Exodus

This article is about the Spartan Ops episode. For other uses of "Exodus", see Exodus (disambiguation).

“

UNSC Infinity must escape a deadly trap.

”

Exodus is the tenth and last episode of Spartan Ops Season 1. It was released on February 18, 2013. In this episode, Jul 'Mdama's final plan is set in motion, guaranteeing the destruction of Infinity and her crew. Spartan Palmer and the members of Fireteam Majestic are dispatched on a do-or-die mission as all comes to an explosive end.^[1]

Chapters

#	Name	Location	Description
1	Artifact	Harvester	"Shield world Requiem highly unstable and on trajectory to collide with sun. Fireteams Crimson and Majestic in pursuit of artifacts needed to halt planet's course."
2	In One Way	Warrens	"Fireteam Crimson is on route through Warrens to acquire the replacement Harvester power supply stored at Apex."
3	Seize the Power	Apex	"Numerous pelicans shot down trying to recover the power supply for the Covenant Harvester. Fireteam Crimson searching for survivors while recovering the replacement part."
4	Out the Other	Warrens	"Pelican dispatched to retrieve Fireteam Crimson and the Harvester power supply, but Covenant forces are converging on their location in Warrens."
5	One Last Time	Harvester	"Requiem's impact with sun is imminent. Spartans deployed to Covenant Harvester with replacement power supply."

Opening cinematic

Fade in to Catherine Halsey, who is unconscious from her bullet wound. As a Sangheili Storm carries her away, another approaches to inform Jul 'Mdama.

Sangheili Storm: "(Sangheili) The fleet is ready."

Jul looks at the half of the Janus Key he carries. A terminal in front of him rises out of the ground.

Jul 'Mdama: "(Sangheili) We have what we came for. Initiate the evacuation. Whoever does not make it to a ship will die with Requiem."

The Storm Elite nods and walks away. 'Mdama accesses the activated Terminal and presses a few button. But he hesitates before inputting the final command, then presses his hand against the largest symbol. The holograms vanish and 'Mdama strides away. In front of him glows an enormous hologram, displaying the Ur-Didact's unbound symbol.

HALO: INFINITY

Establishing shot of the UNSC Infinity. Two Broadswords fly past, toward the Infinity. Cut to aboard its bridge, where Dr. Glassman explains the situation to Captain Lasky. The holo-table shows a model of Requiem.

Glassman: "This projection device that Majestic found shows two more artifacts down on Requiem just like the one in our hangar. Now, they are the Requiem end of a slipspace conduit which is physically connecting Infinity to Requiem."

Glassman changes the hologram to one of the Infinity. The spatial tether disappears as he outlines his point.

Glassman: "If we can deactivate them, Infinity should be free to move."

Cut to Lasky, who listens and nods in approval. Dr. Glassman beings up a hologram of Fireteam Majestic.

Glassman: "Commander Palmer, we're sending down the necessary deactivation codes."

Cut to Requiem's surface, where Palmer communicates with the ship and to her Spartans.

Palmer: "Majestic and I will take care of the first artifact. Roland, send Fireteam Crimson the second set of coordinates."

Roland (COM): "You got it, Commander."

Gabriel Thorne hears the loud sounds of ships.

Thorne: "Commander!"

The Spartans look up to see multiple CRS light cruisers, Liches, and an RCS Covenant cruiser flying past them.

Palmer: "Ah hell."

Cut to Infinity's bridge.

Lasky: "Battlestations!!"

Roland: "Captain! They're not attacking. They're entering slipspace."

Roland shows the hologram of Requiem, showing dozens of Covenant ships leaving orbit. Lasky looks out the window and sees them all jumping to slipspace.

Lasky: "This can't be good."

The ship suddenly shudders.

Lasky: "Woah, we're moving!"

Glassman looks in horror at the ship's hologram.

Glassman: "...Captain, it's not us that's moving. It's Requiem. The artifact conduits... they're pulling Infinity with it."

The hologram plays a simulation of Requiem's predicted course. The planet travels into the large star in the center of its solar system.

Roland: "Straight into the sun."

Cut to Thorne on Requiem's surface.

Thorne: "If we have to find those artifacts before Infinity can leave-"

Palmer pulls out her M6Hs.

Palmer: "Then let's get moving, Spartans."

Majestic dashes down the alley to find the devices.

Closing cinematic

Establishing shot of Infinity above Requiem, now drifting closer to its sun. Cut to Lasky aboard the ship's bridge. He holds his hand in front of his face trying to block out the light from the sun now filling up his window. A filter then decreases its intensity, allowing Lasky to look at it safely without blinding himself. Lasky walks up to Infinity's holo-table.

Lasky: "Sarah, how's it going on Requiem? It's getting awful warm out here."

Palmer (COM): "Crimson got their score."

Cut to Requiem's surface. Palmer is cornered against the wall of a hallway, trying to shoot at the Covenant guarding the interior.

Palmer: "Ours is proving slightly more difficult."

DeMarco crosses the hallway, avoiding their shots.

DeMarco: "Anybody tell these goons their buddies left them behind?! Majestic, move up!!"

Thorne charges up with Hoya.

Thorne: "Coming through!"

Tedra Grant leaps up to join Thorne and Hoya, tossing a grenade as she does so.

Grant: "Fire in the hole!!"

The grenade explodes, killing most of the remaining Covenant. Only two are left standing.

DeMarco: "Thorne, there it is!"

Thorne: "On it!"

Thorne dashes ahead and accesses the hologram, ducking low to avoid the incoming fire from the last two Elites. Palmer rushes up behind him and kills one of the remaining Elites.

Palmer: "Almost there. Let's move it, Majestic!"

Palmer and the others cover Thorne. The last Elite is killed.

DeMarco: "Move up!"

The team moves forth and secures the area. Thorne presses a few more buttons, and the floor opens up to reveal a rectangular artifact just like the one aboard Infinity.

Grant: "Clear."

Thorne presses another button. The artifact glows, shakes, and then falls to the ground inert.

Thorne: "Artifact's offline."

Palmer: "Let's get out of here."

The Spartans turn and leave the hallway. Cut to aboard Infinity, where Glassman inspects the artifact in the hangar.

Lasky (COM): "Doctor Glassman?"

The artifact shudders and floats off the ground, no longer stuck to it.

Glassman: "It's off the floor, Captain."

Cut back to the bridge.

Lasky: "Try now, Lieutenant James!"

James: "It's working."

Infinity in orbit begins to move forward.

James: "We're free!"

Cut to Majestic's Pelican, flying up through Requiem's atmosphere.

Lasky (COM): "Sarah, we're on whatever speed you got. We gotta leave now!"

Palmer: "We're almost home.

Grant is piloting and the others sit in the back cockpit seats. Crimson's Pelican can be seen in front of them.

Grant: "Crimson are dead ahead, Commander."

Palmer: "Punch it!"

Grant increases the Pelican's speed, and the two aircraft fly out of Requiem through a crack in its enormous plating. The Pelicans head for the waiting Infinity. Cut to aboard its hangar, where two technicians watch them arrive, only to run and cover their heads as the birds get closer. The Pelicans have a rough landing, but arrive intact.

Cut to the bridge. Roland gives a thumbs up.

Roland: "All hands aboard."

Lasky: "LT, get us the hell out of here!"

James: "Aye, sir!"

James presses a button and Infinity's engines light up, rocketing the ship away. As the ship exits the frame, the artifact, having been jettisoned by Infinity, can be seen tumbling through space toward the ancient Forerunner planet, both of which are then swallowed by its sun.

After Infinity gets some distance, the sun collapses and then explodes. Infinity opens a slipspace portal and flees. Some of the sun's plasma follows through it, but the ship makes an intact escape. Cut to Roland.

Roland: "Emergency jump complete, Captain. Injuries reported on multiple decks but no major casualties."

Lasky: "Captain Lasky to all crew, we made it!"

The entire crew cheers.

Lasky: "Good work, everyone!!"

The UNSC Infinity flies away. Fade to black.

Fade in on Lasky and Palmer, heading to the lab room. Palmer is out of armor.

Palmer: "You sent them to stop me."

Lasky: "I sent them to rescue Doctor Halsey."

Palmer types in the password. The door to the lab opens.

Palmer: "You see a difference?"

Inside Dr. Glassman inspects the Janus Key, which is being held inside a glass canister for safety. Nearby machines examine it.

Lasky: "Doctor, what've you got?"

Glassman is now wearing a sling. He seems somewhat dazed.

Glassman: "Well, th-the first test showed that it is inert. But... this part is really weird."

Glassman clicks on a screen above them, which shows microscopic images of the key's structure.

Glassman: "On a molecular level, it's incomplete. Jus-it makes no sense."

The doctor peers down at the tiny artifact inside the canister.

Glassman: "It's like... It's like we're only seeing half of it."

Match cut of the other half of the Key, floating aboard Jul 'Mdama's flagship. The Sangheili paces across the deck. The rest of Jul's fleet can be seen outside a window.

Jul 'Mdama: "(Sangheili) You gave the other half to your compatriots."

Halsey: "That was before I knew my compatriots were a hit squad, not a rescue team."

Cut to Halsey, seated on the deck. Her left arm has been amputated and the sleeve has been tied into a tourniquet.

Halsey: "Not that I fared much better in your care."

Jul 'Mdama: "(Sangheili) After your betrayal, you are lucky I did not let you bleed to death."

Halsey stands up and walks up to 'Mdama, picking up the Key as she speaks.

Halsey: "The UNSC just tried to execute me. So you'll need to offer something other than idle threats if you want me to help you."

Jul 'Mdama angrily takes the Key from her, examining it for a moment.

Jul 'Mdama: "(Sangheili) What is it you desire?"

Halsey: "That's easy, Jul. (She glances at her arm.) I want revenge."

Fade to black. Cut to credits. Season ends.

Trivia

The shot of the Pelicans exiting Requiem in the epilogue cinematic is closely reminiscent of the UNSC Spirit of Fire escaping from Trove in the final cinematic of Halo Wars. In both scenes, UNSC ships fly through a crack in the outer shell of a shield world about to be destroyed; in addition, the camera angles and lighting are strikingly similar.
The climax of Requiem being pulled into its sun was originally suggested as a joke by Frank O'Connor.^[2]
Halsey was not originally meant to lose her arm. The writers later decided to let her lose it to add a sense of ambiguity as to who Halsey wanted revenge on.^[2]
There are seven Zanar-pattern light cruisers seen escorting the Maugen-pattern armored cruiser in the first Exodus cutscene.