Halo: Rise of Atriox Issue 4

⇦ Halo: Rise of Atriox Issue 4 ⇨
Publisher:	Dark Horse Comics
Publication date:	December 13, 2017
Writer(s):	Alex Irvine; ;
Artist(s):	Hayden Sherman (artist); ; Jeremy Colwell (colorist); ; Aleksi Briclot (cover artist); ;
Number of pages:	32 pages

Halo: Rise of Atriox Issue 4 was released on December 13, 2017 and is the fourth of five in the Halo: Rise of Atriox series of comics.^[1]

Official summary[edit]

“

Atriox and his Banished forces are seemingly interrupted while assaulting a UNSC forward base by a Covenant warship led by the Shipmaster Let 'Volir. With the Banished forces pushed back, Let 'Volir is able to capture Atriox. But before the Shipmaster can claim victory, Atriox presents him with an offer and reveals that he has other plans for 'Volir, his ship, and its crew.

”

Plot synopsis[edit]

Issue 4 begins with Atriox overlooking a Sangheili occupied Covenant citadel from a nearby cliffside. On his command, the Banished launch their assault on the unsuspecting base. Before the Sangheili forces inside are overwhelmed by the Banished, they hail the Enduring Conviction and alert Shipmaster Let 'Volir to Atriox's attack. Deciding not to wait for a reinforcing fleet, Shipmaster 'Volir personally leads a landing force down to surface to quell the raiding faction and capture Atriox. Arriving at the base, 'Volir and his troops spot members of the Banished looting the citadel's armory and pursue them further into the complex. While 'Volir is preoccupied fighting enemy ground forces inside, other Banished troops depart from the citadel in Phantoms and infiltrate the Enduring Conviction. After his warriors mop up the Banished combatants inside the citadel, Let 'Volir comes face to face with a seemingly forsaken Atriox, who drops his weapon after killing two of 'Volir's men and surrenders himself to the Sangheili shipmaster.

Upon returning back to Enduring Conviction's hangar, Let 'Volir unexpectedly finds himself surrounded at gun point and realizes he has been ensnared by the Banished. Atriox then instructs 'Volir to relay the news of his supposed capture to the nearby Sangheili fleet, so that the two may talk and discuss the possibility of sparring the Enduring Conviction's remaining crew. Once Let 'Volir complies, Atriox reveals that his raid and capture at the citadel was purposely done just to gain an audience with him. Having gathered insightful intelligence on the shipmaster, Atriox tells 'Volir that he knows about his mounting disillusionment in the prolonged Great Schism conflict, pointing out that Let himself has witnessed first hand how his Sangheili brethren have descended into barbarism in their ongoing feud against the Jiralhanae. Aware that 'Volir is still devoted to maintaining his ship and crew, Atriox presents him with the same choice he had once faced in the Covenant: To die fighting in senseless battle or seize control of his fate and join the Banished.

Twelve hours later, the reinforcing fleet led by Fleetmaster Arkad Nar 'Kulul arrives and orders the Enduring Conviction to report in, but to no avail. Standing beside Atriox on the bridge, Shipmaster Let 'Volir makes his choice and informs his crew that their allegiance now lies with Atriox. He then orders that the Enduring Conviction take defensive measures and prepare for evasive maneuvers. As the assault carrier begins to pull up and away, Fleetmaster 'Kulul commands his ships to attack the Enduring Conviction. While the fleet deploys several Banshees and Type-31 Seraphs, Let 'Volir orders his crew to move the Enduring Conviction at the edge of the nearby planet's atmosphere and initiate a minuscule slipspace jump. Shipmaster 'Volir's short in-atmosphere jump is successful and in a brief instant the pursuing enemy starfighters are blown down from the resulting slipspace rupture. Now out of immediate danger and running low fuel, Let 'Volir asks Atriox to make good on his end of the bargain. Atriox agrees and tells 'Volir to set a course to the Ansket system. Down below, Fleetmaster 'Kulul presumes 'Volir must have fell to the Banished and watches as the Enduring Conviction escapes into slipstream space with Atriox onboard. The Enduring Conviction later arrives at the planet Ansket IV, where an abandoned Covenant Hydro-Processing facility is now serving as the site of a UNSC operating base. Atriox tells Let 'Volir that he chose the right decision and provides his crew with the fuel and sport present on the planet.

Production notes[edit]

Tristan Jones artwork[edit]

Originally, the issue's artist would be Tristan Jones, where he started in June 2017.^[2] During the time he worked on the issue he regularly posted updates on his work,^[3] showcasing that he made a 3D map to keep track of geography, choreography and to experiment with shots.^[4]

Tristan Jones left the project due to creative differences,^[5] this left Dark Horse and 343 Industries ended up doing an slight adjustment in Issue 4's creative lineup, replacing Tristan with Hayden Sherman. The announcement of the change was made in October 26, 2017, more than one and a half month before the releasing of Issue 4.^[6] According to Tristan, he "wasn't in a good place when it was happening",^[7] but if he was working on Halo again, he would be the one writing it, and it would be removed from the direct game tie-in process.^[8]

3D map of the Citadel.
Citadel sketch.
Skirmisher sketch.
Banished Banshees assaulting Elites.
Elite pointing.
Atriox.
Elites in a room.

Gallery[edit]

Full cover art.
A flashback to the Great Schism's onset, depicting the Sangheili fighting against the Jiralhanae.
Fleetmaster Arkad Nar 'Kulul
The Enduring Conviction seen by its Sangheili-led fleet