“For us, the storm has passed. The war is over.” [The Storm Has Passed, Halo 3]
Hood stands near a small memorial, delivering a eulogy for “those fallen in the defense of Earth and her colonies.” The writing engraved behind him includes the date: March 3, 2553. We should recognize around him the rolling hills outside of Voi.
“For their decision required courage beyond measure. Sacrifice and unshakable conviction that their fight, our fight, was elsewhere.” [The Storm Has Passed, Halo 3]
Flowers, rifles, and dozens of pictures of Marines have been laid at the base of the memorial. Besides the pictures of Miranda and Johnson (it is still hard to believe that they’re dead), there is another photo that should be recognizable – it is a black-and-white render of the Marines from Halo 1 (see ), which can still be found on . This Bungie-created photo has been floating around for ages.
Hood looks to the sky, and we flash backwards in time to see the Dawn – damaged – burning back into Earth’s atmosphere.
A group of Marines watch intently, and dispatch a Pelican in the direction of the Dawn’s crash site – which appears to be in the middle of the ocean.
A Marine with a blow torch works on the hull of the Dawn. His jumpsuit has the word “SECTION” on it – possibly referring to a section of ONI. It wouldn’t be surprising if this were true, considering the gravity of the situation, and the importance of the individuals possibly contained within the Dawn.
The Arbiter emerges, and looks at the engineer. We flash back to the present – the Arbiter is at the memorial with Hood, and the Marines. A Sangheili carrier hangs in the sky overhead.
The Admiral completes his speech:
“As we start to rebuild, this hillside will remain barren, a memorial to heroes fallen. They ennobled all of us, and they shall not be forgotten.” [The Storm Has Passed, Halo 3]
Seven Marines draw their battle rifles and perform the “three volley salute,” which unsurprisingly still exists unchanged in 2553.
Most, if not all, of the Marines in Halo 3 appear to be modeled after Bungie employees. Michael Wu’s Marine is the second one in the lineup here.
As each of the volleys are fired, we’re shown the serene landscape around the now-disabled Forerunner device; it is all very different from the blackened, Flood-tainted environment that we last saw it as. It appears as though Half-Jaw’s fleet was able to glass the land in specific areas, and this hillside was able to remained undamaged.
“I remember how this war started – what your kind did to mine.” [The Storm Has Passed, Halo 3]
The service now over, the Arbiter approaches Hood. Hood speaks to the Elite with his back to him, while he stands looking at the memorial.
“I can’t forgive you. But… you have my thanks, for standing by him to the end.” [The Storm Has Passed, Halo 3]
With just a few brief words, the leader of Earth’s peoples summarizes their feelings towards the Sangheili. Millions have died in the war… but the time for violence is over. Because of their sacrifices, it must be over. And through the Chief and the Arbiter’s alliance, humans and Sangheili try and put aside the past.
“Hard to believe he’s dead.” “Were it so easy.” [The Storm Has Passed, Halo 3]
The last time the Arbiter spoke this phrase, he was responding to Johnson’s pleas for him and the Chief to not kill each other. Now, out of a newfound respect for the Spartan, he speaks it out of his unwillingness to believe that the Chief is actually gone.
This also reveals to us the fact that the Chief did not make it back to Earth like the Arbiter did. Could he really be dead?
Hood watches as the Elite walks away; a Phantom then ferries him to the carrier above.
On the bridge of the Sangheili ship, Half-Jaw stands looking at a hologram of the Earth. The Arbiter approaches from behind.
“Things look different without the Prophets’ lies clouding my vision.” “I would like to see our own world – to know that it is safe.” “Fear not. For we have made it so.” “By your word, Arbiter.” [The Storm Has Passed, Halo 3]
Half-Jaw echoes Hood’s sentiment in terms of putting the past behind them; he sees the Earth in a new light now. And, interestingly enough, this scene ends with them speaking of their homeworld: Sangheilios. With the Prophets dead, the Covenant’s former races are likely in turmoil. This – and the war with the Brutes – has Half-Jaw worried about the state of their planet. But the Arbiter reassures him that all is well, as he takes the Shipmaster’s chair.
“Take us home.” [The Storm Has Passed, Halo 3]
Familiar strings play as we watch the carrier fly off; then, the camera pulls closer to the memorial. For the duration of the scene, Hood’s positioning has cleverly blocked us from seeing the entire engraving on the ship fin at the memorial. Now, we are able to see what has been hidden from us:
Someone has etched the Master Chief’s callsign into the metal below the rest of the writing. Countless have died in this war; friends and family members have given their lives defending Earth, and this memorial is for all of them. But there is likely not a single Marine who is unaware of the reason that the Earth is safe – not a single one who doesn’t know of the sacrifice that was made in the eleventh hour. So, while this memorial does exist in remembrance of all who have given up everything, one Marine was unable to withstand paying a final respect to the man who seemed to have surpassed the limits of human endurance in order to save his brothers.
And, in their simplicity, these three numbers speak the thanks of a billion voices: