Real World

Halo: The Thursday War: Difference between revisions

From Halopedia, the Halo wiki

mNo edit summary
 
(100 intermediate revisions by 37 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Title|''Halo: The Thursday War''}}
{{Title|''Halo: The Thursday War''}}
{{Stub}}
{{Status|RealWorld}}
{{Era|RW}}
{{New Content}}
{{Novel infobox
{{Novel infobox
|image=[[File:HThursday War - Cover.jpeg|200px]]
|name=''Halo: The Thursday War''
|variant=KiloFive
|image=[[File:HThursday War - Cover.jpeg|300px]]
|author=Karen Traviss
|author=Karen Traviss
|publisher=[[Tor Books]]
|cover artist=[[Eddie Smith]]
|publication=[[2012|October 2, 2012]]
|illustrator=
|editor=
|audio=Euan Morton
|publisher=[[Tor Books]] (original)<br>[[Simon & Schuster]] (2019 edition)
|publication=[[2012|October 2, 2012]] (original)<br>April 2, 2019
|media=Print (Paperback, hardcover), Audiobook
|media=Print (Paperback, hardcover), Audiobook
|length=
|length=448 pages (original)<br>464 pages (2019 edition)
|ISBN=
|ISBN=[[Special:BookSources/0765333635|0765333635]], [[Special:BookSources/978-0765323941|978-0765323941]], [[Special:BookSources/978-1982111793|978-1982111793]]
|series=[[Kilo-Five Trilogy]]
|preceded=''[[Halo: Glasslands]]''
|followed=''[[Halo: Mortal Dictata]]''
|multiseries=
|notable=
}}
}}
'''''Halo: The Thursday War''''' is the second novel in the [[Kilo-Five Trilogy]] by [[Karen Traviss]], and a direct follow-up to ''[[Halo: Glasslands]]''. It was released on [[2012|October 2, 2012]].<ref name="tor">[http://www.tor.com/blogs/2012/03/tor-books-announces-next-book-in-halo-series '''Tor Announces next book in ''Halo'' series''']</ref>
'''''Halo: The Thursday War''''' is the second novel in the [[Kilo-Five Trilogy]] by [[Karen Traviss]], and a direct follow-up to ''[[Halo: Glasslands]]''. It was released on [[2012|October 2, 2012]].<ref name="tor">[http://www.tor.com/blogs/2012/03/tor-books-announces-next-book-in-halo-series '''Tor Announces next book in ''Halo'' series''']</ref> A sequel, ''[[Halo: Mortal Dictata]]'' was released [[2014|January 21, 2014]].<ref>[http://www.tor.com/blogs/2013/07/the-halo-kilo-five-trilogy-will-conclude-this-january '''Tor.com:''' ''The Halo Kilo-Five Trilogy Will Conclude This January'']</ref><ref>[http://www.amazon.com/Halo-Mortal-Dictata-Karen-Traviss/dp/076533545X '''Amazon''' - ''Halo: Mortal Dictata'']</ref>


== Official summary ==
==Official summary==
{{Article Quote|Halo: The Thursday War picks up immediately where [[Halo: Glasslands]] left off, with forces on [[Earth]] and among the [[Covenant]] threatening a peace that is precarious at best. With a [[Servants of Abiding Truth|splinter group]] among the [[Sangheili]] pushing for war, some human colonies rebel against Earth authority; and as [[ONI]] policy continues to shift with the volatile situation in space, the discovery of a [[The Sharpened Shield|trove]] of [[Forerunner]] technology on [[Onyx]] provokes leaders on Earth to seek uses for it in the conflict. For the fight is far from over...}}
{{Article quote|Halo: The Thursday War picks up immediately where [[Halo: Glasslands]] left off, with forces on [[Earth]] and among the [[Covenant remnants|Covenant]] threatening a peace that is precarious at best. With a [[Servants of Abiding Truth|splinter group]] among the [[Sangheili]] pushing for war, some human colonies rebel against Earth authority; and as [[ONI]] policy continues to shift with the volatile situation in space, the discovery of a [[Trevelyan|trove]] of [[Forerunner]] technology on [[Onyx]] provokes leaders on Earth to seek uses for it in the conflict. For the fight is far from over…


== Summary ==
Welcome to humanity’s new war: silent, high stakes, and unseen. This is a life-or-death mission for ONI’s black-ops team, Kilo-Five, which is tasked with preventing the ruthless Elites, once the military leaders of the Covenant, from regrouping and threatening humankind again. What began as a routine dirty-tricks operation―keeping the Elites busy with their own insurrection―turns into a desperate bid to extract one member of Kilo-Five from the seething heart of an alien civil war. But troubles never come singly for Kilo-Five. Colonial terrorism is once again surfacing on one of the worlds that survived the war against the Covenant, and the man behind it is much more than just a name to Spartan-010. Meanwhile, the treasure trove of Forerunner technology recovered from the shield world of Onyx is being put to work while a kidnapped Elite plots vengeance on the humans he fears will bring his people to the brink of destruction.}}
{{cleanup|section}}
{{Spoiler}}
The book begins with a brief recounting of the events so far by Admiral [[Margaret Parangosky|Parangosky]]. On [[Sanghelios]], Phillips is caught in a bombing which is revealed to be the work of the [[Jiralhanae]]. Avu Med 'Telcam decides to gather the keeps and attack so they prepare to attack Vadam while staving off the Brutes. Phillips get permission to go to the temple. The fragment of BB he had is damaged but he manages to recover part of it, although it has deleted a lot of dangerous data it might have contained. It took a shrapnel piece that saved his life. So he goes and explores while taking records of the temple.


Meanwhile, Margaret goes to the [[UNSC Infinity|Infinity]]. Commander [[Thomas Lasky|Lasky]] is there and so is Lord [[Terrence Hood|Hood]]. Osman calls in extraction for the mission on Venezia and they break out to [[Naomi|Naomi-010]] and Osman about Naomi's father. They go back to Sanghelios while Margaret tries to get Lord Hood to get permission from the Arbiter to extract Phillips. Eventually they get it, Osman gets Naomi, Vaz and Mal on the Tart-Cart with Lian piloting it. They land near the temple and have to do a bit of skirmishing to enter. A mob of angry Sangheili gathers around as they shut the gate down.  
==Plot synopsis==
{{Spoiler/begin}}
The book begins with a brief recounting of events of the previous book, as narrated by [[Admiral]] [[Margaret Parangosky]]. On [[Sanghelios]], [[Evan Phillips]] recovers from an attack orchestrated by the [[Jiralhanae]]. [[Avu Med 'Telcam]] decides to gather the [[keep]]s under his command and launch his assault on [[State of Vadam|Vadam]], using the Brute attack as a distraction.


Meanwhile, on Trevelyan, Magnusson tries to learn as much as she can from Jul and to test out a new crop and food for the Sangheili to starve out on. Eventually he gets permission to walk around freely except in restricted zones but he has to wear an explosive harness like the ones used by the [[Huragok]] of the Covenant. [[Prone to Drift]] is tasked to accompany him. Prone reveals some interesting things about Trevelyan and the Forerunners as well as the titles of certain Forerunners such as [[Librarian]], [[Logician]], [[Didact]], [[Master Builder]], and [[Esthetist]]. Slowly, Jul tries to learn as much as he can and escape from Trevelyan.
Phillips is given permission to wander the [[Forerunner]] [[Temple of the Abiding Truth|temple]]. The fragment of [[Black Box]] residing in his radio has been damaged by a piece of shrapnel, saving Phillips' life. As Phillips tries to repair the fragment, its failsafes are triggered, causing it to delete all sensitive information. Phillips begins to explore the ruins, recording the engravings on the walls as he goes. Having limited success trying to translate [[Forerunner symbols|Forerunner glyphs]], Phillips unwittingly activates a [[Teleporter|portal]], and is sent through.


The ''Infinity'' arrives on Sanghelios and hangs in space for a while. They have new drive upgrades which allow them to precisely state where they will land and when. They also get communications upgrades which allow them to communicate while in slipspace. A number of other upgrades are being worked on by the Huragok. Evan Phillips stumbles upon the restricted area set up by the Servants of the Abiding Truth and he manages to activate a teleporter which is activated like an Arum. He gets teleported a few kilometers off of Ontom onto a farm. Kilo-Five rescue team searches for him but don't find him. They try to follow his scent but find it cuts off at some point. They find a way out and the Sangheili are coming at them. They begin attacking Kilo-Five. Kilo-Five quickly gets in the Pelican and they fly away.
Meanwhile, Parangosky travels to the {{UNSCShip|Infinity}}, and meets with [[Fleet Admiral]] [[Terrence Hood]], [[Captain (Navy)|Captain]] [[Andrew Del Rio]], and his XO [[Thomas Lasky]]. They discuss the possibility of taking the ship to Sanghelios to test its capabilities. Lord Hood also attempts to gain permission from the Arbiter to allow a team to land on the planet to rescue Phillips. On the {{UNSCShip|Port Stanley}}, Captain [[Serin Osman]] extracts the members of [[Kilo-Five]] that had gone to ground on [[Venezia]]. They reluctantly reveal their discovery that a known terrosrist, [[Staffan Sentzke]], is [[Naomi-010]]'s father. The ''Port Stanley'' then travels to Sanghelios to rescue Phillips.


A few hours before, Raia went looking for Jul and then went to the ships in Bekan Keep to intercept Avu. Raia joins Avu so he can search for Jul as they believe the Arbiter's forces took him. So they go assault Vadam. Vadam is under assault but only a few keeps have joined in the fighting, the others wait and see. The Arbiter is losing.  
On [[Trevelyan|ONI Research Facility Trevelyan]], [[Irena Magnusson|Dr. Irena Magnusson]] tries to talk [[Jul 'Mdama]] into giving her information about the [[Sangheili]]. She also uses him as a test subject for a new strain of Sangheili grain that is being developed by the humans. The grain has been engineered to be indigestible and to overtake native strains, thus driving Sanghelios to famine. Jul is eventually given permission to roam relatively free outside his cell, though he is fitted with the same sort of explosive harness that the [[Covenant]] fitted to [[Huragok]]. [[Prone to Drift]] is ordered to accompany him. As he explores, Jul asks Prone about the Forerunners, and is told of a figure known for his hatred of [[human]]s, the [[Ur-Didact|Didact]]. Slowly, Jul attempts to learn what he can, and find a way to escape the [[shield world]].


Evan finds himself in a farm where there are Unngoy. The Unggoy help him and bring him to keep so he can contact Avu but not before he notices debris, which kills an Unggoy,  
After finally being allowed to land, Kilo-Five is sent on [[Lian Devereaux|Devereaux's]] Pelican, the ''[[Tart-Cart]]'', to [[Ontom]] to find Phillips. They arrive in the city to find the temple under attack by Jiralhanae forces. After killing them, Kilo-Five gain entrance to the Temple, and begin their search for Phillips. With BB using Naomi's helmet filters and sensors to "smell" Phillips' trail, the group tracks him until his scent mysteriously stops. They are confronted by a riotous crowd of Sangheili outside, angered by the humans trespassing on holy ground. The humans manage to get through the crowd and escape the city.  
there are females in the building and a Sangheili from another place is using the situation while the adult males are away to claim the farm for his own. Evan manages to call for help and Raia as well as Forze go out to retrieve Phillip. The Infinity and Port Stanely have deployed drones at this point so they have the communications tabbed in. Kilo-Five reroutes to Evan's position. After some fighting, in which Evan likely kills a Sangheili, they retrieve him. But the Pelican gets damaged. So they try to repair it and Raia and Forze give them some spare pieces. They go back to the Infinity and Raia and Forze go back to Avu. Tart-Cart doesn't hold up the repairs very well but they contain it and the Huragok on the infinity repair and upgrade Tart-Cart.


So then Hood offers the Arbiter help and Andrew Del Rio fires a [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|MAC]] shot at the Abiding Truth's ship that's presenting imminent danger to the Arbiter. It also attacks more Servant's forces. The Tart-Cart gets repaired and Parangosky visits Osman and brings Adj and Leaks Repaired with her to get on the Port Stanley and begin upgrading the ship's drives and communications. Tart-Cart has new upgrades and is repaired. They go pick up Avu as they need him and force him to get on the Tart-Cart. Naomi does it. The Tart-Cart then uses its mounted slipspace drive to travel to New Llanelli. So the Servant's forces Retreat to New Llanelli. The fact that there were ODSTs and a Spartan in the temple gave support to Avu from the other keeps. So BB destroys three of the Arbiter's ships to help Avu's forces from escaping by making it seem it was a Kig-Yar's ship who did it; a female shipmaster with stolen UNSC nukes. But one ship goes down, Raia and Forze are killed in the crash.  
[[Raia 'Mdama]], Jul's wife, is fed up with her husband's lack of communications, and goes off to find him, dragging a reluctant [[Forze 'Mdama]] along. They join 'Telcam in an assault on the Vadam keep, but their ship, the ''[[Unflinching Resolve]]'', is shot down. Raia, Forze, and ‘Telcam manage to make it out of the sinking wreckage alive, and join the rest of the attacking force on the coast. ‘Telcam then informs the survivors that other keeps are rallying up against the Arbiter for allowing human troops to land on Sanghelios and enter a Forerunner relic.


The Arbiter is thankful for the help. The ''Infinity'' hangs around. Port Stanley goes to New Llanelli to get Tart-Cart back, Avu gets deposited quickly before his troops arrive. They go to Trevelyan pay Jul a visit, Phillips does. So then Jul has learnt a lot, there are portals on Trevelyan but are malfunctioning. The Didact is locked on Requiem and hates humans. Evans has a small chat and checks out what they've discovered and how Avu has symbols he put on his belt. Didact, Requiem, Etc. Evans has to return and goes back to Port Stanley. They go to the Infinity and Margaret tells Phillips to see if they can get Halsey to integrate BB's damaged part to his full self. Halsey is in the Infinity and she often cries herself at night thinking of Miranda. BB "stalks" her a bit. Halsey can't help so BB gets on it himself. They try to learn what the information and symbols they gathered from the Sangheili Servants' Temple means. Phillips and BB get on it. ''Port Stanley'' receives a Mantis Mech and either Mal or Vaz steps in it. They prepare to go back to Venezia now that the "Thursday war" is over.  
Phillips has been [[Slipspace translocation|teleported]] to another Forerunner structure in a farmer's field. He is found by some [[Unggoy]] laborers, and they comply with Phillip's request to take him to their masters. Phillips meets with [[Nes'alun keep|the keep's]] masters, who are a group of female Sangheili lead by [[Elar 'Nas]]. Phillips tries to convince them to allow him to call his people, but Elar tells him that they are expecting an attack from rival keeps that plan to use the [[Blooding Years|civil war]] as a backdrop to forcibly take their land. Phillips and the Sangheili manage to drive off the first wave of attackers, but Elar calls 'Telcam to tell him that the human he wanted found is with them. After receiving the call, ‘Telcam orders Forze to retrieve Phillips.


But then Jul goes to one of the portal stations where communication with Magnusson is cut off from Jul and Prone. And then he threatens that he'll remove the explosive harness if Prone doesn't take it off and help him with the portal. So Prone to Drift's primary purpose is to keep the Forerunner facility without damage so after trying out a couple of not-working portals, Jul finds a working portal and the harness is removed. Earlier, when Jul tried to do something with the portal, Prone to Drift threw Jul backwards a few meters. So then Jul escapes into the portal. The portals don't work well because they're not maintained well and all so Jul gets lucky.
The ''Infinity'', using technology procured from the Forerunners, jumps to Sanghelios, and arrives within a kilometer of its projected destination, a first for human ships. The ''Infinity'' is also equipped with systems that allow it to communicate while in [[slipstream space|slipspace]], another first. Afterwards, Parangosky uses the opportunity to visit Osman. BB manages to locate Phillips, who has been sent to [[Acroli]], a small rural state some 80 kilometers from Ontom, discovering as well that 'Telcam is headed the same way. Kilo-Five rush to Acroli, hoping to get there before 'Telcam can. After arriving at the embattled keep, they manage to drive off the Sangheili besieging it. However, one of the Pelican's engines is damaged in the attempt. Forze and Raia arrive soon after, but are soon convinced to allow Phillips to leave with the humans. Upon request, Forze and Raia help perform some hasty repairs to the ''Tart-Cart'', and the humans leave the planet, traveling to the ''Infinity'' for proper repairs.


After 14 to 19 hours, Doctor Magnusson contacts Parangosky who asks Hood if she can drop her off at Trevelyan. Maggie goes to Trevelyan and gets brief up on what has happened and how they could not find him and she was mat that Magnusson took so long to contact her. Magnusson gets arrested and her authority is stripped away. She is, removed from utility. Someone gets promoted. They try to search for Jul. But they got a benefit, they got the infected grains and beats the Sangheili eat. It grows in a bubble that accelerates time so they can grow the crops in days.
Seeing that the Arbiter is under siege, Hood offers to help turn the tide in the Arbiter's favor. The ''Infinity'' fires [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|MAC]] rounds and missiles at the rebel ships and troops that present imminent danger to the Arbiter. Later, Parangosky visits Osman and brings [[Requires Adjustment]] and [[Leaks Repaired]] along to help upgrade the ''Port Stanley'''s slipspace drive and communications. After the ''Tart-Cart'' receives repairs and a slipspace drive, Kilo-Five head back to Sanghelios to "rescue" 'Telcam as he is necessary to maintain the imposed stalemate between the two Sangheili factions. After forcing 'Telcam on the drop ship, Kilo-Five travel to [[New Llanelli]] to drop him off as to allow his forces to retreat to the same location.


So then Kilo-Five goes to Trevelyan. Mike Spenser knows what's going on; Mal and Naomi have landed with Tart-Cart has new stealth upgrades. Their cover is UNSC deserters. They go back to Mike's house, then get updated. Naomi gets to see what her father looks like. Steffan has been out of the planet for a few days. Also worth nothing is that the ''Pious Inquisitor'', the ship that Midship takes place on and was part of the battle of Earth, has been captured by Kig-Yar. So they go sell some UNSC weapons to get some money, all tagged of course, and the salesman says something about Naomi looking familiar. Then they stumble upon Staffan and the Skirmisher, Sav Fel who took the Pious Inquisitor, in a truck/van near them.
Soon, several of the Arbiter's supporting [[Covenant cruiser|cruisers]] pursue many of 'Telcam's [[Covenant frigate|frigates]]. Osman deduces that in order to maintain the stalemate between the two factions, three of the cruisers have to be destroyed in order to allow 'Telcam's forces to retreat. She orders 'Telcam to notify those retreating ships that a [[Kig-Yar]] [[Shipmaster|shipmistress]] by the name of Lahz has stolen UNSC nukes and will use them against the attacking cruisers. Osman, under the disguise of the Kig-Yar mistress, then proceeds to destroy the three selected cruisers. However, "Lahz" is unable to prevent one of the Arbiter's cruisers from destroying the ship containing Forze and Raia, who are killed in the ensuing crash.


Jul has been teleported on Kelekos, on Hesduros, a Sangheili colony, where he encounters a group of Sangheili young. They saw the markings on his belt, and hadn't had a lot of contact with Sangheilios long enough to not know a lot about the war's end and all very well. They are all attentive and due to what he has done and what he told them and the Didact thing, those Sangheili are positive about Jul. Jul asks to contact his keep and so they allow him to and he finds out Raia and Forze died. Jul gets some time alone and he's not happy. A Sangheili young shows him the second "holy gate", and it has missing symbols, the symbols Jul has on his belt are the missing symbols. Coordinates and other things. So then he tells the young to get the other Sangheili. They talk about the Didact a bit and how the Didact is the holy warrior who will return and save them. They agree Jul to help find the Didact and Requiem as well as avenge the death of Raia.
Moments later, ''Port Stanley'' jumps to New Llanelli to retrieve Kilo-Five, who leaves before 'Telcam's forces arrive. Afterwards they jump to Trevelyan to check on Jul. Later, Jul learns of many portals that reside within the shield world but are malfunctioning due to poor maintenance. Prone then reveals that the Didact is still alive but "[[Cryptum|sleeping]]" on a shield world known as [[Requiem]]. Phillips personally pays Jul a visit and informs him of what he'd discovered on Sanghelios while Jul reveals the Forerunner symbols that he placed on his belt for the explosive harness. Phillips then returns to the ''Infinity''. Paragonsky asks Phillips to see if he can get Halsey to integrate BB's damaged fragment back to his full self. After Dr. Halsey fails to assist BB with the task, he successfully reintegrates by himself. Afterwards Phillips and BB try to translate the Forerunner symbols they discovered from the Forerunner temple in Ontom. Later ''Port Stanley'' receives a [[Mantis]] per a request from [[Malcolm Geffen]]. Kilo-Five then prepares to travel back to Venezia now that the "Thursday war" is over.
Meanwhile, Jul heads to one of the portal stations where communication with Magnusson is cut off. Having discovered a potentially working portal that may lead to Requiem, Jul threatens that he'll remove the explosive harness, causing it to detonate, if Prone doesn't take it off and allow him to leave. Due to Prone's overriding directive to preserve Forerunner facilities, he is forced to remove the harness and allow Jul to escape into the portal. After 15 hours, Dr. Magnusson contacts Parangosky informing her of Jul's escape. Parangosky immediately asks Hood if he can drop her off at Trevelyan. After arriving, she is briefed about how Jul escaped. Angered by the time it took Magnusson to contact her and her inability to watch over a single Sangheili prisoner, Parangosky removes Magnusson from her position and orders her to be transferred to the [[Midnight Facility]]. She then promotes [[Hugo Barton]] as head of operations on the shield world.
 
Upon arriving at Venezia, Vaz and Naomi rendezvous with [[Mike Spenser]], who claims he knows about the squad's mission. Vaz and Naomi disguise themselves as UNSC deserters and head back to Spenser's safe house, where Naomi is shown an image of her father. They are informed that Staffan was off planet for a few days. They also learn that the Covenant cruiser ''[[Pious Inquisitor]]'', was owned by a [[Skirmisher]] named [[Sav Fel]]. Vaz and Naomi leave to sell tagged UNSC weapons in order to keep track of them and find out about the terrorist's movements. They stumble upon Staffan and Sav Fel while leaving, who are riding together in a van.
 
Having arrived on the other side of the portal, Jul encounters a group of Sangheili youngsters and discovers that he was teleported to [[Hesduros]], a Sangheili colony that was once called Kelekos by the Forerunners. They tell him that they have lost contact with the Covenant for over a year and have no knowledge of the [[Human-Covenant War|war]]'s end. The locals help Jul to contact his keep; upon getting in touch with [[Naxan]], he learns that Forze and Raia were killed in the assault due to human interference. Upon seeing the Forerunner markings on Jul's belt the youngsters shows him a second "holy gate", where Jul finds missing symbols and discovers they are the symbols present on his belt. He realizes that the missing symbols represent the Didact and coordinates to Requiem. They agree to help Jul find Requiem, as well as help him avenge the death of Raia.
{{Spoiler/end}}
{{Spoiler/end}}


==Characters==
==Appearances==
{{Scroll box
{{Featurelist|secondcolumn=title-5|title-1=Characters|
|1 = ===Human===
;Human
*[[Austen]] {{1st}}
*[[Andrew Del Rio]]
*[[Andrew Del Rio]]
*[[Catherine Elizabeth Halsey]]
*[[Catherine Halsey]]
*[[Chrissie]] {{Mo}}
*[[Damien Hogarth]] {{Mo}}
*[[Damien Hogarth]] {{Mo}}
*[[Dorsey]]
*[[Dorsey]]
*[[Evan Phillips]]
*[[Evan Phillips]]
*[[Glassman]] {{1st}}
*[[Henry Glassman]] {{1st}}
*[[Hugo Barton]] {{1st}}
*[[Hugo Barton]] {{1st}}
*[[Irena Magnusson]]
*[[Irena Magnusson]]
Line 60: Line 75:
*[[Kurt-051]] {{Mo}}
*[[Kurt-051]] {{Mo}}
*[[Lian Devereaux]]
*[[Lian Devereaux]]
*[[Lucy-B091]] {{Mo}}
*[[Malcolm Geffen]]  
*[[Malcolm Geffen]]  
*[[Margaret Orlenda Parangosky]]
*[[Margaret Parangosky]]
*[[Mike Spenser]]
*[[Mike Spenser]]
*[[Naomi-010]]
*[[Naomi-010]]
*[[Nguyen (UNSC Infinity)|Nguyen]] {{1st}}
*[[Priselkov]] {{1st}}
*[[Priselkov]] {{1st}}
*[[Richardson]] {{1st}}
*[[Richardson]] {{1st}}
Line 72: Line 89:
*[[Thomas Lasky]]
*[[Thomas Lasky]]
*[[Vasily Beloi]]
*[[Vasily Beloi]]
 
;AI
===AI===
*[[Aine]] {{Fm}}
*[[Aine]] {{First mentioned}}
*[[Black-Box]]
*[[Black-Box]]
*[[Cortana]] {{Mo}}
*[[Cortana]] {{Mo}}
*[[Harriet]] {{Mo}}
*[[Harriet]] {{Mo}}
 
;Sangheili
===Sangheili===
*[[Asum 'Mdama]] {{Mo}}
*[[Asum 'Mdama]] {{Mo}}
*[[Avu Med 'Telcam]]
*[[Avu Med 'Telcam]]
Line 91: Line 106:
*[[Gusay]]
*[[Gusay]]
*[[Ilic]] {{1st}}
*[[Ilic]] {{1st}}
*[[Jicam]] {{1st}}
*[[Jul 'Mdama]]
*[[Jul 'Mdama]]
*[[Naxan]]
*[[Naxan]]
*[[Padon]] {{1st}}
*[[Olar]] {{1st}}
*[[Panom]] {{1st}}
*[[Raia 'Mdama]]
*[[Raia 'Mdama]]
*[['Rduan]] {{1st}}
*[['Rduan]] {{1st}}
*[[Shobar]] {{1st}}
*[[Shobar]] {{1st}}
*[[Thel 'Vadam]]
*[[Thel 'Vadam]]
 
*[[Umira]] {{Fm}}
===Huragok===
;Huragok
*[[Leaks Repaired]]
*[[Leaks Repaired]]
*[[Perfect Density]]
*[[Perfect Density]]
*[[Prone to Drift]]
*[[Prone to Drift]]
*[[Requires Adjustment]]
*[[Requires Adjustment]]
 
;Unggoy
===Unggoy===
*[[Dengo]] {{1st}}
*[[Dengo]] {{1st}}
*[[Gikak]] {{1st}}
*[[Gikak]] {{1st}}
*[[Jicam]] {{1st}}
*[[Sensen]] {{1st}}
*[[Sensen]] {{1st}}
 
;Kig-Yar
===Kig-Yar===
*[[Lahz]] {{1st}}
*[[Sav Fel]] {{1st}}
*[[Sav Fel]] {{1st}}
 
;Forerunner
===Forerunner===
*[[The Didact]] {{Mo}}
*[[The Didact]] {{Mo}}
*[[Esthetist]] {{Fm}}
*[[Faber]] {{Mo}}
*[[Faber]] {{Mo}}
*[[The Librarian]] {{Mo}}
*[[The Librarian]] {{Mo}}
*[[Logician]] {{Fm}}
|title-2=Species|
*[[Colo]] {{1st}}
*[[Forerunner]] {{Mo}}
*[[Human]]
*[[Huragok]]
*[[Kig-Yar]]
**[[T'vaoan]]
*[[Jiralhanae]]
*[[Nishum]] {{Fm}}
*[[Precursor]] {{Mo}}
*[[San'Shyuum]] {{Mo}}
*[[Sangheili]]
*[[Unggoy]]
|title-3=Organizations|
*[[Covenant]] {{Mo}}
*[[Covenant remnants]]
**[[Servants of the Abiding Truth]]
**[[Swords of Sanghelios]]
*[[Unified Earth Government]]
**[[United Nations Space Command]]
***[[Spartan]] {{Mo}}
****[[SPARTAN-IV program]] {{Mo}}
***[[UNSC Marine Corps]]
****[[Orbital Drop Shock Troopers]]
*****[[105th Shock Troops Division]]
***[[UNSC Navy]]
***[[Naval Special Weapons]]
****[[SPARTAN-II program]]
***[[Office of Naval Intelligence]]
****[[Kilo-Five]]
|title-4=Locations|
*[[Brunel system]]
**[[New Llanelli]]
*[[Criterion]] {{Mo}}
*[[Epoloch system]] {{Mo}}
**[[Requiem]] {{Mo}}
*[[Hesduros]] {{1st}}
**[[State of Panom]] {{1st}}
***[[Panom keep]] {{1st}}
*[[Imber]] {{Mo}}
*[[Installation 00]] {{Mo}}
*[[Ivanoff Station]] {{Mo}}
*[[Midnight Facility]] {{Fm}}
*[[Qab system]]
**[[Venezia]]
***[[New Tyne]]
****[[Jarrow Crossroads]] {{1st}}
*[[Reynes]] {{Mo}}
*[[Sansar]] {{Mo}}
*[[Sol system]]
**[[Earth]]
***[[Australia]]
****[[Sydney]]
*****[[HIGHCOM Facility Bravo-6]]
*****[[Wheatley University]] {{Mo}}
**[[Oort cloud]]
*[[Urs system]]
**[[Sanghelios]]
***[[Yermo]]
****[[Vadam]]
*****[[Kolaar Mountain]]
*****[[Vadam Harbor]]
*****[[Vadam keep]]
***[[Acroli]] {{1st}}
****[[Lacalu keep]] {{1st}}
****[[Nes'alun keep]] {{1st}}
***[[Bdaoro City]] {{Fm}}
***[[Chaura]] {{Fm}}
***[[Hilot]] {{Fm}}
***[[Mdama]]
****[[Bekan keep]]
****[[Curo keep]] {{1st}}
***[[Nuan keep]] {{Fm}}
***[[Ontom]]
****[[Temple of the Abiding Truth]]
***[[Rtova keep]] {{Fm}}
***[[Qikost]] {{Mo}}
*[[Zeta Doradus system]]
**[[Onyx]] {{Mo}}
**[[Trevelyan]]
|title-5=Events|
*[[Great Schism]] {{Mo}}
*[[Human-Covenant War]] {{Mo}}
*[[Insurrection]]
*[[Blooding Years]] {{1st}}
*[[Unggoy Rebellion]] {{Mo}}
|title-6=Vehicles|
*{{Pattern|Ket|battlecruiser}}
**''[[Pious Inquisitor]]'' {{Mo}}
*[[Covenant cruiser]]
**''[[Axiom]]'' {{1st}}
**''[[Devotion (cruiser)|Devotion]]'' {{1st}}
**''[[Far Vision]]'' {{1st}}
*[[Covenant destroyer]]
**''[[Defender of Faith]]'' {{1st}}
*[[Covenant frigate]]
**''[[Certain Prophecy]]'' {{1st}}
**''[[Cleansing Truth]]'' {{1st}}
**''[[Promised Redemption]]'' {{1st}}
**''[[Promised Revelation]]'' {{1st}}
**''[[Swordsman]]'' {{1st}}
**''[[Transforming Splendor]]'' {{1st}}
**''[[Unflinching Resolve]]''
*[[HRUNTING Mark III (B) Exoskeleton]] {{Mo}}
*[[M12 Warthog]]
*[[M831 Troop Transport Warthog]]
*[[Mark IX Mantis ADS]] {{1st}}
*Modified [[Pelican]]
**''[[Tart-Cart]]''
*[[Prowler]]
**{{UNSCShip|Port Stanley}}
*[[Refit station]] {{Mo}}
*{{Pattern|Dextro Xur|Spirit}}
*[[Type-26 Banshee]]
*{{Pattern|Zurdo|Wraith}}
*{{Pattern|Karo'etba|Ghost}}
*{{Pattern|Wuzum|Spectre}}
*{{Pattern|Rizvum|Revenant}}
*{{Pattern|Ru'swum|Phantom}}
*{{UNSCShip|Iceni}} {{Mo}}
*{{UNSCShip|Infinity}}
*{{UNSCShip|Lutyens}} {{Fm}}
|title-7=Weapons|
*[[Class-2 directed energy cannon]]
*[[Heavy plasma cannon]]
*[[Howler missile]] {{1st}}
*[[MA5B assault rifle]]
*[[MA5C assault rifle]]
*[[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon]]
*[[Plasma mortar]]
*{{Class|Rudra|nuclear missile}} {{1st}}
*[[Type-25 plasma pistol]]
*{{Pattern|Okarda'phaa|plasma rifle}}
*{{Pattern|Skar'wa|Mantis}} {{Mo}}
*{{Pattern|Kelos'vaarda|storm rifle}} {{1st}}
|title-8=Equipment and Technology|
*[[Artificial intelligence]]
**[[Avatar]]
**[[Dumb AI]]
**[[Smart AI]]
*[[Arum]]
*[[Boosted gravity propulsion drive]]
*[[Data pad]]
*[[Dyson sphere]]
*[[Energy shielding]]
**[[Sangheili personal energy shield]]
*[[Fusion drive]]
*[[Halo Array]] {{Mo}}
*[[Methane tank]]
*[[Mind transfer]] {{Mo}}
*[[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor]]
**[[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark VII]]
**[[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/R variant]]
*[[ODST armor]]
*[[Portable computer]]
*[[Rucksack]]
*[[Shield world]]
*[[Slipspace bubble]]
*[[Slipspace translocation]]
*[[Stylus]] {{Fm}}
*[[Unggoy combat harness]]
*[[VTOL]]
*[[Weapon attachments]]
**[[Flashlight]]
}}
}}


==Trivia==
==Trivia==
*A [[Wikipedia:Thursday War|Thursday War]] is a colloquial name given in the Royal Navy for weekly war-fighting and damage control exercises that are held during Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST), so named because they are usually held on a Thursday.<ref>[[Wikipedia:Thursday War|'''Wikipedia''': ''"Thursday War"'']]</ref>
*A [[Wikipedia:Thursday War|Thursday War]] is a colloquial name given in the Royal Navy for weekly war-fighting and damage control exercises that are held during Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST), so named because they are usually held on a Thursday.<ref>[[Wikipedia:Thursday War|'''Wikipedia''': ''"Thursday War"'']]</ref>
*The title of the novel is foreshadowed in Chapter 17 of ''Halo: Glasslands'', where the A.I. [[Black-Box]] tells [[Captain (Navy)|Captain]] [[Serin Osman]] that "We might even get you on a Thursday war."<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 422''</ref>
*The title of the novel is foreshadowed in Chapter 17 of ''Halo: Glasslands'', where the AI [[Black-Box]] tells [[Captain (Navy)|Captain]] [[Serin Osman]] that "We might even get you on a Thursday war."<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 422''</ref>
*The cover art depicts the {{UNSCship|Infinity}} among a group of {{Class|Marathon|cruiser}}s and [[UNSC frigate|frigates]].
*The cover art of the novel shows a Spartan standing over a transparent floor with a view of the {{UNSCShip|Infinity}} and several [[UNSC frigate|frigates]] below and [[Sanghelios]] in the background. This is depicted in Chapter 14 where Naomi and Vaz can see the ''Infinity'' through part of ''Port Stanley'''s hull which was converted into transparent metal by Leaks Repaired. The cover also depicts a number of {{Class|Marathon|cruiser}}s flying near the ''Infinity''. These are not present in the novel, in which the ''Infinity'' travels to Sanghelios without an escort, aside from its internally-docked frigates.
*The release date for the novel is exactly 343 days after the release date of ''[[Halo: Glasslands]]''.
*The release date for the novel is exactly 343 days after the release date of ''[[Halo: Glasslands]]''.
*An excerpt of the novel's prologue first chapter was released in September 3, 2012 on Amazon.com. <ref>[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/076532394X/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=10EDT594YCRAR48TAWM0&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938811&pf_rd_i=507846#reader_076532394X '''Amazon.com''' - ''Halo: The Thursday War'' excerpt]</ref>
*An excerpt of the novel's prologue first chapter was released on September 3, 2012 on Amazon.com.<ref>[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/076532394X/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=10EDT594YCRAR48TAWM0&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938811&pf_rd_i=507846#reader_076532394X '''Amazon.com''' - ''Halo: The Thursday War'' excerpt]</ref>
*Red vs Blue references were made again, similar to Glasslands, a running-gag of Sangheili mispronouncing the name "Phillips" as "Phyllis", which is the phonetic pronunciation of the AI F.I.L.L.S
*Red vs Blue references were made again, similar to ''Glasslands'', a running-gag of Sangheili mispronouncing the name "Phillips" as "Phyllis", which is the phonetic pronunciation of the AI F.I.L.S.S.
 
==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:TTW FullCoverArt.jpg|Full cover art.
File:The Thursday War Back Cover.jpg|The back cover.
</gallery>


==Sources==
==Sources==
<references/>
{{Ref/Sources}}


{{Books}}
{{Navbox/Media/Novels}}


[[Category:Novels|The Thursday War]]
[[Category:Novels|The Thursday War]]
[[Category:Canon|The Thursday War]]
[[Category:Canon|The Thursday War]]

Latest revision as of 08:41, March 22, 2024

Halo: The Thursday War
HThursday War - Cover.jpeg
Attribution information

Author(s):

Karen Traviss

Cover artist(s):

Eddie Smith

Audio book narrator(s):

Euan Morton

Publication information

Publisher:

Tor Books (original)
Simon & Schuster (2019 edition)

Publication date:

October 2, 2012 (original)
April 2, 2019

Media type:

Print (Paperback, hardcover), Audiobook

Pages:

448 pages (original)
464 pages (2019 edition)

ISBN:

0765333635, 978-0765323941, 978-1982111793

Series information

Series:

Kilo-Five Trilogy

Halo: Glasslands

Halo: The Thursday War

Halo: Mortal Dictata

 

Halo: The Thursday War is the second novel in the Kilo-Five Trilogy by Karen Traviss, and a direct follow-up to Halo: Glasslands. It was released on October 2, 2012.[1] A sequel, Halo: Mortal Dictata was released January 21, 2014.[2][3]

Official summary[edit]

Halo: The Thursday War picks up immediately where Halo: Glasslands left off, with forces on Earth and among the Covenant threatening a peace that is precarious at best. With a splinter group among the Sangheili pushing for war, some human colonies rebel against Earth authority; and as ONI policy continues to shift with the volatile situation in space, the discovery of a trove of Forerunner technology on Onyx provokes leaders on Earth to seek uses for it in the conflict. For the fight is far from over…

Welcome to humanity’s new war: silent, high stakes, and unseen. This is a life-or-death mission for ONI’s black-ops team, Kilo-Five, which is tasked with preventing the ruthless Elites, once the military leaders of the Covenant, from regrouping and threatening humankind again. What began as a routine dirty-tricks operation―keeping the Elites busy with their own insurrection―turns into a desperate bid to extract one member of Kilo-Five from the seething heart of an alien civil war. But troubles never come singly for Kilo-Five. Colonial terrorism is once again surfacing on one of the worlds that survived the war against the Covenant, and the man behind it is much more than just a name to Spartan-010. Meanwhile, the treasure trove of Forerunner technology recovered from the shield world of Onyx is being put to work while a kidnapped Elite plots vengeance on the humans he fears will bring his people to the brink of destruction.

Plot synopsis[edit]

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The book begins with a brief recounting of events of the previous book, as narrated by Admiral Margaret Parangosky. On Sanghelios, Evan Phillips recovers from an attack orchestrated by the Jiralhanae. Avu Med 'Telcam decides to gather the keeps under his command and launch his assault on Vadam, using the Brute attack as a distraction.

Phillips is given permission to wander the Forerunner temple. The fragment of Black Box residing in his radio has been damaged by a piece of shrapnel, saving Phillips' life. As Phillips tries to repair the fragment, its failsafes are triggered, causing it to delete all sensitive information. Phillips begins to explore the ruins, recording the engravings on the walls as he goes. Having limited success trying to translate Forerunner glyphs, Phillips unwittingly activates a portal, and is sent through.

Meanwhile, Parangosky travels to the UNSC Infinity, and meets with Fleet Admiral Terrence Hood, Captain Andrew Del Rio, and his XO Thomas Lasky. They discuss the possibility of taking the ship to Sanghelios to test its capabilities. Lord Hood also attempts to gain permission from the Arbiter to allow a team to land on the planet to rescue Phillips. On the UNSC Port Stanley, Captain Serin Osman extracts the members of Kilo-Five that had gone to ground on Venezia. They reluctantly reveal their discovery that a known terrosrist, Staffan Sentzke, is Naomi-010's father. The Port Stanley then travels to Sanghelios to rescue Phillips.

On ONI Research Facility Trevelyan, Dr. Irena Magnusson tries to talk Jul 'Mdama into giving her information about the Sangheili. She also uses him as a test subject for a new strain of Sangheili grain that is being developed by the humans. The grain has been engineered to be indigestible and to overtake native strains, thus driving Sanghelios to famine. Jul is eventually given permission to roam relatively free outside his cell, though he is fitted with the same sort of explosive harness that the Covenant fitted to Huragok. Prone to Drift is ordered to accompany him. As he explores, Jul asks Prone about the Forerunners, and is told of a figure known for his hatred of humans, the Didact. Slowly, Jul attempts to learn what he can, and find a way to escape the shield world.

After finally being allowed to land, Kilo-Five is sent on Devereaux's Pelican, the Tart-Cart, to Ontom to find Phillips. They arrive in the city to find the temple under attack by Jiralhanae forces. After killing them, Kilo-Five gain entrance to the Temple, and begin their search for Phillips. With BB using Naomi's helmet filters and sensors to "smell" Phillips' trail, the group tracks him until his scent mysteriously stops. They are confronted by a riotous crowd of Sangheili outside, angered by the humans trespassing on holy ground. The humans manage to get through the crowd and escape the city.

Raia 'Mdama, Jul's wife, is fed up with her husband's lack of communications, and goes off to find him, dragging a reluctant Forze 'Mdama along. They join 'Telcam in an assault on the Vadam keep, but their ship, the Unflinching Resolve, is shot down. Raia, Forze, and ‘Telcam manage to make it out of the sinking wreckage alive, and join the rest of the attacking force on the coast. ‘Telcam then informs the survivors that other keeps are rallying up against the Arbiter for allowing human troops to land on Sanghelios and enter a Forerunner relic.

Phillips has been teleported to another Forerunner structure in a farmer's field. He is found by some Unggoy laborers, and they comply with Phillip's request to take him to their masters. Phillips meets with the keep's masters, who are a group of female Sangheili lead by Elar 'Nas. Phillips tries to convince them to allow him to call his people, but Elar tells him that they are expecting an attack from rival keeps that plan to use the civil war as a backdrop to forcibly take their land. Phillips and the Sangheili manage to drive off the first wave of attackers, but Elar calls 'Telcam to tell him that the human he wanted found is with them. After receiving the call, ‘Telcam orders Forze to retrieve Phillips.

The Infinity, using technology procured from the Forerunners, jumps to Sanghelios, and arrives within a kilometer of its projected destination, a first for human ships. The Infinity is also equipped with systems that allow it to communicate while in slipspace, another first. Afterwards, Parangosky uses the opportunity to visit Osman. BB manages to locate Phillips, who has been sent to Acroli, a small rural state some 80 kilometers from Ontom, discovering as well that 'Telcam is headed the same way. Kilo-Five rush to Acroli, hoping to get there before 'Telcam can. After arriving at the embattled keep, they manage to drive off the Sangheili besieging it. However, one of the Pelican's engines is damaged in the attempt. Forze and Raia arrive soon after, but are soon convinced to allow Phillips to leave with the humans. Upon request, Forze and Raia help perform some hasty repairs to the Tart-Cart, and the humans leave the planet, traveling to the Infinity for proper repairs.

Seeing that the Arbiter is under siege, Hood offers to help turn the tide in the Arbiter's favor. The Infinity fires MAC rounds and missiles at the rebel ships and troops that present imminent danger to the Arbiter. Later, Parangosky visits Osman and brings Requires Adjustment and Leaks Repaired along to help upgrade the Port Stanley's slipspace drive and communications. After the Tart-Cart receives repairs and a slipspace drive, Kilo-Five head back to Sanghelios to "rescue" 'Telcam as he is necessary to maintain the imposed stalemate between the two Sangheili factions. After forcing 'Telcam on the drop ship, Kilo-Five travel to New Llanelli to drop him off as to allow his forces to retreat to the same location.

Soon, several of the Arbiter's supporting cruisers pursue many of 'Telcam's frigates. Osman deduces that in order to maintain the stalemate between the two factions, three of the cruisers have to be destroyed in order to allow 'Telcam's forces to retreat. She orders 'Telcam to notify those retreating ships that a Kig-Yar shipmistress by the name of Lahz has stolen UNSC nukes and will use them against the attacking cruisers. Osman, under the disguise of the Kig-Yar mistress, then proceeds to destroy the three selected cruisers. However, "Lahz" is unable to prevent one of the Arbiter's cruisers from destroying the ship containing Forze and Raia, who are killed in the ensuing crash.

Moments later, Port Stanley jumps to New Llanelli to retrieve Kilo-Five, who leaves before 'Telcam's forces arrive. Afterwards they jump to Trevelyan to check on Jul. Later, Jul learns of many portals that reside within the shield world but are malfunctioning due to poor maintenance. Prone then reveals that the Didact is still alive but "sleeping" on a shield world known as Requiem. Phillips personally pays Jul a visit and informs him of what he'd discovered on Sanghelios while Jul reveals the Forerunner symbols that he placed on his belt for the explosive harness. Phillips then returns to the Infinity. Paragonsky asks Phillips to see if he can get Halsey to integrate BB's damaged fragment back to his full self. After Dr. Halsey fails to assist BB with the task, he successfully reintegrates by himself. Afterwards Phillips and BB try to translate the Forerunner symbols they discovered from the Forerunner temple in Ontom. Later Port Stanley receives a Mantis per a request from Malcolm Geffen. Kilo-Five then prepares to travel back to Venezia now that the "Thursday war" is over.

Meanwhile, Jul heads to one of the portal stations where communication with Magnusson is cut off. Having discovered a potentially working portal that may lead to Requiem, Jul threatens that he'll remove the explosive harness, causing it to detonate, if Prone doesn't take it off and allow him to leave. Due to Prone's overriding directive to preserve Forerunner facilities, he is forced to remove the harness and allow Jul to escape into the portal. After 15 hours, Dr. Magnusson contacts Parangosky informing her of Jul's escape. Parangosky immediately asks Hood if he can drop her off at Trevelyan. After arriving, she is briefed about how Jul escaped. Angered by the time it took Magnusson to contact her and her inability to watch over a single Sangheili prisoner, Parangosky removes Magnusson from her position and orders her to be transferred to the Midnight Facility. She then promotes Hugo Barton as head of operations on the shield world.

Upon arriving at Venezia, Vaz and Naomi rendezvous with Mike Spenser, who claims he knows about the squad's mission. Vaz and Naomi disguise themselves as UNSC deserters and head back to Spenser's safe house, where Naomi is shown an image of her father. They are informed that Staffan was off planet for a few days. They also learn that the Covenant cruiser Pious Inquisitor, was owned by a Skirmisher named Sav Fel. Vaz and Naomi leave to sell tagged UNSC weapons in order to keep track of them and find out about the terrorist's movements. They stumble upon Staffan and Sav Fel while leaving, who are riding together in a van.

Having arrived on the other side of the portal, Jul encounters a group of Sangheili youngsters and discovers that he was teleported to Hesduros, a Sangheili colony that was once called Kelekos by the Forerunners. They tell him that they have lost contact with the Covenant for over a year and have no knowledge of the war's end. The locals help Jul to contact his keep; upon getting in touch with Naxan, he learns that Forze and Raia were killed in the assault due to human interference. Upon seeing the Forerunner markings on Jul's belt the youngsters shows him a second "holy gate", where Jul finds missing symbols and discovers they are the symbols present on his belt. He realizes that the missing symbols represent the Didact and coordinates to Requiem. They agree to help Jul find Requiem, as well as help him avenge the death of Raia.

Spoilers end here.

Appearances[edit]

Characters

Human
AI
Sangheili
Huragok
Unggoy
Kig-Yar
Forerunner

Species

Locations

Events



Trivia[edit]

  • A Thursday War is a colloquial name given in the Royal Navy for weekly war-fighting and damage control exercises that are held during Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST), so named because they are usually held on a Thursday.[4]
  • The title of the novel is foreshadowed in Chapter 17 of Halo: Glasslands, where the AI Black-Box tells Captain Serin Osman that "We might even get you on a Thursday war."[5]
  • The cover art of the novel shows a Spartan standing over a transparent floor with a view of the UNSC Infinity and several frigates below and Sanghelios in the background. This is depicted in Chapter 14 where Naomi and Vaz can see the Infinity through part of Port Stanley's hull which was converted into transparent metal by Leaks Repaired. The cover also depicts a number of Marathon-class cruisers flying near the Infinity. These are not present in the novel, in which the Infinity travels to Sanghelios without an escort, aside from its internally-docked frigates.
  • The release date for the novel is exactly 343 days after the release date of Halo: Glasslands.
  • An excerpt of the novel's prologue first chapter was released on September 3, 2012 on Amazon.com.[6]
  • Red vs Blue references were made again, similar to Glasslands, a running-gag of Sangheili mispronouncing the name "Phillips" as "Phyllis", which is the phonetic pronunciation of the AI F.I.L.S.S.

Gallery[edit]

Sources[edit]