Editing The Long Road Home

{{Status|RealWorld}}
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{{Article quote|A look at the story in between Halo 2 and Halo 3.{{Ref/Reuse|Blog}}}}

'''Into Hell''' is a short [[Halo universe|''Halo'' universe]] documentary uploaded to [[Halo Waypoint]] in [[2010]].{{Ref/Site|Id=Blog|URL=http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/intel/theuniverse/events/video/the-long-road-home/f99d83df-50e2-4b77-8cc2-96df1a107956|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=The Long Road Home|D=19|M=11|Y=2010}} The short is predominantly focused on explaining the events of the ''Halo'' timeline between the finale of ''[[Halo 2]]'' and opening of ''[[Halo 3]]'', alongside some of the events covered in the comic ''[[Halo: Uprising]]''.

==Blog transcript==
The following is a transcript of the original blog posted to [[Halo Waypoint]] to serve as context for the video.{{Ref/Reuse|Blog}}
The discovery of [[Installation 05|Delta Halo]] filled those who encountered it with both awe and wonder—but it also set loose a number of threats, all of which held catastrophic potential for the galaxy.
The [[Flood]] had escaped containment and now controlled a number of [[Slipstream space|Slipspace]]-capable vehicles. The installation’s failsafe had been triggered, effectively arming the [[Halo Array]], and the [[Prophet of Truth]] led the [[Truth's fleet|largest]] [[Covenant fleet]] ever assembled toward [[Earth]], intent on striking at the heart of humanity.

Ultimately, the activation of the [[Portal at Voi|gateway portal]] below the Earth’s surface would not only set into motion the destruction of the [[Covenant]] and the Flood, but it would secure a future for [[human]]ity—a future which had been in [[Human-Covenant War|dire peril]] for nearly thirty years.

But how did all of this take place and what were the steps taken to get there? What defined those fourteen dark days in between? Let’s take a look...

==Video transcript==
Captured by the [[Covenant military]] in the aftermath of the [[Battle of Installation 04|events]] of [[Installation 04]], the [[Forerunner]] [[monitor]] known as [[343 Guilty Spark]] managed to convince [[Sesa 'Refumee's heretic faction|these soldiers]] of the truth about Halo. These warriors quickly defected, realising that the entire history of the Covenant was based on a lie. Unfortunately for the monitor, his newfound freedom was cut short when a [[Sangheili]] strike force killed the defectors and returned him to Covenant leadership. The Covenant would soon use Spark to leverage information about a newly-discovered Halo installation, one which they would come to call Delta Halo. Under the command of the [[Hierarchs]], [[Tartarus]] intended to activate this Halo ring with the monitor's assistance. But upon his arrival at the ring's [[Control Room (Installation 05)|control room]], the [[Chieftain of the Jiralhanae|Brute Chieftain]] was assaulted by a Sangheili assassin known as [[Thel 'Vadam|the Arbiter]]. This event would lead to the end of Tartarus' life and deliver Guilty Spark into the hands of humanity.

When the [[Prophet of Regret]] fled from Earth on [[2552#October|OCtober 20, 2552]], the [[UNSC frigate]] [[UNSC In Amber Clad|''In Amber Clad'']] trailed close behind. Several days later, it would arrive near Delta Halo. On the surface of this new installation, the [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] and Covenant forces would once again [[Battle of Installation 05|collide]], tearing a hole into the heart of the ring's [[Quarantine zone (location)|quarantine zone]] and eventually coming into contact with the devastating parasite known as the Flood. With the UNSC presence all-but eliminated, [[Sergeant Major|Sergeant]] [[Avery Johnson]] and [[Commander]] [[Miranda Keyes]] fought against the Covenant forces which were attempting to activate the ring, forging an uneasy alliance with the Sangheili warrior known as the Arbiter. When a Covenant [[Great Schism|civil war]] ignited across Halo and in their holy city of [[High Charity]], both the humans and the Arbiter recognised that the Flood could not be allowed to escape under any circumstance. It was at that time that the Arbiter would quickly call together a [[Covenant separatists|contingent of faithful]]; the newly-formed [[Fleet of Retribution]]. 

An accomplished warrior and the catalyst which led to the Covenant civil war, [[Thel 'Vadam]]ee faced off against the leader of the [[Jiralhanae]], Tartarus, in Delta Halo's control room. This event would become a defining moment in Covenant history, ultimately leading to the standby of activation of all Halo rings. With direction from 343 Guilty Spark, Thel would learn of [[Installation 00|the Ark]], now the only place where the Covenant could activate the Halo array. But the release of the Flood from Delta Halo would put these plans on Hold; it was then that the Arbiter met with his ally [[Rtas 'Vadum]]ee, a [[Commander (Covenant)|Commander]] who once served within [[Fleet of Particular Justice|his fleet]], leading the Fleet of Retribution with the [[Kerel-pattern assault carrier|assault carrier]] ''[[Shadow of Intent]]''. Rtas and his Sangheili soldiers rendezvoused with the Arbiter and their newfound human allies. Together, they formulated a plan for sterilisation and quarantine of. They, along with any capable Sangheili-controlled ships, would [[Glassing|cauterise the surface]] of Delta Halo through [[orbital bombardment]] - destroying anything which attempted to slip away.

On November 3rd, 2552, Guilty Spark remained behind with this fleet coordinating the critical containment efforts while the Arbiter, Keyes, and Johnson raced back to Earth to warn humanity and locate the Ark. In the days which followed the Covenant's vicious internal struggle, the [[shipmaster]] known as Rtas 'Vadumee would orchestrate a large-scale destruction of Delta Halo's surface and the surgical elimination of any ships which attempted to escape it. After days of this extensive campaign, a single [[Indulgence of Conviction|Flood-infested cruiser]] managed to steel through their lines. Their last trajectory was Earth - the human homeworld and the location where both the Arbiter and the humans were headed. The shipmaster, ordering a portion of his fleet to pursue, would soon come to learn that not only did the ship contain the Flood, but it also held clear evidence of the [[Gravemind]]. The truth was horrific; the Flood's heightened consciousness controlled High Charity and it was now headed toward Earth.

In his own mind, the Prophet of Truth could not be stopped. While attempting to activate Delta Halo through Tartarus, the prophet took the [[Anodyne Spirit|Forerunner Dreadnought]] at the centre of High Charity and left for Earth. He recognised that the human homeworld held a gateway which would allow passage to the Ark, and ultimately, full control of the Halo rings. Arriving in the [[Sol system]] on November 8th, Truth quickly learned of another human threat which had stowed away on the very ship he had hoped would keep him safe. This situation was further compounded by the fact that this particular threat had already eliminated another prophet only days earlier. This threat was [[John-117]] - the [[Master Chief Petty Officer|Master Chief]].

Concerned for his own safety, Truth and his local forces became preoccupied with finding and eliminating the Spartan on the vast Forerunner [[keyship]]. After exerting significant resources and believing the issue to be resolved, Truth ordered that they jump further in-system to Earth, pushing past humanity's already battered defences. On November 17th, 2552, the Spartan known as the Master Chief emerged from the shadows and was eventually forced to escape the dreadnought, falling into the dark and dense jungles of eastern [[Africa]]. There, he would quickly reconvene efforts with Keyes and Johnson, teaming up with the Arbiter and chasing the prophet to the Ark, where Truth, the Covenant, and the Flood parasite would eventually find their end.

==See also==
*[[Archive:Halo Waypoint/2009 to 2014/Universe/Events]]

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20101119061557/http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/intel/theuniverse/events/video/the-long-road-home/f99d83df-50e2-4b77-8cc2-96df1a107956 ''Halo Waypoint'' - The Long Road Home]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVOc6o381Lc ''YouTube'' - The Long Road Home] {{C|reupload}}

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}
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[[Category:Halo Waypoint universe documentaries]]