Halo 5 is already beginning to present itself as a huge step-up into the depth of the Halo lore. Most of the profound, deep history and discoveries have been done outside of the games, as the main focus in each of the games was to save the world, save humanity. But Halo 4 differed slightly. We started to see more into the story of the Master Chief’s destiny as the culmination of all mankind’s greatest traits. Halo 5 shows something even more intensive into Master Chief’s true persona. So let’s start with the most obvious question: Why is Locke hunting down the Master Chief?
Agent Locke’s backstory is readily available in Halo: Nightfall, but there still seems to be some kind of gap between then and the present where he is a Spartan IV. Now, most are assuming that it is due to the Master Chief is being labeled “traitor”. But, I don’t think so. That word has yet to fit hi, I believe. The official game summary on Halo Waypoint is this: "Peace is shattered when colony worlds are unexpectedly attacked. But when humanity’s greatest hero goes missing, a new Spartan is tasked with hunting the Master Chief and solving a mystery that threatens the entire galaxy.” Attacked by what, or more likely, who? In the cutscenes, what they reference to at the very beginning is worth noting. One elite says “He may trust you, but I do not.” Both Locke and the elite slightly look in a direction, seemingly referencing someone to the side. Most think that might be the Arbiter. But, when the Arbiter walks in, he warns Locke it is not “[his] friend’s” trust, but the Arbiter’s. Someone else is vouching for Locke, someone on their ship, and it’s not the Arbiter—it’s someone else. Who? Someone the elites obviously trust, but not one of their own species; as the only one that could possibly bridge such a gap is the Arbiter. But during their conversation, the only explanation Locke gives the Arbiter for his reasons on tracking down the Chief, is that he’s gone AWOL, and the UNSC wants him home. Nothing about being brought to justice, or facing his crimes. Just… bring him home. Humanity is once again in danger, and who they gonna call? Someone that has mysteriously disappeared. What are they gonna do? Send someone to go find him. Locke isn’t hunting down an enemy. He’s investigating and searching for the lost hero. CHIEF IS NOT A TRAITOR. Not yet, anyways.
It would honestly take a lot to brand the Chief as a traitor. So he goes AWOL. No one would care! The guy deserves some down time. So he took his armor with him? Ok, but that’s his, right (at least that’s what the impressionable general public would believe, as that armor could NOT be anyone’s other than our beloved Spartan). It must have been something bad. Terrible. Galaxy-changing.
In the cutscenes, at the end, the ship is “nearing the target.” That can mean a number of things, but guessing from the way the elites and Spartans prepare, it’s something that is a hot zone for combat; but, Arbiter doesn’t say combat, but action. Meaning? We might not be heading into a battle, but be prepared for a very likely situation that would involve action. "Covenant forces inbound” could either mean that they’re up against one of the splinter groups of the original Covenant, or —my theory—it’s actually the elites catching onto the broadband of some USNC radio, as the voice sounds more human than elite. It could also mean another human is flying the ship with the elites, making this more of a joint venture; not just a handful of Spartans in an elite drop-ship. Something official, something truly important and of concern to the safety of the galaxy.
My guess? This is one of those deep-space anomalies going on, and Locke is either helping to get to the bottom of this or catching a ride with the elites as they go out to find Master Chief. But what if the anomalies are the Chief? Many theories circle around what the Chief is doing, going AWOL; the most popular being him trying to resurrect Cortana. Generally, that would mean he needs Halsey, and since she defected to the Storm faction, it’s the general belief he did too. But the Chief would never do that, not even for Cortana, and the Storm faction would never accept him; he’s the demon, after all. Following my theory he in fact not a traitor (yet), he could be doing a number of things. Yes, resurrecting Cortana is a viable option, and certainly the most likely; but that would not necessarily mean bringing her back. He would be attempting to use Forerunner technology, leading to my next question: “Who are the Guardians?”
The Guardians have only appeared in multiplayer, when a player is inexplicably killed by unknown causes. This can be caused by a variety of glitches, but every time, it’s the same thing: the Guardians. There’s always the fact that the Guardians that Halo 5 is supposedly named for and expect to appear in the game, might not be the reason Halo 5 has that name. It could mean the Master Chief and Locke are in conflict with each other over how things should be done; the Mantle of Responsibility—Guardians of the galaxy, reference unintentional—coming into the hands of humans; perhaps something more sinister or unexpected. But honestly? The idea of the Guardians is so intriguing and mystifying, and certainly fits in with the cryptic and projected level of deep storytelling that 343i seems to be presenting.
So say the Guardians are these unknown variables into this equation. It’s safe to say they are of Forerunner origin. That would of course lead deeper into the whole “Reclaimer” thing for Chief. He’s supposedly the epitome of mankind, and so destined to lead us to the Mantle. But who are the Guardians? Who are they? I can’t really put an idea to them, except either they’re something sinister, or remnants of the Forerunners in the form of technology that serve as protectors to what little is left; which leads me to the tentative idea that they will also pass along this Mantle to the UNSC, to ONI, or to the Chief or other Spartans.
This is where the Janus Key comes in. I personally have never been a fan of it becoming a main part of the game, as it is far too easy to lead that to practically ultimate situations—the kind that some would label “ex machina” and “out of character” for the whole game. But it is highly likely it will have a role to play. Perhaps not one where it is obviously essential to the present plot in the campaign, but more or less a key point from before the game. If the Chief needed to find Forerunner tech, where more likely would he receive it then from the Janus Key?
But this opens up the idea that Chief’s a traitor because he allied with Halsey and the Covenant, which I already denied. How he got hold of this information to find such technology that was in the E3 trailer is something I can’t quite conclude, but if not by Janus Key, I might consider the AI from “Halo: Escalations” Issue 10, “The Next 72 Hours, Part 3” named 859 Static Carillon. Chief might have gone in search of him, hoping to gain insight to locations of Forerunner tech.
This is only half of the theory; so next post will finish it up.