Episode 12: Full Payload

Previous episode:	Episode 11: Down To The Bone
Next episode:	Episode 13: In the Bag
Episode 12: Full Payload
Series overview
Series:	Hunt the Truth
Season:	Season 1
Episode specifications
Episode:	12
Air date:	June 14, 2015
Run time:	11:15

Episode 12: Full Payload was the twelfth and penultimate episode in the first season of the Hunt the Truth audio drama. The episode was released on Soundcloud on June 14, 2015, as a two-part release alongside season finale Episode 13: In the Bag. The two-part finale's release coincided to release the day before the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) showing for Halo 5: Guardians on June 15, and the release of the novel Halo: Hunters in the Dark on June 16.

Official summary

“

Petra warns against the dangers of going public, but the gears are already grinding on one last, big plan. It’s time to burn ONI once and for all.

”

Plot summary

With the evidence he needs, Benjamin Giraud calls Anthony Petrosky and asks him to help him once again. Anthony agrees, and Ben tells him where he needs to go. While heading back on the freighter, Ben calls Ray Kurzig and sends him the files, asking him if he can forward them on to select people. Ray, with his wife and daughter off-world to escape the Office of Naval Intelligence, doesn't have the choice to turn back, and so agrees. Ben tries to get in contact with Mshak Moradi, but once again fails. Later, Petra Janecek calls and Ben tells her what he found in the facility and that he plans to expose ONI live on ECB News the next day, however, Petra disagrees with his approach, but Ben assures her he knows what he is doing.

Audio transcript

(call begins)

• Anthony Petrosky (in call): Who the hell is this?

• Benjamin Giraud: Anthony, it's Ben Giraud. I don't have much time, but I got something real--

• Petrosky (in call): Ben? I-- I-- I didn't recognize the feed. What, are you calling from prison or something? (chuckles)

• Giraud: Listen, listen. I just sent you a location. I need you to get yourself there on Monday.

• Petrosky (in call): Ah...

• Giraud: What, you still want to tear down ONI, right?

• Petrosky (in call): Yeah... (laughs) I don't know what to ell you, man. We dropped that bomb and it fizzled out. People in power apparently don't give a rat's ass--

• Giraud: Yeah, but now we've got a real payload and we're going to deliver it to real power. Look, I totally understand either way, but I'm about to board this flight so I kinda need to know now. Are you in or out?

• Petrosky (in call): I'm in.

• Giraud: Yes, you are a badass!

• Petrosky (in call): I'm telling you though, the senate is not--

• Giraud: Anthony, we don't need the senate! And trust me, by the time we're through every crooked line bastard in the UEG is going to be charged with high treason.

• Giraud (voiceover): I'm Benjamin Giraud, and this is Hunt the Truth. My ride was about ready to leave Bliss. The freighter was fully loaded and doing safety checks. I hung back on the deck so I could make another call.

(call begins)

• Ray Kurzig (in call): Hello? This is Raymond Kurzig.

• Giraud: Ray, it's Ben. I fou--

• Kurzig (in call): Dude, what is this feed you're calling me from?

• Giraud: Ray--

• Kurzig (in call): Are you ok?

• Giraud: Yeah, I'm-- I'm-- I'm fine. Look... I found it.

• Kurzig (in call): Found it? Found what?

• Giraud: Everything.

• Kurzig (in call): What do you mean everything?

• Giraud: Look, I just transferred you the files. Don't say what it is.

• Kurzig (in call): Ok? Hold on.

• Giraud: I listened as Ray opened the folder and saw everything ONI had never wanted us to see.

• Kurzig (in call): Oh my God. Ben, where did you get this?

• Giraud: You wouldn't believe me if I told you, but this is our chance, man. This is our only chance to put a stop to all of this.

• Kurzig (in call): I'm-- I-- I-- I don't know what to say.

• Giraud (voiceover): Now, Ray had back up files on everything, and I needed one last favor. He was the only person I trusted with it. I pushed him a list of domains and asked if he'd forward every last file to everyone on it. When he saw the list of addressees, I could hear his jaw drop.*

• Kurzig (in call): (gasps)

• Giraud (voiceover): After the shock wore off though, he said he would make it happen.

• Kurzig (in call): Yeah, no problem.

• Giraud: Man, I really can't thank you enough. But we got 'em, Ray. We got 'em, and I promise you no one will ever know that you helped me with Biko. I'm gonna upload the rest of my story when I get back and you won't be on any of the recordings. Not this conversation, none of it. You were right to cut ties and I just want to make sure that you are absolutely clear of this.

• Kurzig (in call): Ben... they gutted my house.

• Giraud: What?

• Kurzig (in call): My house, they completely gutted it down to the studs. They--

• Giraud: Ray, Ray, what--

• Kurzig (in call): They did that to my home, where my wife and daughter sleep.

• Giraud: How would they have known--

• Kurzig (in call): I got them off world, they're in a safe place now. But... whether I want to or not, at this point, I can't turn back. How can I help?

• Giraud (voiceover): Ray was one of the most selfless human beings I had ever had the pleasure to know. He went way out of his comfort zone time and again. Bravely sacrificing over and over. I don't think I can ever truly make him understand how much that meant to me. I sent him instructions over encrypted texts and we finalized our plans. I thanked him again, we wished each other luck, and we said goodbye. The next time I'd see him was going to be a life defining moment, and there was no one I'd rather have at my side. As I left the Outer Colonies behind, it was hard not to think how steep the price of our freedom and safety had been. So much truth had been buried, so many people. ONI had tried to bury me, too. But they'd failed. I wasn't scared anymore and I had something to say. How many sacrificed people was too many? As far as I was concerned, the answer... was one.

• Mshak Moradi (voicemail): Hello? Oh man, I've been waiting for you to call! I have something very important to tell you... This is a recorded message! Haha!

• Giraud: Mshak, haha! M-shak!

• Giraud (voicemail): Mshak still haunted my dreams. Every time I close my eyes he was slipping into that black bag and I couldn't save him... but I would make it up to him. I'd make it up to Ray, I'd make it up to FERO, I'd make it up to Petra, and Anthony, and Katrina, and Ellie, and everyone in the Outer Colonies. Everyone our government had kept in the dark. Whether by choice or not, too many sacrifices had been made, and far too many of them had been people.

• Giraud: I guess just-- what I wanted to say was thank you. (sighs) And I'm sorry.

(call ends)

• Giraud (voiceover): For the first time in my career, I felt like I was finally going to tell the full story. Every ugly piece, from loose threads to the rotten core. That's why it wouldn't all have been in vain. That's how I would make it up to everyone. I would give them the dignity of knowing... the truth. I must have been nodding off when I got a call from Petra Janecek. For someone who had threatened me bodily harm on more than one occasion, she also, with far less fanfare, always seemed to check in to make sure I was ok.

• Giraud: Ya' know, if I didn't know any better I didn't know any better I'd think you were concerned about my welfare.

• Petra Janecek (in call): (chuckles) Get over yourself, Giraud.

• Giraud: (laughs)

• Janecek (in call): Just wanted to find out what you, um, found.

• Giraud: No seriously, though, you've heard me apologize a hundred times for being such a, well jackass. For putting you reputation on the line, ya' know? But I figured you could stand to hear me say thank you again.

• Janecek (in call): Well, your welcome.

• Giraud: For everything you've done. I mean look, I-- I... (sighs) I really can't tell you how much it's meant to me. Just, um...

• Janecek (in call): That's ok-- That's... that's enough.

• Giraud: (laughs) Too much?

• Janecek (in call): Yeah, a little bit. I mean now you're really ruining my reputation.

• Giraud: (laughs)

• Janecek (in call): Oh no. I hope this isn't what the end of your story is like. You tenderly speaking from the heart.

• Giraud: (laughs)

• Janecek (in call): Ugh, I thought everything else was bad, but-- ugh. Anyway, I just-- I wanted to find out what happened with the lead. What-- what did you find.

• Giraud: You were right. It was one in a million.

• Janecek (in call): Really? Ok, what? What did you--

• Giraud: I got everything, Petra. Everything, all the undeniable proof anyone could ever want.

• Janecek (in call): Be-- be specific, Ben. Did you-- did you find anything on Biko?

• Giraud: Whole story, plain as day. Not only is the Chief innocent, but saved the day. He pulled off the impossible. I've got everything I need to prove it too, and the best part is I've got the UEG blatantly implicating themselves in legislative negligence and then conspiring with the Biko magistrate to cover it up! Coercion, bribery, all of it! Those arrogant pricks could have prevented the whole thing, and they know it too! ONI and the UEG have been sacrificing the Chief this whole time to save their own asses, to distract the public from what we've been digging up on them! But now, all of it is laid out in the files that they never wanted us to see. I've got 'em. Dead... to... rights.

• Janecek (in call): (sighs) No, Ben, they're just gonna suppress all of it. I mean, come on!

• Giraud: They're gonna try. I don't know when it's going down or how they're gonna do it, but they've made some deal with Biko. Their going bring the real perpetrators to justice, but somehow still let the Chief take the fall too. And i'm not gonna let that happen. We're gonna clear the Chief and expose ONI.

• Janecek (in call): We? Who's-- who's we?

• Giraud: Ray and me and Petrosky.

• Janecek (in call): Oh, the three amigos, huh?

• Giraud: It's all going down tomorrow.

• Janecek (in call): Ben, you know you don't have to do it like this.

• Giraud: No, Petra, it's-- it's ok. It's ok. I-- I know you're worried that I can't do this, that I'm sloppy, and you were right about all of that, but this time it's to--

• Janecek (in call): No, I just don't want to see any thing bad happen--

• Giraud: I need to do this.

• Janecek (in call): (sighs) So tomorrow, huh? What's your big plan? Give one of the bones to your editors at Magellan to bite on the story?

• Giraud: No. I'm not passing this off. I'm going all the way.

• Janecek (in call): What does that mean?

• Giraud: Actually I was hoping you'd do me a favor. Send out a blast to your network about it? It can be offline, but trust me, no one's gonna want to miss this.

• Giraud (voiceover): Sitting here on the freighter, getting everything ready for tomorrow, I'm struck by how lucky I am to be part of this. If Ray and Anthony and I are successful, all that darkness ONI had had us drowning in for generations will finally light up. And it's because of the help of so many brave people. To everyone who's risked so much, and everyone who's left me messages, to all my friends, I want to say thank you. This will be my final transmission. Tomorrow you will witness the ending to this story that all of us deserve. After that, I will be going dark, at least for a while. But depending on how everything shakes out, I hope to be back sooner than later. To everyone who's listened to my story, those who've stood up and spoken out, I want each of you to know that simply by owning the truth we have the real power. And by sharing that truth, we wield that power. Please never forget that. It has been my honor and great fortune to have found myself at the nexus of all you're impassioned opinions and honest stories. It's been truly humbling, so to all of you listening right now, I want to say, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Most of all though, I want to thank the Master Chief. Chief, you have saved us in more ways, perhaps even you, could possibly know. You have sacrificed so much for us, and whatever the cost of my actions tomorrow ends up being, I believe it's a sacrifice we owe to you and all those who serve. And if I'm successful, in the end everyone will know that you are still the savior we all needed you to be.

• Janecek (in call): Ok, but what is it? What are the particulars.

• Giraud: We're going on ECB. I got a prime spot, old producer friend hooked me up. We're going wide-stream, full distribution.

• Janecek (in call): Ok, uh, ok, you mean... you mean that your gonna--

• Giraud: Petra. Petra, tomorrow we're going live on the networks. Potentially in front of every person alive. We're going to clear the Chief's name before they burn him at the stake. We're gonna douse the real monsters in kerosene, then once and for all, and with everybody watching, I'm gonna burn ONI to the ground.

• Giraud (voiceover): I'm Benjamin Giraud... and this has been Hunt the Truth.

Blog posts

The following blog posts were released on the Hunt the Truth Tumblr blog for Episode 12's release.

117

How far would you go to defend your heroes? Looking at the statue of the Chief on Barrier, I knew what my answer was.

Credits

• Keegan-Michael Key as Benjamin Giraud
• Kumail Nanjiani as Mshak Moradi
• Cobie Smulders as Petra Janecek
• Phil LaMarr as Ray Kurzig

External links

• Episode 12: Full Payload on Soundcloud
• Episode 12: Full Payload on Apple Podcasts

Preceded by Episode 11: Down To The Bone

Hunt the Truth episodes Episode 12: Full Payload

Succeeded by Episode 13: In the Bag