Canon Fodder: Falcon Fiction Flight
Pull up a chair and join us for a new issue of Canon Fodder!
Today, we catch up on all the latest fictional features, from Waypoint Chronicles and book reveals to Halo Infinite's latest update, community creations, our ongoing (audio)book club, and more.
BOOKTACULAR!
Over the last month, we’ve shown off the cover art for the upcoming novels Halo: Edge of Dawn and Halo: Waypoint Chronicles – Volume One.
In case you’ve missed ‘em, here they are in their full glory!
2560. After eliminating War Chief Escharum and sending the Banished leadership into chaos, the Master Chief continues the fight on Zeta Halo, accompanied by his new AI companion and their loyal pilot Fernando Esparza.
As Spartan-117 searches for scattered allied forces, a young combat medic—tortured and imprisoned for months by the Banished and the enigmatic Harbinger—may hold the key to unlocking deeper mysteries within this ancient ringworld. But every step toward answers is haunted by the sinister and elusive blademaster Jega ‘Rdomnai, who is hellbent on vengeance...
Delve once more into stories of legendary heroism and star-spanning conflicts—from the time of the ancient Forerunners to the perils of a twenty-sixth century clash between the United Nations Space Command and the Banished alien alliance.
Halo: Waypoint Chronicles – Volume One collects over thirty short stories from all corners of the Halo universe, including twenty-four adventures previously only available online, plus ten brand-new tales exclusive to this collected volume! Also included are dozens of additional pieces of lore-laden intel items and story vignettes connected to the Halo Infinite game experience.
We additionally revealed the remaining stories yet to be released over the coming months, so stay tuned for the following:
‘GHOSTS & GLASS’ BY B. GIRAUD – SEPTEMBER 2025
In celebration of Halo: Reach’s fifteenth anniversary, we tune into an episode of the Ghosts & Glass series by the acclaimed war journalist Benjamin Giraud to learn more about stories of heroism and sacrifice during the fall of Reach.
ASCENSION ON ATROPOS – OCTOBER 2025
Captain Pedro Alvarez of the UNSC Saturn deals with the aftermath of a calamitous Flood outbreak while, on a distant world, an emissary of the gods delivers divine ascension to the faithful.
FIFTH CANTCLE – OCTOBER 2025
Celebrate Halo 5’s tenth anniversary with five short stories set during the fall of Jul 'Mdama's Covenant and the rise of the Created.
MOONRISE OVER MOMBASA
On the subject of Waypoint Chronicles, we recently released our latest short story alongside the launch of Operation: Reclaimer in Halo Infinite.
“November 2559. Earth is under the control of the Created, but acts of resistance against the occupying forces of the rogue AIs are rife among the civilian populace.”
Halo: Moonrise Over Mombasa is available here on Halo Waypoint, as a free PDF, and in audiobook format on YouTube.
CHAT ABOUT CHATTER
A device that is mentioned in Moonrise Over Mombasa is the chatter, which is broadly akin to the 26th century equivalent to a phone.
This device originates from (and was prominently featured in) i love bees, the viral alternate reality game from 2004 that drummed up a lot of buzz for Halo 2, but the chatter has also been name-dropped in Halo 3: ODST and Hunt the Truth.
It’s a curious part of the Halo universe that has never previously been depicted and was conceived years before the era of modern smartphones. Indeed, the usage of these devices in i love bees often evokes disposable mobile phones and cheap novelty designs—one such example in i love bees being a kitten-shaped model created in bulk by printer fabricators.
“Chatters” are devices that are widely owned throughout human space, serving as portable communications devices and personal computers supporting a variety of multimedia capabilities.
Manufactured by a vast variety of companies, corporations, and tech-savvy developers, the chatter’s introduction around the late twenty-fifth century prompted a “gold rush” of custom devices, operating systems, and features. Where some designs lean towards basic functional simplicity with minimal “gimmicks,” others continue to be used as experimental platforms for more ostentatious developments in technology. Examples include holographic interfaces, real-time language translation, enhanced Optican models for medical tracking and analysis, and the implementation of personal artificial intelligences in the case of the Sydney Synthetic Intellect Institute.
Overall usage of chatters declined in the wake of the Created uprising, as the attenuation pulses of Guardian custodes neutralized many of these devices on a colony-wide scale, and those that were not affected proved to be perfect tools for surveillance. As a result, antiquated "podnets" typically used by urban youth and Outer Colony frontier communities entered wider use for scrappy yet relatively secure local communications.
BATTLE FOR THE ACADEMY
Concluding the Waypoint Chronicle action for this issue is the two-part story Halo: Battle for the Academy, which brought Halo Infinite’s story about the Avery J. Johnson Academy to a close alongside the linear Firefight experiences “The Cole Protocol” and “Out With A Bang.”
Whether you’re looking to jump in alone or with a bunch of friends, here are the files you can bookmark if you missed or want to revisit Operation: Last Stand’s linear Firefight offerings.
“Protect allied forces and enact the Cole Protocol to deny the Banished vital data.”
“Fight through local outposts to escape as the Banished overrun the Spartan Academy.”
These experiences follow your own Spartan’s involvement in the battle of Nysa as they fight through the invading Banished forces to enact the Cole Protocol and evacuate the Academy.
The cover art, created by the inimitable Duncan Shaffer, was conceived as a single, full spread, and so here it is in all its majesty!
BATTLE FOR THE ACADEMY – PART 1
“February 2560. The UNSC personnel of the Avery J. Johnson Academy are plunged into peril as the rogue artificial intelligence Iratus is unleashed.”
Halo: Battle for the Academy - Part 1 is available here on Halo Waypoint, as a free PDF, and in audiobook format on YouTube.
BATTLE FOR THE ACADEMY – PART 2
“March 2560. The Spartans and marines of the Avery J. Johnson Academy attempt to hold the line as the Banished invasion begins.”
Halo: Battle for the Academy - Part 2 is available here on Halo Waypoint, as a free PDF, and in audiobook format on YouTube.
AFTER ACTION
With the Battle for the Academy story now complete, there is much to process. Commander Laurette Agryna has submitted an after-action report on the fall of Nysa to help provide some clarity on the overall tapestry of events that led to this point as she awaits summary analysis and further orders from her superiors.
AFTER ACTION REPORT: BATTLE OF NYSA
TO: COSSPAR
FROM: Spartan Commander Laurette Agryna
SUBJECT: Nysa, Avery J. Johnson Academy
The Avery J. Johnson Academy of Military Science on Nysa has been compromised and is considered a total loss.
A full accounting of casualties and material losses is ongoing. Evacuation efforts facilitated by reinforcements from Anvil Station enabled the extraction of key personnel.
This report outlines the sequence of events leading to the incident. A detailed timeline of relevant events is appended below for review.
I accept full responsibility for the operational decisions made under my command.
>> JANUARY 24, 2560
RECON OP
Spartans Sigrid Eklund and Hieu Dinh were deployed to Camber on a reconnaissance mission where the Banished had set up an extensive operation in the Chiltift Basin, home to a shipbreaking yard that they discovered was being run by an artificial intelligence known as Iratus—the first of his kind, as he was uniquely mapped from a Jiralhanae brain and aligned with the Banished.
Exactly how Dinh and Eklund ended up bringing a commandeered Phantom to Nysa is, I’m sure, outlined in their own classified reports on that particular mission. I have only been privy to select details with the assurance that their method of interstellar transport did not violate the Cole Protocol articles we revived to keep Nysa hidden.
To contain Iratus, Dinh placed the AI’s data chip into his helmet. The ploy was successful, but he rendered himself effectively comatose.
>> FEBRUARY 15, 2560
ACADEMY ARRIVAL
Spartans Dinh and Eklund arrived at Nysa in their commandeered Phantom.
As we examined Dinh’s condition, Eklund reported that Iratus was also guarding an archive on Camber containing information on the Banished operation—clan affiliations, who they were building ships for, upcoming operations. I determined that this would be valuable resource, so we devised a trap with the goal to extract what we needed.
>> FEBRUARY 18, 2560
CONTAINMENT
After recreating the Camber facility in our war games simulator, I sent the Academy’s Spartan recruits in to lure Iratus out of Dinh’s head by presenting the AI with new targets.
We managed to recreate limited copies from isolated instances of Iratus himself, which helped us to better understand him. The strategy worked, and as soon as Iratus entered our servers, we shut the door behind him. The AI was contained, seemingly along with whatever information he had from the Camber archive.
>> FEBRUARY 20, 2560
DINH AWAKENS
Dinh awakened shortly after we achieved containment and described his experience with Iratus, likening it to an invasion of his memories. From what I could tell, it seemed to exact a heavy toll. He declined a psychological evaluation.
>> FEBRUARY 21, 2560
INFECTION
As we continued standard training exercises, we discovered several oddities in the war games simulator.
While Iratus was contained, the transfer of his core matrix caused some damage to our servers. The simulator’s systems suffered visual glitches and occasional data spikes, holo emitters from the sims and the Spartans’ own armor manifested the AI’s form. Our techs set to work, stabilizing these issues with varying degrees of success, though with the benefit of hindsight it is clear that this was more than just a caged creature rattling its bars.
>> FEBRUARY 29, 2560
UNLEASHED
Spartan Dinh and one of our recruits managed to locate an entrance to the Academy’s old ONI facilities. There, they discovered that Iratus had broken containment and was sifting through the Academy’s systems.
We did move to respond, but in the end this was all just a distraction, keeping us preoccupied with minor incursions while he scavenged our data banks and absorbed a significant amount of classified data on the SPARTAN programs.
From there, the situation began to deteriorate and, well, the rest is covered in my preliminary report.
The oath of a Spartan states: “We stand committed to excellence in warfighting, integrity of character, and respect for the heritage received from the Spartans who have carried the sword and shield before us.”
I fear that is an example I have failed to live up to. The Avery J. Johnson Academy of Military Science was lost under my command.
I wish to recommend posthumous commendations for all who fell in defense of Nysa, and I am standing by to await further orders.
FLIGHT OF THE FALCON
Added to Halo Infinite with yesterday’s Fall Update, which kicked off with Operation: Shadows, is the fan-favorite Falcon (try repeating that five times faster!)
The versatile UH-144 Falcon continues to serve on the frontlines of combat and remains the preferred transport of UNSC Army expeditionary units. Post-Covenant War upgrades will keep the unit in service for years to come.
ONI // SECTION TWO
FILE CLASSIFICATION: CONFIDENTIAL
DOCUMENT ID: ONI-SEC2-MA-987
MATERIAL AUDIT
SUBJECT: Excerpt from Warrant Officer Brigitte Wolfram's Waypoint Radio interview with MCY 5971-3.
CONTEXT: Waypoint Radio host MCY 5971-3 (“Mercury”) conducts an ongoing series of interviews with veterans of Covenant War-era conflicts.
EXCERPT BEGINS//
[BW] “I had always wanted to be a pilot, from a very young age I was immersed in the history of aerial engineering, building models, and visiting air shows with my grandfather. He was a jumpcraft pilot for the CMA, and damn proud of that fact. After school, in my first position as a UNSC civilian contractor, we were given the opportunity to learn how to fly, and I jumped at the chance. They needed all the pilots they could get, you see.”
[MCY] “Of course, they didn’t just put the control stick in your hand and say good luck, right?”
[BW] “The UNSC doesn't trust full automation, so we underwent extensive theoretical instruction prior to any practical application. Upon completion, we were assigned modules based on our aptitude for various airframes. At the time this was mostly civilian airframes—they wanted us to backfill experienced pilots who were needed at the front lines. I gravitated to the rotorcraft. Wasn't too long after that I made the jump from civilian to uniform, and my service was just as fulfilling as it was for my grandfather all those years ago. It’s just part of the family legacy, I suppose. As for my choice of aircraft, I found it was the Falcon that called to me.”
[MCY] “‘The Warthog of the sky,’ they call it!”
[BW] “For good reason. It was very much an ‘easy to learn, hard to master’ type of aircraft with a very quirky set of pilot assists, some of which I initially favored more than others. But I learned very quickly that your preferences are tossed out the window without a parafoil once the bullets start flying.”
[MCY] “We’ll dig deeper into some of those experiences very soon, but I understand you just got a very special birthday present last week, is that right?”
[BW] “My children managed to track down my old CO. She still works in the contracting field. She traded favors to get us some stick time with the latest UH-144s. A little bittersweet given my age and injuries, but it will be good to share that experience with an old friend.”
//EXCERPT ENDS
THE RETURN RETURNS!
Originally published as a short story in the Halo: Evolutions anthology released in 2009, written by Kevin Grace, ‘The Return’ was later adapted as an animated motion comic by Juan “ONE” Richard Feliz in 2011.
This tells the story of a lone Sangheili shipmaster who wanders the glasslands of Kholo, the site of his greatest victory, seeking a new purpose after the fall of the Covenant.
‘The Return’... has returned!
(AUDIO)BOOK CLUB
As part of our audiobook giveaway series with Simon & Schuster, every month we’re diving into a Halo book from the past. You can join the conversation on our official Discord in the #audio-book-club channel.
Last month, we looked at Halo: Contact Harvest by Joseph Staten, which tells the story of how the Covenant’s war against humanity began through some familiar eyes.
This month, we’re going back—waaaay back—to the ancient past as told by the late and legendary Greg Bear in Halo: Cryptum.
As you can see from these videos, we’ve been concocting some awesome new art pieces for these audiobook spotlights, courtesy of Jack “Ultimate Halo” Fletcher (who I have to imagine never thought he would be tasked with depicting the baffler-covered Djamonkin Augh.)
ARMORY INFINITUM
Arriving with Operation: Shadows, kicking off Halo Infinite’s Fall Update, is a new weapon: the Vestige Carbine.
The term “vestige” is one that has previously appeared in reference to warships that served during the War of Beginnings—the conflict that erupted between the Sangheili and the San’Shyuum that culminated in the formation of the Covenant. Examples of vestige craft include the Hekar Taa-pattern blockade runner and the Lursu-pattern brigantine which both appeared in Halo 5.
But “vestige” is a term that, in contemporary use for the Sangheili, more broadly encompasses all manner of technology and materiel from the earliest Ages of the Covenant.
QIKOST // JANUARY 4, 2560 (UNSC MILITARY CALENDAR)
Spartan Abalan held her weapon ready at the mouth of the cavern’s ingress point, guarding the approach as the duo of Sangheili artisan-armorers—Oebrin and Silset ‘Chava—bickered incessantly among themselves.
“You must reset the arum once again,” Oebrin huffed. “Your previous rotation was off by four degrees.”
Silset ushered his brother off. “Your concern is not warranted. I am certain that I felt the layers connect.”
“I am certain that if you are mistaken, we shall all be locked out of the trove beyond and its contents shall be immolated.”
Abalan checked her mission timer which informed her that the two Sangheili had been having this back-and-forth for seventeen minutes—or, as their species measured smaller units of time, approximately twenty-eight centals. They had been studying the cavern for much longer.
“Time check,” Abalan said, raising her voice for the Sangheili to hear. “We’ve got ten mikes before we need to start thinking about regrouping with the rest of Jorogumo Two.”
“Patience, Spartan,” Silset did not turn from the device attached to the semi-circular stone door as he waved a dismissive hand in their direction. “This is a San’Shyuum puzzle lock. It is as cunning and deceptive as their kind.”
Abalan had served more than her share of protection detail jobs during her years as an ODST, but the last three months babysitting this dynamic duo had considerably stretched her patience. She was certain that their back-and-forth quarrelling was the cause of the grey hair she had found the other day... but still, she tolerated them.
Her own brothers had not been so different before--
“Ha!” Silset exclaimed in triumph. “Did I not tell you those layers connected, my brother? Did I not say?”
Oebrin sighed in defeat as Silset held up the arum—its many concentric layers were arranged to reveal a “tunnel” into the center of the device, within which a small activation device was contained.
“If you concede,” Silset’s mandibles tightened in what looked like the Sangheili equivalent of a dirt-eating grin, “I shall allow you the honor of opening the trove.”
“I concede to your wisdom.” Oebrin shook his head as Silset allowed him to take the thumb-sized device and activate it. “Let us see that this diversion was worthwhile.”
Even filtered through Abalan’s helmet, the sound of stone scraping against stone was unpleasant to her ears and she instinctively grit her teeth. Ancient gears were now turning after millennia of stillness. It came as no small relief when the semi-circular door finally parted in a Y-shaped split.
Naturally, Silset rushed inside with reckless abandon.
The trove was, fortunately, not a particularly large room—perhaps the length of two Warthogs and change. Still, that didn’t mean there weren’t traps.
“Hey,” Abalan called out, “before you take another step, I need to sweep this place.”
“It is no worry, Spartan.” To Abalan’s surprise, it was Oebrin—the more sensible of the two, by Abalan’s estimation—who addressed her. “The San’Shyuum placed these puzzle-vaults here because, in their arrogance, they did not believe any but a handful of Sangheili would ever be able to access them, let alone risk charges of heresy.”
“Behold!” Silset called as he strode towards them with a new weapon in his hand.
It looked similar to the Mosa-pattern carbine—itself modified by the ‘Chava brothers—that Abalan herself wielded, though the elongated barrel was much thicker and appeared almost claw-like.
“It is indeed a vestige,” Oebrin scrutinized the weapon. “From this design, I would suggest it is from somewhere around the Third Age of Reclamation.”
“Utilized by warriors stationed aboard the Prophets’ agricultural support vessels which were patterned in the same era,” his brother eagerly added.
“Alright,” Abalan said, eager to wrap the party up. “We’ve got what we came for. Grab what you can from the vault and let’s get going.”
The 'Chava brothers took only four from the trove, then sealed the doors once more and reset the arum.
Apparently having noticed that Abalan must have conveyed some kind of puzzlement in her stance, Oebrin said, “It is not for us to plunder arcana from the past. We shall take only what we need. An original pattern model, two for us to modify and experiment upon,” the Sangheili held out one of the vestige carbines, “and a gift—for you.”
COMMUNITY LORE CORNER
JumperScape’s adaptations of the Waypoint Chronicles continues with Halo: The Third Life, a story which picks up in the wake of Hunt the Truth’s second season and details what happens to two particular individuals: Ilsa Zane and Dasc Gevadim.
Lucy J Robyn’s playthrough of Halo 4’s campaign has come to an end, punting the Didact into slipspace and saying farewell to Cortana before some deep life chat with our main man Thomas Lasky. We can’t wait to see this great journey continue!
You are what you dare, and Kammyshep has dared to assemble this wonderful in-depth look at the harrowing life of the Didact, spanning his entire life—and afterlife.
Looking further back, Amanda Roses has just begun Halo: Combat Evolved, taking her first steps out of cryo and onto the bridge of the UNSC Pillar of Autumn.
Project: MJOLNIR was built on the back of many years of research and development into powered exoskeletons utilized by human military forces, and The Key Focus has put together a really cool video exploring the lore established around those earlier efforts.
“I saw you standing by your ship, with armored hand on armored hip. Both my hearts began to pound, so lovely was what I found...”
Lore Tours explores the various ways in which humanity is perceived by the Covenant species, from burning hatred to—in the unique case of Vel ‘Trokaik—a deep and profound love for the one and only Commander Sarah Palmer.
Covenant Canon delves into the command structure of the Banished, along with the creed and philosophy of Atriox’s faction.
And finally, Eldeeable Gaming has reached the end of Halo 3: ODST, rescuing that loveable purple gasbag, ahead of starting her first playthrough of Halo: Reach!
That wraps us up for this month’s issue, folks.
We will catch up again in September where we’ll be celebrating the fifteenth anniversary of Halo: Reach and looking ahead to the 2025 Halo World Championship in October!