Expendable

“

The Prometheans' attack come to a disturbing end.

”

Expendable is the eighth episode of Spartan Ops. It was released on February 4, 2013. In this episode, Fireteam Majestic are reunited, but the Infinity is still under attack by Promethean forces and unfortunately for Lasky, he won't know what the Prometheans are after until it's too late.

Chapters

#	Name	Location	Description
1	Unfinished Business	Apex	"Fireteam Crimson redeployed to finish clearing out remaining Covenant hostiles at Apex."
2	Majestic Rescue	Cyclone	"Fireteam Majestic faces heavy fire from Covenant artillery and are requesting backup. Fireteam Crimson is being sent in to kick some ass."
3	Lancer	Warrens	"Fireteam Lancer has detected some Covenant nests in Warrens. Spartans are inbound on their position."
4	Crystal Ball	Lockup	"Fireteam Crimson dispatched to investigate how the Covenant have been anticipating UNSC movements."
5	Glassman	Control	"Dr. Glassman has requested the assistance of Spartans in decoding a map recovered from the Covenant. Fireteam Crimson are inbound to assist."

Opening cinematic

Cut to Gabriel Thorne and Henry Glassman trek through a canyon near the "Quarry." Thorne is alert but Dr. Glassman is heavily panting.

• Doctor Henry Glassman: "Thorne...I'm not a Spartan. I gotta have some rest. Please."

Thorne helps Glassman to a boulder for him to rest on. Thorne, however, remains standing and looks around warily, sensing a follower.

• Glassman: "Why are we walking anyway? Isn't your armor full of comm gear?"

• Gabriel Thorne: "Used to be."

A cloaked figure secretly approaches them.

• Glassman: (panting) "How much further?"

• Thorne: "Galileo Base is two, maybe three klicks that way. Another couple hours and we'll be home."

Thorne keeps scanning the area, searching for their follower. He raises his storm rifle but fails to realize the attacker is behind him.

• Thorne: "Doctor Glassman, get to safety!"

• Glassman: "Huh? What is it?"

Thorne swings around to defend, but the uncloaking Gek 'Lhar whips out an energy sword and slices his rifle.

• Gek: "Yaaaaa!"

Cut to black.

Cut to the UNSC Infinity, passing above the entrance to Requiem's interior.

HALO: INFINITY

Cut to aboard the Infinity. A Marine is shot down, but another manages to destroy a Promethean Knight. Farther down, Lasky leads Catherine Halsey to the bridge.

• Doctor Catherine Halsey: "Captain, the Prometheans-"

• Captain Thomas Lasky: "Keep moving, Doctor!"

Lasky stops the two of them at a corner to the hallway. He waits a moment, then swings around to attack, only to find Sarah Palmer, who pushes down his shotgun.

• Commander Sarah Palmer: "Found him, Roland. ...Dr. Halsey too. Still alive?"

Lasky reloads his shotgun.

• Lasky: "For now. Is there some concern?"

• Palmer: "Maybe a little."

Palmer heads down the hallways first while Lasky pulls Halsey with him again.

Cut back to the canyon. Glassman tries unsuccessfully to attack Gek, but is merely thrown aside. Gek swings his energy sword for a second blow, but Thorne kicks it out of his hand. He follows it up with a punch to Gek's head.

Gek recovers and swings back, but Thorne dodges it and punches him again. Gek ignores this blow and raises both fists, slamming them down on Thorne and knocking him to his knees. Thorne is stunned, but quickly leaps back up and punches Gek in the face. Gek reels back, dazed, and Thorne follows it with a leaping punch again to his face. Gek stumbles back again but recovers. Thorne assumes a defensive position.

Gek roars and charges, but Thorne grabs him and tosses him to the ground. Thorne throws dirt in the Elite's face and reaches for a large boulder to crush his head with. He swings the boulder down, but Gek catches it with both hands, wrestles for it, then uses the momentum to pull Thorne down, allowing Gek to get on top of him and hold him down.

Gek takes the boulder and smashes it on Thorne's chest and head. The boulder shatters, but the blow puts Thorne out of the fight. Gek takes the opportunity to get back up and retrieve his energy sword. A crawling Dr. Glassman tries to reach it first, but Gek steps on his arm and regains his sword. Glassman pulls his arm away, crying in pain.

Gek puts his foot on Thorne's chest and with a roar reactivates his sword. He begins to swing the death blow, but suddenly stops as a three round burst echoes through the canyon. Gek falls to his knees, then slumps over dead, his energy sword deactivating as it does so. Behind him is revealed the rest of Fireteam Majestic. Thorne pushes off his body and his team approaches.

• Madsen: "Man, we've been looking absolutely everywhere for you."

Cut to Infinity's bridge. Captain Lasky, Halsey, and Palmer enter and address the crew.

• Lasky: "Lieutenant James, take us out of orbit. Move us far enough from Requiem that those things can't get on board."

• Lieutenant James: "Controls aren't responding, Captain. Infinity's locked in position."

• Roland: "Captain, look here."

Roland gestures to their holographic map. The hologram of Infinity has a large spatial tether anchoring it to the ground. The tether connects to Infinity's hangar.

• Roland: "The artifact is acting as a slipspace anchor, holding us in place."

• Palmer: "Slipspace isn't physical. It can't hold-"

• Halsey: "There's still a great many things that we don't know about slipspace."

• Palmer: "You; quiet! You were supposed to fix this whole thing days ago."

A Promethean Knight teleports on the bridge, right behind Halsey and Palmer.

• Lasky: "Look out!!"

The Knight leaps down and knocks Palmer away with its hard light blade. Palmer goes flying back and Lasky grabs his shotgun. Just as he aims it, he sees the Knight has grabbed Halsey and is holding her hostage.

• Halsey: "I'm sorry, Captain!"

The Knight teleports away, taking Halsey with it. Palmer gets back up.

• Lasky: "Damnit!"

• Palmer: "It was a smash and grab. They came here just for her! Uhh!"

In fury, Palmer slams her fist on the holo-table. Because of her augmented strength, the hologram flickers and the metal table dents.

Cut back to the canyon. Fireteam Majestic is recovering devices from Gek's corpse. Thorne hands DeMarco Gek's collection of human dog tags.

• Paul DeMarco: "Some of these tags belong to Spartans."

Thorne holds up Gek's energy sword, for DeMarco to wield.

• Thorne: "...With my thanks..."

DeMarco activates it, and he and Madsen laugh. He swings it around a few times excitedly.

• DeMarco: "Nice."

Thorne takes Gek's active camouflage module.

• Thorne: "Watch this."

Thorne vanishes to a mere shimmer. He walks up to Madsen while invisible, then reappears. Madsen opens his mouth in a playful shock. The two of them chuckle.

• Madsen: "You guys are getting all the cool stuff."

Thorne places the camo module on his thigh for later while Madsen crouches down to examine Gek's corpse. Madsen takes his own item from Gek.

• Madsen: "Ahhh... What's this?"

He activates the device and a hologram of Requiem appears.

• Madsen: "(sarcastically) Aw great. I got a map."

Cut to aboard Infinity. Lasky pulls up his collar and stands at attention at a holoscreen. The screen activates, and reveals a middle-aged woman at a desk.

• Osman: "Captain Lasky."

• Lasky: "Admiral Osman. You've seen the report on Halsey?"

Osman puts away her data pad and crosses her arms.

• Osman: "I was advised to keep Catherine in the darkest, deepest hole I could find. Or, have her removed from the equation entirely. Regrettably, I chose to do neither. So, Captain, today I shall follow my predecessor's advice. You are hereby ordered to eliminate Doctor Catherine Elizabeth Halsey."

Lasky reacts and tries to conceal his shock.

Cut to the shrine on Requiem. Halsey has been brought there to meet Jul 'Mdama in person.

• 'Mdama: "(Sangheili) Glassman failed me and paid the price. But you..."

A Sangheili pushes Halsey up to 'Mdama.

• 'Mdama: "(Sangheili) You are no fool, Doctor Halsey. Like me, you seek knowledge."

• Halsey: "I think it is power you seek."

• 'Mdama: "(Sangheili) I have power, Doctor!"

• Halsey: "Knowledge is power."

Halsey strides forward to examine the shrine, which is still emanating its protective shield. 'Mdama stops her guards in place so she can observe it.

• Halsey: "...Glassman did this?"

• 'Mdama: "(Sangheili) A vain attempt to deceive me."

• Halsey: "I wouldn't be so sure."

'Mdama looks at her in surprise. Halsey begins pressing buttons on her data pad.

• Halsey: "The protective shield is emanating from the structure itself. And if I'm right-"

With a few more clicks, the barrier bursts away. The empty shrine fills with a glowing beam that shoots to the ceiling.

• Halsey: "-access requires a more human touch."

Halsey glances at 'Mdama and then runs to the artifact. 'Mdama extends a hand for her to come back.

• 'Mdama: "(Sangheili) No! I must be the one..."

Halsey enters the shrine's beam. Pan up to show the beam flowing up to the ceiling, carrying Halsey inside it. Fades to black.