So, for some time on this forum, I’ve noticed that the question of a second Season of SPARTAN Ops has been brought up.
Personally, I’ve been really on the fence about the idea of a second Season. I feel like SPARTAN Ops got stale really quickly, and became less about the story so much as running around killing dirty Xenos, slaying giant Beetle-Borgs and their pet Whirligigs, and pushing buttons. To some degree, unless they can come up with some fresh new ideas that completely blows everyone away and keeps gameplay fresh, I don’t think we really want another Season.
However, if you’re going to call it Season One, surely there must be at least a second.
If there must be a second, then hear me out. Don’t make it about Doctor Halsey. Don’t make it about Jul 'Mdama. Definitely nothing about Requiem whatsoever, because that got hurled into the Sun. Don’t make it about the Prometheans or the Covenant, or anything really involved in Season One. Make it something new… Or at least, something different.
I propose a possibility:
The Flood.
They’re still out there somewhere. They came from outside our galaxy and have come back at least twice. We’ve been informed that its apparent purpose is, in some form, to test whoever holds the Mantle, to challenge or solidify their place in the galaxy. The Forerunners were never meant to inherit the Mantle…
Batter up, Humanity.
We’re out there discovering more Halo Installations and other Forerunner structures. Two Halo Arrays have already been shown to house dormant (Or not…) Flood forms. Halo Wars has shown us that at least one Shield World was overrun on the inside, implying that even the Shield Worlds may hold some kind of specimens. The fact that these Forerunner structures were overrun pretty heavily means that they are not infallible, and that their prisoners can break quarantine.
Humanity is now searching for exactly these structures, and the Janus key tells us exactly where they are. Now, you might bring up that we only have half of said key, but does that make it non-functional? Perhaps… Or perhaps not. Even so, blind Slipspace jumps and using coordinates found through multiple studies has led us to locate Installation 03, 04, 05, and 07, as well as Requiem and the unnamed Halo Wars Shield World. These structures are not so hard to find.
Let’s say we journey to one of the Halos, or perhaps another Shield World. Because it seems to be the UNSC Infinity’s task, let’s say we use it. And because it is composed of a few key elements…
Enter SPARTAN-IVs, stage left.
The Pioneer-class SPARTAN-IVs specialize in deployment to uncharted, potentially hostile territory, especially uncolonized worlds or Forerunner Installations, as Reconnaissance units. They gather and relay information back to whoever it is they’re meant to, presumably the head of their branch on the Infinity or Palmer herself, then either head back home or are continually used, depending on whether or not the Pioneer-class units are meant to be combat-oriented or not. Given their role as Reconnaissance, they would presumably not be combat-oriented, likely equipped with very light gear.
Let’s say we discover this Forerunner structure, and, as per standard operating procedure, send in Pioneer units as well as a complementary contingent of Marine redshirts. We lose contact with them shortly after their arrival for reasons undetermined, and send in a second wave to locate them. This wave may or may not include SPARTAN-IVs, in this case of no particular variety, but more likely than not at least a Marines Mechanized Infantry unit.
After losing contact again, we send in the big guns with the much more combat-oriented Pathfinder-class SPARTAN-IVs, who are trained for “deep, unconventional deployment within unknown enemy territory and with little to no assistance from Command.” Presumably, these heavy-hitters would be a more advanced form of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, and as such would make for a formidable force against any enemy units when it comes to the field. The Pathfinder units would be fielded with more infantry, including more Marines of a heavier variety, perhaps another Mechanized Infantry or even Armor division, and basic SPARTAN-IVs, for additional security.
Crimson could potentially be among those “basic SPARTAN-IVs,” or the Pathfinder wave, depending upon your point of view.
Upon arrival, the new wave is finally shown why they have lost contact. The place has been overrun with the Flood, and all previously sent units have been assimilated.
The overall objective would naturally be cleansing the planet of the Flood, although if the Infinity was pulled into a Shield World, then escape could also be a potential goal. Missions would include establishing some form of forward operating base, many defensive missions, potentially rescue, and many other potential possibilities.
Infected SPARTAN-IV models already exist in the game, so the argument cannot be effectively made that they would be immune, nor can the question of what a Flood-infected SPARTAN-IV looks like be posed. Changes might be made to include evidence of armor to show what units they might have come from and whatnot, but all in all, that’s present.
One may argue that since no Marine or Covenant Flood models exist in the game, they cannot be implemented. Not entirely so. SPARTAN Ops Season One, Part Two was accessible after a sizable download, which meant it was technically DLC. Given that apparently no progress has been made for a Season Two yet, that means the entirety of it must be downloadable. That said, the models could be implemented in Season Two, and as such would be fine-- They don’t need to be included anywhere else, after all.
This would also give 343 a chance to implement other Flood forms not seen in the games, such as the Juggernauts, Infectors, transport forms, and more, which would allow for much crazier and varied gameplay when fighting against these monsters. Given Halo 4’s graphical leaps, these would undoubtedly be terrifying to fight.
This also still allows 343 to make more potential use of their Prometheans, given that there may still be Sentinel and Promethean forces combating the Flood planet-side, possibly behind a Quarantine Zone such as that shown in Halo 2. The Storm could likely somehow be implemented, even if only as having been there at some point in the past while on their search for Forerunner worlds and having been infected.
Lastly, if things went badly, and the Flood got hold of, say… One of the Frigates that the Infinity carries, or the Infinity itself, then this also leaves a way for 343 to implement the Flood in a later game, since they would have a means of escape. Key characters could still survive in either case, but the overall implication would be devastating, and cause some potential chaos in future games.
I would enjoy this, personally, because I like fighting the Flood over the Prometheans, and the Covenant B-Team is pretty much a joke. There are plenty who want to say “The Flood are gone!” but clearly, according to the books and games, they aren’t as gone as you would think.
So. What does everyone else think about this? Good idea? Terrible?