Editing The Heretic

{{Status|Apocrypha}}
{{disambig header|the campaign level|other uses|Heretic (disambiguation)}}
{{Level infobox
|prev=*''[[Halo: Combat Evolved credits]]'' <br>{{C|''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]''}} {{C|''[[Halo PC credits|PC]]''}} {{C|''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary credits|Anniversary]]''}}
*''[[The Maw]]'' {{C|''[[Halo: The Master Chief Collection|MCC]]''}}
|next=''[[The Armory]]''
|name='''''The Heretic'''''
|image=[[File:H2A TheHeretic Loadscreen.png|300px]]
|game=''[[Halo 2]]'' {{C|''[[Halo 2: Anniversary|Anniversary]]''}}
|devname=<code>00a_introduction</code>{{Ref/File|Id=H2EK|H2EK|H2EK\tags\scenarios\solo\00a_introduction\00a_introduction.scenario}}
|date=*Retold on [[2558#October|October 27, 2558]] {{C|''Anniversary''}}
*[[2552#October 20, 2552|October 20, 2552]]
|place=Aboard ''[[High Charity]]'' and ''[[Cairo Station]]''
|nowalk=1
|pagegamelabel=H2
}}
{{Article quote|For failure such as this, no punishment is too great.}}
'''The Heretic''' is the first [[campaign]] level of ''[[Halo 2]]'', consisting entirely of the [[Cutscene|cinematics]] involving [[Thel 'Vadamee]]'s hearing by the Prophets, and [[John-117]] receiving his new [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark VI|MJOLNIR Mark VI]] armor.

==Transcript==
===Target Locke===
{{Semi-canon|section}}
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nThfTVQ2pL0 '''{''Anniversary-only Cutscene''}'''] (later removed)

[[File:Locke&SangheiliMajor.png|thumb|300px|Locke converses with a Sword of Sanghelios member.]]

''Opens to an orange sky. A {{Pattern|Kmiro'sish|Lich}} flies among the clouds. Cut to the inside of the Lich. A [[Swords of Sanghelios|Sword of Sanghelios]] member faces [[SPARTAN-IV program|Spartan-IV]] [[Jameson Locke]].''

*'''Sword of Sanghelios''': "I do not trust you. He may... but I do not."

''Spartan Locke stares back sternly. Behind him stands [[Fireteam Osiris|three other Spartan-IVs]].''

*'''Jameson Locke''': "Noted."

''The Sword of Sanghelios leans in threateningly before stopping at the sound of the Arbiter's voice.''

*'''Thel 'Vadam''': "My friend's trust is not the issue today, Spartan Locke."

''Locke turns to a figure approaching him. The Sword of Sanghelios walks off. Locke faces to figure, who is revealed to be Thel 'Vadam.''

*'''Thel 'Vadam''': "It is ''my'' trust you must earn."

''Locke nods.''

*'''Locke''': "Arbiter."

'''Vadam passes by Locke and inspects a hologram of a Forerunner [[Guardian]].''

*'''Thel 'Vadam''': "You are a hunter, yes? A seeker of things."

*'''Locke''': "That's not the official job title. But it's close enough."

'''Vadam turns to Locke.''

*'''Thel 'Vadam''': "And now you hunt other Spartans?"

*'''Locke''': "I'm not so much hunting a Spartan as I am hunting ''the'' Spartan."

''Locke presents a small pad on his palm that shows a spinning hologram of John-117. The Arbiter growls.''

*'''Thel 'Vadam''': "You seek...''

''Locke deactivates the hologram.''

*'''Locke''': "One-one-seven."

*'''Thel 'Vadam''': "I was not told the identity of your prey."

*'''Locke''': "That is why I am sharing it with you now. We are talking about trust, after all."

''Locke glances at the nearby Sangheili Majors.''

*'''Locke''': "May I ask you something? Your people used to call him "[[Covenant religion#Demons|Demon]]." Was that an insult or a compliment?"

''The Arbiter glances at the Sangheili and turns back."

*'''Thel 'Vadam''': "...An insult, to be sure. But one with a modicum of respect."

'''Vadam turns and slowly walks away.''

*'''Thel 'Vadam''': "He was indeed my enemy. But in time, I named him ally, even friend. The events which forged this bond were... (''looks briefly at Locke'') complicated."

'''Vadam looks away. Fade to black.''

===One Size Fits All===
[[File:H2A - Alpha Halo remains.jpg|thumb|300px|The burning remnants of Installation 04 as the Covenant armada converges on Threshold.]]

[https://youtu.be/dUGfcfuuo-s '''{''Cutscene''}''']
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfh0pNFHM0M '''{''Anniversary Cutscene''}''']

''Fade in on the broken pieces of [[Installation 04]], still burning. Groups of [[Covenant]] {{Pattern|Ket|battlecruiser}}s prowl amongst them.''

''A {{Class|CAS|assault carrier}} flies by. The camera pans with it to a giant Covenant structure.''

'''Covenant Holy City, [[High Charity]]''' 

'''[[Age of Reclamation|Ninth Age of Reclamation]]'''

''Cuts to a close up of High Charity. Hundreds of Covenant ships swarm around it.''

''Fade to a ledge across from tiers of stadium-like seats; several [[Type-26 Ground Support Aircraft|Banshees]] patrol around. The camera slowly zooms toward a door on the back of the ledge.''

*'''[[Supreme Commander]] [[Thel 'Vadamee]]''': "There was only one ship."

''Fade in to the [[Council Chamber]]. Rows of [[Sangheili Honor Guardsman|Sangheili Honor Guardsmen]] stand at attention. A single [[Sangheili Zealot]] stands at the end, facing two [[High Prophet]]s.''

*'''[[Prophet of Truth]]''': "One? Are you sure?"

*'''Thel 'Vadamee''': "Yes. They called it the ''[[UNSC Pillar of Autumn|Pillar of Autumn]]''."

''The gallery seats are filled with [[Sangheili]] and [[San'Shyuum]] [[Councilors]], who are muttering amongst themselves.''

*'''[[Prophet of Mercy]]''': ''(angrily)'' "Why was it not destroyed, with the rest of [[Epsilon Eridani Fleet|their fleet]]?!"

*'''Thel 'Vadamee''': "It fled, as we [[Fall of Reach|set fire]] to their [[Reach|planet]]."

[[File:H2A - Autumn.jpg|thumb|300px|The [[human]] planet Reach being glassed by the Covenant fleet as the ''[[UNSC Pillar of Autumn]]'' flees its pursuers.]]

''Fades to white and to a flashback: the UNSC ''Pillar of Autumn'' escaping from Reach as Covenant ships glass the planet.''

*'''Thel 'Vadamee''': "But I followed with [[Fleet of Particular Justice|all the ships in my command]]."

''Fades to another flashback: a Covenant Cruiser approaches [[Installation 04]], several dozen smaller ships are already in orbit above it.''

*'''[[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."

''Cuts back to the Council Chamber. It is revealed that the Prophet of Regret is not actually present, but rather speaking through a holographic image of himself. Next to him is the Prophet of Mercy.''

*'''Prophet of Regret''': ''(angrily)'' "Yet the humans were able to [[Battle of Installation 04|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 [[Flood|parasite]] attacked-"

''The Council members mutter angrily. Vadamee looks around at them. Mercy bangs his fist down on his chair.''

*'''Prophet of Mercy''': "There will be order in this Council!"

''The Prophet of Truth comes forward between Regret and Mercy, and raises his hand. The room falls into complete silence.''

*'''Prophet of Truth''': "You were right to focus your attention on the Flood. But this Demon, this "Master Chief"..."

''Fades to white and to a flashback: The destruction of Installation 04.''

*'''Thel 'Vadamee''': "By the time I learned the Demon's intent, there was nothing I could do."

''Cuts back to the Council Chamber. The San'Shyuum Councilors stand up and yell angrily.''

*'''San'Shyuum Councilor''': "He's a traitor!"

''The Sangheili Councilors mutter to each other. [[Tartarus]], standing nearby, chuckles to himself.''

[[File:H2A - Regret and Truth.jpg|300px|thumb|Regret insists to Truth that 'Vadamee be punished for his failure immediately.]]

*'''Prophet of Regret''': ''(whispers to Truth)'' "Noble Prophet of Truth, this has gone on long enough. Make an example of this ''bungler''. The Council demands it."

''Truth holds up a hand, silencing Regret.''

*'''Prophet of Truth''': ''(to 'Vadamee)'' "You are one of our most treasured instruments. Long have you led your [[Fleet of Particular Justice|fleet]] with honor and distinction. But your inability to safeguard Halo... was a colossal failure."

*'''[[Prophet of Objection]]''': ''(Stands up and shows a fist)'' "Nay, it was ''heresy!''"

''The Councilors yell. 'Vadamee looks back and forth between them.''

*'''Thel 'Vadamee''': ''(to the Hierarchs)'' "I ''will'' continue my campaign against the humans!"

*'''Prophet of Truth''': "No! You will not."

''Truth glances at Tartarus, and the [[Jiralhanae]] [[Chieftain of the Jiralhanae|Chieftain]] barks a command. Two Jiralhanae warriors approach 'Vadamee and try to grab him, but the Sangheili shakes them off (and growls in Anniversary version) and he starts walking to his fate willingly. They escort him out of the chamber.''

*'''Prophet of Truth''': "Soon the [[Covenant religion|Great Journey]] shall begin. But when it does, the weight of your heresy will stay your feet. And you shall be left behind."

''View fades to a new background. The circular ornament on the Prophet of Truth's headpiece is replaced by Earth's moon.  The view then pans to [[Earth]] itself, focusing on three orbital [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|MAC]] [[Orbital defense platform|stations]] in orbit. A few [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] ships fly past.''

'''Earth Defense Platform, [[Cairo Station|Cairo]]'''
 
'''10.20.2552 ([[Military Calendar]])'''

''Cut to a close-up of the nearest platform.''

*'''[[Unidentified master gunnery sergeant|Master Gunnery Sergeant]]''': "Your [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark V|plating]] was about to fail, there's viscosity throughout the [[Hydrostatic Gel|gel]] layer..."

[[File:H2A - Tell that to the Covenant.jpg|thumb|300px|John-117 with his new armor.]]

''Cut to the armory of'' Cairo Station. ''The officer handles equipment on a table.''

*'''Master Gunnery Sergeant''': "Optics - totally fried. And let's not even talk about the [[MJOLNIR Power Supply Control Unit|power supply]]. You know how expensive this gear is, son?"

''The Master Chief picks up his helmet from the table. The view pans up the Chief's body, showing his new armor. He fits his helmet into place just in time to block the view of his face.''

*'''[[Master Chief Petty Officer]] John-117''': "Tell that to the Covenant."

''Level ends.''

==Production notes==
Early drafts of the level's [[Halo 2 storyboards|storyboards]] drawn by [[Lee Wilson]] show a number of slight differences from the cutscene found in the final game, chief of which being a pan reveal of High Charity accompanied by a section of the [[Writ of Union]], rather than the reveal showcased in-game.{{Ref/Site|Id=H2Storyboards|URL=https://www.artstation.com/artwork/68xkw5|Site=Artstation|Page=Halo 2 storyboards|Detail=|Quote=|D=28|M=12|Y=2020}}

In a later draft of the level storyboarded by [[Joseph Staten]], the opening shot would have shown the intact segments of Alpha Halo and panned up to reveal the destruction caused by John-117 in the last game. This idea was scrapped as the technology available at the time could not support rendering such a scene in 3D, requiring the ring to instead be composed of a matte painting.{{Ref/Twitter|joestaten|1358173717659066376|Joseph Staten|Quote=Cleaning out basement closets, found some of my #Halo 2 storyboards tucked into a random box. Setting aside embarrassment at my "art" skills}}{{Ref/Twitter|joestaten|1358174544721113088|Joseph Staten|Quote=Interesting to note elements that didn't make it into the final version. For example, we decided not to build a 3D model of the broken ring, opting for simpler matte elements instead--which meant we couldn't pull of the rotation reveal of the broken section.}}{{Ref/Twitter|joestaten|1358175082690928640|Joseph Staten|Quote=Indeed, Halo 2 had so many complex cinematics that matte paintings were essential in many places. I think our brains would have exploded (in a good way) had we known that, someday, all our work would be remastered in full 3D glory.}}

== Trivia ==
*The {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}} is represented by the {{Class|Marathon|cruiser}} model, despite the fact that it is a {{Class|Halcyon|cruiser}}. This was likely done to conserve resources during the development of the game; The vessel is properly represented as a ''Halcyon'' once more in the remastered ''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]''.
*This level is not available in [[cooperative play]], since it contains only cutscenes, and is not necessary for co-op gameplay.
*Near the conclusion of the cutscene, [[Thel 'Vadamee]]'s helmet creates a bursting graphic texture. [[Joseph Staten]] revealed this bug on the ''[[Halo 3 Legendary Edition]]'' bonus disk and he stated that he could never fix the bug.
*The two Jiralhanae that accompany Thel 'Vadamee varies in rank during each playthrough. They could be both [[Jiralhanae Major|Major]], both [[Jiralhanae Minor|Minor]], or one Major and one Minor. This only happens in the original version of ''Halo 2'' and not the Anniversary edition.
*By using modding tools, it is possible to see the Master Chief hidden behind one of the pillars above the [[Councilors]]. This is due to the fact that [[Bungie]] needed to place an avatar in cutscenes to allow for the AI, thus making cutscenes "unplayable" gameplay.

==Gallery==
===Storyboards===
;First revision
<gallery>
File:H2 TheHeretic V1 Storyboard 1.jpg
File:H2 TheHeretic V1 Storyboard 2.jpg
File:H2 TheHeretic V1 Storyboard 3.jpg
File:H2 TheHeretic V1 Storyboard 4.jpg
File:H2 TheHeretic V1 Storyboard 5.jpg
File:H2 TheHeretic V1 Storyboard 6.jpg
File:H2 TheHeretic V1 Storyboard 7.jpg
File:H2 TheHeretic V1 Storyboard 8.jpg
File:H2 TheHeretic V1 Storyboard 9.jpg
File:H2 TheHeretic V1 Storyboard 10.jpg
File:H2 TheHeretic V1 Storyboard 11.jpg
File:H2 TheHeretic V1 Storyboard 12.jpg
</gallery>

;Second revision
<gallery>
File:H2 TheHeretic Storyboard Sketch.png|An early sketch storyboard for the cutscene, as drawn by Joseph Staten.
</gallery>

===Halo 2===
<gallery>
File:The Heretic Official.png|Preview of the level in ''Halo 2'' menu.
File:Halo2xbox024yv.jpg|The trial of Thel 'Vadamee in session.
File:Battle of Reach.jpg|The ''Pillar of Autumn'', incorrectly represented as a {{Class|Marathon|heavy cruiser}}, escapes Reach.
File:Elite Councillors.jpg|Two Sangheili Councilors among the High Council.
File:Prophet of Objection.jpg|The Prophet of Objection accuses Thel 'Vadamee of heresy.
File:CouncilsScorn.jpg|Thel 'Vadamee approached by two Jiralhanae guards.
File:Walk-of-shame.jpg|Thel 'Vadamee before the Mark of Shame and becoming the Arbiter.
File:Cairo.jpg|''Cairo Station'' orbiting over Earth.
File:Armory.jpg|The Master Gunnery Sergeant reviews the old armor's equipment.
File:1223225634 Chief.jpg|John-117 dons his new Mark VI helmet.
</Gallery>

===Halo 2: Anniversary===
<gallery>
File:H2A-HighCouncilSession.jpg|The trial of Thel 'Vadamee in session.
File:H2A-ThelBeforeHierarchs.jpg|Thel 'Vadamee stands before the Council.
File:H2A-Thel SC.jpg|A close-up of 'Vadamee during his trial.
File:H2A-TruthAndMercy.jpg|The Hierarchs preside over Thel 'Vadamee's trial for his failure to protect Halo.
File:H2A - Tartarus and HighCouncil.png|Tartarus watches gleefully as the former Supreme Commander is disgraced. 
File:H2A - Heresy.jpg|'Vadamee is condemned as a heretic by the Prophet of Objection.
File:H2A-WeightOfYourHeresy.jpg|Thel 'Vadamee and two Jiralhanae.
File:HomeFleetH2A.png|The UNSC Home Fleet masses its forces in Earth's orbit. 
File:H2A - Armory sergeant.jpg|''Cairo Station''{{'}}s Armory Sergeant assesses the damage to the Master Chief's [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark V|Mark V armor]]. 
</Gallery>

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}

{{Succession box | before = ''[[The Maw]]'' {{C|''[[Halo: The Master Chief Collection|MCC]]''}} <br />| title = [[Halo 2 Campaign|''Halo 2'' Campaign Missions]] | years = '''''The Heretic''''' |after = ''[[The Armory]]''}}

{{Levels|H2}}