Glassed

Were you looking for the orbital bombardment known as glassing?

Glassed is the third campaign level of Halo 5: Guardians.

Transcript

{Cutscene}

Establishing shot: the UNSC Infinity.

Cut to the bridge of the Infinity. Dr. Catherine Halsey is speaking to Captain Lasky. Roland's hologram is above his desk.

• Halsey: "I tried to warn you this was happening! Cortana is no longer an asset, Captain. She is a danger. She has accessed the Forerunner Domain, a galaxy-spanning network-"

• Roland: "Cortana's alive?"

• Halsey: "-that allows her to control whatever devices caused this damage."

• Roland: "How is she-"

• Lasky: The Master Chief believes she contacted him-"

• Halsey: "What? No. John must not speak to her."

• Lasky: "-and he's gone in search of her."

• Halsey: "You let him go?"

• Roland: "How is that-"

Sarah Palmer enters and interrupts him.

• Palmer: "Nobody lets the Chief do anything. He does what he wants."

• Lasky: "Until 0630 this morning, when he was declared absent without leave."

• Roland: "This isn't about the Master Chief."

Halsey interrupts him. Roland looks at her surprised.

• Halsey: "John is not equipped emotionally to deal with her as a threat-"

• Roland: "HEY! Is anyone going to answer me?!"

• Lasky: "You're out of line Roland."

• Roland: "Yes sir. But so is everyone else!"

Roland gestures at Halsey, who looks at him mournfully.

• Roland: "You created Cortana, Doc, and now you're throwing her out the airlock with these accusations!"

• Lasky: "Roland."

• Roland: "You think she tricked the Master Chief into abandoning his post? Respectfully, sir, to what end? Why is Cortana the problem?! Because she refused to die when she was supposed to?"

Fade to black.

Fade in to a hangar on the Infinity. A Mammoth is being loaded away. Nearby, Jameson Locke and Edward Buck work at a small lab.

• Buck: "You're okay with this? Not just another target, you know."

• Locke: "Every target is just another target, Buck."

Buck picks up and moves a briefcase.

• Buck: "Yeah. For you maybe."

• Buck: "I loved being an ODST."

Buck raises his pistol Whispered Truth and mimes shooting it.

• Buck: "Point and shoot. None of this gray area BS."

Locke opens a machine that carries a gray disc suspended in anti-gravity. He takes it out of the machine.

• Buck: "I mean, how are we even supposed to bring them in? Ask politely?"

Locke activates the disc, and it begins to spin, glow red, and whir.

• Locke: "No."

Locke throws the device at Buck, and his armor locks in place. He struggles to move, as its shields flicker and its limbs become immobile.

• Buck: "The hell?"

Locke pulls the device off Buck's armor, letting him move again.

• Locke: "Armor restraint. Short circuit their systems."

Buck looks at the device worriedly as Locke walks away.

• Buck: "You know, Locke..."

Locke turns to face him as their Pelican rises up.

• Buck: "Every other Spartan... every soldier, when they hear about this... they're gonna hate us. You know that, right?"

Locke looks back at him coldly.

• Locke: "You're not the only one here because of him."

He turns and walks away. Buck doesn't look reassured.

Fade to black.

Mission Start

Fade in on an an orbital elevator high above the surface of Meridian. Osiris' Pelican flies to its dock.

{Gameplay}

Fireteam Osiris is assembled in the orbital elevator's cab. The cab has large windows, showing a low orbit view of Meridian.

• Holly Tanaka: The Covenant glassed this planet in '48. It was a UNSC colony then, but we never came back. Run by a private corp now, chipping away the glass, making her livable.

• Buck: (annoyed) Why are we taking the long way down?

• Tanaka: Because it's polite. Grew up on an indie colony like Meridian. Folks out here don't take kindly to the UNSC landing in the middle of town. Tend to see it as an act of aggression.

The elevator passes through atmosphere. Meridian's surface can be seen now. Explosions burst in the sky. A few burning pieces of debris fly by.

• Buck: Speaking of acts of aggression...

• Olympia Vale: Those are Forerunner ships.

• Tanaka: What the hell are Forerunners doing here?

• Locke: Maybe we're not the only ones here for the Master Chief.

A new comm tag appears on Locke's HUD.

• Governor Sloan (COM): Whoever the hell is on my elevator- (static) -identify yourself.

• Locke: This is Spartan Jameson Locke, UNSC.

• Sloan (COM): Thugs, (static) the lot of you.

• Locke: To whom am I speaking?

• Sloan (COM): This is Governor Sloan. And you can get- (static)

• Buck: Governor didn't seem to want our help.

• Locke: Well he's going to get it anyway.

• Elevator PA: Approaching Meridian surface. Prepare to depart.

The door opens and Osiris steps out of the elevator. Locke approaches an armed settler.

• Settler: "Spartans?! What the hell are Spartans doing here?"

• Locke: "What's going on?"

• Settler: "Meridian Station's under attack! Sloan's trying to put up a fight, but... I got family up there. They ain't armed."

• Locke: "Osiris, the people of Meridian Station need our assistance."

Osiris arrives at the entrance to the space elevator. It's shut tight, with many armed settlers guarding it. A faint battle can be heard outside.

• Locke: "Meridian control. We need you to open the doors to the space elevator."

• Kyle Knoawa (COM): "But it's overrun!"

• Locke: "Open the doors so we can help."

• Franco Dimezzo (COM): "Dammit Kyle! Do it!"

• Knoawa (COM): "Fine! Go!"

The door slowly opens, revealing an outdoor security station courtyard being attacked by hordes of Promethean Crawlers and Soldiers.

• Vale: "Base is on lockdown. No way out."

• Buck: "There must be a way to shut down the security system."

• Tanaka: "Yeah, eliminate the threat then lockdown ends."

• Sloan (PA): "All good people of Meridian. You are hereby ordered to take up arms and defend your home from these aggressors."

• Sloan (COM): "Elevator control. Get those automated turrets online."

• Knoawa (COM): "We're trying, Governor! Security tower door's jammed!"

• Buck: "Automated turrets? Those could be useful."

• PA: "Hostile activity detected. Lockdown engaged."

If the player climbs to the top of the left security station, they reach the turret control room. Two miners inspect its locked door.

• Settler: "Turret controls are in there, but the security shutter is jammed."

Locke smashes through the door. He presses a button inside, and turrets on the buildings open fire on the Prometheans.

• Locke: "Turrets are online!"

• Sloan: "Wha- Spartans? You activated the turrets?"

• Locke: "We're here to help, Governor."

• Sloan: (groans)

If the player climbs to the top of the left security station, at the top they reach a catwalk with spare sniper rifles. The Spartans can see over the gate, and behind it is the door's power source, which is sparking slightly.

• Locke: "There's a clear shot to a generator from up here.

• Tanaka: "Take the shot, it'll drop power to the gate."

When shot, the generator explodes. The door to the courtyard slowly opens.

• Locke: "Gates are open."

• Sloan: "What in the hell are you doing?

• Locke: "We're headed for Meridian Station."

• Sloan: "So you bust up the place on your way out?"

After most of the Prometheans are dead, a Promethean Knight arrives, armed with an incineration cannon. More Soldiers and Crawlers accompany it.

• Buck or Tanaka or Locke: "Knight Commander just showed up with a fresh pack of Prometheans!"

Osiris brings down the Knight Commander together.

• Vale: "There are still Prometheans back there."

• Tanaka (COM: "You heard the man. People in town aren't well armed. They need us more."

With all the enemies dead, the security lockdown deactivates.

• Buck: "Looks like we're all clear."

• Sloan (COM): "Spartans? Was that your doing?"

• Locke: "We just helped, Governor. Your people did a lot."

The security station's gates open, leading to a long road heading further down. A Warthog and two Gungooses are parked there.

• Tanaka: "This road'll lead straight to Meridian Station."

• Locke: "Gates are open."

The Spartans head down the road. Above them, a Pelican is attacked by a pursuing Phaeton.

• Priya Singh (COM): "Mayday, mayday! I'm going down!"

Numerous warp gates open, teleporting Prometheans to attack the Spartans and miners.

• Sloan (COM): "McCord River, report in."

• Anele Pretorus (COM): "Governor Sloan! McCord River Bridge is sealed, but we're under heavy assault!"

• Jimmy Dupree (COM): "What do we do?!"

• Sloan (COM): "Make damn sure they don't get through to town!"

• Tanaka: "Governor, if you open the bridge, Osiris can help Meridian Station."

• Sloan (COM): "I let you through, those monsters will follow. No way!"

If the player shot the gate switch in the previous encounter.

• Sloan (COM): "After your wanton destruction at the space elevator, you're damn lucky I don't have my people shoot you."

• Sloan (COM): "If you want to help, then secure that bridge."

The Spartans aid the settlers and kill all the Prometheans.

• Sloan (COM): "I'll be damned. The propaganda about Spartans doesn't lie. Listen. Across the bridge, closer to town, there's others that could use your help."

• Locke: "We can do that, sir."

• Sloan (COM): "Alright. Opening up."

The bridge's gate opens.

If the player looks out over the glassed surface

• Tanaka: "Seen others of course, but a glassed world only looks like one thing to these eyes. Minab. Home. Whole world got glassed. Some say it was lucky to survive...but those folks didn't scratch out livings as the sky turned black and the temperatures dropped."

If the player stalls

• Vale: "We've seen Prometheans lots of places, but there's always been a Forerunner element."

• Buck: "Yeah? So?"

• Vale: "Meridian was a fully settled colony. No record of Forerunner discoveries here."

• Buck: "So why are there Prometheans here now?"

• Vale: "That's what I'm asking. Haven't you been listening?"

• Buck: "Ya know, you'd get along with Veronica real nice, Vale."

As the Spartans head across the bridge, they spot two Soldiers leap into an unoccupied Warthog, attacking them with it.

• Locke or Tanaka: "The Soldiers can drive?!"

As Osiris heads on, they reach a valley with several garages. Several Knights are leading infantry to attack it.

• William Khaleed (COM): "Governor Sloan! This is Billy at the garage! We're pinned down!"

• Sloan (COM): "Spartans, my people in the service garage could sure use your help. And, well, they might just have a Scorpion in there."

• Vale: "They have a tank. Why do they have a tank?"

• Tanaka: "Gift horses, Vale."

As they fight the Prometheans.

• Locke: "That Knight's got a scattershot! Watch the spread on that!"

Most of the Prometheans are destroyed.

• Sloan (COM): "Well done, Spartans. Head over to the garage. I'll have Billy open up."

• Luiz Santiago (COM): "Spartans?"

• Khaleed (COM): "Holy..."

• Sloan (COM): "Billy, they're gonna need to borrow your toy."

• Khaleed (COM): "What?"

• Sloan (COM): "They'll get more use out of it than you will."

When all the Prometheans are dead.

• Vale: "Area's clear."

• Tanaka: "Meridian Station's just up the hill."

The Spartans enter the garage.

• Vale: "Why did they have a Scorpion? This is UNSC gear."

• Locke: "Corporate security. Private security for a frontier colony isn't unusual. Surprising to see something this heavy, though."

The Spartans climb into the Scorpion and drive up the hill. Some Crawlers and Focus Turrets appear to engage them.

• Sloan (COM): "Spartans, you're close to Meridian Station now. If you could clear out the land between where you are and town...?"

• Locke: "Of course, Governor."

If the player shot the gate switch in the security courtyard.

• Sloan (COM): "Least you could do after busting up my gate!"

• Buck: "Wow. Pretty quick turnaround from (faux southern accent) 'get off my planet' to 'hey can you help?'"

• Vale: "At least he's talking to us. That's a start."

The Spartans continue driving up the Scorpion. A Phaeton attacks a mining ship overhead, and many infantry attack the gate to Meridian Station.

• Sloan (COM): "They're right on our doorstep, Spartans! Thought you were keeping them away from us?"

• Locke: "Osiris, clear the area so they can open the gates."

The Scorpion easily blasts away the infantry attacking. The area seems clear.

• Sloan (COM): "Is that good? Are we all clear?"

Warp portals begin to appear.

• Sloan (COM): "Aw hell. Here they come!"

Several waves of Prometheans attack, bringing Knight, Soldiers, Soldier Captains, and many more Crawlers. The Scorpion fights them with the aid of miners at Gauss turrets nearby.

• Sloan (COM): "Still a few of those things out there, Spartans."

Several more waves arrive but are eventually destroyed.

• Sloan (COM): "Well, looks like you've done it. Never thought I'd thank the UNSC for a damn thing, but I thank you, Spartans. Come on inside."

Level ends.

Trivia

• Buck's line "Not just another target, you know" is displayed twice in the subtitles.
• In the opening cutscene, Buck's pistol Whispered Truth lacks its suppressor.
• The Iron Skull can be found on this level on Legendary. After driving the Scorpion and passing Sloan's dialogue about clearing out enemies on the way, the player may see a cargo ship being chased by a Phaeton. Shooting down said Phaeton will cause the skull to spawn in three possible locations.
• Destroying the gate generator will cause Prometheans to stop spawning in the elevator courtyard.
• The Transport Warthog that is scripted to be destroyed by a Promethean Knight is a game set piece and cannot be driven.