Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn/Transcripts/Part 2

Opens to the debris of Template:UNSCship in space.

• Cortana: "We have been floating aimlessly in space for 1,651 days, 6 hours, and 19 minutes."

A blue light emerges from a pedestal in the center of the room.

• Cortana: "That does it! Over four years onboard this ship with nothing to do."

Cuts to the entire cryo bay.

• Cortana: "No task to complete. For over four years, all I have done is think."

The scene fast forwards. Cortana's voice is muffled as her voice fast forwards as well. Cut to a computer screen which is slowly covered by ice. Cut to another computer screen:

LAST CONTACT WITH UNSC:
1 YEARS, 5 MONTHS, 17 DAYS

The numbers increase as the screen is slowly covered by ice. Cut to the entire cryo bay, where snow is shown to be slowly piling up on the rows of cryo chambers.

• Cortana: "For over four years, all I have done is think."

A heart beating is heard. The blue light on the pedestal flickers red for a second. Cut to black.

• Cortana: "What are you dreaming in there?"

HALO 4

FORWARD UNTO DAWN

PART II

Opens to Thomas Lasky on his bed. An alarm has gone off in Hastati Squad's dormitory. Lasky blinks several times before being wide awake. Cut to the cadets running out of their rooms to a computer terminal at the end of the hallway. Lasky joins the group.

• Walter Vickers: "Come on, JJ! The Robot's gonna be pissed!"

Cut to Chen operating the terminal screen. Michael Sullivan is imitating the alarm sound.

• Junjie Chen: "Shut up, Sully!"

Vickers pushes Chen away from the terminal and enters a password. The door behind them opens.

• Walter Vickers: "I got it!"

The cadets scramble for the door. Sullivan turns to Chen.

• Michael Sullivan: "Your shirt's on backwards, asshole."

Cut to the cadets running into their locker room. April Orenski is walking through it."

• April Orenski: "Go! Go, go, go! Get there quick! Keep moving! Are you tippy-toeing?"

The cadets open their lockers and get into their combat uniforms.

• April Orenski: "Wake up, Hastati! Move it! Faster! Wake up!"

Cut to Lasky as he looks behind him: General Black stands at attention.

• Thomas Lasky: "A little early for General Black, don't you think?"

Cut to Orenski standing in front of Dimah Tchakova.

• April Orenski: "Why are you stopping? Are you waiting for your fancy mommy to come to finish for you? That looked like slow-motion to me. Wake up Hastati! Don't like being up at 04:00? Tomorrow it'll be 03:00."

• Chyler Silva: "Weapons, check!"

• Walter Vickers: "Weapons, check!"

• (others): "Weapons, check!"

• April Orenski: "Orlin, lights."

The emergency lighting and the alarms turn off and are replaced by normal lighting.

General Black steps forward. He stops in front of JJ, who has yet to put on his helmet. Chen snaps to attention.

• Black: "Cadet. Cadet! You're already dead, son."

• April Orenski: "Orlin, Cadet Silva's time?"

• Orlin: 51.07 seconds, Cadet April Orenski."

Gen. Black continues his inspection and stops in front of Vickers.

• Black: "Not good enough today, Cadet Vickers. I believe Cadet Silva's time was just shy of the academy record, held by Cadmon Lasky."

Black walks over to Thomas Lasky.

• Black: "Now that was a real soldier. A soldier who did not give up."

Black continues pacing in front of the cadets.

• Black: "Tomorrow, you will engage in the last major exercise of this term. Hastati Squad's future at this academy will depend on its performance."

Cut to a view of the academy's space tether and satellite dish. Cut to JJ Chen in his dorm room, recording a message on his data terminal.

• Junjie Chen: (Mandarin)" " (Subtitled in English) "Hello Father. Thank you for your message. I received top marks today during a combat exercise."

Cut to Sully watching scrambled ONI video. Covenant symbols flash briefly on the screen.

• Michael Sullivan: "Score."

Dimah comes look at the screen over Sullivan's shoulder.

• Dimah Tchakova: "Where did you get this?"

• Michael Sullivan:"Dimah."

• Dimah Tchakova: "You could get in a lot of trouble."

• Michael Sullivan: "You can't tell your mom about this, okay?"

• Dimah Tchakova: "I won't say anything."

Cut to campus grounds.

• Orlin: "Advisory: Select communication systems will be down for system maintenance at 04:00."

Cut to mess hall. April Orenski watches as Lasky and Vickers sit down at their table.

• April Orenski: "Cadet Vickers."

• Walter Vickers: "Yes, sir!"

• April Orenski: "You realize that you and Lasky are the reason I had to run the tour yesterday with you noobs. And why we all had to get up at 04:00."

• Walter Vickers: "Yes, sir!"

• April Orenski: "So, as you can imagine, I'm pretty hungry. And I do love this academy's quiche."

She smirks to her fellow class commanders.

• Male cadet (off-screen): "Nice, April..."

• Walter Vickers: "Sir..."

• April Orenski: "So hand them over. Both of you."

Lasky and Vickers walk their trays over to Orenski and place them in front of her.

• April Orenski: "With such a renowned pedigree, I sure expected you to be a better soldier, Lasky."

• Thomas Lasky: "Sir."

• April Orenski: "You're dismissed."

Lasky turns and walks away, followed by Vickers.

• Walter Vickers: "Must be tough on your mom, knowing her real son's never coming home."

Lasky spins and elbow Vickers in the face, followed by a left punch.

• Male cadet (in background): "Oh, Lasky and Vickers..."

Vickers blocks and counters the third blow. Other cadets stand to watch the fight. Vickers hits Lasky repeatedly with a lunch tray. Lasky kicks him in the back of the knee. Vickers punches Lasky twice in the face then knocks him down. Lasky grabs his leg and pulls him down. The crowd watches as Lasky gains the upper hand. Camera shifts to slow motion as Lasky rains down blows.

• Dimah Tchakova: "Officer on deck!"

Various cadets stand at attention and try to look innocent. Colonel K.L. Mehaffey looks down at the brawlers with disdain. Lasky slowly gets to his feet. Janitor Beamish looks on in shock.

• Mehaffey: "Outside."

Col. Mehaffey leaves, followed by Lasky and Vickers; the latter wipes blood from his nose.

• Mehaffey: "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Mehaffey stops to face Lasky.

• Mehaffey: "Answer me!"

• Thomas Lasky: "Nothing, sir."

• Mehaffey: "Well, maybe there's hope for you yet."

• Thomas Lasky: "Sir?"

• Mehaffey: "There's a soldier inside of you, Thomas. I can see it. Everyone can see it. You- need- to see it. I know your brother did."

Lasky nods thoughtfully.

• Thomas Lasky: "Yes, sir."

• Mehaffey: "Now go get yourself cleaned up before class."

• Thomas Lasky: "Axios!"

Lasky salutes; Mehaffey leaves.

Cut to Lasky, who finishes cleaning himself up, in front of a mirror in his room. He walks up to the data terminal and opens a video message from his brother.

• Cadmon Lasky: "Hey, bro. Hello from Arcadia. The jungles of Arcadia. So what can I tell ya?"

Other ODSTs interrupt in the background.

• Jack (off-screen): "Tell him how you got your new nickname!"

• Cadmon Lasky: "What? No."

• Jack: "I'll tell him."

• Cadmon Lasky: "Jack, come on, I got it, I swear. I'll tell him. I'll tell him. Alright, you're especially gonna love this. So we make a drop in the rain forest, a couple weeks ago. We see this river, me and the boys, we decide to take a dip. Ridge warns us all not to not drink the water."

• Ridge: "Yeah, I did."

ODSTs laugh in the background.

• Cadmon Lasky: "Of course, the first thing I do is to get a mouthful. I almost ruin my body suit, couple times. So now they call me, uh, 'Volcano'."

Cadmon and the other ODSTs in the recording laugh and repeat Cadmon's nickname. Lasky sorrowfully fidgets with an empty shell casing, wipes his eyes and gets up.

Cut to an overhead view of the Corbulo Academy campus.

• Mehaffey (voiceover): "The pincer movement...

Cut to a lecture room, where the cadets are gathered around a holographic table, either standing at the table or sitting in the amphitheater around it. Col. Mehaffey is walking around the table as she lectures to the cadets.

• Mehaffey: "The strategy used in Earth's Second Punic War against the Roman Republic at the Battle of Cannae. Orlin, begin.

• Orlin: "Lesson beginning."

A geographical map of the battlefield at Cannae with blue and red markers is projected on the table. The cadets around the table follow in fascination.

• Mehaffey: "Red represents the Romans' troops, blue, Hannibal's. Hannibal placed his spear-men and slingers at the front. Behind him, his swordsmen flanked by cavalry. When the Romans attacked, Hannibal's swordsmen retreated. To the Romans that seemed to be due to their force but in reality Hannibal had ordered the retreat. As the Romans continued to drive the swordsmen back, Hannibal's cavalry galloped in from behind. Once the attacking pincers connected, the Romans were completely surrounded."

• Michael Sullivan: "This is an actual strategy?"

• Dimah Tchakova: "It does seem a little basic."

• Mehaffey: "The Romans outnumbered Hannibal's troops by over 10,000 strong. And yet, they were defeated. Why? Hubris. Never underestimate your opponents. Never underestimate what they'll sacrifice for victory. Questions?"

• Junjie Chen: "Yeah... How do we apply this?"

• Michael Sullivan: "Yeah, we don't have horses."

• Mehaffey: "True, we don't. But what do we have instead?"

• Chyler Silva: "ODSTs."

• Mehaffey: "Exactly. They drop behind enemy lines. Attack from the rear. Neutralize."

• Thomas Lasky (in background): "Or die trying."

The others turn to Lasky, who is sitting at the amphitheater. Mehaffey looks at Lasky and walks over to him.

• Mehaffey: "It's a question as old as war itself; If someone is trying to kill you... are you not to rise against him... and kill him first?"

Mehaffey leaves.

Cut to Lasky and Silva walking on the academy grounds.

• Thomas Lasky: "You were hanging on her every word."

• Chyler Silva: "Why wouldn't I?"

• Thomas Lasky: I just hear the drum beat of endless war and that doesn't make me an 'Innie lover'. Tell me how wrong I am."

Silva turns to Lasky.

• Chyler Silva: "Look. You want people to change? You want this war to end?"

• Thomas Lasky: "Yeah, of course."

• Chyler Silva: "Then you're gonna need people to follow you."

Silva turns around and leaves.

Cut to an exterior shot of the Corbulo Academy campus; then to a hallway where the members of Hastati Squad stand in formation. April Orenski stands in front of the squad and steps forward to address the cadets.

• April Orenski: "Tomorrow, Hastati Squad will try not to embarrass itself... yet again. You are a unit. Your lives are in each other's hands. This morning's victor, Cadet Silva, knows this because her parents gave the ultimate sacrifice and died on the battlefield. Let success in tomorrow's exercise be not just for our honor but for those who have fallen so you can be here."

Cut to Lasky sitting thoughtfully on a concrete wall. Cut to him walking in the academy grounds; a number of Marines stand guard nearby. Gen. Black's Warthog appears from around a corner. Lasky salutes as the Warthog passes.

• Warthog radio: "(Indistinct)... south-east gate... (indistinct)... threat level red."

• Orlin: "All cadets, please be advised: New mandatory curfew tonight at 21:00."

Cut Lasky inspecting the poem, "Forward Unto Dawn", inscribed over his bed. Lasky knocks on the wall and hears Silva knock back.

Cut to a view of Corbulo Academy at dawn.

• Orlin: "Final combat exercise of this term: Hastati versus Zuma."

A montage of the cadets doing their morning preparations; Silva getting up, Tchakova making her bed, Vickers cutting his hair with a hair clipper, Chen polishing his boots. Sullivan watches more classified footage. Lasky straightens his uniform in front of a mirror.

Hughes administers an injection to Lasky.

• Orlin: "Cadets, prepare for cryo injections."

The cadets snap to attention. General Black oversees the squad as Orenski briefs them.

• April Orenski: "Attention! Today's mission is to capture the flag. I expect a better outcome than last time."

• Thomas Lasky: "Permission to speak, sir."

• April Orenski: "Speak."

• Thomas Lasky: "I'd like to take point, sir."

Silva smiles. Orenski hesitates for a moment and glances at Gen. Black.

• April Orenski: "Okay, Lasky. Let's see if you've still got it in you. But for your sake, you better hope that you can pull some magic out of your ass or you'll be running tour for the rest of the year."

• Thomas Lasky: "Understood, sir."

Cut to the cryo pods opening. The cadets get out, put on their armor and prepare their weapons.

• Thomas Lasky: "Hastati Squad: One minute to RV point. On my mark: 3... 2... 1... Mark!"

Cut to an overhead shot of the forest, then to Hastati Squad advancing forward.

• Dimah Tchakova (?): "Come on, pick it up."

• ?: "Moving."

• Walter Vickers: "Cover!"

• Dimah Tchakova: "Moving!"

• Chyler Silva: "Moving!"

• Dimah Tchakova: "RV point in sight!"

• Walter Vickers: "No sign of Zuma."

• ?: "Let's go! Move. Move!"

• Thomas Lasky: "Keep moving!"

• Walter Vickers: "Zuma's out here, watch your back!"

• Dimah Tchakova: "Moving."

• Thomas Lasky (?): "Moving!"

• Walter Vickers "At RV point!"

• Junjie Chen (?): "I'm here."

• Michael Sullivan (?): "Arriving."

Hastati Squad make it to the RV point. View of the motion tracker on Lasky's HUD.

• Thomas Lasky: "Equal numbers. Deadlocked terrain."

• Chyler Silva: "What's your plan?"

• Thomas Lasky: "We're waiting."

Cut to the cadets waiting next to their flag, visibly bored.

• Walter Vickers: (sighs)

• Walter Vickers: "Why are we just sitting here? If we have equal numbers we should just fight it out."

• Thomas Lasky: (coughs) "You gotta just be patient."

• Walter Vickers: "Lazy freak."

• Thomas Lasky: "Okay, they're moving. Take off your helmets."

• Walter Vickers: "What?"

• Michael Sullivan: "That's pretty wild card, Lasky."

• Walter Vickers: "We'll be flying blind."

• Thomas Lasky: "Trust me."

Lasky removes his helmet. Cut to Zuma Squad advancing toward Hastati's apparent position.

• Zuma Squad #1 (radio): "Eyes up, eyes up. We're gonna flank them. They're all together."

First-person view of Zuma Squad member Moulder's HUD as a group of three Zuma cadets; Moulder, Newton and Verrelli move in toward Hastati's IFF contacts.

• Newton: "Found 'em!"

The three Zuma cadets approach Hastati's position with rifles at the ready, only to discover Hastati Squad's helmets lying on the ground.

• Verrelli: "Huh?"

Tchakova, Sullivan and Vickers suddenly rise from the nearby bushes and swiftly neutralize Moulder, Newton and Verrelli. More Hastati Squad members begin to fire on the remaining members of Zuma Squad.

• Thomas Lasky: "Now!"

• Zuma Squad #2: "It's a trap! It's an ambush!"

• Thomas Lasky: "Chyler, cover!"

Lasky and Silva move out toward Zuma's flag, with Silva providing covering fire. She takes out the two cadets guarding the flag and the two push on toward the objective. As Lasky approaches the flag, he starts to breathe heavily. His vision begins to fade and he loses consciousness, collapsing meters away from the flag.

• Michael Sullivan (?): "Lasky?"