a -- [Truth stops the recording]
 * Prophet of Truth: This heretic, and those who follow him, must be silenced.
 * Prophet of Mercy: Their slander offends all who walk the path!
 * Thel 'Vadamee: What use am I? I can no longer command ships, lead troops into battle...
 * Prophet of Truth: Not as you are, no. But, become the Arbiter... and you shall be set loose against this heresy with our blessing. [the vault opens to reveal the armor of the Arbiter]
 * Thel 'Vadamee: What of the Council?
 * Prophet of Mercy: The tasks you must undertake as the Arbiter are perilous, suicidal. You will die, as each Arbiter has before you. The Council will have their corpse.
 * [Thel 'Vadamee stands, approaches the armor, and takes the helmet in his hands...then places it on his head before turning to the Hierarchs.]
 * Arbiter: What would you have your Arbiter do?


 * [Three Phantoms fly out of High Charity and into the atmosphere of Threshold, to attack a mining facility taken over by heretics. One craft carries a squad of Elites, led by Commander Rtas 'Vadumee, an Elite missing the mandibles on the left side of his face.]
 * Rtas 'Vadumee: When we joined the Covenant, we took an oath!
 * Elites: According to our station, all without exception!
 * Rtas 'Vadumee: On the blood of our fathers, on the blood of our sons, we swore to uphold the Covenant!
 * Elites: Even to our dying breath!
 * Rtas 'Vadumee: Those who would break this oath are heretics, worthy of neither pity nor mercy! Even now, they use our Lords' creations to broadcast their lies!
 * Elites: We shall grind them into dust!
 * Rtas 'Vadumee: And continue our march to glorious salvation!
 * [As the Phantoms approach the facility, Rtas 'Vadumee approaches the Arbiter.]
 * Rtas 'Vadumee: This armor suits you... but it cannot hide that mark.
 * Arbiter: Nothing ever will.
 * Rtas 'Vadumee: You are the Arbiter, the will of the Prophets. But these... are my Elites. Their lives matter to me. Yours does not.
 * Arbiter: That makes two of us.


 * Grunt #1: Me have bad feeling about this.
 * Grunt #2: You always have bad feeling! You had bad feeling about morning food nipple! [reference to a Halo: Combat Evolved easter egg]
 * Elite: Close your damn jaws or I shall bind them shut!
 * Grunt #2: I would like to see you try Nipple manager


 * [The Prophet of Regret's ship comes out of slipspace in orbit of the planet Substance, with In Amber Clad close behind.]
 * Miranda Keyes: Cortana, what exactly am I looking at?
 * Cortana: That ...is another Halo.
 * Sergeant Johnson: [chokes on cigar] Say what?
 * Miranda Keyes: So this is what my father found... I thought Halo was some kind of superweapon?


 * [After a hard drop into Covenant-held territory]
 * Cortana: [irritated] Could we possibly make any more noise? [The Chief picks up a rocket launcher] I guess so.

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 * Chips Dubbo: Woah...it's like a postcard!... "Dear Sarge: Kicking ass in outer space. Wish you were here!"
 * Sergeant Johnson: I heard that, jackass!

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 * Cortana: The Prophet of Regret is planning to activate Halo!
 * Master Chief: Are you sure?
 * [Cortana snaps her fingers, the hologram starts speaking in English]
 * Prophet of Regret (Hologram): I shall light this holy ring, release its cleansing flame, and burn a path into the divine beyond!
 * [Cortana snaps her fingers again, and the hologram freezes.]
 * Cortana: [smugly] Pretty much.

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 * [End of the level Regret]
 * Gravemind: This is not your grave...but you are welcome in it.

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 * [High Charity: As the Arbiter returns from his first mission, he sees the Brutes forcibly take the ceremonial helmets and staves from the Elite Honor Guards, before entering the presence of the Hierarchs.]
 * Rtas 'Vadumee: This is unprecendented... unacceptable!
 * Prophet of Truth: A Hierarch is dead, Commander.
 * Rtas 'Vadumee: His murderer was within our grasp! If you had not withdrawn our Phantoms --
 * Prophet of Truth: Are you questioning my decision?
 * Rtas 'Vadumee: No, Holy One. I wish only to express my concern that the Brutes --
 * Prophet of Truth: Recommissioning the guard was a radical step, but recent events have made it abundantly clear that the Elites can no longer guarantee our safety.
 * Rtas 'Vadumee: I shall relay your... decision to the Council. [he and his troops leave, passing the Arbiter on the way out]
 * Prophet of Truth: [sighing] Politics. How tiresome. Do you know, Arbiter, the Elites have threatened to resign, to quit the High Council, because of this... exchange of hats?
 * Arbiter: We have always been your protectors.
 * Prophet of Truth: These are trying times for all of us.
 * Prophet of Mercy: Even as the humans' annihilation filled us with satisfaction, the loss of one of the sacred rings wracked our hearts with grief!
 * Prophet of Truth: Putting aside our sorrow, we renewed our faith in the prophecy that other rings would be found... [turns, gesturing outside to the second Halo ring] And see how our faith has been rewarded.
 * Prophet of Mercy: Halo! Its divine wind will rush through the stars, propelling all who are worthy along the path to salvation!
 * Prophet of Truth: But how to start this process? For ages, we searched for one who might unlock the secrets of the rings - an Oracle. And with your help, we found it.
 * [Truth and Mercy float in their thrones to where 343 Guilty Spark resides, after being reclaimed from the heretic base.]
 * Prophet of Mercy: With appropriate humility, we plied the Oracle with questions, and it, with clarity and grace, has shown us the key! [Spark projects an image of the Activation Index]
 * Prophet of Truth: You will journey to the surface of the ring and retrieve this Sacred Icon. With it, we will fulfill our promise...
 * Prophet of Mercy: Salvation for all!
 * Prophet of Truth: ...and begin the Great Journey.

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 * [The Arbiter heads to the surface of the second Halo aboard a Phantom with Tartarus and his Brutes]
 * Tartarus: Once the shield is down, we will head straight to the Library. I do not wish to keep the Hierarchs waiting.
 * Arbiter: The human that killed the Prophet of Regret, who was it?
 * Tartarus: Who do you think?
 * Arbiter: [surprised] The Demon is here?
 * Tartarus: [affirmative grunt] Why? Looking for a little payback?
 * Arbiter: Retrieving the Icon is my only concern.
 * Tartarus: [chuckles] Of course.

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 * [Miranda Keyes is reaching over a pit on a cable to get the Index. She retrieves it but slips; just in time, Johnson grabs the cable]
 * Sgt. Johnson: You know, your father never asked me for help, either.
 * Miranda Keyes: The Index is secure.
 * [Miranda Keyes climbs up the edge]
 * Sgt. Johnson: McKenzie, Perez. How's our exit? [no response] Ya hear me, Marines? [still no response] We've got trouble.

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 * Arbiter: The Icon... is my responsibility.
 * Tartarus: Was your responsibility. [takes the Index from Keyes' belt] Now it is mine. [Tartarus' Brutes aim their weapons at the Arbiter. He stares at them in disbelief.] A bloody fate awaits you and the rest of your incompetent race. [points his hammer at 'Vadamee] And I, Tartarus, Chieftain of the Brutes will send you to it!
 * Arbiter: When the Prophets learn of this, they will take your head!
 * Tartarus: When they learn? [chuckles] Fool. They ordered me to do it.
 * [Tartarus sets off his hammer and sends 'Vadamee falling into the pit below with one gravity shock.]

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 * [Opening of the level Gravemind. Both the Chief and the Arbiter are captured by the Gravemind.]
 * Cortana: What...is that?
 * Gravemind: I? I am a monument to all your sins.
 * [The Arbiter is pulled in, struggling]
 * Master Chief: Relax. I'd rather not piss this thing off.
 * Arbiter: Demon!
 * Gravemind: [huffs] This one [the Master Chief] is machine and nerve, and has its mind concluded... This one [the Arbiter] is but flesh and faith, and is the more deluded.
 * Arbiter: Kill me or release me, parasite, but do not waste my time with talk!
 * Gravemind: There is much talk, and I have listened; through rock and metal and time. Now I shall talk, and you shall listen.
 * [Gravemind pulls a monitor and the Prophet of Regret in]
 * Monitor: Greetings. I am 2401 Penitent Tangent. I am the monitor of Installation 05.
 * Prophet of Regret: And I am the Prophet of Regret. Counselor most High…Hierarch of the Covenant!
 * 2401 Penitent Tangent: [spots the Chief] A Reclaimer? Here? At last! We have much to do! This facility must be activated if we are to control this outbreak!
 * Prophet of Regret: Stay...where you are! Nothing can be done until my sermon is complete!
 * 2401 Penitent Tangent: Not true. This installation has a successful utilization record of 1.2 trillion simulated and one actual. It is ready to fire on demand.
 * Prophet of Regret: Of all the objects our Lords left behind, none are so worthless as these Oracles! They know nothing of the Great Journey!
 * 2401 Penitent Tangent: And you know nothing about containment! You have demonstrated complete disregard for even the most basic protocols!
 * Gravemind: This one's "containment"...[huffs] and this one's "Great Journey"...are the same. [Regret screams as Gravemind pulls him and 2401 Penitent Tangent off-screen] Your Prophets have promised you freedom from a doomed existence, but you will find no salvation on this ring. Those who built this place knew what they wrought. Do not mistake their intent, or all will perish, as they did before.
 * [The Arbiter stops struggling against the tentacles. He stares curiously at the Gravemind]
 * Master Chief: This thing is right. Halo is a weapon. Your Prophets are making a big mistake.
 * Arbiter: Your ignorance already destroyed one of the sacred rings, Demon. It shall not harm another.
 * Gravemind: If you will not hear the truth, then I will show it to you. There is still time to stop the key from turning, but first it must be found. You will search one likely spot, and you will search another. Fate had us meet as foes, but this ring will make us brothers.

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 * Truth: We are, all of us, gravely concerned. The release of the parasite was unexpected, unfortunate. But there is no need to panic. In truth, this is a time to rejoice, a moment that all the Covenant should savor. For the Sacred Icon has been found. With it, our path is clear, our entry into the Divine Beyond guaranteed. The Great Journey is nigh, and nothing, not even the Flood, can stop it.
 * [The Master Chief teleports in, right next to a Grunt]
 * Master Chief: Boo.
 * [The Grunt yelps and runs away, throwing its gun into the air - which the Chief grabs.]
 * Truth: Kill the Demon! [he and Mercy retreat]

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 * [The Master Chief is forced to leave Cortana behind on High Charity.]
 * Cortana: Chief, when you get to Earth, good luck.
 * Master Chief: After I'm through with Truth...
 * Cortana: Don't make a girl a promise if you know you can't keep it.
 * [Cortana watches the Forerunner ship launch sadly.]

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 * [After being freed from Tartarus's troops by the Arbiter, Johnson commandeers a Scarab]
 * Sergeant Johnson: Listen, you don't like me and I sure as hell don't like you. But if we don't do something, Mr. Mohawk's gonna activate this ring. And we're all gonna die.
 * Arbiter: Tartarus has locked himself inside the Control Room.
 * Sergeant Johnson: Well, I just happen to have a key. [The Scarab's cannon opens] Come on. Grab a Banshee and give me some cover. He's gonna know we're comin'.

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 * Arbiter: Tartarus, stop.
 * Tartarus: Impossible!
 * Arbiter: Put down the Icon.
 * Tartarus: Put it down? And disobey the Hierarchs?
 * Arbiter: There are things about Halo even the Hierarchs do not understand.
 * [Brutes step forward menacingly, Tartarus waves them off]
 * Tartarus: Take care, Arbiter. What you say is heresy!
 * Arbiter: Is it? Oracle, what is Halo's purpose?
 * 343 Guilty Spark: Well, collectively, the seven—
 * [Tartarus grabs 343 Guilty Spark and jerks him around.]
 * Tartarus: Not another word!
 * Sergeant Johnson: Please... [Tartarus lowers 343 Guilty Spark to see Johnson standing next to 'Vadam. He holds a Beam Rifle and aims it directly at Tartarus.] Don't shake the light-bulb. [The Brute Captains growl and approach. Johnson raises the Beam Rifle to Tartarus' head.] If you wanna keep your brain inside your head, I'd tell those boys to chill. [Tartarus barks a command, and the Brutes back off; Johnson turns to 'Vadam] Go ahead. Do your thing.
 * Arbiter: [to Guilty Spark] The Sacred Rings, what are they?
 * 343 Guilty Spark: Weapons of last resort, built by the Forerunners to eliminate potential Flood hosts, thereby rendering the parasite harmless.
 * Arbiter: And those who made the rings? What happened to the Forerunners?
 * 343 Guilty Spark: After exhausting every other strategic option, my creators activated the rings. They and all additional sentient life within three radii of the galactic center, died, as planned.
 * [The Arbiter lowers his head in sadness.]
 * 343 Guilty Spark: [slightly awkward] Would you... like to see the relevant data?
 * Arbiter: Tartarus. The Prophets have betrayed us.
 * [Tartarus pauses, then throws 343 Guilty Spark at Johnson's head, knocking him down. He then grabs Keyes' hand and forces the Index into the console.]
 * Tartarus: No, Arbiter! The Great Journey has begun. And the Brutes, not the Elites, shall be the Prophets' escort!

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 * [After Tartarus' death, Miranda pulls out the Index, aborting the firing sequence. She then stands in front of a holographic depiction, and Johnson rides 343 Guilty Spark to her.]
 * Commander Keyes: What's that?
 * 343 Guilty Spark: A beacon.
 * Commander Keyes: What's it doing?
 * 343 Guilty Spark: Communicating. At superluminal speeds with a frequency of—
 * Commander Keyes: Communicating with what?
 * 343 Guilty Spark: [a bit surprised] The... other installations.
 * Commander Keyes: Show me.
 * [343 Guilty Spark interfaces with the hologram, it depicts the seven Halos, a red message points to one ring (most likely the destroyed Installation 04).]
 * 343 Guilty Spark: Fail-safe protocol: In the event of unexpected shutdown, the entire system will move to standby status. All remaining platforms are now ready for remote activation.
 * Commander Keyes: Remote activation? From here?
 * 343 Guilty Spark: [patronizing] Don't be ridiculous.
 * Sergeant Johnson: Listen, tinkerbell, don't make me- [Miranda puts a hand on his shoulder.]
 * Commander Keyes: Then where? Where would someone go to activate the other rings?
 * 343 Guilty Spark: ...Why, the Ark, of course.
 * [The Arbiter comes up behind Johnson and Miranda Keyes.]
 * Arbiter: And where, Oracle, is that?

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 * Admiral Hood: Master Chief, you mind telling me what you're doing on that ship?
 * Master Chief: Sir? Finishing this fight.

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 * [Ending scene of the game, inside the Flood-infested High Charity]
 * Gravemind: Silence fills the empty grave... now that I have gone. But my mind is not at rest... for questions linger on. I will ask...and you will answer.
 * Cortana: Alright. Shoot.

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 * [From the fourteenth Terminal; a group of Covenant troops have found and delivered a Luminary to the Prophet of Regret]
 * Regret: Stewards. Good news, I pray?
 * Steward: It was not easy, Blessed One. The Luminary was not forthcoming with the holy words, but our hope proved true. [The Steward touches the Luminary, which projects a large hologram showing the seven Halo Rings]
 * Regret: The Sacred Rings... Halo.
 * Steward: And not Halo alone, High Prophet. It also told of this. [the Luminary projects an hologram of of the Ark] The final home of the Forerunners, and the creation of the Sacred Rings. The Ark. [The Luminary starts projecting images of Earth; among which is an image of the Portal]
 * Regret: By the gods... It is glorious. The stories were true! Where did the gods hide such a treasure?
 * Steward: It lies far beyond the borders of our galaxy, accessible only by way of portal. The one portal the Luminary spoke of was here. [A hologram projection of Earth appears.] The Forerunners called it 'Erde-Tyrene'.
 * Regret: Our calling is clear. We must go there at once. We will take the ships in our command and go to this world immediately. This... Erde-Tyrene. Take heed, brothers. Your work signals the culmination of this Covenant's holy quest. Hold fast; the Great Journey is at hand. [As Regret speaks, the fleet powers up its engines and enters slipslace on a course for Earth.]

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 * [From the final Terminal]
 * Linda-058: John should be here too. They'd listen to him.
 * Fred-104: Somebody needs to be getting work done while we deal with the red tape.
 * Linda-058: What do you think they want from us?
 * Fred-104: It's Naval Intelligence, Linda. They want us to tell them that everything's going to be okay.
 * Linda-058: Hate to disappoint.

Cast

 * Steve Downes as Master Chief John 117
 * Jen Taylor as Cortana
 * David Scully as Sergeant Major Avery Johnson
 * Keith David as Thel' Vadam/Arbiter
 * Ron Perlman as Admiral Terrence Hood
 * Michael Wincott as Prophet of Truth
 * Kevin Michael Richardson as Tartarus
 * Dee Bradley Baker as Gravemind
 * Miguel Ferrer as Sesa' Refumee
 * Tim Dadabo as 343 Guilty Spark
 * John Michael Higgins as 2401 Penitent Tangent
 * Robin Atkin Downes as Prophet of Regret
 * Michelle Rodriguez as Female Marine
 * David Cross as Marine
 * Mike Colter as Jameson Locke (Anniversary Edition)