Episode 3 of Halo Season 2 begins with Silver Team navigating the dense, tangled woods in search of the elusive Cobalt Team. This unauthorized search and rescue mission holds no guarantees, yet John urges his comrades to remain vigilant, anticipating the appearance of Covenant hostiles at any moment.
As Silver Team approaches the abandoned comms station, the silence is deafening. Signs of Cobalt Team's presence are sparse but evident, adding to the mystery surrounding their disappearance. Suddenly, John's ears catch a strange frequency, identical to the one he encountered in Sanctuary before the planet's fateful glassing.
The tense atmosphere is shattered when Silver Team stumbles upon a squad of marines, their weapons trained on the unexpected visitors. The marines demand that John and his team lower their weapons, leaving them with no choice but to comply.
Meanwhile, at UNSC headquarters, Ackerson's personal life is revealed. He cares deeply for his ill father, who struggles with Alzheimer's and frequently forgets even the most fundamental details of his life, including the departure of his wife and daughter. Ackerson confides in his father that he must leave for a while and cannot take him along. However, he promises his father that, regardless of what happens, he will never allow the Covenant to capture him alive.
Back at headquarters, the mood is tense as Jacob Keyes lambasts Silver Team and suspends them from combat operations, effective immediately. John pleads with Keyes, insisting that Cobalt Team is indeed on Visegrad. But the current flight plans reveal a different story, indicating that Cobalt has been deployed elsewhere. It's clear that someone has deliberately altered the flight plans to discredit John's claims and cast doubt on his motives.
Furthermore, Keyes issued strict orders to John, commanding him to confine himself to his quarters until a thorough psychiatric assessment could be conducted. Nevertheless, John disregarded the directives once again and managed to evade his confinement. In retaliation, Ackerson hatched a plan to pit Kai against John.
Meanwhile, back at the ruins of Rubble, Laera, Soren's wife, received startling news from Kwan-ha. Rubby Ann had acquired Soren's crew and traded him for a hefty reward. Kwan-ha further revealed their sinister intentions to harm Laera and her son, Kessler. Determined to protect them, Laera attempted to commandeer a ship and flee with Kessler and Kwan-ha, but the traitors sealed the shuttle doors, leaving her with no other option. In a selfless sacrifice, Laera surrendered herself to allow Kwan-ha and Kessler to escape safely. Fortunately, Kwan-ha came to her rescue shortly after.
As the episode unfolded, the bodies of all Cobalt team members were discovered, finally convincing Keyes that John's suspicions had been well-founded. He attempted to bring this matter to Ackerson's attention, arguing for an evacuation, but Ackerson dismissed it as a recipe for chaos. "We're not going to win this one," he declared. Ackerson also visited Halsey in the virtual prison he had confined her in.
It was during this encounter that a startling revelation was made. The girl Halsey had been communicating with was none other than Ackerson's sister, Julia, who had perished during the augmentation process. Julia had been a candidate to become a Spartan, but her life was tragically cut short. This revelation angered Ackerson, and he summoned Soren to settle old scores.
As the episode drew to a close, John rode hurriedly to Parez's house, eager to seek her wisdom. Parez informed John about the mysterious frequency detected at both the Sanctuary and the Communications facility. According to her, the strange voices were a form of prayer offered before a sacrifice. It became clear that the Covenant intended to glass Reach, paving a path to the sacred rings - in this context, the Halo rings. Their conversation was abruptly interrupted by a deafening explosion erupting from the church, confirming that the Covenant had begun its campaign of planetary annihilation.
