Halo: The Rubicon Protocol: Difference between revisions
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
(Starting on the synopsis) |
|||
| Line 25: | Line 25: | ||
On December 12, [[2559]], the {{UNSCShip|Infinity}} was ambushed by the [[Banished]] as it arrived at Installation 07. Nina Kovan of [[Fireteam Shadow]] evacuated from the flagship on a drop pod; on the surface of the ring, she came to the aid of the occupants of an [[RLT-85 Emergency Shuttlepod|RLT-85 shuttlepod]]. Meanwhile, her squadmate Spartan Bonita Stone piloted a Bumblebee, leading its companion lifeboat piloted by TJ Murphy, away from the ''Infinity'' to the surface of the ring. Having lost its back section to weapon fire, Murphy's lifeboat spun out of control as it entered the ring's atmosphere; it crash-landed on the surface of the ring, where it was lodged inside a crevice, leaving its occupants trapped. The crew, including [[Lucas Browning]], [[Isaiah Cameron]], and [[Robin Dimik]], took turns transmitting a distress call, which was answered by Spartan Tomas Horvath of [[Fireteam Intrepid]]. However, while Horvath made his way to the Bumblebee, Installation 07 suddenly entered slipstream space. Shortly after, an explosion on the ring fractured its surface. The catastrophic event separated Horvath from his fireteam, and disabled his communications system, cutting him off from Murphy's lifeboat. Instead, Spartan Stone rescued Murphy's crew. Stone then led the survivors across region, and rendezvoused with Kovan's group of survivors. [[Gavin Jo]] and [[Erik Bender]] from Kovan's group, both being support staff, naturally gravitated towards Murphy's crew, which was also entirely made up of noncombatants, thereby forming the "boat crew". Having lost marines in a skirmish, the group—led by Stone and Kovan—travelled to the UNSC stronghold at the wreckage of the {{UNSCShip|Mortal Reverie}}; they arrived on December 19. | On December 12, [[2559]], the {{UNSCShip|Infinity}} was ambushed by the [[Banished]] as it arrived at Installation 07. Nina Kovan of [[Fireteam Shadow]] evacuated from the flagship on a drop pod; on the surface of the ring, she came to the aid of the occupants of an [[RLT-85 Emergency Shuttlepod|RLT-85 shuttlepod]]. Meanwhile, her squadmate Spartan Bonita Stone piloted a Bumblebee, leading its companion lifeboat piloted by TJ Murphy, away from the ''Infinity'' to the surface of the ring. Having lost its back section to weapon fire, Murphy's lifeboat spun out of control as it entered the ring's atmosphere; it crash-landed on the surface of the ring, where it was lodged inside a crevice, leaving its occupants trapped. The crew, including [[Lucas Browning]], [[Isaiah Cameron]], and [[Robin Dimik]], took turns transmitting a distress call, which was answered by Spartan Tomas Horvath of [[Fireteam Intrepid]]. However, while Horvath made his way to the Bumblebee, Installation 07 suddenly entered slipstream space. Shortly after, an explosion on the ring fractured its surface. The catastrophic event separated Horvath from his fireteam, and disabled his communications system, cutting him off from Murphy's lifeboat. Instead, Spartan Stone rescued Murphy's crew. Stone then led the survivors across region, and rendezvoused with Kovan's group of survivors. [[Gavin Jo]] and [[Erik Bender]] from Kovan's group, both being support staff, naturally gravitated towards Murphy's crew, which was also entirely made up of noncombatants, thereby forming the "boat crew". Having lost marines in a skirmish, the group—led by Stone and Kovan—travelled to the UNSC stronghold at the wreckage of the {{UNSCShip|Mortal Reverie}}; they arrived on December 19. | ||
Separated from other UNSC forces, Horvath was discovered, then pursued, by Banished forces led by [[Bloodstars|Bloodstar]] [[Gorian]]. The pursuit ended with Horvath and his pursuers stranded on a ring fragment. Without any means to escape the fragment, Horvath and Gorian formed a truce. Together, two dug out an [[Aggressor Sentinel]] out from under Gorian's crashed Phantom to hijack its [[impulse drive]], then use it to fly across the ring's breach to the main fragment. Halfway across the breach, however, Gorian struck Horvath; the ensuing struggle sent the Aggressor slamming into an embankment, and left Horvath severely wounded. Gorian, having mentioned he would best Horvath in a fair fight prior, promised he would kill Horvath fairly the next time they met. Spared by Gorian, Horvath watched Gorian reuniting with his Banished allies. | |||
Weeks later, the boat crew participated in the defense of the ''Reverie'' when the Banished launched [[Battle of the Mortal Reverie|an assault]] on the wreckage. As the UNSC defenses fell to the Banished assault, Browning and Jo were attacked by a [[Sangheili Enforcer]]. While Jo was impaled by the Sangheili's [[Meluth'qelos-pattern energy sword|energy sword]], Browning was saved by Spartan Kovan. Bender and Browning tried to tend to Jo's injury, but Jo begged them to leave as more Banished troops approached. Bender and Browning reluctantly left Jo lying on the ground, then fled along with other UNSC survivors. The boat crew—minus Browning, who drew Banished away from the group and was captured—hid in a cave from the Banished; they waited until Kovan returned with supplies, then set off on their own. The defeat at ''Reverie'' saw the end of any organized UNSC resistance; at the [[Redoubt of Sundering (location)|Redoubt of Sundering]], Browning witnessed cruelty of his Banished captors. He was then taken to [[Chak 'Lok]]'s [[Tower]], and later, he was forced to interface with a [[cylix]] that contained the [[Harbinger]], releasing a member of the [[Endless]] from stasis. | |||
Over the next month, the boat crew travelled across the region; with the enactment of the [[Rubicon Protocol]], the group was resolved to deter the Banished's efforts. Having noticed an increased air traffic towards the ''Reverie''—now [[Outpost Tremonius (location)|a Banished outpost named after the Chieftain who led the assault on the wreckage]]—they decided to investigate. Stone and Kovan found Browning at Outpost Tremonius, but he couldn't be rescued. Browning informed Kovan of the Harbinger, and opted to stay under captivity. During their escape, Stone was separated from Kovan; instead, she decided to investigate the Banished excavation underneath the outpost. Inside, she discovered the Banished was using a human prisoner to extract a data node from the ring's [[Conspectus network]]. Stone's attempt to steal the data node led to her death at the hands of [[Jega 'Rdomnai]]. As Stone's last act, her AI [[Ouco]] corrupted the data node before it was retrieved by Gorian and 'Rdomnai, though both were unaware of Stone's sabotage. Hiding a copy of the data node on her body, Stone died pleased that she had thrown a wrench into [[Escharum]]'s grand scheme. | |||
{{Expand-section}} | {{Expand-section}} | ||
Revision as of 18:53, July 17, 2024
| Halo: The Rubicon Protocol | |
|---|---|
| |
| Attribution information | |
|
Author(s): |
|
|
Cover artist(s): |
|
| Publication information | |
|
Publisher: |
|
|
Publication date: |
|
|
Pages: |
352 pages |
|
ISBN: |
9781982147884 |
Halo: The Rubicon Protocol is a Halo novel by Kelly Gay, following surviving members of the United Nations Space Command as they mount a resistance against the Banished following their ambush by them in late 2559.[4] The novel was originally set to be released March 15, 2022, but later was delayed to June 28, 2022,[5] then delayed again to August 9, 2022.[1][3]
In celebration of San Diego Comic Con between July 21–24, 2022, a few limited copies of The Rubicon Protocol were released early through the Simon & Schuster booth at the convention.[6] Additionally, on the 8th and 29 July respectively, two short previews of the book were officially released by 343 Industries, with a third released in a Canon Fodder on 2 August. The links to these previews can be found at the bottom of this page.
Official summary
| “ | 2560. Humanity finds its back against the wall after the United Nations Space Command flagship Infinity dropped out of slipspace into a devastating ambush launched by the Banished. As this fierce enemy alliance seeks to claim a powerful weapon hidden within the ancient Forerunner ringworld known as Zeta Halo, the surviving UNSC forces now find themselves compromised and its leadership out of reach—with remaining personnel forced to abandon ship and take their chances on the fractured, unpredictable surface of the Halo ring.
Now survival in this strange, alien environment—whether for Spartan super-soldiers or those who never thought they would see the battle up close—is measured day-to-day against a relentless and brutal adversary that always has the upper hand. Desperation grows, but the will to keep on fighting and enduring no matter the odds is never in doubt… even as the Banished seek to unleash a frightening new enemy that could doom them all...[7] |
” |
Plot summary
Halo: The Rubicon Protocol is told from multiple perspectives, with a focus on characters that were, at some point or another, a member of the boat crew: Bonita Stone, Nina Kovan, Lucas Browning, Tomas Horvath, and TJ Murphy.
On December 12, 2559, the UNSC Infinity was ambushed by the Banished as it arrived at Installation 07. Nina Kovan of Fireteam Shadow evacuated from the flagship on a drop pod; on the surface of the ring, she came to the aid of the occupants of an RLT-85 shuttlepod. Meanwhile, her squadmate Spartan Bonita Stone piloted a Bumblebee, leading its companion lifeboat piloted by TJ Murphy, away from the Infinity to the surface of the ring. Having lost its back section to weapon fire, Murphy's lifeboat spun out of control as it entered the ring's atmosphere; it crash-landed on the surface of the ring, where it was lodged inside a crevice, leaving its occupants trapped. The crew, including Lucas Browning, Isaiah Cameron, and Robin Dimik, took turns transmitting a distress call, which was answered by Spartan Tomas Horvath of Fireteam Intrepid. However, while Horvath made his way to the Bumblebee, Installation 07 suddenly entered slipstream space. Shortly after, an explosion on the ring fractured its surface. The catastrophic event separated Horvath from his fireteam, and disabled his communications system, cutting him off from Murphy's lifeboat. Instead, Spartan Stone rescued Murphy's crew. Stone then led the survivors across region, and rendezvoused with Kovan's group of survivors. Gavin Jo and Erik Bender from Kovan's group, both being support staff, naturally gravitated towards Murphy's crew, which was also entirely made up of noncombatants, thereby forming the "boat crew". Having lost marines in a skirmish, the group—led by Stone and Kovan—travelled to the UNSC stronghold at the wreckage of the UNSC Mortal Reverie; they arrived on December 19.
Separated from other UNSC forces, Horvath was discovered, then pursued, by Banished forces led by Bloodstar Gorian. The pursuit ended with Horvath and his pursuers stranded on a ring fragment. Without any means to escape the fragment, Horvath and Gorian formed a truce. Together, two dug out an Aggressor Sentinel out from under Gorian's crashed Phantom to hijack its impulse drive, then use it to fly across the ring's breach to the main fragment. Halfway across the breach, however, Gorian struck Horvath; the ensuing struggle sent the Aggressor slamming into an embankment, and left Horvath severely wounded. Gorian, having mentioned he would best Horvath in a fair fight prior, promised he would kill Horvath fairly the next time they met. Spared by Gorian, Horvath watched Gorian reuniting with his Banished allies.
Weeks later, the boat crew participated in the defense of the Reverie when the Banished launched an assault on the wreckage. As the UNSC defenses fell to the Banished assault, Browning and Jo were attacked by a Sangheili Enforcer. While Jo was impaled by the Sangheili's energy sword, Browning was saved by Spartan Kovan. Bender and Browning tried to tend to Jo's injury, but Jo begged them to leave as more Banished troops approached. Bender and Browning reluctantly left Jo lying on the ground, then fled along with other UNSC survivors. The boat crew—minus Browning, who drew Banished away from the group and was captured—hid in a cave from the Banished; they waited until Kovan returned with supplies, then set off on their own. The defeat at Reverie saw the end of any organized UNSC resistance; at the Redoubt of Sundering, Browning witnessed cruelty of his Banished captors. He was then taken to Chak 'Lok's Tower, and later, he was forced to interface with a cylix that contained the Harbinger, releasing a member of the Endless from stasis.
Over the next month, the boat crew travelled across the region; with the enactment of the Rubicon Protocol, the group was resolved to deter the Banished's efforts. Having noticed an increased air traffic towards the Reverie—now a Banished outpost named after the Chieftain who led the assault on the wreckage—they decided to investigate. Stone and Kovan found Browning at Outpost Tremonius, but he couldn't be rescued. Browning informed Kovan of the Harbinger, and opted to stay under captivity. During their escape, Stone was separated from Kovan; instead, she decided to investigate the Banished excavation underneath the outpost. Inside, she discovered the Banished was using a human prisoner to extract a data node from the ring's Conspectus network. Stone's attempt to steal the data node led to her death at the hands of Jega 'Rdomnai. As Stone's last act, her AI Ouco corrupted the data node before it was retrieved by Gorian and 'Rdomnai, though both were unaware of Stone's sabotage. Hiding a copy of the data node on her body, Stone died pleased that she had thrown a wrench into Escharum's grand scheme.
This section needs expansion. You can help Halopedia by expanding it.
Appearances
Production notes
Despite having narrative connections to Halo Infinite, Halo: The Rubicon Protocol was reported prior to release to stand on its own and would not be "required reading" for fans to understand the game's story.[1] The novel expands on the narrative depicted in the Halo Infinite audio logs, having incorporated several logs. Notably, Nina Kovan and Tomas Horvath were set to be killed in the audio logs. Kelly Gay, while writing the novel, discussed with 343 Industries to cut the audio logs that depicted their deaths, allowing Gay to expand on the fates of the two Spartans in the novel.[8]
Mistakes
In the novel, Nina Kovan mentions that herself and Bonita Stone had served together for a decade between 2550 and 2560, with the two having first met aboard the warship UNSC Relentless Watch.[9] This would seemingly contradict the birth date given for Stone in the Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), in which Stone is established to have been born in 2535.[10] Were this the case, Stone would have been only fifteen years old when she began serving onboard the Relentless Watch.
Gallery
Full cover art with logos.
Full cover art without logos.
Early sketch of the cover art.
Sources
- ^ a b c d e Halo Waypoint, Canon Fodder - Parallel Threads (Retrieved on Jun 25, 2021) [archive]
- ^ Simon & Schuster, Halo: The Rubicon Protocol (Retrieved on Jul 22, 2021) [archive]
- ^ a b Amazon, Halo: The Rubicon Protocol (29) (Retrieved on Jul 16, 2021) [archive]
- ^ YouTube - HALO, Halo Infinite | Holiday 2021 Community Stream
- ^ Halo Waypoint, Canon fodder - Foundations (Retrieved on Jan 12, 2022) [archive]
- ^ Twitter, Gallery Books (@GalleryBooks) (Retrieved on Jul 29, 2022) [archive]
- ^ Halo Waypoint, Canon Fodder - Of Protocols and Prisons (Retrieved on Mar 7, 2022) [archive]
- ^ Twitter, Kelly Gay (@KellyHGay): "Glad you enjoyed it! :D Fun Fact: During game development Kovan & Horvath were originally KIA in the campaign audio logs story. Writing the book during development, gave me the chance to work w/343 to pick certain Spartans to keep alive & kicking. 🤗"
- ^ Halo: The Rubicon Protocol, chapter 30: "'Ten years,' Kovan finally said. 'We met on the reconnaissance starship Relentless Watch before joining the SPARTAN-IV program. Recon was hardwired into her DNA from the beginning.'"
- ^ Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 102
External links
- Text previews
- Halo Waypoint, Halo: The Rubicon Protocol - Preview 1
- Halo Waypoint, Halo: The Rubicon Protocol - Preview 2
- Halo Waypoint, Canon Fodder #131: Rubicon Rundown (Preview 3)
- Audiobook previews
- YouTube, Halo: The Rubicon Protocol – Preview 01
- YouTube, Halo: The Rubicon Protocol – Preview 02
- YouTube, Halo: The Rubicon Protocol – Preview 03
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
