Gameplay begins for Mission 1: Cairo ....Ship Some things happen. (Another ship detonates and spins apart, just like the Malteaser ship before you know the one) Zavala (radio): Ghost, assessment! Ghostana (radio): I didn’t think they’d leave the ships intact, I- oh, bombs. It’s covered in bombs. Zavala (radio): Then they sure as hell brought one here. Guardian, find it. (As you return to the armory, to find Banshee fighting a pair of Captains) Banshee: Get the hell out of my armory, plenty-arms- (Banshee is hit and becomes Banshee-45. Buuuuut not before a lengthy reboot which incapacitates him for the rest of the game) MOAR THINGS HAPPEN Ghost (radio): Sir, boarders have breached the fire control center. They have a bomb. Zavala (radio): Can you defuse it? Ghost (radio): Yes, but I'll need the Guardian's help to make contact with the detonator. Guardian: Can’t you just… fly up to it and zap it like you always do? Ghost (radio): Surrounded by Fallen and Cabal? Guardian: You always seem to do fine with it. Ghost: After you- wait, I was on the radio. (Kch) After you got rid of all the things trying to kill us. After that, it’s a piece of cake. But this is a bomb. One wrong move and we’re all blown to spacedom come. And it tends to be under pressure from aliens that I am most prone to wrong moves. Zavala: Well… alright, then. Guardian, get to the bomb, double time! Ghost, prioritize targets and fire at will. Ghost (radio): Just so you know, there are quite a few Fallen and Cabal guarding the bomb. You may need to get creative. Betcha can’t stick it. Guardian: You’re wrong. Ghost: And the dozen Halo fans reading this just lost their minds in anger. (Once you clear the room) CINEMATIC Ghost appears on a pedestal near the bomb. Ghost: Here and hold Square or X or whatever it’ll be on PC, now. The Guardian steps over to the bomb, and holds out the Ghost. The Ghost swishes from their hand and disappears, reappearing literally several centimetres away before zapping the bomb display. It blinks and shuts off. Guardian: How much time was left? Ghost: Let me put it this way: if you were doing it with your reflexes and ability to concentrate under pressure, we’d all be dead by now. The bomb display flashes 30 minutes. Ikora (radio): Commander, this is In Violet Clad. The largest ketch's shield is down. I'm in position and ready for immediate assault. Zavala: Negative, Ikora. Not against a ship that size. Not on your own. Ghost: She could try matchmaking. ...Oh wait, the largest activities aren’t matchmade. Maybe they are in this sequel. Maybe... Guardian (radio): Sir. Permission to leave the station? Zavala: For what purpose, Guardian? MASTER CHIEF (radio): To give the Covenant back their bomb. Zavala: What is the Covenant? Sounds like some Hive music band. Ghost: Probably meant the Fallen and Cabal. And didn’t want to touch dat line. Zavala: And who is this… Master Chief? *shakes head* Permission granted. In the bay, the Guardian grabs the bomb and hauls it across the floor, leaving a trail of sparks. He drags it into the elevator, and descends. Ghost: I know what you're thinking, and it's crazy. Guardian: So, stay here. Ghost: Unfortunately for us both, I like crazy. Maybe not rampant, though. The elevator reaches an Aurora Lance launch bay, and the Guardian steps out, watching through the huge bay door. The entire fleet streams down toward Earth, chasing the enemy ships, and exchanges of fire flicker through space. The Guardian steps up to the door's release handle, which drops down above him. Ghost: Just one question. What if you miss? Guardian: Then we’re -blam!-ed. The Guardian pulls down the handle and the bay doors cycle open, the bay decompressing rapidly. Debris lifts off the floor and hurtles into space, and the bomb slowly begins to slide toward the doors. The Guardian grabs hold of it as it passes, and is pulled out into space. In free-fall, the Chief descends towards central Asia. The second Fallen ketch passes below his position. A pair of Aurora Lance fighters dives past him, no doubt vectored in by the Ghost, and make a strafing run on the Fallen carrier. Their bombs make a stacatto beat of fire along the back of the carrier, and the Chief slips through the narrow gap the blasts have created into- The carrier's center is a huge, open chamber, a massive fusion core casting white light across its inner surface. The carrier has taken a lot of abuse; the far side of the chamber is torn apart, revealing Earth outside. The Guardian crawls up the bomb, presses its activation panel, and spins around. His legs flex, and he blinks or glides off the bomb, aiming for the split in the carrier's armor. Wait, no, just glides. There’s no physical force in blinking. He plummets from the carrier, straight for Earth, as behind him minor blue explosions flicker up and down the Fallen ship. A pause, and the entire ship detonates in a huge plasma conflagration. The Guardian falls towards Asia, and a human frigate passes beneath him, matching trajectories. Inside In Violet Clad's bridge, Cayde and Ikora watch a tactical display. A thud resounds through the ship; the Guardian has hit his mark. SGT. JOHNSON: For a brick, he flew pretty good! Cayde: Johnson? Avery Johnson?! Holy hell, man, what’s up? It’s been too long! Ikora: (rolls eyes) Guardian, get inside, gear up. We're taking this fight to the surface. In Violet Clad banks hard and dives towards the Earth's atmosphere, and a massive, gray city - fan speculation says we’re pretty sure it’s in central Asia at this point - comes into view.