Halo: Sunrise on Sanghelios
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Halo: Sunrise on Sanghelios is the third short story in the Halo Waypoint Chronicle series of shorts, written by Alex Wakeford.[1] The debut of the story was first teased at the Canon Fodder Live event on day one of the Halo World Championships 2023, with the story officially debuted in a live reading on the following day by Steve Downes, Keith David, and Jen Taylor, with Wakeford himself narrating the story between the actors' parts.[2] The story is scheduled to be released on Halo Waypoint in text form in a fashion similar to the other previous Waypoint Chronicles, alongside a clipped scene of the voice actors reading their lines.[3]
The short story is set immediately following the final cutscene of Halo 5: Guardians, and depicts the discussion between John-117, Thel 'Vadam, and Catherine Halsey following the game's events, with the live debut featuring all three characters' voice actors reprising their roles from the Halo games to depict them.[2] The scene is itself a fleshing out of the early chapters of the novel Halo: Bad Blood, in which the novel's protagonist Edward Buck had mentioned the trio convening for a brief conversation—though the details of such had been left out of the novel.
Official synopsis[edit]
| “ | October 2558. Cortana has awakened countless Guardian custodes, ancient Forerunner constructs she intends to use to enforce an imperial peace on the peoples of the galaxy.
After Fireteam Osiris rescues the Master Chief and Blue Team from the renegade artificial intelligence’s clutches, the Spartans return to Sanghelios. As they await the arrival of the UNSC Infinity, two legendary heroes recount all that has transpired in the years since their last meeting....[4] |
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Plot summary[edit]
Sarah Palmer immediately orders shut off the lights of Blue Team and Fireteam Osiris' D79-TC Pelican as they disembark. Arbiter Thel 'Vadam welcomes the group, expressing deep gratitude on behalf of the Sangheili for their help and offering them a meal and rest before they depart, but Dr. Catherine Halsey interrupts, stating that they won’t leave until the next day. She mentions that Infinity will arrive near Suban the following day at 1800 MST—noon local time. Halsey steps aside to coordinate with Jameson Locke and Palmer, finalizing the rendezvous plan. The Master Chief confirms they’ll leave in the morning.
The Arbiter then invites the group to partake in a feast prepared in celebration of their victory over the Covenant and the end of the Blooding Years. Later, the Arbiter takes the Master Chief aside during the celebration. He expresses relief at his return, recalling how he had believed in the Spartan’s survival even when their ship was severed during their escape from the Foundry years ago.
The Arbiter asks to hear the Master Chief’s account of his time since then; he then briefly recounts being adrift in space for over four years with Cortana, ending up at Requiem where they awakened the Didact. At the cost of Cortana changing, they fought and defeated him. Cortana had claimed to be cured of her rampancy after accessing the Domain, but her perspective had shifted dangerously, echoing the Didact’s views: A new space order in which all would prosper under her rule, but those who resisted would face her wrath. The Master Chief, struggling with this reality, is pulled back to the present by the Arbiter, who shares his own experiences of failure as a Covenant warrior who killed countless humans, acknowledging that despite his redemption and fighting for peace, he will one day have to account for those he killed. He suggests that just as he saved him, the Master Chief may still have a chance to do so Cortana.
The Master Chief remembers their initial tense meeting on Earth when they were still enemies, recalling the Arbiter’s words: “Were it so easy.” They speak throughout the night, with the Arbiter sharing his perspective on the events that have transpired, speaking of loss, sacrifice, victory, and at last unity—hope for the future by way of the Concert of Worlds, a multispecies alliance built on strength, honor, and mutual respect, aiming for an age of peace, though he acknowledges that such peace is far off.
As dawn approaches within the hour, preparations are made for the departure aboard the Pelican. The Infinity arrives out of slipspace for a quick pickup. The Arbiter bids the Master Chief farewell, confident that they will face the new threats together as allies. They clasp forearms in a show of mutual respect before the Pelican lifts off, speeding through the atmosphere of Sanghelios as the light of Urs rises, leaving the world to face an uncertain future.
Appearances[edit]
External links[edit]
- Halo: Sunrise on Sanghelios - The official Waypoint post in which the short story was released for free.
- Official Sunrise on Sanghelios PDF - The PDF of the short story released on Halo Waypoint (Archived copy).
- Halo: Sunrise on Sanghelios | Audiobook - The audiobook narrated in the HaloWC 2023 Community Stage.
Sources[edit]
- ^ Twitter, Alex Wakeford (@Haruspis): "No big deal, just had Steve Downes, Jen Taylor, and Keith David read a scene I wrote…" (Retrieved on Oct 15, 2023) [archive]
- ^ a b YouTube - Halo, HaloWC 2023 Community Stage – Day 2 (Season 5, Steve Downes, Jen Taylor, Keith David, Cosplay +): 3:39:50 (Retrieved on Oct 14, 2023)
- ^ Twitter, Alex Wakeford (@Haruspis): "Plan is to formally release this in Waypoint Chronicle fashion later next week in text form and with a snipped video of the performance 👀" (Retrieved on Oct 15, 2023) [archive]
- ^ Halo Waypoint, Canon Fodder - Championship Chronicles (Retrieved on Oct 29, 2023) [archive]
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