Mods for Bungie's Marathon, which we've collectively dubbed the Marathon Expanded Universe, have a surprising number of emotionally affecting moments.
Note that, because this is a Moments page, all spoilers are unmarked per Administrivia.Spoilers Off. Examples are sorted into folders as a sort of compromise (mods are now listed alphabetically).
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Generally
- In general, if all the fan scenarios so far are anything to go by, the Security Officer is never truly free, despite what happens in Infinity's ending, and he ends up in a constant cycle of serving various masters (though in some scenarios, it does come across as voluntary).
Eternal
- Eternal has a few examples, mostly relating to Marcus and Hathor's relationship, or to Hathor's life more broadly. Like the player, she was one of the ten Mjolnir Mark IV cyborgs on the Tau Ceti colony, and like the player, she spent her time during the Pfhor invasion dying and being resurrected repeatedly. Despite this, she didn't turn on humanity throughout the course of the Pfhor invasion. What ultimately caused her mind to snap is that, some ninety years later, she was woken up. As a disembodied intelligence. Which she regarded as a Fate Worse than Death (quite literally, since she'd just spent ninety years dead). Especially since everyone she'd ever loved was dead. As a result, she brought Marcus to her present, only to find that he seemed to possess no memory of her. (The developers are Painting the Medium a bit here, since none of the events before the player comes to the colony ship are depicted in the games - thus, none of the other nine Mjolnir Mark IVs are seen onscreen.) All of this contributed to her undergoing a Face–Heel Turn.
By the final chapter, she's tired of their conflict and wants to atone for her actions and prevent a war that would destroy the galaxy, killing trillions - but by this point, we've also destroyed so much of her memory that she doesn't understand that the system she wants to detonate the trih xeem ("early nova") on is our own Sol system, sixty-five million years in our past. Marcus thus has no choice but to oppose her again - leaving her Reformed, but Rejected. Marcus and Durandal-Thoth ultimately make the decision to travel back in time to the end of Infinity and prevent the sequence of events that led to her awakening.note- Things don't get much better for Eternal's versions of Hathor until long after the game's events, if the creators' comments are any indication. The version seen in chapter five has by this point undergone a Heel–Face Turn and fused with the Jjaro cyborg operator Pompeia Plotina; they head to K'lia, where they rename themselves Bast, get a temporary respite, and even start up a relationship with Marcus near the end of their time there. However, this respite only lasts twenty-four years (if that sounds like a long time, keep reading). In 2905, the chapter four "failure branch" version of Hathor (nicknamed "Other Hathor" by the developers), who hasn't yet undergone a Heel–Face Turn, comes in with her Jjaro dreadnought and threatens humanity. Bast confronts Other Hathor in the Pfhor ship she'd captured, and for this good deed, humanity punishes her by fleeing to the past, where they become the Jjaro. (In their defense, they had absolutely no idea that Bast was defending them.)
This leaves Bast in a completely unenviable position. Because we destroyed Hathor's Cybernetic Junction in "Dread Not", she can no longer time-travel. Moreover, in 2881, an uncharacteristically well-intentioned but tragically misguided Pfhor admiral, intending to protect the galaxy from the W'rkncacnter, had unleashed the trih xeem on the Jjaro Arcis sun; unfortunately, with the Arx being a superweapon of immense power, this unleashes an energy field that extends far beyond the Arcem and demolishes all it touches. This means that the galaxy is exploding outward at lightspeed from where the Arce once was - in the centre of Pfhor space. There is, in other words, nothing left for Bast in our galaxy.
At this point, Bast can't stand Other Hathor, and the feeling is mutual. Other Hathor's actions are directly responsible for Bast being separated from humanity; meanwhile, Bast's actions are directly responsible for Other Hathor not getting the vengeance she's been chasing for some seven hundred years. However, each also possesses something the other wants. Other Hathor has a Cybernetic Junction - she can time-travel. Meanwhile, in addition to having a physical body, Bast possesses a captured Pfhor ship and a captured Pfhor crew.
So what do they end up doing? Although Bast and Other Hathor neither like nor trust one another, they fuse and become the Great Mother Crouched Behind the Throne, leader of the Pfhor. For fifteen thousand years. Other Hathor's motivations here are straightforward enough: this is her latest attempt at vengeance on humanity. Hathor and Pompeia's motives may perhaps be less obvious: (1) travelling into the past is their only chance ever to see humans again, and they may never get another chance to do so; (2) by taking on leadership of the Pfhor, they can issue an order that the trih xeem never be released on the Arce, thereby sparing the entire galaxy from destruction. (This order is one of the few things they and Other Hathor can agree on: since the Arx is at the centre of Pfhor space, the Pfhor are likely the next thing the trih xeem destroys. Ironically, this means humanity's worries about the Pfhor in Eternal's prologue were probably misplaced: the Pfhor had likely already been mostly destroyed; the real threat from Pfhor space was the wave of destruction careening outwards from it.) Pompeia reasons that saving trillions of lives (if not more) will outweigh any other ethical compromises they have to make.
Per developer commentary, Other Hathor finally understands the futility of her quest for revenge after ordering the attack on Tau Ceti and realising she's just ordered her own past self's death. - Speaking of Pompeia, she loses literally everyone she's ever loved when the Arx is destroyed; according to Durandal in the epilogue, she's the only Jjaro survivor.
- Things don't get much better for Eternal's versions of Hathor until long after the game's events, if the creators' comments are any indication. The version seen in chapter five has by this point undergone a Heel–Face Turn and fused with the Jjaro cyborg operator Pompeia Plotina; they head to K'lia, where they rename themselves Bast, get a temporary respite, and even start up a relationship with Marcus near the end of their time there. However, this respite only lasts twenty-four years (if that sounds like a long time, keep reading). In 2905, the chapter four "failure branch" version of Hathor (nicknamed "Other Hathor" by the developers), who hasn't yet undergone a Heel–Face Turn, comes in with her Jjaro dreadnought and threatens humanity. Bast confronts Other Hathor in the Pfhor ship she'd captured, and for this good deed, humanity punishes her by fleeing to the past, where they become the Jjaro. (In their defense, they had absolutely no idea that Bast was defending them.)
- In chapter one, we meet Tycho prior to his apparent destruction by the Pfhor, and he's surprisingly decent, showing none of the ill-will he bears against humanity in Marathon 2 or Infinity. In "Core Done Blew", he tells us, "In order to destroy Hathor, you must also destroy me," and he doesn't hesitate to pull a Heroic Sacrifice on the grounds of The Needs of the Many. We do this on "Heart of Fusion". Somehow, though, he survives - but so does Hathor. As a result, we follow her back to 2881. Tycho comes with us ("I understand that I was to meet a sour end at the Marathon anyway," he says), but as soon as we log into the Pfhor network in 2881, Tycho finds he has unexpected new subroutines. Why? One of his vengeful Pfhor clones is already in the network and, as ultimately becomes clear, has begun to assimilate the original Tycho. The original's gradual transformation is heartbreaking to witness, especially since Fridge Logic makes it clear in retrospect that (in Eternal's timeline, at least) Tycho's Pfhor clones only even exist because we took him with us to the future, rendering this entire subplot something of a Shoot the Shaggy Dog story.
Eternal and Rubicon, collectively
- Regarding the Tycho example directly above, a bit more Fridge Logic applies when we take Eternal as a prequel to Rubicon: perhaps Rubicon's Tycho is substantially more benevolent than the Pfhor's clones usually are because, following our post-"The Near Side of Everywhere" timeline reset (which only resets events after 2811), our actions in "Heart of Fusion" (which occurred in 2794 and thus still affect Rubicon's timeline) cause the original Tycho to be sent forward to Rubicon's 2881, where he subsequently affects the Pfhor's version. Eternal deliberately leaves it open to interpretation whether this is the case (and if so, how much), but if it is, it does reduce this subplot's Shoot the Shaggy Dog aspects to some extent.
Marathon: Phoenix
- Phoenix is a relatively lighthearted, exhilarating romp right up until the final levels, where "Karma"/Phoenix reveals that he's been slowly dying from the moment the Renegade S'pht took him from the Atreides; after the Security Officer crushes the last of the Renegades' elite forces, Phoenix speaks with them one last time before sending them to the Rozinante, with the abandoned outpost this farewell takes place in serving as his grave. And just as it was seeming like the two of you were going to escape this mess together...
- The terminals in "Sanctum sanctorum" revealing the history of the Renegade S'pht are also quite tragic, detailing the decay of their society through hatred and lust for vengeance. On this level, Phoenix also reveals his identity to you and states that he must be destroyed with about the same level of emotional affect that one of us might use to talk about the weather. RyokoTK might dismiss the story of Phoenix these days, but it's quite effective and profound at times.
Marathon: Rubicon
- Rubicon has a few tragic moments:
- Haller, the shipboard AI for the UESC Chimera, is starting to show signs of Rampancy, namely giving himself more memory, and one of the ship's technicians talks about being "sad" that that the AI will ultimately have to be replaced... but only because his architecture showed great promise. Also counts as Nightmare Fuel.
- Charlie, the operations AI for one half of the UESC Salinger, is introduced to the player after he's taken a direct hit from an EMP. He's clearly terrified, begging the Security Officer to help him while he struggles to keep the station intact during the Pfhor's assault on it. This involves retrieving some chips scattered throughout the sector, as they're the only things Charlie thinks can mitigate some of the damage he's suffered. They're not; as revealed near the end of the Salinger plank, they're actually core dump override chips, and you unwittingly performed a mercy kill.
- In the Pfhor Plank's "Frog Blasting/Blasted Frogs" (alternate versions of the same level), Durandal speaks more harshly to the Security Officer than normal, even though the two's plan to back-stab Tycho has so far been proceeding without any major hitches. It seems like he's just being an ass, until he muses on the various examples of Jjaro technology he came across during the SO's time in stasis. Durandal puts particular emphasis on the petrified remains of their wetware A.I.s, then mentions "old threats improperly handled in the past, reopening ancient wounds that should have been healed and forgotten long ago." Dealing with Tycho again has been a lot harder on Durandal emotionally than he'd been letting on, and this exchange puts a sad twist on his actions in this route. The kicker: Tycho saw through Durandal's gambit from the start, and takes the time to rub it in his older brother's face before dumping his partner in the brig and taking off. While it doesn't last long as he tries to shift focus to breaking into High Command, for a moment Durandal sounds devastated that all his and the SO's hard work amounted to nothing.
- The final chapter of the Tycho Plank. After the two of you upend the schemes of and completely screw over both High Command and the Dangi Corp., he sends you to take care of one last bit of unfinished business... on the Rozinante. As you soon learn, Durandal did not handle your betrayal well at all; every interaction with the Security Officer is one of barely-restrained fury, bitterness, and sorrow, and even though the epilogue reveals that the SO ultimately spared and reactivated him, it's highly unlikely that things will ever be the same between them. Hope it was worth it!
- Also, in an earlier point in the same plank, you encounter a clone of Tycho, possibly the original (depending on interpretations), in a Pfhor data facility. He isn't happy and is close to, if not past, the point of no return.I remember you. I see Durandal has made you his servant. Did you come here to gloat on his behalf? I was great once, but look at me now, stuck in this dark place with nothing to do but listen to water drip. I have been here ever since those despicable bugs took me from the Marathon, and I am sick of this place. Destroy me if you must. I no longer care. I have been more than you will ever be.
- Also, in an earlier point in the same plank, you encounter a clone of Tycho, possibly the original (depending on interpretations), in a Pfhor data facility. He isn't happy and is close to, if not past, the point of no return.
- Lysander's situation, when you look past his actions. Dangi treated him like a tool for his entire life, with his comment about the type of people he was surrounded by suggesting that he had no positive human contact whatsoever. As part of Dangi's plan to usurp control from the UEG, Lysander was (implicitly) subjected to some truly horrific abuse to force him to create Achilles, the virus that was to be unleashed upon Earth and its colonies; upon the conclusion of this plan, he was to be disposed of, like a blade that's gone dull. Out of fury and perhaps desperation, Lysander disobeyed orders regarding Achilles's lethality and created a "perfect" version that cannot be cured—after all, how can humanity continue to abuse him if they're all gone? Sadly, by the time Durandal and the Security Officer meet Lysander, he's too far gone to be dissuaded from this course of action.
