We've been fighting these alien creatures for years,
and we still have no idea what they want.
Spartans aren't human.
They're faster, stronger, smarter.
They just keep on killing.
No!
Commencing search of the area for enemy landing site.
Covenant forces appear to be excavating
for some kind of object.
Retrieving now.
I saw things when I touched the object.
- A family. - The security committee's
looking for an excuse to cut your funding.
No cloning, no Cortana. Is that clear?
You didn't order an Article 72.
We're murdering a teenage girl.
You're gonna need to listen to me.
Why should I trust you?
You want me dead...
you'll need to aim up here.
- What are you doing? - I'm trying to help you.
If this ship lands,
they will remove you and execute you.
Put out the alarm.
Scramble everyone to landing bay.
Full squadron protocol.
Protect Master Chief from anyone
who actively threatens his life.
Knock it down!
You just decided to help me?
Why would a Spartan do that?
I don't know.
Strap in.
Soren.
Soren!
John.
Where's your armor, man?
Where's your ditch bag?
I'm not going.
What are you talking about?
I can't let you go.
What changed your mind?
Every Spartan has the duty
to prevent actions that will harm the program.
John, stop! Stop!
If you fail to comply with my orders, I will be--
I will be compelled to use all necessary means,
including lethal force to blah-biddy blah.
That ain't training, man. That's programming.
I mean it, Soren.
Man.
Didn't all those dreams we had mean anything?
I don't have dreams.
That's what I'm here for.
I'll do the dreaming for the both of us.
Look...
We'll be on the Rubble by morning.
Have a good breakfast.
No one will find us there.
John, it's a fresh start.
This place...
This place cost me my arm.
And what's good about that
is you can see what Halsey did.
But what she's taking from you, John...
I'm not even sure you'll realize when it's gone.
Don't.
If I want it to be anyone, John...
I want it to be you.
Either way...
I'm a free man.
It appears that the firearm
available to me at this moment is jammed.
Come with me.
You've got five minutes,
and then I'm waking up the entire camp.
- Make it ten? - Five!
Whoa.
How fast are we going?
It's not about the speed.
We're taking a more direct path through space.
What?
If you think of space like a ball of yarn
with multiple threads to the same destination--
You're ruining it.
That thing you took from Madrigal, what is it?
Don't know.
How'd you make it start the ship?
Don't know.
"Don't know."
Okay.
Why are you doing this?
Why didn't you just take me in, let them kill me?
Would you let a kid be executed?
No.
Why not?
Because it's wrong.
That's what I was thinking.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
Yes, Silver Team is gearing up
to bring in Master Chief peacefully.
Let's talk about how One-One-Seven escaped.
I think it has something to do
with the object that he was bringing back from Madrigal.
It's capable of creating enormous energy fields.
What is it exactly?
I don't know.
I think that's the first I've ever heard
the brilliant Catherine Halsey utter the words "I don't know."
What I do know is that the Covenant sent two ships
and 20 Elite warriors to try and retrieve it.
Well, then we want it too.
Exactly.
And when we find the Master Chief...
what does one do with a superhuman
you're not sure you can trust?
I am sure I can trust him.
But to assuage any doubt,
Admiral Parangosky and I have devised
an insurance plan for the future.
Do you know how I rose to this position?
By keeping my mind clear of unnecessary concerns.
So if you have a plan,
the committee should hear it.
Just keep it light.
Still no contact,
and his beacon is turned off.
He's gonna come back.
He wouldn't just leave us.
Chief's always got a plan.
Kai, Vannak,
slipspace vector tracking on the Condor just came in.
We won't have his exact location, but we'll be close.
Vannak.
If he's got a plan, why are we going after him?
Halsey's orders. We'll find out when we need to.
- What's that sound? - Proximity alarm.
We exited slipspace into an asteroid field.
Oh, my God!
- We're gonna die! - Everything dies.
Sit down and buckle up.
Tell me you have a plan.
Sit down.
Buckle up.
No, no, no!
- Squirrel. - What is it?
Get the boss.
- Oi!
Spartan.
This is your plan?
We're fine.
Willy!
Ladies and gentlemen, put your weapons down.
If John here wanted you dead,
you'd be dead.
Nice of you to drop by.
Hello, Soren.
Look at you.
Welcome to the Rubble.
Let me show you what you missed out on.
Soren, this is Kwan Ha.
I'm looking for a place for her.
You're the one that they
just issued a bounty for.
UNSC is offering a bounty?
- Back to work! - UNSC? No.
Well, who's the new top cat on Madrigal?
- Vinsher. - Vinsher?
He's a traitor to the resistance.
Apparently, uh, the UNSC's preferred replacement
didn't just take your father's office,
he's cleaning house.
Offering cash for your head, literally.
Should I have not said it like that?
Wait, you thought that it was the UNSC
that was offering a bounty, so--
So they also want me dead.
Damn.
You're making friends all over.
Here it is.
Home to every misfit, reprobate, outlaw,
and renegade in the galaxy.
- No law. - Ah!
No police. No government. No responsibility.
It's everything we always talked about, man.
Absolute freedom, just like I always promised.
Mind the gap.
Got a whole rock to myself.
Go where I want to go, do what I want to do.
I'm happy for you.
Well, I can see that.
So many secrets.
Daddy! Daddy!
- Hey!
This little guy's name is Kessler.
You have a child?
Did you bring me anything?
I'm a pirate. That's what we do.
- But not till after dinner. - Aw.
Go get your mom. We got company.
You can leave your gear here.
I just redid the floors.
Ah.
My wife, Laera.
My galactic princess.
It's kind of you to have us.
John.
Soren speaks of you so often.
Not that often, my dear.
Not that often.
Governor Vinsher has control
of the situation on Madrigal,
but perhaps with somewhat more of an iron fist
than we anticipated when we put him in charge.
Vinsher's crude, but he's a reliable business partner.
The deuterium will soon be flowing,
and the relative calm has had a positive effect
on fuel prices across the galaxy.
The other colonies have taken notice.
Well done, Keyes.
For once, some positive news.
Captain Keyes, is there any word on the Master Chief?
The search for him continues.
I have no doubt we'll find him, and when we do,
I can assure you,
his punishment will be commensurate with his crimes.
Is that wise?
Master Chief is not only a valuable battle asset,
he's a symbol for the whole war effort.
Punishment not only puts him out of commission,
it could be very bad for morale.
But what good is he to the war effort
if he can't be controlled?
Actually, Admiral Parangosky and I have been ahead of this
for some time.
I've developed a new system
which will solve John's current issues
and expand Spartan capability across the board.
It's called Cortana.
And how does it work?
Spartan bodies have been enhanced
to the limits of our current technology,
so Cortana will do something similar for their minds.
It will overwrite Spartan consciousness
and replace it with a artificial general intelligence.
The first of its kind.
I don't understand.
Cortana is the next stage in human evolution.
The Spartans were the first step.
Cortana is the upgrade.
She represents the sum total of every available data point.
The intelligence of the galaxy, in essence.
With Cortana, we will create Spartans who are more lethal...
their judgment error-free,
their performance upgradeable,
and, most importantly,
controllable.
And what about John?
You can't just replace his mind.
We are talking about a person.
John is much more than a person.
He is a Spartan.
For his own safety and for ours, John doesn't feel as we do.
Hormonal pellets have suppressed his emotions.
John was enhanced and trained
to fight for us.
And at the moment, he and the other Spartans
are our only effective weapons against the Covenant.
But with the help of the Cortana system...
we can win this war.
Didn't you author a paper
about a hypothetical artificial general intelligence
that could interface directly with humans?
Yes, I authored several.
And didn't that process depend on biological substrates?
Derived from the illegal practice
of flash-cloning humans?
That's correct.
Have you found a way around that?
Admiral Parangosky,
Section Three is your responsibility.
Any advantage we can get on the Covenant is a good thing.
But just so we're clear,
you're on board with Halsey's program?
I think the case of Master Chief provides an opportunity
for a limited trial of the system, yes.
Good, I'll leave it to you
to manage the technical hurdles.
Let's get Master Chief back and put this mess behind us.
We have a war to win.
Remember the tale of the rebel Jin.
And what a spot he put Madrigal in.
Led us into costly war.
Oh.
And then he stole our hydrogen.
Vinsher hated my father.
He was always looking a way to cut a deal with the UNSC.
Now Madrigal is his.
I'm so sorry.
I know how you feel.
Do you?
I lost my whole family
when I was just a little younger than you are now.
I lost my whole planet to the Covenant.
Everyone I love, until I met Soren.
You want revenge.
I want justice.
Revenge and justice are easy to confuse.
Go ahead, taste it.
I don't taste anything.
You stick around here long enough, you will.
That's freedom, man.
How big a jump did you get on the UNSC?
Not big enough.
I give them a day.
More than you gave me.
Yep.
Mm-mm.
I don't get it, John.
Get what?
This.
You.
Showing up here, on the run from your people,
carrying a fugitive.
I mean, who are you?
I'm trying to figure a few things out.
Like what's in that box?
There you are.
- Sorry. - Mmm, mmm, mmm.
We were just getting to know each other.
Us too.
I can name all the planets in the sky.
Can you?
Maybe not all.
Who'd have thought it?
Me... wife... a kid.
If you want, I could show you them.
I thought it was impossible.
I thought the treatments they gave us--
Treatments?
He's still calling them treatments.
Maybe he still believes it.
- What is it? - Clarity.
I think I've had enough clarity for one day, thanks.
There's something you need to know
about the Spartan program and all those treatments, John.
What they did to us, it's only permanent
if we choose to let it be.
Doesn't matter how long it had you.
For example, that pellet you got in your back
that enhances battle focus?
It mutes everything.
It eliminates distraction.
It makes you numb.
It makes you as numb to life
as you are to the taste of this food.
Mmm, mmm, mmm.
- Mmm.
John...
lose the pellet
and it's like opening your eyes for the first time
after living in the dark.
Soren, leave John be.
He has a lot on his mind.
- I got you. - Pew, pew! No, you don't.
It means a lot to Soren that you've come,
though I get a sense that you won't be staying.
- Like you said,
I have a lot on my mind.
Yes.
Kessler.
What's this?
It's, um...
It's his sign.
You should be honored, man.
It means he can count on you
and you can count on him.
Thank you, Kessler.
I accept.
"Thank you, Kessler. I accept."
Man, you are a stiff one, Johnny.
Okay.
Sweet dreams.
Toodle-oo.
Good night.
I guess when a camel flies,
you don't ask how far.
- Good night. - Kessler, let's go.
- Vannak. Riz.
- Are you getting this? - Yes.
Sensor plot has the Condor dropping out of slipspace
inside an asteroid belt.
It makes no sense.
Stay on the track?
Stay on it.
- Admiral. - What is it, Doctor?
I'm already not in the mood.
I understand from my father that Dr. Halsey
is getting sole access to the Madrigal object.
If and when we find it.
Ma'am, xeno-technology is my department.
I'm aware.
If I recall, I put you in that position.
Dr. Halsey already takes the lion's share of funding,
and she's only focused on her Spartans.
All of our advances in shielding, active camo,
even slipspace navigation
derived from my-- My research.
I'm even making great progress
in understanding the Sangheili language.
Whatever this object is, I'm the one to untangle it.
I could make great strides if I had you on my side.
So much like your mother.
Except you lack the polish.
- Ma'am, I-- - I've had enough
of being manipulated for the day.
Get back to work, Miranda.
What is it?
Some kind of Covenant artifact, I think.
What does it do?
- I'm not sure. - Bullshit.
I can see you're lying in your eyes.
Now you didn't drag this thing halfway across the galaxy
because it's pretty.
What does it do?
It powered his ship.
I saw it.
Ship was dead, then he touched this thing and bam.
How?
I don't know.
Don't!
It worked for him.
I know a guy.
No.
Not interested in selling it.
Guy's name is Reth.
He got taken into a Covenant ship and lived to talk about it.
He's seen things.
He knows things.
Trust me, man.
Where can I find him?
This is the safest place in the galaxy you could find?
Weren't a lot of options.
Rubble is a haven for people
who don't fit in anywhere else.
Like you?
I'm talking about a whole other deal, man. Mystics.
Guys like Reth are swimming in the cosmic river.
Got any good churros today?
Yes, it's hot.
All right, give me half a dozen.
- So he's insane. - He's sensitive.
Hanging out with the aliens will change you, brother.
Looks like a jail, but it's not.
It's a refuge for him.
One last thing.
No sudden moves.
I'm just kidding.
Man, lighten up.
Oh, look who it is.
What's the man's name?
Who's the man? What's his name?
Mr. Selfish. Mr. Selfish. Mr. Selfish.
Who you calling selfish? I brought churros.
Spartan.
I can smell them.
They like sweets.
Hey...
Don't worry.
They won't bite you.
Hey!
Reth.
It's me, Soren. You there?
Yeah. Are you?
I brought some friends with me.
I'm coming in, okay?
Close it!
Close it, close it, close it!
Who's he?
Reth, this is John.
This is Reth.
You've seen them too?
The Covenant?
Yes.
And you fought?
And you won?
Not yet.
John's being modest.
He's a regular Covenant killing machine.
What'd make him better
is a little bit of inside information.
Come here.
What's your name?
Kwan.
- Kwan Ha. - Oh, yes, you are.
Kwan Ha.
- Hello? Reth. - Kwan Ha.
Over here, man.
Hi.
John's got a little something he wants to show you.
Kwan Ha...
Hey.
Where did you get this?
On Madrigal.
Covenant detachment was excavating it.
Madrigal. Poor Madrigal.
You know Madrigal?
Any place that has been visited by the Covenant
has my sympathies.
Covenant's whole religion is based on things like this.
Things from another time, things left behind.
They roam the galaxy looking for pieces, looking for clues.
Do you understand?
When I was a guest on their ship,
they asked to see if I could make them work,
but I could not, sensitive as I am.
See?
I'm not a Blessed One.
- What's a Blessed One? - Human, only more so.
But what are humans? Homo sapiens?
An accidental collision of amino acids.
But is that enough? Is that all there is?
Being human? Well, for you, perhaps,
but a Blessed One has an obligation.
No, not an obligation...
- We're losing' him. - ...a responsibility...
...no, a-a-a moral imperative.
- Or an aperitif. - Hey.
I always had a nice, cold glass of--
Reth!
What is this thing?
What does it do?
You don't want to help the Covenant destroy us, do you?
No.
Good!
Let's hang this one.
No!
I don't want to do it!
John!
What are you?
You bring it to life.
But you are different than the one they have!
- Easy.
- The one they have? - It's in your eyes.
What do you mean?
- Easy. - It's in your eyes!
What do you mean?
You don't understand
what you are, do you?
What am I?
What am I?!
The image you made it produce, the ring,
that's what they want!
- What is that ring? - A door.
To what?
The end of life as we know it.
So it's a weapon?
Yeah.
You felt it, didn't you?
The darkness.
Yes.
That means you can stop it.
How?
Destroy the artifact.
Then destroy yourself.
John. Hey.
John!
John, hold up.
I have to go back.
To the UNSC? Why?
They turned my planet over to a warlord.
They ordered you to kill me.
Hey, John, look, we can figure this shit out here.
No, I need the other Spartans.
You need them, not me.
I don't expect you to understand.
Oh, I understand completely. You need to get back to her.
Yeah, you're running back to Halsey.
Any time there's a problem, Mommy's there to fix it.
You think she cares about you? Huh? You're just a machine.
And you're a coward who ran away when things got hard.
Oh, okay.
You have no loyalty to anything.
You want to talk to me about loyalty?
You gave me five goddamn minutes.
You want to know what that bought me?
They shot me down. I was burned all to hell,
living off bark and beetles.
They were on my ass for months till I got free.
All because you gave me five minutes.
You were wrong to run.
You were wrong to stay!
Master Chief, wait!
I've seen what Covenant weapons are capable of.
Entire planets turned to glass.
So if they're going after something bigger,
I have no choice.
And I need you to keep her here.
- What? - Soren...
you're the only person I know outside the UNSC.
I need to trust you right now.
Can I trust you?
- Of course you can trust-- - Then keep her safe.
- John-- - Promise me.
I give you my word.
Wait, hold on.
Don't I get a say in this?
You can't just leave me here.
I'm sorry, Kwan.
This is the best I could do.
So that's it?
Fleetcom, this is Stalwart Dawn.
One-One-Seven has activated his beacon.
Very well.
Bring him in.
Stalwart Dawn has entered Reach airspace.
Initiating ground transfer of Master Chief and Silver Team.
Stop here.
Handle it carefully.
Put it in with me.
Well?
I've never seen anything like it.
Did you tell them that the Covenant wants this too?
That it might be some kind of weapon?
- Yes, I did. - And?
And if it points to something greater,
of course we'll explore that possibility.
But, John, your actions have created a host of problems,
not just for you, but for the whole Spartan program
and for me personally.
The people rely on you to protect them,
to make them feel safe.
It is precisely your dependability
that gives people hope.
How am I supposed to defend your reckless behavior?
I felt something.
I believe you.
I've been going over and over in my head...
all the details of the images
that I see when I touch the object.
I don't know.
I don't think that's a constructive place for us to go.
I think we should focus on the lab results.
What was it about the girl that made you run?
Madrigal has a gift.
It runs through our rivers, in our lakes,
and the ground on which we live.
And with our partners in the UNSC,
we will return to our place
as the gem of the outer colonies.
I couldn't let her die.
But you've seen so many people die.
Why was this situation any different?
Well I don't think the situation was different.
I think...
I am...
different.
I feel connected to something.
I don't know what it is or why it chose me.
But I know it's out there.
I can feel it.
Have you felt this way before?
I don't usually feel anything.
Then why did you come back?
There's no one else I could trust.
Thank you.
You made the right choice.
I see this as a new beginning.
We're going to do great things together.