Forerunner

Forerunner is the third campaign level of Halo 4.^[1] Completing the level earns the player the Forerunner achievement. The level-exclusive achievement This is my Rifle, this is my Gun is awarded for carrying a UNSC weapon all the way through the level on Heroic or harder.^[2]

Summary

The level is mainly set in a rocky region on the surface of the shield world Requiem, as well as a series of Forerunner structures, including two relay pylons and a satellite station inside the shell enveloping the shield world. The prototype UNSC warship UNSC Infinity has arrived near Requiem to investigate Cortana's distress beacon, and the Master Chief must disable two beam towers that are causing communications interference preventing Cortana from contacting the Infinity in order to warn the ship about Requiem's defenses. During the level, the player faces opposition from both the Prometheans occupying the shield world as well as Covenant remnant forces. The assault on the first pylon primarily involves combat on foot, while the second one is more vehicle-focused. After deactivating the second beam tower, the Chief uses a series of translocation portals to reach what Cortana assumes to be a relay satellite, while Covenant remnant warships converge on the same location; instead of a communications relay, however, the satellite turns out to house a Cryptum.^[3] The finale of the level introduces the primary antagonist of the game,^[4] the Promethean leader known as the Didact.^[5]

Transcript

{Gameplay'}

John arrives at a small Forerunner room.

John-117: "What were those things?"

Cortana: "Some sort of advanced defense AIs. Related to the Sentinels, I'm guessing. But hard to say without a closer look. C'mon, let's figure out where that transit system dumped us."

John-117 leaves the room via a door and enters a platform inside Requiem's core, which is revealed to be a large empty sphere.

Buried and Forgotten

Cortana: "Put me in the console."

John approaches a console at the end of the platform and inserts Cortana's data crystal chip into it.

{Cutscene}

John and Cortana look around, but only see a distant purplish sphere in an otherwise empty expanse.

John-117: "Where's Infinity?"

Cortana: This is Requiem's core, all right, but Infinity is definitely not here. (Cortana manipulates the holoscreen in front of her.) That satellite in the center is amplifying the ship's broadcasts like a relay.

John-117: Maybe we can use it to respond.

Cortana: Perhaps.

Cortana clicks a few more buttons on the screen. Pan to show two thin beams anchoring the sphere on opposite sides.

Cortana: Those beams coming off of it are creating the interference we've been experiencing. We'd have to take them out to contact Infinity.

Cortana presses another button and a translocation portal opens nearby.

Cortana: Opening a gate to the first beam pylon. Pull me, and let's go.

John retrieves her.

{Gameplay}

John enters the portal and arrives at a small Forerunner hallway, which leads to a rocky canyon.

John-117: "This is the first pylon?"

Cortana: "Negative. This is as close as I could get us. Hope you don't mind hoofing it a little."

John arrives at a small valley where robotic dog-like creatures leap down to attack the Chief.

Cortana: "Contacts!"

John fights them and encounters more of them in the next valley.

Cortana: "And they're back! Coming down the walls!"

John defeats all the Crawlers and resumes his journey.

John-117: "Those weren't the same things we saw in the Terminus."

Cortana: "Similar cortical footprints as the tower AIs. They're connected, all right."

John presses a terminal that activates a hard light bridge.

Cortana: "Look out!"

{Cutscene}

John looks up and see a Promethean Knight jumping down. The Promethean Knight knocks John on the ground and screams. Its face plate opens, revealing a screaming blue skull. John punches the face, and the Knight flinches. John kicks himself away from the Knight, which teleports away.

Cortana: "Well, he's just a ray of sunshine, isn't he?"

{Gameplay}

Cortana: "From that peek under the hood, I can say these constructs must be memetic in nature."

John-117: "More of them?"

Cortana: "Similar phasing activity at the edge of our sensors. We're about to get busy."

Cortana: "I've discovered something interesting about our new friends. When the big one explodes, that momentary flash we're seeing is actually a data purge."

John-117: "Can you tap into it?"

Cortana: "So far, I've pulled multiple strings referring the big ones as Promethean Knights. beyond that though, things get a bit dense."

Captain Andrew Del Rio (COM): "(garbled transmission)"

Cortana: "The relay interference is increasing. We must be getting close to the pylon."

John-117: "What's that distortion?"

Cortana: "That's me…something about moving through these portal is increasing the load on my system."

John-117: "Are you… going to be alright?"

Cortana: "Don't worry. Ive held off rampancy this long, haven't I?"

Cortana: "Chief, we won't be able to contact Infinity if we don't get to that pylon and take it down."

Cortana: "That's the target, but it looks like the entrance is shielded. Let's figure out how to take it down."

Cortana: "One of the shield's power core. Take it out."

Cortana: "I read two more cores on our level. Hit them before you climb all the way up."

Cortana: "Well done, Chief, one to go."

Cortana: "Great, that's all the cores. Head for the top of the pylon."

Cortana: "Chief, look at this:"

Cortana: "That's requiem. They're not inside at all… they're moving into orbit."

Andrew Del Rio (COM): "(garble transmission)"

John-117: "Did he say Forward Unto Dawn?"

Cortana: "They must have intercepted our distress beacon!"

John-117: "The beacon was pulled into Requiem with us. If they try to follow it…"

Cortana: "…they'll get caught in the gravity well. I'll keep trying to warn them; you get that beam down!"

Cortana: "That's the beam control!"

Cortana: "It's working. the signal from the relay is starting to clear up."

Andrew Del Rio(COM): "Fleetcom actual. We've detected a UNSC beacon coming from somewhere inside the planet-"

Cortana: "They haven't hit the gravity well yet."

Cortana: "There's still too much interference to warn them. We've got to disable the other beam before they're pulled in like we were."

Enemy of my Enemy

Cortana: "I was wondering why Infinity hadn't encountered the Covenant yet."

John-117: "What are they doing here?"

Cortana: "They're heading to the second pylon as well!"

John-117: "That can't be a coincidence."

Cortana: "Sounds like the Prometheans don't want the Covenant here, either. The battlenet's already lighting up with reports of resistance all around the pylon."

Cortana: "Drop pods!"

Andrew Del Rio (COM): "(garbled transmission)"

Cortana: "The relay's signal is breaking up again. We're almost to the beam."

Andrew Del Rio (COM): "(garbled transmission)"

Cortana: "They've found the opening! We better get up to that relay and fast!"

Cortana: "Power core down! Shield's weak, but still online. Take out the other two power cores and we can access the pylon."

Cortana: "Second power core offline, good job, Chief!"

Cortana: "That'll do it. Shields should be down. Get up to that beam!"

Andrew Del Rio (COM): "UNSC Infinity to survivor, Forward Unto Dawn. Reading a faint IFF tag near the planetary core, do you read?"

Cortana: "Planet's core? They know we're here!"

Cortana: "Infinity this is UNSC AI Cortana. Do not approach Forerunner planet! Repeat, do not approach-"

Andrew Del Rio (COM): "Infinity to UNSC asset! Forward Unto Dawn! We read you but you're breaking up! Helm, increase speed by point seven. Get us in there."

Cortana: "Negative, Infinity! Do not enter the planet!"

Andrew Del Rio (COM): "If you can hear us, keep transmitting-"

Cortana: "No! Chief, you've got to that beam down now!"

Cortana: "Cortana to Infinity, do you copy? Come in, Infinity! The interference is gone, but your suit's transmitter is not strong enough."

John-117: "Route us up to the relay satellite."

Cortana: "Already done! go!"

Cortana: "Once we're on the satellite, there's bound to be a central control point."

John-117: "The covenant is moving towards the relay too."

Cortana: "This doesn't make any sense! Why would they care about a broadcast relay?

John-117: "I'll handle them; you just find us that control node."

Almost Home

John-117: "How soon 'til Infinity hits the gravity well?"

Cortana: "A minute or two, max!"

Cortana: "The Covenant are making a push for something on the far side of the satellite."

Cortana: "Chief, you need to hear this!"

Infinity Comm: "We're detecting a slight gravimeter disturbance near the planetary entrance. Suggest altering vector approach 43K-750K-12K.

Cortana: "They're not diverting from the opening! Hurry, Chief!"

Cortana: "Wait - something's not right!"

John-117: "We don't have time!"

Cortana: "The pillars! Touch the pillars!"

{Cutscene}

John places his hands on each pillar and speaks.

John-117: "Infinity! This Sierra 117 of UNSC Forward Unto Dawn. Do you copy?"

John's own speech broadcasts dully and garbled from the enormous sphere before him. It is slowly rising and emanating an orange glow. John looks at it in confusion.

John-117: "Infinity? Do you read?"

The sphere continues to rise. Its black plating is folding away to reveal its glowing orange core. Below John, many fighting Sangheili and Prometheans stop to see the Cryptum rising.

Cortana: "Chief... Chief, let go of the contacts!"

John quickly pulls his hands away from the pillars. He faces the rising cryptum and pulls out his assault rifle.

John-117: "Find us an exit."

Cortana: "Don't wait around on my account."

John leaps off the platform to a lower level just as the Cryptum releases an orange energy wave, which knocks over the Covenant and Prometheans. John hides behind a small barrier and peaks over it to see what is happening.

POV shot of the Cryptum's bottom unfolding and letting down a small triangular capsule. The capsule floats down into midair, stops, and opens up to reveal a kneeling figure. He seems to be non-human, but very tall and muscular. Upon seeing him, John ducks back behind the barrier again.

The released figure stands up and flexes his body. Gradually armor starts to appear on his back, chest, and arms. Once he is fully armored, the man assesses his surroundings.

The Didact: "So fades the great harvest of my betrayal."

The Didact spreads out a hand to let out an shimmering wave over the nearby Prometheans, which calm down and change their blue highlights to orange. They cease fighting the Sangheili who bow down in reverence of the Forerunner.

Sangheili: "Didact..."

The Didact's platform floats to where Master Chief is hiding. He looks at him disdainfully.

Didact: "Even these beasts, recognized what you were oblivious to, Human. Your nobility has blinded you, as ever."

The metal barrier shielding John disintegrates. John immediately stands up to fight but the Forerunner simply reaches out into the war and telekinetically binds him. The helpless John is lifted to face the Didact.

Didact: "The Librarian left little to chance, did she? Turning my own guardians... my own world... against me. But what hubris to believe she could protect her pets from me forever. If you haven't mastered even these primitives, then Man has not yet attained the Mantle. Your ascendance may yet be prevented. Time was your ally, Human, but now it has abandoned you. The Forerunners... have returned."

The Didact summons his helmet, which assembles itself to resemble a glowing metal skull. John struggles and chokes but still can't break free.

Didact: "This tomb, is now yours."

The Didact tosses John away, who slams into a wall and crashes onto the floor. The Spartan groans and forces himself back up, seeing the Didact retreat into the enormous rising Cryptum, now surrounded by swirling energy.

Cortana: "Slipspace rupture! Chief, move!"

John runs for his life. The Cryptum's energy glows brighter and brighter then explodes. Cut to black.

Cortana: "Chief, please! We've got to go!

Fade in to John's POV. He slowly comes to.

Cortana: "That… Didact. He manipulated Infinity's signal to get us to release him! ...Get up!"

John regains full consciousness and forces himself up.

John-117: "What's happening?"

John looks up to see an enormous glowing energy mass forming in the sky. A Phantom is pulled out of the air toward it.

Cortana: "Moving the satellite into slipspace has destabilized the core."

The Phantom smashes into another being pulled, and both smash down on the surface.

Cortana: "The Didact's leaving! We've got to find a way out of here before the whole network collapses!"

Next Stop, Certain Death

{Gameplay}

Cortana: "Grab one of those ghosts."

Cortana: "Hang on, I'm going to channel energy from your shields to overdrive the ghost's boost."

Cortana: "Keep going! Keep going!"

Cortana: "Chief, what are you doing?"

Cortana: "Emergency broadcast from Infinity!"

Andrew Del Rio (COM): "Fleet com, this is Infinity. We are encountering an unidentifiable gravimetric disturbance and are being pulled inside a planet of Forerunner origin! Possible contact with UNSC Forward Unto Dawn! Jettisoning complete log beacon at our last known!"

John-117: "Cortana, we need to get up there."

Cortana: "It's not like I can get out and push!"

Cortana: "The core's not going to last much longer!"

Cortana: "Portal up ahead!"

{Cutscene}

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Cortana: "Chief, there!"

The Master Chief looks up and sees the UNSC Infinity emerging from the clouds. Electric sparkles around the ship. The ship leaves the cloud layer and draws closer to him. The ship tumbles over him and past the mountain range.

Andrew Del Rio (COM): "Mayday! Mayday! This is the captain of the UNSC Infinity. Unknown enemy has seized control of the ship - we're without power! We are on a collision course with an unidentified Forerunner planet..."

John-117: "Track its descent."

Cortana: "Marking. Impact predicted seventy-seven-point-eight kilometers due north."

The Chief watches as the Infinity descends. The air begins to waver and distort behind the Chief as Didact's Cryptum rises from beyond the cliff edge. The Chief turns back and unholsters his assault rifle in alarm. The Cyptum scans the mountain the Chief is on. The sphere then zooms away to the direction of the Infinity at supersonic speed.

Cortana: "Know where he's heading..."

John-117: "Same place we are."

John walks toward the camera. Fade to black. Level ends

Trivia

During the final segment of the mission, the player can occasionally cause a glitch in the game by ramming a rock with a boosting Ghost right as the rock juts into the air. This will launch the Ghost and the player up into the air and out of the map, where they will continue to fall below the map for several seconds before the game reverts to last checkpoint.
In co-op mode, players who die during the Ghost escape sequence will respawn already riding a new Ghost, to prevent death from making it impossible to finish the level.

Mistakes

During the cutscene where the the Didact is freed, the two Elites besides the Promethean Knights are both shown with energy swords. In a later shot, one of the Elites is shown with a Needler instead.